42 – TDG 42

Feeling ​a ​sudden ​dryness ​in my throat, ​I ​took ​a ​sip ​of the coffee I ​had ​set aside and ​stole a glance ​at ​the ​seat ​next ​to ​me. Ji-hyuk’s hand, ​resting ​quietly ​on his thigh, ​caught my eye.

Large, long ​fingers and ​neat nails. ​The joints ​of his ​hand ​were ​prominent, but they ​felt elegant ​rather than rugged. The ​thick veins standing out ​on the back of ​his hand ​looked ​as if they had been perfectly ​drawn. And those were ​the ​hands ​that ​had ​touched and stroked ​me countless ​times ​until now.

Feeling strangely ​flustered, ​I gripped the steering wheel ​tightly. When ​I ​thought about it ​that ​way, ​all ​the ​skinship we’d ​had ​so far ​felt strange. I had to stop overthinking ​this.

Checking that the ​light had changed, ​I deliberately stepped hard ​on the ​accelerator. Ignoring Ji-hyuk’s ​puzzled ​gaze, I stared ​steadfastly at the ​center of ​the ​road.

It seems ​the ​news that ​I ​had been ​referred ​to ​the Ethics Committee ​spread ​while I ​was ​away ​for ​a day’s rest. The looks I’m receiving are quite murderous.

Fights between Espers who have Guides are nothing new; if it had been a simple incident, everyone would have consumed it lightly as mere gossip. However, this time, the nature of the incident was a bit different. The Espers I encountered on my way glared at me with a mix of antipathy and ridicule, gossiping loudly enough for me to hear.

“Is that the Guide? The one who got three Espers dragged down?”

“I thought he looked decent when I saw him on Esper24, but he’s scary… I heard he was carrying a recorder?”

“Ugh. Who would dare call him? Who knows when he’ll record something and expose it to the higher-ups.”

“He’s running wild just because he thinks he’s pretty. I guess he thinks he can do whatever he wants because the S-ranks pamper him for being cute?”

Look at how fast they talk. Why don’t you just rap, you bastards? If this is how it is, Jeong Mi-young would have really been unable to endure it if she hadn’t planned to quit.

Listening to this is actually making me pissed. Why is the sequence of events reversed? Kwon Cheon-beom and Im Seong-joon committed sexual harassment first, you sons of bitches! You bury the shameless acts of those two and only nitpick the fact that I pulled out a recorder?! You aren’t even interested in why it had to come out?

It’s not even funny to see B-ranks acting all high and mighty about whether they’d call me or not. Don’t you worry; even if you laid out a red carpet and followed full protocol to invite you, I wouldn’t go.

While fuming internally and heading toward the office, someone suddenly blocked my path. Just as I was scowling, wondering what it was now, a woman I didn’t recognize pressed something into my hand and passed by before I could refuse.

“Hang in there.”

As I blankly watched her disappear like a breeze, I opened my hand to find a small, neatly wrapped bundle of chocolates. Her employee badge was gray. That meant she was a Guide… which meant these chocolates were…

‘Support…?’

Wow. I never thought I’d receive something like this. I was bewildered at first, but gradually, I began to feel happy. While there are many Guides who project their identities onto Espers, this chocolate is proof that there are also Guides who support what I did and find it satisfying.

My gloomy mood vanished instantly. As I entered the office with a much lighter step, Senior Soo-jeong pushed her chair back as if she were breaking it and rushed toward me.

“Joo-won-aaaaah!”

She jumped and hugged me so hard that I almost lost my balance and fell over.

“Are you okay? Is everything alright? Your pretty face has shrunk to half its size.”

The senior made a distressed face while kneading my cheeks like dough.

“You’re here.”

I saw Senior Seon Jae-young wave his hand without even glancing in my direction. I quickly approached him and bowed.

“What is it?”

“The recorder you gave me was a huge help. I am deeply grateful.”

Senior Jae-young glanced at me, then returned his gaze to his phone game, replying in a flat tone.

“Don’t say I gave it to you. My call rate will drop.”

Senior Soo-jeong giggled and whispered in my ear.

‘Im Seong-joon was visit our sitepreparing to send Read on Read BL Novelsit himself, but visit our siteyou beat him to it, so he’s pissed.’

Wait, there was such a story? Hearing the hidden circumstances made me laugh too.

“Now there’s no one in the Center who doesn’t know your name. Congratulations, Seo Joo-won.”

Senior Kim Ho-jin sent a comment that I couldn’t tell if it was a compliment or a taunt.

“I’m sorry. What if the seniors suffer disadvantages because of me?”

Senior Soo-jeong snorted.

“My pair, Do Jong-soo, is a son of a bitch, but he hates Im Seong-joon, so it’s fine. I guess it’s a case of ‘it takes one to know one.’ As for Kwon Cheon… whatever-his-name-is, he’s a nobody, so I don’t know him.”

As expected, that middle-aged man was Do Jong-soo.

“Im Seong-joon’s personality is such that he’s earned a lot of resentment [visit our site]from other Espers too. People are fussing about the recorder now, but they’ll all forget eventually. There [stolen content]are some good people among the Espers, after all.”

I suppose so. They’re human too. The percentage of sane people must be around 50. No, 30… maybe 20?

It seems these people are focusing the incident on Im Seong-joon, who is a bigger shot than Kwon Cheon-beom. Even though the main culprit who caused the trouble was Kwon Cheon-beom, he’s treated as a total extra because he has no reputation. Tsk tsk… he was a pathetic guy to begin with, so it’s a natural result.

