# Chapter 17
As Haeil firmly held Jaeha’s hand, Jaeha felt nervous and gripped back more strongly.
“Then we’re going in, Jaeha.”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Haeil moved first and passed through the wall, while Jaeyoon followed, holding onto his shoulder as he went through. Seeing both of them, Jaeha was convinced the wall could really be passed through and moved according to Haeil’s guiding hand. But just before Haeil’s hand completely disappeared into the wall, Jaeha quickly stepped forward only to bump into the wall and fall down.
“Ugh!”
Bouncing off the wall and sprawling alone on the floor, Jaeha was confused.
The two had passed through the wall and disappeared, leaving only Jaeha behind.
“Um… is this another magic trick instead of proof?”
The bewildered Jaeha muttered, but no one responded. Brushing the dust off his pants as he stood up, he knocked on the wall where the two had passed through and found it was so solid that it hurt his hand, not soft at all.
Wondering if it was a different wall, he went around knocking when suddenly Haeil and Jaeyoon tumbled out of the wall they had gone through, along with a wave of heat. Literally tumbling out, the two rolled a couple of times like stunt performers before quickly getting up and scanning their surroundings.
“Hyung!”
“Jaeha, are you okay?”
Seeing Haeil radiating heat from his body and Jaeyoon holding a sword when he had gone in empty-handed, Jaeha took another step back.
“Uh. I’m right here.”
When they heard Jaeha’s voice next to them, both quickly turned to look at him.
Making eye contact with Jaeha, Jaeyoon threw the sword behind him and hurriedly approached to check on his brother.
“Are you okay, hyung?”
“Yeah. But that wall was really hard.”
Jaeha’s head and back were covered in dust as he spoke in a daze. Jaeyoon carefully brushed off the dust with a relieved expression.
“Sorry, hyung. I guess this dungeon doesn’t allow non-awakened people to enter.”
“Since this place hasn’t been revealed to researchers yet, I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Jaeha.”
At the apologies from Jaeyoon and Haeil, Jaeha tilted his head.
“If non-awakened people can’t enter, how did Jaeyoon get in?”
“Huh?”
“…I see. He should have been non-awakened.”
Both Jaeyoon and Haeil seemed confused, as if they had just realized the situation after Jaeha’s question. In the previous dungeon, Jaeyoon didn’t show any mana flow. But now, even to Haeil, Jaeyoon had the distinctive mana flow of an Esper. While Jaeyoon remained silent, Haeil spoke first.
“Seo Jaeyoon-ssi. As you probably already know, the company has a system for awakened ones. If you could spare just one day, I can show you definite results.”
“No, I’ll go home with my hyung.”
Jaeyoon, who had just been holding onto Haeil’s shoulder amicably as they passed through the wall, pushed him away. Haeil was the most confused by Jaeyoon’s changed attitude as he hid Jaeha to his side and headed toward the stairs.
“Seo Jaeyoon-ssi, did I make some mistake? If so, please tell me. If there’s a misunderstanding, I’d like a chance to explain.”
“No, we have nothing more to see here so we’re just going back.”
Jaeyoon’s cold attitude made it clear something was wrong. Jaeha found it strange to see Jaeyoon only looking forward while taking care of him, with Haeil anxiously following alongside.
Jaeha reached out and pulled Jaeyoon’s ear, who tilted his head without resistance and followed along. In the past, Jaeyoon would have made a fuss about the pain, but now he stopped walking and met Jaeha’s gaze.
“Hyung?”
“Explain properly to Guild Master hyung. Why are you suddenly sulking?”
“It’s okay. Thank you for caring, Jaeha.”
As Jaeha considered Haeil’s position, Haeil’s feelings, which had been confused by Jaeyoon’s changed attitude, softened a bit. Jaeyoon also seemed to acknowledge that he had acted somewhat emotionally, showing a more subdued attitude.
“Not really. I’m not sulking.”
“Yeah right. Didn’t you trust Guild Master hyung? That’s why we came together to see the dungeon and monsters.”
“I do trust him.”
This was unexpected.
There was a difference between implicitly showing trust and stating it directly.
Jaeyoon, who had briefly shown wariness, ran his hand through his hair and sighed. With the improved atmosphere, Haeil also chose to watch rather than question. After composing himself, Jaeyoon looked at Haeil and slightly nodded.
“I don’t have a problem with you.”
“What do you mean ‘you’? You shouldn’t address hyung like that. Guild Master hyung, my brother can call you hyung too, right?”
At Jaeha’s intervention, Haeil quickly agreed.
“Of course. Actually, I’d prefer if Jaeha called me hyung instead of Guild Master…”
“See? Guild Master hyung says it’s fine. I’ve known him for over half a year, and I can guarantee our Guild Master hyung is really a good person. It’s disappointing if you just suspect him without reason. If you have a problem, you should say it.”
