BP 22

‘I am sorry for everything.’

It felt like him to admit to things he couldn’t even remember and start with an apology.

“…….”

These were messages that could all be pushed to tomorrow without any problem. However, his gaze fixed on Ji Seung-hyun’s name did not move until the screen’s light dimmed and eventually went out.

‘I only wanted to make sure he wasn’t in pain…’

Since he couldn’t sleep properly, he decided they had to borrow the power of medicine, and since it wasn’t a normal method of guiding, he decided it had to be stopped. That’s why he told Daniel, but he didn’t know why a part of his heart felt unsettled.

On the night they spent together recently, when things didn’t go his way, Ji Seung-hyun had sobbed for a long while before falling asleep while clinging to Jae-il’s neck. The next day, with a face that couldn’t even open its eyes, he had checked the gear first. Completely forgetting the cheeky memory. Even after that, whenever they encountered each other, he struggled to gauge Jae-il’s energy, his large eyes rounding. It was truly a tenacious kind of diligence.

A look of troubledness spread across Jae-il’s usually expressionless face.

“…….”

He was bothered by a single text message. It was obvious, even without seeing it, that the man would be feeling discouraged. A man bundled with diligence and responsibility couldn’t possibly shake off guilt with a single apology text. With his hands on his hips, his toes tapped. Just as he began to feel pathetic for being unable to make a decision as his deliberation grew longer, Giju, who had finished getting ready, tapped Jae-il’s shoulder.

“You not coming?”

“…Let’s go.”

The rational thought that it was too late to make a call flashed through his mind. His finger, which had hovered over the call button, eventually gripped the entire phone.

* * *

Jae-il’s morning began with guiding.

“Hi, Jae-il. I heard you were deployed yesterday?”

“Yeah.”

Joy, who approached with a short greeting, smelled faintly of perfume. It was a subtle scent, not overpowering. Jae-il lay down, following the pressure he felt over his heart. His gaze, which had been toward the ceiling, shifted to Rowan, who was checking the gear. He was rubbing his eyes with a face that still hadn’t fully shaken off sleep. As he yawned wide enough to tear his mouth, Joy scolded him. I told you, why watch dramas all night?

“43.2%. Did you get some sleep?”

At Rowan’s question, Jae-il gave a half-hearted nod. He could just ignore the fragmented nights.

“Your head?”

“Hurts.”

“Any nosebleeds?”

“No.”

“Yesterday?”

“Didn’t have any yesterday either.”

Even though it was a value that would make any other Esper whine about being in pain, Jae-il rarely showed it, so his symptoms had to be checked one by one. Even then, only obvious answers returned. Rowan, after entering Jae-il’s status, checked the time.

“It won’t take long, right?”

“Wouldn’t 20 minutes be enough?”

The twins consulted among themselves. Joy’s finger, resting on Jae-il’s heart, tapped his chest. As if calling him, Jae-il’s eyes turned toward Joy.

“I’m thinking of practicing opening the channel with Seung-hyun today. I think it would be better to do it with an Esper who has a high matching rate.”

When Jae-il nodded, Joy looked up at the wall clock. Tilting her head, she murmured to herself.

“He’s not the type to be late…”

“I’ll start.”

Joy and Rowan’s hands overlapped on Jae-il’s chest. Along with a heavy pressure, his energy was sucked into them. Jae-il’s eyelids fluttered slowly before finally closing softly.

On days like today, when the Amplification Level wasn’t particularly high, the twins performed guiding with ease. Rowan persuaded the two of them in a soft, steady tone, explaining why he had stayed up until dawn watching a drama, what the title was, and which parts were interesting. Joy cut him off, stating that such fantasies weren’t her taste, while Jae-il simply listened without much reaction.

The twins’ guiding was calm and gentle. Their chatter, like white noise, was quite pleasant. Though it occasionally grew sharp because of Joy, it was only momentary.

After some time, a knock sounded, and Joy glanced back. Jae-il’s eyes, previously hidden by his eyelids, opened halfway, quietly capturing the sight of Seung-hyun entering the room.

“Come in.”

“I apologize for being late.”

His voice was slightly raspy. Although no one blamed him for his tardiness, he bowed deeply in apology first. As he straightened up and pushed his hair back to reveal his forehead, fatigue was etched onto his face. He wasn’t in great condition. Even his sparkling eyes lacked their usual drive. Seeing his overall listless appearance, Jae-il’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’ve adjusted it well. Oh, Oppa. It’s 29.9%.”

