Chapter 24 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

The ​traditional ​Korean ​course ​meal was excellent. The ​taste ​was such that ​it felt certain ​the ​restaurant ​could ​easily ​afford ​the rent for ​a ​building ​in such an ​expensive neighborhood. A few ​exchanges had ​passed, with ​Yoon Ki-hyun ​answering whenever ​Jeong ​Si-jun ​spoke.

“Ah, and about ​the additional ​settlement money I mentioned ​before…”

Jeong Si-jun began to ​speak, his eyes wide ​like a ​puppy ​who had caused trouble and was ​gauging its owner’s reaction.

Yoon ​Ki-hyun, ​who ​had ​been ​picking up a ​side dish ​with ​his chopsticks, glanced ​up ​at Jeong Si-jun. Wasn’t the ​conversation about ​additional ​settlement money finished ​back ​then?

“I ​told ​you ​that was ​enough. ​It’s not ​like you’re paying a settlement in installments.”

“Oh, ​installments. That’s a ​good idea. How ​about I give you ​additional settlement ​money whenever I ​feel ​guilty?”

Was there actually ​a perpetrator who ​paid settlement ​money ​whenever they ​felt ​sorry? At ​this ​point, it ​was ​clear.

Yoon ​Ki-hyun decided to ​stop ​misunderstanding that ​Jeong ​Si-jun ​had ​been the one to come up with that nickname first. He had heard through the grapevine that it originated from Jeong Si-jun’s frivolous mouth, but it seemed the rumor had been distorted.

Having spoken with him, he realized that while the man had a foul mouth and a fiery temper, he [Read [stolen content]on Read BL Novelsunauthorized copystyle="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]wasn’t a complete piece of human trash beyond redemption. He was just a young brat who lived recklessly without a thought. That was exactly who he was.

“Just how much money do you have rotting away to be acting like this?”

Yoon Ki-hyun asked with a slightly appalled expression. The more money, the better. He could pay off his loans faster, and it would give him some breathing room to treat his illness.

However, one thing he wondered about was the absurd amount of money Jeong Si-jun spent every month, from settlement fees to salaries. At least from the perspective of Yoon Ki-hyun, whose only assets were debts.

“This building, the building in front of here, they’re all mine… and I have others elsewhere. I just have fuckton of money.”

Yoon Ki-hyun’s mind went blank for a moment at the words Jeong Si-jun spoke while scratching the back of his neck.

This restaurant building belonged to Jeong Si-jun?

Yoon Ki-hyun recalled the exterior of the traditional Korean restaurant he had looked up at to confirm the address after getting out of the taxi.

He had thought it was luxurious and located in an area with expensive land, but he never imagined the landlord was sitting right in front of him.

Reading the emotion on Yoon Ki-hyun’s face, Jeong Si-jun asked persistently.

“I told you last time. I inherited a lot of things.”

Right. He remembered hearing that. But the scale of the inheritance was far beyond Yoon Ki-hyun’s common sense.

Even without knowing the exact figures, the sale price of a building like this wouldn’t be cheap, and the monthly rental income alone would be substantial. If that were the case, both the salary Jeong Si-jun offered and the settlement money he seemed intent on giving at any given moment were entirely understandable.

“So, what do you think? Can I keep paying the settlement in installments?”

Jeong Si-jun’s eyes sparkled as he brought up that ridiculous additional settlement again. Beneath his cool, sharp eyes, his pupils were so full of life that they almost seemed manic.

In the short time it took to blink a few times, Yoon Ki-hyun fell into a deep state of agony. He needed the money, but he felt like he was extorting money under the guise of a settlement.

‘No, it’s true that he called me a public good. What the fuck is a public good when referring to a person? He probably didn’t just agree with it, he probably called me that with excitement.’

He wanted to just close his eyes and receive the “financial therapy,” but then…

‘I’ve already received some, so receiving more is a bit… Can I be sure he won’t call me that again if things go south just because I took settlement money? What can I trust in a kid who thinks he can settle everything with money…?’

He was overcome with anxiety that if he took too much, Jeong Si-jun might use it as an excuse to treat him more carelessly. While he was struggling to find his footing, an alarm went off on his phone. It was a notification message from the bank.

[Sehwan Bank]

Pre-notification of Loan Principal and Interest

Tomorrow is the payment date for your loan principal and interest. This notice is a bulk message sent to customers on their monthly interest payment date or to those who have completed the payment of all or part of the loan principal and interest in advance…

As he looked at the notification detailing the monthly loan payment and interest rate, all his distracting thoughts evaporated.

He was acting like he had a full stomach. Now was not the time to cling to a worthless sense of pride while thinking such things.

“As long as it doesn’t cause any tax issues, I…”

If he’s giving it, what can I do? I’m grateful.

Still, that cheap pride made the words “it’s okay” stick slightly in his throat. Fortunately, Jeong Si-jun realized it was an affirmation and beamed.

Yoon Ki-hyun couldn’t bring himself to check the screen even when the deposit notification sounded on his phone, as if he had been waiting for it. His frivolous pride wouldn’t allow him to go that far.

“Sent. Then I’ll take it as your permission and send more whenever I feel sorry. I have a place that handles my taxes, so don’t worry about that.”

