A Small Boat on the Sea (5)
How long had we been like this? Sa Hae-geon, who had been watching me carefully, asked cautiously.
“Hyung, so tomorrow we’ll go to work together after breakfast, right? I need to go to the Central Center anyway.”
“…Huh?”
“No?”
I was speechless at Sa Hae-geon’s nonchalant question. Why on earth did Sa Hae-geon think we would naturally go to work together? Maybe after working for a few days, but it was his first day at the Central Center.
“Wouldn’t that… look a bit strange?”
“Really? I don’t see anything strange about it.”
“No. It’s strange. I think it’s better if I go to work first and you go separately.”
“…”
As Sa Hae-geon stared at my face silently, I shrugged and asked:
“What time did they tell you to come?”
“By 10 o’clock.”
“Ah, then I should definitely go first. I have to be at work by 9.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
Sa Hae-geon seemed very disappointed that he couldn’t go to work with me. He kept pursing and closing his lips as if reluctant to let go, before finally sighing softly and swallowing his words. He looked like a child who had spotted a toy he liked at a department store but couldn’t bring himself to ask for it, which made me smile.
“Hyung, then at least let’s have breakfast together before you go. Please?”
Eating breakfast before going to work? It was a very kind suggestion, but for an office worker, breakfast was almost a luxury. It was much more beneficial to get a little more sleep during that time.
“Huh? Um… it’s okay. I don’t usually eat anything when I’m going to work. You should get plenty of rest instead of spending time making breakfast.”
“But.”
“I’m thinking of your energy. Once you start working, you’ll get mentally exhausted from training and interacting with other people. You should at least get enough sleep.”
“…Yes.”
Seeing Sa Hae-geon respond with a downcast gaze and a gloomy face, I nearly wavered for a moment, but I ended the conversation by patting his back with a casual smile.
The next morning at 7:30 AM. I turned off the loud alarm on my phone, got up, and stretched. I couldn’t believe that I had to repeat the act of waking up early to go to work again, but there was no time to waste staring into space.
I gently pulled out the messy blanket that Cream was sprawled on, roughly straightened it, and headed to the bathroom. After quickly washing with warm water and changing clothes, I found Cream sitting in front of the bathroom with a puzzled face.
“Um… Cream?”
The cat, who had become even more plump since coming here, swished its tail while scanning my face and outfit with its eyes. To be more precise, it was closer to swinging its tail.
“Daddy… has to go back to work starting today.”
Cream didn’t say a word, but I felt oddly self-conscious. If she would just get angry, I could comfort her, but she just stared at me with her mouth tightly shut, which made me feel even more guilty. I filled Cream’s food bowl generously with a apologetic heart.
“Cream, eat your food.”
Cream glanced at me and slowly walked over to start eating her food. I watched the back of her head contentedly, then thoroughly cleaned and filled her water bowl before drying my hair and putting on my outer clothes. After packing my bag, I looked more or less like an office worker ready to go to work.
‘…I don’t want to go to work.’
I suppressed this thought that came as naturally as breathing and was putting on my shoes when suddenly Sa Hae-geon’s door flung open. He ran quickly to me in his pajamas and stood in front of me.
“Hyung.”
“Yes.”
“Be careful on your way to work. And I’ll see you at the center later.”
“…Oh. Yeah, sure. See you later.”
“Hyung, don’t pretend you don’t know me later.”
“Of course not. I won’t ignore you. I’ll go now.”
“Yes. Be careful. Okay?”
After repeatedly nodding to Sa Hae-geon’s entreaties, I opened the front door and left the house. While waiting for the elevator, I felt a bit strange. It had been a long time since someone had seen me off, especially when that someone was not family but a stranger. And moreover, an imprinted Esper who had confessed his feelings to me.
“…”
My heart was pounding loudly. Despite having applied high-moisture body lotion, my chest area and various parts of my body were itchy. I scratched my chest as I entered the elevator.
