# Chapter 50
Once again, the answer came from Junseo. Sangjun responded irritably, as if he had predicted it.
“That thing only follows Esper Choi Dohyuk around. Esper Choi Dohyuk seems to like it, so why are you making a fuss?”
“Esper Choi Dohyuk is busy.”
Sangjun was puzzled when Junseo’s voice dropped even lower.
“Busy with what?”
“Taking care of me. Give it to Esper Seo Jaesik. He seems to like cats too.”
“What?”
Jaesik, who wasn’t interested in even dogs, let alone cats, asked back.
“You like them, don’t you? Right?”
“When did we become close enough for you to investigate such preferences? Fine, let Esper Seo Jaesik take care of it. I believe he’ll take good care of it, though at most it will only be for the next five days anyway.”
When Jaesik looked at Junseo with incredulous eyes, Junseo tilted his head pretending to be obedient.
Dohyuk narrowed his brows at Junseo’s demeanor, which seemed strangely more familiar when dealing with Jaesik. Having been slow to respond while observing Junseo, Dohyuk belatedly opened his mouth to try to salvage the situation.
“No, I think I could take care of it…”
“Hyung. You know what?”
Junseo, who had abruptly approached Dohyuk, whispered in his ear. His lips, which had come very close, barely grazed Dohyuk’s earlobe. Dohyuk instinctively hunched his shoulders, inwardly scolding Junseo for his carelessness. He didn’t understand why Junseo seemed to emit a sweet scent. His earlobe felt like it was burning. Perhaps it was because the breath touching his ear explicitly drew in the other person’s body heat.
“…What?”
When Dohyuk quietly lowered his voice to ask, Junseo responded. It was a prim tone that made one wonder if he was sulking.
“When introducing a new cat for cohabitation, considerable caution is required. Suddenly letting a strange cat loose is disrespectful to the person who was already there.”
Junseo spoke as if it were so obvious that Dohyuk couldn’t even find the timing to correct him that it wasn’t a case of ‘cohabitation between a person and a cat’ but ‘cohabitation between cat and cat.’
Just as Dohyuk was about to open his mouth, finding it incomprehensible no matter how he thought about it, Junseo stared directly into Dohyuk’s eyes. His pitch-black pupils, contrasting with the pure white sclera without any murky parts, were moist.
“And I’m a little afraid of that cat. Though I think it’s sad to keep it confined, I’d prefer if another Esper took care of it. Okay?”
“…Ah.”
Dohyuk easily surrendered to that pitiful face.
…If Junseo, who had to spend a considerable amount of time with Dohyuk for guiding, considered an unverified strange life form dangerous, perhaps it was right for another Esper to take care of the cat.
When Dohyuk, half persuaded by Junseo, slowly looked down at the cat, Junseo clicked his tongue softly. Though it might have seemed like his usual expression to others, Junseo could vividly see Dohyuk’s regret.
Originally, Junseo had intended not to tolerate the sight of the cat purring in Dohyuk’s arms, but he found Dohyuk’s disappointed expression strangely more irritating. In the end, Junseo gently changed his words as if to comfort Dohyuk.
“Anyway, unless confined, the cat will wander around as it pleases, so does it really matter who the caretaker is?”
As Junseo spoke with his hand on Dohyuk’s shoulder, his expression noticeably relaxed.
Seeing that the situation appeared to be mostly resolved, Sangjun clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Anyway, let’s observe the cat a bit more and handle it differently if it’s deemed highly dangerous…. What happened with Yukhon appearing at the base? What’s the extent of the damage?”
At Sangjun’s question, Dohyuk turned to Junseo and opened his mouth with a worried expression again.
“Come to think of it, I heard that Guide Yu Junseo was also slightly injured during the hunting process. How badly are you hurt?”
Since he could stand on his own feet, it probably wasn’t a severe injury, but unlike Espers, Guides are easily infected by small wounds and suffer greatly. It was natural to be concerned.
“Since Esper Choi Dohyuk was returning to the base but there was no radio response, Guide Yu Junseo and Esper Seo Jaesik went to check. Then they discovered and hunted Yukhon. Thanks to quick handling, there was no major damage, but Guide Yu Junseo… got injured? Surely when you made the first report at the base…”
Just as Jihun was responding to Dohyuk’s question with a confused expression, before his words were finished, the atmosphere became unsettled.
It was because Junseo staggered slightly.
Dohyuk, who had been watching him, supported the body beside him with a surprised face, and Junseo blinked as if refocusing, speaking in a slower voice than usual.
“Ah… thank you.”
