Chapter 56 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

“Suddenly?”

It ​was ​such ​an ​unexpected ​comment that Yoon Ki-hyun ​asked ​back in informal ​speech.

“Yeah. But seriously, ​it’s ​no ​joke. ​You’re ​fucking ​beautiful.”

Still groggy from ​the ​anesthesia, ​Jeong Si-jun lifted ​the arm with the ​IV line ​and lightly ​tapped Yoon ​Ki-hyun’s cheek.

Since ​it ​was ​a hand attached ​to an ​IV line and a ​dressing covering the sutures, ​Ki-hyun couldn’t push it ​away harshly; ​he ​had no choice but to let ​his cheek be touched. ​Moreover, ​since ​Si-jun ​wasn’t ​in his right ​mind, it ​felt ​awkward to even ​get ​angry.

“The first thing you do ​upon opening ​your ​eyes is evaluate ​someone ​else’s ​face?”

Yoon ​Ki-hyun ​looked down ​at ​his groggy ​employer with a dissatisfied expression.

He knew his ​face was on ​the prettier side. ​Honestly, he felt it ​had more ​drawbacks than advantages. ​Ever ​since he awakened ​as a Guide, ​he considered ​it ​a trait ​that ​was nothing ​short ​of a ​curse.

Unaware ​of ​the other’s inner ​thoughts, ​Jeong Si-jun ​smirked, ​seemingly ​delighted ​by something, and muttered.

“Even your angry voice is fucking hot…”

“Now this bastard, seriously.”

Ki-hyun knew Si-jun was rambling because he hadn’t fully woken up from the anesthesia, but he couldn’t help feeling irritated.

Furthermore, the feeling that he had received confirmation that Jeong Si-jun viewed him as a romantic interest left him feeling unsettled.

‘I think he really does like me.’

He intended to indirectly reject Si-jun several times to ensure the man wouldn’t actually confess. However, if Jeong Si-jun ignored all that and pushed forward, he couldn’t guarantee what would happen next.

His head knew. A relationship with Jeong Si-jun was a bad choice in many ways.

Setting aside the fact that they were tied by an employment contract, the biggest problem was his own physical condition, which made it impossible to guarantee anything five years down the line.

“But you know. Why won’t you let me call you Hyung?”

Jeong Si-jun asked, rubbing Ki-hyun’s cheek as if tickling it with a feather. The hot body temperature touching his fingertips felt exceptionally vivid.

Rubbing the fine hairs on the nape of his neck with his palm, Yoon Ki-hyun subtly pulled his head back.

“Let’s talk about it when you’ve regained your senses. You’re just [Read on Read [stolen content]BL Novels]visit our sitewm: Read on Read BL Novels -->saying whatever comes to mind because the anesthesia hasn’t worn off.”

He decided that the current conversation with Jeong Si-jun was devoid of any nutritional value.

‘But did the doctor say to call them when he woke up? If there are no problems, can I just perform guiding as usual?’

Because he had so many thoughts swirling around, the doctor’s instructions were blurry. As expected, it seemed best to call the medical staff to be sure.

As he reached out to press the call button, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

“What is it? Does something hurt?”

When Yoon Ki-hyun looked down and asked, Jeong Si-jun shook his head.

If it didn’t hurt, why stop him from calling the medical staff?

It was then, as Yoon Ki-hyun looked down with a puzzled face.

“Can’t we just stay like this for a little longer?”

Jeong Si-jun’s eyebrows drooped. He looked utterly disappointed. Looking at his still slurred pronunciation and eyelids blinking faster than usual, he still seemed to be under the influence of the anesthesia, but…

‘Is it my imagination that he seems somewhat lucid?’

It was ambiguous, and since he wasn’t a doctor, he had no basis for judgment.

Yoon Ki-hyun gently peeled away Jeong Si-jun’s hand from his wrist and pressed the call button.

Since they would be alone anyway once the status check was over, he judged it better to have a doctor check him once rather than staying like this.

