Chapter 30
“So what kind of relationship do you have with Esper Kang Chahun, Esper Han Yeonwoo?”
Suppressing a laugh that threatened to escape, Yeonwoo bit the tip of his tongue.
To say they were nothing, to the point where such a question would be ridiculous, wouldn’t be accurate considering how much time he’d been spending with Chahun lately. The C-sector espers had even begun casually greeting Chahun when he came running over as soon as training ended. And when Yeonwoo was led by Chahun’s hand to A-sector, waiting staff would politely open the door for them, so it was understandable why someone might think there was something between Yeonwoo and Chahun.
He could give a vague answer like he had to other espers, saying they just happened to become close, but the person sitting in the place of honor was Jung Yeonghwan, the Center Director of the Korean Esper Center.
He wouldn’t have called me here expecting that kind of answer, wait a minute. The talk about Chahun is just an excuse, isn’t this about Yeonhwa?
For the past few days, he had been hiding behind Chahun to avoid the staff. After running away from Kang Chahun a few times, they eventually realized his ability couldn’t harm them and started hovering around, which was quite annoying. If Chahun hadn’t created an ice wall to make a path, he would still be trapped in the C-sector corridor.
Since their strategy to get consent wasn’t working, were they trying to apply pressure directly now?
When the Center Director gestured toward Yeonwoo’s cup, the Deputy Director sitting across from him made a fuss and picked up the teapot.
“Hahaha. I wonder if Esper Han Yeonwoo also enjoys tea.”
“Time flies, doesn’t it? Esper Han Yeonwoo has already grown this much. When I first saw him, he was about this… tall. Back then, we drank orange juice together. Do you remember, Esper Han Yeonwoo?”
How could I not? There was no way he could forget the memory of them causing trouble and then trying to hold that young Yeonhwa responsible, placing her in this seat and pressuring her. How incapable he had felt, trembling while holding Yeonhwa, unable to do anything.
He couldn’t even scoff at them pretending that memory was a fond one. Yeonwoo smiled brightly and gripped the teacup.
“Unfortunately, I don’t remember.”
“Childhood memories are like that. Try a sip.”
As if I would drink this, not knowing what’s in it.
Given that he knew perfectly well who had tampered with Chahun’s food, he had no intention of consuming anything the Deputy Director offered. Moreover… Yeonwoo lifted the teacup and glanced sideways at the detoxifying items dangling from the Center Director’s ears. Who would drink tea with confidence when someone is wearing those?
As Yeonwoo was inwardly scoffing, his shoulders suddenly jerked. He felt the teacup with the warm tea heating up. Along with a chill running down his spine came the urge to throw the teacup.
It’s okay. It’s just tea. Just warm tea. No matter how much he tried to reassure himself, he couldn’t calm down. Setting down the teacup with trembling fingertips, Yeonwoo rubbed his fingers as if trying to remove any remaining warmth.
“Hmm. The aroma is too strong for today’s young people. Still, it’s a precious tea imported from China, so at least wet your lips.”
At the Center Director’s urging, Yeonwoo smiled habitually. It was a submissive smile that lowered his eyebrows.
“How could something recommended by the Center Director be anything but excellent? I just can’t handle hot drinks. I’ll have some when it cools down a bit.”
At those words, the Center Director looked at Yeonwoo with a pleased expression. A face that appears easily manageable has its uses at times like this. Though it led to more disadvantages when among peers, with adults, just smiling like this could create an atmosphere of conviviality.
With the Center Director as the opponent, this cordial time would likely be brief.
A few years ago, when everyone in the world rushed in claiming they would change the future, not only guilds but also centers suffered damage. It was whispered that Jung Yeonghwan, who had luckily survived, became the Center Director because there were few experienced espers left to lead the center, but well…
The Center Director is not just a nominal position.
He had to keep in check espers who ran wild believing in their own abilities, engage in psychological warfare with Guild Masters whenever gates were discovered. It was a position representing all ability users at the center while dispatching teams to storage locations.
Could such a position be attained simply because one was lucky enough to survive?
Yeonwoo, who knew how Jung Yeonghwan became the Center Director thanks to Yeonhwa’s ability, maintained his tension while smiling brightly.
Behind that face pretending to be kind was a cunning old fox. Yeonwoo looked at the Center Director and Deputy Director, careful not to narrow his eyes.
“So what did you call me for?”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?”
At the Center Director’s question, the Deputy Director laughed with a “Huhuh-” and then sighed deeply.
“I suppose it’s a difficult subject to broach, so Jinyoung, I mean, the Deputy Director must not have mentioned it. Since Esper Han Yeonwoo must be busy as well, I’ll get straight to the point.”
So it is about Yeonhwa.
Swallowing dryly, Yeonwoo straightened his back. He hadn’t expected the center to approach like this. Should he contact the Round Guild right now and tell them the center was threatening him?
It was a tactic he had kept as a last resort, since although the staff clinging to Yeonwoo would disappear under the guild’s pressure, it might make relations with the center awkward.
“Um, I hear Esper Han Yeonwoo has become quite close with Esper Kang Chahun these days?”
Kang Chahun? At this unexpected name, Yeonwoo blinked. Are we… close? Isn’t “close” a term used for relationships where more intimate stories are shared and people can rely on each other?
