Chapter 30 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

After ​composing ​himself ​for ​a moment, Yoon Ki-hyun ​answered ​Jeong Si-jun’s nagging ​question about why ​he ​hadn’t ​been ​reachable.

“I ​think ​I missed your ​messages ​because ​I was resting ​for a bit. Did ​the raid ​go well?”

“Hmm, ​of course ​it did. ​Let’s ​go ​eat. I worked ​my ass ​off to get back ​in time for a ​meal, and I’m starving ​to death.”

Jeong ​Si-jun ​grumbled, covering the twitch of his ​lips with his hand. ​As ​expected, ​the ​moment ​he opened his ​mouth, his ​manner ​of speaking was ​somewhat ​crude, as if he couldn’t ​manage a ​sentence ​without sounding obnoxious ​or ​throwing ​in ​a ​curse word. ​Still, ​Ki-hyun didn’t ​feel like constantly pointing out his linguistic ​habits.

‘I don’t need ​to worry about ​that too.’

The more time ​he spent ​with Jeong Si-jun, ​the ​stronger the feeling ​grew that he ​was raising ​an ​immature younger ​brother ​rather than ​serving ​as a ​personal ​Guide. ​Moreover, since he ​had ​already mentioned ​the ​way ​he ​spoke once before, it felt awkward to keep bringing it up.

‘No, I was just curious if Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung said anything strange.’

‘What strange things would that person even say? He’s not like Team Leader Jeong, who carries a curse word at the end of every sentence.’

‘……What’s wrong with the way I talk?’

‘Not many people talk like that in a professional social setting.’

Thinking back, Jeong Si-jun had seemed subtly wary of Seo Yi-kyung visit our sitevisit our siteEND: visit our site -->even then. Perhaps something had happened between them.

However, Ki-hyun had no intention of asking what the relationship between him and Seo Yi-kyung was or what exactly had happened.

Yoon Ki-hyun wanted a clean, professional relationship where he received a salary from Jeong Si-jun in exchange for providing guiding. He had even less intention of correcting the man’s aggressive linguistic habits—where curses flew out at the slightest provocation—or his somewhat unrestrained dining etiquette.

“……I want to speak more modestly, but it’s just not working out.”

While Yoon Ki-hyun was lost in thought, Jeong Si-jun mumbled in a tone that sounded like self-reflection.

Was “modestly” even the right word for a face like that? The choice of vocabulary from a man who seemed the furthest thing from modest was quite shocking. Yoon Ki-hyun shrugged and replied.

“Who said anything? Why the sudden self-reflection?”

“Your eyes, Mr. Yoon Ki-hyun. They looked like, ‘Uh? Look at this bastard’s way of speaking,’ didn’t they?”

Ki-hyun didn’t know whether to be impressed or amazed that the man’s intuition was actually becoming useful.

Regardless of other things, he felt that if the behavior and attitudes of the Center’s Espers were corrected as much as Jeong Si-jun had changed, the working environment for Guides would become much more pleasant. Though it didn’t matter for him anymore, since he was no longer affiliated with the Center.

Since nothing specific came to mind to say, he answered with silence, which only made Jeong Si-jun act more aggrieved, as if to say, “See!” As he shook his bulky upper body—which didn’t suit the act of pleading—a faint scent of body wash wafted over.

“Did you shower?”

“What are you talking about? Of course I did. It’s common courtesy to shower before entering the guiding room after returning from a gate. It wasn’t [unauthorized stolen c[Read on Read BL Novels]ontentcopy]an emergency, so obviously I showered.”

Jeong Si-jun stared at Yoon Ki-hyun with wide eyes, as if asking what on earth he was implying.

To think that Jeong Si-jun of all people would mention courtesy. Looking at the aggrieved face of Jeong Si-jun, Yoon Ki-hyun couldn’t help but laugh.

“Sometimes I find it absurd when Team Leader Jeong talks about manners.”

“Hey, why? No matter how thoughtlessly I live my life, I know that much about manners.”

Even as he snapped back, Jeong Si-jun couldn’t tear his gaze away from Yoon Ki-hyun’s smiling face. Ki-hyun’s smile felt different than usual.

‘What is it?’

Yoon Ki-hyun didn’t smile often. Usually, he was expressionless, and he often frowned when talking to him; the longer the conversation lasted, the more dry the man felt.

He did only what was necessary and rarely opened up about personal matters. He had a dry personality with a strict separation between public and private life, but whenever he did smile, he did so with such radiance that it gave the illusion of the world brightening, driving people crazy every time.

Jeong Si-jun was always mindful of Yoon Ki-hyun. Aside from the fact that he was the only Guide he could fully trust with his wavelength, he simply wanted to see Yoon Ki-hyun smile more often.

But the smile just now was strange. He couldn’t describe it, but it was odd. Perched on the recliner, Jeong Si-jun read Ki-hyun’s expression and asked.

“Mr. Yoon Ki-hyun, did something happen today?”

Yoon Ki-hyun paused at the question. He wondered why this guy was suddenly so quick-witted.

While he had been feeling unsettled by Seo Yi-kyung’s proposal, the conversation with the usual Jeong Si-jun had been pleasant, and he had unconsciously smiled. It was true that the fact that the disaster-of-a-human Jeong Si-jun was talking about manners was absurdly funny.

However, it was also a laugh born of the realization that working with Jeong Si-jun was indeed better than with Seo Yi-kyung. He hadn’t expected the man to pick up on that so instinctively and ask such a question.

