Chapter 64 – The Price of a Misjudgment
Setting aside personal friendship, they weren’t a pair that had many points of contact to begin with. There weren’t many occasions where a personal Guide and a Guide affiliated with the Center would perform guiding together.
Finding it difficult to say no to such a bright face, Yoon Ki-hyun had awkwardly brushed it off with a smile, but Kim Sa-on didn’t seem to notice that it was a roundabout refusal. He simply kept chatting away, beaming with a smile.
‘Wow, he really talks a lot.’
He seemed naturally optimistic and positive.
While occasionally adding interjections to Kim Sa-on’s one-sided conversation, they arrived at the entrance of the Awakened Management Center headquarters, where they met the person who had come to welcome Kim Sa-on.
Surprisingly, it was someone Yoon Ki-hyun knew well. Perhaps “well” was an understatement. He was a man who, until recently, had frequently showered him with offers to become his personal Guide.
“Ah, the senior you met on the way was Mr. Ki-hyun?”
Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung put down his phone with a bright smile. A hint of fluster lingered in his smiling eyes. At the sight of that obviously awkward smile, Yoon Ki-hyun’s expression turned cold.
‘I thought I was the one being played, but isn’t Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung the one playing the field? But wait….’
After a brief glare at Seo Yi-kyung, his thoughts began to drift in a different direction.
Seo Yi-kyung had once confessed that he had shown interest [unauthorized [visit our site]copy]m: unauthorized copy -->in him out of a sense of rebellion because he disliked and disapproved of Jeong Si-jun so much.
How should he interpret the fact that the object of interest—born from such a childish and one-dimensional idea—had now shifted to Kim Sa-on?
His mind suddenly began to tangle rapidly.
Yoon Ki-hyun glanced at Seo Yi-kyung and Kim Sa-on at the Center’s main gate. Kim Sa-on seemed to have been chattering incessantly, but honestly, he couldn’t remember what he had said. It was because his mind was so cluttered.
‘Could Jeong Si-jun possibly…?’
The anxiety stemming from job instability began to act up again.
‘And here he was, saying my guiding was the best….’
While pacing around the guiding room in an anxious state, Jeong Si-jun, who had arrived late for work, opened the door and walked in.
“I heard you came to work with Mr. Kim Sa-on this morning. You saw that fox-like bastard Seo Yi-kyung coming to meet him, right?”
The first thing he said as soon as the door closed was a tattle about what had just happened.
“Your source of information is truly impressive.”
“I have a lot of ears listening.”
Jeong Si-jun gave a sly smile and perched on [stolen content]Read on Read BL Novelswm: stolen content -->the sofa. Then, he slowly admired Yoon Ki-hyun, who was wearing a suit for the first time in a while instead of patient clothes.
The owner had returned to the guiding room, a place he hadn’t needed to visit for a while as he had been receiving guiding from Kim Sa-on. He felt an indescribable sense of relief at the pouty gaze staring at him from the sofa, which was practically his designated seat.
It felt as if everything that had been skewed was finally clicking back into place. It was the sensation of a creaky daily routine returning to normal.
“Anyway, from where I stand, it’s certain that Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung has completely switched over.”
“Switched over?”
“He kept poking and contacting Yoon Ki-hyun to see if he could get something, and then when it seemed like it wouldn’t work, he gave up and jumped straight to that kid. It’s obvious.”
Why did it always end up sounding like that? That wasn’t the reason Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung had approached him.
‘He told me he did it to provoke you because he hates you so much.’
He feared the aftermath of telling the truth. Knowing Jeong Si-jun’s personality, he would likely charge in and ask if the man was insane, and if that happened, only Yoon Ki-hyun would be in an awkward position.
“I thought the higher-ups ordered it,” Yoon Ki-hyun murmured, sitting next to Jeong Si-jun out of habit.
At that, Jeong Si-jun grumbled as if he were dealing with someone who knew nothing.
“They told me to do it first, but I refused, and Seo Yi-kyung jumped at the chance as if he’d been waiting for it, saying he’d do it himself.”
“Ah, is that so…?”
The thought of Jeong Si-jun welcoming Kim Sa-on to work made him feel unpleasant.
“The Esper headquarters chief kept poking me, saying I looked like I needed guiding more than Seo Yi-kyung did. He went on and on about how I should go out to meet him every morning to get acquainted and get close, what a load of bullshit….”
“…….”
“While Mr. Yoon Ki-hyun was hospitalized, I had no choice but to receive some guidance from Mr. Kim Sa-on, but no matter how I think about it, it makes no sense for me to come to work early just to meet that kid.”
Yoon Ki-hyun felt relieved at the single grumbled sentence from Jeong Si-jun, who was frowning deeply as if he were still displeased.
‘…And here he was, constantly asking me to commute together. What the.’
He knew he was being childish, but the feeling of pride was greater. It was because it seemed his value to Jeong Si-jun was still valid.
After learning about the existence of an S-class Guide, he had vowed not to overestimate his abilities or get cocky… but not only was his light and frivolous heart fluttering on its own, he was even feeling proud.
Despite having been anxious just a moment ago that Jeong Si-jun might continue receiving guiding from Kim Sa-on.
“I didn’t say anything because you said the professor gave permission, but is it really okay for you to do guiding?”
When Jeong Si-jun asked, Yoon Ki-hyun nodded quickly. Having trembled with anxiety throughout his hospitalization that his job might disappear, he felt like he wanted to perform guiding right this second.
