Chapter 35 – ​The ​Price ​of ​a ​Misjudgment

When ​he ​nodded, ​intending ​to hear what the ​request ​was, Seo Yi-kyung ​murmured softly.

“I’m sorry ​to ​bring ​up ​something ​I’ve ​already been rejected ​for ​once, ​but the offer ​to be my personal ​Guide is ​still valid ​for you, ​Ki-hyun. I ​hope ​you’ll ​contact me if ​you change ​your mind later.”

As expected, ​it was the personal ​Guide offer again. At ​this point, ​he ​couldn’t help but be curious.

“Exactly why ​do you need a ​personal ​Guide?”

“Hmm, ​as ​you ​said, Ki-hyun, it’s ​not that ​I ​strictly need a ​personal ​Guide, but I simply want ​to have ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun as my ​personal ​Guide.”

“That’s ​what ​I ​mean… Your ​wavelength ​isn’t particularly ​difficult, and you’ve had no problems with ​Center guiding until ​now, so I ​don’t quite understand why ​you’re going ​this far. It’s ​not ​like my guiding ​is that special.”

He ​wanted Seo ​Yi-kyung ​to stop ​beating ​around the ​bush ​and be ​honest ​about ​his true intentions. ​As ​if sensing ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun’s ​heart, ​Seo Yi-kyung’s expression turned serious. The playful look on his face vanished instantly.

“Do you think it’s strange that I’m acting this way toward you?”

“Inevitably, yes.”

Yoon Ki-hyun’s reaction was utterly dry. That was why Seo Yi-kyung found it puzzling.

Doesn’t everyone usually like it when someone recognizes their ability and clings to them?

People who dislike praise were rare. Yet, Yoon Ki-hyun was busy bristling and staying on guard. He understood that Yoon Ki-hyun didn’t trust people easily given what he had experienced at the Center, but he wondered if he really needed to build such a high wall.

“You’re right. To be honest, I don’t strictly need a personal Guide like Team Leader Jeong. Not that I find the Center’s guiding satisfactory, but regardless…”

“…”

“But I can’t help wanting you, Ki-hyun. To be frank, I really dislike Team Leader Jeong Si-jun.”

As soon as Seo Yi-kyung finished speaking, Yoon Ki-hyun subtly averted his gaze and buried his lips in his takeout cup.

Seo Yi-kyung dislikes Jeong Si-jun. Even without saying it, it had seemed that way. But so what?

At the very least, he thought this wasn’t something one should say to a Guide personally employed by Jeong Si-jun.

“Team Leader Jeong is the type who doesn’t respect internal rules. He’s tolerated because he has the ability to back it up, but honestly, his personality isn’t exactly welcomed.”

Yoon Ki-hyun could understand Seo Yi-kyung’s remarks to some extent. However, he wasn’t so excited that he would chime in. Since he was currently working under such a guy, agreeing felt like spitting in his own face.

“I didn’t like him to begin [unauthorized copy]wm: visit our siteunauthorized copy -->with, but since you came as his personal Guide, he’s been flying high with excitement, and it’s getting a bit annoying.”

Wait, I didn’t know he hated him that much.

Seo Yi-kyung’s unfiltered honesty was somewhat unexpected. He wondered just how much he must hate Jeong Si-jun to confess this to him.

Glancing at him, Yoon Ki-hyun saw an expression he had never seen before. At the very least, he didn’t look like he was lying.

At the sight of Yoon Ki-hyun observing his expression, Seo Yi-kyung gave a small laugh. He looked like a man who had no idea that he was the very person who had made the already eyesore-like Jeong Si-jun run wild.

Ever since Yoon Ki-hyun began working as Jeong Si-jun’s personal Guide, Jeong Si-jun’s team had grown at an almost miraculous rate. It looked as though Team Leader Jeong Si-jun was dragging his team members along by their collars, but results were results.

As one of only two S-class Espers at the headquarters, always being compared in a rivalry, this growth was not particularly welcome.

That was why he had been bothered and irritated the whole time—by this distracting beauty sitting next to him with a clueless face.

“That’s why I wanted to steal you, Ki-hyun. I’ve actually liked your guiding since you were at the Center.”

“…”

“I was coldly rejected last time, and again today, but…”

Seo Yi-kyung trailed off for a moment and shrugged his shoulders.

“What I mean is, even if you don’t come as my personal Guide, I want to get closer to you.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I can’t help it if it’s burdensome for you, but it’s upsetting to be rejected without even getting to speak properly.”

Despite the lack of a proper response, Seo Yi-kyung looked relieved after saying everything he wanted. Only Yoon Ki-hyun, who had been forced to listen to Seo Yi-kyung’s one-sided confession, felt awkward.

‘So… basically, he wants to screw over a guy he already hated by stealing the personal Guide he brought in because it’s an eyesore. Something like that? And since he liked the guiding anyway, he’s killing two birds with one stone?’

He wondered if this was a thought a thirty-year-old man should have. Then again, not many people in society acted their age.

Just look at Yoon Ki-hyun’s own employer.

There was a guy who was twenty-five but spent his days whining and acting like an elementary school student. Compared to that, this was nothing.

“So, if it’s okay with you, can I contact you occasionally? I’m not trying to pressure you.”

