# Chapter 39
Standing at the door was not Dojoon but Jaeyoon.
“Why are you here?”
“I had a little time, so I stopped by.”
“Time is running out. If you’ve awakened, don’t hesitate.”
The voice from the video in the background overlapped with Jaeyoon’s voice in front of him.
The video was just a recording being replayed multiple times. It wasn’t strange for Jaeyoon to be here, yet it felt oddly awkward. His half-styled hair for broadcasting and makeup that emphasized his eyes looked unfamiliar, but what surprised Jaeha most was something else.
“Hey, what is this scar?!”
Until then, Jaeha had been keeping an awkward distance from Jaeyoon, who was standing at the doorway without coming in. When Jaeha spotted the unfamiliar scar, he quickly closed the gap between them and examined Jaeyoon’s exposed forehead. On one side of the smooth forehead that was usually hidden by bangs, there was a long scar about the length of a finger.
“When did you get hurt again? Isn’t this already scarred over? How did you get such a big wound?”
Jaeha’s face frowned as he carefully touched the clear scar mark on Jaeyoon’s forehead.
“Oh man, this must have hurt a lot.”
“Hyung, it’s okay. It doesn’t hurt.”
Despite Jaeha’s concern, Jaeyoon only showed a relaxed smile.
Jaeha felt something odd about Jaeyoon’s response. His overly mature attitude didn’t seem like his usual self.
The fact that Jaeyoon came to find him at the resort accommodation meant he probably knew about the situation to some extent. It was strange that he remained calm and maintained eye contact with Jaeha, despite surely knowing about Dojoon’s presence.
Jaeha bluntly brought up the topic he had planned to approach carefully.
“I’m staying with Dojoon right now, and he saved me several times…”
“Yes, I know.”
Jaeyoon used to show wariness at the mere mention of Dojoon’s name. But now, his expression didn’t change at Jaeha’s impulsive statement. When Jaeha’s hand fell from Jaeyoon’s forehead due to this disconnect, Jaeyoon quickly tried to catch it but stopped himself.
“Why didn’t you grab it?”
“Huh?”
Just a month ago, Jaeyoon had begged Jaeha not to push him away. He had been wary of Jaeha meeting Dojoon and had done all sorts of strange things claiming to protect him. Throughout it all, he had consistently tried to stay close to Jaeha. Though the embarrassing words had decreased, his eyes still followed Jaeha, and when nearby, his arms or shoulders would touch as if checking on him.
“You didn’t do another regression or whatever, did you?”
“Why would you think that? Oh, is it because I look different? This is all thanks to the stylists and hair people.”
“But why…”
When Jaeha reached out his hand again, Jaeyoon remained still but squeezed his eyes shut as if enduring something when Jaeha’s hand touched his face.
“What is it? Did I develop some kind of power without knowing? Does it sting when I touch you? Is it because I touched a Black Pig?”
As a flustered Jaeha frantically wiped his hand on his clothes, Jaeyoon stepped back. Seeing this, Jaeha tilted his head in disbelief.
“What’s going on? Why are you avoiding me?”
“It’s nothing like that. I just came to see if you were doing well. To check if you needed anything.”
“I’m just hanging out here, but why do you keep avoiding me?”
As Jaeyoon backed away, Jaeha lifted his foot to kick the open door shut. Despite his verbal complaints, Jaeha’s actions were unusually forceful as he moved in close to Jaeyoon. Before Jaeyoon could be surprised, Jaeha began touching his face, arms, and body all over. He roughly rubbed Jaeyoon’s head and arms, and even tried to lift his uniform.
“H-Hyung?”
“Hold still. Hmm, your arms seem even firmer. Are you going to the gym?”
“Wait, Hyung. Let’s talk.”
“Talk about what? You didn’t say a word while getting a scar like that on your forehead.”
Before Jaeyoon could explain, his uniform and shirt were quickly disheveled by Jaeha’s hands. Though he could have easily avoided it, Jaeyoon hesitated, and by the time he was almost half-undressed, Jaeha’s eyes had thoroughly examined him. Fortunately, apart from the long scar on his side and the large scar on the back of his head that Jaeha had seen a month ago, there were no new wounds visible.
“What’s this? You don’t seem to have any more injuries, so why are you making such a fuss and avoiding me?”
“I’m not avoiding you. I’m just busy. I have to leave right away.”
“I guess so. You did look really busy.”
When Jaeha stepped back with easy acceptance, Jaeyoon roughly fixed his disheveled clothes and grabbed the door handle.
“Hey, are you leaving right away?”
“Yes. I really just came to see your face.”
“Why bother coming to see your dull hyung’s face when you don’t even have time?”
Though grumbling, Jaeha had examined Jaeyoon’s condition enough to feel relieved, and asked casually:
“How busy are you? Are you leaving right away without even sitting down for a moment?”
“I’m sorry, Hyung. I’ll be crazy busy for a few days. Please stay in the accommodation and don’t go out for a while.”
“A few days isn’t a big deal… but are you eating properly?”
Jaeyoon, who was about to open the door and leave, stopped at Jaeha’s casually expressed concern. What followed was a short sigh. Jaeha was about to get upset, thinking he was being treated as pathetic for worrying about his brother’s meals, when suddenly he found himself in Jaeyoon’s embrace.
