Chapter 88 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

He ​didn’t ​even ​think ​to ​wipe away the tears. ​He ​was that flustered. ​It wasn’t the ​first ​time ​he’d ​seen ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun cry, but ​he ​didn’t ​know why his ​mind had gone completely ​blank.

“Why are ​you crying? ​Are you ​just so ​pissed ​off ​that you’re tearing ​up or ​something?”

Jeong Si-jun blurted out ​whatever came to mind. ​In response, Yoon Ki-hyun ​answered while ​tears ​continued to drip down.

“Yeah. I’m fucking ​pissed right now.”

“…I didn’t ​do ​it ​on ​purpose.”

As ​soon as Jeong ​Si-jun finished ​speaking, ​Yoon Ki-hyun let ​out ​a hollow laugh.

‘As if one-sided ​imprinting is ​something ​you can do ​on ​purpose?’

The ​situation ​of ​imprinting itself ​was ​uncommon. At ​best, it was a peculiar phenomenon that ​had only just ​entered the research ​stage. Much like the ​rare, incurable ​disease Yoon Ki-hyun ​suffered ​from, which only ​manifested rarely in ​Guides.

“I really ​can’t ​believe this…”

Tears ​had ​burst forth ​as ​his emotions ​overflowed, ​but ​hearing Jeong Si-jun’s ​nonsense ​made Read on Read BL Novelshim ​let ​out ​a ​hollow stolen contentlaugh from sheer absurdity. At the same time, it was true that he felt relieved. He felt at ease now that Jeong Si-jun seemed like the person he knew.

‘I think my breathing has gotten a bit easier, too.’

Throughout the entire process of guiding while holding onto a body that was practically a rag, Yoon Ki-hyun had been terrified that Jeong Si-jun might die right before his eyes.

He had been guiding because he was told it was urgent, but every time the man vomited clumps of blood or exhaled a breath mixed with a wheezing sound, it felt as if his own throat were tightening.

Yoon Ki-hyun knew the sound of a life nearly extinguished escaping a human body like a murky wind.

It was the sound he had heard from his father around the time he arrived at the intensive care unit after receiving word from the hospital that the end was near. To think that Jeong Si-jun would be making that same sound.

He knew that injuries were inseparable from their profession. However, having to guide someone he thought might have died, who was collapsed on the floor with a battered body, was a different matter entirely.

After checking Jeong Si-jun’s wavelength, it seemed the immediate crisis had been somewhat averted.

Since purifying the wavelength further wouldn’t make the wounds heal quickly, it was now the moment where professional medical treatment was required.

“Your wavelength is fine at this level, so get treated now. And… we’ll talk later.”

Yoon Ki-hyun took his hand off the other’s cheek without hesitation. He felt he had lingered long enough. A considerable amount of time had passed since the medical staff, visible at the edge of his vision, had been waiting anxiously.

He felt he had fulfilled his role. It was just as Yoon Ki-hyun was about to step [Read on Read BL Novelsclass="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">unauthorized copy]aside, as if passing a baton to the medical staff.

“Is there even a ‘later’ for us?”

Jeong Si-jun muttered with a frown. He hadn’t wanted to be sarcastic, but his mouth moved on its own.

‘Later? Just when exactly is that?’

In truth, Jeong Si-jun knew better than anyone that there was no such thing as a “next time.”

And yet, Yoon Ki-hyun was nonchalantly promising a future on his own. As if he would actually accept him…

What a cruel tease of hope. He knew he had brought this upon himself, but he wasn’t sober enough to hide his prickly heart. However, the response he got was unexpected.

“Why wouldn’t there be?”

“…Excuse me?”

“There are still days left. Above all, there’s a promise.”

For a moment, his brain stopped working. He couldn’t immediately understand what Yoon Ki-hyun was talking about.

“So just get treated first. While I’m still being nice.”

Yoon Ki-hyun slowly stood up, handing the blinking Jeong Si-jun over to the medical staff. A persistent gaze followed him, but he tried his best to ignore it.

The temporary base was not a suitable place for long-winded conversations. It was already quite late to think that, considering they had already shared many private stories and had even cried.

Before being transported to the hospital on a stretcher, Jeong Si-jun reached out and grabbed Yoon Ki-hyun’s wrist gently. The medical staff paused for a moment as he acted as if he had something to say.

“We’re really talking later, right?”

Jeong Si-jun demanded confirmation with anxious eyes. Thinking that he wouldn’t let go of his wrist if he didn’t answer, Yoon Ki-hyun nodded.

“I said I got it. Just go get treated, you idiot.”

Only when Yoon Ki-hyun glared at him with wide eyes did Jeong Si-jun finally let go, looking regretful. Because he acted so slowly and sluggishly, the medical staff holding the stretcher looked displeased.

“Um, may we depart for transport now?”

Since the wavelength had been severe upon exiting the gate and guiding had been administered, the medical staff asked Yoon Ki-hyun once more for confirmation.

The nuance was clear: given the circumstances, the Esper didn’t seem to be in his right mind, and they wanted to be sure the wavelength was truly stable.

He had been sobbing in the middle of an open temporary base, rambling about one-sided imprinting and whatnot, so the [stolen content]situation was obvious. It would be quite unsettling to take [unauthorized stolen contentcopy]an Esper to the hospital who was obsessing over a Guide despite injuries that made it obvious he couldn’t be sane.

“Yes. The wavelength is within the stable range. He’ll be quiet.”

“…”

“Right?”

“Ah, what do you take me for.”

Jeong Si-jun snorted while lying on the stretcher. Seeing that he had the energy to chuckle, it seemed there was no need to worry much about the progress of his treatment.

