# Chapter 44
After training ended, the two moved to the temporary Guiding room set up next to the training room. Since they only trained to a level that wouldn’t strain the Esper’s body, just holding hands was enough for Guiding.
Hwayeon sat quietly with his knees together, staring intently at Jeongyun. Uncomfortable with the innocent, clear gaze, Jeongyun looked elsewhere.
‘It’s really different.’
Holding Hwayeon’s hand, Jeongyun distinctly felt how matching rates affect Guiding efficiency. The feeling was definitely quite different from when he guided Domin.
“I think we’re done.”
After some time passed, Jeongyun checked Hwayeon’s condition and released the hand he was holding.
Hwayeon, not hiding his disappointment at their hands separating, fidgeted with his empty hand. His eyes conveyed that he wanted to hold hands longer, but Jeongyun ignored the request as usual. If he started giving Espers as much Guiding as they wanted, it would never end.
“I’ll be going now.”
“What?”
Hwayeon asked with wide eyes.
It was only natural to return to headquarters after finishing work. But Hwayeon looked at Jeongyun with a devastated expression, as if he couldn’t understand.
“Why are you leaving?”
“Because Guiding is finished.”
“Then, I’ll come with—”
“You know that’s not allowed.”
When Jeongyun firmly drew the line, Hwayeon closed his mouth that had been about to speak. Jeongyun got up and left the Guiding room, with Hwayeon trailing slowly behind him.
“I’ll come again tomorrow.”
At the center entrance, Jeongyun stopped and spoke to Hwayeon who had followed him. This was as far as they could go. Hwayeon wasn’t yet a government-affiliated Esper, so he couldn’t leave the center.
“You’ll really come tomorrow?”
“I’ll keep coming to provide Guiding for a while.”
At Jeongyun’s words, Hwayeon, who had been on the verge of tears, nodded. After sending Hwayeon back with a researcher who had followed, Jeongyun returned to headquarters.
He checked if there had been any missed calls or messages, but everything was quiet as expected. By now, Domin should have finished his schedule and returned to Korea. But as expected, there wasn’t a single message for him.
‘Right, what was I expecting?’
Stopping his train of thought, Jeongyun stood in front of the elevator leading to the Guide wing. As he pressed the button and watched the descending numbers on the panel, someone stood beside him.
“It’s been a while.”
Turning to the familiar voice, Jeongyun’s eyes widened. The pager in his pocket was still silent, yet here was Domin.
“Choi Domin…?”
“Yes, it’s Choi Domin.”
Domin spread his hand in front of the dazed Jeongyun and greeted him with a smile.
Before, Jeongyun would have simply smiled and welcomed Domin, but now he couldn’t. The moment he saw Domin, he remembered Saeon smiling while holding the bouquet.
The heart he had tried to soothe began to ache again.
“What brings you here?”
He tried to sound calm, but his voice came out sharp due to his hurt feelings. He worried he might have put too much emotion into it, but he couldn’t take back his words.
“I came because I had business, of course.”
As expected, Domin, sensing Jeongyun’s changed attitude, replied coldly.
While the uncomfortable atmosphere continued, the elevator doors quietly opened. Their eyes avoided each other, and Domin stepped inside first.
Jeongyun hesitated, finding it difficult to move. He thought it might be better to let Domin go first and take the next elevator.
As he stood still, watching the doors slowly close, Domin reached out and pressed the open button. The almost-closed doors slid open again.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you getting on?”
“…What?”
“You’re going up, right?”
Domin said to Jeongyun, who was standing blankly.
Unable to say he wasn’t taking it in this atmosphere, Jeongyun awkwardly entered. Only after he positioned himself in the corner, as far away from Domin as possible, did the elevator doors slide shut.
As the space grew smaller, the discomfort doubled.
Jeongyun lowered his gaze, hoping this time would pass quickly. But today, the elevator seemed unusually slow.
“Guide Yeo Jeongyun.”
“Yes?”
The moment he raised his head to check the panel, his eyes met Domin’s, who had turned around.
Domin stepped forward, blocking Jeongyun’s path. The elevator was so cramped that Jeongyun couldn’t avoid him.
“Did you receive it well?”
“What?”
“What I sent you, did you receive it well?”
Jeongyun’s eyes widened at Domin’s incomprehensible words.
Had Domin sent him something? He tried to recall any mail or packages he’d received in the past few days, but none had Domin as the sender.
“What are you talking about?”
“…What?”
Seeing Jeongyun’s face full of question marks, Domin sensed something had gone terribly wrong. He’d thought Jeongyun had received the gift and just closed his mouth without a word of thanks, but that might not be the case.
