#112
‘Mr. Lee Ho-woo? He did his job very well. But he had many unauthorized absences due to dating. If he was going to quit like this, I wish he had left earlier.’
Even with the mosaic, anyone could tell it was Seong-jo. It was obvious that everyone else had refused interviews, but he was the only one who had accepted.
After that news aired, Mi-yeon sent a single text message.
[What a show-off.]
Ho-woo tried to appease her, saying that Seong-jo’s words weren’t entirely wrong, but Mi-yeon seemed to be in a foul mood. Though not a new employee, Seong-jo’s direct superior was now Deputy Manager Mi-yeon.
Work at the company must be tough now.
After sending a mild consolation to Seong-jo in his mind, Ho-woo turned off his attention to the company side. It would be ridiculous to keep meddling in their affairs after quitting, and people usually have to deal with the calamities they bring upon themselves.
Thus, Lee Ho-woo, who had become unemployed, faced a new problem after successfully quitting: there was no proper way to retrieve his belongings left at the company.
Ho-woo needed to go himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to go because of the news that reporters were camped out in front of the company. Surprisingly, it was Moon Jin-hyuk, not Oh-yul, who first extended a helping hand to the troubled Ho-woo.
Having just returned from the southern city and received a short vacation period, he volunteered to go to the company for Ho-woo. He added the somewhat logical reason that Oh-yul was busy and would attract reporters’ attention, so it would be better if he moved instead.
‘Then I’ll leave it to you.’
Moon Jin-hyuk happily shuffled his feet at Ho-woo’s acceptance. Ho-woo was puzzled by his excessive joy over just going to fetch some items and asked:
‘Do you enjoy running errands that much?’
‘Who likes running errands? It’s just that I’ve never been inside the company before. When else would I get a chance like this?’
With that, Moon Jin-hyuk promptly went to the company and retrieved the items. The reporters couldn’t block Moon Jin-hyuk’s path. Of course not. He boldly flew in through the window into the office.
Thanks to this, Ho-woo comfortably recovered his belongings and greeted the returning Moon Jin-hyuk with a smile as he naturally called him ‘Ho-woo hyung!’ Of course, Oh-yul was beside him, and there was a minor incident where Moon Jin-hyuk corrected his form of address from ‘hyung’ to ‘Guide Lee Ho-woo’ under Oh-yul’s obvious gaze.
Ho-woo threw his phone into a corner and abruptly sat up on the sofa. It had been a while since he had spent time so frivolously. By now, he had watched all the novels and comics worth seeing. Being unemployed is only good for the first few days; after about a week, especially when unable to leave the house, it tends to become tiresome.
The good news was that starting tomorrow, he would begin commuting to the Management Corporation with Oh-yul. Oh-yul had firmly instructed that since Ho-woo was a guide dedicated to him, not a team guide like Yu Hee-eun, he should immediately report if other espers bothered him.
Tomorrow is… straight to the research institute?
Although it’s hard to believe that he’s turning into an esper, if it’s true, wouldn’t he have some kind of special ability? Ho-woo quietly looked around the house. The spacious house was quiet with Oh-yul away. The only person who would come is Oh-yul. And it was still far from his quitting time.
Ho-woo quickly sat back on the sofa and straightened his back.
Usually, in novels, there are descriptions like feeling the energy around or within the body while closing your eyes.
…Can I feel something?
When holding hands with Oh-yul, he definitely felt something. The flow of energy he sent was like a gentle river flowing through his body and returning to Oh-yul. However, all of that was only felt when Oh-yul was with him; he had never experienced such sensations when alone.
Even when Cha Geon-woo tried to teach him guiding, he felt something, but it wasn’t a particularly good feeling. Ho-woo eventually decided to try a different method instead of the fruitless attempt.
In novels, protagonists often achieve things by strongly wishing for them, right? Even if he wasn’t such a protagonist, there was always a possibility, so it was worth trying.
Ho-woo steadied his breath and stretched both hands forward. Since Oh-yul was influencing him, if he had an ability, it would likely follow Oh-yul’s ability.
Ho-woo imagined water gathering around his body. Like the water droplets that occasionally floated around Oh-yul when he was in a good mood.
“…Hmm.”
It’s not working at all.
Embarrassed, Ho-woo lowered his arms and this time went to the kitchen to fill a small bowl with water. It was too early to give up. Now it was time to experiment with freezing abilities. Ho-woo placed the bowl on the table and stared at the calm water more seriously than ever before.