Once Yoon Ki-hyun’s confirmation was complete, the medical staff left with Jeong Si-jun in the ambulance. After cleaning up the blood-stained floor and slowly looking around the temporary base, Yoon Ki-hyun gazed at the now-clean status board.

[Unreturned Personnel Status: 0 / All Returned]

Perhaps because it had been exposed to sunlight for a long time, the outline of Jeong Si-jun’s name remained like a shadow, even though it had been erased with force.

But as the phrase “All Returned” indicated, Jeong Si-jun had safely returned from the gate. His wounds looked quite serious, but considering his phenomenal recovery rate, he would regain his original form before long.

However, Yoon Ki-hyun could not easily bring himself to leave the status board. For fear that the moment he looked away, Jeong Si-jun’s name would reappear on the board as if all of this had been a dream.

He stood in one place as if nailed down, Read on Read BL [[visit our site]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">unauthorized copy]Novelsstaring blankly at the outline of Jeong Si-jun’s name that remained like a shadow.

Jeong Si-jun’s surgery ended successfully. It meant that the recovery power of an S-class Esper with a stable wavelength was functioning properly.

The surgeon in charge reportedly said every time he visited the room to check the progress that his recovery was like a monster’s, though whether that was true or just lip service was unknown.

“…”

“…”

Yoon Ki-hyun was sitting in a spacious single-patient room. It felt strange to be sitting in the spot that Jeong Si-jun had always occupied whenever he had been indebted to the hospital in the past.

Jeong Si-jun, dressed in familiar patient clothes, scratched his forehead and then whipped his head around.

“Ah, wait a second.”

The man raised his hand as if to stop him, beginning to breathe in and out with audible wheezing. He wondered what kind of pattern this was. It was then that Yoon Ki-hyun’s eyebrows twitched.

“It’s just that I think I know what you’re about to say, Hyung.”

“What are you talking about. Did you learn mind-reading or something in the gate?”

“I just got a feeling. My intuition for these things is amazing, you know.”

Was he the type with developed intuition like himself?

Yoon Ki-hyun reconsidered his thought of stepping aside for a moment. The reason he had come all the way to Jeong Si-jun’s hospital room was to tie up the ambiguous, floating relationship between them.

“Enough of that. What I want to say is…”

Just as Yoon Ki-hyun was about to get to the point, Jeong Si-jun waved his hands frantically and shouted loudly.

‘What is this crazy bastard. Ah… maybe his head injury hasn’t healed?’

Since he was told he had injuries all over his body to the point where it would be faster to find a spot that wasn’t hurt, it wouldn’t be strange if there were still aftereffects.

As Yoon Ki-hyun, looking displeased, tried to press the call bell, Jeong Si-jun shook his head vigorously.

“…No, it’s not that. I’m not doing this because I’m in pain. If anything, my heart does hurt. Like it’s about to tear apart, and I can see the future coming and I want to deny it?”

What kind of bizarre nonsense was this? Seeing him ramble, it seemed he wasn’t in a state to have a conversation yet.

Since it wasn’t a conversation that had to happen right now, it wouldn’t be bad to postpone it.

“If you can’t calm down, I’ll come back next time.”

“No? No. I can’t just leave after coming all this way. Phew, haa…”

Jeong Si-jun acted restless on the bed, looking back and forth between the window and the ceiling.

His craziness was nothing new, but since he was recovering after a long stay in the gate, worry came first.

It was just as Yoon Ki-hyun sat with a skeptical face, wondering if he should leave now for the sake of Jeong Si-jun’s stability.

“…I’ve calmed down. So, uh, what was it? You said you had something to talk to me about? Or not?”

He still looked in bad shape to be called “calmed down.” Yoon Ki-hyun glanced at him as if he didn’t believe it at all, but he began to speak.

“You remember what you said when I asked to terminate the contract, right?”

How could he forget?

‘Just try meeting me for one month.’

‘Let’s just meet for one month. If you still hate me after a month, I’ll give up cleanly then.’

He had blurted it out as he clung to any chance, but in truth, those [Read Read on Read BL Novelson Read BL Novels]words were nothing more than a pathetic way to buy time. As he sighed, wondering what he had been thinking when he said such a thing.

“Since there was a promise, just know that there are 17 days left.”

Yoon Ki-hyun notified him calmly.

17 days. There were 7 days left before Jeong Si-jun entered the unmeasurable grade gate, and he had stayed in the gate for 10 days, so the period matched perfectly.

The problem, however, was that Yoon Ki-hyun was the one reminding him of this. Moreover, he was glancing at his face frequently to gauge his reaction.

“I thought you’d just gloss over it, but your date calculation is sharp.”

He knew Yoon Ki-hyun was a person who followed principles and was sharp in strange areas, but this was unexpected.

Since the fact that he had hidden the one-sided imprinting had been exposed, Jeong Si-jun had inwardly imagined Yoon Ki-hyun getting angry, asking if the promise even mattered. Come to think of it, it was a situation that deserved anger in many ways.

However, aside from the tears he shed upon returning from the gate, Yoon Ki-hyun hadn’t been particularly angry.

“Things like this should be calculated properly.”

“That’s true, but…”

Isn’t the atmosphere surprisingly mild for having hidden a one-sided imprinting?

It was then that Jeong Si-jun trailed off, trying to hide the corner of his mouth that was slightly curling up.

“…What’s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?”

Yoon Ki-hyun tilted his head slightly and checked his complexion. It was a face that was undoubtedly worried about him.

“Ah, no. It’s not that.”

Jeong Si-jun shook his head. He wanted to ask Yoon Ki-hyun if he had been worried about him, but he decided to keep his words to himself. After all, it wasn’t just once or twice that he had earned Yoon Ki-hyun’s dislike due to a slip of the tongue.

Through several experiences, he was steadily growing.