Chapter 20
“Who do we have here! Isn’t it Cha Dowoon and Seoyul?”
“……”
Damn it.
Dowoon frowned at the unwelcome face. Ji Sunghun stood before him.
“Where are you going? For lunch? Can I join you?”
“No……”
Dowoon was about to refuse immediately, but before he could, he saw it. The expectant look in his Guide’s eyes.
Though he didn’t know the exact reason, Seoyul actually considered Sunghun as someone he admired.
‘How can he speak so comfortably with an Esper like this?’
He always thought that way, which was why the psychological distance between them had become very close. Moreover, since the two appeared to be very friendly with each other, Seoyul had occasionally thought about having a conversation with him.
That’s why this proposal sounded appealing to him.
“Is that okay?”
Being someone with remarkably quick instincts, Sunghun grinned and looked at Dowoon. At the same time, round, expectant eyes followed.
Unable to read Seoyul’s mind, Dowoon shot a fierce glare at the evil crowd trying to seduce his Guide. But he also knew that doing this wouldn’t change the situation. Seoyul wanted this, didn’t he?
Dowoon let out a small sigh and nodded.
“Fine.”
“Wow.”
“Great! Then I’ll take you to a restaurant I know that’s really good!”
Seoyul couldn’t hide his emotions and let out a small exclamation, while Sunghun cheerfully led them toward the restaurant.
Fortunately, the place he chose wasn’t crowded but rather a restaurant with private rooms. Dowoon felt slightly relieved that he could eat without worrying about people’s stares.
Not just the stares, but if there were many people around, the Guiding would…
“Ah……”
Dowoon covered his mouth in dismay at the sudden realization.
‘Seoyul being a Hidden Guide is still a secret, isn’t it?’
Because his range of activities was so limited and he rarely encountered other Espers up close, he hadn’t been careful about it until now.
But now there was one right in front of them.
“Hm? What’s wrong? Are you staring like that because Sunghun’s face is too handsome?”
“…Shut up.”
Dowoon coldly responded to his nonsense while frantically thinking about how to handle this situation.
‘Should I just suggest we leave now?’
Even if Sunghun found out, he wasn’t the type to immediately spread rumors. It was just that Dowoon disliked him.
He wanted as few people as possible to know his true value, and even if they did find out, he wanted them to discover it as late as possible.
“Esper-nim… are you feeling unwell?”
His expression must have been obvious because Seoyul asked cautiously.
“No. What do you want to eat?”
“Oh, umm……”
Seoyul kept a worried look on his face while glancing around nervously. So when Dowoon raised his head and glared at the person in front of him, he chuckled and opened his mouth.
“Looks like Dowoon wanted to eat alone with Guide Seo.”
“What?”
“What the…!”
The problem was that he had naively thought that at most, he would only need to divert Seoyul’s attention.
Sunghun, having discovered something interesting, began rambling to Seoyul.
“Sheesh. Even decades of friendship are useless, you know? Espers are originally like that. When they like someone, they don’t think before they—Ack!”
In the end, Sunghun was kicked in the shin by Dowoon and let out a small scream as he lowered his head. Seoyul’s eyes widened in surprise, but shutting Sunghun’s mouth was the priority, so Dowoon quickly changed the subject.
“Have you decided what to eat?”
“Um, well, that’s……”
Seoyul was at a loss, looking back and forth between Sunghun, Dowoon, and the menu. But Sunghun recovered as if nothing had happened and opened the menu.
“You’re paying, right?”
“……”
“Seoyul-ssi. If it’s okay, shall I recommend something? This is the best dish here.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Trust me!”
“Then… I’ll have this.”
The two of them chatted as they pleased, and Sunghun even ordered Dowoon’s portion without asking.
‘Sigh….’
Dowoon felt frustrated by the situation not going his way. Especially seeing how Sunghun was bewitching Seoyul with a friendly tone unlike his own—it made his insides twist.
Of course, he wouldn’t have any thoughts of trying something with Seoyul. He already had a Pair Guide, and he wasn’t the type of person who would think of doing such a thing.
But the uneasiness didn’t disappear.
Dowoon watched the two anxiously as they continued their meal.
Maybe if energy leaked out, could he absorb it immediately from the side without them noticing?
Well, that’s what he was thinking.
“Seoyul-ssi. Shall I tell you about the day we first met?”
“The first time?”
“Yes. We first met at the Ability Professional School……”
Sunghun skillfully led the atmosphere and brought up a topic that would interest Seoyul. Normally, Dowoon would have stopped him, telling him not to talk nonsense, but now he didn’t have the luxury to care.
‘It’s still fine so far…’
Looking at his face, Seoyul seemed to be quite enjoying himself. But that S-class Guiding energy wasn’t leaking out.
While that was strange, on the other hand, he was pleased about it.
‘Right. Maybe it’s not good enough for energy to leak out?’
He wondered if he’d been unnecessarily anxious. But objectively, the atmosphere between the two looked good.
Sunghun, who was conversing fluently and gaining Seoyul’s favor. Seoyul had already been drawn into his atmosphere and was smiling softly.
