The Esper Union was a private organization, so it operated purely for profit. Both Espers and Guides had to accumulate performance records, which were settled twice a year, divided into first and second half. The settlement wasn’t a heavy, stiff atmosphere—rather, it was a party format where famous outside figures were invited, and everyone commended each other’s hard work while lightly eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves.
“An Esper’s partner would be a Guide, so why me…”
“You’re not interested in me. I don’t have a Guide.”
My eyes widened. Espers without Guides were prohibited from performing missions at all. But the Center Director I knew, being an A-rank Esper, was handling quite a lot of missions.
“I meant I don’t have a dedicated Guide. I do keep temporary Guides.”
For a moment I was embarrassed to have been shocked alone over such an obvious fact, so I coughed lightly.
“Then you could just take a temporary Guide as your partner.”
“They’re people I only see for Guiding, so why should I do anyone a favor?”
I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded by his words.
“At least Guides do Guiding, but I can’t do anything…”
“So are you going to refuse my proposal?”
I can’t say anything.
I’d been getting fed up with the Center Director’s speech pattern of cutting in before I could even finish speaking. I wondered if his speech had always been this overbearing and unpleasant, but I’d never had such a long conversation with him before, so it wasn’t much help.
“Hmm?”
Watching the Center Director press me again with a smiling face, I swallowed a sigh.
“No. If that’s the proposal, I’ll accept it.”
Honestly, I’d have to accept even if he demanded something worse, so this level of proposal was to my advantage. The partner he mentioned was one-time only, after all.
‘Wait, it is one-time only, right?’
The government and private organizations kept each other in check, but they were also that closely connected. So there were many jointly hosted events, and inviting and being invited to events, banquets, and gatherings organized by each was commonplace.
I felt a sense of crisis that I needed to clarify this point here.
“The condition is accompanying you as a partner just this once, right?”
Receiving my suspicious look, the Center Director’s lips curved up.
“You thought it was just once?”
“Yes.”
“I must have misjudged you—to think you were such a cold person.”
“How many times were you thinking?”
“About ten times?”
Usually, the events where you brought a partner were substantial ones held like annual events, and the investment scale typically approached hundreds of millions. Naturally, that meant they weren’t held frequently.
‘Ten times—just how many years are you planning to drag me around?’
Looking at the shameless Center Director’s face, I reduced the number.
“Twice.”
“Oh my, are you angry?”
“No. I’m just very rationally stating the most reasonable number.”
“Okay, let’s say that’s true. How about four times? Isn’t twice too much?”
“I accepted the proposal thinking it was once. I think even twice is a lot.”
You’ve changed a lot.
At those added words, I inwardly snorted. I didn’t know what age the Center Director had regressed from, but thinking of his actual age, I shouldn’t be fooled by his smooth face. Because inside would be teeming with dozens of snakes.
“The world is harsh. Harsh enough that you can’t survive without changing.”
It was a statement containing many implications, but seeing the Center Director’s eyes darken deeply, he seemed to understand what I meant. I looked down at the completely cold meal, slightly regretting adding words I didn’t need to say. Normally I’d at least taste it not to waste it, but my appetite had completely dropped, perhaps because all my energy was drained from the conversation with the Center Director. I just wanted to hurry home and hug Serubi and rest deeply.
“If you have nothing more to say, may I get up now?”
It was funny to ask permission after already standing up, but once I thought of home, my body was itching and I couldn’t stand it.
“Do you have something urgent?”
“Yes.”
“Then go. I’ll send someone in three days, so get pretty and come out.”
The latter part really sounded like an old man so I couldn’t manage my expression, but I somehow maintained courtesy and left.
‘What on earth is that guy scheming?’
All the way home, imagining the Center Director taking me around as his partner and introducing me to people made my chest feel stuffy. In the past, he’d extremely avoided exposing me externally because I was an Esper at risk of going berserk, but now that I’m receiving good Guiding and becoming healthy, I wondered if he was trying to use me this way.
‘I can’t know what’s inside, but I need the Center Director’s help if only for clearing the S-rank dungeon and securing artifacts, so I should just watch for now.’
I felt at ease thinking it wasn’t a one-sided relationship of being used anymore—I was using him too. Thinking that if his proposal harmed me, it wouldn’t be too late to cut him off then.
‘But the regression… really has no answer.’
If the Center Director also regressed and knew the past me, revealing that I’d regressed wouldn’t be a big problem. He knows and I know—it’s just adding evidence to suspicion. I won’t live like the past anymore, and past events won’t hold me back.
‘But why do I feel so uneasy?’
