# Chapter 28
“…What?”
Haegang said something incomprehensible, then for some reason clicked his tongue and headed upstairs. Dohyun stood there bewildered before entering his room.
He sighed and lay down facing the wall. As always, the incredibly soft bed comfortably enveloped his body, but his mind was uneasy.
Following Haegang’s suggestion that making potions with regular drinking water would be safe for people to consume, Dohyun had drawn water from the purifier and tried putting his hand in it or holding the cup in his hand and moving it around. Thanks to this, he felt it might be possible to make potions without necessarily putting his hand in water. But the water still seemed to repel his power, pushing it away.
Afterward, he tried all kinds of liquids. Fruit juice, sports drinks, cola, soda, even vitamin drinks. After trying everything without discrimination, Dohyun instinctively realized that it had to be water. As if only pure water could fully contain an Esper’s power, his energy only moved when it touched water. In the end, though, he failed to infuse his power into the water.
“Hah…”
As Dohyun sighed, he looked at his glowing phone screen.
Jung Haesu: It’s you
Jung Haesu: It can’t be anyone else. It has to be you
The messages were from his friend who was as perceptive as Chan. There was something else troubling Dohyun as well: rumors about the appearance of a Potion Maker.
No matter how much information was restricted, Somyeong was a huge guild with hundreds of people coming and going every day. Despite not even going to the guild and training only at Haegang’s house for fear of word getting out, news about the emergence of a new Esper called a Potion Maker gradually leaked. And not long after, rumors spread in the awakened community about a unique Esper appearing.
The guild had somewhat obscured the information, but they couldn’t hide everything. Since they couldn’t keep concealing the effectiveness of the potions, Somyeong Guild announced that they had signed a contract with the Potion Maker regarding the distribution of potions, and that the potions would only be sold through Somyeong Guild, though the timing was not yet confirmed. Thanks to this, the fact that he had signed a guild contract was not leaked, and rumors spread as if only a physical transaction contract for the potions had been made.
But to think that even Haesu, who was neither an awakened one nor a guild member, would find out. Information was spreading faster than expected. Dohyun heaved a deep sigh.
Trust people a little.
Jung Haesu: Mr. Baek Dohyun should act in a trustworthy manner
It was something he couldn’t reveal even to a friend. He’s not an awakened one, after all. Dohyun replied that he was going to take a nap and then stopped responding. Though many messages immediately piled up causing his phone to vibrate, Dohyun just turned off the screen entirely.
Thinking he really should take a nap, he closed his eyes. But his mind was too jumbled for sleep to come. The news had already broken, and Dohyun would only be useful to the guild once he could use his ability. Wasn’t he just a creaky, useless part right now?
Thinking about the guild willingly taking on troublesome tasks for his sake made him feel heavy. They might treat him kindly now, but who knew when their attitude would change if this problem dragged on. He didn’t want to see that.
As he was sinking into helplessness, the door suddenly opened. Dohyun’s eyes flew open to meet Haegang standing at the doorway. He sat up in surprise at Haegang’s somehow angry-looking expression.
“Guide Choi Haegang?”
He was someone who never visited Dohyun’s room. Except when practicing ability control, the two lived their lives in completely separate spaces. Following the rules he had set for himself, Haegang never interfered with Dohyun, and such an abrupt intrusion was unthinkable. But why? The person who had been sighing as if frustrated earlier, why did he now have an angry face? Dohyun couldn’t understand.
“Going to sleep again?”
Again? Dohyun didn’t understand Haegang’s words. He was just trying to take a little nap because he felt too tired to think clearly, but why? At Dohyun’s confused expression, Haegang exhaled deeply.
“Are you sleeping properly? And are you really okay?”
“…What?”
I’m just tired, what does that even mean? Dohyun just gaped at Haegang’s incomprehensible words. Isn’t it a good approach to let go of everything temporarily when things aren’t working out? Dohyun just wanted to rest for a moment.
“I’m fine.”
Despite Dohyun’s answer, Haegang’s expression didn’t properly relax. It was a face that suggested something wasn’t to his liking. The bed is good, the blankets are clean, the room is warm. Dohyun tended to sleep well at night without waking up even once. However, Haegang sighed and approached, handing Dohyun a tray he had brought.
“…What’s this?”
“Eat this and then sleep.”
“…?”
“Properly. Deeply.”
After saying that, Haegang moved away and closed the door as arbitrarily as he had opened it. What’s this about? Watching the closed door, Dohyun was slightly surprised to see a cup of milk on the tray.
