Chapter 47 – The Price of a Misjudgment
He also knew that this was madness. However, there weren’t many ways to get Yoon Ki-hyun’s attention.
After being rejected with the watch and visiting his father’s charnel house together, the relationship between Yoon Ki-hyun and Jeong Si-jun remained awkward. He had thought they would get closer, but it felt as if a strange distance had grown between them instead.
Unlike that, Yoon Ki-hyun still seemed to be in regular contact with Seo Yi-kyung. Of course, he had received a definitive answer—to the point where Yoon Ki-hyun had snapped at him, stating he had absolutely no intention of accepting Seo Yi-kyung’s offer to be his personal Guide—but anxiety was anxiety.
As expected, seeing Yoon Ki-hyun worry about him made this operation well worth it. He planned to take it a step further and pretend to be in pain.
He subtly leaned his forehead against Yoon Ki-hyun’s shoulder. He didn’t forget to tilt his head at an angle that made the dressing on his cheek clearly visible.
“Actually, my side hurts too, and I feel strangely exhausted today, but it’s funny how it’s bearable just because you’re here, Mr. Yoon Ki-hyun.”
“It’s not funny at all.”
Seriously, the man had absolutely zero sense of mood.
Yoon Ki-hyun was still a tough nut to crack. However, Jeong Si-jun did not give up and whispered softly in his ear.
“So, about that.”
“…….”
“Please give me more guiding once we get back to the Center. They said there were complaints here, so we have to clear this out as quickly as possible.”
He mentioned the complaints to play a trick, but the content itself was true.
Despite finishing faster than the expected capture time, instructions had been given to keep the guiding to a minimum and resolve the rest upon returning to the Center.
Because it was a densely populated residential area, the higher-ups were anxious to quickly quell the citizens’ fears. It seemed the people in high positions were applying subtle pressure, worried that property values would drop.
“Those damn complaints.”
Yoon Ki-hyun shook his head.
Seriously, this crazy Center.
It infuriated him that whether it was an Esper or a Guide, they only knew how to drive people hard and had not the slightest intention of protecting them from malicious complaints. No matter how much money was the top priority, he felt disillusioned whenever things were like this.
“When do they want the demolition done?”
“They gave us ten minutes. It was originally five, but when I practically flipped out, it suddenly doubled. style="font-size:0;color:transparent;display:inline;">unauthorized copyFucking hilarious, right?”
No, why are you only telling me this now? Yoon Ki-hyun shook his head and closed his eyes as if telling him to shut up. He had to calm Jeong Si-jun’s wavelength as much as possible before the base was demolished, and time was tight.
“I’ll guide you just enough so you can move from here, and I’ll finish the rest at the Center.”
“Yep.”
Having received Yoon Ki-hyun’s confirmation, Jeong Si-jun answered energetically. He didn’t forget to softly close his eyes, following Yoon Ki-hyun’s lead.
It felt like Jeong Si-jun had been getting injured frequently lately.
He had been quiet until yesterday, but today he walked in with a half-cast on his arm. Yoon Ki-hyun tilted his head to the side and muttered.
“……A cast.”
“They said it should set by tomorrow morning at the latest, but that it would be best to keep it stable until then.”
Jeong Si-jun gave his right arm a small shake. Today, too, he had intentionally caused an injury before exiting the gate.
The madness he started—to receive at least a long gaze since Yoon Ki-hyun was keeping his distance—was proving effective. He intended to continue this for a while.
Only Yoon Ki-hyun, who didn’t dream [Read on Read BL Novels]that Jeong Si-jun was committing such madness, fell into deep agony.
‘Is there something wrong with my guiding?’
The injuries of a man who had rarely been hurt even when guiding was always insufficient at the Center had suddenly increased.
The only recent change in him was the hiring of a personal Guide. Since he was the only Guide in charge of him, it was only natural for this thought to occur.
Yoon Ki-hyun pressed the tip of his index finger with his nail. It was a habit he often had when he had a lot on his mind. He only had one Esper to look after, yet since Jeong Si-jun kept coming back injured, his nerves were on edge.
“Why do you look so serious again?”
“I only have one assigned Esper, but you keep getting injured. I can’t help but be concerned.”
“I just let my guard down for a moment. Now that my condition is better than before, I guess my judgment during combat became a bit lax.”
“……Is there nothing you can give me feedback on regarding the guiding?”
“Feedback? It’s just freaking awesome.”
Seeing Yoon Ki-hyun’s frown, which showed no sign of improving, Jeong Si-jun sensed the gravity of the situation. Especially the sudden request for guiding feedback.
‘Does he actually think I got hurt because he’s lacking?’
