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“So the leader told you directly?” Jihan asked again. He kept tilting his head sideways, unable to believe what he had heard.
“It’s true. I’m not lying.”
“I know. It’s just… a bit surprising.”
Jihan stared at Siwoo with an inscrutable expression and a smile.
“Our leader must trust you a lot, Guide.”
Or like you, he thought, but left unsaid. He answered Siwoo’s question first.
“You’re right about Geonho.”
Jihan fidgeted with his left wrist as he continued. Since Taebeom had directly shown his prosthetic hand to Siwoo, he decided to share a bit more.
“The leader and I have known each other for quite a while. We were classmates in middle school.”
It was the first time he had brought up old stories on his own. Jihan had never voluntarily talked about his life before manifestation to anyone. If others asked, he would answer, but always vaguely or quickly change the subject.
“The leader’s parents… they were really wonderful people.”
Jihan leaned back completely in his chair, gazing at the deeply sleeping Geonho.
“I had never seen such a harmonious family in my life. It was almost shocking.”
They were a loving family that seemed too good to be true. A mother who was physically weak but full of smiles and affection, and a hardworking, gentle father who never missed family walks despite his exhaustion from manual labor. The perfect eldest son who never complained, and the mild-mannered youngest who played quietly with just a single toy. Their home was always filled with a joyful atmosphere.
It wasn’t loud or flashy, but a quiet and simple happiness always filled their home. Poverty didn’t hinder their happiness at all. Even the yearly increase in the youngest’s medical expenses wasn’t a heavy burden for them.
Every night, Jihan would tag along on their family walks. As if he were a part of their family, he would walk with them, taking on the role of the mother’s conversation partner in place of the quiet father.
“They were such good people that they always welcomed me with a smile, even though I kept following them around.”
Jihan’s face took on a nostalgic expression as he recalled those times. He looked as if he was reminiscing about the happiest period of his life.
Siwoo listened calmly to Jihan’s words, which seemed to have no clear direction. He wasn’t particularly surprised by the fact that Geonho had injured Taebeom’s left hand. It was something he had already anticipated.
“I was grateful for how nice they were to me, so I did something unnecessary.”
Jihan’s smile gradually faded as he approached the main point.
“I had the parents rest at home and took only the leader and Geonho out for a night walk.”
Jihan paused and scratched his flattened lips. He lowered his gaze to the floor as he traced back through his memories.
It was a day just before winter. The three of them were walking in a nearly deserted park, facing the chilly autumn wind.
They intentionally circled the park longer than usual and even ate ice cream at a convenience store. He had hoped to give the parents some quality time alone. Taebeom seemed to share the same sentiment, not rushing Jihan even as he walked slowly. Young Geonho was simply excited.
As they were heading home, the sound of fire truck sirens gradually grew louder, and their pace quickened. Despite living in a rundown neighborhood where police cars and fire trucks frequently passed by, a strange sense of unease arose. It was an odd human instinct.
“That day, someone set fire to the leader’s house.”
When Jihan and Taebeom arrived, the flames had already engulfed the building up to the rooftop. They said the fire spread easily due to strong winds and the old structure of the building.
The culprit was the team leader from the construction site where Taebeom’s father worked. He was a man known for his frequent anti-beastkin remarks. Disliking Taebeom’s father for his excessively upright character, and upon hearing that his son was a beastkin, he set fire to the house in a drunken state.
Jihan could only watch, dazed, as the building turned black in the hot flames. There was nothing else he could do.
Taebeom was using all his strength to hold onto the agitated Geonho while watching their home burn. Geonho was thrashing about and howling loudly, nearly tearing his muzzle. His cries drew all the neighborhood residents.
[Geonho, please calm down… please.]
Belatedly, Jihan tried to help Taebeom restrain Geonho, but it was futile. Controlling a dog larger than an adult man was not easy. In the end, Geonho was dragged away like a sack by the beastkin suppression team that had arrived in response to the call.
[He’s my brother!]
It was then that Taebeom finally shed tears. The strong Kang Taebeom, who had calmly taken care of his brother even while watching their home engulfed in flames, broke down helplessly at the sight of his brother whimpering as he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck.
Jihan, who burst into even louder sobs, was of no help to Taebeom. He could only helplessly follow Taebeom, who was running frantically towards the departing transport vehicle, not even realizing his shoes had come off.
It was a horrific time. Even now, just talking about it made his heart race. It was the first time he had spoken about that day.
For a whole month after that, Jihan didn’t see Taebeom.
“He didn’t come to school, and when I asked the homeroom teacher, they just said they didn’t know. I thought I was going crazy.”
Since Taebeom didn’t even have a phone, there was no way to contact him. All Jihan could do was wait for Taebeom to return on his own.
“I couldn’t actively search for him, thinking he might not want to see me. It was practically my fault they had died.”
He spent a month feeling like his blood was draining away. Thinking Taebeom might at least come to school, he attended without missing a single day.
And as Jihan had expected, he met Taebeom again at school. Taebeom had come to school a month after losing his parents to submit his withdrawal papers.
The emaciated appearance of Taebeom as he came out of the faculty office was still vivid in his mind. His legs froze at the sight of Taebeom’s severely thin face and his left arm in a cast. Just like when he first saw his brother.
[Why is your hand…]
In response to Jihan’s sudden first words, Taebeom answered in his characteristically calm voice. He said he had lost his left hand trying to get his brother’s isolation measure lifted.