“The progress is good. There are no particular issues.”

The doctor who arrived after the call diagnosed that Jeong Si-jun’s condition was very good and that he could move to the assigned guiding room in about thirty minutes.

Back in the recovery room with only the two of them, Jeong Si-jun was still pouting.

“What are you dissatisfied with now?”

“I told you earlier, I wanted to stay like that a little longer.”

“You woke up, so you had to be seen by a doctor at least once.”

“No, but still.”

“We’re alone now anyway, and we’ll be alone once unauthorized copyBEGIN: unauthorized copy -->unauthorized copy[unauthorized copy]span>we move to the guiding room. What’s the problem?”

“Wow…”

Jeong Si-jun could only gape, seemingly speechless. Whether he was angry because he couldn’t refute the point or not, his face flushed red again, and he began fanning himself by flapping his casted arm.

Is it okay to move like that? As that thought suddenly occurred to him, Yoon Ki-hyun abruptly asked. It was the same question he had asked Park Kyung-min earlier.

“Espers inside the gate… do they fight recklessly, trusting only in the fact that they are sturdy and heal quickly?”

Jeong Si-jun scratched around the dressing on his forehead and nodded. It didn’t seem like he was asking out of curiosity for tactical theory, but rather just wondering why they came out so injured.

“To put it simply, yeah? Since it’s basic to plan operations based on recovery power and physical conditions.”

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“It hurt like hell at first. But as you keep doing it, you get used to it, so it doesn’t hurt as much as the first time.”

Jeong Si-jun observed Yoon Ki-hyun’s expression, which remained silent. He had already been concerned about Ki-hyun’s pale face before going into the operating room, and he now regretted whether he had said something unnecessary.

“Why that look on your face?”

“…What’s wrong with my expression?”

Yoon Ki-hyun hid his troubled state and intentionally put on an indifferent face. However, he couldn’t deceive the eyes of Jeong Si-jun, who had spent the entire day staring only at his face.

“It’s just, you look like you’re worried about me.”

Jeong Si-jun mumbled, as if it were strange that Yoon Ki-hyun was concerned.

‘I’ve made it very obvious that I dislike him. What on earth does he take me for…’

Separate from pushing Jeong Si-jun away, Yoon Ki-hyun was naturally worried about him for venturing into a gate raid.

This was despite knowing that Si-jun had established himself as an S-class Esper at the Center faster than anyone else based on his innate combat abilities.

Any citizen would naturally feel this way toward an Esper. The spirit of sacrifice, heading into a dangerous space where one might lose their life for the safety of the majority, cannot be easily dismissed.

Of course, before Jeong Si-jun changed his attitude, those emotions had been clouded by the act of criticizing his ruined personality.

“Is it really that strange for me to be worried about Team Leader Jeong?”

“It’s just that someone who usually doesn’t worry about me is suddenly doing it…”

Jeong Si-jun trailed off, glancing at Yoon Ki-hyun and mumbling.

“Could it be that… I’ve started to like you a bit?”

If one could measure the opacity of a human heart, Jeong Si-jun’s value would be 0%. That was how transparent the intention of his question was.

‘This bastard…’

Isn’t it sly to say things like this when he’s sick?

Yoon Ki-hyun frowned.

Jeong Si-jun’s intention was somewhat effective. Normally, this was a time when he would have reacted with disgust and refuted it, but his lips wouldn’t easily part.

“…”

“…”

Jeong Si-jun was disheartened by the lack of an answer. He knew that silence did not always mean affirmation.

‘Of course.’

There was no way a man who lived up to his beautiful face would [Read on Read BL Novels]easily [visit our site[stolen content];position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]like him. He had asked despite knowing that because he felt a slight hopeful signal.

Though he didn’t know who it was, hadn’t someone rushed to the medical wing, pale with shock, upon hearing he was injured?

