36 – TDG 36

“Is ​that ​the ​S-rank?”

There ​were secretive presences ​watching ​Han ​Ji-hyuk ​as ​he left the office ​and ​headed somewhere.

“We’ve been ​completely overshadowed because ​of ​that ​pretty-boy ​bastard. ​We’re ​also rookie Espers ​who ​joined ​this month.”

As Jeong ​Young-in let out a ​random complaint, ​Kim Yi-mun—who ​had narrow ​eyes that ​gave ​him ​a mean impression—smacked ​the back ​of his head as ​if telling him to ​stop talking nonsense.

“You pig. ​Is this ​the ​time to be comfortably playing the ​popularity game?”

Clutching his head, ​Jeong ​Young-in ​flared ​up, ​the skin around ​his fat ​neck ​turning red.

“Tsk… you ​bastard, ​why the hell are you ​hitting me? ​What ​I mean is! ​That ​guy ​is ​damn ​strong. I ​just ​thought there’s ​no need to go out of our ​way to mess ​with him….”

Kwon Cheon-beom, ​who had been perched ​by the ​window behind them, ​suddenly ​stood up. [visit our site]He ​looked [visit our site]thin because ​he was ​tall, ​but he ​had ​a surprisingly ​sturdy ​body packed ​with ​lean ​muscle. Standing askew ​with ​his hands ​shoved ​in ​his ​pockets, Kwon Cheon-beom remained silent for a long while before asking bluntly.

“Young-in, are you scared of an S-rank?”

“Huh? No. I… I mean… I saw a YouTube video, and in it, that bastard….”

At the strangely gentle voice, Jeong Young-in became visibly nervous and began to stammer out excuses. Cold sweat was already pooling beneath his thick folds of chin.

At that moment, Kwon Cheon-beom’s aura shifted completely.

“What the fuck is so special about an S-rank? You just crush them. Do you know what I learned from my Grandfather?”

At the low but fierce sneer, Jeong Young-in and Kim Yi-mun held their breath, unable to utter a single sound.

His face, twisted into something resembling a smile, was filled with malice.

“That even Jesus, the Son of God, was framed by humans and killed.”

Thump, thump, thump.

My heart had been racing so hard for a while now that I wasn’t even sure if I was breathing properly. My throat was parched with tension, and my palms were drenched in sweat. Calm down, calm down. Seo Joo-won, calm down. I felt as if my brain were a jumbled mess of adrenaline and dopamine.

They say patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.

Life in Department 7 for the past five years had been tedious and long, as if time had stopped, but since meeting Han Ji-hyuk, time had flown by like a bullet fired from a gun. And finally, the day had arrived for the long-awaited first meeting between the original novel’s male and female leads.

Listening to the footsteps of Jung Ah-yoon following about a step behind me, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. The weather was exceptionally sunny today, and the world was filled with warm, bright light. I felt like greeting every person I passed and wishing them happiness.

To think I’d have the honor of personally matchmaking my favorite couple. I don’t know who put me in this world, but thank you. Truly, thank you. I won’t resent you anymore.

You guys have no idea how long I’ve been longing for this day. Not that I’m trying to take credit, so please don’t misunderstand. I’ll be satisfied as long as you two have a beautiful, lovey-dovey relationship.

As we approached the restaurant, the crowd began to thicken. The time was 12:15 PM. It was the peak of the lunch rush. However, since we were heading to a second-floor restaurant, we wouldn’t have to jostle with the crowd here.

“Ji-hyuk-ah!”

Ji-hyuk, who was approaching from the opposite direction, seemed to spot me and quickened his pace. The deafening sound of my heartbeat faded, and the scene unfolded [unauthorized copy]before my eyes as if in [stolen content]slow motion. Good. Stay calm. Be composed. I will carve this first meeting of my favorite couple into my memory without missing a single frame.

As Han Ji-hyuk drew closer, his gaze naturally drifted from me to Jung Ah-yoon by my side. An indescribable thrill surged through me, and I clenched my fists.

You recognize her, Ji-hyuk-ah. She’s your destined partner.

Watching the situation with great anticipation for what kind of reaction he would show, I—

“Hyung. You’re here?”

I was left dumbfounded when Han Ji-hyuk nonchalantly looked away from her and looked back at me.

…Huh?

That’s… it?

It was the same for Jung Ah-yoon. Her attitude toward Han Ji-hyuk was nothing more and nothing less than that of a woman meeting a strange man for the first time. I blinked in bewilderment at the appropriate yet ruthless distance maintained between the two of them.

“…….”

What is this bafflingly bland atmosphere? Where is the fateful premonition toward a future lover, or the sparks flying between their eyes… or at least some kind of pink, romantic mood…?

…What do I do? Do I need to do something more?

“…Uh…, Ji-hyuk-ah?”

“Yeah?”

“You… see this person here?”

As I pointed to Jung Ah-yoon with stiff movements, Ji-hyuk looked at her once more.

“…Yeah.”

Right. Look more.

Look at her looooonger. Don’t you feel something?

“Do you… want to say hello? This is Jung Ah-yoon-ssi, a new Guide who joined our team. It’s her first day, so I brought her out to buy her lunch. Ah-yoon-ssi, please introduce yourself. This is Han Ji-hyuk, and he’s an S-rank Esper!”

Unable to stand Ji-hyuk’s frozen posture, I stepped up beside him and gave him a slight nudge forward.

Looking bewildered, Ji-hyuk hesitated before stepping forward to face Jung Ah-yoon.

