- What’s This Situation?
“Haa.”
“Are you having a headache by any chance?”
This time, Daehoon suddenly grabbed the back of Ilkyung’s head and held it in place, then pressed his own forehead against it. Ilkyung’s large eyes grew even larger. This crazy bastard. Why is he acting like this today?
“Ah, D-Director. Why are you doing this?”
“You seem to have a fever. This won’t do. I’ll take you home.”
“I’m telling you, this is going to be a disaster. No, why aren’t you telling your family? Ah, seriously. What are you going to do if Chairman Ha comes looking for me with a bundle of cash?”
Daehoon definitely thought something must be wrong with his head.
“I’ll take care of that, so Assistant Manager Woo, just go home quickly and get some rest.”
“Resting is something I’ll take care of myself, so Director, please go home and tell them quickly that you broke up with me. Wasn’t proving you’re gay for a month enough? Don’t tell me you need more?”
Daehoon pondered how to shut up Woo Ilkyung’s chattering mouth.
“I said I wouldn’t let any harm come to Assistant Manager Woo, so trust me. Don’t worry about that, and can you really drive?”
“I can. If you’re that worried about my body, I’d appreciate it if Director would stay at the Center tomorrow so I don’t have to run around.”
Today, Ilkyung hadn’t had a moment to sit in the team office. He kept circulating through the floors where the guiding rooms were located. No matter how thoroughly soundproofed they were, hearing the sounds flowing out from the guiding rooms made him want to just go home.
Who’s making fun of someone for not having a lover? He thought that, but eventually those thoughts concluded with resentment toward Director Ha, who had made his body still feel unwell as an aftereffect of sex after such a long time. Going further, his thoughts continued like a chain reaction, turning into complaints about S-rank Guide Director Ha, who was absent from his post when things were this busy.
“What does me being at the Center have to do with Assistant Manager Woo’s health?”
“Wow, you’re saying hurtful things again.”
Ilkyung lifted his chin and prepared to argue. Since Daehoon had no prior engagement anyway and was on his way home with nothing urgent to do, he looked down at Ilkyung with an expression that said ‘go ahead and try.’ Small in height and small in build—no matter how you looked at it, he was like a bad-tempered Maltese puppy.
“Because that thing from that day is still affecting me.”
He spoke so vaguely, who knows where he learned to talk like that. What is ‘that day’ and what is ‘that thing’?
“When is ‘that day’ and what is ‘that thing’?”
Ilkyung glared at him with narrowed eyes. Though he knew everything, mean-spirited Ha Daehoon was preparing to tease Woo Ilkyung in earnest. The roads would be like a parking lot anyway, jammed during rush hour. If he couldn’t get home early either way, why not tease Ilkyung before going home?
“Why are you pretending not to know when you know everything? You’re really mean. My back is still creaking. What are you going to do about my back!”
“You know that if you repeatedly exercise and build muscle, it gets better, right? How about we do it one more time?”
Daehoon leaned against Ilkyung’s car and took out a cigarette, then glanced at Ilkyung and just held it. He wanted to smoke, but with the kid’s face in that state, he didn’t want to rashly light it up.
“I’m going to report you.”
“Report what? I didn’t say anything.”
“Ha! This is really unbelievable. Please stay at the Center tomorrow. Either form a pair or guide ten Espers at once. That’s how you help me.”
Daehoon shrugged his shoulders.
“Give me the car keys.”
“Why?”
“I’ll take you home. If you go in my car, you’ll whine tomorrow morning about how you’re supposed to get to work, won’t you?”
“When have I ever whined! And I said I’m fine.”
“I’m not fine. You said your back was completely destroyed because of me. Let’s go now. Stop arguing. I need to go home and rest too.”
Daehoon opened the passenger door and pushed Ilkyung in. Ilkyung looked back as if dumbfounded, but soon sat obediently and fastened his seatbelt. At that sight, Daehoon chuckled. Sitting in the driver’s seat, Daehoon drove smoothly and asked again.
“Did you eat lunch properly?”
“If I hadn’t eaten lunch, I would have collapsed before I could assign Espers to guiding rooms. Why haven’t you been at the Center lately, Director? You’re never there when I need you.”
Ilkyung grumbled.