Dohyuk narrowed his eyes. Now that he looked, Junseo’s face was particularly pale, more than usual. Though he naturally had a white face, now even his complexion had disappeared, making him look as if he might shatter at any moment.
I must have been too distracted by the cat, Dohyuk thought, criticizing himself for not properly paying attention to his partner Guide’s condition. Junseo staggered again as he tried to regain his balance on his own feet, seemingly dizzy. At that vulnerable gesture, Dohyuk finally lifted Junseo into his arms.
“…Excuse me.”
Having effortlessly lifted a man slightly larger than himself, as if picking up a light pillow, Dohyuk addressed the people stiffly, unable to hide his concern.
“It seems the brief reporting and cleanup are done. Esper Ji Sangjun, since dinner time is approaching soon, how about taking a short rest? Guide Yu Junseo seems to need some rest in the tent, so I’ll escort him there.”
Though it appeared as if he was asking Sangjun for direction, it was essentially an announcement.
Why did someone who wasn’t severely injured need to be moved so affectionately to a tent that wasn’t even a one-minute walk away? If Yu Junseo had any minimum sense of shame, shouldn’t he be embarrassed to be lifted up like a princess in a fairy tale with that robust physique?
Everyone gathered at the base fell silent. Having no more desire to watch Junseo comfortably resting his head against Dohyuk’s chest with a languid face as if this was his rightful place, Sangjun turned his head and waved his hand.
“…From now until 9 PM will be dinner time and guiding time.”
“Thank you.”
Sangjun clapped his hands to clear the atmosphere as if trying to erase the afterimage of Junseo and Dohyuk who had gone to the tent, but it had no effect.
“…Well, who’s going to eat dinner?”
“……”
“…Ah. I understand it’s difficult. Let’s definitely stabilize the dungeon by the day after tomorrow at the latest.”
“……”
The base was still as desolate as if a typhoon had passed. Only the black cat followed Dohyuk’s disappearing figure, trotting along.
***
“I was very worried.”
“It’s surprising that the radio is broken, but nothing serious happened. You don’t need to worry about me in an A-class dungeon.”
“How can you say that? Weren’t you worried about Junseo, hyung?”
Dohyuk chuckled at the whining that followed as soon as he tried to put Junseo down in the tent. He was perceptive enough to notice that Junseo would show blatant aegyo whenever something displeased him.
“…How could I not worry about you? This is your first dungeon experience.”
As a curve spread across his previously frozen lips, his face became gentle as if touched by a spring breeze. Dohyuk lightly stroked Junseo’s hair.
Inside the spacious tent, Junseo and Jihun’s belongings were neatly organized. Even to Dohyuk’s untrained eye, the place with three books seemed to be Junseo’s spot. After carefully placing Junseo down as if he were a glass doll that would break if mishandled, Dohyuk asked in a still worried tone.
“Where are you hurt? Can you show me?”
“It’s not a major injury. And it’s under my clothes, so I’m embarrassed.”
Dohyuk momentarily froze at Junseo’s shy response.
Under the clothes…
He realized his gaze was sliding involuntarily and was startled. Dohyuk cleared his throat trying to dispel the warm feeling.
“Ah, is that so? Then…”
“If you’re really worried, should I show you?”
“…No!”
When Junseo began removing his armor with a pale expression, Dohyuk raised his voice. His expression, firmer than usual, revealed even desperation.
“If it’s not a major injury, I think it’ll be fine, Junseo.”
The innocent face smiled and then just folded the armor aside, as if he never intended to remove his combat uniform in the first place. Only then realizing that Junseo had been joking, Dohyuk bit his lip. After moving his dry lips, Dohyuk eventually sighed, and Junseo, smiling softly, stroked Dohyuk’s hair just as Dohyuk usually did to him. The reddish-brown hair escaped through his long fingers that had no rough edges.
“The light is already yellow.”
The fingers that had been playing with his hair for a while slid to touch Dohyuk’s cheek.
“I’ll have to guide my hyung.”
Dohyuk held his breath at the tone that clearly showed poor-quality playfulness. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the languid voice or the pretty face. Perhaps he had already grown accustomed to the blatant aegyo meant to observe his reaction.
Dohyuk wanted to escape from Junseo. As his body, now free of the tough armor, pressed against him, he could fully feel his body heat. His stomach was already heavily drawn.
Once again today, Dohyuk was helplessly controlled by Junseo. Though it clearly wasn’t a strong force, why couldn’t he push away that hand? As if entranced, Dohyuk was half-embraced, following Junseo’s lead. He was awkwardly positioned above Junseo, who was lying down.
