Giro.
Jeong Iro.
The new name given to Giro was similar yet different. Unlike the days when he was called like a dog, the affectionate way he was addressed quickly erased the years he’d been called Giro and carved something new in its place.
Now Jeong Iro, he was dressed in new clothes and moved to an unfamiliar place. Though Jeong Iro became sensitive at first since everyone he encountered was an Esper, his anxiety subsided once he entered the temporary quarters—small but neatly decorated.
“You’ll wait in temporary housing until your partner Guide arrives.”
“Movement within the Association is permitted when accompanied by your partner, but if you leave the designated area, you’ll be immediately subdued and restrained, so don’t try anything foolish.”
The Espers who brought Jeong Iro to the temporary quarters didn’t forget to warn him even after checking the restraints and control device fastened to his wrists.
After they left, Jeong Iro sat obediently with both restrained arms hanging down. There was no reason to run away or rebel from a place where he’d be with the kind and frail Guide who had given him a name.
More than anything, Han Seoha cared about weak things. Now that he had become Jeong Iro, he needed to become even weaker and younger.
How much time had passed after the Espers’ presence completely disappeared? Jeong Iro, who had been blankly letting time flow by, raised his head.
He noticed Han Seoha’s arrival just from the presence outside the door, but waited obediently. The door opened, the sound of small wheels being dragged in stopped, and light footsteps quickly approached.
“Iro, your hands!”
Han Seoha examined Jeong Iro’s arms, which looked as if they were stuck together. They appeared to be restraints with ability-suppressing functions, but were subtly different.
“Don’t your arms hurt?”
At Jeong Iro’s reaction of staring blankly without answering, Han Seoha first took his hands.
“I’ll start with guiding. We didn’t do much yesterday either.”
Since Jeong Iro had experienced guiding shock, he was naturally cautious. Fortunately, the guiding they’d briefly conducted in the isolation room yesterday hadn’t had any adverse effects on Jeong Iro. Now too, at the guiding flowing in slowly but smoothly through his palms, Jeong Iro’s expressionless face relaxed a little.
Thud.
“Huh?”
The shackles restraining both arms separated and fell to the floor. When the shackles fell away, the special control device fastened to his wrists was revealed. Since the watch also had basic ability-suppressing functions built in, it was something that would be put on criminals.
“Ah… to put something like this on you. Iro wouldn’t have known anything.”
Even without Jeong Iro saying a word in his defense, Han Seoha covered for his ignorance on his own and felt sorry for him.
“But I’m glad these huge shackles came off.”
Han Seoha pushed the shackles that had fallen to the floor away while confirming with his eyes until the end.
‘Shackles that respond to a registered Guide’s guiding. They can restrain without guiding.’
It seemed to be one of various restraints used by the suppression team. It was a tool that seemed to give authority to Guides, but in reality, it was just for show, or a device that could fool naive Espers.
It might even be a test product.
Either way, it was used as a means to make naive Espers like Jeong Iro docile by making it seem like the Guide had authority.
‘The temporary quarters’ location is also in the Association annex, close to the suppression team.’
In this unusual situation, they had clearly established vigilance toward the Guide’s safety in various ways, or toward an Esper whose ideology hadn’t been verified. Thanks to that, Han Seoha’s safety was also solid.
For a hastily assembled plan to obtain a temporary partner, this was quite a satisfactory result.
“Are you uncomfortable or having a hard time?”
The thin wrists with the special control device and watch fastened to them looked heavy, making him feel sorry. When he pulled Jeong Iro, who was crouching on the floor, the man obediently stood up.
“Iro, shall we eat first?”
At the mention of food, Jeong Iro’s eyes sparkled. Han Seoha immediately got up and headed to the kitchen. Though it was slow because Jeong Iro didn’t let go of his hand and he had to walk sideways, Han Seoha wasn’t bothered.
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“A lot.”
“You want to eat a lot? Then shall we make curry?”
Curry was a regular menu in the slums. Since it was also familiar, Jeong Iro nodded. Han Seoha, who had been continuing guiding through both hands, hesitated and carefully suggested.
“I need to take out ingredients. Would it be okay to hold just one hand?”
Han Seoha’s touch as he lightly patted the head of Jeong Iro, who reluctantly let go of one hand, was affectionate. Though he could postpone the slow guiding until later if he wanted to cook, he didn’t let go of his hand even though it was inconvenient, as if reading Jeong Iro’s anxiety.
“Can you eat carrots?”
