Chapter 16
“Happiness?”
Sunjeong tilted her head. Wasn’t that condition too abstract?
“His Guiding was leaking out all day yesterday.”
“Really?”
Only then did Sunjeong straighten up with a serious expression.
“When we were eating and yesterday too. The common factor was that he was extremely happy.”
“Oh…”
Hearing that, it made sense. It was natural to be happy when eating delicious food. And when having fun too.
So she thought that might be why the Guiding had happened.
“That sounds plausible?”
“That’s what I’m saying. This time I’m really certain.”
Sunjeong fell into quiet contemplation. Happiness. Happiness…
Again, it was too abstract an emotion. But if that was the reason, she could understand why they hadn’t noticed until now.
‘Since awakening… he’s never been happy even once…’
Seoyul had grown up suffering all kinds of hardships because of cruel adults. There was no way he could have been happy. Just surviving day to day must have been difficult enough.
It was sad and regrettable, but if that was true, there was hope. If happiness was truly the condition, it meant he was happy now.
“Good. Then there’s only one thing you need to do from now on.”
Sunjeong gave Dowoon serious advice. After hearing everything, Dowoon responded glumly.
“…Do I really have to go that far?”
“What are you going to do if you don’t?”
“…”
Right. What would he do if he didn’t? His image had already flown far away after the headband incident.
“Haah…”
Dowoon let out a long sigh.
* * *
Sunjeong had said:
‘Do anything that will make Seoyul happy, whatever it is.’
‘…Anything?’
‘Yes. Anything. Even if it means imitating a dog, absolutely anything!’
‘…’
Of course, he didn’t think Seoyul would like something like that, but you never knew. Dowoon was anxious.
But nothing would change by worrying. He first delivered the news to Seoyul.
“My activation condition is happiness?”
Seoyul’s eyes widened in surprise. Understandably so, since it was such an abstract emotion that he didn’t know how to process it.
‘But if that’s the condition, it makes sense.’
He had been happy while spending time with Dowoon. Especially those moments when his Guiding was happening were only during times when he felt really good.
The amusement park operated on the same principle. Dowoon had said Guiding had been leaking out all day. Seoyul remembered that he had been happy the entire day yesterday.
“Happiness is a bit tricky, but it’s fine. Now that we know exactly, we can practice properly.”
Dowoon said this, but Seoyul was worried first. Happiness? Didn’t that mean he had to constantly be happy to Guide him?
‘Can I… do it?’
Happiness… Perhaps it was both the easiest and the most difficult condition. He didn’t think a Hidden Guide’s condition would be easy, but this seemed quite challenging.
“So I thought about it.”
He began sharing his thoughts with Seoyul. Seeing how Dowoon had been thinking about him yesterday and today, Seoyul gradually gained confidence.
‘Yes. With Esper-nim, it’ll be fine.’
As proof, hadn’t they been doing well so far? Now that they knew the exact activation condition, all that remained was to be able to Guide anytime.
“So… hey, are you listening right now?”
Dowoon frowned after elaborately explaining. In the past, Seoyul would have hesitated out of fear, but now he knew. That expression was just a habit of Dowoon’s.
‘Esper-nim isn’t scary.’
Seoyul thought this and smiled slightly. Seeing that goofy look, Dowoon gave a disbelieving laugh.
But it wasn’t bad. He actually looked good, so they began calmly discussing what to do next.
After exchanging various opinions, they decided to try the one that seemed most promising.
Imagining happy moments!
“Hmm…”
The two sat quietly holding hands, focusing on the Guiding. Although Seoyul was the one making the effort, Dowoon was also tense, unable to take his eyes off him.
How much time had passed like that? Seoyul’s shoulders slumped.
“…What? Not working well?”
“…I’m… not sure…”
It seemed it wasn’t working well since he wasn’t actually happy right now. Plus, as a Hidden Guide, he’d only guided unconsciously when it leaked out, so it was hard to get a feel for it.
“I didn’t expect it to work well from the start. Let’s keep trying.”
Dowoon squeezed his hand reassuringly, comforting the dejected Seoyul. That seemed to give him a bit of strength.
“Yes! I’ll try once more!”
Seoyul’s eyes sparkled as he tried to cheer himself up. He attempted to Guide by recalling how happy he’d been at the amusement park.
‘Hmm…’
But still, he couldn’t feel any difference. The Guide energy neither increased nor decreased as it steadily flowed into Dowoon.
“…”
After continued attempts, his face was tinged with disappointment again. But Dowoon kept encouraging him, allowing him to continue Guiding.
