#94
“Don’t forget to tell me your thoughts after you go.”
Even impressions…
Ho-woo smiled slightly at Cha Geon-woo’s eager expression, more excited than himself. It felt like whether Esper or Guide, they were all just people in the end, even in such trivial conversations.
The bright-faced man, who was smiling with sparkling eyes like a boy waiting for a reaction after sharing something he liked, suddenly checked his phone when it started ringing.
The name [★Eun-chan★] was briefly visible on the screen.
It was an excessively decorated contact name that didn’t suit him. Ho-woo wondered whose taste it was. It suddenly occurred to him that it might be Ha Eun-chan’s handiwork. When Ho-woo let out a small laugh, he smiled sheepishly and excused himself to answer the phone.
“Yes, Eun-chan.”
Cha Geon-woo spoke in a lower, more affectionate voice than when talking to Ho-woo, with a visibly soft smile on his lips. The man continued speaking soothingly, his face so relaxed that anyone could tell the person on the other end was precious to him.
“I’m sorry, I’ll be there soon. I didn’t forget our promise. Yeah… Yeah, okay.”
Being close by, Ho-woo could hear the voice, though not clearly enough to understand the content. It sounded like a small whining voice.
“Why would I guide other Espers? You’re coming here? Eun-chan? Don’t hang up…”
The call seemed to have ended abruptly, as Cha Geon-woo looked at his phone with a momentarily perplexed expression before letting out a deep sigh.
“Eun-chan says he’s coming, so I’ll go ahead first.”
Ho-woo recalled Ha Eun-chan’s bright face. Despite his cheerful smile that showed no sign of darkness, it seemed an Esper was still an Esper. He suddenly remembered what Yu Hee-eun had said.
Crazy guys who don’t care about means or methods if they want a Guide.
Then, since he was also Oh-yul’s Guide, had he become such an existence?
The inexperienced Guide glanced at Oh-yul. The man’s eyes curved when their gazes met, as if he had been watching Ho-woo for some time. His eyes, tinged slightly more blue perhaps from using his power earlier, calmly gazed at Ho-woo.
“Have a good rest of your training.”
Cha Geon-woo left a light farewell before leaving, but Oh-yul’s gaze was still fixed on Ho-woo. He should have at least glanced in that direction if he heard the sound, but with the gaze fixed on him, Ho-woo finally couldn’t bear the ticklish feeling and embarrassment and carefully asked.
“Is there something on my face?”
“It’s covered in loveliness.”
Ho-woo’s face stiffened. How could he say such a thing without changing his expression? It was a line that wouldn’t even appear in recent romance novels. The 28-year-old man couldn’t find an answer on how to respond, his lips moving silently before he quietly moved on to the next training.
Oh-yul followed behind, showing an unusually mischievous face.
***
Ho-woo stretched as he finished his daily routine. Time really flew. It had already been two weeks since he visited his father. Getting used to the routine of going to work on weekdays and training with Oh-yul at the training center on weekends made time seem to pass even faster.
Ho-woo suddenly stared blankly at the calendar standing in the corner of his desk. It was clean, with nothing written or marked except for his mother’s death anniversary.
“Deputy Manager, aren’t you going home?”
Seong-jo, who was packing his bag next to him, casually spoke to Ho-woo, who was sitting at his desk without moving. Since lending him the donut cushion, the frequency of initiating conversations had gradually decreased, and today he seemed to have a different purpose as he glanced over, gauging the situation. Ho-woo put on a professional smile, pretending not to notice.
“I should.”
He wanted to avoid overtime work today at least. Even if one doesn’t celebrate birthdays, no one would want to work overtime on a day like this.
“Do you have plans after work today?”
“Someone’s coming to pick me up.”
Lee Ho-woo, who had a boyfriend who didn’t know the meaning of bothersome, belatedly and slowly packed his bag while asking Seong-jo, who was hovering around, ‘Why, is something wrong?’ with his expression.
“…Just, since it’s your birthday today, I was going to suggest we have dinner together.”
Ho-woo paused packing his bag for a moment and looked at Seong-jo. Why would he have dinner with Seong-jo on his own birthday? Especially when he had a boyfriend coming to pick him up.
Since Oh-yul came to clock in every day, it was an open secret within the team that Ho-woo’s lover was an Esper. Although no one showed it or said anything in front of Ho-woo, they were all whispering about it behind his back. He wasn’t a clueless idiot; when people were in the middle of a conversation and suddenly spotted him, awkwardly smiling and avoiding the place, it meant they were talking about something fishy. Moreover, Mi-yeon, who was friendly towards Ho-woo, had secretly tipped him off.
