There was only one reason that could quicken Ryu Taeha’s usually leisurely pace.
He only grew serious when it came to matters involving his younger brother.
The man who’d grin away even when Dawoon coughed up blood lost every trace of amusement at a single call saying Ryu Jin had been hurt.
He created a teleport gate with Dawoon and teleported instantly. Their youngest, insisting he be taken along too, inevitably came with them.
“Don’t interfere with the treatment.”
As Ryu Taeha stepped out of the teleport gate, he warned Yeoul. Yeoul, who already had a record of interfering once before, kept his mouth shut and simply held Dawoon tightly.
Dawoon took the lead with Yeoul slung on his back like a bag. Thanks to Ryu Taeha’s teleportation, they moved to the guiding building in one go.
Those passing through the guiding room corridor recognized the Sau Guild members and brightened. However, seeing Ryu Taeha’s unusually cold expression, they couldn’t bring themselves to approach and only stole glances from afar.
As a leading domestic guild, Sau was provided with a luxurious exclusive guiding room, but Ryu Jin stayed in a general guiding room like other guides. Being for senior-level personnel, the space was only slightly larger; the structure was simple. It was just about the level of a studio officetel.
The corridor outside the guiding room was always crowded with other espers, making it noisy and inconvenient, yet Ryu Jin refused special treatment. He wanted to work fairly, just like any ordinary guide.
Ryu Jin was that kind of guide.
Knock knock.
Ryu Taeha knocked on the door of the guiding room located in the center of the corridor. Since Ryu Jin had joined the guild, they’d always received guiding here.
“Jin-ah, I’m coming in.”
At Ryu Taeha’s voice, which had instantly softened as if he’d never been prickly, Dawoon secretly smirked while focusing on the sound of Ryu Jin’s presence coming from inside the room.
“Yeah! Come in.”
A clear voice filled with bright energy came from beyond the door. It was the complete opposite of Ryu Taeha’s low voice, which always pretended to carry weight.
“Oh, you all came together.”
When the door opened, Ryu Jin, standing in front of a compact two-seater sofa, greeted his espers with a smile.
A cheerful energy hovered around his brightly smiling face. Ryu Jin was so beautiful it felt like a spotlight was shining on him alone.
More beautiful than handsome. His clear, white skin had a subtle sheen, and his cheeks, like ripe peaches, glowed with a fresh light. Light brown eyes, close to golden, set in round eyes sparkled like precious gems.
If Ryu Taeha was a textbook handsome man, Ryu Jin was a beauty anyone would acknowledge. His gender was difficult to distinguish, so even now, Dawoon would occasionally be startled when looking at Ryu Jin. It was always fascinating that someone who looked like a doll could breathe and speak.
“Is your injury okay?”
While Dawoon was once again admiring Ryu Jin’s appearance today, Ryu Taeha checked for injuries the moment he saw his younger brother. Dawoon also promptly followed Ryu Taeha and examined Ryu Jin from a step away.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be a serious injury. He looked fine on the surface.
“Let me see.”
Nevertheless, Ryu Taeha alone was serious. He approached Ryu Jin and carefully lifted his slender arms.
“I only got slightly hurt, so why did you come all this way?”
Ryu Jin looked at his hyung and laughed, “Puhehe.” His smiling face looked endlessly happy, as if he couldn’t help it.
Of course he’d be happy. His one and only hyung rushed over at the news that he was hurt.
“You even called Esper Dawoon over just for a slightly injured finger. You must be busy.”
“You bled, I see. Did you put medicine on it?”
“No, I just wiped it with tissue. I got a little paper cut while reading.”
Ryu Jin looked at Dawoon with an embarrassed face.
“I’m sorry. I contacted hyung for no reason… I didn’t know he’d call you here too.”
“No. If you’re hurt, you should call. There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Dawoon sincerely waved his hand at the apologizing Ryu Jin, saying it was fine. If anything, he was grateful that Ryu Taeha brought him along.
It was much better than Ryu Taeha and Ryu Jin being alone together in this narrow room. Moreover, this wasn’t just any ordinary room but a guiding room. Which meant it was a space deliberately created for comfortable skinship.
“Give me your hand. I’ll heal it.”
He approached with a bright smile so Ryu Jin wouldn’t feel sorry. It was a smile filled with sincerity, not forced.
Dawoon felt sorry for Ryu Jin, the protagonist of this miserable novel. Thinking of him naturally made feelings of wanting to treat him well bloom.
Ryu Jin, who had just turned twenty, was a pitiful child being devoured by that bastard Ryu Taeha, who was approaching thirty.
After his parents died in an accident, his hyung was the only person he had to lean on, and Ryu Taeha, knowing this, had dug into that gap.
Bad bastard. Really, there wasn’t a single sane part to that guy.
“Jeong Dawoon.”
