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Siwoo let out a shallow sigh as he looked at Geonho’s tightly closed door.
That idiot. It was frustrating that he pretended not to hear despite their eyes meeting through the door crack.
“I told you to come out,” Siwoo said again, and only then did the quiet doorknob slowly turn.
Geonho walked out with his gaze fixed on the floor. Seeing Geonho’s dejected appearance, Siwoo chewed on the soft flesh inside his mouth.
They said he wasn’t feeling well. He looked even worse than Siwoo had worried.
Siwoo frowned, displeased with Geonho’s pale face. Despite sleeping for two days straight, there were dark circles under his eyes. Moreover, his lips were as white as if he’d eaten a powdered donut, making his face look completely drained of blood.
“If you two are going to talk, sit down,” Jihan said, gesturing towards the living room after seeing Siwoo clutching his lower abdomen. Before Siwoo could reply, Jihan lightly tapped both their shoulders, moving them to the sofa. The short distance could be traversed with just a light touch.
“I’ll be in the kitchen, so talk comfortably,” Jihan said with a grin, waving one hand as he went to the kitchen. Siwoo glared at Jihan’s retreating back for a moment before plopping down on the sofa.
“You sit too,” Siwoo said. Geonho, who had been standing still, slowly moved his feet at Siwoo’s words. Instead of sitting close to Siwoo as usual, he sat in the farthest spot.
Siwoo looked at Geonho, who was hanging his head like a criminal, with a dissatisfied expression. This listless appearance didn’t suit Kang Geonho at all. That guy looked much better being foolishly bold.
“Hey, Kang Geonho.”
The guy who usually responded before Siwoo could even finish saying his name was now just keeping his mouth shut. As if his throat had dried up.
Clang—
As Siwoo’s stomach stung in the heavy silence, a sound came from the kitchen. It was Jihan dropping a spoon.
He apologized silently, mouthing “sorry” as he picked up the spoon. Siwoo shot him a warning glare to be quiet before turning his attention back to Geonho.
“…”
In that brief moment, Geonho had lowered his head even more, covering his face with his thick hands. Siwoo instinctively almost grabbed Geonho’s wrist to pull it down. It was frustrating that Geonho wouldn’t even make eye contact.
“Hey, Kang Geonho. Look at me.”
Suppressing his rising emotions, Siwoo glared at Geonho before suddenly narrowing his eyes.
“I said look at me. Raise your head.”
When Geonho didn’t respond, Siwoo approached him directly and grabbed his shoulder, his expression full of worry.
“Does your head hurt right now?”
Geonho’s body temperature felt hot against Siwoo’s palm. Up close, beads of cold sweat were indeed visible on Geonho’s forehead. Siwoo immediately wiped away Geonho’s sweat.
“Does it hurt a lot? Did you take medicine?”
“Yeah, Geonho took four pills. You don’t need to worry too much,” Jihan chimed in from the kitchen, waving his spoon again. Siwoo ignored him and kept his focus on Geonho.
“Is it hard to sit? Do you want to go up to your room?”
Geonho finally showed a faint response, shaking his head slightly. It was far from enough to ease Siwoo’s frustration.
“If it’s too hard, go to the hospital.”
Seeing Geonho seemingly suffering from the side effects of the sedative made Siwoo even more worried. Not knowing what symptoms might appear made him even more anxious. If he at least knew properly, he might feel less worried. No one had explained the details to Siwoo. They just said it would get better with time.
“Don’t endure the pain. If you go to the hospital, the doctor will do something.”
Siwoo was considering having Jihan take Geonho to the medical center when Geonho finally spoke.
“Why are you…”
His voice trembled weakly, accompanied by a deep sigh.
“Why are you worried about me? You should be angry.”
It was a weak and cracked voice that didn’t sound like Kang Geonho at all. Siwoo listened carefully to Geonho’s unfamiliar voice and swallowed a heavy sigh, inwardly cursing, “What an idiot.”
“How can I not worry when you look like this?”
Siwoo slapped Geonho’s shoulder and held up his wet palm in front of Geonho’s eyes. His hand was wet from wiping Geonho’s sweat.
“Enough, raise your head. I’m not angry.”
Siwoo grabbed Geonho’s collar as he tried to curl up like a criminal again and pulled him up. Only then could he properly see Geonho’s face.
“What the hell happened to your face…”
Siwoo cursed as he closely examined Geonho’s terrible complexion. All the capillaries in his eyes had burst, and the area under his eyes was not just dark but had a bluish tinge. His once handsome face had become a complete mess.
As Geonho tried to turn his head away, unable to bear Siwoo’s intense gaze scanning every corner of his face, Siwoo pressed one of his cheeks firmly, forcing their eyes to meet.
“Look at me properly.”
Geonho’s eyes, trapped by Siwoo, trembled. The more Siwoo spoke, the more his red pupils shook.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I was the one who was careless.”
Siwoo continued calmly, removing his hand from Geonho’s damaged face. He needed to reduce contact since he still didn’t know Geonho’s condition.
“And it’s my role anyway.”
Instead, he gripped Geonho’s collar more tightly to prevent him from averting his gaze.
“It’s my job to take care of you guys when you’re not in your right mind.”