“Ugh! Are you putting me in a headlock at this timing?”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. Especially not about me.”
Jaeha, who had been struggling and pushing Jaeyoon away, awkwardly lowered his arms at the heavy voice he heard from above his head.
“It’s safe here, so please wait just a little while.”
Jaeyoon’s voice was so heartfelt that Jaeha couldn’t even joke. Moreover, with his face against Jaeyoon’s chest, Jaeha realized he wasn’t being pressed down but gently embraced, and cleared his throat awkwardly.
The smell of new clothes from the still-stiff uniform made Jaeha wonder if Jaeyoon had just stopped by while coming to change. He felt embarrassed for suspecting and examining his brother who had come to check on his safety despite being incredibly busy. Trying to change the awkward atmosphere, Jaeha brought up something that had been bothering him.
“You don’t like Dojoon. I’ll change rooms if it bothers you.”
“No. I heard Joo Dojoon protected you. It’s better if you stay together.”
“Huh? Really? But you completely hated him.”
When Jaeha slightly pulled away to face him, Jaeyoon’s arms that had been wrapped around Jaeha’s back easily let go.
“I admit I was too sensitive about things that hadn’t happened yet. There’s no reason to push away someone who protects you.”
As Jaeyoon stepped back, Jaeha hesitated before asking somewhat playfully:
“So can I still be friends with Dojoon?”
“Would you stop if I told you not to?”
“Not immediately. But I’d try to see him less.”
“If that ever happens, I’ll make it so you don’t have to hesitate. Don’t think about that anymore.”
Jaeha felt a chill, sensing that Jaeyoon’s solution might be completely different from what he was thinking. Before Jaeha could ask what method Jaeyoon intended to use, a call tone sounded from the receiver.
“Ah, this is really urgent. I have to go, Hyung.”
“Okay. Take care.”
As Jaeyoon hurried outside, Jaeha’s farewell followed:
“Be careful! If you get hurt, we’re the ones who suffer!”
Jaeyoon’s face naturally broke into a smile at Jaeha’s shout, which casually included himself in what was Jaeyoon’s job alone.
Jaeyoon sighed as he looked down at his gloves that covered all the way to his wrists. From the moment Jaeha’s hand touched his forehead, Jaeyoon had struggled to maintain his composure. As he had thought before the regression, the guiding he received from his brother was different from what he received from other guides.
The gentle guiding that enveloped him like a spring breeze from where they touched gently calmed his feverish body. He became desperate enough to want to quietly receive his brother’s touch. He wanted to greedily reach for the hand as it pulled away. The forgotten sensation threatened to reveal itself with just a moment of guiding.
If he hadn’t prepared himself many times over, he might have grabbed him. The reason he didn’t lose his mind when Jaeha’s hand grabbed his arm and lifted his shirt to trace his scars was because he heard his brother’s voice full of concern.
Drawing on all his patience, he managed to stop at just embracing him. Contrary to Jaeyoon’s expectations, even through clothes, there was a subtle guiding effect from the awake Jaeha.
Even now, Jaeyoon was desperately restraining his desire to turn around, run back to Jaeha, and thoroughly touch his skin as he walked away.
A guard who was keeping up with the visibly hurrying Jaeyoon asked worriedly:
“Are you alright, sir?”
“What?”
“Your clothes…”
To the guard, Seo Jaeyoon was a sudden presence among the Espers. Jaeyoon, who had appeared at the invisible Han River Gate, had been active in rescuing people, media exposure, and meetings with high-ranking officials. He stood out even more than Kwon Haeil, who was being pushed as Daesung’s representative.
With suffocating schedules every hour, ordinary assistants collapsed after just one day. The guard, who had taken on the roles of secretary and manager in their place, was concerned about Jaeyoon’s disheveled appearance.
“I’ll fix it in the elevator.”
The guard, who had noticed the tips of Jaeyoon’s ears turning red despite his casual response, played along as much as possible.
“Right, right. If we hurry, we won’t be late.”
What the guard really wanted to ask was why Jaeyoon’s clothes were in such disarray after supposedly meeting his brother, but seeing Jaeyoon’s reaction, he wisely kept quiet. It didn’t seem like they had fought, since Jaeyoon, an Esper, appeared to have been one-sidedly pushed around by an ordinary person, and hearing the answer might be more troublesome.
“Will you really keep next week’s schedule empty? Wouldn’t it be better to postpone non-urgent matters from this week to next week?”
“No. Schedule as much as possible this week. I don’t mind not sleeping, so accept anything that might help with publicity.”
“I think what you’re doing now is already more than enough.”
Jaeyoon’s overly enthusiastic appearance looked to the guard like a rookie Esper full of popularity and showmanship. Regardless of how others saw him, Jaeyoon pressed his forehead scar, trying to find the remnants of the already vanished guiding. Though he knew it was useless, he found himself chasing the sensation that had instantly disarmed him.
‘Once this subjugation operation is over, I’ll be stuck in the guiding room, so I can see him after that.’
He must be finding it hard to endure right now because he desperately needed guiding. Having reached that conclusion, Jaeyoon resolved to run even busier than he was now.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
