Chapter 97 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

He ​thought ​he ​would ​never get used to ​things ​related to hospitals. ​At least, that ​was ​how ​he ​felt ​until ​a few days ​ago.

‘After ​doing ​it a few ​times, it seems manageable…’

Yoon ​Ki-hyun gazed ​blankly out ​the window, ​recalling the ​discharge ​process ​that had gone ​as smooth ​as flowing water.

They say ​humans are creatures of ​adaptation. Yoon Ki-hyun was ​now becoming ​accustomed ​to the act of coming and ​going from the hospital.

From ​waking ​up ​to ​find ​himself in a ​hospital room, ​to ​the anxiety of ​waiting ​for test results, and finally ​the procedure ​of ​being discharged once ​it ​was ​determined ​that ​nothing was ​wrong.

The ​reason he ​was able to pass through those bleak ​and anxious times ​so nonchalantly was ​thanks to Jeong Si-jun.

“Si-jun.”

Jeong ​Si-jun kept ​his hands on ​the ​steering wheel and ​only turned his ​head to ​the ​side. In ​the ​midst of ​a ​traffic jam ​so ​frustrating ​that curses were ​rising ​to the ​tip ​of ​his ​tongue, the moment he heard Yoon Ki-hyun’s voice, a surprisingly gentle tone came out.

“Yes, Hyung.”

Until the discharge, Si-jun had pushed for Ki-hyun to stay at his house if he was feeling well, but he had been rejected, which still left Si-jun feeling a bit disappointed. Hoping that Ki-hyun might have changed his mind, he scanned the other man’s face.

‘Hmm, he doesn’t look like he’s about to tell me to go to my house.’

In truth, Yoon Ki-hyun was not someone whose feelings were easy to read from his expression. Today, too, he wore a vague look that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

‘He wouldn’t be asking to take back the offer to date, would he?’

It had only been three days since he started dating Yoon Ki-hyun. Even now, whenever he was alone, he would listen to the recording of Yoon Ki-hyun’s voice.

‘Let’s date for just one month. Got it? Let’s try dating for a month, and if it’s not great, we’ll think about it then.’

He wondered if the latter part had been necessary, but regardless, it was Yoon Ki-hyun who had proposed they date.

The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it was. That Yoon Ki-hyun had asked him to date. He really did well to record it. Jeong Si-jun did not regret his choice.

Even if he had to endure the side effect of shattering the emotional impact, if he hadn’t shoved his phone in his face, he probably would have asked Yoon Ki-hyun at least thirty times by now if they were truly dating.

“What is it? Did you leave something behind in the hospital room?”

When Jeong Si-jun asked tenderly, Yoon Ki-hyun scratched the back of his head.

“No. I just wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Is there anything you want to try doing now that you’re dating me?”

He hadn’t expected him to ask something like this. Caught off guard by the question, Jeong Si-jun’s lips parted and closed like a broken machine.

Something he wanted to do now that he was dating Yoon Ki-hyun?

To be honest, while he had a longing to date Yoon Ki-hyun, he had never concretely imagined it because he didn’t think it would actually happen.

At most, he had occasionally thought that if they did date, he might enjoy the luxury of hugging Ki-hyun’s warm body while he was sound asleep in the morning. It was only that sort of occasional thought.

“Honestly…”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t think you’d actually date me, so I only have very vague ideas.”

“Like what?”

“Just, you know, things like that. Like it would be nice to wake up together and hug in the morning…”

“Are you laying the groundwork to live together again?”

“No, it’s not that. Look at the road. We’re on the way to your house. To go to my house, we should have turned right back there!”

Feeling wronged, Jeong Si-jun pointed with his chin toward the navigation system. Indeed, the address entered into the GPS was the road leading to Yoon Ki-hyun’s goshiwon.

“Is there nothing else besides living together?”

“Uh, other than that, I just thought it would be nice to do the things other people do when they date.”

The things other people do. Yoon Ki-hyun tilted his head at the comprehensive and vague answer. It had been so long since he last dated that his mind went blank, as if all his romance cells had been annihilated.

“What do other people usually do when they date?”

“Dates?”

“I mean, what do they do on a date?”

“Isn’t it all the same? Eat food, watch a movie, go to a cafe, walk around the streets and take photos. And if that gets boring, occasionally go on a trip and stay for a few days?”

As Si-jun rattled off the standard route of universal couples, Yoon Ki-hyun’s mind became busy. Imagining himself and Jeong Si-jun doing those things one by one, he felt as though even using up a whole year’s worth of energy wouldn’t be enough.

While he blinked a few times, Jeong Si-jun, who had instinctively noticed the expression of rapidly losing interest, let out a smirk and asked.

“Hyung, honestly, you just thought it would be a pain in the ass to imagine doing all that, didn’t you?”

Since it felt awkward to admit it openly, Yoon Ki-hyun remained silent and slowly turned his head away.

“I won’t say anything, so just answer honestly.”

“…A little?”

