A Small Boat on the Sea (2)
I couldn’t give any answer. While I was awkwardly letting time pass, Sa Hae-geon’s behavior seemed a bit strange. His gaze, which had been fixed solely on me, belatedly moved to his own chest. Sa Hae-geon looked back and forth between his chest and my hand, and then, as if he had realized something, his cheeks flushed red.
Then, lowering his gaze, he mumbled shyly.
“It’s okay if it’s you, Hyung…”
“…Huh?”
No, what exactly was okay? Nothing about this situation was okay. If I kept going like this with Sa Hae-geon, I felt like I would start becoming strange too.
“I’m getting up.”
“You could stay longer…”
“…Stop saying weird things and move your legs, please?”
“Yes.”
With his response, Sa Hae-geon’s legs, which had been entangled with mine, pulled away. Afraid he might try to restrain me again, I quickly got up and sat on the sofa, lowering my gaze. Sa Hae-geon’s sudden confession was so embarrassing and flustering that it was difficult to look at his face.
Whether he knew this or not, Sa Hae-geon was still blushing and acting shyly. Still lying on the floor. Why on earth was he still lying there like that? Couldn’t he sit up and be embarrassed? It was just absurd.
Yet, I didn’t feel irritated or dislike toward Sa Hae-geon’s behavior. It was just a bit bewildering, but he looked cute more than anything.
‘…Am I going crazy?’
With this sudden thought, I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
* * *
The next morning. After finishing breakfast, Sa Hae-geon and I got up to go to the training ground. As we busily prepared in front of Cream, her eyes gradually became more stern toward us.
“…Cream?”
Cream stared at me without answering. Her eyes seemed to say “go ahead and speak if you have something to say,” which made me feel at a loss for words.
“Hyung, you need to put on your shoes.”
“Ah, y-yes… Cream, I’ll be back. It won’t take long. I’ll be back around lunchtime, so have fun while I’m gone. Okay?”
After greeting Cream with reluctant steps, I headed to the shoe rack where my shoes were neatly placed. Sa Hae-geon must have taken them out in advance while waiting for me.
“Thanks.”
“It’s nothing.”
It was just as Sa Hae-geon briefly responded and was about to open the front door when suddenly a human voice was heard from the living room. Had Cream accidentally pressed the remote control while climbing onto the sofa? There was no other reason for another person’s voice to be heard…
Startled, I headed to the living room and, as expected, saw Cream firmly stepping on the remote control. Cream, who had been pressing the remote with her small, round, cotton-like hind legs, spotted me, blinked, and straightened her posture.
Just as I was picking up the remote to return to Sa Hae-geon, who was waiting at the entrance, something I couldn’t ignore came from the TV.
[This is breaking news. At around 10 AM today, the Ability Department has announced that there is a high possibility of an S-class dungeon appearing. This has caused a surge in public anxiety…]
…What? An S-class dungeon? What did I just hear? In this unbelievable situation, I just stared blankly at the TV screen. But no matter how much I glared at the TV, I couldn’t grasp the situation. As I stood frustratedly watching the TV, the breaking news continued.
[The Ability Department has stated that they will actively rescue the kidnapped Guides to prepare for the S-class dungeon and work toward stabilizing the public.]
However, perhaps because the shock of the term “S-class dungeon” was too great, I couldn’t hear clearly. Sa Hae-geon, who had been waiting for me at the entrance, approached me with a puzzled face when I didn’t return.
“Hyung, what’s wrong?”
Then he shifted his gaze to the TV following mine. Sa Hae-geon’s face gradually hardened as he listened to the announcer discussing when the S-class dungeon was expected to appear.
[At a time when the gale incident caused by Esper Shin Woo-jun has not yet been properly resolved, the news of an S-class dungeon appearing is stirring anxiety among many citizens. Additionally, the Ability Department has announced that they will actively rescue the Guides that they have been neglecting and deploy them to the S-class dungeon, which has provoked public outrage.]