Since he was a great landlord and his income as an Esper was likely substantial, Jeong Si-jun would naturally have a professional managing his assets. Given his bold assurance and the [visit our site]visit our site -->fact that he owned a magnificent building on prime land, Yoon Ki-hyun wondered what the point of his worry was.

Yoon Ki-hyun nodded silently and chewed on the side dishes in front of him. They were side dishes he had never seen in his life, but he couldn’t really taste them.

It was Jeong Si-jun who broke the silence of the room, where only the occasional clinking of cutlery could be heard.

“Ah, right. That deputy who was on your team, Yoon Ki-hyun.”

Yoon Ki-hyun thought of his team members. There were two deputies; he didn’t know which one he was talking about. As Yoon Ki-hyun tilted his head slightly, an explanation immediately followed.

“The lady who looks really kind.”

“Deputy Park Jeong-ae?”

“Oh, I think that was her name. Anyway, she asked me to pass a message to you.”

Jeong Si-jun cut the softly grilled ribs with his chopsticks. Contrary to his reckless personality, his textbook-perfect use of chopsticks was unexpected.

‘Deputy Jeong-ae…’

Deputy Park Jeong-ae was a Guide who had attended the modest farewell party held on Yoon [visit our siteclass="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">Read on Read BL Novels]Ki-hyun’s last day of work. As a Guide on his team, she used to bring him snacks.

She would say that no matter how busy work was, one shouldn’t work while starving. The fried tofu rice balls and various snacks she made herself allowed Yoon Ki-hyun, who had lost his mother early, to indirectly experience a mother’s touch.

Of course, he had never shown it, as feeling such emotions toward a colleague would seem somewhat creepy.

“What message did she want me to pass along?”

“Nothing much, just that she wants to say hello if she sees you at the Center? She told me that in the lobby when I was leaving work today.”

“Ah…”

His life at the Center had been a mere struggle to endure. But thinking back, there were many times when he felt a sense of relief because of the team members who silently did their jobs in their positions without any issues and spoke to him first, even if it was about nothing.

If he returned to the Center, he would likely meet those who had been his team members again. At that time, they would meet not as a team leader and team member, but as ordinary Guides, so perhaps they could talk more than before.

As Yoon Ki-hyun smiled unconsciously while thinking of those he had grown fond of, Jeong Si-jun spoke up in a pouting tone.

“By any chance… do you have a thing for older people?”

What kind of nonsense is this now?

Truly, he was a brat who wouldn’t even give him a moment to be sentimental. Yoon Ki-hyun snapped out of his shattered reminiscence and glared.

Even so, Deputy Park Jeong-ae was someone who had built a wonderful family. This bastard really had no filter.

“Are you crazy? Deputy Jeong-ae’s daughter is the same age as me. Stop talking nonsense. And questions like that are a bit uncomfortable.”

“Questions like that?”

“You know, about what my preferences are and such. It doesn’t help with work.”

“If you don’t like it, just say so, why are you so angry? I just asked because I wanted to get closer.”

It had been bothering him for a while, but Jeong Si-jun seemed to want to become close with him outside of work.

“An Esper and a Guide just need to do guiding; why do we need to be any closer?”

“That’s…”

“Even if we aren’t close, it doesn’t affect the guiding efficiency at all.”

“Ah, yes. Whatever you say.”

Jeong Si-jun’s lips twitched as if he were dissatisfied.

When Yoon Ki-hyun glared at the lips that were pouting so much they looked like they could be picked up with chopsticks, Jeong Si-jun subtly averted his gaze. He seemed psychologically intimidated, as if he were being scolded by a scary adult.

Although he was much smaller and more slender than him in appearance and build, his stubborn personality and firm attitude made him seem like an adult much older than himself.

‘It’s damn hard to get close to this guy.’

He couldn’t exactly cut off the mouth that had made mistakes before.

He had no one to ask for advice on what to do in such situations. The people he was close enough to ask personal questions to were all humans far removed from this sort of thing.

The only person he relied on, his mother, could only be seen during limited visiting hours, and although he had two brothers, they were equally devoid of friends.

The family that had raised Jeong Si-jun with indulgence had taught him how to punch more effectively, the location of vital points for an easy kill, how to establish a hierarchy among men, and how to settle things with money when he caused trouble, but they never taught him how to get along with people. If he had known that, his brothers’ lovers wouldn’t have run away or disappeared like that.

“Still, I wanted to get along with you, Yoon Ki-hyun.”

Jeong Si-jun grumbled, unable to let go of his lingering desire. He couldn’t hear the sound of Yoon Ki-hyun’s chopsticks from across the table.

Was he going to say something again?

When he lifted his head to steal a glance at Yoon Ki-hyun’s face, he was surprised to see a small smile on the pale face that still lacked any hint of color.

“Team Leader Jeong.”

“…What.”

“I think I get the gist of what you’re saying, so just eat.”

Jeong Si-jun nodded obediently and resumed his meal.

By the way, “getting the gist” probably meant he wanted to be close, right? Jeong Si-jun stole glances at Yoon Ki-hyun’s face several times.

“Stop staring at me, or I’m going to get indigestion from this expensive meal.”

Until Yoon Ki-hyun, unable to take it any longer, pointed it out toward the end of the meal.