# Chapter 52
Though he wasn’t as flustered as the day before, he still seemed thrilled that Hajin had personally asked him for a favor. As he tried to rush into the room, he bumped his knee against the table.
“Ow!”
Of course, it was the table that got damaged.
“Dented it again…”
At first, Hajin had wondered why they’d put a metal table in the living room, but seeing the knee-shaped dent left behind, he understood the reason.
Choi Jihyung looked back and forth between the table and Hajin, and not wanting to keep him waiting, left the table and returned with an outer garment.
“Is it okay to leave the table like that?”
When Hajin asked out of concern, Jihyung smiled broadly, seemingly pleased that Hajin had spoken to him.
“I can fix it later. Right now, Ha-Hajin-ssi is waiting…”
Hajin felt a bit uncomfortable at the gap between the innocent smile now and how excited he had been when reaching for him before.
Which was his true self? Guides were supposedly rare, so perhaps he’d temporarily lost his senses because it was his first time experiencing compatible Guiding.
“…Let’s go.”
Hajin turned first. It didn’t matter either way. The only important thing was escaping this place.
‘I hope he’ll be alright… He won’t have an outburst, will he?’
The longer he was trapped here, with nothing to do but read books or go around in circles like a hamster wheel, the deeper his idle thoughts became.
Walking a route he could now traverse with his eyes closed, Hajin glanced at Choi Jihyung, who was now naturally walking close to him.
The moment Hajin’s gaze landed on him, Jihyung’s eyes met his directly. Of course, his face quickly reddened and he turned away.
“Is, is there something you wanted to say…”
“Hmm, is it not possible to go somewhere else? I’m getting tired of walking the same path back and forth.”
“So-somewhere else?”
When Choi Jihyung showed rare hesitation, Hajin pretended to back off while actually encouraging him.
“I’m not asking to see where you work, just wondering if we could go to a different floor or something.”
“Umm, umm…”
Jihyung’s worry deepened. He had been ordered not to take Hajin anywhere else. Orders were absolute.
But Hajin was asking him for something. How disappointed would he be if refused?
‘Th-that can’t happen!’
The thought alone was horrifying. What if that single refusal widened the distance between them again?
If he imagined Hajin not seeking him out anymore, he felt like falling to his knees and begging not to be abandoned.
Just then, as if driving a wedge into Jihyung’s hesitation, Hajin spoke up.
“If it’s difficult, that’s okay. Can’t be helped.”
Although he knew Hajin was just looking ahead to continue their walk, when Hajin’s gaze left him to focus forward, Jihyung felt his heart drop to the floor.
In the end, Jihyung had no choice but to nod.
“Le-let’s go!”
Since he was also an Esper, Hajin would understand that Jihyung couldn’t refuse a Guide’s request. After all, Hajin would soon become their Guide, and it would be terrible to be disliked.
“Isn’t it troublesome for you?”
“Not at all! J-just promise to go with only me.”
Wanting to show confidence, he squared his shoulders in a rare display of assertiveness, but by the end, his shoulders slumped again as he added the timid request.
Regardless, Hajin discreetly clenched his fist slightly at how quickly Jihyung had given in.
Changing his approach to target this one had indeed been the right choice.
“Let’s do that. I can’t go alone anyway. However…”
“H-however?”
“Never mind.”
When someone starts to say something but stops, unless the other person is completely disinterested, curiosity naturally follows. And this was true for Choi Jihyung, who had a profound interest in Hajin.
Especially since the subject was Hajin, he summoned the courage to ask again, wanting to help in any way possible.
“Please, won’t you tell me?”
What could be bothering him? If he could solve it, would Hajin like him a little more? He asked with a hint of such self-interest.
“Well, it’s really nothing. I feel like I’m just being petulant.”
“P-petulant?! W-w-who said such a thing…!”
Choi Jihyung looked ready to personally beat whoever had said such a thing. Having provoked enough of a reaction, Hajin finally answered.
“I was just thinking it’s a shame that when Puppy returns, I’ll be back to circling the same places again.”
In that moment, Jihyung heard those words as if Hajin was saying he would miss being unable to be with him. In a way, it was true.
Going to another floor would only be possible with Jihyung, so it was like saying he would miss not being able to be with him.