And as expected, the people of Team 2 are loyal. Having the seniors back me up makes me feel reassured.

I wondered where our Ah-yoon was, and as if on cue, Jung Ah-yoon entered the office.

“Senior, you’ve arrived.”

“Ah-yoon-ssi. Good morning.”

Seeing the smile of the flower-like heroine makes my heart clear up like a bright summer sky.

Right, this is no time for me to be like this. Now that the scuffle with the land-sea-air unauthorized copygang is roughly over, I [visit our site]need stolen contentto start working on connecting the bridge between the two again.

What was the plan I had? Booking a restaurant with a good atmosphere… right? But just booking a restaurant isn’t the answer. The problem is how to suggest it. If I do that, will it end up as if I’m arranging a blind date…? Since their first meeting ended badly, I have to be careful this time. It would be troublesome if the solid path of the original official couple were to be scratched.

My lack of dating experience really hurts at times like this, but I wouldn’t be me if I just gave up now.

Sucking up the rest of my coffee, I sank into deep contemplation.

I went to deliver some documents to another team and then headed to the cafeteria as lunchtime arrived.

There was no need to check if Ji-hyuk had arrived. Whenever people suddenly started buzzing in a certain area, I knew for sure that he was there.

Even if Han Ji-hyuk weren’t an S-rank Esper, he would have certainly been a standout presence. Drawing attention was a constant, and even people who passed by without thinking would always turn their heads back to check him out.

Exceptional looks combined with S-rank capabilities. Some might feel the unfairness of the world while looking at him.

Ji-hyuk, who was listening to several Guides with visit our sitea disinterested face, spotted me and immediately visit our siteapproached. The Guides looked clearly disappointed, but perhaps because of me, they didn’t follow.

Those people are a bit like that. They follow the iron rule that if you hit a tree a hundred times, it’ll eventually fall. Believing that if they persistently show their faces, they might one day catch his eye, they hover around him like moths to a flame. If you searched Ji-hyuk’s pockets, you’d find more than a few business cards slipped in unnoticed. I understand why they can’t let go, as there are a few rare cases of success… but quite a few people dislike it because they repeat this behavior regardless of whether he’s taken.

“You’re here?”

Ji-hyuk, naturally draping his arm over my shoulder, suddenly made a displeased expression and glared sharply somewhere.

“What is it?”

“…They’re staring intensely at Hyung.”

Huh? Where? Those Guides from before? I looked where his gaze was directed, but there was no one there.

“Who?”

“Two men.”

…I’m telling you, I don’t see two men. Where the hell are they, kid?

“They probably saw you.”

I laughed dryly and tapped his forearm.

After getting my food, I looked for an empty table. The Center’s meals are famous for their high quality, so it’s always crowded; if you don’t come quickly, it’s hard to find a seat.

“Han Ji-hyuk!”

Song Hyun-ho waved from a seat across the way. As I approached with my tray, he quickly pulled out a seat for me to sit.

“Wow, I was nervous thinking I might have to eat alone.”

As I sat down, he spoke with a grin.

“I guess you don’t like eating alone?”

“I’m not particularly fond of it. It’s too pitiful.”

Oh dear. Since he hates eating alone, he should get married quickly.

“The pollack stew is refreshing and delicious. Try some, Guide Seo Joo-won.”

Song Hyun-ho spoke nonchalantly while slurping the broth. His eating style was as hearty as his appearance. Wondering if it was really that good, I took a spoonful, and it actually tasted quite nice.

“Oh, the broth is really clean. Ji-hyuk, you try some too.”

In the distance, I spotted Jung Ah-yoon looking around with her tray, wondering where to go. What a stroke of luck.

“Ah-yoon-ssi! Over here!”

Jung Ah-yoon sat in the seat next to Song Hyun-ho. At the same time, it was the seat directly opposite Han Ji-hyuk. Since it was a four-person table, that was the only remaining seat, and it was a perfect position.

Ji-hyuk, look at Ah-yoon. What does that broth made from fish heads matter? A goddess of beauty is sitting right in front of you.

“And this person is?”

The one who actually showed interest in Jung Ah-yoon wasn’t Han Ji-hyuk, but Song Hyun-ho.

“This is Jung Ah-yoon-ssi, a Guide who recently joined our team. She’s a talented individual in many ways.”

As I praised her, Ah-yoon blushed slightly, denying it.

“I’m Song Hyun-ho. Pleased to meet you, Guide Jung Ah-yoon.”

“I’ve been following Esper Song visit our siteHyun-ho’s activities for [visit our site]a while. [visit our site]I’m lacking, but I look forward to working with you as well.”

Song Hyun-ho has a physique much larger than average and Jung Ah-yoon has a petite frame, so when the two are together, they have an unbalanced yet strangely matching vibe. Like Beauty and the Beast, perhaps?

I love this friendly atmosphere. The first meeting of a handsome man and a beautiful woman… But here’s the thing. This is supposed to be Ji-hyuk and Ah-yoon, not Hyun-ho and Ah-yoon.

Since Han Ji-hyuk has absolutely no interest in the two of them, I’m the only one feeling anxious.

Pretending to eat, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sprang up from my seat.

“Oh, I got a call from my father! I’ll go take this!”

Of course, no such call came. Sorry, Father. For selling you out like this. But it was inevitable for the sake of the male and female leads’ love. Please forgive your undutiful son.