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A long-billed baseball cap, horn-rimmed glasses, and even a black mask. With his already small face completely covered, it was impossible to recognize who he was. His voice was also raspy, as if he had a cold, making it even more confusing.
“It’s me.”
Ha Seojun took a step closer to Han Siwoo and slightly lowered his mask. In fact, it couldn’t have been anyone else with that build. Among Espers, people as tall as Seojun were quite rare.
“Can I come in?”
“Oh, come in.”
Siwoo first let Seojun into the hospital room. He wanted to get angry and ask why he only showed up now, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Did you catch a cold?”
Seojun closed the door and completely removed his mask, shaking his head.
“No, my throat is just a bit hoarse.”
“Just hoarse?”
That can’t be. He must have shouted a lot or his throat was hurt for some other reason.
“Are you feeling okay, Guide?”
Siwoo just nodded, tired of hearing this question. Kang Geonho, Yoo Jihan, and even the secretary asked about his condition every time they saw him.
“Are you alright?”
It was the first time seeing him since that day. When he asked around, he only got answers that the youngest was doing fine. No one told him where Seojun was.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Have you been receiving guiding from the machine continuously?”
Fortunately, he didn’t look noticeably thinner or unhealthy. He just looked very tired.
“Take off your glasses.”
Siwoo approached him to remove his glasses. Seojun instinctively stepped back. His golden eyes shook greatly.
“I’m fine too. I’ve been receiving guiding every day.”
Siwoo looked up at Seojun for a moment, then nodded for him to follow. He led him to the sofa instead of the bed.
“Sit down.”
Seojun obediently followed Siwoo’s words. He was about to sit on the opposite sofa, but Siwoo glared at him to sit next to him.
“What’s that?”
Seojun scratched his nape and asked, sitting as far away from Siwoo as possible. Siwoo was holding a red apple in his hand.
“I don’t know. Someone left it.”
Siwoo showed the acorn he was holding in his other hand. Seojun made a strange expression.
“They left it in front of the door, right?”
“Yeah. I heard a knock, but when I went out, no one was there.”
Seojun took the acorn for a moment. He held the round surface of the acorn with his fingertips and examined it closely. Watching Seojun, Siwoo subtly closed the distance.
“Do you know what it is?”
Focused on the acorn, Seojun didn’t notice Siwoo approaching until their knees were almost touching. After examining the acorn for a long time, he returned it to Siwoo.
“Just keep it for now. It’s not anything strange.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’ve received one too.”
Seojun said he didn’t know exactly what it was either. Trusting Seojun, Siwoo put the acorn in his shirt pocket for now.
“Just eat the apple.”
“You try it first.”
Siwoo held out the ripe red apple. Seojun wiped the apple on his clothes without hesitation and took a bite.
“See? You won’t die from eating it.”
“Then eat it all.”
Siwoo told him to eat the entire apple without leaving anything. Seeing how weak he looked, it seemed like he hadn’t eaten for days.
“Hurry.”
Seojun obediently followed Siwoo’s words this time too. He ate the apple for a very long time, which Siwoo would have devoured in an instant. In the end, he couldn’t even finish it and put it down.
“Give it to me.”
Siwoo finished the apple Seojun left. The crisp apple tasted good. How could he chew it so unappetizingly? He must have no appetite at all.
“Guide.”
Seojun slowly opened his mouth, watching Siwoo casually eat the apple with his bite marks. It was what he had intended to say as soon as he saw his face.
“Thank you. For saving my life.”
Siwoo, spitting out the apple seeds, glanced at him. With an adult-like calm expression.
“I just did my job, that’s all.”
He shrugged and intentionally spoke casually. He wanted Seojun to take that day lightly. He seemed more depressed than worried. Even though he hadn’t harmed anyone.
“Guide.”
The more they talked, the more Seojun’s voice cracked. Through the transparent glasses, his bloodshot whites were visible.
“Are you… really not bothered?”
Seojun had agonized countless times before visiting Siwoo’s hospital room. He didn’t have the courage to face Siwoo again after he had witnessed his true form. He expected Siwoo would certainly distance himself. He wouldn’t have anything to say even if Siwoo left the guild because of him.
Who would want to deal with a monstrous Esper? Even I find it horrifying.
“What’s there to be bothered about? It’s just a bird. What’s the big deal?”
“A bird…?”
Seojun, doubting his ears, stared blankly at Siwoo. A bird? How could anyone think that was just a bird?
“Or not.”
Siwoo scratched his cheek slightly. Observing Seojun’s expression that seemed not to believe his words, he spoke more honestly.
“Okay, well, there was a bit of a smell.”
It was a startling smell. It lingered in his memory because he had never smelled anything like it in his life.
“But it was unavoidable because of the injury, right? What’s strange about that?”
He admitted it was a unique appearance. Siwoo had no intention whatsoever of denying Seojun’s true form. Whether he had stopped mid-transformation or not, his lower body retained human form. He didn’t look like a common bird, and he only had one wing.
“Of course, of course it’s strange.”
