Chapter 31 – GOY 31

#31

As ​I ​left ​the ​hospital ​and ​trudged along, I ​saw ​a ​man ​standing ​tall in my path.

“Seung-hyuk-ah….”

“Hyung, ​what ​are you doing ​here?”

“Huh?”

Joo Seung-hyuk spoke ​first, ​asking ​the ​very ​thing ​I wanted to ​ask. ​I ​wanted to ask ​what he was doing ​here, but ​Joo Seung-hyuk’s ​gaze was ​far too ​fierce ​for ​me to simply ​toss the ​question back.

“Well, my lecture ​ended early unauthorized copyand I ​had a long [stolen content]break ​between classes, ​so ​I came to visit Kim Joon….”

Even ​though I hadn’t committed ​a ​crime, ​my ​voice ​grew small.

“Why?”

“I heard ​he was ​still ​hospitalized, so I ​was ​worried….”

Joo Seung-hyuk had lied, saying ​Kim Joon ​had ​been discharged, and ​I ​alluded ​to ​that ​fact. However, ​even ​though his ​lie was exposed, Joo Seung-hyuk remained defiant. ​No, if anything, ​his eyes flickered ​with even more savage ​intensity.

“That bastard ​is faking it. ​He’s ​not sick; he’s ​hiding in the ​hospital because ​he’s ​terrified. Why ​are ​you worried ​about ​such a ​dimwitted ​piece ​of trash?”

He’s really ​angry ​at Kim ​Joon.

As ​a ​fellow ​Guide, I understand that Kim Joon made a mistake. But regardless of the circumstances, Joo Seung-hyuk’s life had been in danger due to Kim Joon’s faulty Guiding.

It was only natural for him to be furious.

“Joon said he felt very sorry toward you.”

“Why would that bastard?”

“Well, because of the Guiding mistake and the Rampage….”

“That dimwit doesn’t even know his place. It wasn’t because of a Guiding mistake. His very existence was disgusting. I should have killed him when that kind of trash dared to try and Guide me; I was too kind.”

Did the dictionary definition of ‘kind’ change while I was unconscious? I don’t think that’s the word you use in a situation like this.

Regardless, it seemed Joo Seung-hyuk didn’t hold the Guiding mistake itself against him. Rather, he seemed to utterly loathe Kim Joon’s very existence.

Kim Joon was drifting further and further away from the position of the main uke. Before I could even worry about the twisted original plot, Joo Seung-hyuk grabbed my collar as if he were seizing me by the scruff of my neck.

“Why is this part wet?”

Joo Seung-hyuk pointed to the tear stains remaining on my jacket.

“Ah, it’s because Kim Joon cried….”

“That bastard cried and buried his face in Lee Yeon-soo’s chest?”

Bloodlust practically dripped from his eyes.

The Obsessive Madman mode, which had subsided somewhat after the mock battle training incident, had been triggered once again.

There was a scene like this in the original story too.

When Park Geon-woo became depressed after failing a mission, Kim Joon hugged and comforted him. Upon finding out, Joo Seung-hyuk, consumed by rage, tore Kim Joon’s clothes to shreds. And then, outdoors….

No! Doing it outdoors is absolutely not allowed!

In a panic, I stripped off my jacket and handed it to Joo Seung-hyuk.

“What are you doing?”

“Burn it.”

Joo Seung-hyuk is a fire-type Esper. Since his sub-attribute is darkness, his mana glows black, but his primary attribute is fire. He could easily incinerate something like polyester.

“Why?”

“I guess Kim Joon was very worried about me. He said he didn’t know I had woken up. He cried a lot seeing me. So, I think tears got on my clothes while I was comforting him. I’m sorry. I should have been more careful, but Kim Joon is a Guide. Since you’re also a Guide, I didn’t think about how it would make you feel.”

In the original, Kim Joon argues that there’s nothing wrong with comforting someone, only to be subjected to rough treatment outdoors.

So, contrary to that, I decided to apologize while explaining the situation in exhaustive detail.

“So you want me to burn this?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t this a piece of clothing Lee Yeon-soo treasures?”

It wasn’t particularly treasured. I bought it because it was cheap and the design was plain, and for the same reason, I wore it often.

I wore it almost every day last spring and autumn. But this was the first time I’d worn it this year; how did Joo Seung-hyuk know about this jacket?

Regardless, sacrificing one jacket was a hundred times better than having my clothes torn to shreds in the middle of the street.

“That’s true, but you’ll feel bad about it.”

“…….”

“I was wearing the jacket, so it didn’t get on anywhere else. Look. I washed my hands thoroughly before leaving the hospital.”

I puffed out my chest and showed him my shirt. Not a single tear had touched the inside of the jacket.

‘So please, just don’t tear it here.’

Joo Seung-hyuk looked down at me silently, then took off his own jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

“It’s cold today. A patient should dress warmly.”

“I’m okay now.”

“Call yourself a patient. Because if you weren’t a patient, I would have torn all your clothes off right here.”

“…Ah, I think I’m still sick! Cough, cough!”

Crazy bastard, he really was going to tear my clothes! I hurriedly pretended to cough.

Furthermore, although they said there was nothing wrong with my health, I did feel weak since I had been unconscious for so long.

“Today is the last time I’ll go easy on you because you’re sick,” Joo Seung-hyuk said, taking my hand. His fingers slowly rubbed over my scar.

I could feel that this was the final warning. If something like this happened again, the obsessive yandere would not leave me alone.

I nodded vigorously.

“Yeah. I understand.”

“Get in.”

“Okay.”

