Cha Jae-woo felt the sensation of not knowing what to do or how to do it for the first time because of Lim Haeyul.
He regretted letting him go, even though he was suffering. He wanted to see his face, even from a distance, and hear his voice, but he couldn’t do any of that. Lim Haeyul felt uncomfortable because of a frequency that Cha Jae-woo had never emitted.
Has he really lost the ability to control his frequency? Already? That doesn’t make sense. It had been 18 years. During that time, the distorted frequency had begun to show in the eyes of the Guides. But Lim Haeyul had only been gone for six months. It didn’t make sense that the frequency had distorted that much in such a short time.
Could this also be part of Lim Haeyul’s uniqueness? He wished there was no such uniqueness.
“Haah…….”
Cha Jae-woo let out a long sigh. The house, which had never been quiet for him, was now enveloped in an unusual silence.
People hadn’t changed, but Lim Haeyul was no longer in this house. His absence became more palpable with each passing day.
“…….”
Cha Jae-woo stared blankly at the study materials, stationery, clothes he often wore, and the blanket he used—all left behind by Lim Haeyul, who had fled without taking anything.
He didn’t want to do anything. He felt helpless because he didn’t know what to do or what he could do. All he did was lie in this room, trying to imagine what Lim Haeyul might have been thinking.
Of course, he knew it was too late now. Even if he could somewhat understand the fear Lim Haeyul had spoken of, it was already too late.
“Um, Esper.”
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock and a voice calling him.
Cha Jae-woo got up from the bed without responding. He knew why the lady was calling him. It was because of Lee Ju-yeon, who had been making a fuss about coming in.
He had visited this house a few times, so he couldn’t just turn him away. But he also hesitated to let him in, knowing his own state.
Cha Jae-woo opened the door and nodded once before heading downstairs. The living room, once empty, now had some furniture thanks to Lim Haeyul. This too was a trace of him.
“Esper Cha Jae-woo.”
His idle thoughts didn’t last long. Cha Jae-woo slowly turned his gaze towards the stiff voice calling him. His face, which had softened slightly while thinking of Lim Haeyul, quickly turned cold.
“What do you want?”
However, Lee Ju-yeon’s expression was just as stern.
“You promised me. You said you’d help me kill Jang Gijun.”
Lee Ju-yeon had played a significant role in betraying Jang Gijun. In return, he was supposed to be the one to finish Jang Gijun off.
But Cha Jae-woo did not keep that promise. He never intended to. Lim Haeyul had told him not to, and ultimately, Lim Haeyul had left because of them.
No, that’s not right.
Cha Jae-woo sneered. He was still blaming others. Lim Haeyul left because of him. Because he was terrifying… and horrible.
“I’m not going to kill him. I told you that clearly.”
“Have you forgotten our deal?”
“I forgot.”
He was tired. Cha Jae-woo didn’t have the energy to deal with Lee Ju-yeon. Before, he could tolerate it, but not seeing Lim Haeyul for a while had taken a toll on him.
It was a situation that made him want to laugh. Since when had he cared so much about Lim Haeyul? Only after losing him did he realize how precious he was. But this was beyond stupid.
“Why? Is it because of Lim Haeyul? Because he told you not to kill anyone?”
“…….”
“What? Really? You really gave up on revenge because of Lim Haeyul?”
Rumors about Cha Jae-woo and Lim Haeyul had been circulating among the Ability users. The story was that Lim Haeyul had fled from Cha Jae-woo because he couldn’t bear what Cha Jae-woo was doing, and that Cha Jae-woo, who had become attached to Lim Haeyul, couldn’t bring himself to stop him.
The rumors were surprisingly close to the truth, likely spread by Kim Sol. Cha Jae-woo knew this but didn’t bother to correct them. There was no reason to intervene.
“Haha, ha. Over something so trivial?”
Lee Ju-yeon laughed openly, mocking Cha Jae-woo. Cha Jae-woo just stared at him, his expression cold. Lee Ju-yeon quickly stopped laughing, but his displeasure was evident.
