Chapter 3
And his worried thoughts about how to break the ice with Seungmin after returning to headquarters turned out to be fleeting, contrary to his expectations.
The day Dohyuk arrived in Seoul, a dungeon went berserk on Seongmo Island. When he was dispatched to eliminate a Mokgwang that had escaped from the dungeon, Dohyuk only belatedly realized that Seungmin had been selected as his partner. Perhaps noticing Dohyuk’s hesitation as he kept his mouth shut and stole glances, Seungmin irritably struck Dohyuk’s back hard before turning away.
As Dohyuk stared blankly at his retreating form, Seungmin suddenly barked, “Hurry up, aren’t you going to hunt?” Within just 10 minutes of reuniting, they’d bridged the two-and-a-half-year gap.
Thanks to that, Dohyuk could interact with Seungmin naturally, as if there had never been a long separation between them in the first place.
He felt both grateful and sorry for such obvious consideration.
[Aish, this guy. Choi Dohyuk actually answers. The heartless nobleman who ignored everything and disappeared finally bestows his new contact information on this lowly one. I’m moved to tears by this great honor.]
“……”
Seungmin, who had been sarcastic the moment he learned that Dohyuk had changed his phone number without a word, continued his rant into verse two and even verse three today. When Dohyuk kept quiet, having no excuses, Seungmin quickly shot back, misinterpreting his silence.
[Why aren’t you saying anything? You didn’t hang up, right? Choi Dohyuk, I just arrived at your officetel! You’re not going to leave me standing at your door, are you?]
“I won’t. I’ll let you in—just give me a second.”
After manipulating the intercom, the announcement that the officetel entrance had opened could be heard through the phone.
“Come to unit 705.”
Dohyuk added before the sound of elevator doors opening came through, then scanned his officetel’s interior while holding his phone. Even to his own eyes, it looked coldly sterile without any signs of life, and he could already guess what Seungmin would blurt out the moment he walked in.
[Yeah, I’ll be there soon, so leave the door open.]
He put away his phone after it abruptly disconnected. Shortly after, there was a banging on his front door.
As soon as he opened it wide, a package of toilet paper rose up to Dohyuk’s eye level and dangled in the air. It was a 30-roll pack of “Smooth Home” toilet paper with large lettering. Seungmin’s upper body was completely hidden behind the enormous package.
When Dohyuk simply stared blankly without responding, Seungmin lowered the raised toilet paper halfway and pressed him.
“Where should I put the toilet paper?”
Seungmin was exasperated with Dohyuk acting awkward while pretending not to be. He frowned at Dohyuk, who had come to the entrance, kicked off his shoes, and then just stood there motionless.
Seungmin was familiar with Dohyuk. He’d long ago succeeded in establishing himself as a friend by patiently staying beside Dohyuk—who strangely avoided deep relationships or connections with people while maintaining proper courtesy. To Seungmin, Dohyuk was someone who oddly caught his attention. Though he clearly pretended to live life no differently from others, his eyes were somehow… dried out? He was a strange guy who triggered the fantasy that if left alone, he would quickly wither away or melt.
Why else would he have forcibly shown up for a housewarming with an old friend who’d suddenly cut off all contact?
“My arms are about to fall off. Where do I put this toilet paper?”
His unreasonable nagging continued.
“…What’s an Esper doing making a fuss about toilet paper?”
Only then did Dohyuk turn his body to make way for Seungmin. When he casually pointed to one of the rooms, Seungmin, having taken off his shoes, boldly entered the house.
Dohyuk still found it awkward having Seungmin in his home.
Seungmin—who still lived in the free Esper dormitory, believing that as a government employee he should milk every benefit for all it was worth—seemed quite curious about Dohyuk’s desolate home, given he’d just moved out on his own. Judging by his eyes quickly scanning the bedroom, kitchen, and refrigerator, even that was probably just a superficial reason.
Dohyuk’s gaze slid away as he watched Seungmin look around the house right after putting down the toilet paper.
“Why bring such a tacky gift as toilet paper? You could have just come empty-handed.”
“Hey, a beginner at living alone like you probably doesn’t know this, but daily necessities are the best.”
“Wasn’t it just the cheapest and easiest thing to buy? And if I’m a beginner at living alone, then what are you? Still living in the dormitory.”
“Someone who’s living better than you—you don’t even have water in your refrigerator.”
Seungmin continued as he pointed directly at the empty fridge.
“I should have brought food or drinks instead of toilet paper. There’s absolutely nothing here. Have you given up on eating while I wasn’t looking? Do you plan to starve me after inviting me over?”
“…I just moved my stuff today. I won’t let you starve, so stop with the unnecessary worrying. I’m going to order Chinese food—what do you want?”
