Chapter 17 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

Yoon ​Ki-hyun ​stood ​in ​the ​living room of the ​dormitory ​and quietly looked ​around the house. ​There ​was ​still ​some ​time ​left on the ​lease, ​but ​he had no ​intention of staying longer.

He ​could have ​left it ​as is ​if he ​paid ​a ​cleaning fee, but ​he didn’t ​want to increase unnecessary ​expenses. He wanted to ​clear his debts as ​quickly as ​possible ​and properly take care of his ​health.

While sorting through the ​trash, ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun ​picked ​up an envelope ​of cash ​he ​had left near ​the ​dining table. He had written ​a short ​note ​on the envelope ​just ​in ​case, ​but ​looking at ​it ​now, it ​felt a bit embarrassing.

Though it was only ​a few words, ​the self-pity steeped ​within them felt a ​bit excessive. ​At any rate, ​that ​was the case.

After ​finishing the recycling ​and cleaning, ​he ​stood at ​the ​entrance, holding ​a ​suitcase that ​had ​grown ​heavier than when ​he ​first arrived.

He ​still ​remembered ​the ​moment he first entered this place.

Between the taxi driver’s reckless driving and his own ruined condition, he felt as if he might die at any moment, but now he was managing to hold on reasonably well.

‘I should take the medicine one more time on the train.’

The medicine, which felt absurdly expensive, had not yet proven its full worth. Yoon Ki-hyun still suffered from frequent nosebleeds, nausea, and occasional bouts of his vision turning pitch black.

Though he was belatedly recovering his [Read [unauthorized copy]on Read BL Novels]health, the progress was slow. However, Yoon Ki-hyun decided not to be impatient.

If there was any hope, it was that the frequency of the headaches—the kind that felt like his scalp was shrinking—had decreased slightly.

‘I’ll get better if I take it one step at a time.’

He knew that this wasn’t a disease that could be dramatically cured by taking a few pale blue pills. A grand and terrifying title like “rare incurable disease” isn’t given to just any illness.

Only after searching, researching, and asking enough to memorize the answers could Yoon Ki-hyun properly face his illness.

Other Restrictive Awakened Abnormal Syndrome.

It was a wretched disease with a low five-year survival rate after diagnosis, but he wouldn’t be able to close his eyes without regret unless he tried everything he possibly could.

He didn’t want to regret anything when he died. To that end, he had stubbornly managed to pay for his father’s hospital bills.

Because he hated the thought of that effort going to waste, Yoon Ki-hyun intended to do his best.

Whatever it took.

The first night at the goshiwon was more comfortable than expected.

As soon as he woke up in the 2.5-pyeong room where light seeped in because he had intentionally Read on Read BL Novelsnot stolen contentinstalled blackout curtains, Yoon Ki-hyun made an appointment to meet Jeong Si-jun.

Surprisingly, however, Jeong Si-jun’s situation was unfavorable. It was because an abnormal number of special gates had appeared, to the point where even if Jeong Si-jun had ten bodies, he would have to shove them all into gates.

Jeong Si-jun

Sorry but I don’t think today or tomorrow will work I’m fucking busy right now on my way to a gate

Jeong Si-jun sent the message from inside a helicopter rushing toward a gate. He even attached a selfie showing the interior of the helicopter, wearing his combat gear.

Yoon Ki-hyun had never doubted him, but he liked the sincere explanation. He casually swiped past the photo of Jeong Si-jun, dressed in black with only his eyes visible, and sent a reply.

I understand. It’s not urgent, so contact me when you have time. Be careful.

He hesitated over whether to add “be careful,” but he sent it anyway.

Wouldn’t it be troublesome if something happened to the employer who would provide the salary to protect his credit score and his life every month?

Having finally regained the will to live, he wasn’t quite ready to start contemplating death again.

Jeong Si-jun

Not urgent my ass I’m fucking urgent but I have to get off now I’ll contact you later

The urgency was palpable in the message, which had completely lost its spacing. He wondered why the man was acting this way when he wasn’t a lover nagging him for texting late, but then he recalled hearing that the Guides at the Center were a total mess.

Just how bad was the guiding for him to be like this? Yoon Ki-hyun speculated about the working environment of the Guides remaining at the Center.

Around the time the tip of one’s nose begins to feel chilly, rookie Guides who had just finished basic training were usually assigned to the headquarters.

Since it was a period where there were many things to attend to—teaching practical skills and helping them adjust—it wasn’t strange that the evaluation was that things were chaotic and messy.

‘Well, I’ll find out when I go there later.’

Setting aside his charging phone, Yoon Ki-hyun closed his eyes again. His body felt languid, so he planned to sleep a bit more. After waking up, he had to make sure to eat.

The medicine was quite strong, so he wanted to follow the nurse’s advice not to take it on an empty stomach. Eating just to take medicine still felt awkward, but it was something he had to adapt to now.