“Then I’ll do it myself.”
Lee Ju-yeon spoke, his tone resigned, giving up on the hope that Cha Jae-woo would change his mind.
“Don’t kill him. It’ll be misunderstood.”
Cha Jae-woo said firmly. Lee Ju-yeon couldn’t kill Jang Gijun alone; he would need help. And Lim Haeyul would know that.
Of course, Lim Haeyul would think Cha Jae-woo had done it, which would be unfair. Cha Jae-woo didn’t want to be hated any more than he already was.
“You’re crazy.”
Lee Ju-yeon shook his head and turned to leave without another word.
“Hey.”
Cha Jae-woo, who had been looking annoyed, called out to him.
“Can you adjust the matching rate as you wish now?”
Lee Ju-yeon turned back, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. But his expression darkened at Cha Jae-woo’s next words.
“Adjust it.”
The command was absurd. Lee Ju-yeon spoke with a twisted expression.
“You want a Guiding now? In this situation?”
He laughed in disbelief, but Cha Jae-woo was unfazed.
“No. I need to check something.”
* * *
Cha Jae-woo stood some distance from Lim Haeyul’s house. He had heard that Lim Haeyul had left school about ten minutes ago, so he should be arriving home soon.
“Hide your frequency so I can’t see it.”
“If you can’t, don’t come near me.”
Lim Haeyul’s warning still echoed in his mind. Cha Jae-woo hadn’t been able to visit him since then, constantly wondering what to do but unable to act.
“You know this is impossible, right?”
At first, he thought it was just a nuisance, but Lee Ju-yeon’s visit turned out to be fortunate. He was the only one besides Lim Haeyul who could raise the matching rate so high.
So, Cha Jae-woo decided to check if his frequency was visible to Lee Ju-yeon. If the matching rate was high, maybe Lee Ju-yeon could see it too. If so, Cha Jae-woo planned to find a way to hide it.
“I can’t see it. I can’t feel anything.”
Cha Jae-woo felt a wave of despair. If Lee Ju-yeon couldn’t see it, then Cha Jae-woo could hide it if he wanted to. But that meant Lim Haeyul was the only one who could see it.
The implication was grim. If Lim Haeyul could always see his frequency, Cha Jae-woo could never approach him again.
“…….”
The thought was suffocating. Seeing him from a distance and never being able to approach him was an unbearable difference.
So, he had come here, disregarding Lim Haeyul’s warning. He couldn’t bear not seeing him. This feeling was new to him, and he didn’t know how to handle it. He felt an urgency, a fear that if he did nothing, he would lose Lim Haeyul forever.
He knew he didn’t deserve this chance, but he wanted to try something, anything. Lim Haeyul had told him to, and doing something was better than doing nothing. The problem was, he didn’t know what to do.
Cha Jae-woo had never tried to win someone’s heart before. He had never thought about forming relationships or considering someone else’s feelings.
The same was true with Lim Haeyul. All he had done was make a slight effort not to lose his Guide and mimic Lim Haeyul’s affection, denying his own feelings all the while.
“……Um, if everyone sends me their research—”
His troubled thoughts were interrupted by Lim Haeyul’s voice in the distance. But as soon as Cha Jae-woo became aware of him, the voice stopped.
Even from far away, Lim Haeyul’s gaze locked onto Cha Jae-woo. Despite his efforts to hide his frequency, Lim Haeyul saw him instantly.
“Yeah, then I’ll organize it.”
Lim Haeyul turned his head away, his face twisted in annoyance. Cha Jae-woo’s heart pounded painfully, another unfamiliar sensation.
How does he sense it?
Why can he sense it?
Lim Haeyul hated Cha Jae-woo’s frequency, and Cha Jae-woo didn’t want to do anything that Lim Haeyul hated, even if it was too late.
But his selfish desire to see Lim Haeyul was overwhelming. He felt trapped in a maze, unable to move forward or back.
Cha Jae-woo hung his head, feeling helpless. He was inexperienced in matters of the heart, and there was no one to guide him.
As always.