As Chahun had vehemently insisted, Yeonwoo and Chahun’s relationship was closer to that of teacher and student. Even the term teacher-student didn’t quite fit. It was simply watching over a newly awakened esper taking their first steps, making sure they didn’t fall. It was a relationship where he would warn them with a word of caution like “you shouldn’t do that” when things seemed dangerous. And if they did well, he’d praise them once in a while. Couldn’t any espers attending the same center do this much?
The strange ones were the A-sector espers who did nothing to protect their own territory. If that counted as being close, then did that mean he was dating his academy classmates?
But it would also be strange to deny it in this situation.
It had been a month since Chahun started frequenting C-sector, and Yeonwoo had visited A-sector more than once or twice since then. They must have been observing all along, so denying it wouldn’t be believable anyway.
When Yeonwoo just smiled without answering, the Deputy Director, who had been watching anxiously, opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
“We’d like the A-sector awakened ones to get along with Esper Kang Chahun as well as Esper Han Yeonwoo does…”
“Is that so? Actually, we’re not really close enough to have many conversations.”
It was true. Whenever he was with Chahun, he was busy answering questions about what this or that was. Sometimes it felt like seven-year-old Yeonhwa during her difficult phase was sitting in front of him. Back then, she was truly a serial questioner…
Watching Yeonwoo smile as he recalled distant memories, the Center Director sighed loudly enough to be heard. At that sigh, the Deputy Director rubbed his face. A moment later, when he revealed his face from beneath his hands, fatigue was evident.
“The Deputy Director has it tough.”
“No, no. Hahaha… Hmm, well, as Esper Han Yeonwoo knows, Esper Kang Chahun awakened rather late, right? So A-sector people tried to take care of him in various ways. But Esper Kang Chahun seemed to find that burdensome and didn’t even participate in training, and now he won’t leave his private training room. I heard he doesn’t even speak to other espers, so I tried to take good care of him. But it was all ‘I don’t like this,’ ‘I don’t like that,’ ‘I won’t eat what you provide,’ and he rejected everything, so there was nothing I could do.”
Hmm. Talking shit.
The words that followed were just as much nonsense.
He lamented that despite his care, Chahun completely ignored his sincerity, and that when A-sector espers tried to teach him anything, he rejected it all, saying this was difficult and that was difficult, which made the espers cautious, and every time he heard such things, it upset him too.
He appealed about how much he had suffered, caught between A-sector espers and Esper Kang Chahun…
It was absurd.
Hasn’t he even seen Kang Chahun’s face? Do those espers who supposedly were being “cautious” grind someone’s face like that? And they didn’t even provide proper treatment afterward?
And what about the Center Director who said he’d take responsibility but naturally passed it on to the Deputy Director? And now the Deputy Director, who had passed Kang Chahun to the A-sector espers, was complaining about how hard it was?
If their “sincerity” meant serving dungeon by-products without removing the dungeon mana, he felt like shoving it into their mouths and telling them to eat it with gusto.
The Deputy Director, as if his insides were burning, gripped his teacup like a shot glass, downed it, and leaned toward Yeonwoo.
“As Esper Han Yeonwoo would know, are S-class espers a bit proud? I understand he doesn’t want to be taught by lower-ranked espers, but we can’t ask the busy Esper Lee Sangwon to educate him, can we?”
Who would believe such lies? Kang Chahun learned just fine from Yeonwoo, who was ranked far below him. He was eager to learn more, pressuring Yeonwoo. He was the type to practice simple mana balls all night, even to the point of mana overload. When told one thing, he’d be curious about ten more.
They probably just flapped their lips without teaching him properly.
The Deputy Director pounded his chest, venting his frustration. After Yeonwoo spent a long time focusing on the tea leaves floating in his cup, letting the words go in one ear and out the other, the Center Director finally got to the real point.
“So, about that…”
“Yes, Center Director.”
“Yes. I’m the Center Director, you see… Sitting in a position like this, it’s a bit awkward to ask things directly. So could Esper Han Yeonwoo casually inquire for me?”
Yeonwoo, who had placed both hands neatly on his knees, tilted his head as the Center Director poured fresh tea after discarding the cold one. Swallowing dryly at the steam rising from the teacup, Yeonwoo clasped his slightly trembling hands together and forcibly averted his gaze.
“What… are you referring to?”
“Well, nothing special… Just whether he has any complaints about center life, if he wants anything, things like that…”
The Center Director trailed off and then nodded to the Deputy Director.
“Umm… I’m saying this because I’m Esper Han Yeonwoo, but, well, Esper Kang Chahun…”
Whether they were dragging out the time because it was difficult to speak or because they were hoping Yeonwoo would ask first, the exact reason was unclear, but both the Center Director and Deputy Director kept delaying, saying “umm, umm.”
Just as Yeonwoo was about to burst, the Center Director slowly opened his mouth.
“Have you ever seen Esper Kang Chahun meeting with people from other guilds?”
“Other guilds?”
Kang Chahun? Not Yeonhwa?
Just as the Center Director, who had made a displeased expression at Yeonwoo’s wide-eyed question, was about to sigh—
Beep- Beep-
The Deputy Director checked the pager ringing in his left pocket and gave the Center Director a troubled look.
“They must be really close…”
The Center Director, who had been mumbling while appraising Yeonwoo, gestured toward the door. As the Deputy Director was seeing Yeonwoo out, just before exiting, he grasped Yeonwoo’s hand.
“Just casually ask him next time if he’s thinking of contracting with another guild.”
“What?”
“If he says yes, you could also subtly find out which guild.”
With those words, Yeonwoo was pushed out.
What does this mean? Kang Chahun contracting with another guild?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