Though a bit slow, at Jeong Iro’s reaction of nodding, Han Seoha laughed heartily. While taking out the necessary ingredients from the refrigerator and washing them with one hand, Jeong Iro stubbornly held on, but when Han Seoha started cutting onions, he teared up and backed away.
More than anything, the efficiency was poor since guiding didn’t flow over well from Han Seoha, who was focused on cooking.
“Iro, could you open the window?”
The temporary quarters were a size suitable for two people to stay in, so even going to open the window, the kitchen was visible at a glance. Jeong Iro opened every window in the house without taking his eyes off Han Seoha for even a moment.
“You opened them all. Thank you, Iro.”
With the wind blowing through the entire house, Han Seoha became convinced that he needed to be precise when inputting commands to Jeong Iro.
As he cooked rice in the electric rice cooker and started frying onions, a delicious smell already filled the air.
“They asked me to list what I needed for the quarters, so I’m glad I chose food ingredients too. Our Iro was hungry, so that could’ve been a disaster.”
Jeong Iro just watched Han Seoha without saying anything particular. As soon as Han Seoha, who had poured water over the somewhat fried ingredients, had a free hand, he grabbed Jeong Iro.
“It needs to boil for about 10 more minutes. Shall we look around the house in the meantime?”
At Han Seoha’s suggestion as he naturally continued the gentle guiding, Jeong Iro silently followed. When he opened the door of the closer of the two rooms, various clothes were hanging in the wide-open closet.
“Wow, that’s a relief. I asked them to definitely get clothes that would fit Iro.”
Han Seoha, who tried all the clothes he could grab on Jeong Iro, looked genuinely happy.
“That’s good. There are some clothes that are a bit big, but if you eat a lot and exercise hard, you’ll grow quickly.”
Though he was already an adult so it was questionable whether he’d grow more, at the sincerity contained in those obvious and common words, Jeong Iro’s firmly hardened heart kept stirring.
After selecting and pulling out a few books from the bookshelf, Han Seoha only placed them on the desk after confirming that Jeong Iro’s gaze followed.
“These are books about abilities. They’re aimed at beginners and published as comic books, so they’ll be easy to read. They’ll be very helpful to Iro.”
Everything that filled this place was what Han Seoha had requested for Jeong Iro. It was so full of things for Jeong Iro that Han Seoha’s belongings were hard to find.
After going around the small house once, Jeong Iro felt full even though his appetite was stirred by the smell of food.
The warmth called affection filled Jeong Iro’s endless hunger.
Suddenly, Jeong Iro realized his hands were empty. He hadn’t noticed when Han Seoha had let go of his hand. Or perhaps Jeong Iro had let go.
Captivated by the smell of food and warmth that filled the house, he hadn’t even noticed the guiding naturally disappearing.
“You’re hungry, right? Just mix in the curry powder and it’s done.”
Just as Han Seoha promised, the smell of curry spread in an instant and aroused Jeong Iro’s appetite.
Every time Han Seoha moved busily, food was placed on the table one by one. Store-bought kimchi and pickled radish were placed in the center of the table, and rice and curry were piled high on a large plate. When a plate was set at the seat closest to Jeong Iro, who was standing blankly, he sat down as if entranced.
Thinking Jeong Iro might need permission since he just kept staring, Han Seoha gently informed him.
“It’s all yours, Iro. I’ll give you more if it’s not enough.”
No sooner had the words fallen than the steaming hot rice and curry quickly disappeared with Jeong Iro’s spooning.
He barely swallowed the words telling him to eat slowly since it must be hot. Though he was using a spoon, Jeong Iro’s fierce eyes and ravenous eating were reminiscent of a beast. If he carelessly interfered with the excuse of worry, he looked ready to bite.
Han Seoha, who had taken only a little rice and about a ladle of curry on a small plate for himself, put all the rest in a new bowl. Though it was more than what he’d first given to Jeong Iro, seeing the bowl already showing its bottom, it was the right answer.
Watching Jeong Iro frantically devour the second bowl too, Han Seoha simply couldn’t pick up his spoon.
Though he was eating at a tremendous speed, the surroundings didn’t get dirty. It was clean as if the habit of leaving no traces was ingrained.
Jeong Iro’s appearance of swallowing without hardly chewing was pitiful. His eating looked like survival and struggle.
‘Resources must have been scarce, so he would have swallowed as quickly as possible when given food.’
He would devour affection in that same way too.
It didn’t matter if he was like a beast now, but thinking of later, he needed to be gradually tamed.
Affection and food. Both were the easiest things for Han Seoha to provide.
