BP 13

“Espers and Guides always shake hands during their first meeting. They grasp the Esper’s energy and plan what kind of vessel to create. But this is really hard. You have to create it differently every time, and you have to make another room, another vessel inside the Guide’s body.”

The memo pad, which had lost its function as a notepad, was packed with all sorts of shapes. Seung-hyun, who had been blankly watching the lines she drew randomly, tilted his head. It was because her explanation seemed understandable yet difficult. Even though she used analogies, it was still abstract. He felt this even though he knew she was explaining it in the easiest way possible.

Then, was that energy only threatening in its movement and ultimately unable to attack me? It seemed ready to just pounce.

“It’ll become a natural process as you gain experience, but you’re just starting.”

Observing Seung-hyun’s complex and subtle expression, Joy offered a short word of comfort.

“How could you understand this in one go? It’s only natural.”

“……”

“First, you need to recognize the channel to absorb Ha Jae-il’s energy. Only then will giving and receiving be possible. Right?”

“Yeees…”

In what way do I recognize it? Everything was a mystery, but Seung-hyun answered politely out of gratitude for the explanation she had given so far.

“First, get used to the energy. Don’t visit our sitevisit our site -->be afraid. Don’t fear touching…”

Joy trailed off and pondered for a moment. Should she mention that Ha Jae-il is extremely picky about contact or not? Would it be an unnecessary detail or a piece of advice?

“We have to be true to our instincts. Trust that and just try to find it.”

Joy chose not to mention it.

* * *

Don’t fear touching.

Recalling her words, Seung-hyun gripped Jae-il’s wrist. It was something that required great courage. The man’s energy was still angry and menacing. It felt as if it would bite if touched, yet also as if it were anxious to pounce. But he had to do it. If he did nothing, nothing would happen. He wanted to do everything he could.

“Do I… just touch this?”

Joy’s words were true. The things that had been growling as if to devour him immediately began to read his mood once his hand touched them. He thought they would cross over through his hand, but they couldn’t even do that.

These energies could not harm him. They were conveyed only as feelings and sensations. He wondered if it was because the ‘channel’ didn’t exist. Jae-il’s energies felt uncomfortable, then suffocating, and finally pitiful. Feeling the bubbling energy at his fingertips, Seung-hyun made up his mind. As if embracing the man’s wrist along with the energy in his hand, he gripped it tightly.

“If it’s okay with you, shall we sl-sleep together today?”

“……”

Jae-il was silent for a few seconds. On his face with distinct features, only uninterpretable emotions wavered. Because of this, Seung-hyun quickly lost confidence and hurriedly cast his gaze down to the floor. He also hurriedly let go of the hand. Was it too sudden? It probably was. Ah. I was the only one thinking about it. In the same bed when we’ve just met. I was the only one who thought it was easy. As the man’s silence grew longer, Seung-hyun became rapidly anxious, his toes curling.

“Let’s do that.”

“……”

As permission was granted, it felt as if his heart dropped along with it. Seung-hyun nodded with his gaze still lowered. For a moment, the words ‘Thank you’ almost came out.

Glancing at the crown of his head, Jae-il checked the time. His pupils moved slightly.

“I’ll contact you after training.”

“Yeees… Huh? Do you know my number?”

The man, who was about to turn away, paused. Seung-hyun was taking his phone out of his pocket.

“I do.”

“……”

“I think it will take about three hours. Please have dinner first.”

A strange tenderness seeped through the formal expression. Scratching the back of his neck and nodding, Seung-hyun intentionally ignored the man’s retreating figure.

If he didn’t, he felt his gaze would be stolen again.

* * *

The food at Neo was clean and appetizing. The fresh ingredients and appropriate seasoning were just right. The tableware all looked new. Above all, it was warm. To be able to enjoy the texture of freshly made food at every meal. Seung-hyun, who had always considered himself a person not greatly influenced by appetite, changed his mind after eating here. His sense of taste, which he thought had degenerated, had simply been suppressed by his consciousness. When presented with various sensations, it rejoiced as if it had been waiting.

‘It’s delicious.’

It was a short impression, but Seung-hyun was more satisfied than with any other meal. The cafeteria food that was just ordinary to the people of Neo was like a feast to Seung-hyun. How do they make the rice so fluffy? Why is it sweet? Seung-hyun’s eyes widened as he stuffed a mouthful of meat side dish. This is delicious too. As Seung-hyun diligently chewed, someone tapped the table in front of him.

“Hey. 13th District.”

“……?”

Seung-hyun’s gaze turned toward the sound. Two men, who looked wealthy just by glancing at them, were looking at Seung-hyun with interested eyes.

“Why don’t you just brag about growing up starving?”

