Jo Ha-eon or Park Yeon-ho would be informed by Kim Geon-ung. They would be surprised to learn that Lim Haeyul had become a Guide, but Lim Haeyul had no time to worry about their reactions. He had his own problems to deal with.
The ride home was silent. Sitting next to Cha Jae-woo, and aware of the driver they had left behind, Lim Haeyul felt uncomfortable, like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Still, Cha Jae-woo remained silent, giving Lim Haeyul a glimmer of hope. Maybe he would just let it go.
“I thought I told you not to go,” Cha Jae-woo finally said, his voice laced with irritation.
Lim Haeyul’s hope was dashed. He knew Cha Jae-woo wouldn’t let it slide. As they entered the house, Cha Jae-woo’s annoyed expression made Lim Haeyul clam up, as if his lips were sewn shut.
‘Would he really kill me? Besides, Cha Jae-woo hadn’t explained anything properly either, so he shares some of the blame.’
Hours earlier, Lim Haeyul had thought defiantly. But now, he was shivering with cold and fear, huddled up like a scared little creature.
“I-I’m sor—” Lim Haeyul started to apologize, but Cha Jae-woo cut him off.
“You really caught me off guard there,” Cha Jae-woo said, his voice cold.
“I-I didn’t mean to— I said I was going out to have fun…” Lim Haeyul tried to explain, but Cha Jae-woo wasn’t having it.
“Oh, did you also mention you were going to take a taxi straight to the bus terminal?” he asked sarcastically.
“N-no, I didn’t say that part…” Lim Haeyul admitted, his voice trailing off.
“You didn’t say that part?” Cha Jae-woo repeated, his voice dangerous.
“…But I was planning to come back, so it’s not like I ran away…” Lim Haeyul mumbled, but even he knew it sounded ridiculous.
He was right, though. He had planned to come back eventually. But he had been so frustrated by Cha Jae-woo’s refusal to let him go, so determined to assert his independence, that he had acted impulsively. And maybe, just maybe, there had been a little voice in his head saying, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’
Even now, Lim Haeyul still felt a spark of defiance. Cha Jae-woo was being unreasonable, and Lim Haeyul wanted to know why.
“So you didn’t run away?” Cha Jae-woo asked, his voice deceptively calm.
But Lim Haeyul couldn’t find the words to argue. Not with Cha Jae-woo looming over him, arms crossed, eyes boring into him. He wanted to look away, to escape that intense gaze, but there was nowhere to run.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself, and finally managed to speak. “I…I just felt like going for a long walk,” he muttered, knowing how lame it sounded.
“You must have a death wish,” Cha Jae-woo said flatly.
“Of course not!” Lim Haeyul protested, but his voice lacked conviction. He fidgeted with his fingers, wishing Cha Jae-woo would just let it go.
‘I’m the one who wants to know the real reason,’ Lim Haeyul thought sullenly.
He knew he was in the wrong for lying and sneaking off. But Cha Jae-woo wasn’t blameless either. If he wanted to demand an explanation, Lim Haeyul had a few things to say too.
Lim Haeyul sighed, torn between wanting to argue his case and wanting to just apologize and get it over with. Neither option appealed to him.
“You should have given me a reason…” he muttered finally, his voice barely audible. He glanced up at Cha Jae-woo, then quickly looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
He knew he shouldn’t provoke Cha Jae-woo. The man had a temper, and a tendency to solve problems with violence. But Lim Haeyul couldn’t help feeling resentful. He deserved an explanation, didn’t he?
But Cha Jae-woo just stood there, silent and stern, and Lim Haeyul felt his courage wavering. Maybe he should just apologize and be done with it. Before Cha Jae-woo decided to break something—like Lim Haeyul’s leg. After all, Cha Jae-woo was known for causing trouble whenever he went through a Gate.
Lim Haeyul’s only solace was the high compatibility rate between Cha Jae-woo and himself. In a way, Lim Haeyul was Cha Jae-woo’s sole Guide. But would that protect him?
No.
Cha Jae-woo was the boss, and Lim Haeyul was the subordinate. Cha Jae-woo would keep him physically unharmed, after all, he needed Lim Haeyul for guiding. But there were plenty of ways Cha Jae-woo could make Lim Haeyul’s life miserable without resorting to violence. For instance, he could leak the article he had shown Lim Haeyul before.
If the article got out, Lim Haeyul would be ruined. Very few Guides had their identities publicly known. Those who did were older men who had retired from guiding and held respected positions, like the Guide Association President.
If Lim Haeyul’s face became known, he wouldn’t be able to show it in public. He thought about his friends’ shocked expressions when they saw Cha Jae-woo dragging him away. He would probably have to drop out of school. He could already hear the whispers and rumors.
Lim Haeyul didn’t want that. Why hadn’t he thought this through before acting impulsively? He was filled with regret.
But it was too late now. He hung his head and kept talking, trying to explain himself. He had no excuses left, so he might as well be honest.
“I just…I got this sudden urge to rebel when you said I couldn’t go,” he admitted.
“Rebel?” Cha Jae-woo raised an eyebrow.
“I mean, if you had just told me why—”
“You wouldn’t have gone?”
“Y-yes… probably…”
Cha Jae-woo let out a disbelieving laugh. “Probably?” he repeated, shaking his head. He gestured for Lim Haeyul to continue.
Lim Haeyul hesitated, unsure of what more Cha Jae-woo wanted him to say. He had already admitted that he had acted out of rebellion. What else was there to explain?
