A Certain Moment (16)
The Espers who returned to base camp after the first raid appeared to be in better condition than expected. Perhaps because they all had extensive dungeon experience, they were accustomed to regulating their abilities and understanding their own wavelengths, rarely using power to the point of exhaustion. Because of this, I was more concerned about Sa Hae-geon…
I looked around for Sa Hae-geon, who wasn’t visible at the front of the formation, and finally spotted him walking at the very back with Hwang Ji-hyun. Hwang Ji-hyun kept checking on Sa Hae-geon and tilting her head as if something was bothering her.
“Maknae, are you really okay? You don’t look so good.”
“I’m fine.”
“You look completely different from your first dungeon. You’re pale right now.”
I could clearly hear the quiet conversation between the two. Sa Hae-geon’s face was pale? He was obscured by other team members passing in front, so I couldn’t see him well. Did he overexert himself again? I had anticipated that he would struggle with controlling his power in the field, given his long time without Guiding or proper training, but…
Sa Hae-geon was such a special case that I was always worried. Worried that a situation might arise that my Guiding alone couldn’t handle. Even knowing that I was the only Guide who connected with him, and the only one he accepted, I felt unreasonably anxious.
“Good work, everyone!”
“Everyone worked hard. Come sit down. We’ve set up beds inside the tents.”
“Those who need Guiding, please come this way. Those who want to rest, please go that way to rest.”
I made my way through the dispersing team members to find Jong-hyeok.
“Hyung, just a moment.”
“Yes? What is it, Do-min?”
“Can we talk briefly?”
“Hmm… sure. Let’s do that.”
Jong-hyeok glanced at Sa Hae-geon walking behind him and nodded. We walked about five minutes away from the base camp before starting our conversation.
“What’s wrong?”
“How was Hae-geon today? Did he do well?”
“I’ve only trained with him before; this is the first time I’ve been in a dungeon with him, but he did fine. He’s a bit inexperienced with using his abilities, but that’s something that will become familiar with frequent dungeon visits.”
“I see…”
Jong-hyeok chuckled at my lukewarm response. Being someone with excellent intuition, he probably already knew why I called him aside.
“But Do-min, this is something you could ask Hae-geon directly. What are you really curious about?”
“Ah, well… did Hae-geon overexert himself a lot?”
“Hmm. He probably did. Controlling power isn’t an easy thing. The higher the grade, the more difficult it is, and they often don’t understand why they need to control it in the first place.”
“…That’s true.”
“In that sense, Hae-geon has many areas that need refining. But that doesn’t mean he’s falling behind compared to other Espers, so don’t worry and go give him some Guiding. He probably needs your Guiding right now.”
“Yes. I should do that. Thanks, hyung.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Jong-hyeok shrugged and smiled. We started walking back toward the base camp. Unlike the other team members who were receiving Guiding, resting in tents, or sitting around the bonfire chatting, Sa Hae-geon was sitting alone, looking dazed.
Seeing him like that made me feel oddly urgent.
“Hae-geon.”
When I called his name softly, Sa Hae-geon looked up. He stared at me with eyes that seemed somehow empty. It was the first time I’d seen him look like this, and it felt like my heart had dropped. I hoped nothing serious was wrong.
“I’ll give you some Guiding. Come here.”
As I reached out my hand, something flickered in Sa Hae-geon’s eyes. He rose from his seat like a robot following commands and took my hand. His cool energy enveloped my entire hand.
I led Sa Hae-geon into the tent. Even from just briefly holding his hand, I could feel his wavelength fluctuating violently. It hadn’t been this unstable during his training with Jong-hyeok or when he entered his first dungeon.
Sa Hae-geon moved stiffly and sat down on a chair inside the tent. Sitting across from him and looking at him with a serious gaze, I saw his lips part.
“I’m okay, hyung.”
“You don’t look okay at all.”
“I’m really fine.”
“I couldn’t tell from a distance, but up close, your face is completely pale.”
“…Is it?”
“Does your head hurt?”
