Chapter 87 – GOY 87

#87

A ​few ​days ​later, ​while ​in ​my hospital room, ​I ​saw ​the ​news ​that Park Geon-woo had ​left ​for Africa instead ​of enrolling in ​the ​Esper ​Academy.

To ​be ​honest, ​I was bewildered ​when ​I ​saw the news.

Park ​Geon-woo had told me ​he was ​going to ​enroll in ​the Academy. ​He ​had ​even talked about ​the future, ​saying he hoped we ​could attend together. Yet, ​less than a week ​after saying ​that, ​he left for Africa.

Did he lie ​to me knowing he ​was ​going ​to ​be ​deployed? Or did ​he change ​his ​mind because of ​the ​recent incident? Was it perhaps ​because of ​me?

Conquering ​an S-Class gate ​was ​a ​lifelong ​dream ​for Espers.

Of ​course, ​as an ​S-Class Esper, Park Geon-woo had plenty of ​opportunities to raid ​S-Class gates, so ​it might not have ​been that ​devastating for him, ​but ​it was still ​a fact that ​he missed ​a ​chance to ​take ​down an ​S-Class ​boss right ​before ​his ​eyes because of ​me.

Was ​that why ​he ​was ​heartbroken ​and went to Africa?

Or was it simply the Original Plot Constraint acting up?

I agonized over it, but no answer came.

By the time I was discharged, [visit our site]the myriad of [Read on Read BL Novels]thoughts vanished, [visit our site]leaving only a single streak of worry.

Would he be okay going to Africa with an injured body? If he had to leave, why did he rush off instead of going once he was healthy…?

I heard that since the S-Class Gate Break incident, Africa had no electricity, communication was impossible, and the only way to get in touch was through letters.

Whether Park Geon-woo decided to go to Africa alone without telling anyone, the Ability Users who were close to him seemed equally bewildered.

Regardless, they said they were writing a group letter for Park Geon-woo, who had embarked on a path of hardship.

“Um, Chae-ah noona, can I send a letter to Geon-woo hyung too?”

“Of course. Geon-woo will be really happy if you send one.”

I didn’t think he’d be particularly happy, but I still wanted to write a letter.

I wrote a letter containing my gratitude and apologies regarding the Horaitron Gate incident, as well as my worries for Geon-woo hyung.

Three months later, the replies arrived. Just as they were sent, the replies came all at once.

The Espers and Guides were gathered for a gate raid when Park Geon-woo’s letters arrived.

Not only Chae-ah noona and Hyuk-jin hyung, but even Kang In-ho, who barely had any friendship with him, received a reply. Everyone who wrote a letter got a response.

Except for me.

“Seeing as only Yeon-soo didn’t get a reply, Geon-woo must be seriously salty about getting hurt back then.”

“Do Hyuk-jin, die!”

“Ah! It hurts! Kim Chae-ah, I’m the guild leader of the YL Guild, for goodness’ sake. Give me some respect.”

“I told you to die!”

“Aagh!”

After mercilessly kicking Hyuk-jin hyung in the shin, Chae-ah noona approached me.

She spoke in a gentle voice, a complete 180-degree turn from how she dealt with Hyuk-jin hyung.

“Yeon-soo, the letter must have been lost. I heard delivery accidents are frequent in Africa. There’s no way he didn’t write a reply only to you. Geon-woo wouldn’t do that.”

“Yes…”

I had heard things like that before.

After finishing the gate raid that day, Chae-ah noona had discreetly given me the address where I could send a letter to Park Geon-woo.

I sent a letter once more. But this time, too, no reply came.

Could letters be lost twice in a row? Of course, there was a possibility, but the probability that he ignored me on purpose was higher…

Park Geon-woo was a man whose inner thoughts were impossible to read. He would be kind, then suddenly draw a line.

Like how he wouldn’t give me chocolates or wouldn’t write a reply.

I had been confused because he showed a gentle attitude whenever we actually met, but now I think it’s become clear.

He doesn’t like me. He probably didn’t like me much to begin with, but he must have completely lost all affection for me after the Horaitron Gate incident.

I claimed I would participate in the gate despite not having the ability, and as a result, I put him in danger.

While I was unconscious after falling from the wyvern, Park Geon-woo must have fought a fierce battle. Considering he was injured in the process, it’s understandable that he would hate me.

Indeed, even when he visited me in the hospital, he left the room as if he were escaping. Perhaps back then, too, he only came because he was forced by the obsessive new center director?

‘I’m unlucky.’

It was rare for an S-Class gate to be measured as B-Class. Moreover, it happened to be a ‘Gate Break’ crisis, so there was no time to re-measure it with precision instruments.

Everything overlapped in a complex mess to create the worst possible situation.

‘Is this what they call the Original Plot Constraint?’

In the original story, Park Geon-woo despised Lee Yeon-soo. Until now, I had maintained a distance—neither too close nor too far—through my efforts, but in the end, it seems I am following the flow of the original plot.

Will Joo Seung-hyuk become like that too? Will he go beyond despising me and try to kill me?

After that, I stopped sending letters to Park Geon-woo.

I had considered the possibility that delivery accidents happened twice in a row. But he did receive them. He received the letters and chose not to write back.

After two years, I had received a confirmation kill.

But why did Park Geon-woo mention the fact that he received the letters first? Does it mean he has forgotten the Horaitron Gate incident now?