Seeing that the lanyard of their ID badges was the same color, they seemed to be Guides.

“You should greet your senior when you see them. Do I have to be the one to acknowledge you first?”

The man with the ID badge that read ‘Team 1 First Sergeant Park Young-seok’ sneered. His intention to find fault was obvious. Seung-hyun hurriedly wiped his mouth and bowed.

“No, stand up. Who greets someone while sitting?”

Seung-hyun stood up without a word. He swallowed what was in his mouth and bowed deeply.

“Hello.”

Whether he liked the way he acted so obediently, Park Young-seok’s lips curled up crookedly. However, he muttered in a slouching tone to Seung-hyun, who was about to sit down after finishing the greeting.

“Who told you to sit?”

“……”

Seung-hyun paused, then straightened his back, drawing the surrounding gazes toward him. The man standing next to Park Young-seok was Sergeant Lee Jae-jin, who held a lower rank. With a face that looked as if he were dying of amusement, he bit his lower lip and leaned toward Park Young-seok.

“He does everything he’s told, sir.”

He was criticizing even Seung-hyun’s unauthorized [Read on Read BL Novels]style="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">[Read on Read BL Novels]copyobedient attitude. Park Young-seok, chewing on a side dish, pointed his chopsticks at him.

“Hey, do you really not know who your parents are? An A-Class doesn’t just drop out of the sky.”

“…….”

“You know it too. Ability users have strong family histories. No matter how much I think about it, I just can’t believe it.”

He added a mutter to himself, saying he’d heard that ability users had completely dried up in the 13th District.

“I mean, what is he? Some kind of bastard child?”

As Lee Jae-jin chimed in, Park Young-seok agreed with a highly theatrical gesture.

“That makes sense.”

People of their kind watched with amused eyes, some insisted on remaining bystanders, and some frowned and clicked their tongues. Their reactions varied, but no one stepped in or stopped them. After listening quietly to their words, Seung-hyun finally let out a deep sigh.

“What, is it not true?”

The men’s gazes grew even more malicious. They had been poking him harshly from the start just to see a reaction.

“I don’t know.”

Seung-hyun replied irritably, tilting his head slightly.

“What’s with that tone?”

They seized upon that to pick another fight. Seung-hyun, feeling a surge of anger, almost snapped back, but he quickly lowered his gaze. He bit the inside of his lip painfully to remain rational. It wasn’t worth engaging with intentional slander, but if he didn’t stop it, this would never end. Moreover, he was worried about his mentors. If he lashed out according to his temper and something went wrong, there was a high possibility that those in charge of his education would suffer.

As they said, Seung-hyun was an A-Class Guide who had dropped out of the sky. Forget parents; he had neither the wealth nor the backing that naturally came with being a Guide. It was a losing battle anyway. Seung-hyun pushed his pride deep down into his gut. Things like this would continue in the future. Seung-hyun returned to being the obedient, gentle, and perhaps even foolish trainee. He bowed deeply and apologized.

“I’m sorry if I offended you.”

Park Young-seok smirked and flicked his chopsticks.

“Eat.”

After sitting down, Seung-hyun took a moment to catch his breath. There was no way he had an appetite, but he forced himself to pick up his utensils. The eyes testing his submission continued. The rice, which had grown cold, rolled around in his mouth like grains of sand.

“Don’t whine that guiding Backsplash is hard; let’s at least earn our keep. Right?”

“Yes.”

“Little brat, his speech is so short. Annoying,” Park Young-seok muttered, finalvisit our sitedata-wm="visit our site" style="display:none;" aria-label="visit our site">visit our sitetyle="opacity:0;font-size:0;">visit our sitely averting his gaze.

* * *

Upon returning to the dormitory, Seung-hyun turned on the TV first. After brushing his teeth before showering, he rinsed and spat out clear water several times. His stomach felt bloated because of the uncomfortable meal. His mood wasn’t great either. He tried to shake off the useless memories, but it didn’t go as well as he hoped.

Life in the 13th District was poor, hungry, and lacking, so people were obsessed with taking and being taken from; they had no leisure to criticize someone’s flaws. Even if something became a weakness, it was simply a weakness. In a true world of the law of the jungle, morality was unnecessary. Survival was the only issue. But the people here were strange. Despite having everything, despite leading lives more satisfying than anyone else’s, they enjoyed scratching and mocking others.

As he poured warm water over himself, fatigue washed over him. He began to make meaningless assumptions. If he had been born in Neo, if his parents were still alive, if he had awakened before the age of ten, would he have developed the same mindset as them? There was a high probability he would have. Since this world would be everything, he would have lived believing that only what he saw and learned was right. The more Seung-hyun tried to understand them, the more complicated his thoughts became.