# Chapter 21
“I’ll pay for it today.”
Dohyun wanted to say he’d pay, but thinking about the price, he swallowed his words. No matter how many zeros were attached, if Dohyun paid, he’d feel the pain every time he checked his balance. He wasn’t sure what this TPO thing was, but when he started making money, he wanted to spend lavishly. Whether that day would ever come was another question…
The guild, Haegang, all of it—he wasn’t sure if his abilities would be useful, and all this talk was making him uncomfortable.
‘But I really need to earn a lot.’
Haegang didn’t stop there and continued shopping. When it came to choosing clothes, Dohyun’s opinion wasn’t considered at all. Dohyun preferred dark-colored clothes that were easy to wash, but Haegang kept picking bright and vivid colors. Even when he asked if there were darker options, Haegang shook his head, making the clerk hesitant to intervene.
Dohyun looked at the paper bags in both his hands and gulped. Starting with an expensive coat, they’d bought casual home clothes, outdoor wear, and even a proper suit with a tie. When Dohyun mumbled that he probably wouldn’t need such formal attire, Haegang responded firmly.
“Bluntly speaking, you’ll need it if you end up going to a funeral or an emergency guild meeting.”
Ah, yes.
After the long shopping trip, Dohyun quietly spoke to Haegang walking beside him, as if trying to gather whatever little dignity he had left on the ground.
“…I’ll pay you back later.”
“If you wish.”
So, are you someone who doesn’t know how to refuse? Wasn’t this supposed to be a gift?
In the end, Dohyun went home and took pictures of all the price tags with his phone.
❖ ❖ ❖
Haegang was an extremely fastidious person. Dohyun was summoned by Haegang for not putting the empty milk carton back in its place, leaving the remote control in the wrong spot after watching TV, and taking towels from the right side.
‘I can’t live like this.’
Since he needed to work more anyway, Dohyun turned to part-time jobs as a means to reduce his routine interactions with Haegang.
He’d leave at 5 PM and return at 8 AM, sleep, wake up after 2 or 3 PM, eat a late lunch/snack, rest briefly, and then it would be time to leave for work again. By minimizing his active time at Haegang’s house, he barely had to touch anything.
“Are you going today as well?”
“Yes.”
From Dohyun’s perspective, who only tried to keep the dish area and towel section in order, it was better to spend less time at home. This judgment led him to restart his part-time job, which significantly reduced the time the two spent together.
After saying goodbye to Haegang, whose expression was strangely dissatisfied for some reason, and informing him that he wouldn’t be coming back tomorrow but going straight to run errands, he left the house.
After finishing his logistics center job, Dohyun met his friends and went to check on his original home.
“What? You worked at dawn today too?”
“Baek Dohyun. So you came here right after finishing your loading/unloading job?”
“Yeah.”
“Aren’t you living at that Guide’s place now, not your own house? Are you walking on eggshells there?”
Walking on eggshells… yes. Extremely so. Dohyun’s eyes grew unfocused.
“How long has it been?”
“A little less than a week.”
At Dohyun’s nonchalant nod, Jaewon and Haesu’s eyes wavered. The blackened building was a distressing sight, but to his friends, Dohyun was more important than the building.
“Aren’t you tired? Where’s the Bbakdo who used to get drowsy after waking up a little early?”
At Jaewon’s words, Haesu raised his hand and waved it in front of Dohyun’s face, moving his fingers. When Dohyun shook his head saying he was fine, Haesu nodded in disagreement.
“He seems fine? His eyes are following well.”
“I’m really fine.”
Dohyun grumbled at his friends’ suspicious expressions. His friends seemed to be under the illusion that he was still the same person despite becoming an Esper. Dohyun pushed away Haesu’s hand waving in front of his face.
“By the way, are you guys allowed to be here? Don’t you have classes?”
“I have no classes today.”
“I declared my own holiday.”
“…Why do all college students’ schedules look like that?”
“Oh Jaewon just said he’s taking his own holiday. He’s just skipping.”
“Crazy bastard.”
“Woo! Don’t say hurtful things to this crazy guy!”
“I won’t care if your grades tank.”
“Hey, are you enrolling in February? Think about the date, Baek Dohyun. We haven’t even been admitted yet.”
“Ah…”
Why did I ask these guys for help? Dohyun rubbed his forehead, getting a headache from his friends who seemed to be teaming up to tease him. This had nothing to do with needing Guiding; it was entirely because of these friends.
Shaking his head repeatedly, Dohyun moved forward first.
Where should he start cleaning up? His mind was a mess. The three of them, wearing rubber gloves brought by Jaewon, carefully entered the blackened building.
“It does seem like the fire started from your place, Bbakdo.”