I almost asked Park Geon-woo about it, but I kept my mouth shut.

Compared to its severity, the Horaitron Gate was not well-known to the public.

This was because the government and the center thoroughly hid the incident.

They claimed it was to prevent unnecessary fear among the public and to stop society from falling into chaos, but that was merely an excuse.

An S-Class gate discovered just before a break, a mistake in measuring the gate rank, hiding the discovery of the gate due to the center director’s inauguration ceremony despite the urgent situation, and the resulting reckless gate raid and injuries to young S-Class Awakened.

If these facts were revealed, there [stolen content]would [Read on Read BL Novels]be a flood unauthorized copyof public criticism and political attacks, so they deliberately covered it up.

The new center director at the time resigned before completing 100 days in office due to reckless remarks and personal life issues, and a new person took over as director.

However, since that person was also from the ruling party like the previous director, he did not dig up the Horaitron Gate incident.

The public didn’t even know an S-Class gate had occurred, let alone that a Gate Break had almost happened in Seoul.

Then, a year later, the fact that an S-Class gate had occurred became known belatedly as the center and the Ability User Association fought over the ownership of the S-Class treasure, the Horitron Pistol.

But perhaps because time had already passed, it didn’t become a major issue.

Park Geon-woo seemed to regard that event as a dark history. Even in today’s lecture, when the topic of high-rank gates he had experienced came up, he avoided mentioning the Horaitron Gate.

Since he didn’t speak of it, there was no reason for me to bring it up.

“It must have been very hard in Africa, right?”

“It was surprisingly okay. I went there prepared anyway, so I could endure the lack of washing, eating, and clothing. But there was just one thing that was hard to bear.”

“What was it?”

For Park Geon-woo, who rarely complained, to say such a thing meant it was truly difficult.

“A Guide.”

“A Guide?”

“There was no Guide like you. There were many high-ranking and wonderful Guides, but still, I kept missing you.”

“It’s probably because you were used to me.”

“Yes, I was used to you. Since we’ve synchronized our breathing so naturally since we were young. I always thought of it as a blessing, but it turned out to be a much greater blessing than I thought.”

He was always generous with praise, but it seemed Park Geon-woo’s lip service had improved a lot over the past two years.

He was like that in the original story too. There were frequent scenes where Kim Joon believed his lip service literally and ended up disappointed.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

When I bowed my head in greeting, Park Geon-woo gave a thin smile.

“Haha. You’re still the same.”

“Pardon?”

“You think whatever I say is just lip service, don’t you?”

“…….”

Having my mind read so suddenly, I couldn’t even deny it and quietly shut my mouth.

“It’s not lip service or a joke. I meant it sincerely. You are a special person.”

“Thank you for evaluating my abilities so highly.”

But even if his words were sincere, I had nothing special to say other than thank you. Still, feeling that this was too insincere, I quickly added more.

“I respect you too, Hyung. You saved my life back then.”

“…Thanks.”

Park Geon-woo’s expression darkened for a moment. As expected, does he hate thinking about the Horaitron Gate? I quickly changed the subject.

“But the thing you said you wanted to talk about…?”

“It’s late tonight. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“Okay…”

We stood up from our seats.

I headed toward the dormitory, and Read on Read BL NovelsPark Geon-woo walked [visit our site]alongside me. Perhaps we Read on Read BL Novelswere going in the same direction.

However, even though we had almost reached the dormitory, Park Geon-woo continued to walk with me.

“Where are you going, Hyung?”

When I cautiously asked for his destination, Park Geon-woo pointed to the first building of the Academy dormitory.

“Here.”

“What? The dormitory?”

“I’m planning to stay here starting today.”

“You are?”

Park Geon-woo’s family was wealthy, and the center provided absolute support. Therefore, there was no need for him to live in a dormitory. In the original story, he lived in an officetel near the Academy.

“Yeah. I came back in such a hurry that I couldn’t find a house.”

“Ah, I see.”

Unlike the novel, since he returned to the country urgently, he must not have had time to find a place this time.

“Shall we go in?”

“Yes.”

We entered the dormitory together.

“It’s my first time in a dormitory.”

Park Geon-woo had a somewhat nervous expression. To think that even the always-perfect him could make such a face.

We passed through the lobby and boarded the elevator.

“You’re on the 6th floor, right?”

“Yeah. I heard all S-Class are on the same floor.”

“Yes. I’m on the 6th floor too. I’ve been living alone until now.”

“You’ve been living comfortably, so I’m worried that my arrival might make things inconvenient for you.”

“Not at all. It was lonely living alone, so it’s actually better.”

I waved my hand dismissively. It was a considerate remark, something I had never once heard from Joo Seung-hyuk.

Because that bastard always barged into my room with total confidence.

“I’m worried I might make a mistake since I don’t know the dormitory rules well.”

“If there’s anything you don’t know, please ask me anytime. If it’s something I know, I’ll teach you.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you’re here.”

The elevator arrived at the 6th floor.

“I’m in room 601.”

“I’m in 602.”

There were many empty rooms, but it seemed they were assigned in order.

“We’re right next door.”

“We’re neighbors now.”

“I guess so. Ah, then I’ll head in.”

“Yeon-soo, wait a moment!”

Just as I was about to enter my room, Park Geon-woo called out to stop me.

“Yes?”

“Um, I’m about to unpack. Could you help me a bit?”