He must have heard those rumors.
Ho-woo, standing with his head slightly tilted, politely declined with his usual kind expression.
“I’m sorry.”
At the apology tinged with a subtle rejection, Seong-jo pressed his lips together and stiffened his face. He seemed to mutter something quietly while turning his head sideways, but the voice was too low to hear. Seong-jo soon gathered his things without any greeting and left the office almost running. His behavior seemed so angry that Ho-woo stood blankly, unable to hide his bewilderment, watching until Seong-jo disappeared.
Did I do something wrong?
Ho-woo briefly reviewed the conversation that had just passed. He had tried to reject as politely as possible and thought he had done so, but he furrowed one eye, not understanding why Seong-jo had gotten angry. Yu Mi-yeon, who had quietly approached Ho-woo’s side, leaned slightly towards him in the strange atmosphere and whispered.
“Did something happen?”
“He just asked me to have dinner together.”
“…He asked you to have dinner on your birthday when you have a boyfriend? And when your boyfriend comes to pick you up every day…?”
Mi-yeon raised one eyebrow as if she had heard something very strange. At her reaction, Ho-woo laughed awkwardly, unable to defend Seong-jo.
“I declined well.”
Although I don’t know why he got angry.
“…Really? It looked like he was cursing from his lip movements.”
Since the direction he turned his head was towards where Mi-yeon was, she tried pronouncing a few curse words, moving her lips.
“I think he really did curse.”
She was certain, especially about the pronunciation starting with ‘shi’. However, Ho-woo shook his head slowly. Even if he really did curse, Ho-woo couldn’t hear or see his lip movements, so it didn’t matter.
“…It’s okay since I didn’t hear it.”
“No! How can you not be angry?!”
Mi-yeon burst out angrily. Looking more agitated than Ho-woo, she glared fiercely. Ho-woo tried to calm down Mi-yeon, who seemed ready to get angry at Seong-jo on his behalf.
“Come on, it might not have been a curse. There’s no point in getting worked up now that he’s gone. Let’s just go home.”
Ho-woo gently soothed Mi-yeon as he walked towards the elevator. Despite Ho-woo’s attempts to dissuade her, she still seemed unable to calm down, breathing heavily. After looking around, she lowered her voice and whispered.
“If anything happens, like with that bastard before, tell me anytime.”
“…Hmm.”
“You never know with people.”
Ho-woo smiled bitterly at Mi-yeon’s firm words. The ‘bastard’ she referred to was Deputy Kim, who had been Ho-woo’s senior when he first joined the company.
Mi-yeon and Ho-woo weren’t hired at the same time. She had joined the company about a year before Ho-woo came in as a fresh new employee.
Ho-woo thought he was doing okay in his company life. He got along well with everyone and had no problems with work. The only issue was that Deputy Kim, his senior, was not helpful at all.
From the day Ho-woo joined until three months later, Deputy Kim would call Ho-woo over, saying he would teach him work, and subtly put his hand on Ho-woo’s shoulder or wrap his arm around his waist. If Ho-woo showed discomfort, he would get angry, asking why he was making a fuss over such a small thing. Moreover, he acted as if he were Ho-woo’s lover to other team members.
At 25, having just overcome the pain of a breakup and started working at the company, Ho-woo was at a loss on how to resolve this situation. Mi-yeon, who had suffered the same treatment from Deputy Kim, helped Ho-woo by gathering testimonies and evidence from other team members one by one. Her plan to get revenge for workplace sexual harassment was thwarted by an unexpected event.
On the day they came to work, determined to finally catch and punish this guy, the news they received was tragic.
Wasn’t it said that he was attacked by a monster that had accidentally entered the city? That must have been it. The evidence Mi-yeon and Ho-woo had gathered quietly went into the trash after that day.
On the day of the funeral, Ho-woo went to pay his respects with mixed feelings. Although he had been a bastard to Ho-woo, it seemed there were people to cry for him, as the place was a sea of tears, making Ho-woo uncomfortable. Anyway, it was an unsettling ending even to think about now.
“Surely not.”
“Isn’t it always ‘surely not’ that gets people?”
That’s true.
It seemed wise to be cautious, as Mi-yeon said.
As Ho-woo stepped out of the elevator that had already reached the first floor, he spotted a familiar man standing in the company lobby and found himself smiling broadly without realizing it.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
