# Chapter 42
The overseas schedule that had continued for a week was truly murderous. If Domin weren’t an Esper but an ordinary person, he would never have been able to handle it—a schedule without even a moment’s rest.
Domin didn’t know who came up with the saying “make hay while the sun shines,” but he wanted to grab whoever made it and beat them up. It was because of that saying that he was being pushed this hard.
“This is fucking exhausting.”
Though he’d just finished shooting, he had to move to the next location right away.
After getting in the car, Domin nagged Junyoung to turn on the air conditioner. Junyoung started the engine and turned on the AC first, but unfortunately, the air wasn’t cold.
“Hey, the air is hot.”
Domin kicked the driver’s seat and started getting irritable. He was already foul-tempered, but not getting enough rest made him more sensitive than usual.
“It’ll get cold if you wait a bit.”
“Fuck, ask them to change to a better car. Do you know how much money I make?”
The kicks against the driver’s seat were getting stronger. Junyoung struggled to steady his shaking body and started the car, hoping the air would cool down quickly.
Seeing the scenery slowly moving, Domin stopped kicking. It seemed he stopped because bothering the driver could endanger his own life.
*Selfish bastard.*
That phrase rose to the tip of Junyoung’s tongue, but he swallowed it down as usual. After spending so much time with Domin, this kind of mistreatment had become all too familiar.
“I should just quit all this.”
The field team Espers might think Domin was always having it easy, but that was far from the truth. He wanted to make those complainers sit in his place for just one day. Then they’d know how hard it was.
But whenever Domin talked about quitting, the higher-ups always threatened him the same way: “If not you, we’ll make the Deputy Director do it.” That’s why Domin was enduring it. Whether the Deputy Director knew about his tearful sacrifice was another question. He hoped he did.
“It’ll take about an hour to get to the next location, so try to get some sleep.”
“Fuck, what good is sleeping for just an hour?”
Sleeping for such a short time would only build up fatigue rather than relieve it, so it was better to stay awake. Hoping this would be the last schedule, he checked the timetable, but there was still more. A day was definitely 24 hours, but it felt like he was living 48.
Even getting angry was tiring now. Anger required energy. Domin reclined his seat all the way back and blinked with drowsy eyes.
It felt like sleep would come, but it didn’t. He was so exhausted that even falling asleep peacefully was impossible. If he developed insomnia from this, he’d bill the headquarters for the medication.
“When’s our return date?”
“Two days from now.”
“…This sucks.”
Domin raised both hands and rubbed his face hard.
When he looked at his palms afterward, they were stained with dark smudges. Belatedly realizing he was wearing makeup, Domin let out all the curses he’d been holding back.
“Let’s hang in there a bit more. We just have one interview and a light photoshoot left.”
“Shit, then why don’t you do it!”
Domin was getting unnecessarily excited. He needed to calm down to safely get through the next schedule.
Junyoung nervously rolled his eyes, then remembered something Domin had asked him to do a few days ago.
“Oh, right. About the flower delivery.”
“What the fuck? Why bring up flower delivery out of nowhere? Did those higher-ups ask me to do that too?”
“No, that’s not it. You told me a few days ago, remember? To send flowers to Guide Yeo Jeongyun.”
Domin, who had been acting up, suddenly calmed down. He’d given Junyoung so many tasks that he’d forgotten, but he did seem to remember asking to send flowers to Jeongyun a few days ago.
*’Why did I do that?’*
He wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but at the time, he must have wanted to send Jeongyun some flowers. Maybe he wanted to praise him for behaving nicely lately.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t like him.
“So, did you send them?”
“I checked earlier and got a text saying they were delivered.”
“…Well, as long as they got there.”
When he first went to sign the dedicated partner contract, he’d brought a bouquet as a courtesy, and Jeongyun had been really happy about it. That’s probably why he sent flowers this time too.
It was a shame he couldn’t see Jeongyun’s stupid happy face receiving the bouquet, but it couldn’t be helped given the situation. Still, the next time he visited Jeongyun’s Guiding room, he’d probably see the bouquet proudly displayed.
