# Chapter 113
“What were you trying to confirm?”
Perhaps because of this, Geonwoo’s smile was filled with anxiety. Though he tried his best to smile naturally and pretend everything was fine, he couldn’t completely hide his overflowing unease.
“I confirmed everything. You must have been worried, thank you for listening to me and waiting.”
At Jaehee’s words, Geonwoo rested his face against Jaehee’s shoulder to hide it. He didn’t want to show Jaehee his anxious state. Even now, Jaehee had noticed his concern. So Geonwoo couldn’t bring himself to voice his anxiety.
Fearing that those words might become reality, that they might shake Jaehee and cause him to distance himself again. That Jaehee might let go of him and give up on life.
And… that he himself might be consumed by those words.
So Geonwoo just smiled. Hiding his anxiety as much as possible, he merely put a bright smile on his face.
***
It was the next day. Dohyun opened his eyes. Looking around, he saw that day had already broken.
At the same time, he recalled what happened yesterday. The severe headache that began with a ringing in his ears. And memories that gradually became hazier.
But when Jaehee’s guiding energy entered his body, those hazy memories slowly cleared like fog lifting. And the memories that emerged confused Dohyun.
‘…I tried to hurt Jaehee with these hands?’
Dohyun looked down at his hands. His fingertips were trembling. He couldn’t help it. After all, he had almost pushed Jaehee away with these hands yesterday.
‘He could have been seriously injured…’
He hadn’t controlled his strength. He had tried to hurt that much smaller body.
‘…Why, why would I do that to Jaehee…’
He couldn’t understand. It clearly wasn’t his own will. But it had already happened. Dohyun was confused, unable to comprehend what was going on or why he had acted that way.
That’s when he sensed someone outside the door. Soon the door opened, and the person who entered was Jaehee.
“Kang Dohyun.”
Jaehee called out to Dohyun who had awakened.
“…Jaehee!”
Dohyun’s eyes widened. The person he had been worried about was standing right in front of him. Dohyun immediately got up from the bed and approached the doorway where Jaehee was standing. He stood in front of him and thoroughly examined Jaehee’s body. He needed to check with his own eyes whether there were any injuries. Only then would he feel at ease.
Behind Jaehee stood Choi Geonwoo. Dohyun hadn’t immediately noticed him because he was so focused on Jaehee.
When Dohyun saw Choi Geonwoo, ridiculously, his strength drained away.
Come to think of it, in his memories, it was Choi Geonwoo who had stopped his hand from hurting Jaehee.
‘…Right. Choi Geonwoo was there.’
That’s how it was. As long as Choi Geonwoo was by his side, Jaehee wouldn’t be hurt. It was completely different from when Jaehee was by Dohyun’s side.
Emotions welled up inside him. Dohyun gritted his teeth as if trying to suppress them. An inexplicable deep sense of defeat dominated his entire body.
But that wasn’t the end of it. No pheromones could be sensed from the two of them. When faced with the reality he had been avoiding and denying, Dohyun could understand his own feelings. What he had been constantly avoiding… it was jealousy.
Dohyun clenched his fist. He had realized an emotion he couldn’t express. Because he clearly knew who Jaehee’s feelings were directed toward, Dohyun had to sort out his own emotions. That was the right path.
Moreover, after swearing to never hurt Jaehee again, he had tried to harm him. Because of the guilt and confusion over that, Dohyun had no choice but to hide his feelings for Jaehee even deeper inside.
So he tried to imitate his usual voice as much as possible, because he didn’t want to reveal any of these emotions.
“Any injuries?”
But unable to look directly at Jaehee, Dohyun dropped his gaze to the floor. He asked while looking at the tips of Jaehee’s feet.
“None. But are you okay?”
Instead, Jaehee approached Dohyun with a worried face. Dohyun’s gaze trembled as he saw Jaehee coming toward him. Without realizing it, he stepped back. In response, Jaehee stopped in place and carefully said while looking at Dohyun.
“Are you… planning to keep avoiding me?”
Jaehee’s words somehow sounded sad.
“What are you talking about.”
“You’ve been avoiding me all this time. Even now.”
“Why would I? And I haven’t been avoiding you.”
Dohyun uttered a lie.
“I was just a little different from usual because I wasn’t feeling well.”
He made excuses to justify his behavior.
“Not feeling well?”