Seojun slowly moved his cracked lips. He almost wished Siwoo would confess his true feelings even now. Pretending to be fine and then suddenly disappearing again would leave an even deeper wound. It would be better to have no expectations at all.
“Just be honest with me. It’s disgusting, isn’t it?”
“Yoo Jihan winking is more disgusting.”
Siwoo answered immediately again. His sparkling eyes were full of sincerity. In fact, he had once spit out his food when Jihan creepily winked one eye while eating.
“You’re a hundred times better than that bastard.”
Seojun burst into laughter at Siwoo’s frank confession. Finally, his stiff expression relaxed a bit.
“Guide, you’re really… the best.”
He covered his widely grinning mouth and continued to laugh silently. The tension visibly eased from him. Siwoo, feeling relieved, tried to make him laugh more.
“Why are you wearing glasses? These don’t have a prescription, right?”
Clicking his tongue at Seojun’s poor fashion sense, he snatched the glasses and tried them on. As expected, they were non-prescription glasses. Of course. An Esper’s eyesight couldn’t be bad.
“Should I give you my hat too?”
Seojun chuckled and took off his hat. Siwoo quickly snatched Seojun’s hat as well and put it on his head. Seojun’s expression brightened even more as he watched Siwoo.
While they were playing with the glasses and hat, a nurse entered with a knock.
“Guide Han Siwoo, I’m coming in for a moment.”
The nurse, who came in checking her clipboard, saw the empty bed and turned her head towards the sofa. Seojun immediately put on his hat. However, seeing his large build that couldn’t be hidden by clothes, the nurse recognized who he was at a glance.
“Ah, um… I-I’ll come back later.”
The nurse, recognizing Seojun, hurriedly rushed out of the room. She fled with a pale face as if she had seen a monster.
Siwoo, surprised by that sudden reaction, stared blankly at the firmly closed door.
“That’s the normal reaction.”
Seojun, pulling his hat down low, hung his head. He told Siwoo news he hadn’t heard yet.
“They say a lot of people saw me in Sector A7.”
Seojun said that now, probably no one in the center didn’t know about his true form. A heavy resignation passed over his brightened expression.
“Everyone’s already in chaos because of the beastkin outburst incidents, and I added fuel to the fire.”
“Beastkin outburst?”
Siwoo blinked his round eyes and looked at Seojun. Seojun, realizing that Siwoo seemed unaware of the beastkin outburst incidents, told him everything. Everyone was talking about those incidents as soon as they left the hospital room. Siwoo, confined to his room, knew nothing about it. He had no colleagues to bring him news either.
“Then that wolf beastkin from back then…”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Siwoo was greatly shocked by the news that only regular Espers remained on site due to the consecutive beastkin outbursts.
“Is that okay? Aren’t there a lot more beastkin Espers?”
“That’s why the remaining people are dying out there. Jihan hyung must be the busiest right now.”
So that’s why he hasn’t shown his face in the hospital room. At least Kang Geonho dropped by the room for a moment. He had been secretly feeling hurt that someone who could even use teleportation hadn’t visited him once. Honestly, he felt very hurt.
“The atmosphere got even worse because of me. Baekya is the only entity people can rely on, and now a monster-like being has appeared from that very Baekya.”
Seojun trailed off and turned his gaze to the window. The situation he had been most worried about had occurred at the worst possible time. Instead of being helpful to the guild, he had become a liability. He had become a big stain on the Baekya Guild, which always had to be perfect as a symbol of peace.
“Stand up.”
Siwoo slapped Seojun’s slumped shoulders and got up from the sofa. Then he suddenly opened the wardrobe door and started taking out clothes.
“…Are you going out?”
Seojun watched in confusion as Siwoo abruptly started packing.
“I want to go to the dorm. I don’t want to stay here.”
“There’s no one at the dorm right now. And there won’t be for a while.”
Seojun said similar things to what Jihan had said. There would be no one to take care of him. There’s no food because the dorm has been empty for a long time, and so on.
“Am I a child? I can be alone.”
“No, but still…”
Seojun, blocking the door with his large body, lost his words for a moment. He was struck speechless when he saw Siwoo taking off his hospital gown. He wasn’t even wearing underwear. How thin was that hospital gown pants.
Siwoo, unaware of the gaze fixed on his fully exposed bottom, quickly changed into his clothes. After pulling up his pants, he stuffed all the snacks Geonho had left into his pockets. He packed everything without leaving anything behind.
“Lead the way.”
Seojun, who had lost his senses at the shock of the snow-white bottom, regained his composure.
“Just stay in the hospital room. What are you going to do alone?”
He couldn’t leave the guide, who was secretly quite prone to loneliness, alone in the dorm. Knowing that he only ate snacks instead of proper meals when alone, Seojun felt even more compelled to stop him.
“If we go now, I’ll give you guiding.”
Siwoo, with his arms crossed, raised his chin, signaling Seojun to open the door.
Seojun stood with a firm expression, following Siwoo, and then slightly extended his arm behind his back. Soon after, the sound of the door opening echoed.
