# Chapter 38
“I didn’t know you had such craftsmanship. Anyway… I’ll gratefully take just two of these.”
Sangjun, who couldn’t bear the thought of making Hayeon—his partner Guide—sit on the ground, gathered what he needed while worrying about Dohyuk.
“But you don’t look so good. In that short time… did that guy, I mean, Yu Junseo Guide, cause some problem?”
Sangjun’s tone suggested he was certain Junseo was the perpetrator.
What nonsense is he talking about? Dohyuk had been the one rudely stealing glances at Junseo’s face and getting caught, making the situation awkward, yet Sangjun, who knew nothing about it, was trying to label Junseo as the troublemaker. Dohyuk’s eyebrow unconsciously twitched upward.
‘He’s not my friend. He bullies me every day. Always bothering me.’
Come to think of it, Junseo did say he was being bullied. And here Dohyuk had thought Junseo was an S-class Esper with exceptional abilities and social skills despite his young age. Dohyuk’s eyes narrowed into thin slits.
“There’s no problem.”
Sangjun had no way of knowing what thoughts lay behind that cold expression. Unlike during their time in the transport vehicle, Dohyuk’s tone had become stiff, making Sangjun think he must be the type who focuses more intensely in dungeons.
“Is that so? Still, be careful. Let me know if anything happens, I’ll help. Also, we’ll take a break for the next 30 minutes, and today we’ll only search for two hours.”
Sangjun informed Dohyuk of the schedule and was about to pick up the prettiest log to seat Hayeon when—
Tap.
Dohyuk naturally handed Sangjun two other logs and then picked up the neat-shaped log along with several others.
“Yes, understood.”
Stacking five logs that would easily weigh over 80kg at minimum estimation, Dohyuk lifted them effortlessly and headed toward the tent with a slight nod. Sangjun could only stare blankly at Dohyuk’s solid back, blinking repeatedly while hugging a bumpy log with branches growing out of it.
“…?”
What was that? Something felt off. Was it just his imagination?
No matter how much he thought about it, the neat face Dohyuk had shown before turning around looked exactly like his usual self, making it all the more perplexing.
Sangjun found the logs Dohyuk had handed him too bumpy, so he eventually set them down and picked up a few other pieces with his ability before returning to his spot.
“Ah, that one was the prettiest.”
Sangjun muttered with regret.
***
After unintentionally mass-producing chairs and tables and sharing some with Jihun, Dohyuk felt rather apologetic when Jihun accepted them with such gratitude.
“They’re just chopped logs. It’s nothing.”
“I didn’t know Choi Dohyuk Esper-nim could make things like this. I’ve been resting too much.”
“Hasn’t Kwon Jihun Guide been doing guiding? You’ve been working the hardest.”
As the two chatted, a woman with a neat bob haircut peeked out from the tent, apparently noticing their presence. Her skin had a low-saturation wheat color, tanned to look healthy, and her short hair revealed a refreshingly cool nape.
It was Hansol, the A-class support-type Esper who had received guiding from Jihun.
Her horizontally long eyes were striking. The moment Hansol made eye contact with Dohyuk, she wordlessly retreated back into the tent. While Dohyuk remained unfazed by her rude behavior, Jihun had been uncharacteristically angry when he first saw how Hansol treated Dohyuk during their initial move. Judging by Jihun’s hardened expression now, it seemed they might have had another conflict during the guiding session.
She doesn’t need to be that way.
Feeling uncomfortable, Dohyuk changed the subject as if nothing had happened.
“Come to think of it, we couldn’t have dinner together last time. Let me know when you’re free. I’ll treat you.”
“…Ah. That day.”
While effective at changing the topic, it failed to lighten the mood.
Thinking about it, “that day” was a much more uncomfortable subject.
They had filmed some strange drama together, and both Jihun and Dohyuk had been involuntary participants. Jihun’s expression became even more rigid than when Hansol had disrespected Dohyuk—so much so that it wouldn’t have been strange if he turned to stone at any moment.
Jihun looked at Dohyuk with an ambiguous gaze before carefully choosing his words for quite some time. Knowing that Jihun meticulously chose his words like a master craftsman creating a luxury item when he found conversation difficult, Dohyuk simply moved his fingers while waiting for Jihun to speak.
How much time had passed? Finally, Jihun spoke.
“…May I ask what kind of relationship you have with Yu Junseo Guide-nim?”