“He looks so scrawny.”
“Who?”
“Yeo Jeongyun.”
At Domin’s words, Junyoung tilted his head. It was true that Jeongyun had thin features for a man, but he wasn’t scrawny. Domin’s eyes must be somewhere else, because Jeongyun was actually quite pretty-looking.
Then again, Domin thought so highly of his own looks that it was hard to imagine who could impress him. Choi Domin would probably spend his whole life admiring his own appearance in mirrors. Annoying bastard.
“The bouquet, when did it arrive?”
“A few hours ago.”
“…A few hours ago, huh.”
Domin, pondering something, took out his phone to check if there were any missed messages. But contrary to his expectations, it was completely empty. He wondered if he hadn’t turned off airplane mode, but that wasn’t it either.
*’What’s going on?’*
Wasn’t it proper etiquette to send a thank-you message after receiving a gift? Even if not a call, a message could be seen anytime.
Or perhaps Jeongyun was diligently following instructions not to make personal contact? No, saying thank you for a gift wasn’t a personal message. It was just manners.
Domin’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the empty message screen.
“Have you decided to be nice to Jeongyun now?”
“Being nice…”
“But you’ve never sent anything like this to Ju Saeon.”
“Why would I send something to that bastard? What’s pretty about him?”
Domin tossed his phone aside and turned his gaze to the window.
He was always willing to be nice to Jeongyun as long as he didn’t cross the line Domin had drawn. Giving a gift to a well-behaved Guiding battery wasn’t difficult. As long as he didn’t cross lines and try to climb above him like Ju Saeon did.
“Be nice to him. Jeongyun is a good person.”
It seemed strange how Junyoung had been especially concerned about Jeongyun all this time. Was it because he really liked him? If Kim Junyoung’s type was someone innocent-looking, then Jeongyun would be perfect.
“Do you really like him?”
“Who?”
“Yeo Jeongyun.”
“I told you it’s not like that.”
Another strong denial.
Does he really like him? Thinking about it made Domin feel strangely unpleasant.
Domin sighed deeply and lifted his foot to kick the driver’s seat hard. Startled by the impact, Junyoung slammed on the brakes.
Screech!
The car came to a sudden stop, and their bodies lurched forward. Grabbing the steering wheel and trying to calm his startled heart, Junyoung turned around and shouted:
“Choi Domin! That was really dangerous!”
“I know.”
“Hey!”
“I won’t do it again, just watch the road.”
Junyoung barely managed to calm his boiling insides and focused on driving again. Domin was shamelessly looking at the passing scenery as if nothing had happened.
He tried to empty his mind, but because of Junyoung, he kept thinking about Jeongyun. Finally, Domin sat up, grabbed his phone, and looked for Jeongyun’s number.
He was about to scold him, saying if you receive a gift, you should at least say thank you, but then he stopped, feeling it seemed too petty.
*’He’ll send it when he’s ready.’*
Maybe he was so moved that he was still crying while holding the flowers, which delayed his thank-you message. It seemed foolish, but it was entirely possible for Jeongyun.
As soon as he returned to Korea, he’d call Jeongyun for Guiding. Of course, Jeongyun would ask him to adjust the intensity, but since they hadn’t done it for over a week, there was no helping it if he needed thorough Guiding.
Even though they’d done it many times, Jeongyun always acted like it was his first time. Well, he probably couldn’t get used to it. Domin admitted it must be overwhelming for him. Can’t be helped, since Domin was just that good.
Since they’d always done Guiding in urgent situations, this time he thought about taking it more slowly. Then maybe Jeongyun could stay conscious until the end instead of fainting.
*’That sounds good.’*
He’d kiss those teary eyes and show him the mess they’d made down below. Then that white face would turn completely red with shame. Just imagining it brought a smile to his lips.
“Are you happy?”
Junyoung, still angry about what happened earlier, asked bluntly. Normally, Domin would have snapped back, asking where this attitude was coming from, but he just kept smiling.
“…A little.”
He wished the day of return would come quickly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