“And…and when you cut off contact with Kim Sol, I didn’t say anything,” he finally said.
“You didn’t say anything?”
“No, I mean, I didn’t understand why, but I trusted that you had a reason. But then when you said I couldn’t even go out with my friends…it just felt like too much.”
To his surprise, Lim Haeyul found himself getting choked up. He finally understood what he was feeling—trapped. He wasn’t literally imprisoned, but he felt like he had no freedom.
He had agreed to guide Cha Jae-woo in exchange for a large sum of money, and he was doing his best to uphold his end of the bargain. So why did he have to feel like a prisoner? Why did he have to ask permission to do anything?
It reminded him of high school, living with his aunt. She had been strict and controlling, sometimes even violent. He had counted down the days until he could move out and be free.
But even his aunt had her reasons for being the way she was. She had taken him in after his parents died, and she had done her best to provide for him. He didn’t blame her for being harsh.
But that didn’t mean he wanted to live like that again. He didn’t want to feel trapped and controlled, even if Cha Jae-woo had his reasons.
“I’m sorry,” he said finally, his voice quiet.
Cha Jae-woo didn’t know about his past, and he didn’t owe Lim Haeyul any sympathy. But Lim Haeyul realized that he didn’t want Cha Jae-woo’s understanding. He just wanted his freedom.
“I won’t do it again,” he promised.
He had been paid an enormous sum of money to guide Cha Jae-woo. He should have been more careful not to upset him. But instead, he had done exactly what Cha Jae-woo had told him not to.
He felt a wave of shame. He had been reckless and stupid. He hung his head, avoiding Cha Jae-woo’s gaze.
“I’m really sorry,” he said again.
He didn’t feel angry or resentful anymore. He had been in the wrong, and he knew it. He just hoped Cha Jae-woo would forgive him.
But Cha Jae-woo was silent, and Lim Haeyul felt a creeping sense of fear. What if Cha Jae-woo decided to punish him after all? He had heard rumors about Cha Jae-woo’s temper, about the way he solved problems with violence.
He took a step back, his body trembling. He knew it was useless to try to run, but he couldn’t help it.
Cha Jae-woo let out a long sigh, and Lim Haeyul braced himself for whatever was to come.
When Lim Haeyul looked up, he saw Cha Jae-woo frowning, his eyebrows furrowed. Cha Jae-woo raised his hand and ruffled Lim Haeyul’s hair. Lim Haeyul almost flinched, expecting Cha Jae-woo to strike him. He could easily imagine Cha Jae-woo breaking his bones with that hand.
“If you want to go somewhere, take the driver’s car,” Cha Jae-woo said.
But Cha Jae-woo didn’t attack him. Instead, his voice was softer than before. Lim Haeyul was surprised and his eyes widened in disbelief.
His emotions must have shown on his face because Cha Jae-woo sighed again. Lim Haeyul quickly bowed his head, but Cha Jae-woo continued speaking.
“The only smart thing you did today was turn off your phone,” he said.
“…Oh…” Lim Haeyul didn’t understand why that was a good thing, but he nodded anyway.
“No more overnight trips. And no staying out late,” Cha Jae-woo said.
“Yes, sir…” Lim Haeyul agreed, nodding his head vigorously.
“But if you want to go out for a short while, you can. Just take the driver’s car,” Cha Jae-woo added.
“Yes, I will,” Lim Haeyul promised.
Cha Jae-woo still didn’t explain why Lim Haeyul had to follow these rules. But Lim Haeyul didn’t care anymore. He was being paid to do a job, and he would do it without complaining. It wasn’t his place to question Cha Jae-woo’s orders.
“Go take a shower. You look like a mess,” Cha Jae-woo said.
“Oh, yes…” Lim Haeyul started to back away, relieved that the confrontation was over.
But before he could leave the room, he turned back to Cha Jae-woo. Their eyes met immediately, and Cha Jae-woo raised an eyebrow as if to say, “What now?”
“Um…” Lim Haeyul hesitated.
Cha Jae-woo ran a hand through his hair and sighed, but he nodded for Lim Haeyul to continue.
“How did you find me?” Lim Haeyul blurted out.
It was a stupid question, but he couldn’t help himself. He had to know. Cha Jae-woo had said that he couldn’t sense Lim Haeyul’s presence from far away, so how had he found him? Was there some Esper ability Lim Haeyul didn’t know about?
“Can you sense my presence from far away? Or hear my voice?” he asked.
If Cha Jae-woo could do that, Lim Haeyul would have to be much more careful. He felt a pang of unease at the thought.
“Not from that far,” Cha Jae-woo said.
Lim Haeyul breathed a sigh of relief. But then he frowned, confused.
“Then how…?” he started to ask.
“Think about it,” Cha Jae-woo said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“You want me to guess?” Lim Haeyul asked, incredulous.
“There are many interesting gadgets in the world,” Cha Jae-woo said vaguely, waving his hand as if to shoo Lim Haeyul away.
Lim Haeyul turned to leave, his mind racing. What did Cha Jae-woo mean by “interesting gadgets”? Why couldn’t he just give him a straight answer?
He hated these vague, cryptic conversations. He just wanted to know how Cha Jae-woo had found him. But he knew better than to push the issue. He would have to figure it out on his own.
As he stood under the air conditioning vent, he shivered. He would think about it later, after a hot shower. For now, he was just glad that Cha Jae-woo wasn’t angry with him anymore.
Un largo camino por recorrer