As soon as I got off the elevator and started my commute in earnest, I wanted to go back home. I just wanted to hole up at home and rest forever, like a person who didn’t exist in the world. Regardless of my duty as a Guide, I wanted to jump into my cozy bed right now.
But with an S-class dungeon about to appear, I couldn’t just stay under the covers. To protect not only civilians but also my own comfortable daily life, I had to conquer the S-class dungeon no matter what.
It didn’t take long to reach the Central Center. Even accounting for the proximity of my home, I arrived a few minutes earlier than usual. It might have been because I walked a bit faster, uncomfortable with the occasional glances from people trying to recognize my face while pretending not to.
When I opened the main building door and went inside, I saw some employees whose faces were familiar from passing by, even though they were from different teams. As I exchanged brief greetings with them on my way to the office, an Esper approached me in a friendly manner.
“Hey, Guide Do-min!”
“…Ah. Hello.”
“My, it’s been a while. Almost a month, I think? Wow, you look refreshed.”
He was a middle-aged Esper from Team 2 whose name I couldn’t remember. I think I had run into him on the morning I was kidnapped, but I wasn’t particularly happy to see him.
“Are you back? Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of our Guide Do-min from now on.”
“Yes, well…”
“By the way, did you see the announcement from the Ability Department? Really… no matter how urgent, they’re spouting such nonsense… Don’t you think? Ah, maybe you couldn’t see it because you were kidnapped? No, they were saying strange things like Guide Do-min enjoying being kidnapped.”
Though he was speaking as if he was concerned, his intention to probe me was clearly evident.
“I did see it briefly. It’s really strange to say I enjoyed being kidnapped…”
“But when you think about it, it’s not completely implausible. Looking at how the Ability Department behaves, Guide Do-min might have had good reason! Did they make things difficult for you?”
“Well, it’s because they’re so understaffed. The Ability Department didn’t intentionally make things difficult for Guides.”
“Ah… Guide Do-min, you’re so understanding. That’s why I like you even more. Anyway… so things didn’t work out with this Esper either… right?”
“Pardon?”
The middle-aged male Esper seemed to be expecting something. When I pretended not to understand and asked again, he laughed awkwardly and added:
“I mean, you know… those guys kidnap Guides because they want to form pairs with them! Obviously, Guide Do-min must have handled this situation well too… right? Can I trust that?”
“Yes, well.”
It wasn’t an incorrect answer, since we were living together, not agreeing to form a pair. The Team 2 Esper seemed very relieved by my response and said with a satisfied smile:
“That’s right! I knew Guide Do-min would be like that. You should definitely find your pair Esper within the same center! There’s no need to look far, right? Guide Do-min, you should also try looking around you before it’s too late.”
“That’s true. But maybe someday a young, decent, and modest Esper will just fall from the sky? I don’t need to lower my standards, so I’ll just wait a bit longer. Now, I must have a lot of work piled up, so I’ll go ahead.”
The Team 2 Esper looked like he had a lot more to say, but I quickly walked away from him. When I opened the office door and entered, I saw the welcome faces of my team members.
“Oh my, Do-min!”
“Wow, Chae Do-min. You look better!”
“Welcome back, Do-min. The Esper who kidnapped you didn’t do anything stupid, did they?”
“Senior!”
“Oh, I’m so glad you’re back safely. We were so worried!”
Seeing my team members enthusiastically welcoming me made me feel touched. I especially felt sorry for the Guides who must have worked hard to fill my vacant position.
“Has everyone been doing well?”
In response to my smiling question, Lee Cheol-min, the oldest Esper in Field Team 1, shrugged.
“Does it look like everything’s been fine?”
“…Ah.”
“As you probably know, Shin Woo-jun has caused quite a commotion inside and outside the center.”
“That’s right. Team Leader An Jong-hyeok and everyone else have been… busy.”
“Ah… I should have come back earlier. But what’s this about an S-class dungeon appearing?”
The faces of my team members, who had remained composed while talking about Shin Woo-jun, stiffened at the mention of the S-class dungeon. Just then, someone opened the door to Team 1’s office and entered.