He explained that he had his left hand bitten off by Geonho while trying to prove that he could control his brother sufficiently. He recounted the situation at the time with an emotionless face, as if telling someone else’s story. Calmly and matter-of-factly.
“He said Geonho had completely changed after the fire incident. He became violent and couldn’t even recognize his brother.”
The young Taebeom was naturally confident that he could control his brother. Despite everyone’s warnings, he intentionally met his brother without wearing protective gear. He deliberately didn’t wear it, fearing his unusually timid brother might find him unfamiliar.
Taebeom only realized the reality after losing his left hand.
[You were right. I should have been more careful.]
When Taebeom met Jihan after a month, he looked much more mature than before. He almost resembled an old man who had lived his entire life. His empty eyes were devoid of emotion. They were just vacant.
Jihan burst into tears foolishly at the sight of Taebeom, who neither blamed him nor shared his sorrow. Even though he knew he wasn’t the one who should be crying. Tears flowed uncontrollably, to the point where he couldn’t hide them.
Taebeom patted Jihan’s shoulder a couple of times before leaving with a brief farewell.
[Thank you.]
His last words lingered in Jihan’s heart like a vengeful ghost. The young Jihan, frozen in place, couldn’t even apologize to him.
“That was the last time we met until we saw each other again at the center for the first time. It’s a terrifyingly persistent connection.”
Jihan only watched Taebeom from afar as he manifested as a mental Esper and gained everyone’s attention. He intentionally kept his distance, even requesting to be assigned to a different training center.
Although he was curious about Taebeom’s news more than anyone else, he was afraid of bringing up bad memories for him because of himself.
It was Taebeom who approached Jihan first and proposed creating a guild together. With a voice much heavier and stronger than when they were young.
[I need your ability.]
Since then, their persistent connection has continued until now. It’s been over 8 years already.
“That’s all I know.”
Jihan finished speaking and rubbed his forehead, chuckling.
“Was the story too long?”
Although he tried to keep his tone light, he couldn’t look at Siwoo. His gaze remained fixed on the floor.
Just then, Jihan’s pager buzzed softly.
“I should go now.”
Jihan took out his pager and showed it with a light wave. It was a low-risk call, as quiet as the small vibration. There was no need to hurry, but Jihan stood up immediately.
“Guide, you should rest well. I’ll take Geonho with me.”
He couldn’t leave Siwoo alone with the sleeping Geonho, so he reached out towards the bed. He was about to tap Geonho’s shoulder to teleport, but before that, Siwoo grabbed his hand.
“Think sensibly.”
Jihan, who had been looking only at the floor, finally raised his head.
“How is that your fault? It’s because of that crazy beastkin-hating bastard!”
Siwoo snapped, pulling Jihan’s hand forcefully. His large eyes were brimming with tears. His blue irises, filled with moisture, sparkled like a summer sea.
“If Kang Taebeom blamed you, do you think he would have considered forming a guild with you? Huh?! Would he have?!”
Jihan couldn’t answer. Siwoo, with a frustrated look, held Jihan’s hand tightly while trying to hold back his tears.
“So don’t think like that. Got it?”
He pushed his guiding through their joined hands. With a comforting intention. He very carefully wrapped Jihan’s wavelength.
“Why the fuck would someone set fire to a perfectly fine house… I’ll kill him if I ever meet him.”
Even while guiding, he cursed heavily, condemning the unforgivable criminal.
“Just let that bastard show up in front of me. I’ll make sure he can’t use his mouth ever again. Just wait and see.”
After spewing out a stream of curses, he bit his lip to swallow the rising sobs. He cried because he felt sorry for Yoo Jihan. He had always thought Jihan was a thoughtless guy who just went around grinning. He had no idea he was carrying such a heavy burden in his heart.
He felt sorry for this guy and that guy. Why was everyone around him so pitiful?
“Yoo Jihan, you. If you even think about blaming yourself, I won’t let you off either.”
Siwoo held Jihan’s hand with one hand and grabbed his collar with the other. Jihan stood in an awkward posture, taking in the sight of the tearful Siwoo. With an ambiguous expression, neither smiling nor crying.
“This is bad.”
Then, out of nowhere, he pulled Siwoo’s hand and placed it on his left chest. Siwoo, taken aback, looked at Jihan with wide eyes.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I’ve fallen for you again, Guide.”
Siwoo pretended not to hear Jihan’s nonsense and continued to pour out his guiding. Although he hadn’t fully recovered his strength, he had enough power to guide thanks to his good rest.
Jihan chuckled to himself at the failed joke and took a step back.
“You don’t have to do it. I need to leave soon anyway.”
“Take at least a little before you go.”
Siwoo stretched out his arm and interlocked his fingers with Jihan’s so he couldn’t shake him off. Judging by the fact that the pager didn’t ring again, it didn’t seem to be an urgent matter. So it should be okay to receive a little guiding before leaving, right?
“If it’s just a little, this won’t do.”
Jihan said with a sly smile, swinging their joined hands. He meant he had no intention of receiving guiding. Siwoo absolutely needed to rest now. Even now, his palm felt hot, as if his temperature had risen from crying a little.
With such a weak body, how could he guide all of us?
“You took guiding medicine, so don’t worry and rest.”
Jihan truly intended to refuse Siwoo’s guiding. He swore to the heavens.
“Take it before you go.”
But the moment Siwoo pulled Jihan’s hand forcefully and kissed him, Jihan’s head tilted involuntarily. It wasn’t just a simple kiss; Siwoo even parted Jihan’s lips with the tip of his plump tongue.
When the most beautiful guide in the world does this, what Esper in the world could resist?
