Just as Kihyun had sensed, Sijun didn’t actually have anything important to say to him. It was just an excuse he’d made on a whim.
Sijun knew he had no talent for lying. He hadn’t lied that much in his life either.
Even if he did lie, it was obvious he wouldn’t remember it properly after time passed. Rather than telling a lie that would be exposed right away, it suited Sijun’s nature better to shamelessly tell the truth.
‘He’s frowning again.’
As if displeased with Sijun’s candid confession, wrinkles formed between Kihyun’s brows. By now, Sijun had reached the stage of somewhat enjoying Kihyun’s disapproving expression.
When Kihyun was at the Center, his facial expressions hadn’t been very varied.
He’d mostly maintained an expressionless state. But the Kihyun he saw after his resignation had a surprisingly diverse range of expressions.
Especially toward him, Kihyun would make blatantly displeased expressions, and Sijun liked that. It was because the expressions he didn’t show at the Center felt like a measure of intimacy.
“Are you disappointed?”
Sijun asked in a drawling tone while admiring Kihyun’s expression. Then Kihyun slightly opened his eyes.
Rather than disappointed, he was deflated. He’d vaguely known that this guy would send messages just to mess around without any important reason, but now that he’d actually experienced it a few times, it annoyed him.
What kind of bastard is this? I was so tense because he said it was something important.
He didn’t like being jerked around by this childish bastard. But he couldn’t help being jerked around either. Because this bastard was the one holding the money Kihyun needed most.
“Not disappointed, but I was tense because you said it was something important, so I’m deflated.”
Kihyun replied indifferently while drinking his cooled tea.
At his attitude of obviously having lost interest, Sijun leaned his upper body forward slightly. In that moment, the stuffy air leaking from the ceiling heater rippled.
Within the café’s distinctive scent, Sijun’s fragrance suddenly intruded. Over the faint base notes of his perfume, the smell of disinfectant exuded an incongruous presence.
“But if I hadn’t said I had something important to tell you, you wouldn’t have answered my call, right?”
Well, that was true. Kihyun couldn’t refute Sijun’s words that unusually hit the mark.
He just smiled awkwardly and avoided answering. Just responding this way was answer enough.
“Whatever, what are you doing here alone? You said you were booking a train ticket.”
If he told him straight that he was booking a train ticket to go down to his lodging alone, Sijun seemed like he’d ask all sorts of questions.
“I had something to take care of, so I was going around and stopped by for a bit.”
“Ah, I see.”
Without prying further, Sijun obediently laid out the answer to the question Kihyun had been curious about earlier.
“I took annual leave today because I have a family gathering.”
“Ah.”
“That’s why I’m wandering around outside at this time.”
When Sijun grinned, Kihyun subtly averted his gaze. He’d asked with that intention, but when Sijun said it so openly, he felt a bit guilty.
But still, annual leave at this time? S-rank Espers really were something else.
Espers and Guides were definitely not job categories where taking annual leave was easy.
Of course, there was legally guaranteed annual leave and break time, but as with most of Korean society, the industry atmosphere didn’t easily allow for this. Even though Gates couldn’t be handled without Espers and Guides.
They risked their lives working for safety, but rather than being treated accordingly, there was a strong atmosphere of naturally exploiting their labor. They were paid handsomely, so naturally a brutal workload commensurate with that pay was demanded.
In many ways, it was an industry where typical Korean societal problems were compressed together.
But even among those, there were always exceptions. Kihyun thought that was exactly the man sitting in front of him.
“The Center Director didn’t seem too keen on it though…”
Sijun trailed off while opening the cap of the water bottle he’d placed in front of him. Then he emptied half the water while raising his eyebrows.
“I want to rest a bit, so what’s he going to do about it? Don’t you think?”
Indeed, he was befitting of an Esper that made the higher-ups at the Awakened Center anxious.
He’d known from the Center’s atmosphere and stories he’d heard, but the impression of hearing it directly from the person in question was refreshing.
Besides, if you went by ability alone, it was certain that there was nothing strange about him receiving such treatment, so it was awkward to say anything else. His personality was problematic, but his ability was something that couldn’t be disparaged.
“Well, because you’re Team Leader Jung.”
When Kihyun agreed, Sijun grinned.