“Haha. Really?”
…Watching this scene, Dowoon realized an important fact.
The obvious fact that the real enemies he should be wary of weren’t the lab people, but the Espers.
‘Why did I forget?’
Ordinary people had a certain limit to how far they could go. But not Espers. If they really started targeting Seoyul, there was a sufficient possibility they could form deep relationships with him.
He couldn’t force that. It was all Seoyul’s choice. Not just for him, but opportunities were always open for all Espers.
‘But I can’t live my whole life being wary.’
It wouldn’t be good for either Seoyul or himself. Dowoon realized this and became lost in thought.
—Beep!
—Beep!
—Beep!
At that moment, an emergency alarm sounded from Sunghun’s watch.
“Oh? A mission came up. Seoyul-ssi, I’ll tell you more later. I’m sorry.”
“Ah, no. Please go quickly.”
Sunghun immediately stood up and abruptly disappeared. Dowoon still looked at his empty seat and thought.
What should he do? How could he keep Seoyul by his side?
“He’ll be fine, right?”
Seoyul turned to look at Dowoon, showing concern for someone else. He didn’t like that.
‘Right.’
He made up his mind. Dowoon suddenly reached a conclusion and grabbed Seoyul’s hand.
And then he bluntly conveyed his conclusion to him.
“Do you want to live together?”
* * *
“…What…?”
Seoyul thought he had misheard for a moment. But apparently, he had heard correctly.
“There are many people who live together after forming a Pair. After all, living together makes Guiding easier, and you can live in a much better place than the Center dormitory. Plus, you know the most important things for human life are food, clothing, and shelter, right? I’m already taking care of the food, so let’s take care of the clothing and shelter too. It will be more helpful for Guiding.”
“……”
Seoyul blankly listened to the words that came pouring out, so unlike him. He didn’t know why such a thought suddenly occurred to Dowoon, but it was persuasive.
Especially the part about it being helpful for Guiding sounded quite plausible. But…
“I don’t have the means to live in such a nice place yet…”
That was true. Although he was Guiding Dowoon, Seoyul wasn’t affiliated with the Center.
To be precise, he was a Guide being protected by the Center, and because of his unique ability to Guide Dowoon, he was temporarily registered.
To enter the Center, he needed to take an exam and go through an internship period. So now he was just receiving a special settlement subsidy.
Still, all basic necessities were provided, so there was no discomfort. Compared to his past living conditions, this place was practically luxurious.
So there was no reason to get a separate place. But Dowoon seemed to think differently.
“Why wouldn’t you have money? When we form a Pair, my money becomes your money, you know?”
“Excuse me…?”
“Originally, Pair Guides receive a certain portion of the Esper’s income. That’s how it balances out.”
Dowoon explained confidently. Seoyul remembered hearing such an explanation from Sunjeong, but that was for the case of general Espers and Guides.
“…Since Esper-nim isn’t going on missions yet… then I also…”
“……”
Dowoon was at a loss for words. He had tried to gloss over it, but unexpectedly got hit right in the weak spot.
But he wasn’t one to back down here.
“You’ll get it in the future, so what does it matter? Besides, I need to find my senses quickly to return to work. So this is… Right! An investment! It’s an investment!”
“Investment…?”
“Yes! And if you can Guide faster, my recovery will be quicker too, so the return on investment will be faster, won’t it?”
“Hmm……”
Seoyul was becoming increasingly convinced. If that was the case, it might be okay. The more time they spent together, the faster the Guiding would be.
This was a thought he could have because they never knew when the S-class Guiding might emerge.
“And I’ve wanted to live outside for a long time. I couldn’t before because my wavelength was unstable, but now that you’re here…”
“Ah……”
After hearing the sad circumstances, he was completely persuaded. Seoyul didn’t particularly feel the necessity, but it was different when it came to Dowoon’s matters.
‘If I stay with him, people will feel relieved.’
Dowoon had been suffering from Guiding side effects for a long time. So it seemed he wanted to live outside but couldn’t.
Once he reached that conclusion, Seoyul nodded slightly.
‘Good.’
Dowoon looked at him and smiled with satisfaction. They were all excuses, but he thought it was fine as long as Seoyul didn’t know.
‘I don’t really care where I live, but…’
The thought of living with Seoyul was creating interest that wasn’t there before. As thoughts led to more thoughts, he even began to rationalize that he might have wanted this from long ago.
‘Right. This is a good opportunity to live in a nice place.’
Although he was affiliated with the Center, Dowoon was an S-class Esper and had never worried about money.
So he intended to cover all the costs himself. The talk about investment and such was just something he said because he thought Seoyul would be uncomfortable with his personality.
Even the lunch he was buying now was fortunately being covered as an expense; otherwise, he would be the type to insist on paying half.
“So, we’re going to live together?”
“What? Oh. Yes! I, I look forward to your guidance.”
Look forward to your guidance…
‘Ah. Cute.’
Dowoon suppressed the smile that was about to escape and became lost in thought about where their new home should be.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