“I’m as busy as Assistant Manager Woo.”
“But Director, you’re a Guide. Please prioritize Guide duties.”
In the past, Daehoon would have sharpened his words and fought back, but now he didn’t want to. He thought, what’s the point of fighting with a tiny little puppy? And also because Woo Ilkyung’s face looked too pitiful. Daehoon knew the Center had been very busy today, and perhaps because of that, Ilkyung, who was an ordinary person, looked very tired.
“If Assistant Manager Woo were an Esper, I’d guide you right now. It’s a shame. Thanks to Assistant Manager Woo, I’m good at formal skinship now.”
“Ah, seriously, your grudges could circle the earth twelve times. And you know that if the matching rate is bad, it’s useless anyway. What would you do if I were an Esper with a terrible matching rate?”
He wanted to say those exact words back to Ilkyung, who kept thinking there was something between him and Henry. If he knew his and Henry’s matching rate, he wouldn’t even try to pair them up.
“No matter how terrible it is, it wouldn’t be like 37%.”
“My goodness! There’s a matching rate like that? What kind of enemies are they? Or is it S-rank and F-rank?”
If he knew that was his and Henry’s matching rate, he’d gasp in shock.
“If I was going to become an Esper, it would have happened already. Ah, I’m tired.”
“Let’s get you home quickly so you can rest.”
“Yeah, oh! Wait a minute, Director. What’s happening up ahead?”
Black smoke was rising in the distance. Daehoon and Ilkyung quickly got out of the car. And without needing to discuss it, the two ran in that direction.
Bang!
The sound of something exploding was heard again. That’s when it happened.
“Oh, Ilkyung-ssi. Danger!”
“Oh, Director! It’s dangerous!”
The moment he saw the fireball flying toward them, Ilkyung instinctively hunched his body and raised his arms to block it. But what was this! It stopped! The fireball just floated in midair and didn’t come toward them.
Ilkyung looked at Daehoon with a bewildered face.
“Wh-what is this…”
Why did the fireball stop in midair? Did I stop it? Even though I’m not an Esper, suddenly? No, what’s this situation…
Daehoon grabbed the arm of the flustered Ilkyung and whispered in his ear.
“It’s okay. Now, slowly, slowly send it over there. You can do it, right?”
“Wh-what do I do?”
“Now, see that empty space over there with no people?”
Daehoon wrapped his arm around Ilkyung’s waist and pressed their bodies together, then grabbed Ilkyung’s chin and turned his eyes toward the empty lot. Daehoon was supporting the arm that was still raised.
“Now, turn the direction like this. You can do it. Concentrate.”
His arm trembled violently. He wanted to collapse right there, but from behind, Daehoon held Ilkyung in his arms and turned his body together with him.
“That’s right, you’re doing well. Release the force like you’re throwing it. Got it?”
Like teaching a young child, Daehoon spoke. Ilkyung felt like the fireball floating before his eyes would drop right there and explode at any moment.
“Answer me, Ilkyung-ssi.”
“What should I do? I don’t know anything. Director, what do I do?”
“You can do it. Release the force with a flick while throwing. Got it?”
Ilkyung’s body trembled violently.
“Ilkyung-ah, answer.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“You can do it, right? Hm?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Like when he coaxed him during their first time having sex, Daehoon hugged Ilkyung tightly from behind, held his arm, and pulled it slightly.
“Ahhh! The fire is coming this way!”
“It’s okay. We’ll pull it like this and then throw it. Throw it when I say three. One, two! Throw!”
“Ahhhhh!”
Ilkyung entrusted his body to Daehoon and released the force from his arm while screaming in fear. Daehoon gathered Ilkyung into his arms as he turned and clung to him.
“You did well, you did well. Now get inside the car. Other Espers will come and take care of the rest.”
Not knowing what to do and breathing heavily, Daehoon didn’t push Ilkyung away but pulled him closer and patted his back.
“It’s okay. It’s okay, so go inside.”
Ilkyung nodded. He didn’t understand anything, but right now the only person Ilkyung could rely on was Daehoon. Ilkyung backed up and got back into the car. The acrid smell stung his nose, and he could see flames flaring up before his eyes and hear the sounds of things exploding and burning, but right now nothing was properly registering to Ilkyung.