“Um, Esper-nim.”
After trying to Guide for quite some time, Seoyul cautiously opened his mouth.
“Can I… ask you for one favor?”
“A favor? What is it?”
A favor? It felt somewhat unfamiliar since Seoyul rarely asserted himself.
But since any favor at this point would obviously be related to Guiding, he nodded readily.
“That… at the amusement park…”
“Yes? What about the amusement park?”
Should he say it?
Seoyul hesitated once more but thinking this was all for Dowoon’s sake, he shouted:
“That… could you wear the headband one more time?!”
He, he said it!
Seoyul raised his head while patting his chest. But Dowoon’s face was filled with surprise.
‘He wants me to… wear that again?’
He recalled the item he’d almost thrown away but couldn’t because it somehow bothered him.
“…”
“…Is it… not possible?”
Seeing that cautious face checking his reaction made his heart sting. Dowoon slightly frowned but eventually nodded with a sigh.
Right. Hadn’t his image been ruined long ago anyway?
“Why wouldn’t it be possible? Sure, I’ll wear it.”
“Really? Thank you, Esper-nim.”
Energy bubbled out of the greatly delighted Seoyul again. To be that happy… it seemed he really liked that headband.
‘Haah…’
* * *
The next day.
Dowoon went to the Guiding room with the headband. In front of him was the face of an expectant Guide.
“…Do I really have to wear this?”
“Yes! That way, I think the feelings from that time will come back vividly.”
Energy was already bubbling and leaking from Seoyul as he exclaimed this. If he didn’t wear it… it didn’t seem like things would work out.
‘…Do I. Do I really have to wear this…’
He wondered if he really needed to wear it again when Guiding was already leaking out like this. But it wasn’t just about the energy leaking out; Seoyul needed to be able to feel it himself and Guide directly.
‘Haah…’
Dowoon put on the headband with another deep sigh. The one fortunate thing was that only Seoyul was looking at him now.
He figured it didn’t matter since there was no chance of anyone else entering the Guiding room anyway. If this could enable Guiding, wouldn’t it be worth it?
But there was an enormous difference between wearing it at an amusement park and wearing it at the center.
“…”
“…”
Dowoon’s mood was unconsciously deteriorating. Seoyul tried to concentrate, but he couldn’t focus at all because of Dowoon’s gradually changing expression.
Still, he tried to concentrate. But…
“Are you sure about this? Are you certain?”
Those words sounded quite harsh. Seoyul barely managed to speak while sweating profusely.
“…I-I think so…”
The kind image of Dowoon that had been built up collapsed all at once. Terrified again, Seoyul tried his best to Guide properly, but it was impossible.
‘What should I do…’
He clearly hated the headband. I shouldn’t have asked him to wear it…
Seoyul felt like crying, thinking he had upset him.
‘Maybe…’
Did he hate it at the amusement park too?
With that thought, even the fun memories began to fade.
‘It’s my fault…’
Seoyul’s shoulders slumped again, and his hand dropped to the floor.
“Huh?”
Dowoon’s eyes widened in surprise at Seoyul’s suddenly changed appearance.
Having no awareness of what kind of face he’d made or what he’d said, he was just confused, not understanding why Seoyul was acting this way.
Even though he’d worn the headband he didn’t like, why was Seoyul behaving like this?
“…I’m sorry.”
A small, depressed voice murmured, echoing faintly. He couldn’t understand what Seoyul was thinking at all.
It seemed like just yesterday when he thought it was convenient that thoughts could be read, but now it was frustrating that they couldn’t be read at times like this.
Haah…
“For now…”
It seemed too difficult for just the two of them. Dowoon led Seoyul to the research lab. They needed a more objective perspective.
And then…
—Smack!
“Ow!!”
Sunjeong sharply hit Dowoon on the back.
“Have you been receiving Guiding with that kind of expression this whole time?!”
“What’s wrong with my expression!”
“Even the most positive person would drop dead with that rotten face. Drop dead.”
Sunjeong clicked her tongue and nagged. It seemed he didn’t want to wear the headband after being teased so much about it, but he was expressing that through his face rather than words, so no wonder Seoyul was scared.
“Haah…”
Sunjeong let out a heavy sigh. But Dowoon didn’t seem to notice his own problem at all.
“Dowoon. How could you treat Seoyul the way you treat us? Hmm?”
Want to die?
Dowoon flinched at her threatening look with gritted teeth. Usually he wasn’t afraid, but at times like this, cold sweat ran down his back.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
