Chapter 15 – ​The ​Price ​of ​a ​Misjudgment

Just ​as ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun ​had intuited, there was ​no ​such thing as ​”important news” that ​Jeong ​Si-jun ​needed ​to ​tell ​him. It was ​simply ​an ​excuse made on ​a whim.

Jeong Si-jun knew ​he was ​not talented ​at lying. ​He hadn’t ​lied ​very ​often in his ​life, either.

Even ​if he did lie, ​it was obvious he ​wouldn’t remember it correctly ​as time ​passed. ​Rather than telling a lie that ​would be exposed instantly, ​it ​suited ​Jeong ​Si-jun’s ​nature to be ​brazenly honest.

‘He’s ​frowning ​again.’

As if dissatisfied ​with ​Jeong Si-jun’s full confession, a ​wrinkle formed ​between ​Yoon Ki-hyun’s brows. ​Jeong ​Si-jun ​had ​now ​reached a ​stage ​where he ​somewhat enjoyed that displeased expression of Yoon ​Ki-hyun’s.

Back when he ​was at the ​Center, Yoon Ki-hyun’s expressions ​hadn’t been ​very varied.

He had ​mostly ​maintained a blank ​face. However, the ​Yoon Ki-hyun ​he ​saw after ​resigning ​had a ​surprisingly ​diverse range ​of ​expressions.

In ​particular, he often ​wore ​a look ​of ​blatant ​dislike ​toward him, and Jeong Si-jun liked that. It felt as if those expressions, which he never showed at the Center, were a measure of their intimacy.

“Are you disappointed?”

Jeong Si-jun asked in a sly tone, admiring Yoon Ki-hyun’s expression. At that, Yoon Ki-hyun slowly opened his eyes.

It wasn’t so much disappointment as it was a loss of momentum. He had a vague idea that this guy was the type to send messages just to Read Read on Read BL Novelson [unauthorized copy]Read BL Novelsflirt without any real importance, but having experienced it a few times, it was irritating.

What kind of bastard is this? I was all tense because he said it was important.

He hated being pushed around by someone who acted like a child. However, he couldn’t afford not to be pushed around. Because this guy held the money that Yoon Ki-hyun needed most.

“I’m not disappointed, but I was tense because you said it was important, so now I just feel deflated,”

Yoon Ki-hyun replied indifferently, sipping his cooled tea.

At an attitude that clearly showed a loss of interest, Jeong Si-jun leaned his upper body forward slightly. In that moment, the stifling air leaking from the ceiling heater wavered.

Amidst the characteristic scent of the cafe, Jeong Si-jun’s fragrance wafted in. Above the base notes of a faded perfume, the smell of disinfectant emitted an alien presence.

“But if I hadn’t said I had something important to tell you, you wouldn’t have picked up my call.”

Well, that was true. For once, Yoon Ki-hyun couldn’t refute Jeong Si-jun’s point, which hit the nail on the head.

He simply avoided the answer with an awkward smile. Dealing with it this way was already a sufficient answer.

“Anyway, what are you doing here alone? You said you were booking a train ticket.”

If he told the truth—that he was booking a ticket to go down to his accommodation alone—he felt Jeong Si-jun would pry into this and that.

“I had some things to take care of, so I just stopped by for a bit while walking around.”

“Ah, I see.”

Without prying further, Jeong Si-jun readily provided the answer to the question Yoon Ki-hyun had been curious about earlier.

“I took a day off today because I have a family gathering.”

“Ah.”

“That’s why I’m wandering around outside at this hour.”

When Jeong Si-jun grinned, Yoon Ki-hyun subtly averted his gaze. It was true that he had asked with that intention, but he felt a bit guilty now that it was said so bluntly.

Regardless, taking a day off at this time. An S-class Esper was indeed impressive.

Espers and Guides were not in professions where taking annual leave was easy.

Of course, there were legally guaranteed annual leaves and rest periods, but as with most of Korean society, the atmosphere of the industry did not easily allow for them. This was true even though gates could not be handled without Espers and Guides.

They risked their lives for safety, but rather than receiving treatment befitting that risk, there was a strong atmosphere of taking their labor for granted. Since they were paid as well as anyone, a brutal workload commensurate with the money was naturally demanded.

In many ways, it was an industry that compressed the typical problems of Korean society into one.

But there are always exceptions. Yoon Ki-hyun thought that the man sitting [stolen contentRead on Read BL Novelsstyle="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]in front of him was exactly that.

“The Center Director didn’t seem too keen on it, but…”

Jeong Si-jun trailed off as he opened the cap of the bottled water in front of him. Then, he emptied half the bottle and quirked an eyebrow.

“I said I’m going to take a break, so what’s he going to do about it? Right?”

He truly acted like an Esper who made the high-ranking officials of the Awakener Center struggle.

He knew a lot from the atmosphere of the Center and the stories he’d heard, but hearing the impression directly from the person’s mouth was refreshing.

