112
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
The stunned secretary intervened between Taebeom and Siwoo. He scanned Siwoo’s face, which appeared fine, and was shocked to see a slightly split corner of his mouth. It was clearly an injury from being punched.
“Who dared to harm this precious face!”
The secretary, belatedly discovering the injury, made a fuss. He was furiously angry, ready to hunt down the culprit immediately. Upon closer inspection, Siwoo’s cheek was also slightly swollen.
“You were hit, weren’t you? Who did this to you?!”
“Han Seoktae. He’s a new guide.”
Siwoo spoke up as if he had been waiting for this moment. He listed not only the name of the guide who had grabbed his collar but also the names of the others. He had memorized their names and affiliations when they introduced themselves to the Jindo dog Esper.
As he informed them that they had said bad things about Seojun, he glanced at Taebeom.
“And… they made beastkin-phobic comments too.”
Siwoo met Taebeom’s eyes and turned away with a bitter expression. He couldn’t bring himself to relay exactly what had been said. He didn’t even want to repeat those words.
“I’ll be right back.”
As soon as the secretary heard their names, he left after receiving silent permission from Taebeom with his eyes. Beastkin-phobic comments were prohibited within the Center. No one made disparaging remarks about beastkin, not even as a joke.
“Will they be disciplined? Just transfer them far away.”
Siwoo asked Taebeom while looking at the door the secretary had left through. He felt a sense of fulfillment as they acted immediately upon his words. Was this what belonging felt like?
“That won’t be enough.”
“What?”
Siwoo tilted his head, not quite catching Taebeom’s quiet mumble. Taebeom didn’t repeat himself and just examined Siwoo’s face. He was checking for any other injuries.
“I was only hit on the cheek.”
Siwoo shrugged, lowering his head to avoid Taebeom’s intense gaze. Ah, should I mention that I was choked too? Would that lead to more disciplinary action? My nose even bled.
Strangely, the injuries weren’t as severe as they could have been. Usually, his sensitive skin would have been badly bruised, and his cheek would have swollen much more. It just ached a little.
“Lift your head.”
Lost in thought, Siwoo raised his head as if entranced by the soft voice. Taebeom stepped closer and carefully examined Siwoo’s neck.
There was a faint red mark on the white neck. Seeing this, Taebeom’s eyes grew even colder.
Siwoo was so flustered by the suddenly close proximity that he forgot what he was going to say. Just as an awkward silence was about to settle, Jihan appeared out of thin air.
“Leader, we need to change the assignments for a few areas.”
Jihan was rubbing his tired eyes when he noticed Taebeom and Siwoo standing close together. His lips parted in surprise. He was so shocked that he didn’t say anything for a few seconds, which was unusual for him.
“Which areas?”
Taebeom spoke first. He returned to his desk and took out his pad. Watching Taebeom casually continue the work conversation, Jihan finally blinked.
“Why is the guide here?”
He didn’t seem at all pleased to see Siwoo after a week. He didn’t even approach, just observing from a distance while slightly covering his stubbly philtrum.
“I’m going to do on-site guiding.”
Siwoo stated his purpose while scanning Jihan’s haggard appearance. He was a bit surprised to see him covered in monster blood for the first time.
Until now, Jihan had always appeared neat even after completing grueling missions. Siwoo had thought that Jihan only gave orders from above and didn’t directly handle monsters because his combat uniform was always clean.
“On-site guiding, you say?”
Jihan directed his question at Taebeom, not Siwoo. He seemed to think Taebeom had ordered it.
“Why would the guide do that?”
“I said I wanted to do it. I want to.”
Siwoo lifted his chin high, saying he could do it well. He thought they would naturally welcome on-site guiding as it would benefit the Espers. However, the response was different from what Siwoo expected.
“There’s no need. Don’t do such things.”
Jihan waved his hand, flatly refusing. Surprised by the unexpected response, Siwoo turned his gaze to Taebeom. Taebeom was standing quietly in front of his desk, just looking down at his pad. Sensing that Taebeom wouldn’t take his side, Siwoo confronted Jihan directly.
“If I do on-site guiding, both Kang Geonho and Ha Seojun can come out!”
“It’s dangerous. It’s not something a rookie guide can do.”
Jihan said he would take Siwoo back to Taebeom and leave. Siwoo glared at Jihan for ending the conversation on his own terms and ran to Taebeom.
“I’ll adapt quickly, so let me do it. You know Kang Geonho likes on-site work.”
“Leader, no. I’m against it.”
Jihan also took a step towards Taebeom, not backing down from his opinion.
“Even when you briefly came to the A7 area, you had a hard time. It’s not something you can easily adapt to physically.”
“I can build up my stamina! Were you perfect from the start?”
“Well, actually, I was perfect from the beginning.”
At a loss for words, Siwoo found Jihan more insufferable than ever. Suppressing the urge to pinch that smug face, he turned back to Taebeom. After all, the final decision was up to the leader.
“I can do it, right? You’ll let me, won’t you?”
Siwoo’s desperate gaze didn’t reach Taebeom. He kept staring at the pad screen displaying work data until the end.
“If everyone agrees, then you can do it then.”
“Okay. I’m against it, so it’s settled. Meeting adjourned.”