He intentionally spoke loudly so that Jihan, watching the situation from the kitchen, could hear too. Although he hadn’t fully fulfilled his role this time, it was still early. He would do better in the future. Just wait and see.
“Next time, I’ll control it for sure. So don’t worry.”
Siwoo conveyed his ambitious aspirations to both Geonho and Jihan, reaffirming it to himself once more. He had no intention of slacking off just because of his high matching rate. He didn’t want to be evaluated as not matching up to the Baekya Guild’s level.
“I’m going to receive proper training now—”
He was about to share the plans he had diligently made while cooped up in his room. But before that, Geonho, who had been frozen, approached Siwoo with his arms spread.
He embraced Siwoo very slowly. Giving Siwoo ample time to push him away, he wrapped his arms around the thin body.
“I’m sorry.”
He couldn’t help but hug him.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled a heavy apology as if exhaling his last breath, trapping the thin body in his arms.
“I did wrong.”
The apology continued slowly, each word emphasized. The volume of Siwoo in his arms seemed to have decreased even more, making his heart ache. He was already thin, but now he seemed so emaciated that he might blow away in the wind. All because of me.
“I told you, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
Siwoo grumbled with a sulky face, firmly resting his chin on Geonho’s shoulder. He just couldn’t understand the thought process of these espers.
How could this possibly be Kang Geonho’s fault? He couldn’t control his strength while half-asleep, yet everyone was treating Geonho as if he had committed a grave sin. If you think about it, Geonho was a victim too.
Siwoo made a bitter expression as he looked at the thick needle mark on Geonho’s neck. Geonho just held Siwoo for a while.
Geonho’s hand on Siwoo’s back twitched slightly. He was extremely tense, afraid of using too much force and hurting Siwoo again.
Feeling this, Siwoo hugged him even more tightly. As he pulled the thick torso close, Geonho hesitated before resting his head on Siwoo’s shoulder.
The sound of him deeply inhaling, as if smelling Siwoo, was annoying, but Siwoo remained still. He’s not feeling well right now, after all.
“Can you… do some guiding?”
He asked, wondering if guiding might help lower Geonho’s fever. The body temperature clinging to his skin was excessively hot.
However, Geonho shook his head while keeping his nose buried in Siwoo’s shoulder. Just accept it when I offer it. Siwoo pretended to dig his nails into Geonho’s back, who repeatedly refused guiding, before patting him.
Geonho’s body temperature was now hotter than a hand warmer. Thinking that they should probably go to the hospital after all, Siwoo glanced towards the kitchen. He was going to have Jihan send Geonho to the medical center.
The guy who had been sitting at the kitchen table was no longer visible. He must have left already. And he acted like he wouldn’t leave.
“I won’t do it again.”
At Geonho’s low voice, Siwoo’s blue eyes, which had been searching for Jihan, returned to him.
“I promise. I’ll never hurt you again.”
Geonho swore as he looked at Siwoo’s red cheeks and bandage-covered neck. He reaffirmed his vow by pressing his lips against the bandage that had a faint smell of medicine.
Siwoo quietly watched as Geonho kissed his neck. His Adam’s apple, covered in bandages, moved quickly with a gulp. He suddenly felt nervous.
It was because the sensation of a hot tongue licking his face suddenly came to mind. Could it be an aftereffect of contact guiding?
Feeling strangely heated, he lowered his gaze. Geonho then lowered his head, trying to make eye contact.
“It’s true. I swear on my brother’s name.”
“Okay…”
Siwoo squirmed his arms and pushed Geonho’s shoulders very lightly. At this, Geonho immediately tried to release the hug, thinking it was a signal to back off.
“Just focus on recovering quickly.”
However, Siwoo grabbed Geonho’s shoulders and didn’t let go. Is it okay to keep hugging? Geonho watched Siwoo’s reaction as he wrapped his arms around the thin waist again. He hugged Siwoo’s oddly stiffened body more carefully while closely examining his pale face.
Geonho tried not to miss even the slightest change in Siwoo’s expression. Just as Siwoo, aware of that intense gaze, was about to turn his head away again.
The sound of a pounding heart came across his chest. Because they were pressed so tightly together, it was impossible to tell whose heartbeat it was. Geonho naturally thought it was his own.
“It’s pounding because I’m excited. Not because I’m in pain.”
He explained, worried that Siwoo might be concerned, and the pale face began to blush like a flower. Had his fever transferred? Geonho, with a serious face, tried to press his forehead against Siwoo’s to check his temperature.
At that moment, Siwoo suddenly raised his chin. He closed his eyes tightly and slightly puckered his lips.
“Guide-nim! I’ve brought the doctor in charge,” Jihan’s cheerful voice suddenly rang out as he appeared through instantaneous movement. Geonho, who was standing there dumbfounded, glared at the owner of that damned voice as if he wanted to tear him apart. Damn it, why now of all times?
“G-get treated!” Siwoo pushed Geonho’s chest hard and ran into his room. The expressions of Jihan and Geonho, fixed on the retreating white back, were conflicting.
Geonho massaged the back of his stiff neck and licked his lips. His smooth cheeks, where his hot body temperature had gathered, turned reddish. Siwoo’s neck was much redder than that.
