Chapter 80 – GOY 80

#80

「I ​taught ​Joon ​the ​theory ​of ​Guiding. We didn’t ​hold ​hands.

Joon ​gave ​me ​chocolates to say thank ​you. ​A pack of ​5 Ferrero X.」

I ​sent ​the ​message ​to ​Joo ​Seung-hyuk. A lot ​of ​time ​had passed since ​I made a fool ​of myself ​in the ​Guiding room, ​but I ​was ​still ​reporting my daily ​routine to ​him.

When will I be ​able to stop doing ​this?

The problem was that ​I was ​becoming ​accustomed to this lifestyle. At this ​rate, I might start ​feeling ​comfortable ​in ​a ​restricted life, just ​like the ​original ​Kim Joon.

I had ​to ​escape from Joo Seung-hyuk before ​that happened.

Anyway, ​Kim ​Joon is really ​cute. ​When ​did ​he ​prepare those ​chocolates? ​I’m glad ​he isn’t entangled with Joo Seung-hyuk. If ​he were, bleak ​days would have ​unfolded.

Though it’s a problem ​that I’m ​the one entangled ​with ​him…

I took out ​a Ferrero X ​and popped ​it ​into my ​mouth. ​Come to ​think ​of it, ​Park ​Geon-woo ​had bought these ​before…

---

I ​continued to ​run ​into ​Park ​Geon-woo frequently after that.

Since I was the representative for teenage Guides and Park Geon-woo was the representative for Espers, we were often together not only at various government events but also as public relations ambassadors and during Gate Raids.

This was something that never happened in the original story. In The Swamp of the Guide, Lee Yeon-soo became Seong Han’s person as soon as he bonded and did everything with Joo Seung-hyuk.

Even though the government acknowledged him as the first S-Class Guide to appear in ten years, they didn’t go out of their way to seek someone already affiliated with a corporation.

However, the situation changed when I rejected Joo Seung-hyuk’s exclusive contract.

To think that an action taken to distance myself from the main seme would lead to me becoming entangled with the sub seme; the Original Plot Constraint was truly terrifying.

Moreover, it seemed that in the eyes of others, Park Geon-woo and I looked like a very ideal couple.

Dating rumors broke out whenever our eyes met at official events, and posts claiming we were wearing “couple items” spread across the internet whenever we wore matching gear.

At first, we both denied it every time an article was published. But there was a limit to how much we could deny. Furthermore, at some point, people stopped believing us no matter how much we denied it.

Instead, they would get annoyed, wondering why we were denying it so much, or act as if they knew the truth despite our pretenses.

Once I entered high school, the rumors grew even worse.

Because of this, things between us actually became more awkward.

And that day was a day when the awkwardness had reached its peak.

The day before the Gate Raid, a TV program surveyed celebrity couples people wanted to see get married for Valentine’s Day, and Park Geon-woo and I took first place.

“People are funny. What’s with marriage for a kid who’s just entering his senior year? Yeon-soo must find it absurd.”

“Geon-woo is twenty this year. That’s why they’re doing it.”

Sure enough, when I entered the Guiding tent, everyone was talking about it.

It felt uncomfortable to go in. As I hesitated in front of the tent, Kang In-ho entered first.

“Hello. Sorry I’m late.”

“Sorry for being late.”

Although it was winter break, there were Guiding classes at school once a week.

Since Kang In-ho and I took the school-provided bus to the gate after finishing class, we ended up arriving later than the scheduled time.

“Oh, Yeon-soo, hi!”

“Chae-ah noona, hello.”

Chae-ah noona greeted us warmly. As I greeted her, Kang In-ho also gave a polite bow.

“Hello.”

“Yeon-soo is pretty again today. And In-ho is as cool as ever.”

“Our Yeon-soo is here!”

Hyuk-jin hyung ran toward me with open arms. As he tried to hug me, Kang In-ho stopped him.

“Stop acting disgraceful.”

“In-ho, aren’t you being too harsh on your hyung?”

“I guess you don’t value your life.”

“Honestly, he has no heart.”

Chae-ah noona, Hyuk-jin hyung, and Park Geon-woo were also supposed to come. Moreover, most of the other Espers and Guides were A-Class or higher.

Since it was a raid on an A-Class gate, the lineup was impressive. However, no one seemed particularly nervous despite it being a High-rank gate. They probably thought this was a piece of cake. And in reality, it was.

“Yeon-soo, In-ho, you guys have some chocolate too.”

“Chocolate?”

“Yes. Geon-woo bought them because it’s Valentine’s Day. Esper Park Geon-woo really has great taste.”

Chae-ah noona took chocolates out of a box on the table. They were Ferrero X, with five pieces per bag.

“Eh, why is there only one left? Geon-woo said he bought enough for everyone. Do Hyuk-jin, did you eat them?”

“I didn’t. And Chae-ah, just in case you forgot, I’m a year older than you.”

“So what? Did you eat the chocolate?”

“I said I didn’t!”

While the two were bickering, Kang In-ho took the last remaining chocolate.

“Oh…”

Chae-ah noona looked flustered at having the chocolate snatched away. However, Kang In-ho sat in a corner and nonchalantly popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth.

In-ho isn’t usually that type; he must really like chocolate.

“…What should we do? Only Yeon-soo didn’t get any chocolate.”