“It’s warm…”
Although a bit bewildered, Dohyun emptied the cup completely. It had a slightly sweet taste, as if sugar had been added. Come to think of it, Haegang seemed to have a sense for cooking. The food from a few days ago was all delicious too.
Dohyun smacked his lips and lay back down on the bed. Resting and replenishing his energy was all he could do right now.
❖ ❖ ❖
He thought he had taken a nap, but when he regained consciousness, a whole day had passed. After waking up, Dohyun found that his clothes were disheveled. Had he tossed and turned violently? He rolled down his sleeves that had been pushed up to his elbows and came out to the living room.
7 AM. It was the time when Haegang would be working out in the gym on the first floor. As if about to start his schedule, Haegang appeared with a towel around his neck. He paused and looked down at Dohyun for a moment. Dohyun also bowed slightly in greeting to his Guide.
“Good morning.”
“Have you been sleeping this whole time?”
“Yes. Why?”
As if something displeased him, Haegang looked at Dohyun with a dissatisfied face and entered the gym.
During the height of his part-time job, Dohyun had very few occasions to see Haegang at home. Dohyun would come home while Haegang was exercising, shower, and lie down in his room. By the time he woke up around lunch, Haegang would be eating while reading the newspaper or would have already finished eating and cleaning up. Dohyun intentionally avoided those times slightly.
After lunch, Haegang would go out as scheduled, and Dohyun would spend time aimlessly before leaving for his part-time job around 5 PM. So even if Haegang didn’t go out, the time they properly faced each other was at most about 4 hours.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
But now Dohyun no longer went to his part-time job. This was because he needed to practice using his ability. As a result, he had to always be near Haegang, not knowing when Guiding might be needed. Although he couldn’t consciously use his ability yet, it was a precaution for times when too much energy might accumulate.
“It’s not good to starve.”
Dohyun found this extremely uncomfortable. By now he knew that Haegang wouldn’t harm him, but the image of Haegang ingrained in Dohyun still made him avoid the man. Whether aware of this or not, Haegang had set out a simple breakfast for Dohyun on the table.
It was uncomfortable, but… he couldn’t refuse. This was because Dohyun already knew the taste of Haegang’s cooking. Gathering his courage to sit down, Dohyun said grace.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Yes.”
Though thinking he’d prefer if Haegang didn’t worry about him, Dohyun didn’t voice this thought. He knew this was one of his bad habits: not saying what was actually needed and only speaking unnecessary words.
Until now, although aware of it, he hadn’t felt a particular need to fix it. With close friends, he didn’t need to speak as they could tell from his expressions, and with people he didn’t let into his circle, he thought speaking was pointless anyway. It was the difference between having a lot to say but not saying it, and giving up on speaking altogether.
Yet when lost in thought, his mouth moved on its own. Having made several mistakes with Haegang due to this bad habit, he reduced his words altogether in front of him.
“Are you going out today?”
“No.”
“So you don’t have any appointments?”
“No.”
“Let’s eat lunch out then.”
I wish you wouldn’t worry so much about my meals. It’s annoying—no, I dislike going out. Why should we leave this huge house that’s warmer than outside, that will be cool in summer and warm in winter? Especially when I’m already frustrated that potion-making isn’t working?
Though his head was filled with words of refusal, about 3 hours later, Dohyun was dressed and getting into Haegang’s car.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t as uncomfortable as the first time he rode in Haegang’s car. Come to think of it, at some point the passenger seat had been adjusted to fit Dohyun’s body perfectly.
It was incomprehensible. How could someone who had seemed scary from their first meeting until now gradually become comfortable? Was this a side effect of Guiding?
Dohyun secretly glanced at Haegang before quickly turning his attention forward.
Since we’re out anyway, I hope we eat something delicious. Nothing too expensive though. No, wait. Haegang, who has a lot of money, surely wouldn’t ask Dohyun, who doesn’t have much, to pay for the meal. He even bought me clothes last time…
Dohyun took out his phone and opened the notes app. It contained a list of everything he had received from Haegang: days of lodging at Haegang’s house, time spent riding in his car, price of clothes, number of meals prepared, and so on. Today’s meal cost would soon be added to the notes as well. He didn’t like being in debt, so he planned to repay everything.
“I’m curious about something.”
“Yes?”
Haegang suddenly asked during their quiet drive.
“What’s that watch?”
“…”
“The watch on your right hand.”
Dohyun slightly hid the watch in his sleeve.
“I know you always wear it. Even though you don’t look at it.”
“…”
“Don’t you check the time on your phone?”
I wish he wouldn’t ask about personal matters. Dohyun kept his mouth firmly shut.
“Why do you wear a broken watch?”
Dohyun reflexively covered his right wrist.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