Moreover, the moment he opened his eyes in the recovery room after surgery, he saw a face full of worry, which made him secretly hopeful. Perhaps Yoon Ki-hyun had opened his heart to him a little.

But it wasn’t the case.

‘…Sigh.’

The excitement vanished. In truth, Jeong Si-jun thought Yoon Ki-hyun might have at least a speck of affection for him.

‘Honestly, the Team Leader was really obnoxious before. But I don’t think that anymore.’

When he had returned injured on purpose to attract attention, Yoon Ki-hyun had said his evaluation had changed compared to before. From then on, he had secretly hoped.

The heart of a person who once told him to go fuck himself even after seeing him coughing up blood and struggling had turned in a positive direction. So, he optimistically thought that if he continued to express his feelings like this, Yoon Ki-hyun might give him a bit more of his heart.

But looking at his current attitude, it was unclear when that day would come. Or perhaps, such a day might never come.

Ever since meeting Yoon Ki-hyun, expecting and being disappointed alone wasn’t a new occurrence, but today he felt particularly unsettled.

‘Right. Why would Yoon Ki-hyun like me? Maybe if it were money…’

Come to think of it, he was a person who only came alive when money was mentioned. Perhaps the texture of the worried expression he showed earlier was in a different direction than what he thought.

‘Could it be that he did that because it would be troublesome if the guy who pays his salary died quickly?’

It was a conjecture born of a twisted heart, but it had some logic to it.

Just looking at Yoon Ki-hyun’s residence, one could tell what his economic situation was. Moreover, since he had even taken out a loan for his father’s hospital bills, he might still be in debt.

But he hates money and gifts, and only wants his salary? Does pride feed him?

He couldn’t fathom what Yoon Ki-hyun was thinking. Throughout the uncomfortable silence, the face he glanced at remained complex and subtle.

“You don’t have to be worried only about people you like.”

Breaking the long silence, Yoon Ki-hyun mumbled an answer that fell within Jeong Si-jun’s expected range.

Jeong Si-jun’s lips twitched. He wanted to ask again if there really wasn’t even a speck of affection in that worry. But the answer Yoon Ki-hyun would give was obvious anyway.

‘He’ll probably say something like he’s worried because an Esper got hurt while he’s being paid to work. Or he’ll ask if there’s anyone who wouldn’t worry when a person is injured.’

Perhaps influenced by his body, which was still heavy [stolen [unauthorized copy]contentclass="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">Read on Read BL Novels]from painkillers and sedatives, he felt gloomy. Jeong Si-jun closed his eyes, which felt as heavy as lead.

“Right. Thanks for worrying. But I’ll be better by tomorrow, so you don’t have to worry anymore.”

Jeong Si-jun’s voice was withered. Rather than being sarcastic, it was closer to feeling completely deflated or resigned.

That, in turn, tugged at Yoon Ki-hyun’s nerves. Very faintly, but surely.

“Why are you talking like that again?”

“What did I do? I just said thank you for worrying.”

“The nuance is like that.”

“It’s not? Maybe my pronunciation is just off because the anesthesia hasn’t worn off… and since I’m groggy, it might be nonsense…”

Jeong Si-jun grumbled without opening his eyes. With his eyes closed, sleepiness began to creep in again.

At first, he had intended to insist that he wasn’t just being cranky using the painkillers and sedatives as a shield, but his consciousness was truly fading. His body, which had just woken from anesthesia, wanted rest.

At the increasingly trailing end of his words, Yoon Ki-hyun let out a small sigh. It wasn’t as if he would wear out by saying a few more words, so he could afford to tell him this much.

“Where is there a person who doesn’t worry about their own Esper?”

Just be satisfied with this answer for today, please.

As Yoon Ki-hyun answered softly, as if coaxing him, Jeong Si-jun snapped his eyes open.

What did he just say?

Jeong Si-jun’s lips merely parted. His heart was pounding violently. If he had been wearing an ECG sensor patch, the speed would have been enough to make the medical staff rush in.