I felt uncertain, like I was missing something.
I came home and slept as if passing out. Worried I might wake up in the middle from a nightmare, I dragged Do Wonjin, who was lying on the living room sofa watching a Go program, and slept with him beside me.
Of course, that Do Wonjin didn’t follow obediently. He ran his mouth endlessly, so Serubi covered his mouth with a front paw. It was a habit that formed after last time when I covered it with my hand and instead got caught and my palm showered with kisses. In this aspect, Serubi was really reliable.
“You’re awake?”
I thought I’d slept deeply, but whether I’d actually slept long or not, there wasn’t much difference before and after closing my eyes.
Do Wonjin, who was sitting at the bedside holding my hand while looking at his phone, acknowledged me as if he knew I’d woken up.
“How long did I sleep?”
I freed my hand caught by Do Wonjin and sat up rubbing my eyes.
“About 30 minutes?”
Holding someone’s hand in one position for 30 minutes wasn’t an easy thing either.
I was about to thank Do Wonjin for staying beside me when I looked again at the phone he was holding.
“That’s mine.”
“Ah, it kept vibrating while you were sleeping, so I was going to turn it off.”
“Who contacted me?”
“Yang Garam.”
Seeing Do Wonjin speak with an expression like he’d eaten shit, a laugh escaped between my lips.
“Why does he contact me even in the same house? Doesn’t he have anything to do?”
Watching Do Wonjin genuinely displeased, I clutched my stomach and collapsed onto the bed.
“Hahaha, really you two aren’t Tom and Jerry. Why are you so desperate to devour him?”
Do Wonjin, who’d made a startled expression seeing me suddenly collapse, soon laughed as if dumbfounded at my laughter ringing loudly through the room.
“The one I want to devour is you, Jeongjae.”
“Haha, do you really want to do that even in this situation? Where’s Serubi?”
“Going to cover my mouth again? I knew you would, so I sent him to Seolhyeon hyung.”
It was absurd but also funny so tears pricked my eyes.
“You’re really crazy.”
“If you know, then recognize that I’m holding back a lot.”
Do Wonjin, who kissed the back of the hand he’d been holding all along, let out a low sigh.
“I’m really at my limit.”
I thought I’d gotten used to Do Wonjin’s shenanigans, but seeing him smile with a forlorn expression, I was at a loss for words. I should just push him away with a smile like when he usually jokes around, but I couldn’t do that.
“I’ll wait. Please allow me soon.”
Do Wonjin’s lips lightly touched my cheek and fell away. When the sound of a kiss echoed in my ear, my face instantly heated up. I quickly pushed Do Wonjin’s shoulder and escaped outside the bed.
“Ah, I woke up hungry.”
I stretched fully with my back turned to Do Wonjin, pretending to be unaffected. Even to my own ears, it was an awkward way of speaking. I felt choked up by Do Wonjin’s suppressed laughter behind me, but I couldn’t turn around because my face was definitely red.
‘Now that I mention it, I really am hungry.’
Earlier when I met with the Center Director I had no appetite at all, but after sleeping briefly, my stomach was churning.
“Seyeon hyung went out—should I make you ramyeon?”
For breakfast and dinner, we could eat our fill under Jeong Seyeon’s care, but for lunch we each had to take care of ourselves. Still, Jeong Seyeon always kept side dishes and rice stocked, so living with the Guides, I’d never once worried about meals.
But this time the situation was a bit different.
“Ah, since Seyeon hyung was at his family home yesterday, there wouldn’t be food at the house.”
Since Jeong Seyeon, the only one who could prepare meals, had been at his family home because of me, there was no way there’d be food at home.
“Besides hyung, everyone’s home, right?”
“Probably?”
Four men gathered, all people without cooking talent. For some reason, I was certain that not just me but everyone hadn’t eaten lunch. Since Seyeon hyung wasn’t here, a sense of responsibility welled up that I had to feed them.
“I don’t think anyone ate, so let’s order in. How about Chinese food?”
A gleam appeared in Do Wonjin’s eyes.
“That’s good?”
Once opinions aligned, everything proceeded swiftly after that. In an instant, Do Wonjin gathered the people holed up in their rooms into the living room, brought a Chinese restaurant flyer from somewhere, and asked them all for their menu choices.
Joo Seolhyeon, leaning on the sofa, said fried rice, Yang Garam next to him said jajangmyeon platter, and I called out jjamppong. Do Wonjin immediately called the Chinese restaurant while taking our orders.
The delivery came quickly. Though no one said it, naturally the indispensable sweet and sour pork came along too.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