“I’m Han Ji-hyuk.”

“Hello. I’m Jung Ah-yoon.”

Having finished the introduction, Ji-hyuk immediately stepped back and stood to my left. Then, Jung Ah-yoon took her place to my right.

“…….”

No. The positioning is wrong. I came here fully prepared to push the two of them together and naturally fade into the background as a supporting character. So why am I in the middle?

“Hyung, what are you doing? I’m hungry. Let’s go in.”

Ji-hyuk led me toward the restaurant as I stood there like a stone statue. Dazed, I followed him inside, flailing like a ghost.

This was a completely unexpected situation.

Where did things go wrong?

I took a deep breath and decided to retrace my steps carefully.

In the original work, the spark between these two happened when Jung Ah-yoon, who had lost everyone she loved and sought out Han Ji-hyuk to kill him in a fit of hatred, discovered Han Ji-hyuk as a wreck who couldn’t even die due to severe self-loathing, and felt human compassion for him for the first time.

But right now, it’s not that kind of special situation; rather, it’s closer to a scene of pursuing a very natural meeting. Then this kind of reaction isn’t unreasonable. I got too excited. How could I push them and ignore the sequence just because I wanted to see it? If I make a fuss because I can’t wait a moment after building this tower of effort, the whole thing might come crashing down.

Anyway, they are a canon couple, so if they spend more time together, affection for each other will naturally sprout.

“…….”

Having quickly sorted out the situation, I recovered some of my flagging energy. I’d visit our siterather go head-to-head with Kwon Min-wook; I’m absolutely hopeless Read on Read BL Novelsat this. Probably stolen contentbecause I’ve never been in a relationship….

After being guided to a seat inside, I handed the menu brought by a waiter wearing a fancy bowtie to Jung Ah-yoon.

“Ah-yoon-ssi, what would you like to eat? I’m paying, so please order the most expensive thing.”

“No, I….”

“No, no, I brought you here. Let me treat you. Please? I’m begging you.”

As I playfully pleaded with my eyebrows drooping, Jung Ah-yoon smiled as if she couldn’t help it and glanced at Han Ji-hyuk sitting opposite her.

“Ji-hyuk, order whatever you want to eat, too. Hyung will buy it for you.”

Han Ji-hyuk didn’t even glance at the menu and had a somewhat dissatisfied expression. Under his steady gaze, his brow slightly furrowed, I asked again.

“Why? You don’t like Western food? Should we eat something else?”

“…No.”

A blunt voice flowed from Ji-hyuk’s lips. He seemed perfectly fine just a moment ago, so why did his mood suddenly sour?

Ah… could it be that he wants to sit next to Ah-yoon…? Is that really it?

Hyung was short-sighted. I just thought it would be awkward to seat the two of you side-by-side for your first meeting….

Feeling the painful realization of my seating mistake once again, I tried my best to brighten the atmosphere at the table.

However, the results were poor compared to the effort I put in. While Jung Ah-yoon laughed often at my silly jokes, Han Ji-hyuk didn’t even pretend to hear whatever I said and just silently ate his food. Usually, he paid an almost annoying amount of attention to every single one of my trivial actions even when he didn’t say anything, so this lack of response was completely incomprehensible. Things can only progress if the two of them are in sync, but I didn’t expect Han Ji-hyuk to be this uncooperative. He didn’t seem like the Han Ji-hyuk I knew.

Ji-hyuk-ah, the woman sitting next to me is your future destined lover. But you have no interest, and instead, your Hyung is the one acting like a clown. Please, show even one-hundredth of the feelings you had for her in the original work. You can’t win a beauty without effort.

While lamenting inwardly, I noticed the water pitcher was almost empty and waved toward the counter.

“Excuse me, more water please.”

Han Ji-hyuk took the new water bottle brought by the waiter. As I was Read on Read BL Novelsabout to bring the water I Read on Read BL Novelspoured into a new glass to my lips, I noticed Jung Ah-yoon’s glass was empty and handed it to her.

“Ah-yoon-ssi, drink this.”

“Thank you.”

Crack.

At the strange sound coming from opposite me, I looked up to find the glass bottle shattered in Han Ji-hyuk’s hand.

“…Gasp…!”

Startled by the splashing water and the shards of glass falling in pieces, I grabbed a napkin. I immediately stood up and grabbed his hand to check it, but his clenched fist wouldn’t open. Jung Ah-yoon, also surprised, stopped eating and froze.

“Ji-hyuk-ah. Open your hand. What are you doing, hurry…!”

Only after I urged him, stomping my feet in anxiety, did Ji-hyuk slightly relax the strength in his fist. Fortunately, only the glass had shattered, and his hand was perfectly fine without a single scratch. It was a moment that made me grateful once again for the physical durability of an S-rank.

Frowning, I gently swept away the glass fragments that had turned into powder with [Read on Read BL Novels][stolen content]a napkin. Just as I was about to ask why he did that, Ji-hyuk [stolen content]suddenly grabbed my wrist with his other hand and bolted upright from his seat.

“Huh…? Whoa, wait a minute…!”

I tried to resist as Ji-hyuk headed straight for the exit, but I couldn’t overcome his strength. As I was dragged out, I shouted desperately to Jung Ah-yoon, who was looking this way with bewildered eyes.

“Ah-yoon-ssi, I already paid, so please finish your meal!”

After leaving the restaurant and entering the hallway, Ji-hyuk continued to walk blindly while still gripping me. It was a relief that there were no eyes around to see us.