I quickly climbed into Joo Seung-hyuk’s car, which was parked beside us.

However, Joo Seung-hyuk remained outside, staring blankly at my jacket.

‘Is he thinking of giving it back?’

Perhaps after hearing my explanation, he decided there was no need to burn it.

Just as I thought, ‘He still has a bit of common sense,’ the dark gray jacket caught fire.

The polyester fabric flared up in an instant and vanished without a trace.

With a cold expression, he got into the car.

“I thought about washing it and giving it back, [stolen content]but I decided against it. I think Read on Read BL NovelsI’d visit our sitefeel like shit every time Lee Yeon-soo wore that.”

“Y-you did the right thing.”

“I did?”

“Yes.”

Considering the damage Kim Joon suffered in the original story, losing one jacket was a hundred times better.

“I-I was planning to wear it after a long time anyway, and I noticed a button had fallen off and there were loose threads near the pocket. I was just thinking about throwing it away.”

This part wasn’t a lie. The finishing had been poor to begin with, and looking at it after a long time, it really was in bad shape.

“Hyung.”

Joo Seung-hyuk’s voice echoed low inside the car.

“Yeah?”

“Does that bastard Kim Joon bother you that much?”

“No, it’s not like that. We were in the same squad. Anyone in the same situation would have visited the hospital. And the only person I’m concerned about right now is you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Only you.”

I spend all day thinking about Joo Seung-hyuk. Every single day, my only thought is how to escape the clutches of the obsessive yandere.

Joo Seung-hyuk gazed at me.

“I remember what you said, Hyung.”

“What…?”

“When I almost went into a Rampage. The mana was swallowing me whole and I couldn’t think of anything, but only Hyung’s voice was clear. You told me not to worry, that you wouldn’t run away, that you wouldn’t leave; you said that.”

“Uh-huh. I did.”

…I did say that. It was to calm Joo Seung-hyuk down, and since he was on the verge of a Rampage, I naturally assumed he wouldn’t remember.

But he was listening….

“I don’t have to worry, right?”

“Huh?”

“Hyung, you won’t run away, right? You won’t leave, right?”

Joo Seung-hyuk’s gaze was fierce. But because there was a hint of desperation underlying his voice, for some reason, it wasn’t scary.

However, just because it wasn’t scary didn’t mean I could honestly confess my true feelings; if I did, I’d head straight into a confinement-style angst novel.

“Yeah….”

“Promise me.”

I nodded. Since my right hand was being held by Joo Seung-hyuk, I held out the pinky finger of my left hand.

“What are you doing?”

“You told me to promise….”

Joo Seung-hyuk blinked slowly. His beautiful [visit our site]eyes, like embedded jewels, trembled violently. He seemed [visit our site]flustered, which was unlike him.

Could it be that he doesn’t know what this is…?

I took Joo Seung-hyuk’s hand. Then, the hand that had been gripping my right hand firmly slowly loosened. I made him form a fist and then lift only his pinky. Then, I hooked my finger around his.

“There, promise.”

“Is this a promise?”

“Yes. A pinky swear.”

“…Ah, so this is it. I’ve seen it in books, but this is the first time I’ve actually done it.”

Joo Seung-hyuk beamed. Seeing that innocent, child-like smile, a part of my heart fluttered for some reason.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“You must not break this promise. Ever.”

“…….”

I realized that Joo Seung-hyuk was talking about what happened seven years ago.

---

Seven years ago, Joo Seung-hyuk and I underwent a 1-on-1 matching rate test. The result was 48%.

No matter how high the rank, to become an exclusive guide, the matching rate had to be over 50%. I had missed it by a narrow margin.

I had confidently told Joo Seung-hyuk that I would be his Guide, but now I felt ashamed.

Before leaving the hospital, I wanted to unauthorized copyat least say goodbye to Joo visit our siteSeung-hyuk. But Read on Read BL Novelsas soon as our eyes met, Joo Seung-hyuk abruptly turned his head away and ran off.

I also trudged back home. I naturally assumed the contract would be canceled. However, a few hours later, I received a call from Seong Han.

Chairman Joo Won-chan had instructed them to proceed with the contract, saying that a 2% difference was within the margin of error.

It seemed he found it too wasteful to let go of an S-Class Guide, the first to appear in over ten years.

The next day, I took a car sent by Seong Han and headed to Joo Seung-hyuk’s house.

As I entered through the grand main gate, a massive house appeared, the kind you only see in dramas.

Am I living in this house from now on?

Suddenly, I felt a surge of fear.

Would I be able to do well? Even something as ordinary as eating visit our sitea [stolen content]homemade burger might look [unauthorized copy]ridiculous to them. I suddenly lost my confidence.

However, the car drove further inside, and a relatively small building appeared.

The car stopped in front of it.

“From now on, you will be staying here,” Secretary Ahn explained in a stiff tone.

I couldn’t help but be bewildered. It wasn’t just a difference in building size.

This building—how should I put it—felt like the difference in status between a master’s house and a servant’s quarters in a period drama. The building was old and looked completely neglected.

Just because I’m not from an Ability User family, are they ignoring me because I’m just an ordinary kid?

“Am I not staying with Esper Joo Seung-hyuk?”

I had clearly heard that I would be staying with Joo Seung-hyuk. I hadn’t heard anything about [visit our site]staying separately unauthorized copyin a shabby annex. When I mentioned the contract details, unauthorized copythe secretary’s face stiffened slightly as he spoke.

“Yes. Young Master Seung-hyuk resides here.”

The youngest son, who was only in the 6th grade of elementary school, was living separately in the annex?