Not Imprisonment, but Living Together (5)
‘Could he be an angel?’
The moment Sa Hae-geon saw the man before him, that was his thought. It truly was a situation that could only be explained as encountering an angel. Sa Hae-geon forgot that he needed to answer the man who was waiting for him with a gentle smile, and just stared blankly at his face.
The man looked as if the word “kindness” had been personified.
“Do you live around here?”
At the man’s question, Sa Hae-geon, finally coming to his senses, shook his head from side to side. The man’s expression then turned serious. He looked at Sa Hae-geon intently before asking again.
“Don’t tell me you’re lost?”
“…Yes.”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Sa Hae-geon mumbled his response and nodded. Honestly, Sa Hae-geon disliked strangers. He disliked it when they spoke to him, when they looked at him with curious eyes, when they showed interest in him.
But strangely, this man’s interest was okay. It wasn’t annoying at all when he kept asking various questions. Rather, Sa Hae-geon wished he would ask even more, show even more interest in him. Despite having just met. The man felt both familiar, like someone he had known for a long time, and special at the same time.
“Where is your home? Is it far from here? How did you end up in an unfamiliar neighborhood? Did you follow someone you know?”
The man extended his hand while asking several questions at once. Sa Hae-geon grabbed the offered hand—a gesture he would have ignored if it had come from anyone else—and replied.
“I live near the Ability User Training School. I came out for some fresh air while studying for exams and got lost.”
“Ah, you live over there. You’ve come quite far.”
“Yes.”
The man nodded in understanding and began walking slowly while holding Sa Hae-geon’s hand. Sa Hae-geon started following him with a smile on his face.
“So when you say exam studying… are you attending a regular school? Ah, I remember there were exams at the training school too. But I don’t think there was anything so elaborate that required studying. Maybe things are different now? It’s been a while since I graduated, so my memory is getting hazy.”
Even questions that would have been unpleasant if asked by others were fine coming from this man.
“No. I go to a regular school. I’m studying for exams to prepare for private high school admission.”
“Ah, I see.”
But he mentioned having “graduated” a long time ago. Could he possibly be an ability user too? Sa Hae-geon blinked as he looked at the man. The man was someone who suited being an ability user so well that Sa Hae-geon didn’t even feel envious.
As an Esper, he looked like someone who would handle something sacred found in nature, like water or wind. As a Guide, he appeared as if he would provide Guiding to all Espers fairly and kindly. Sa Hae-geon naturally pictured the man wearing a Guide uniform from the Ability User Training School, providing Guiding to other students.
While envying the students in his imagination, Sa Hae-geon also thought he would like to receive Guiding from the man himself.
If he had been an Esper, he could have received Guiding from the man. He could have begged for Guiding, even knowing it would be impolite. With a sense of regret, Sa Hae-geon found himself gnawing at his lips.
The man, who had been walking while humming softly, glanced at Sa Hae-geon and suddenly burst into laughter.
“What’s wrong? Are you nervous?”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, you keep biting your lips. I thought you might be very anxious. After all, I’m a stranger to you. It’s natural to feel uneasy.”
“…Ah, it’s not exactly that. I was just thinking about something else.”
“Really? That’s good then. Don’t worry, I won’t ask for your home address. I’ll just take you to your neighborhood.”
“…Yes.”
For some reason, the man’s thoughtful consideration didn’t sit well with Sa Hae-geon. He could have taken him all the way home, so why only to the neighborhood? Sa Hae-geon swallowed his dissatisfaction, which was rising up to his chin, and continued walking with the man.
As his neighborhood came into view in the distance, Sa Hae-geon grew increasingly anxious. If they parted like this, they would probably never meet again. He would never know whether the man was an Esper or a Guide, and they would part without even knowing each other’s names. Such thoughts kept holding Sa Hae-geon back, making his steps slower.
Despite having no reason to feel such strong affection and trust toward someone he had just met, Sa Hae-geon kept wondering about the man. He didn’t want their connection to end as just a passing encounter.
When they had almost reached the neighborhood, the man’s steps began to slow down. Sensing the imminent farewell, Sa Hae-geon rambled nervously, throwing caution to the wind.