Just by looking, Dohyun’s home was completely burned. Could there be any salvageable items? Anything still usable? Dohyun searched through the house with his friends.
Was it an electrical issue? The elderly building owner had never allowed gas lines, saying it was dangerous for a student who would be out all day. So there was only a cheap hot plate, which couldn’t have caused the fire. After manifesting as an Esper, he didn’t feel the cold much, so he had sold the cheap electric heater at a secondhand market. Then, was it a short circuit? As Dohyun rummaged through his belongings, he found it increasingly strange. A fire couldn’t possibly have started in his room.
“Bbakdo. You… unplugged everything, right?”
“…Jung Haesu, could you take some pictures? Just in case.”
“OK.”
“Bbakdo, did you cook anything here? Why is this cord unplugged?”
“I’ve been eating at convenience stores lately…”
“You’ll collapse like that.”
“…I’m an Esper now, so it’s fine.”
With increased time spent outside, Dohyun naturally unplugged all outlets. Had he forgotten that day? As they checked, it seemed impossible. The police would have already investigated, but the three friends poked around to confirm.
Yet, there was nowhere a fire could have started. Dohyun wasn’t an expert, but there wasn’t even a place for an electrical fire. The house had no gas range or gas burners, just one bottle of cooking oil and one of perilla oil, and no appliances that used oil. Haesu, who had been walking around taking pictures, put on a serious expression.
“Hey, Baek Dohyun. Didn’t you say only your room was badly burned?”
“Yeah.”
The flames had risen as if to consume the entire building but didn’t spread to other homes. Only Dohyun’s room was burned. As if it had been targeted. The traces of fire that remained as if drawn with a line made Dohyun feel uneasy.
“Then where exactly did it start?”
Haesu asked curiously, as if he wasn’t the only one who felt it.
“Why? Why, why?”
“There’s nowhere a fire could have started.”
Jaewon, not understanding what his friends were talking about, rummaged through the desk drawer that hadn’t burned. Then, finding a ring and necklace in the drawer, he placed them in Dohyun’s hand. Dohyun clutched what his friend had given him and looked around with Haesu.
“Ah, these were what we gave you. You’ve kept them well? I feel kind of proud.”
“You already lost yours.”
At Jaewon’s wink, Dohyun and Haesu’s expressions hardened.
“What other electrical appliances were there?”
“None…”
“You don’t even use a hair dryer.”
“No, I don’t.”
“No electric blanket either.”
“Electrical products? That?”
Jaewon, listening to his friends, pointed to something. It was the refrigerator in one corner. The refrigerator wasn’t running since the building’s electricity had been cut off. Haesu approached and took pictures. After that, Dohyun went over and pulled the refrigerator slightly forward.
“The socket’s completely fine.”
“So it’s not the refrigerator either.”
“Bbakdo, should we ask my father?”
Jaewon, watching from behind, casually asked. Dohyun hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. The guild had visited several times anyway; if they found a problem, they would let him know.
“By the way, what does Oh Jaewon’s father do again?”
“…Baek Dohyun, you’re too disinterested in us.”
Both friends sighed simultaneously.
“I’m friends with you guys, not with your parents, right?”
“…That’s somehow touching but not touching.”
“It sounds like a good thing to say, but it’s not.”
“I wish you two would shut up, but since we have a lot to do, don’t shut up.”
The three were quietly taking pictures and checking if there were any items they could salvage when they heard footsteps. The three, who were checking their belongings, turned their heads at the presence felt at the door.
“Um… who are you?”
“Wow, he’s really tall.”
“…Guide Choi Haegang?”
Dohyun stood up first. It was someone he never expected to come here.
Having lived under the same roof for a week, Dohyun had learned how important Haegang considered his schedule. Haegang always woke up at the same time and moved according to a set routine. The large house was always impeccably organized, and everything was in its place. It felt like a model house without any signs of life. Dohyun didn’t touch anything, just bought toiletries and kept them in his room, and only used the bed and bathroom unless absolutely necessary.
As far as Dohyun knew, this wasn’t Haegang’s time to be out. So why was he here?
“Ah! Is that him? Hello!”
“Hello. I’m Baek Dohyun’s friend.”
“Hello. Esper Baek Dohyun, why are you here?”
I should be asking you that. Dohyun blinked.
“I’m checking if there’s any more luggage to take.”
“But it’s all burned, isn’t it?”
“…Not everything is burned.”
“It looks all burned to me.”
That person definitely came to upset him. The black burn marks, half-burned furniture, and old clothes that had become garbage were already making him feel bad.
“…And why is Guide Choi Haegang here?”
Dohyun tried to hide the surge of emotion in his voice.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