‘What’s this, he’s actually going along with me? Did something good happen?’
The only things Kihyun had said to him so far were all words with unfavorable nuances.
‘Anyway, you must have it tough. Team Leader Jung Sijun, fighting with your dick-spinning.’
‘I already don’t want to live, and it’s hard enough without you acting crazy too, so if you get it, fuck off. Let’s never see each other again, please.’
‘Ah, fine. Then let’s say I took away Team Leader Jung’s chastity.’
‘You put it in my asshole. I’m the one who got fucked, so why are you so angry? Ah, did I perhaps penetrate your rear?’
‘Like a slave, calling me randomly at all hours and making me do weird things…’
If nothing else, it was certain that Kihyun had bad feelings toward him. Still, perhaps because the amount he’d proposed as a personal guide salary was quite large, after that they’d been having what could be called conversations, even if awkwardly.
Kihyun sitting across from him in the café was dressed much more comfortably than when he’d last seen him.
The weather was quite chilly, but fortunately he seemed to have come out wearing a coat and scarf, which were neatly folded next to the sofa. Unlike his appearance, there was something cute about him.
Anyway, the more he looked, the more this man drove him crazy in various ways.
‘Ah, I wish he’d hurry up and say he’ll be my guide.’
Like a child hoping a friend they liked would become their partner, Sijun’s heart was anxious and fluttered day by day. But regardless of whether Sijun felt that way or not, Kihyun’s face was indifferent.
‘But what’s the reason he came in? Does he have more to say?’
Unable to chase Sijun away, Kihyun just fidgeted with his innocent nape.
Sijun showed no sign of easily getting up from his seat. Rather, he even readjusted his posture as if he’d prop his chin and settle in for a long time.
Since we’ve met like this anyway, should I ask something I’m curious about? Kihyun tried to use Sijun, whom he’d met by chance and who was still useless, as at least an information source.
“Um, Team Leader.”
“Yes.”
“How’s the Guide Headquarters Director doing these days?”
Kihyun asked about a rather random person.
In that moment, cracks appeared in Sijun’s expression. His face became sullen as if he’d instantly lost interest, and he pursed his lips.
The Guide Headquarters Director? He couldn’t understand why he was suddenly asking about that ahjussi’s recent situation.
He saw him often at meetings but wasn’t interested, so he wasn’t even sure how old the man was. Moreover, they weren’t even in job categories with overlapping routes.
There weren’t many facilities Espers used within the Center. Excluding the guiding room, shower room, physical training room, and sleeping room, most of their time was spent at Gates, on-site, and at hospitals. Sijun was no different from other Espers.
“Why the Guide Headquarters Director?”
Sijun responded in an ambiguous tone that was somewhere between talking to himself and speaking informally. It was flattery stemming from his desire to get closer to Kihyun.
Sijun earnestly hoped Kihyun would become his personal guide. He even had his eye on what would come after Kihyun accepted the proposal.
If there were any misunderstandings or prejudices that had built up while working together at the Center, he planned to correct them, and if there was more to apologize for, he’d apologize. That’s how much he liked Kihyun’s guiding, and he didn’t want to lose him to anyone.
‘Wow, Team Leader Yoon’s schedule was even worse than this, how did he handle it?’
‘Which line is the new Team 2 Leader from that got him appointed as team leader?’
‘All the guides on that team became so weak and sickly they were trying to die.’
‘Does anyone know news about Team Leader Yoon, really? Is it true that he won the lottery?’
As time passed from the day Kihyun resigned, Kihyun’s evaluation only kept rising. This wasn’t just Sijun’s personal evaluation.
Already at the Center, Kihyun had become the type passed down like oral tradition from the mouths of current employees. People treated as out of spec—superhuman people.
Center staff were belatedly feeling the preciousness and empty space of what they’d taken for granted, deeply in their bones.
“…That person is someone I hardly ever have business with.”
Sijun’s lips stuck out fully as he answered in a sulky tone. It seemed like a topic he didn’t like. As expected, the attitude suited a companion dog more than the Center’s Mad Dog.
‘As if that kid would be anything else.’
Kihyun looked once at Sijun’s protruding lips and let out a small laugh. He felt like he could grasp, even if just a little bit, how to handle Sijun.