Having rationalized this, Jihyung’s face reddened. Hajin was already lamenting their future separation.
His heart raced so fast it almost hurt. Then suddenly a thought occurred to him.
‘Couldn’t he just go for walks with me from now on?’
Due to his ability’s characteristics, Choi Jihyung rarely had external missions. So he was actually more suitable than Puppy for monitoring Hajin and spending time with him.
‘Hajin-ssi would definitely prefer me.’
Nodding to himself, Jihyung spoke in the most impressive voice he could muster.
“Then from now on, let’s w-walk together!”
Though he stuttered slightly, he was flushed with excitement just from speaking to Hajin.
“Will Puppy allow that?”
Jihyung had worried about that too. The thought of Puppy glaring at him, asking who he thought he was to steal time with Hajin, was frightening.
But seeing Hajin prioritize someone else in front of him made him even angrier.
“Don’t worry…! I’ll, I’ll handle it!”
The power of love was remarkable. The desire of an Esper to impress a Guide gave courage even to the most timid of men. Only Seo Jihan was a concern.
According to Hajin’s prediction, Jihan liked Jihyung, and he worried whether Jihan would be jealous of them spending time together.
‘Though he can’t directly harm me, I should be careful not to make things troublesome.’
Having finished his thought, Hajin gave a small smile to Jihyung, who had offered to personally deal with Puppy, who would have been annoying to shake off.
“Then I’ll trust you.”
“T-trust… Leave it to me!”
When Hajin mixed in appropriately pleasing words, it was clearly visible how Jihyung lost his composure. Progress was faster than expected.
Hoping that things would continue to proceed smoothly, Hajin started walking again.
“Then can we go upstairs?”
“L-let’s go together.”
Surprisingly, although he usually walked hunched over, Choi Jihyung, who was taller than Hajin, took a big step forward and positioned himself not beside but slightly ahead of Hajin.
“In case someone doesn’t recognize Hajin-ssi and attacks, I’ll walk in front here.”
“Yes…”
Attacks? At this response that would be unimaginable to any ordinary person, Hajin obediently stood one step behind Jihyung.
The staircase leading up was quite long. If he hadn’t built up his stamina in the physical training room, he would have collapsed long before reaching the upper floor.
“It’s higher than I thought.”
“Yes. That’s why we usually use the elevator.”
“There’s an elevator?”
Hajin’s voice unintentionally came out sharp from the fatigue of climbing stairs. Jihyung couldn’t meet his eyes, bowing his head deeply as he stammered a response.
“H-Hajin-ssi isn’t allowed to use it…”
‘They must be terribly afraid of me escaping.’
Hajin was about to let a sarcastic remark slip out but desperately held it back.
He nodded with a suppressed sigh.
“I was the one who wanted to go to another floor, so there’s no need to feel awkward about it.”
At least he’d discovered that there was an elevator. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to use it in an emergency situation.
Hajin briefly peeked upward. The staircase continued much higher than he’d expected.
‘I’d get caught if I tried to run up there.’
If everyone here was an Esper, putting them to sleep would be enough to escape, but even that wasn’t certain. Returning his gaze forward, Hajin stepped onto the final stair leading to the upper floor.
There wasn’t much difference after climbing one floor higher. However, compared to the lower floor where Hajin had been, there were more windows made of transparent glass.
The structure allowed a clear view into the rooms, naturally drawing his attention.
“There seem to be many research labs here.”
People wearing white coats and masks were moving about busily. He wanted to find out what experiments they were conducting, yet at the same time, he didn’t.
As if anything good could come from what these anti-government guys were creating.
“Yes, and that’s why it’s particularly dangerous, so don’t open any doors carelessly and stay close to m-me. E-even closer than now…”
Jihyung deliberately pulled Hajin, who was walking a step away, to his side.
With his face flushed and nostrils flaring, he hardly inspired confidence, but what could Hajin do? When told to stick close, he had to stick close.
Standing so near that their arms almost brushed against Jihyung’s, Hajin pretended to look around while actually scanning for anything useful.
During this time, they encountered quite a few people. They would be surprised to see Hajin but would simply pass by when they noticed Jihyung beside him.
To be recognized and passed by on sight alone. Jihyung’s standing seemed more solid than Hajin had thought. Hajin observed the passersby from the corner of his eye.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