Furthermore, since it was certain that in terms of skill alone, it wouldn’t be strange for him to receive such treatment, it was awkward to say anything else. His personality had many problems, but his skill was something that could not be disparaged.

“Well, that’s because you’re Team Leader Jeong.”

When Yoon Ki-hyun agreed, Jeong Si-jun grinned.

‘He’s actually agreeing with me for once. Did something good happen?’

Until now, the things Yoon Ki-hyun had said to him were only words with unpleasant nuances.

‘Anyway, you’re working hard. Team Leader Jeong Si-jun, good luck with the grind.’

‘I already don’t want to live, [unauthorized copy]unauthorized copy -->so it’s hard enough without you acting out. If you understand, just get lost. Let’s not see each other again, please.’

‘Ah, forget it. Then I’ll just consider it as me taking your virginity, Team Leader Jeong.’

‘The one who put it in my back hole was you. I’m the one who got eaten, so why are you the one getting angry? Ah, did I pierce your back by any chance?’

‘Calling me like a slave at any time to make me do weird things…’

If nothing else, it was certain that Yoon Ki-hyun had ill will toward him. Still, perhaps because the amount proposed as the personal Guide’s salary was quite large, they had begun to have actual conversations after that, even if they remained distant.

Sitting across from him in the cafe, Yoon Ki-hyun was dressed much more comfortably than the last time he saw him.

The weather was quite chilly, and fortunately, he had come out wearing a coat and muffler, which could be seen neatly folded beside the sofa. Contrary to his appearance, he had a somewhat cute side.

In any case, the more he looked at him, the more he was a man who drove people crazy in various ways.

‘Ah, I wish he’d just say he’ll be my Guide already.’

Like a child hoping a friend they liked would become their partner, Jeong Si-jun’s heart was anxious and fluttering day by day. However, regardless of how Jeong Si-jun felt, Yoon Ki-hyun’s face remained indifferent.

‘But why did he come in? Does he have more to say?’

Unable to kick Jeong Si-jun out, Yoon Ki-hyun simply fidgeted with the back of his neck.

Jeong Si-jun showed no sign of leaving his seat easily. [unauthorized copy]Rather, visit [visit our site]our sitehe rested his chin on his hand and adjusted his posture as if he intended to stay for a long time.

Since they’ve met like this, maybe I should ask what I’m curious about. Yoon Ki-hyun decided to try using the currently useless Jeong Si-jun, whom he had met by chance, as a source of information.

“Excuse me, Team Leader.”

“Yes.”

“How is the Guide Director these days?”

Yoon Ki-hyun asked about a rather random person.

At that moment, a crack appeared in Jeong Si-jun’s expression. His face turned sour as if he had instantly lost interest, and he pouted his lips.

The Guide Director? He couldn’t understand why he was suddenly asking about that middle-aged man’s current status.

He saw him often in meetings, but he was so uninterested that he wasn’t even sure how old the man was. Moreover, they weren’t in roles whose movements overlapped.

There aren’t many facilities that Espers use within the Center. Aside from the guiding rooms, showers, fitness center, and sleeping quarters, they spent most of their time at gates, on-site, or at hospitals. Jeong Si-jun was no different from other Espers.

“Why the Guide Director?”

Jeong Si-jun replied in an ambiguous tone, somewhere between talking to himself and using informal speech. It was a sly trick born from his desire to get closer to Yoon Ki-hyun.

Jeong Si-jun desperately hoped that [stolen content]wm: stolen content -->Yoon Ki-hyun would become his personal Guide. He was even looking ahead to the time after the offer was accepted.

He intended to correct any misunderstandings or prejudices that had built up while working together at the Center and apologize if there was more to apologize for. That was how good Yoon Ki-hyun’s guiding was, and he didn’t want to lose him to someone else.

‘Wow, Team Leader Yoon’s schedule was even more packed than this, how did he handle it all?’

‘Who is the new Team 2 leader aligned with to have been planted as leader?’

‘I heard the Guides in that team are all becoming frail and about to die.’

‘Does anyone actually know anything about Team Leader Yoon? Is it true he won the lottery?’

As time passed from the day Yoon Ki-hyun resigned, his reputation only continued to rise. This wasn’t just Jeong Si-jun’s personal evaluation.

In the Center, Yoon Ki-hyun had already become the kind of figure passed down like a folk legend among current employees. One of those superhuman people treated as being outside the standard.

The people at the Center were belatedly and painfully realizing the preciousness and the void left by something they had taken for granted.

“…That person is someone I rarely have reason to see.”

Jeong Si-jun’s lips protruded as he answered in a sulky tone. It seemed to be a topic he didn’t like. Truly, an attitude more suited for a pet dog than the Center’s mad dog.

‘No wonder people call him a child.’

Yoon Ki-hyun looked at Jeong Si-jun’s protruding lips and visit our sitearia-label="stolen content">stolen content-->stolen contentlet out a small chuckle. He felt he was starting to get a sense, albeit a very small one, of how to handle Jeong Si-jun.