He’d already selfishly sent the settlement payment because he wanted to ease his own conscience, but after hearing the Espers’ shitty gossip today, he felt like atoning a bit more.
Last time, they’d almost gotten into a verbal fight because he’d sent money arbitrarily, but now it was different.
Sijun was proud that there was some development in asking the other person’s opinion beforehand. He had no idea in his dreams that Kihyun, who confirmed that message, found it absurd.
‘I seem kinda like an adult, don’t I?’
He admitted that he’d treated Kihyun carelessly and disparaged him arbitrarily. Since words already spouted couldn’t be taken back, he had to make up for it in some way.
But an apology conveyed in words had already been accepted by Kihyun, and if he wanted to apologize additionally, wouldn’t it only be with money after all?
He had too much money inherited just because half the blood of thugs flowed in him. Even though Sijun was spending it like water, the speed of interest accruing was faster than the speed of spending.
As a smile leaked from his loosened lips while waiting for Kihyun’s reply, the steps of Espers passing by quickened.
However, contrary to Sijun’s expectations, Kihyun sent a reply sharp as a knife as soon as he read the message. And with the exact opposite content from the answer Sijun wanted.
Kihyun-ssi I thought we finished talking about that. No thanks
He’d thought a positive reaction would come out with life returning to his eyes whenever money was mentioned, but Kihyun refused again.
Was his pride not allowing it? Sijun recalled the face that had snapped at him while deathly pale at the café at dawn.
‘Even though I live miserably, I have something like pride too. Do you think I want to receive a salary from a kid three years younger than me and speak respectfully without fail?’
A kid three years younger.
Objectively, there wasn’t a single thing wrong with those words, but if other bastards had spouted such words, curses or kicks would have come out first. It was natural logic since that was all he’d learned.
A wealthy household with lots of money, but at best, a thug family.
His father, who’d had a change of heart just before Sijun was born, raised Sijun indulgently, showing him good things, saying he’d reform, but expecting normalcy from thugs with broken thought circuits was contradictory.
The only thing his father was proud of was that among his siblings, Sijun was the most human-like.
Sijun moved his hands quickly with a face where you couldn’t tell if he was frowning or smiling.
Ah why I’ll send more so can’t you just accept it? I felt like my apology was insufficient
Kihyun-ssi I don’t want to get red-faced over that matter again
Ah really why the fuck are you so ridiculously nice?
A read notification appeared, but Kihyun didn’t send a reply after that. Sijun stared at the message window for a long while and then frowned.
‘Ha, can’t he just accept it when I say I’ll give it?’
Sijun, who threw his head back and let out a long sigh, kicked a can rolling around the Center garden with his foot.
These bastards should throw trash in trash cans, fuck. How are bastards who haven’t even learned basic manners going to beat monsters to death at Gates?
His soured mood showed no signs of improving. Around the time he wanted to smoke cigarettes he couldn’t learn due to his father and mother’s dissuasion, an alarm rang.
It was an order to dispatch to a nearby Gate. At that moment, a pretty good idea came to mind.
To inject something into Espers most quickly and surely, pressing down with force was the best.
Fortunately, Sijun had the advantage of being born into a family more specialized in such things than anyone else. Even before he became an adult, what his older brothers secretly taught him behind his parents’ backs was all in that direction, so now was perfect to make use of his aptitude.
‘Those bastards, today I’m really going to work them properly. I have to show them what being crazy is so they’ll shut their traps.’
Sijun added two Special Team 4 members that Team Leader Kang Haemun had drafted to his team member list. Now that Kihyun was his guide, he couldn’t just watch him be treated carelessly.
It would take some time to eradicate Kihyun’s nickname that had already spread tightly throughout the Center, but he could speed things up.
Sijun lightly checked his body, which had improved thanks to Kihyun’s guiding. He planned to show an example of what would happen if they carelessly put Kihyun’s name in their mouths.
***
At the news that the Awakened Management Center access pass had been issued, he made an appointment to meet Sijun. Since he said he’d treat him to the meal he couldn’t buy last time, the location naturally became a restaurant.
