# Chapter 27
## 03. Curiosity Killed the Cat.
But I didn’t intend to kill anyone with my curiosity…
After showering, Dohyun sat on the bed and picked up his phone.
“Esper Baek Dohyun.”
Dohyun flinched at the sudden call. Looking up from his phone, he calmly swallowed when he saw Haegang standing there with a towel in one hand, giving him a slanted glance. After showering again, he probably hadn’t cleaned up properly after himself.
Dohyun approached and held out both hands. I acknowledge my sin. Yes, sir. He bowed his head like a criminal standing before a magistrate.
“Is it that difficult?”
“Pardon?”
“Putting the towel in the towel basket, that is.”
Though he remembered, Dohyun had unconsciously and thoughtlessly thrown the towel into the washing machine. He bowed his head with a guilty expression. It was a habit he’d developed before. He would throw towels directly into the washing machine so he wouldn’t forget to do laundry.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, that’s not why I came here anyway.”
I naturally assumed it was about the towel. If not to scold him, what reason would Haegang have to come to Dohyun’s room? Wasn’t that always the reason during the week-plus he’d been living here? Dohyun tried to guess what the fastidious homeowner wanted to say, but nothing specific came to mind.
“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”
“…Is it your birthday?”
“What are you talking about?”
If you ask me what’s going on with a bewildered face, I’m the one who should be bewildered. Dohyun faced Haegang, who was looking back at him with unsteady eyes. Then what is there to congratulate?
Dohyun pondered what could have happened during this ordinary day. If not Haegang’s birthday, was he talking about Dohyun’s? But his birthday was in summer.
“When good things happen, one should receive congratulations.”
“Ah… Are you referring to that thing from earlier?”
If it’s about that, didn’t they already celebrate on the way back in the car? For Dohyun, who felt that hearing the words had been enough, Haegang’s incomprehensible reaction was rather perplexing.
Until now, the only congratulations he’d ever received were on his birthdays, and even those were strange gifts from his so-called friends—a phone case (which they forgot to give him in summer and gave in fall, by which time he’d changed his phone model, making it useless), a mug (which had somehow shattered inside the box, either from being dropped or thrown), a computer mouse (which they deliberately gave him despite knowing he didn’t have a computer in his room), and other such bizarre presents. So Dohyun was slightly tense.
“…Is there something like a congratulatory bread slap?”
“Do you want bread?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Dohyun hastily shook his head. Haegang turned away as if unimpressed, told him to come out quickly, and headed out of the room.
Dohyun had thought it was about time for dinner. But since he hadn’t expected Haegang to call for him, he gaped at the food placed on the kitchen table. What’s this, steak? And what’s that? How was it made? He’d thought the kitchen was noisy, but he never imagined this.
“Is… the congratulation a meal?”
“Isn’t it better to have food at a celebration?”
“That’s true, but…”
Since childhood, had anyone ever done something like this for him? The memories that came to mind were quite faded and distant, so a meal with the meaning of “congratulations” felt awkward to Dohyun. Haegang didn’t sit down, checking the frying pan to see if there was more food being prepared.
“Sit down. It will taste bad if it gets cold.”
“…Did you make this yourself?”
“Yes.”
What, are you a chef? Dohyun gaped in admiration, then hesitantly took a seat as a wine glass was placed beside him. When he took a peek, the counter was as neat as Haegang’s personality. It seemed he had already finished washing up, as not a single cooking utensil was out.
Is that why he doesn’t want me to cook…?
Haegang neatly twirled olive pasta on a plate and set it down in front of Dohyun. As expected, he immediately washed the pan and placed it on the drying rack.
“…Is it okay for me to eat?”
“Of course it’s okay. I didn’t make it just for you to look at.”
I’m not arguing, so could you not be sarcastic? With a table full of food before him, Dohyun couldn’t bring himself to say anything and just picked up his fork.
And the moment he put it in his mouth, his eyes widened. It was delicious. The meal, which usually didn’t go down easily, somehow went down smoothly. Perhaps because it tasted different from what Dohyun made himself, he kept moving his fork without even realizing it.
“Call me when you’re making potions.”
Dohyun looked up at Haegang as he was about to put more pasta in his mouth.
“If you use your ability alone and collapse somewhere unexpected, it’ll cause more problems.”