Seeing Jaeha’s goodwill in defending “our Guild Master,” Haeil hid his slight dissatisfaction about the title. The real issue was that Jaeyoon’s brow furrowed slightly at the term “our Guild Master hyung.”
Haeil was in the process of understanding the relationship between Jaeyoon and Jaeha in this short time.
He had guessed that Jaeyoon cared for Jaeha from their conversation. Jaeyoon was overly sensitive and emotional about his brother Jaeha’s affairs. He had allowed the precious Jaeha to meet him. The trust Jaeyoon showed was possible because he knew the future Haeil.
Yet as soon as Jaeha showed a small liking toward Haeil, Jaeyoon displayed displeasure.
‘This is something I must remember.’
Haeil realized that if he missed this emotion, he could make mistakes. He maintained an appropriate distance.
“I’m fine with whatever Seo Jaeyoon-ssi calls me.”
“Guild Master hyung should do the same. Using such formal speech creates distance. Since there’s an age difference between us too, please speak comfortably.”
Though they didn’t know each other’s exact ages, they could easily guess based on the maturity that Haeil’s appearance conveyed.
Haeil couldn’t help but smile at this. It was because he couldn’t predict how Jaeyoon would react if he treated Jaeha casually.
Even now, when Jaeha took his side, Jaeyoon’s face showed displeasure. Haeil tried to end the conversation to stop Jaeha from taking his side.
“I’ll try gradually, Jaeha.”
“Please call me ‘Jaeha~’ casually. I feel sad because it seems so distant.”
There was a reason for Jaeha’s more actively friendly behavior than usual. Before coming here, when they first met, Haeil had shown magic and displayed friendliness by offering to gift him game items.
In the confusing situation, as familiar conversation flowed, his goodwill toward Haeil naturally showed. Even though the place they came to was a dungeon, with Jaeyoon there and Guild Master Haeil as well, he thought he might see something interesting, but instead he was left alone outside the wall. It wasn’t exactly exclusion, but he felt somewhat hurt inside.
Recognizing that Jaeha was about to sulk from his grumpy tone, Jaeyoon erased his slight discontent and soothed his brother.
“Hyung, that person… Kwon Haeil, that hyung is just very polite. You can tell because he even calls me ‘Seo Jaeyoon-ssi’ when I’m much younger.”
“But he speaks casually to you. I’m young too.”
Jaeha’s comment was followed by an awkward silence. When a 23-year-old college student called himself young, both the younger Jaeyoon and the much older Haeil hesitated on how to respond.
Seeing Jaeha roll his eyes in embarrassment at the silence, Haeil thought it was cute but had no intention of saying so directly and facing Jaeyoon’s suspicion. Fortunately, while Haeil hesitated, Jaeyoon consoled Jaeha.
“Hyung, that person… no, Haeil hyung is someone we’ll meet often from now on, so you can get more comfortable gradually. You meet every day in the game too, right? You’re already quite close, so why sulk over just a speaking style?”
“Who says I’m sulking? This is ridiculous.”
Haeil carefully observed as they comforted each other, roles seemingly reversed between the older and younger brother.
Jaeyoon, knowing the future, was extremely worried and caring toward Jaeha. In contrast, Jaeha was defenseless, readily accepting all situations while not understanding at all.
Even if Jaeyoon knew the future, it wouldn’t have been easy to tell Jaeha about the coming misfortune when he accepted situations so positively and innocently.
It was the same now. Haeil couldn’t understand, but there must have been a reason for Jaeyoon’s changed attitude when he suggested getting support after an awakened test. From Jaeyoon’s change and his gesture of trying to hide Jaeha, Haeil quickly understood the situation.
Before stepping on a landmine, all Haeil could do was pull back.
“I apologize if I made Seo Jaeyoon-ssi uncomfortable. I mentioned the awakened support system thinking it would be helpful, but I have no intention of forcing it.”
At Haeil’s apology, Jaeyoon also ran his hand through his hair with a subdued demeanor.
“No. It was me being sensitive.”
After nervously running his hand through his hair several more times, Jaeyoon looked back and forth between Jaeha and Haeil and sighed deeply.
“Haaah… let me ask one thing. Are there other Espers at the examination center right now?”
“No. That place is for testing, awakened Espers stay at a different center. There are no awakening examination schedules for a while either.”
“Then I’ll take it.”
“You don’t have to force yourself, but it would be helpful if you did.”
“I suppose so. I’ll be able to use dungeons officially. I’ll also be able to receive equipment support first.”
Even though Haeil had never mentioned it, Jaeyoon knew about the company’s support details.
“Anyway, since hyung and you… Haeil hyung have met, I can’t hide it anymore.”
Jaeyoon didn’t specify exactly what he was trying to hide.
Since Jaeha was where his gaze fell, that was answer enough, so Haeil didn’t ask further.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