“I’m fine.”

“Still, Geon-woo would have wanted to give you some…”

She looked crestfallen as if it were her own fault, even though it wasn’t at all.

“It’s okay. I’m sure he bought them for everyone to share.”

“Geon-woo…”

Just then, Park Geon-woo entered the tent.

“One chocolate was missing, so Yeon-soo didn’t get any.”

When Chae-ah noona explained the situation, Park Geon-woo paused.

“Ah, it’s not that they’re missing… Yeon-soo, come here. Yours—no, there’s one more.”

“Yes.”

Park Geon-woo headed toward the Esper tent, and I followed him.

Since everyone was gathered in the Guiding tent, this area was quiet.

Joo Seung-hyuk was sitting alone in the stolen contentempty Esper tent. So Joo Seung-hyuk is unauthorized copyparticipating in this raid too…

He had been participating in field operations since his third year of middle school. Chairman Joo had tried to stop him, but it seemed he participated of his own will.

In the original story, he was forced into Gate Raids because of Chairman Joo’s coercion. This situation was a hundred times better, but in the end, the result was the same: Joo Seung-hyuk started field operations at a young age.

Joo Seung-hyuk glanced at us and then looked back at his phone. I also tried my best not to make eye contact with him.

“Yeon-soo, come this way.”

“Yes.”

Park Geon-woo opened a black backpack on the table. At that moment, his eyes widened.

“Huh?”

“What is it?”

“The chocolates are gone.”

“What?”

“Wait a second.”

Park Geon-woo searched through the bag in a panic. But the chocolates were nowhere to be seen.

“Maybe you miscounted the quantity.”

“No. I definitely put them here. Where did they go?”

It happened again…

He was always like this. A man who was perfect in everything repeatedly made mistakes when it came to things involving me.

It was common for him to forget just my portion, like today.

I couldn’t tell if it was truly a mistake, if he had no interest in me, or if he was trying to signal that he disliked me.

“It’s okay. I’ll just share with the others.”

“No, that’s not it…”

While he continued to rummage through the bag, Joo Seung-hyuk stepped out of the tent.

“Geon-woo, let’s go now.”

Then I heard Hyuk-jin hyung’s voice from outside. It seemed the raid was starting.

“Please go ahead.”

“I should… Yeon-soo, can you wait for me until the raid is over? There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Something to tell me?”

“Yes.”

Park Geon-woo’s expression was solemn. What on earth did he want to say? Was it something important?

“Yes. Okay. I’ll wait, so please be careful.”

---

The gate subjugation didn’t end until after midnight.

“Originally, we were going to split it over two days, but that kid Seung-hyeok wouldn’t listen. Teenagers are scary.”

Chae-ah noona kept grumbling even while she was Guiding. Even for her, an S-Class Esper, this raid must have been taxing.

“So, is the raid finished?”

“The mining team is coming tomorrow, so we left only the boss room.”

“It’ll be hard if you have to do it again tomorrow.”

“I don’t know. Maybe Joo [stolen content]Seung-hyuk can handle it alone? That guy is a stolen contentmonster in a good way.”

Chae-ah noona was gentle and affectionate, but when it came to work, she had a personality more cold-headed and analytical than anyone.

She had perceived the fact that Joo Seung-hyuk’s abilities were superior to Park Geon-woo’s. Although she was personally close with Park Geon-woo, she gave a cold evaluation without letting emotion cloud her judgment.

“I feel like I can breathe again now that I’ve received Guiding from our Yeon-soo.”

I let go of her hand and bowed my head.

“You worked hard.”

“You worked hard staying up late too.”

“I was just sitting still.”

“That’s actually more tiring.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Guiding is all done now, right? Shall we head back to the hotel together?”

“No. I’m going to wait for Geon-woo hyung.”

Park Geon-woo hadn’t come out yet, perhaps because there was cleanup work left at the gate.

However, upon hearing my answer, Chae-ah noona looked flustered.

“Huh? Geon-woo already left…”

“What?”

Park Geon-woo left? But he told me to wait because he had something to say…

Chae-ah noona hesitated, glancing at me. Just then, Hyuk-jin hyung, who was beside her, spoke up.

“Waiting for Geon-woo? That guy bolted the moment the Gate Raid ended today.”

“Is that so…?”

Perhaps I missed him because Park Geon-woo left too quickly.

“Yeah. You were Geon-woo’s designated Guide today, right? He probably ran away because he didn’t want to receive Guiding from you—AGH!”

“Do Hyuk-jin! Die! Die right now!”

Chae-ah noona kicked Hyuk-jin hyung in the shin and then proceeded to deliver a series of relentless back-smashings.

She mercilessly kicked Hyuk-jin hyung’s backside and chased [visit our site]him out of the [Read on Read BL Novels][Read on Read BL Novels]tent, then turned back to me with a gentle smile.

“Geon-woo must have been very tired today. He suffered a lot standing at the vanguard.”

“I see…”

If he was that tired, was I so unpleasant that he’d leave without even receiving Guiding…?

He said he had something to tell me, but I guess that was just a lead-up to a rejection. He didn’t give me chocolate and stood me up; maybe he wanted me to take the hint that he hates me.

Since Park Geon-woo is the type who can’t say hurtful things directly, he might have expressed it in this roundabout way.