‘Don’t tell me, he never received it?’
Sensing things had gotten complicated, Domin put his hand on the back of his neck, which was starting to feel stiff. His mind filled with harsh thoughts about how to deal with Junyoung, the culprit who had messed up.
“Um… may I get off first?”
The elevator doors were wide open, apparently having reached their floor. When Domin silently moved aside, Jeongyun bowed his head slightly and escaped the elevator.
Domin stared at Jeongyun’s back as he fled without looking back, and pressed the open button before the doors closed. Then he followed behind Jeongyun.
Reaching the Guiding room, Jeongyun suddenly looked to the side and discovered Domin. With a face as white as if he’d seen a ghost, Jeongyun stuttered:
“Di-didn’t you leave?”
Instead of answering, Domin snatched the key card from Jeongyun’s hand. Then, without permission, he opened the Guiding room door and entered first.
“What are you doing? Come in.”
The room’s ownership had changed in an instant.
As Jeongyun entered hesitantly, Domin flicked his finger and closed the door with telekinesis. Click—the lock engaged perfectly.
“I thought you didn’t need Guiding.”
“I thought so too, but since I came all this way, it would be beneficial to receive it.”
Domin leaned back in his chair and crossed his long legs. He beckoned to Jeongyun with a finger, but despite noticing, Jeongyun didn’t move.
Was he trying to protest that he didn’t want to do Guiding? Raising an eyebrow crookedly, Domin couldn’t help but ask:
“Why, don’t you want to?”
Jeongyun, who had been still, shook his head. Then he approached hesitantly and just extended his hand slightly.
Domin couldn’t help but laugh at Jeongyun’s finger that had poked the back of his hand.
“Is this what you call Guiding?”
“From what I can see, it doesn’t seem like you need deep contact right now, Choi Domin.”
Now he was even talking back, albeit timidly.
Domin grabbed Jeongyun’s wrist and pulled. He sat the helplessly dragged Jeongyun on his knee and held his chin to prevent him from escaping.
“The right to control Guiding intensity belongs to me, doesn’t it?”
“B-but before—”
“When I say we do it, we do it.”
The brown pupils that had been shaking hid behind long eyelashes. Soon after, warm body heat touched the trembling lips. It was Domin’s lips.
A tongue entered through the slightly opened gap, tracing the neat row of teeth before tickling the sensitive palate. Jeongyun clasped his hands together and trembled.
‘This feels disgusting.’
Before, even though clumsy, Jeongyun had at least tried to follow along, but now he was stiff as a board with no intention of moving. With only Domin moving, it seemed like he was the only one who was desperate.
Domin ended the one-sided kiss and roughly pushed Jeongyun off his lap. Jeongyun fell to the floor weakly, but Domin focused on dusting off his wrinkled pants.
Or rather, he tried to focus on that.
If he dwelled on his unpleasant feelings, he didn’t know what he might say to Jeongyun. He was trying to find his inner peace in his own way.
“Are we done?”
At that moment, Jeongyun, who had risen unsteadily, asked.
Upon hearing those words, Domin couldn’t hold back his rising curses. Before, Jeongyun had been desperate for even one more touch, so why was he suddenly acting this way?
Domin ran his hand over his face and looked at Jeongyun with sharp eyes. Jeongyun, who had stopped after taking a step back, didn’t avoid Domin and looked him straight in the eye. It was such a pathetic defiance.
“Yeah. We’re done, so lower your eyes and don’t look at me.”
“……”
At the fierce warning, Jeongyun quietly lowered his head. Domin, who had roughly messed up his hair, swallowed all the words he was about to say and flung open the Guiding room door.
Click—
After Domin left, Jeongyun, left alone, rubbed his pounding chest.
Was Domin angry because he refused Guiding? Well, what else could make Domin angry at him? There was no reason for Domin to look for him if not for Guiding.
‘By the way, what did he mean by receiving something?’
He tried to recall if Domin had sent something, but again, there was nothing. Just in case, he searched through the letters that had arrived this week, but they were all unrelated to Domin.
‘Could it be…’
For a very brief moment, he thought of the bouquet that Saeon had received.
But the recipient’s name was clearly “Guide of Attack Team 2.” If it had been meant for him, the name “Yeo Jeongyun” would have been written on it.
‘Don’t have useless hopes, just forget it.’
Jeongyun thought as he organized the scattered letters.
Since he would get hurt as much as he hoped, he needed to get used to giving up in his relationship with Domin. He shouldn’t be greedy, as he had resolved at the beginning.
‘That’s how I’ll be okay.’
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