“Wh-what’s your name? How old are you? Are you an ability user? Did you attend the training school? Are you an Esper or a Guide? Where do you live? Can we meet again?”
“Huh? Huh? One at a time, one at a time.”
The man laughed, seemingly bewildered by the flood of questions. While the man’s clear laughter was pleasant, Sa Hae-geon wished he would answer rather than laugh at this moment.
The man stopped at the entrance to the neighborhood, released Sa Hae-geon’s hand, and bent his knees slightly to meet Sa Hae-geon’s gaze. Sa Hae-geon’s reflection filled the man’s remarkably sparkling black eyes.
“My name is Chae Do-min. I’m twenty years old.”
…Chae Do-min. His name was as beautiful as his face.
“A-and?”
“Yes, I am an ability user, and I did attend the training school. Though I’ve graduated now. As for whether I’m an Esper or a Guide, why don’t you guess? Which do you think I am?”
When Sa Hae-geon hesitated to answer the playful question, the man—Chae Do-min—suddenly gently grasped Sa Hae-geon’s wrist. The warmth from the man’s hand enveloped his wrist. And then, something warm and soft tickled the skin of his wrist. This must be what “Guiding” felt like.
Sa Hae-geon’s heart began to pound heavily at this unexpected experience.
“Now, guess again. Do you think I’m an Esper or a Guide?”
“G-Guide.”
Sa Hae-geon blushed with embarrassment as he answered immediately after Chae Do-min’s question ended.
“That’s right. You’re smart.”
Though the praise made him feel as if he were being treated like a child, which hurt his pride a bit, Sa Hae-geon was just so happy to learn about the man—Chae Do-min—that he could endure it.
“Where, where do you live?”
“Hmm, do you know the Central Center?”
“The Central Center?”
“Yes. I live near there.”
“Do you live alone?”
“Yes. It’s a bit far to commute from my family home, so I live by myself.”
Sa Hae-geon nodded earnestly as Chae Do-min shared his story. Name: Chae Do-min, age: twenty, a Guide, living alone near the Central Center… After storing all this important information in his mind, Sa Hae-geon continued questioning.
“So what do you do now?”
“Ah, you mean what’s my job?”
“Yes.”
“I work as a Guide at the Central Center. Come visit the Central Center when you have time. I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“R-really? Can I really come visit?”
“Yes. But make sure to get your parents’ permission first, okay?”
“Ah, I don’t need to. They’re not that strict. I’ll definitely come visit the Central Center. When is a good time? How about tomorrow? Or next week?”
A smile spread across Chae Do-min’s face as he gazed at the middle school student asking for specific dates. Sa Hae-geon couldn’t help but smile back, delighted that he was the one receiving that smile. He continued smiling for a long time, still offering his wrist to Chae Do-min.
His cheeks almost ached from smiling so much after such a long time. Chae Do-min laughed softly and released Sa Hae-geon’s wrist, saying:
“Come visit anytime. Now hurry home, your parents will be worried.”
“Hyung, next time we meet, please give me your phone number too, okay?”
“Yes, I will. Take care.”
“You too, hyung. Be careful on your way home. Thank you for helping me.”
Sa Hae-geon kept turning back and waving until Chae Do-min’s face became a tiny dot and disappeared. He didn’t even realize that Chae Do-min never asked for his name.
However, Sa Hae-geon was ultimately unable to keep his promise to visit the Central Center. Immediately after meeting Chae Do-min, he suffered from inexplicable burning sensations, headaches, and muscle pain for several days.
He was literally at death’s door. After being bedridden for a full week, sweating profusely, Sa Hae-geon finally got up and felt something strange. The air in the house was excessively hot and humid. Not only that, but even the sounds of insects moving outside were extremely irritating.
“Hae, Hae-geon! What, what has happened? My goodness, my goodness…”
His mother, who had rushed over, embraced Sa Hae-geon and cried.
“Who, who did you meet? Hm? Who did you meet that made you, made you like this…”
Sa Hae-geon couldn’t tell whether his mother was happy or sad, but there was no doubt that a significant change had occurred in him. He could feel it instinctively—the fact that the wavelength that had been dormant somewhere in his body had begun to activate.
Sa Hae-geon realized that the wish he had yearned for throughout his entire life had been fulfilled in just a few days.