The professor still maintained that he should stop guiding. However, since the situation visit our sitewas unfavorable, it was closer to reluctantly suggesting a forced alternative.
‘Since this awakened body, unique to Guides, has weakened and is causing inflammation and fatigue in the connected organs, it is best for treatment to avoid guiding as much as possible, but….’
He couldn’t follow the professor’s advice. With the professor sounding troubled, saying it was difficult to guarantee how long the treatment would take, he had to earn money while he could.
The only saving grace was that the medical expenses had been somewhat reduced thanks to the donation Jeong Si-jun had made to the hospital.
“Let me check your wavelength.”
Yoon Ki-hyun reached out his hand to Jeong Si-jun. With a skeptical look, Jeong Si-jun slowly clasped his hand.
As he held the rough, thick hand and drew in the wavelength, Jeong Si-jun lowered his head deeply. Flustered by the reaction, which was different from usual, Yoon Ki-hyun asked.
“What’s wrong? Are you dizzy?”
“No. It’s just… the guiding is fucking great.”
Out of nowhere? He had only just held his hand.
“I only just took the wavelength.”
“Exactly.”
He didn’t know what kind of guiding he had received from Kim Sa-on to have such a reaction just [unauthorized copy]from the wavelength being drawn. With a dubious expression, Yoon Ki-hyun familiarly organized the wavelength that was rushing in without hesitation.
“How much guiding did you receive?”
“Hmm… probably about four times.”
Given that, the state of the wavelength was not very good. For a rookie Guide who had just received basic training and been assigned to duty, Jeong Si-jun’s wavelength indeed had too many overly tricky parts to handle.
There was a reason rookies were called rookies. It was best to treat them as talking potatoes or walking, communicating cabbages for at least three months.
Even if the higher-ups were anxious to squeeze efficiency out of the clueless rookies.
“How was it receiving guidance from Mr. Kim Sa-on?””
The reason he asked something he didn’t necessarily need to know was that he needed confirmation. Instead of an opaque feeling he could only guess from Jeong Si-jun’s attitude, he wanted to hear a direct answer.
“What. Are you bothered by it?”
Jeong Si-jun gave a short laugh and leaned his upper body forward. His eyes were full of mischief as he slowly looked into Yoon Ki-hyun’s face.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t bothered, and if he admitted it, the atmosphere suggested that Jeong Si-jun would tease him relentlessly.
However, he couldn’t grumble as freely as before. Because Jeong Si-jun now had the option of an S-class Guide to replace a sick A-class Guide who might end up in the hospital again at any time.
If the clumsiness stemming from a lack of experience disappeared, he might not even think about the guiding of a frail A-class Guide. [Read stolen contenton Read BL Novelsstyle="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]Therefore, he had to be honest here.
“Yes.”
“……Eh?”
As if he hadn’t expected Yoon Ki-hyun to answer honestly, Jeong Si-jun let out a bewildered sound. After blinking a few times, he seemed to finally understand the answer and parted his lips.
“You’re bothered?”
“Yes. Of course I am.”
“……Are you perhaps jealous right now?”
“That is….”
Yoon Ki-hyun trailed off for a moment.
A moment ago, when he imagined that Jeong Si-jun might have stood in the place of Seo Yi-kyung to welcome Kim Sa-on at the Center’s main gate, the emotion he felt was unpleasantness.
It wasn’t simply due to pride, nor was it a sentiment born from job insecurity. Even though he knew it didn’t matter whether Jeong Si-jun received guiding from Kim Sa-on as long as he received his salary, the reason it felt unpleasant was… because he felt hurt.
To think the day would come when he would feel hurt that Jeong Si-jun was being friendly to a Guide other than himself.
Since he had only imagined it, the fact that [visit [unauthorized copy]our site]he felt this way might be because he had grown fond of Jeong Si-jun.
Anyway, no matter how he thought about it, he was indeed jealous of Kim Sa-on. It was embarrassing, but it was true.
“What, seeing as your answer was slow, you must be jealous. Wow, the day has finally come where Mr. Yoon Ki-hyun is jealous.”
Glancing at Jeong Si-jun’s face as he teased him in a way that wasn’t hateful, Yoon Ki-hyun glared.
“Yes. I was jealous. Happy now?”
“Wow.”
Jeong Si-jun was busy admiring Yoon Ki-hyun, who continued the guiding seamlessly even while arguing with him. It was a moment where he realized once again that the skill born from experience could not be easily imitated by anyone.
“Do you know you just answered like a total man’s man?”
“What man’s man. I just said I was jealous.”
“No, your tone had a kind of charisma that made it feel like I’d have to do whatever you told me to.”
Jeong Si-jun chattered on, pouring out admiration. It was just funny that simply admitting he was jealous led to talk of “man’s man” and “charisma.” Curious to see how far this would go, Yoon Ki-hyun let out a small laugh and murmured.
“Then, if I told you to only receive guiding from me, would you do that?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he began to think that this might have been a bit much. A strong force began to be applied to the hands held together visit our siteunauthorized copyto draw the wavelength. Jeong Si-jun gripped Yoon Ki-hyun’s hand so hard that the veins on the back of his hand stood out, and he murmured softly.
“Ah… seriously, stop fucking seducing me.”
When he stole a glance, Jeong Si-jun’s face was completely bright red.
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