But at those words, Jaehee immediately looked at Dohyun and asked.
“Where? What’s wrong with you?”
“It’s nothing serious. Just a headache that’s been lingering.”
Dohyun spoke lightly while looking at Jaehee who was worried about him. Despite experiencing severe headaches that felt like his head was splitting, he explained in a casual tone.
But at those words, Jaehee’s expression changed.
“…Since when?”
At Jaehee’s question, Dohyun pondered for a moment about when this headache had started.
“Since returning from the Gate.”
“And that’s also when you started receiving guiding from Yoo Jiwoon, right?”
“…What?”
Dohyun frowned at Jaehee suddenly bringing up Jiwoon. It was because he felt an inexplicable aversion. It was an unfamiliar and strange emotion. It was also an emotion he had never felt from Jaehee before.
“Did anything feel strange when you received guiding from Yoo Jiwoon? How many times did you receive it?”
“What are you trying to say, Lee Jaehee?”
Dohyun’s eyes grew slightly fierce. It was a change he himself didn’t recognize.
“Why are you bringing up Guide Yoo Jiwoon here?”
Dohyun spoke coldly. He didn’t want to hear any more about Yoo Jiwoon from Jaehee’s lips. He couldn’t understand why. It just felt like he had to. Dohyun ignored whatever Jaehee was saying and walked past him.
It was strange. Dohyun couldn’t understand his own behavior. Why were his thoughts about Yoo Jiwoon stronger than his thoughts about Jaehee?
That’s when Jaehee urgently called out behind Dohyun as he was about to leave.
“Be careful of Yoo Jiwoon!”
With those words behind him, Dohyun stepped outside. He started walking. There was somewhere he needed to go.
He needed to understand why these strange emotions, emotions that weren’t his own, were surging within him.
***
‘Lee Jaehee!’
Unable to contain his anger, Jiwoon was roughly kicking objects in the room. Things were rolling around in disarray.
‘I need to get rid of him quickly!’
Fate was clearly on Yoo Jiwoon’s side. But Lee Jaehee had begun to twist that.
‘If only Lee Jaehee wasn’t here!’
Yoo Jiwoon grabbed a glass cup from the desk and threw it. The sound of shattering glass echoed loudly.
That’s when it happened. A small sound came from behind him. But his already heightened emotions prevented him from hearing it. After a short while, the door behind Jiwoon opened. Startled by the creaking sound of the door opening, Jiwoon stopped what he was doing and turned around.
“Esper Kang Dohyun…?”
The one who had opened the door and entered was Kang Dohyun.
Jiwoon immediately composed his expression. Forcibly suppressing his boiling anger, he greeted Dohyun with a very bright smile.
“Esper Kang Dohyun. Why are you suddenly here…”
Yoo Jiwoon began speaking while looking at Dohyun. But Dohyun’s gaze swept over Jiwoon and wandered around him—the broken items on the floor, the shattered glass cup and scattered glass fragments, and Yoo Jiwoon’s disheveled appearance unlike his usual self.
It was completely different from how Yoo Jiwoon normally presented himself. Dohyun’s eyes changed.
“Ah… this, this is…”
Jiwoon, noticing Dohyun’s gaze, acted flustered. He urgently approached Dohyun as if about to offer some excuse.
“This, well…”
Jiwoon grabbed Dohyun’s hand and opened his mouth as if about to make excuses. But completely differently, the urgency disappeared from Jiwoon’s face and was replaced by composure. Guiding energy. After all, Jiwoon had the ability to control Dohyun at will.
“You didn’t see this. Esper Kang Dohyun.”
Jiwoon held Dohyun’s hand and smiled.
Along with Jiwoon’s words, guiding energy flowed into Dohyun’s body. The energy and emotions of another person entered his body, just like when he had tried to hurt Jaehee.
“Come inside.”
Dohyun moved his body as Jiwoon pulled him. Inside Dohyun’s head, numerous memories were mixing together. A ringing sound like an order to protect Yoo Jiwoon, many whispering voices saying that Lee Jaehee must be killed. They were clearly someone else’s emotions. They had entered along with the guiding energy.
‘…Yoo Jiwoon.’
Dohyun looked at Jiwoon with eyes whose focus was gradually becoming misaligned.
‘Be careful of Yoo Jiwoon.’
Suddenly, Jaehee’s words that he had heard before leaving the ward flashed before his eyes.
