Chapter 51 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

Seo ​Yi-kyung ​glanced ​at ​Yoon Ki-hyun, who was ​walking ​beside him. He ​had expected a ​flat-out ​rejection ​like ​last ​time, ​but for some ​reason, ​Ki-hyun ​had simply nodded ​his head.

‘Ah. It feels ​good to ​see his ​face after ​a while.’

Though ​they ​exchanged ​messages occasionally, Seo ​Yi-kyung was ​also busy, making it ​difficult to find the ​time.

He had been subtly ​testing the ​waters ​to see if Ki-hyun wanted to ​grab a meal together, ​but ​seeing ​as ​there ​was no real ​reaction, it ​seemed ​Ki-hyun wasn’t particularly ​keen.

Based ​on the fact that Ki-hyun ​had rejected ​him ​bluntly when he ​pushed ​too ​hard, ​Yi-kyung ​had shifted ​to ​a slower ​pace of conversation, and they had eventually ​become close enough ​to share casual, ​private talk.

Yoon Ki-hyun was ​the type ​who took quite ​a ​long time. Which ​meant he was ​equally adept ​at ​making one ​anxious.

No ​matter how ​he ​thought about ​it, ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun was too ​good ​for Jeong ​Si-jun. ​He ​was ​an overqualified talent—both in skill and looks—for a guy who acted like a mindless, rampaging monkey.

Furthermore, strolling through the annex with Yoon Ki-hyun by his side was more thrilling than Seo Yi-kyung had anticipated. He could clearly feel the Espers they encountered in the lobby and hallways pretending not to look while stealing glances with wide eyes.

It was obvious they were writing various versions of a scenario in their heads about why Yoon Ki-hyun was with stolen contentstolen contentEND: stolen content -->Seo Yi-kyung and not Jeong Si-jun.

It probably wouldn’t take long for this to reach Jeong Si-jun’s ears. Seo Yi-kyung wore a sneer.

‘I wonder where he is and what he’s doing, while the Guide he protects so obsessively has the nerve to come to the annex alone.’

While waiting for the elevator, Yoon Ki-hyun closed his eyes for long stretches. It was impossible to tell from his face whether he was tired or simply bored.

“How is it working with Team Leader Jeong? Is he still the same?”

At Seo Yi-kyung’s low question, Yoon Ki-hyun slowly opened his eyes. Perhaps because they had been messaging sporadically, he didn’t seem to have any particularly ulterior motives like he used to.

“It’s good. He treats me well, and it’s interesting.”

“Ah, so it’s interesting for you… That’s good to hear.”

[4th Floor.]

Right on cue, the elevator doors opened. It was the 4th floor, where the Special Team 2 lounge was located.

As Yoon Ki-hyun stepped out, Seo Yi-kyung followed. Originally, he had intended to escort him [unauthorized copy]our site">visit our siteall the way to the lounge, but he changed his mind.

If he acted too friendly, the distance he had worked so hard to narrow might widen again. When dealing with Yoon Ki-hyun, maintaining a proper distance was crucial. In his heart, he wanted to dive right in and lock him away, but doing so would be the absolute end.

“Just go straight and the Special Team 2 lounge will be on your left. See you again, Mr. Ki-hyun.

He smiled, pointing toward the lounge where Jeong Si-jun’s lackeys would be gathered.

“Thank you.”

After the greeting, Yoon Ki-hyun walked away without looking back. Seo Yi-kyung watched his retreating figure for quite a while.

Standing before the Special Team 2 lounge, Yoon Ki-hyun knocked on the door without hesitation. There was a clattering sound from inside, and then the door opened slightly.

Through the gap, a man appeared whose closely cropped hair made him look strangely like a chestnut. The man’s face twitched as he looked at him.

“H-hello!”

His voice was so loud that Yoon Ki-hyun was startled, his shoulders flinching reflexively.

“Hello…”

“What brings you here?”

The disciplined tone of speech felt jarringly out of place.

He had heard that the hierarchy among Espers was similar to the military or gangs, but he didn’t think it was to this extent. Perhaps it was just Jeong Si-jun’s team.

Regardless, intending to handle his business quickly and leave, Yoon Ki-hyun got straight to the point.

“Is Vice Team Leader Kim Cha-min here?”

“He just stepped out to the restroom for a moment.”

Of all times, why now? As Yoon Ki-hyun frowned, the chestnut-haired man gasped again. He was in a state of chaos, constantly inhaling and swallowing his breath.

‘Is it hard for him to breathe? What is wrong with him?’

As Yoon Ki-hyun looked at him with curiosity, the chestnut-haired man hesitated before speaking.

“W-would you like to come inside and wait for now?”

He opened the lounge door a bit wider and gestured inside with his palm. It was a very polite gesture, but Ki-hyun had no intention of entering the lounge.

Who knew what kind of rumors would spread if he stepped inside.

“No. I’ll just wait outside. He should be back soon.”

“Ah, yes sir.”

It was just as the chestnut-haired man bowed politely. The sound of someone humming and approaching was heard. Turning his head, he saw an Esper whose face was at least familiar.