‘Is this guy’s learning speed getting faster?’

Seeing him absorb things like a sponge and correct his behavior made Ki-hyun feel a strange sense of turmoil, as if he were watching a younger brother finally grow up.

After a moment of consideration, Yoon Ki-hyun decided to be honest about his meeting with Seo Yi-kyung. Since it happened within the small Center building, he wouldn’t be able to hide the visit forever anyway.

“It was nothing much, but while you were out on a call, Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung came by the guiding room, so I stepped out for a moment.”

“Fuck, that sly fox came here? Is he out of his mind?”

Sure enough, sparks flew from Jeong Si-jun’s eyes. The curses that burst out and the murderous aura, as if he were about to bolt out of the room, made his previous mumbling about trying to speak modestly completely meaningless.

Yoon Ki-hyun, who hadn’t expected such a sensitive reaction, looked flustered, causing Jeong Si-jun to shut his eyes tight. He seemed to be trying to compose his emotions belatedly.

His thick chest heaved slowly, and then Jeong Si-jun let out a sigh and slowly opened his eyes.

‘Oh.’

The murderous intent in his gaze had definitely faded compared to before. [Read on Read BL Novels]Yoon Ki-hyun stolen contentwas inwardly impressed. However, the menacing expression that looked like he might cause a scene still hadn’t disappeared.

“……Hoo, so?”

The way he asked back in a heavily lowered voice felt like a great improvement compared to the past, which was commendable. Though Ki-hyun wasn’t sure if it was right to feel proud of his employer.

Staring at the young employer who was improving day by day, Yoon Ki-hyun unconsciously reached out toward Jeong Si-jun’s brow.

As he rubbed the frown lines that frequently creased there, Yoon Ki-hyun suddenly became aware of his actions and hurriedly pulled his hand away.

‘Am I crazy?’

Usually, physical contact with Jeong Si-jun was almost non-existent, aside from holding hands during guiding. Except for the occasional times when Jeong Si-jun acted friendly by throwing an arm over his shoulder or lightly grabbing his arm to show him something, they maintained an ambiguous distance.

Keeping in mind that they had spent a night together while blackout drunk—a night he didn’t even remember—Yoon Ki-hyun had intentionally kept a strict distance from Jeong Si-jun. But perhaps because Jeong Si-jun had taken the lead over Seo Yi-kyung as a point of comparison today, he had let his guard down a little.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I just noticed you were frowning.”

When Yoon Ki-hyun apologized and withdrew his hand, Jeong Si-jun’s face was a sight to behold. His face had turned red as if he were about to explode, and his eyes wandered aimlessly, as if he didn’t know where to look.

Just as Yoon Ki-hyun was becoming awkward from the strange heat emanating from the man’s heavy breathing, Jeong Si-jun mumbled while rubbing the back of his neck, as if trying to cool the heat that had spread to his collar.

“No. Well…… it’s fine.”

It was a look that made it impossible to believe this was the same man who, [[Read on Read BL Novels]style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">Read on Read [unauthorized copy]BL Novels]just moments ago, had glared as if he were going to tear Seo Yi-kyung to shreds.

‘What on earth should I do with this guy……’

Yoon Ki-hyun also rubbed the back of his neck, falling into a state of agony.

The atmosphere remained awkward all the way until they arrived at the Chinese restaurant in Jeong Si-jun’s car. Yoon Ki-hyun wasn’t the type to chatter away just because he couldn’t stand an awkward silence, and neither was Jeong Si-jun.

It was after the staff member who took their order left the private room they had been guided to. Jeong Si-jun, who was pouring tea with movements much more refined than before, cautiously broached the subject.

“So…… what did Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung say when he came?”

The man’s gaze was still fixed on the teacup. He seemed quite preoccupied with the physical contact in the guiding room. Yoon Ki-hyun found that a bit puzzling.

Strictly speaking, hadn’t they even had sex? The fact that he was reacting like this just because his brow had been touched was fresh and amusing.

“He was testing the waters.”

“About what?”

“Things like whether you treat me well. Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung said he wanted to be added to my list of options……”

Before Yoon Ki-hyun could even finish his sentence.

“Crazy, he tried to pull a fast one while I was gone?”

Jeong Si-jun cut him off, losing his temper. Then, he stole a glance at Yoon Ki-hyun’s face before averting his eyes again and speaking.

“How much did Seo Yi-kyung offer? I can give you more than that. Seriously.”

It was a shocking proposal for a salary increase. However, since he hadn’t asked Seo Yi-kyung for specific conditions, he couldn’t give a clear answer.

He wondered if he should have asked for the conditions before leaving. The thought crossed his mind, but he wasn’t particularly inclined to do so.

Unless Seo Yi-kyung was a building owner on prime real estate like Jeong Si-jun, it would be a loss for an individual to cover Yoon Ki-hyun’s annual salary, no matter how you calculated it.

Moreover, there seemed to be no particular reason for it. Seo Yi-kyung wasn’t an Esper with a difficult wavelength to manage, unlike Jeong Si-jun.

“Is your salary not enough? Even with what I give you? Anyway, if you need more, tell me first. You contracted with me first.”

“I didn’t ask about the conditions; I just declined and said I wouldn’t do it.”

At Yoon Ki-hyun’s answer, Jeong Si-jun blinked and fell silent. He looked as if he had received an answer he never expected.