Dawoon, who had been cursing Ryu Taeha inwardly, flinched at the low voice calling him. Ryu Taeha was looking at him with cold eyes.
What. Did I actually say my thoughts out loud?
“What are you doing holding the kid’s hand? Hurry up and treat him.”
“Ah… sorry, Jin-ah.”
While holding Ryu Jin’s hand, Dawoon had fallen into other thoughts again. His habit of constantly mulling over the novel’s content so as not to forget the flow to the ending was difficult to break.
“Uh, um… this hand?”
He quickly gathered his wits and gently lifted Ryu Jin’s right hand. He looked carefully, but perhaps because the injury was small, it didn’t catch his eye well.
“No, the other one.”
Looking even more embarrassed, Ryu Jin slightly raised his left hand and bent his finger himself to show the part cut by the paper.
Ah… the injury really is small.
Even after being shown, the cut was hard to see, so he had to narrow his eyes. How did Ryu Taeha notice it at once? It was amazing.
Finally, having barely found the injury, Dawoon immediately closed his eyes.
To use a healer’s healing ability, one must first check the wound in detail. Treatment was impossible without visual information.
For treating small injuries like this, simple contact was sufficient. It didn’t take long either. It could be healed cleanly in about 30 seconds.
“Done. It doesn’t hurt anymore, right?”
“Wow, thank you.”
Ryu Jin checked his finger and marveled like a child. He showed this reaction every time he was treated.
“If you get hurt, contact me anytime. I’ll treat you right away.”
Dawoon spoke affectionately, finding the cheerfully smiling Ryu Jin cute. Unlike someone else, Ryu Jin was greatly pleased even with just a little treatment. He never forgot to say thank you either.
“But Esper-nim, aren’t your clothes uncomfortable?”
“Clothes?”
Dawoon looked down at his clothes and laughed, “Ah.” When Yeoul caught him falling to the ground with water, his clothes got soaked, and there was still moisture remaining.
“It’s fine. It’s summer, so they’ll dry quickly.”
He didn’t think much of it since it happened often. Then the culprit who had soaked Dawoon’s clothes slowly walked behind him.
“If you’re done with your business, let’s go.”
Yeoul muttered in a small voice only Dawoon could hear. Since entering the room, he hadn’t even made eye contact with Ryu Jin, his dedicated guide. He’d just been staring at the back of Dawoon’s head the whole time.
Since it was still the early part of the novel, Yeoul and Ryu Jin weren’t close yet. Ryu Jin, who had manifested as a guide at the beginning of this year after becoming an adult, had only been recruited to the guild three months ago.
Right now, the extremely shy Yeoul openly guarded against Ryu Jin, but the day when the two would grow close wasn’t far off.
Ryu Jin approached slowly, being considerate of Yeoul who had resistance toward people, and Yeoul gradually fell in love, charmed by Ryu Jin’s kind personality. It was an innocent first love.
Regrettably, Dawoon had to twist that development.
To avoid the sad ending, breaking all the romance lines was the easiest method.
“Is this kid really sick somewhere?”
Ryu Taeha, who had created a fake hand in the air, lightly tapped Dawoon’s forehead. Startled back to his senses, everyone was watching Dawoon, who had spaced out again.
Dawoon blinked rapidly and cleared his throat.
“Ahem, I should get going. Leader, you’ll take me back, right?”
He looked at Ryu Taeha, thinking he’d use his teleportation to return to the scene.
However, no answer came. Ryu Taeha, sitting perched on the sofa’s backrest, had a somehow displeased face.
Even though Ryu Jin’s injury had been completely healed. What was he dissatisfied with now?
“Esper Dawoon, don’t do that—change your clothes before you go.”
Then Ryu Jin grabbed the end of Dawoon’s wet sleeve.
“There are spare clothes in the guiding room. I’ll go get them.”
Though he declined saying it was fine, Ryu Jin promptly stood up to get clothes. Yeoul, stuck close to Dawoon’s back, also whispered that he should change clothes since he might catch a cold.
What a bother, why go to the trouble… Dawoon scratched his head and reluctantly accepted the new combat uniform Ryu Jin handed him.
“Hyung and Esper Yeoul, please step out for a moment.”
Having given Dawoon the clothes, Ryu Jin alternately looked at his hyung and Yeoul as he spoke.
“I’ll call you when Esper Dawoon has finished changing.”
He pointed to the door and waved his hand, meaning for them to leave quickly.
“Hurry, hyung. Both of you need to go out so Esper Dawoon can change comfortably.”
It doesn’t matter whether they’re here or not. Dawoon, who had been tilting his head, soon quietly touched the clothes. Only after seeing Ryu Jin trying to send out the espers and alphas did a fact he’d briefly forgotten come to mind.
Right. I’m an omega too, huh.