Yoon Ki-hyun thought he would feel a bit more relieved if there was a message from Jeong Si-jun, written in that whining tone of his, when he woke up.

Since he hadn’t signed the contract yet, it would be problematic if Jeong Si-jun changed his mind. He had barely managed to decide to live again; he couldn’t guarantee what would happen to him if things fell through.

Ah, whatever. Let’s just sleep for now.

Leaving the complicated thoughts behind, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

He met Jeong Si-jun again at a private cafe that operated until dawn.

Jeong Si-jun’s claim that he was busy going in and out of gates could be sufficiently verified through internet breaking news and emergency disaster alerts.

In fact, he had assumed they wouldn’t be able to meet today, but Jeong Si-jun had sent a message saying he wanted to meet if Yoon Ki-hyun was okay with it.

“Ah, I came out right after showering, but I’m still a bit late. Sorry.”

Jeong Si-jun opened the cafe door and walked straight to where Yoon Ki-hyun was sitting, offering an apology first. Perhaps he felt that even the time to dry his hair was a waste, as droplets of water clung to the ends of his jet-black hair.

‘I never complained about him being late, so why did he come out like that?’

Even if it wasn’t the season for snow yet, it was the time of year when one’s breath became visible after sunset.

There was still plenty of time before the closing hour he had asked the staff while ordering drinks. Since he had conveyed that to Jeong Si-jun, there was absolutely no need to rush out like this.

Nevertheless, Jeong Si-jun appeared in that state, as if he didn’t want to keep Yoon Ki-hyun waiting even for a moment. It felt like a subtle signal asking him to recognize his desperation.

If only he had been like this when I worked at the Center. Yoon Ki-hyun replied inwardly with a pout.

“Don’t Espers catch colds?”

Yoon Ki-hyun glanced at Jeong Si-jun’s thin clothing and slid the pre-ordered citron tea toward him.

Naturally, he didn’t know Jeong Si-jun’s taste. Perhaps because it was a small private cafe, there weren’t many caffeine-free drinks that were generally liked.

“We don’t really catch colds. Ah, is that for me to drink?”

Jeong Si-jun looked down at the light brown mug pushed toward him. White steam was rising from the liquid with floating citron slices.

Strangely, his fingertips tingled at the fresh and sweet scent.

“I thought you said you don’t drink coffee much, so I ordered one. If you don’t like it, you can order something else.”

“No. I fucking love this.”

Jeong Si-jun smiled mischievously and lifted the mug Yoon Ki-hyun had given him. In truth, Jeong Si-jun did not like citron tea. He rarely drank it because it was sour and had a strangely cloying aftertaste.

But the drink Yoon Ki-hyun gave him might be different. When he took a small sip, it was sweet and delicious. It seemed to be because Yoon Ki-hyun had given it to him.

Of course, the one who made it was the employee at the counter looking at their phone with a tired face, but regardless.

“Ah, and this is the contract you told me to bring.”

Jeong Si-jun placed a document envelope on the table.

“I got some private consultation, but just in case, I asked the Center’s legal team to take a look at it too.”

“Oh.”

Yoon Ki-hyun blinked, looking slightly surprised. While private consultation is common when drafting a contract, it was unexpected that he had asked the legal team to review it.

“I told them to focus on whether there was anything disadvantageous for the Guide, and they said it seemed fine. Take a look.”

Jeong Si-jun leaned back into the sofa, sipping the citron tea with relish.

Yoon Ki-hyun took the contract out of the envelope and checked it slowly. As he said, there were no poison pills or disadvantageous clauses. If anything, it was so simple that he thought it might be problematic if an issue arose later.

Without much thought, he filled in the blanks of the contract with the pen that had been included in the envelope. When he handed it back immediately after reviewing it, Jeong Si-jun seemed a bit surprised.

“What is it?”

“No, I just thought you’d look at the contract longer, but since you signed it right away, you seem like a real man.”

Jeong Si-jun’s dazed face was strangely flushed. Assuming it was the warmth heating the inside of the cafe, Yoon Ki-hyun [stolen contentclass="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">stolen content]stolen content -->gestured toward the contract. Since they needed to each keep a signed copy, Jeong Si-jun’s signature was required.

As the ballpoint pen held in a large hand with small scars moved across the contract a few times, the agreement ended simply.

Jeong Si-jun, who returned Yoon Ki-hyun’s copy neatly in the envelope, fiddled with his phone a few times and then abruptly brought this up.

“Check your account.”

Wondering what account he was talking about, Yoon Ki-hyun checked his phone and found a deposit under Jeong Si-jun’s name. It was an amount far too large to be a monthly salary.

“What is this?”

When Yoon Ki-hyun asked, looking at him for an explanation, Jeong Si-jun’s eyes wavered slightly, unlike him. Then, he mumbled something strange.

“Just… a kind of settlement fee?”

At that moment, with a blank expression, Yoon Ki-hyun began to seriously wonder when he had ever sued Jeong Si-jun.