“Ooh! Wow! It really went down.”

Joy and Rowan made a fuss after checking Jae-il’s gear. Even though only the first digit had changed, the twins looked proud, as if they had accomplished something monumental.

“Did you eat breakfast?”

At Joy’s question, Seung-hyun answered honestly.

“My stomach wasn’t feeling well today, so I didn’t eat.”

“Really? There should be porridge prepared separately.”

“Is that so. I’ll find some for lunch.”

His gaze, slanted downward, showed no sign of lifting.

“Alright. Take care of yourself. If you’re sick, we all lose.”

“Thank you.”

Rowan sat on the three-person sofa next to the bed and took out his phone. He intended to continue watching the drama he had left off yesterday. Seung-hyun took Rowan’s place. Scratching the back of his head, Seung-hyun stood by Jae-il’s upper body and gave a small nod. As expected, he looked discouraged and couldn’t even make eye contact.

Joy began her explanation.

“Opening and closing the channel must be possible through your own will. Otherwise, you’ll end up absorbing energy at random times. We have our limits, so if we accept everything that comes in, the vessel inside our bodies will break. Of course, you could just let it flow through, but greed kicks in. Anyway, if it breaks, you have to rebuild it, and your body suffers in the process. If you want to do guiding as a job, maintaining a proper boundary is very important.”

“Yes.”

“Since the heart is where blood is sent, it’s the most effective location unless you have direct skin-to-skin contact. Put your hand up.”

“Then… excuse me.”

Muttering softly, Seung-hyun placed his hand over Jae-il’s heart. A strange gaze, seemingly indifferent yet not, lingered on Seung-hyun’s raw eyelids.

“…….”

The heartbeat was felt vividly through his palm. The warmth, the solid mass. But that was all. The energy flickering around his hand merely hesitated, just as it had when he touched the gear. It wasn’t as if there were a barrier between the man and himself, yet simply placing his hand over the heart changed nothing. Seung-hyun’s expression gradually stiffened with embarrassment. Eventually, a sense of gloom filled his normally stoic eyes.

“It’s the same as last time. I can see the energy, but that’s it.”

“It’s always like that at first. Being able to see it is already impressive.”

She comforted him lightly, but his anxious face didn’t relax.

“When you first recognize the channel, the feeling is… hmm… how should I explain it…”

As Joy hesitated, unable to find the right words, Rowan, who was watching the drama with only one earbud in, threw out a fitting analogy.

“A fishing line.”

“Exactly! Rowan, you’re a genius. It feels like something thin and transparent, like a fishing line, is pulling you. That’s the start. Once you find that, you’re halfway there. Rowan, would about 20 minutes be enough?”

When Joy asked for Rowan’s opinion, Rowan stood up from his seat. Removing his earbud, he looked back and forth between Jae-il and Seung-hyun.

“Yeah, that’s plenty. Finding it requires a huge amount of energy. Since Seung-hyun is an adult, I think he can handle that much.”

Joy nodded. Her small hand gave Seung-hyun’s shoulder a couple of light pats.

“Now, don’t look—feel. Close your eyes and search as visit our siteour site">visit our siteour site -->if you’re scouring every single pore of your skin.”

“Yes.”

“It’s okay if you don’t get it on the first try. Just do your best.”

“Yes, I will.”

“I’d like to stay and watch until the end, but I have another appointment. Jae-il, once the time is up, you cut it off.”

Twenty minutes was not a short time, nor was it an easy task. At the instruction to pour all his energy and focus into finding a tiny sensation, Seung-hyun instinctively felt a surge of discipline. It was the moment strength entered every fingertip resting on Jae-il’s chest. Joy, following Rowan out, clapped her hands once.

“You two can just have lunch together when you’re done!”

At that irresponsible remark, the two remaining men stared blankly at the closed door. After a moment, Jae-il quickly returned to his usual expression, but Seung-hyun did not. It was because her words felt like a second assignment. When he turned his head, his gaze locked immediately with the man, who had been looking at him from the start. Startled, Seung-hyun lowered his head. The words he had prepared until dawn reflexively burst from his mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

“…What are you sorry for?”

Giving a blunt answer, Jae-il raised his upper body, changing the angle of the arm that had been pressing vertically against his chest. The distance between them also grew closer. Seung-hyun became preoccupied with whether he should remove his hand and speak, or keep it there. Deciding it was better to stay in contact, he pressed down slightly. Feeling the faint pressure, the man looked down and then toward Seung-hyun.