“Ah, you’re here. Vice Team Leader Kim Cha-min.”

When Yoon Ki-hyun greeted him with a small smile, Kim Cha-min’s face contorted. Upon making eye contact with Yoon Ki-hyun, his expression was not much different from the chestnut-haired man’s. He looked as if he had seen something he wasn’t supposed to.

‘Did they all have a bad lunch or something? Why are they like this?’

Yoon Ki-hyun frowned at the excessively noisy reactions. Unlike the puzzled Yoon Ki-hyun, the members of Special Team 2 were busy exchanging glances and whispered comments.

‘Why is he here?’

‘Who knows. He just suddenly showed up.’

At some point, Yoon Ki-hyun had come to be referred to as ‘that person’ or ‘the Guide’ by various teams, including Special Team 2. Naturally, the nicknames he had been called in the past were no longer permitted.

There were already numerous people who had been severely punished inside gates due to Jeong Si-jun’s retaliatory deployment requests.

Starting with the lackeys of Special Team 4, more than ten people had personally experienced Jeong Si-jun’s psychotic tantrums. As stories—whether they were strings of curses or firsthand accounts—spread, everyone learned to keep their mouths shut.

Thus, Yoon Ki-hyun had become an existence that could not be easily mentioned in the annex. It was all thanks to Jeong Si-jun’s diligent madness.

“Hello.”

Kim Cha-min squeezed out a greeting and hurriedly looked around. He was searching for his Team Leader, who had vanished the moment he left the shower, claiming he was going to the guiding room.

However, that annoyingly handsome face was nowhere to be seen. The team members visible through the gap of the lounge door were equally bewildered. They were all gaping, not knowing what was going on.

‘Vice Team Leader, please do something quickly.’

‘Please.’

Everyone was desperate to remove this beautiful, good-smelling man from their sight.

Back when he worked at the center, they had frequently requested guiding, wanting to get involved with him somehow, but now it was different.

He was none other than Jeong Si-jun’s personal Guide. If they got on the bad side of a man who flipped out over the smallest things, their life at the center would likely plummet into the abyss. There was no need to provoke a madman.

‘Getting involved means getting fucked!’

Squeezing out the leadership required of his position as Vice Team Leader, Kim Cha-min spoke to Yoon Ki-hyun.

“Our Team Leader went to the guiding room a while ago, sir.”

He felt his breath hitch, as if the absent Jeong Si-jun were strangling him right now.

As he barely finished speaking with eyes that pleaded for Ki-hyun to disappear quickly, Yoon Ki-hyun, oblivious to the other’s inner turmoil, simply nodded slowly.

“I know. I was actually with him until a moment ago.”

Then why on earth did you come here?

Kim Cha-min blinked, suppressing the urge to ask. He didn’t forget to clasp his hands in front of him, conveying a polite desire for Ki-hyun to state his business quickly.

“It’s nothing else, but I was wondering if you could upload a half-day leave request to the system using Team Leader Jeong’s ID.”

“Pardon?”

“He left for the hospital immediately after receiving a call. It seemed a family member is ill.”

At the simple explanation, Kim Cha-min nodded immediately. He was already aware of the situation.

Whenever Jeong Si-jun received a call and bolted to the hospital, the cleanup was always Kim Cha-min’s responsibility. Although the “cleanup” consisted of nothing more than filing leave or outing requests on his behalf.

The higher-ups didn’t view Jeong Si-jun’s unauthorized absences during work hours as a serious issue. Rather, they were busy encouraging him, as he had become sensitive due to concerns over his mother’s health.

“Yes. I’ll handle it right away. So, did our Team Leader go straight to the hospital?”

“Yes. I told him to contact me if anything happened, but I’m a bit…”

Yoon Ki-hyun’s gaze gradually drifted downward. The beauty’s unauthorized copystyle="opacity:0;font-size:0;">stolen contentface, staring blankly at the mottled tiles of the annex hallway, was filled with worry.

“…worried.”

Having finally finished his sentence, he seemed somewhat regretful. He appeared to feel that he had said something that didn’t necessarily need to be added.

Kim Cha-min bit his lower lip at the smile Ki-hyun gave, as if trying to smooth over the awkwardness.

He finally understood why Jeong Si-jun had caused such a fuss, and why he lived holed up in the guiding room.

‘He’d definitely want to monopolize a face like that.’

He had already been the unrivaled visual of the center, but after returning as a personal Guide, a strange atmosphere had been added. His facial lines, sharper than before, exuded both sensitivity and fragility.

‘Ah, I need to send him back quickly.’

Glancing sideways, he saw that the doors to other teams’ lounges were all open. Even if they pretended not to, everyone’s attention was focused here.

“I’ll process Team Leader Jeong’s half-day leave. Why don’t you head back now so you don’t have to worry?”

Kim Cha-min asked in an incredibly polite voice. Yoon Ki-hyun had to leave.

“I was just about to go. I apologize for the intrusion while you were resting.”

“Oh, please, don’t say that. Not at all.”

The fact that he intended to leave quickly was a relief. Kim Cha-min bowed his head with an old-man-like interjection, praying inwardly that he would leave this place immediately.