Holding the drink cup with both hands, Seo Yi-kyung slowly leaned forward and murmured. Seeing the face subtly gauging his reaction, Yoon Ki-hyun blinked slowly. The conclusion was that he wanted to exchange contact information.

If he refused, the Guide Headquarters Director’s [visit [visit our site]visit our site -->our site]liaison might visit the guiding room again. Exchanging numbers wouldn’t cause a catastrophe.

It felt right to maintain a moderate distance rather than continuing to push him away. Above all, it was just tedious.

‘Fine. It’s not like I’ll wear out by giving my number.’

In the end, he decided to exchange numbers with Seo Yi-kyung. After receiving the phone back, Seo Yi-kyung smiled slightly and asked cautiously.

“By the way, you always look pale… Are you perhaps sick somewhere?”

Startled by the sudden question, Yoon Ki-hyun began to cough, choking on his drink. Seo Yi-kyung slowly rubbed Yoon Ki-hyun’s back.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes.”

The ice-cold peppermint had caught in his throat, leaving a burning sensation. While he cleared his throat with repeated coughs, Seo Yi-kyung continued to rub his back with a worried expression.

And it was then that the coughing stopped.

“Ki-hyun. I think it would be best for you to go to a hospital.”

Yoon Ki-hyun caught his breath and looked [[Read on Read BL Novels]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">stolen content]at Seo Yi-kyung. Why the sudden talk of hospitals? Seo Yi-kyung, whose lips were almost within touching distance, had a serious look on his face.

“I’m saying this because my ability is in this field. It’s hard to confirm unless I’m in close contact and concentrating… but something is leaking. Right here.”

Seo Yi-kyung slowly tapped the area near the nape of Yoon Ki-hyun’s neck with his thumb.

While his ability was specialized for combat, if applied well, he could identify physical changes in an opponent. He didn’t use it often because it required being close to the target and consumed a significant amount of wavelength.

‘Looking closely, his whole body is a mess.’

Seo Yi-kyung frowned.

“…Ah.”

Yoon Ki-hyun narrowed his eyes at the sensation of Seo Yi-kyung lightly touching his neck. The spot Seo Yi-kyung touched was the awakened body gland that forms when one awakens as a Guide.

Other Restrictive Awakened Abnormal Syndrome.

The disease that had burdened Yoon Ki-hyun with massive medical bills appeared when an abnormality occurred in the awakened body secreted from the awakened body gland. Because the wavelength could not be properly purified, the Esper’s wavelength wandered throughout the body, spreading all sorts of inflammation and destroying cells.

Seo Yi-kyung watched Yoon Ki-hyun as he pushed him away and straightened his posture.

‘From his expression, it seems he knows…’

Although he was stroking his neck as if it hurt from the coughing fit, Seo Yi-kyung clearly felt that something was leaking from near his neck. And quite a lot of it.

“Does Team Leader Jeong Si-jun know you’re sick?”

“…Yes.”

“You mean he hired a sick person as his personal Guide?”

The intent of the question was obvious. Based solely on Seo Yi-kyung’s words, it made Jeong Si-jun sound like a villain of epic proportions.

In reality, if it weren’t for Jeong Si-jun’s offer to be his personal Guide, he would have long since become bone ash in a crematorium, but he couldn’t say that openly.

Therefore, he had to moderately shield his employer here. Regardless of everything, he would have been in trouble if it weren’t for Jeong Si-jun.

“I accepted it because I wanted to. Team Leader Jeong was just being considerate of my situation.”

Given the firm tone, Seo Yi-kyung decided not to pry further. Because the one he was worried about was Yoon Ki-hyun.

“It’s fine as long as I don’t do too much guiding. There’s no problem.”

Yoon Ki-hyun emptied the drink in his cup in one go and tossed it into the trash can near the [Read unauthorized copyon Read BL Novelsvisit our sitestyle="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]bench. It was a signal that he was about to get up.

Seo Yi-kyung, noticing this, threw away his own cup and stepped closer to stand beside him.

“You’re receiving treatment properly, right?”

The voice asking back was very cautious.

“Yes.”

“Tell me if you need help. I have a fairly wide network.”

It seemed unlikely that the day would come when he would ask Seo Yi-kyung for help, but he was grateful for the words.

Looking back to when he was first diagnosed with the disease, there wasn’t a single person around him he could ask for help. He thought it was inevitable given his shallow human relationships.

Would it have been different if he had been close with Jeong Si-jun or Seo Yi-kyung a bit sooner?

No, even then, he doesn’t think he would have asked them for help. His pride, which made him loathe asking others for favors even if it meant death, wouldn’t have gone anywhere.

That was how he parted ways with Seo Yi-kyung. The hallway leading back to the guiding room felt exceptionally long.

‘I just hope he doesn’t spread any rumors.’

He couldn’t tell if the man had a light or heavy tongue. While being sick might not be a weakness, the thought of it being added to the whispers behind his back was a subtle stress.

Left with no choice, Yoon Ki-hyun sent a message to Seo Yi-kyung. To his request to keep his illness a secret from others, Seo Yi-kyung replied immediately.

It was a simple reply of a few lines telling him not to worry. It was strange that such a brief response, which should have been anxiety-inducing, made him feel relieved. Perhaps he just wanted to believe it.

‘Ah. Whatever. Whether rumors spread or not. I’ll deal with it then.’

Yoon Ki-hyun leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes. It felt as though there were hardly any days that passed peacefully.