Looking at those sharp eyes, Dohyuk thought even a guest from hell would be less bothersome than this. Thinking that Seungmin might stop nagging if he put something in his mouth, Dohyuk asked quickly.
“Then I’ll have stir-fried jjamppong. By the way, Dohyuk, are you starting at headquarters tomorrow?”
Seungmin, who had been habitually tousling his own disheveled hair, finally responded in a somewhat subdued tone.
“Yeah. Is the atmosphere at headquarters still the same?”
“Always busy. To the point where you have to conserve your breath just to rest. I don’t know why dungeon breakouts happen so frequently these days. You probably figured it out when they called you in yesterday, right?”
It seemed things were truly chaotic if they’d urgently called in Dohyuk even before his official start date.
“Already sounds depressing.”
Dohyuk lamented. Would he even be able to handle the busy schedule properly?
Actually, his condition hadn’t been very good lately. Since Dohyuk didn’t have a Guide with a high matching rate nearby, it was difficult to find stability through guiding. When using his abilities, the headaches that surged were recently compounded by insomnia. By now, Dohyuk habitually rubbed his temples.
Seungmin, sitting on the bare living room floor—since the bed and dining table were the only furniture that had arrived—glanced sideways at Dohyuk. When Dohyuk noticed that gaze and raised one eyebrow, Seungmin finally opened his mouth hesitantly.
“But Dohyuk… are you okay now?”
“If you suddenly ask if I’m okay without any context, how am I supposed to answer?”
“I mean… you know. Was it properly resolved?”
Watching Seungmin—who unlike himself kept hesitating and repeatedly circling around the topic—Dohyuk finally let out a low sigh.
Now it was clear why he’d insisted on coming to the housewarming with such uncharacteristic, flimsy excuses.
Park Seungmin remained unchanged. Put negatively, he was meddlesome; put positively, he was caring.
He must have had so many things he wanted to say, things that had piled up, but he’d pushed them all down, and the first thing he brought up was concern for Choi Dohyuk.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Dohyuk needlessly furrowed and relaxed his brow.
Soon, exhaling a slow breath, Dohyuk’s parted lips moved briefly before an indifferent tone flowed out. Rather than being indifferent from the start, it was a voice that seemed to have lost its color after fading many times over, but there was no significant change in the expression of the person himself. He even casually caught the topic that Seungmin had been stammering over, trying to approach indirectly out of consideration for Dohyuk.
“Stop trying to act all serious.”
“Hey, don’t tell me it’s still the same? What about compensation? And even so, you just go when they tell you to go and come when they tell you to come? Honestly, when you were assigned to Busan…”
“Stop. What compensation? What did I do that deserves that?”
“You were falsely accused! Dohyuk, do you know what those ignorant people were saying after you left?”
“What does that matter? And it wasn’t a false accusation. I think headquarters did what they had to do.”
“Hey.”
“I owe you a lot of apologies too. I know you defended me and wore yourself out. But if you’re worried, you can stop now. I’m fine.”
At Dohyuk’s words—which drew a firm line despite not conveying any negative emotions—Seungmin closed his mouth. Seungmin’s lowered gaze looked at Dohyuk’s hands, firmly covered by gloves. Though it seemed he might gradually change and regain his color, this guy was no different from his time at the Esper Training Center. Secretly sighing, Seungmin pretended to be irritated and changed the subject.
“Ah, really! I don’t even care anymore! I’m hungry, so hurry up and order food. And add extra large sweet and sour pork too!”
Because of his frustrating friend who didn’t even realize he was gradually wearing himself down, Seungmin felt a bitterness in his mouth, as if he’d bitten into an unripe apricot in the height of summer.
***
As he fitted the new wireless in-ear device distributed by headquarters into his left ear, Dohyuk savored the feeling of a slave returning to his master’s house. Everyone develops the ability to predict an unfortunate future once they become an office worker.
Having been called in for fieldwork even before his official start date, it was certain that from today—his first day—his schedule would be nothing short of hellish.
Clicking his tongue, Dohyuk tucked the radio linked to his in-ear device behind his waist. Muscles stood out prominently beneath his combat uniform. The Esper-exclusive combat uniform Dohyuk wore was made of fabric treated for flame and insect resistance, with added bulletproof fibers. Though not exceptionally durable, it was practical, excellent for heat retention, and fit his body snugly, making it comfortable for movement.
Dohyuk—dressed all in black except for his reddish-brown dyed hair—was extremely intimidating with his generously broad shoulders and height well above average.
His body, containing only necessary fat and muscle, appeared much more slender when clothed than it did in its raw state, perhaps due to the waistline that elegantly tapered below his chest.