The announcer briefly summarized the flood of breaking news, and Sa Hae-geon’s eyebrows twitched upon hearing the explanation.
“Hyung.”
“…Yeah.”
“What is the Ability Department saying? Are they saying they’re going to correct the Guide kidnappings that they’ve been ignoring until now?”
“Yeah, it seems so.”
“Because they need to deploy the Guides to the S-class dungeon?”
“Mm-hmm.”
It seemed the reason for Sa Hae-geon’s low spirits wasn’t the occurrence of the S-class dungeon. He appeared angry at the Ability Department’s actions, which thoroughly used ability users as tools. In truth, I didn’t completely disagree with the direction the Ability Department was pursuing, so it was difficult for me to say anything.
While I was dissatisfied as a Guide, I could guess why the Ability Department had made such a decision. They must be taking the S-class dungeon very seriously. After all, the damage left by an S-class dungeon is truly enormous.
In South Korea, there was exactly one time when they failed to properly conquer an S-class dungeon that erupts approximately every 10 years. Although it was a long time ago, records of that incident remained. Unfortunately, it had occurred in Daejeon, and the entire area including and surrounding Daejeon was literally devastated.
Given such circumstances, the Ability Department must be desperate. Of course, there was a sense of regret that they should have paid attention to the Guides before things got to this point.
Sa Hae-geon glared at the emergency announcement video of the Ability Department minister with a cold gaze, then abruptly turned off the TV.
“…Then this applies to you too, right?”
“Hmm, I guess… so?”
Sa Hae-geon, frowning at my answer, asked quietly.
“What do you want to do, Hyung?”
“Uh… me?”
“Yes.”
Do I have any other options? Even if I did, I couldn’t choose them. Looking at Sa Hae-geon, who was waiting for me to answer, I said:
“It doesn’t feel right to just sit around when there’s an S-class dungeon. S-class Espers and Guides get paid more to step up in times like these.”
Even as I spoke honestly, I could clearly see my comfortable and happy vacation life slipping away. But what could I do in this situation? If I didn’t step up, I might not even be alive to take a vacation in the future.
Though I was really reluctant to return to the field, since it was something I absolutely had to do, I decided to accept it humbly.
“Hae-geon, could you get my phone?”
“Ah, yes.”
Sa Hae-geon, who had been standing still while deeply contemplating something, hurriedly headed to the bedroom at my request. Shortly after, Sa Hae-geon returned to the living room with my phone.
“Here it is.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“But why do you need your phone?”
“Well, I want to contact the Center. Given the situation… I’m not really imprisoned, so it doesn’t seem right to keep doing this.”
“Are you going to return?”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“When?”
Sa Hae-geon asked persistently.
“Probably tomorrow…?”
At my answer, Sa Hae-geon blinked and then opened his mouth. Then he made a shocking statement.
“Honestly, I don’t like the Ability Department. But if I want to continue living together with you, I think it’s better to deal with these issues quickly.”
“W-what…?”
…Continue living together? Better to deal with them quickly?
What is he mumbling about?
“I want to go with you, Hyung.”
“…”
“No, let’s go together.”
“You… too?”
Sa Hae-geon quietly nodded. But Sa Hae-geon was an imprinted Esper. One who couldn’t receive Guiding from Guides other than the one he had imprinted on. Yet he was saying he would follow me to an S-class dungeon. Had he forgotten his position?
I would be the only Guide who could Guide Sa Hae-geon in the field, but unfortunately, I was always busy Guiding many Espers. In such a hectic situation where I could barely take care of myself, there was no way I could properly look after Sa Hae-geon. And above all, I wasn’t even sure if Sa Hae-geon could really be included in the S-class dungeon conquest team.
Also, in fact, it would be better if Sa Hae-geon didn’t participate. Although his basic power level was high, he didn’t seem to know how to use that power efficiently yet. It might be a different story if he received intensive training for about a month, but…
I looked at Sa Hae-geon, who was tightly clenching his fist with determined eyes, and then shook my head.