“Ah…”
“I’m fully in charge of managing Esper Baek Dohyun. The same applies to any power surges.”
Haegang spoke calmly as he filled both Dohyun’s glass and his own with wine.
Looking at him, Dohyun thought that despite his prickly manner of speech, the person himself didn’t seem that bad. Although their first meeting hadn’t been pleasant, it was indeed his mistake for not knowing the customs between Awakened ones. Of course, Haegang had deliberately withheld Guiding out of spite… But since then, while appearing indifferent, he’d helped a lot, and even now he was taking care of him subtly.
He definitely wasn’t thinking Haegang was a good person just because of the food.
However, he didn’t want to improve their currently rigid relationship or go through the trouble of clearing up Haegang’s misunderstanding. This level of relationship seemed fine.
“Understood.”
“I have my own life in the mornings, so I’ll come down to the first floor in the afternoon.”
Dohyun was about to put pasta in his mouth but nodded again.
“But don’t use too much energy. I need to maintain my stamina too.”
Please, can I just eat now? Dohyun nodded quickly.
“Yes, understood. Please let me know when you come down.”
Can I eat now? Thinking there wouldn’t be anything more to discuss, Dohyun brought the fork back to his mouth.
“And when you make a potion, give me some too.”
Please let me eat.
“Why?”
“They say a healing Esper’s healing is also good for fatigue recovery.”
“Ah…”
“If your ability is similar to a healing Esper’s, it could be good for me too.”
Dohyun’s eyes widened. If it could have such an effect on a Guide, it would surely be beneficial for Espers too. Thinking this, he nodded quickly. Since Haegang was his contracted Guide, it would be advantageous for him as well. The corners of Dohyun’s mouth turned up slightly.
“Um…”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“I’ll give you some, so can I please eat now?”
Haegang stared at Dohyun intently, then nodded.
❖ ❖ ❖
Dohyun began training to use his ability. He needed to become familiar with his power to the point where he could freely make potions. Since using his ability naturally required Guiding, Haegang also sat across from him.
“Not working?”
“…No.”
And for the third hour, Dohyun had his hand in a large bowl, while Haegang, who had been sitting neatly and waiting, frowned with a bored expression. Despite the long wait, the water merely rippled as Dohyun moved his hand, showing no change.
Dohyun tried his best to recall the sensation he’d felt when making the potion. He could now sense the energy pooled inside his body. But he couldn’t transform that energy into water.
“What exactly were you thinking about at that time?”
“…I can’t say.”
Haegang’s frown deepened, but Dohyun couldn’t answer.
How could he say it? That he had been thinking about Haegang’s Guiding? About the coziness and warmth that the subtle pressure had given him?
But despite clearly knowing, Dohyun couldn’t bring forth that sensation at will. No, it felt like the water was rejecting him. As if saying ‘That’s not it,’ the liquid touching his hand seemed to be pushing Dohyun away.
“Are you sure you’re thinking exactly the same thoughts as before?”
Dohyun blinked at Haegang’s words.
“Yes.”
He did his best to revive the feeling of receiving Guiding from Haegang and moved the energy within his body. But the water ultimately did not turn red.
A day passed, then two, then a week. To the point where Dohyun wondered if making the potion had been a one-night dream, today also yielded no particular result.
“Esper Baek Dohyun. By now, don’t you think you might be thinking about it wrong?”
“As I’ve told you many times, I’m really thinking about it correctly.”
Although Dohyun usually didn’t respond sharply to most things, after a week of being asked if he was doing it right, he unconsciously raised his voice. I should apologize and say sorry.
After letting out a small sigh, Dohyun was about to open his mouth when he saw Haegang’s expression and trembled. Those sharp, large teeth and a fiercely hardened face were staring at him. Cold sweat ran down Dohyun’s back as he felt fear.
“…I’m, sorry.”
Haegang’s frown eased at Dohyun’s sudden apology.
“Why are you apologizing?”
“…Pardon?”
“Isn’t Esper Baek Dohyun the one who’s frustrated?”
Isn’t Guide Choi Haegang the one who got angry? Dohyun wanted to retort. It was Haegang who had interrogatively asked if Dohyun was really thinking correctly.
“Aren’t you unable to sleep properly because you’re worried?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