Jihan clapped his hands once as he inserted himself between Taebeom and Siwoo. At the same time, he grabbed Siwoo’s shoulder and teleported them to the dormitory.
“Hey! Do you want to die?!”
“No, I want to live. For a very long time.”
He responded lightly with a grin. Now that was more like him.
“Why did you leave the hospital room? I told you there’s no one in the dormitory.”
Jihan had heard through the secretary that Siwoo had come to the dormitory. Instead of answering, Siwoo just glared at Jihan. In response, Jihan covered his stubbly mouth again and took a step back. He wasn’t looking his best, having had no time to properly clean up.
“Agree while I’m asking nicely.”
“I’ll still disagree even if you ask not so nicely.”
Jihan went to the kitchen as if escaping, checking if there was anything to eat. Just like Seojun had done, he prioritized Siwoo’s meals.
“What on earth? There’s nothing here.”
The refrigerator was completely empty. There was no moisture in the sink and no sign of any meals having been eaten. I knew this would happen.
“Guide, why don’t you just go back to the hospital room? You must be bored being alone.”
“That’s why I said I want to do on-site guiding.”
Siwoo stepped forward, blocking Jihan’s path.
“I’m bored as hell. There’s nothing to do alone. It’s much better to follow you guys around and do guiding.”
“You shouldn’t risk your life just because you’re bored.”
Jihan was being very stubborn.
“Do you know how many guides get injured doing on-site guiding? Most of the people in the guide ward were injured on-site.”
“You guys get hurt often too.”
But Siwoo’s stubbornness was a notch above.
“You fight risking your lives every day, so why won’t you let me do it?”
He grabbed Jihan’s collar tightly, indicating he wouldn’t let go until Jihan agreed. Jihan gently covered Siwoo’s hand, telling him to calm down.
“How many times do I have to say it? It’s dangerous.”
“You guys can protect me, can’t you?”
Siwoo tightened his grip on Jihan’s collar, not giving him a chance to speak.
“You guys are super strong, right? So protect me. I’ll protect you too.”
As the conversation with Siwoo continued, Jihan’s firmly set lips began to loosen. He tilted his head back, avoiding Siwoo’s large eyes, and let out a deep sigh.
“Why are you so persuasive? Making my heart waver.”
“I’m good at everything. So agree.”
Jihan laughed out loud. As if he couldn’t handle it anymore. However, he didn’t agree right away.
“Give me time to think about it.”
“How long?”
“Hmm, half a year?”
Siwoo headbutted Jihan’s mouth, telling him not to say ridiculous things. He thought he had hit hard, but Jihan only found it ticklish. With such weak strength, on-site guiding? He was sure Siwoo wouldn’t last even half a day before collapsing.
“Agree by tomorrow. I won’t wait any longer.”
“That’s too soon. You should give me at least a week.”
“Kang Geonho and Ha Seojun are still confined right now.”
Siwoo took a deep breath as he released Jihan’s collar.
“I’ll behave myself, so just think about those guys.”
His voice, flowing out with a sigh, was firm.
“I might look weak to you guys, but I’m not that weak.”
Siwoo examined Jihan’s fatigued complexion and took his hand instead of his collar. As their bare skin touched, he immediately felt the exhausted wavelength. It was much worse than the numbers recorded on the pad.
“You should have come for a bit. You could have at least caught some sleep.”
He grumbled irritably as he started guiding. While guiding medication could lower the wavelength, it couldn’t suppress fatigue. Espers needed the energy of a living guide.
Jihan closed his eyes gently, feeling the guiding seeping through their hands.
“I wanted to show you only my best side.”
“What are you talking about?”
Siwoo ignored Jihan’s glib remark and tried to grasp his hand more tightly. However, Jihan regretfully pulled his hand away. He didn’t have time to stay long.
“I just came out for a moment, so I have to go back now.”
He waved goodbye with a light smile. Siwoo knew he had to let Jihan go, but he still grabbed his sleeve. The clothes, soaked with monster blood and sweat, felt damp.
“When will you be back?”
“I’ll come back as soon as things calm down.”
When Jihan said he’d send his answer through the secretary tomorrow, Siwoo pouted. However, his gaze locked with Jihan’s was calm.
“…”
Siwoo stared up at Jihan with eyes that still had unfinished business. Jihan didn’t break eye contact either.
Jihan’s wavelength was too exhausted to let him leave like this.
Siwoo, emitting radiant guiding, slightly lifted his pointed chin. Recognizing the guiding seeping into his body, Jihan immediately lowered his head.
Their lips met, and their tongues intertwined. Jihan’s lips, which were always soft, felt a bit rough. His fatigue was evident all over his body. Siwoo poured all his strength into guiding the tired Jihan. Though brief, he performed intense mucosal guiding that made his upper body lean backward.
Jihan explored the warm mouth while embracing the slender waist. A hot sensation spread from their touching stomachs and thighs. It felt like every cell was being renewed where he touched Siwoo.
A loud thudding sound echoed from the left side of Jihan’s chest. Holding his breath, Jihan inwardly chuckled and slowly pulled his lips away. Then he whispered in a very low voice.
“Geonho is coming.”
Siwoo tilted his head, not understanding Jihan’s words. Jihan regretfully touched Siwoo’s dazed face and gave him one last quick kiss before disappearing. At the same moment, the sound of the front door opening was heard.
