Chapter 48 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

“Well…”

“Well?”

Seeing ​Jeong ​Si-jun ​repeat ​his ​words as if urging ​him ​for an answer, ​the cluttered thoughts ​in ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun’s ​head ​seemed ​to gradually bleach ​away. ​Perhaps ​it was because ​he was with someone ​who acted ​as simple ​as a ​single-celled organism; ​it ​felt ​as if that ​simplicity was ​contagious.

“You pay the salary ​generously…”

“Yes.”

“And you apologize manlily ​when you’ve done something ​wrong.”

There was ​nothing ​left to describe Jeong Si-jun with, ​yet his eyes were ​still ​sparkling.

“Something ​else.”

What ​do ​you mean, ‘something ​else’? He ​had ​already squeezed out ​as ​much of an evaluation as ​possible.

Ignoring Yoon ​Ki-hyun’s ​awkward expression, Jeong ​Si-jun’s ​gaze ​did ​not ​fade; instead, ​it ​grew more ​intense.

The way his face slowly tilted toward ​Yoon Ki-hyun was ​simply absurd. He ​clearly wanted a specific ​answer. [unauthorized copy]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[unauthorized copy]Judging ​by the tilt ​ostolen contentf ​his head, it ​was fair to ​say he ​had ​given every ​possible ​hint.

‘Ah, if ​the ​kid hadn’t ​been ​hurt, ​I would’ve asked ​what ​the hell ​he ​was ​talking ​about.’

A single sliver of concern—that the man might have been hurt due to a lack of guiding—was enough to break down Yoon Ki-hyun’s defenses. Ultimately, under Jeong Si-jun’s blatant and persistent gaze, Yoon Ki-hyun muttered in a reluctant voice, as if admitting defeat.

“And at this point… I think of you as a reasonably handsome employer. Satisfied now?”

It was an answer given like a handout, as if telling him to just take it and leave, but far from being offended, Jeong Si-jun’s face flushed red and he could only gape.

Though many modifiers had been attached to the front, he had clearly said ‘handsome employer.’ Wasn’t that the exact name he had personally entered into Yoon Ki-hyun’s phone when he offered the personal Guide position and exchanged numbers?

To think that the man who had asked if he was overthinking things while insisting on saving his contact info by name would actually remember that.

“Wow… Yoon Ki-hyun, you really have a way of driving a person crazy.”

“Who laughs while receiving guiding? Stop laughing.”

Yoon Ki-hyun frowned as the wavelength began to flicker here and there every time Jeong Si-jun let out a stifled laugh.

“Team Leader Jeong, please.”

“Ah, I can’t help it, I’m just too happy.”

“What’s so great? That you got the answer you wanted?”

“Yes. It’s fucking great.”

At the honest answer, Yoon Ki-hyun let out a small sigh. Regardless of whether Yoon Ki-hyun looked unimpressed or not, Jeong Si-jun continued to laugh like a madman.

‘Ah, fuck. Yoon Ki-hyun.’

He just loved everything—the way the man grumbled, the way he got irritable, and even that look of contempt and disbelief.

This was a first for him. His heart was pounding pleasantly. Yoon Ki-hyun, being so close, could probably hear this beat.

No, he hoped he could. Could he hear it? He probably did, right?

‘Do I actually like Yoon Ki-hyun?’

Without a word, Jeong Si-jun subtly rested his forehead against Yoon Ki-hyun’s shoulder. Yoon Ki-hyun, who looked as if he would recoil in disgust, surprisingly stayed still. After hesitating for a moment, he called out to Jeong Si-jun in a low voice.

“…Team Leader.”

“Yeah?”

“Did you happen to hurt your side during today’s raid?”

“Huh? Why? I had it stitched up when I got the cast.”

“I think it might have reopened…”

“Ah?”

He had felt a bit of pain in his side for some reason. While Jeong Si-jun let out a short gasp, Yoon Ki-hyun didn’t hesitate and pressed the medical staff call button.

Seriously, not a single day went by quietly.

“What do you do to relax on your days off?”

Jeong Si-jun asked, lying face down on the folding bed as usual. In his hand, he held an e-book reader displaying a manga page.

“What do you mean, what do I do? I just relax.”

Responding indifferently, Yoon Ki-hyun sipped the citron tea in his hand.

Among the things Jeong Si-jun had brought in under the guise of ‘personal Guide welfare’ were six different types of fruit preserves.

At first, he had been overwhelmed by how he would ever finish them all, but as he drank them steadily, he could finally see the bottom. It was also nice that he didn’t have to bother pushing through crowds to go to the center’s cafe.

“Of course you’d relax on your day off. Not that. Anyone would say that.”

Jeong Si-jun grumbled, demanding a different answer. He could [stolen content]aria-label="stolen content">stolen contentfeel that the man wanted something specific, but…

‘I really do nothing, so what am I supposed to say?’

He truly did nothing on his holidays. He slept, ate something simple when he was hungry, and took his medication. In fact, it was closer to eating just so he could take his medicine.

“Don’t you have any hobbies? Like gaming, billiards, running, soccer, watching movies, things like that.”

Jeong Si-jun asked grumpily. The lineup of hobbies was completely outside of Yoon Ki-hyun’s tastes.

To begin with, he didn’t prefer moving his body much. He had built a wall between himself and exercise, and since he had to save money, things that could be called hobbies naturally disappeared.