Kihyun, who arrived at a Korean traditional restaurant that looked expensive even at a glance, gave Sijun’s name to the staff member asking for the reservation name.
“I’ll escort you to the private room.”
At the courteous staff’s guidance, he felt awkward, not knowing where to put his gaze for no reason. Even though he wanted to spend money lavishly, his knowledge was shallow, so he hadn’t been able to spend money in earnest.
He only knew conceptually that whiskey or wine was expensive, but his hands naturally went toward soju and what he ate was shabby luxury that was all the same.
When he arrived at the room the staff guided him to, Sijun was already sitting down. His appearance wearing a large hoodie and jeans was unfamiliar. It was because he often saw him in jet-black combat uniforms.
“Traffic was unexpectedly light, so I came first.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Is it very cold outside?”
“…I suppose so.”
Kihyun creaked at Sijun’s questions that had become noticeably friendlier. It was because this was the first time seeing his face since signing the contract, having a verbal fight with Sijun, and parting ways.
He still didn’t have a sense of how to treat Sijun. Even though he got annoyed looking at him, when he recalled the money he promised to give every month, his heart felt uncomfortable.
“I got it right after the access pass came out. They said it normally takes a while, but I think they gave it quickly because I threw a fit?”
Sijun grinned and took out a familiar access pass from his hoodie pocket. It was a necklace-style access pass similar to what Kihyun had returned a few months ago, but there were differences from the design in his memory.
“I guess personal guides have this kind of design.”
“What’s different?”
Sijun tilted his head. He didn’t seem to usually pay attention to things like access passes.
Since explaining the differences already felt exhausting, when he roughly nodded his head, Sijun shrugged his shoulders. It seemed like he wasn’t interested in what the access pass design was like.
“This place specializes only in course meals, so I ordered in advance. Do you have any seafood or allergies?”
“No.”
As soon as Kihyun’s answer ended, Sijun skillfully ordered toward the server. It was content asking them to prepare the meal right away. After the server left, silence hung in the Korean traditional restaurant’s room where only a faint tea fragrance circulated.
Sijun looked at Kihyun touching the access pass with a complicated expression, then cleared his throat and started.
“Ahem, there’s a huge rumor at the Center. About Kihyun-ssi getting an access pass as my personal guide.”
“I thought so.”
Kihyun hadn’t not expected it either. It was also a part he’d decided to endure to some degree when accepting the position as Sijun’s personal guide.
Being subject to the gossip of those disgusting Center people again was something he could endure enough.
When I can cure my disease and live, who cares what others spout? Anyway, since he wasn’t returning as a Center-affiliated guide, there’d be no more occasions to be called by that nickname.
‘Ha, fuck.’
Still, it would be a lie if he said it didn’t bother him at all. It was when he was thinking he had no choice while touching the edge of the access pass with his fingertips.
“And I decided to handle it myself if I see any bastard calling Kihyun-ssi that from now on.”
Sijun muttered while noisily pouring tea into a teacup. It was behavior far from the tea ceremony. Kihyun blinked at the sound of water falling loudly and asked back.
“Handle? What and how…?”
“In my own way. Anyway, ahem, I’ll sort it out soon.”
His refreshingly straight lips shot upward, but Kihyun’s pupils shook slightly. If left alone, he’d probably do well on his own, but somehow he felt uneasy.
‘Ah, it’s not like I’m raising a kid. Whatever. Let him do what he wants.’
Since his throat was parched, Kihyun lifted the teapot and poured tea. Compared to Sijun whose tea water splashed here and there, it was a much more neat and tidy appearance.
Sijun, who glanced at that appearance, emptied the tea in his teacup in one go, then poured and drank tea as if imitating Kihyun’s appearance.
‘What the…’
Kihyun, who was quietly watching what Sijun was doing, put his lips to the teacup and closed his eyes for a moment.
No matter how urgently he needed money, for a moment… he felt doubtful whether accepting this guy’s proposal was a good thing.