“A little.”
Sa Hae-geon’s voice was dry as he spoke. As if he were talking about someone else. As if he couldn’t feel any pain at all.
I carefully took his hand and examined his wavelength. The wavelength that had been stable due to regular Guiding was now thrashing wildly. He had clearly overused his abilities, as Jong-hyeok had said.
I sent my energy to calm the wavelength that was raging like a wild beast, while checking Sa Hae-geon’s complexion. He sat quietly, his face already looking somewhat better than before.
“Hae-geon, how do you feel now?”
“A bit more comfortable.”
“It’s good to work hard, but don’t overdo it. This is only your second dungeon, after all. Think of it as an extension of your training. Of course, it’s good for me to figure out what kind of Guiding works efficiently for you, but it’s hard on you.”
Instead of answering, Sa Hae-geon stared intently at my face. By now, I felt uneasy whenever he looked at me that way. I couldn’t predict what he might say.
“…What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“We haven’t tried many forms of Guiding yet.”
“That’s true… but for me, this is already trying a lot. I’ve tried everything I can think of.”
Sa Hae-geon made a strange expression at my words, then nodded.
“Yes. I wasn’t thinking of anything beyond that either.”
I should have been happy that Sa Hae-geon and I were on the same page for once, but strangely, I didn’t feel good. Was it because he had said what I was going to say? Or because he had refused a method I hadn’t even thought of?
“But since it’s my first time, I don’t want to experience it through Guiding.”
“Yeah… Of course. I understand what you mean.”
Well, Sa Hae-geon had lived almost like a regular person, so it made sense he would feel reluctant. Given how physically affectionate he had been, I think I had held some unfair prejudices. My uncomfortable feeling started to dissipate a bit.
“Besides, it’s with you, hyung.”
“…What?”
What on earth did that mean? I was speechless at his outrageous statement. But Sa Hae-geon just smiled with a serene face. As we engaged in this bewildering conversation, Sa Hae-geon’s wavelength had somehow regained stability. His previously blank face began to show signs of vitality again.
So, when I tried to release the hands we had joined for Guiding, Sa Hae-geon held my hand firmly and wouldn’t let go.
“Hae-geon, the Guiding is over.”
“Yes. But I want to keep holding it. Besides, your right arm belongs to me anyway.”
Of all things, the hand I had extended for Guiding was my right hand. I thought he had forgotten about his “your right arm is mine” talk since he hadn’t mentioned it for a while, but apparently not. I deliberately changed the subject to divert Sa Hae-geon’s attention, as if soothing a child.
“Let’s go eat and get some rest. We need to formulate a new strategy too.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
At the word “strategy,” Sa Hae-geon seemed to realize something and jumped up from his seat, quickly leaving the tent. Espers really are Espers—he seemed full of a sense of duty.
As I followed behind him, I encountered a completely unexpected sight.
I had thought he had rushed out to participate in strategy planning, but the place Sa Hae-geon headed was none other than the makeshift table where cooking utensils were arranged.
“…What are you doing there?”
“I’m preparing a meal. Hyung, aren’t you hungry?”
“I am a bit hungry, but no, that’s not it. What are you saying you’re doing now?”
“Preparing a meal.”
The first thing he does after recovering from Guiding is prepare a meal, of all things? While I stood there staring blankly, he began taking out ingredients from his bag and preparing to cook. Sa Hae-geon was truly serious about taking care of my meals, whether inside or outside the dungeon. Seeing him like that made my heart flutter strangely.
Team members who had been resting separately began to gather one by one, sniffing the food aroma spreading throughout the base camp. After eating the warm kimchi stew and pan-fried tofu that Sa Hae-geon had prepared, the Espers formulated strategies as the day in the dungeon came to an end.
And the next day. Sa Hae-geon, who had gone on the second raid with team members, returned to base camp with a wavelength that was raging too violently to be resolved by contact Guiding alone. Carried on Jong-hyeok’s back, his face was incomparably paler than yesterday.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Haha he forgot he gave away his right arm