“Freeze!”
But the water remained calm without the slightest change.
Just as Ho-woo was about to clear away the bowl with a deep sigh of belated embarrassment and awkwardness:
“Pfft.”
“―!”
At the sound of laughter that shouldn’t have been heard, Ho-woo turned around with a snap. Oh-yul, who had arrived at some point, was leaning against the wall, desperately trying to hold back his laughter.
I didn’t hear the door open or any footsteps!
Ho-woo’s face instantly turned bright red. He wished there was a mouse hole he could bury his head in, but the empty living room had no place for Ho-woo to hide.
“Kuk… Ahem…. I’m sorry. I came in quietly to surprise you, but…”
Oh-yul, still unable to erase his amusement, glanced slightly at the bowl Ho-woo was holding. The water that hadn’t moved when Ho-woo glared at it instantly froze.
“Is this what you wanted to do?”
It became even more embarrassing. Ho-woo desperately avoided eye contact and walked with creaking steps to return the bowl to the kitchen before heading to his room.
“Ho-woo, where are you going?”
Oh-yul followed behind, giggling.
“I’m going to sleep now.”
“Already?”
Oh-yul checked the time on his pager, tapping the screen.
I know, Lee Ho-woo knew too. It wasn’t even 6 o’clock yet, and it was still bright outside with the sun not yet set.
“Please move aside.”
Ho-woo pushed the man blocking the door from closing with his hands. Throughout this, his gaze was firmly fixed on the floor. If their eyes met now, he felt he would die of embarrassment.
“Ho-woo.”
As Ho-woo wouldn’t look at him, Oh-yul lowered his body and lightly kissed Ho-woo’s bright red earlobe.
“Do you want to become an esper quickly?”
“……”
“Then we should receive energy quickly too. Right?”
Oh-yul, who had been kissing Ho-woo’s reddened ears, gently lifted Ho-woo’s bowed head. The downcast eyes unable to meet his gaze and the slightly bitten lower lip greatly stimulated a desire akin to appetite.
“And here I thought I didn’t understand your feelings.”
Slowly driving Ho-woo towards the bed, Oh-yul blocked off all corners of escape. Ho-woo’s eyes shook greatly. The first attempt had been a very strange experience. It had revealed the wonders of the human body, that it could be done. And the most shocking part of that wonder was that they hadn’t gone all the way.
Ho-woo desperately pushed against the man’s chest as he pressed down on him, resisting.
“I have my first day of work tomorrow!”
“I know.”
“You know!”
“That’s even better. We can accurately measure the residual energy in your body after close guiding.”
Oh-yul logically explained why they should do close guiding now. His words were logical, but his eyes were not at all, so it wasn’t very convincing.
“Isn’t it better to check what your normal state is first, since it’s the first day?”
Ho-woo, whose hands were caught and pressed above his head in an instant, logically countered.
“No, it would be better to observe how your body returns to its normal state after close guiding.”
Oh-yul countered again, lightly kissing him. His lips, descending in order from forehead to cheek to lips, were affectionate enough to be ticklish.
“It didn’t hurt last time, right?”
It didn’t hurt, but he couldn’t help feeling scared.
That’s right, of course I’d be scared seeing that.
Ho-woo justified his fear. They say it usually doesn’t correspond to height, but Oh-yul seemed proportional to his tall stature and build.
“Let’s try a bit more today.”
At the voice that sounded like a plea, Ho-woo finally relaxed his body and opened his mouth to meet the approaching lips.
***
The small child ran along the corridor. The light, bouncing footsteps seemed familiar and unhindered. The child, running towards their goal, stopped in front of a large door and boldly flung it open.
Through the faint light shining through the open door, purple eyes sparkled like stars. It quietly stared at the child from within the darkness. Though a chill ran through the body, making it tremble slightly at that gaze, the child stood in front of the open door, meeting its gaze.
The purple-eyed monster, curled up tightly in the darkness, whispered. Its white breath spread hazily.
“Go back.”
At the gentle and kind, yet firm voice, the child turned back as if entranced.
Thud- The heavy door closed again behind them.
The small child ran again through the corridor where bright light seeped in. Passing by the only closed door among the wide-open ones, the child recalled the purple-eyed monster beyond the door.
What was it?
And what could be in that room?