Looking at the face lost in deep thought, it seemed almost certain. This was unexpected, and it left him flustered.
Yoon Ki-hyun’s guiding was flawless. He didn’t know if his understanding had increased since he started purifying only his own wavelength, but he felt the guiding becoming more sophisticated by the day; so what was this misunderstanding? Naturally, he was the one who had provided the cause.
‘Ah, shit. This isn’t how it was supposed to go….’
Jeong Si-jun muttered, subtly sliding the stifling half-cast down. He hadn’t done that bullshit specifically to get this kind of reaction. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
“There won’t be any more minor injuries in the future. I’ll be careful too. There’s really no problem with the guiding. Honestly, my body is in the best condition it’s been since I awakened. It’s just that I’ve been distracted lately, so I couldn’t focus on the combat.”
“……If there’s a problem with the guiding, tell me. That’s why they pay me a high salary.”
“I know, but I’m telling you, there’s really no problem.”
“Just sit down for now. I’ll give you some guiding.”
Jeong Si-jun obediently sat in his seat. Even though a considerable amount of time had passed since the guiding began, Yoon Ki-hyun’s expression remained stiff.
It had only been a ploy to try and strike up a conversation using the injury as an excuse, so why did it end up like this? It was a clear error in judgment.
“Um, Mr. Yoon Ki-hyun.”
At Jeong Si-jun’s call, Yoon Ki-hyun slowly shifted his gaze upward. It wasn’t the first or second time Jeong Si-jun had chattered away while receiving guiding. However, today, he hoped he would stay a bit quiet.
As it happened, he was in the middle of treating a rare disease that only affected Guides, so it would be problematic if something went wrong with the guiding. The professor in charge of Yoon Ki-hyun’s treatment had urged him to refrain from excessive guiding as much as possible.
‘The best thing would be to stop guiding and focus solely on treatment, but….’
‘I absolutely have to work.’
‘Yes. Then it would be best to keep it under 10 minutes a day, and keep the frequency as low as possible.’
Since Yoon Ki-hyun’s guiding usually ended within 10 minutes at most, following the professor’s recommendation was easy.
Unable to withstand the blatant gaze waiting for an answer, Yoon Ki-hyun reluctantly replied.
“……What is it?”
“Just, what if.”
“…….”
“If I had been nice to you from the moment I was at your Center—I mean, from the very stolen content]aria-label="Read on Read BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelscopy" style="display:none;" aria-label="unauthorized copy">unauthorized copybeginning—would things have been different?”
It was a voice that was calmly subdued, unlike the usual Jeong Si-jun. Yoon Ki-hyun stared at Jeong Si-jun while purifying his jagged wavelength. His Adam’s apple was moving incessantly, as if he were extremely nervous.
‘What kind of question is this?’
Yoon Ki-hyun also made many such assumptions, but he always considered them futile. Nevertheless, the fact that Jeong Si-jun was asking such a question meant that the current situation was likely uncomfortable for him.
“If I remembered what you said better, got angry at you less, and looked at you more kindly….”
“What are you trying to say?”
Yoon Ki-hyun asked back, looking at the half-cast on Jeong Si-jun’s right arm.
“Just, that the time I spent being disliked is a waste?”
Even though he knew that blindly pushing himself on a man who hated having personal emotions mixed into a business relationship would only lead to rejection, he found it impossible to give up. He kept chewing over the ‘what if’ assumptions in his head.
The wavelength, influenced by his deeply depressed mood, flowed into Yoon Ki-hyun’s palm. Feeling the irregular waves that bounced around and then suddenly slowed, Yoon Ki-hyun looked at Jeong Si-jun’s crestfallen lips.
The lips that were usually pouting were, for once, quiet. They were just twitching while pressed firmly together. Seeing him look so gloomy with an injured arm made a corner of his heart feel tight.
“Team Leader Jeong.”
“……Yes.”
“To be honest, you were really obnoxious before.”
As soon as Yoon Ki-hyun finished speaking, Jeong Si-jun’s mouth popped open. He already knew that the man disliked him.
Although he used polite speech and maintained a soft conversation now, Yoon Ki-hyun’s tone had been far more hostile when they first met near the gate. Recalling that, it wasn’t an entirely unexpected statement, yet receiving the confirmation was quite shocking.
Yoon Ki-hyun, whose lips twitched at the sight of Jeong Si-jun’s open mouth, continued.
“But I don’t think that way anymore.”
“Really?”
The head that had been hanging low snapped up instantly. Without even feeling dizzy, light sparkled in the eyes that immediately looked into Yoon Ki-hyun’s face.
“Then what do you think?”
Enjoying the story?Support me on Ko-fi
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!