Had it been asked casually, he could have simply answered that Junseo was a close younger colleague or something equally mundane. But after such a long pause, with Jihun asking so seriously as if prepared to accept some great secret, Dohyuk felt almost obligated to properly explain how he met Junseo, what they had planned together, and what results they intended to achieve.
After considering his predicament, Dohyuk offered the most neutral yet truthful answer.
“He’s now my partner Guide. That day was quite inappropriate. We had some misunderstandings about the partnership, but it’s fine now.”
“Ah! I thought you were dating. …There, there were such rumors, so I wondered if I had misunderstood something.”
Seungmin was like this, and now Jihun too. Dohyuk wondered:
When did Korea become such an open-minded country?
Of course, it was common for emotional connections between Espers and Guides to develop into romantic feelings. Also, five years ago, Korea had become the second Asian country after Taiwan to legalize same-sex marriage, causing quite a stir.
But religious groups opposing homosexuality were still prevalent in Korea, and heterosexual relationships remained overwhelmingly dominant. Even now, people who enjoyed differentiating between themselves and others continued to judge others’ sexual preferences with prejudice, just as they had in the past.
In other words, it was rare for people to automatically assume two men together were dating.
Or was he wrong? Was Seungmin right that he was too conservative?
Inwardly contemplating this, Dohyuk attempted to correct the rumor to avoid hindering Junseo’s marriage prospects.
“…We’re not dating.”
When Dohyuk answered firmly, Jihun made no effort to hide his relief. In truth, there were countless tales of Junseo’s eccentric behaviors that Jihun had heard while working at headquarters, but he refrained from mentioning them in front of Dohyuk, who had accepted Junseo as his partner Guide.
Unless Dohyuk had been locked away somewhere with no friends and only work, he must have heard those rumors and still chosen to accept Junseo. Perhaps it was because of his high rank. It was somewhat surprising that even such a strange person could find a partner. Especially partnering with the good-natured Choi Dohyuk Esper-nim. Or wait, was it because Choi Dohyuk Esper-nim was so kind-hearted that he forced himself to accept Junseo? Jihun suddenly twisted his body, trying to suppress the suspicion welling up inside him.
“You two looked so close that I made a rude assumption. Partner Guide, huh? You must be quite compatible despite not being the same rank. I guess I won’t have many opportunities to provide guiding for Choi Dohyuk Esper-nim anymore.”
Given Junseo’s possessiveness toward Dohyuk—almost like an Esper himself—it did seem unlikely that Jihun would ever guide Dohyuk again. Dohyuk smiled slightly and then spoke as something occurred to him.
“Speaking of which, I’m sorry to say this, but… I changed my phone and lost all my previous contacts. That’s why I couldn’t contact you separately. If you don’t mind.”
Jihun’s response was quick.
“Are you asking for my contact information?”
“Yes. Since I don’t have my phone with me now, I’ll save it when we get out.”
“Sure!”
Just as Jihun was answering, unable to hide his excitement, the radio crackled through their earpieces.
[This is Header, all search team members assemble at Point A. Over.]
Following Sangjun’s instruction, Dohyuk and Jihun hurried to Point A.
When Dohyuk and Jihun arrived, Junseo, Sangjun, and S-class Guide Lee Hayeon were already waiting. The face that had been beaming at Dohyuk standing beside him quickly cooled upon spotting Jihun.
“Choi Dohyuk Esper.”
Apparently heeding Dohyuk’s advice to be careful in places with multiple people, Junseo called Dohyuk in a low voice. As Dohyuk moved closer to Junseo, Junseo whispered right into Dohyuk’s ear.
“Are you the type who doesn’t feed fish you’ve caught?”
“What?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Dohyuk forgot to use formal speech in his response, prompting Junseo to whisper again with a slightly dejected voice.
“Junseo waited for hyung to come back and didn’t even interrupt your conversation over there, but you never came back.”
Before Dohyuk could reply, Sangjun, who was standing nearby, spat out:
“Cut the bullshit.”
What is Junseo saying? Sangjun is going to lose his mind. Fuck.
If Junseo was going to whisper, he should have done it properly. With an S-class Esper with superhuman senses right next to him, Junseo’s dramatics were driving Sangjun crazy. Sangjun’s expression turned hostile. His ability seemed to leak out from his irritation, as the wind stirred only around him, making his hair the only one swaying among everyone gathered there.