“I don’t have any. I don’t like moving around.”

At Yoon Ki-hyun’s response as he shook his head, Jeong Si-jun gave an answer that sounded like he was talking to himself.

“I thought you looked like that…”

What did he mean by ‘looked like that’? It was unnecessarily irritating. But he had nothing to argue with. While he was just glaring at him, Jeong Si-jun asked with sparkling eyes.

“Do you want to go see a movie this weekend?”

To put it bluntly, it was a cliché move; to put it nicely, it was a classic play. The way he glanced over, inwardly anticipating a reaction, looked naive and almost cute, but it was a hassle.

“I don’t like movies.”

“Aw, damn. Then what do you like?”

Eventually, Jeong Si-jun sprang up. Seeing him stand up without using his arms, it was clear his core strength was no joke. While Yoon Ki-hyun was inwardly impressed, he muttered.

“The silence and peace I feel when Team Leader Jeong leaves me alone?”

“Do you know that whenever you speak in long sentences, it’s always to take a dig at me?”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes it is.”

Jeong Si-jun huffed and let out a deep breath. Even though it was just trivial wordplay, it felt more amusing than infuriating. It was almost impressive how he remained steadfast and continued to make his feelings known even after being rejected so bluntly.

“I’ve known for a long time that you fucking hate me, but I didn’t know it was this bad.”

“This is happening because you’re talking nonsense. For starters, Team Leader Jeong, can you even go see a movie with the Esper Head of Department on your day off?”

“Are you crazy?”

“See?”

As Yoon Ki-hyun gestured with his chin, a caught-off-guard Read unauthorized copyon Read BL Novelsstyle="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[visit our site]Jeong Si-jun avoided his gaze and fidgeted his legs.

“Am I the same as that crazy old man?”

“You’re different, but I’m saying that in terms of comparison.”

“Forget it. Just give me some guiding. I feel like my wavelength suddenly became a mess.”

Jeong Si-jun strode over and plopped down next to the sofa.

Whenever he had no chance of winning an argument, Jeong Si-jun would cling to him and ask for guiding. He seemed to be the only one who didn’t realize how ridiculous that was.

“I gave you guiding ten minutes ago. Your wavelength worsened in that short time?”

“Ah, I’m telling you it did. That’s just how it feels.”

‘How it feels’ my ass…

As Yoon Ki-hyun took Jeong Si-jun’s hand with a skeptical expression, he felt a humid body temperature. The sound of Jeong Si-jun’s loudly pounding heart came as a bonus.

Drawing the wavelength, which was flickering as noisily as a heartbeat, toward himself, Yoon Ki-hyun narrowed his eyes.

‘What a ridiculous bastard. His wavelength is perfectly fine.’

Still, he couldn’t go against the employer’s instructions.

“I’ll start the guiding.”

“…Okay.”

Although there wasn’t a clear spot that needed purifying, the wavelength flowed into Yoon Ki-hyun and then returned to Jeong Si-jun.

Feeling the gentle and languid wavelength transmitted through their touching palms, Jeong Si-jun closed his eyes, forgetting even to stare blankly at Yoon Ki-hyun’s face.

‘Ah, this feels fucking good.’

His mind was at peace. Such a feeling was rare. Wanting to touch him just a bit more, he gradually applied more strength to his grip. Then, as the wavelength entering his body jolted once, Jeong Si-jun quickly loosened his grip and asked.

“Did it hurt?”

Yoon Ki-hyun didn’t answer, but a wrinkle appeared between his straight brows—one that hadn’t been there before. It meant it hurt.

“I’m sorry.”

Jeong Si-jun apologized immediately. Apologies are best when they are fast. It was a simple fact, but he had only recently learned it through experience.

To be precise, it was a realization in progress that he had felt acutely after meeting Yoon Ki-hyun. Why had he not known this simple logic until now? Sometimes, Jeong Si-jun felt like going back to the past.

If he had, at least Yoon Ki-hyun might have viewed him in a slightly better light.

“Do you get nosebleeds often?”

Perhaps the scene of him bleeding from the nose at the hangover soup restaurant had been quite shocking, as the question was very specific.

“It’s decreased a lot. Though it would be a lie to say they’ve stopped completely.”

Still, the fact that nosebleeds that used to happen every day had decreased to once or twice a week was a surprising achievement. The headaches that felt like his scalp was sticking to his skull had also improved significantly.

He didn’t want to show any signs of pain to Jeong Si-jun if possible. This was a workplace, and he considered managing one’s condition as a basic part of the job.

“Tell me if you need my help.”

“What kind of help?”

“Just, you know, small things like giving you a ride to the hospital. I’m saying call me instead of Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung.”

Since he feared that mentioning money would bruise Yoon Ki-hyun’s pride again, Jeong Si-jun could only offer the trivial suggestion of using him as a taxi driver or an errand boy.

He wanted to make a good impression, but having realized that money didn’t work, his only remaining asset to appeal with was his own body.

At the suggestion of using an S-class Esper with a staggering price tag as a taxi driver, Yoon Ki-hyun responded with a laugh.

“I’ll ask you if I need it next time.”

“Do you promise? Just try taking a taxi when I see you.”

“Ah, what is he talking about. Seriously.”

Yoon Ki-hyun turned his head, suppressing a laugh that had escaped unconsciously.