At Yoon Ki-hyun’s admission, Jeong [unauthorized unauthorized [stolen content]copycopy]Si-jun burst into laughter. He found himself realizing anew that Yoon Ki-hyun was being soft with him, even in such trivial moments.

In the past, he would have glared or ignored him, as if asking why he was prying into such things, but now he revealed his inner thoughts naturally without any particular sign of resistance. That fact was unbearably gratifying and overwhelming for him.

“If you really don’t want to, you don’t have to. You’re just getting discharged, so don’t overdo it.”

There was plenty of time to slowly think about what he wanted to do with Yoon Ki-hyun. A month was shorter than it seemed, but it was certainly not so short that they couldn’t do anything at all.

“Still, I think it’s better to try something rather than do nothing.”

“Then is there something you want to try, Hyung?”

They ate together frequently, so that felt redundant, and taking photos felt equally abrupt. If there was something they could reasonably try together…

“How about watching a movie?”

“I’m down for that. As long as you’re okay with it.”

Jeong Si-jun shrugged, having intended to agree to whatever Yoon Ki-hyun suggested. He had been inwardly surprised that a fairly concrete proposal had come out, when he thought it would just end with a suggestion to think about it.

“I’ll see if there’s anything good.”

He even picked up his phone to look for a movie, intending to put it into action immediately.

“There are two action movies, one romance, and a horror movie too.”

As he listed the genres one by one, Yoon Ki-hyun became captivated by a poster and checked the plot.

“Are you good with horror movies?”

He asked nonchalantly while reading a viewer’s review that praised the father’s struggle to save his demon-possessed son, but the seat next to him became strangely quiet.

Turning his head slightly, he met the eyes of a flustered Jeong Si-jun. The younger man was just blinking his lips with a troubled look on his face.

“What. You can’t watch horror movies?”

This was unexpected. He looked like the type of guy who would scoff and ignore horror movies, claiming they were just fiction.

“…It’s not that I can’t, I just don’t.”

Seeing him add such a pathetic excuse made it certain. Jeong Si-jun seemed vul[[unauthorized copy]BL Novels" style="display:none;" aria-label="Read on Read BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsclass="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">Read on Read BL Novels]nerable to horror movies.

To think that an S-class Esper, who enters and exits gates where anything could appear and smashes Kaijus without a second thought, had something he was afraid of.

“Do you hate gross things? Or are you afraid of ghosts?”

Although he lumped them together as horror movies, he had his own distinctions. There are horror movies that primarily depict gross things, and then there are movies where supernatural beings suddenly pop out and harm humans.

“I don’t mind gross things, but if I had to pick, I hate it when ghosts crawl out and act crazy.”

Jeong Si-jun glared as if he would grab and beat up any ghost that dared to linger before his eyes. Ki-hyun wondered just how much he hated them to act like that.

“Then shall we watch an action movie?”

“Action isn’t bad.”

“But your daily life is action; are you okay with that?”

“Ah, fighting with Kaijus in a gate is different from action movies. We don’t beat up people.”

The expression was aggressive, but it certainly made sense.

“Then shall we go see this today after I drop off my things at home?”

“What?”

“…If you have time.”

Jeong Si-jun answered instantly, fearing that Yoon Ki-hyun might change his mind.

“I have plenty of time. Let’s go see the movie. Just after you drop off your things.”

It was almost like a military response.

“But is the Center okay? You don’t have to go back?”

Quite a bit of time had passed since Jeong Si-jun had been vaguely taking a break. Seeing as they had been practically attached to each other, it was certain he hadn’t returned to the Center yet, but Ki-hyun was curious about how things were being handled.

“When I said I was quitting, the Center Director told me to take a bit more rest and think about it. I have to go submit my resignation via electronic approval, but it’s a hassle…”

In truth, unless Yoon Ki-hyun’s illness unauthorized [stolen content]copywas [visit our site]completely cured, Jeong Si-jun could not continue working at the Center.

The only end for an S-class Esper who had a one-sided imprinting on a Guide who cannot provide guiding is an outbreak. However, since the Center did not know Yoon Ki-hyun’s exact diagnosis, they were trying to hold onto Jeong Si-jun by any means.

“I feel a bit bad, like you’re quitting because of me.”

Yoon Ki-hyun felt as if the reason Jeong Si-jun was leaving the Center was his fault. If he had a body capable of guiding, Si-jun wouldn’t have had to quit.

“Ah, what are you talking about? Thanks to you, I finally made up my mind to quit. Even I think the Center isn’t a place where a person can work for a long time.”

Jeong Si-jun shook his head, as if the mere thought of it made him shudder.

“Still, doesn’t a person feel more at peace when they have a job?”

“Then being Yoon Ki-hyun’s boyfriend would be the perfect job. An unbelievable profession that no one else can do, only I can. I absolutely love it.”

“Ah, are you seriously crazy?”

Finally fed up with Jeong Si-jun’s nonsense, Yoon Ki-hyun shook his head. The thought that he would have to keep listening to that nonsense in the future made him feel dizzy.