“Well…”
“Well?”
Seeing Jung Sijun repeat his words as if urging an answer, his disturbed mind seemed to gradually bleach away. Should he say it felt like the guy’s simplicity was contagious, being with this simple guy who acted like a single-celled organism?
“You pay my salary generously…”
“Yes.”
“When you do something wrong, you apologize well like a man.”
There was nothing left to describe Jung Sijun with, but Jung Sijun’s eyes were still shining.
“More.”
What the hell more? This was already an evaluation squeezed out enough.
Despite Yoon Kihyun’s embarrassed look, Jung Sijun’s gaze didn’t fade at all and grew intense.
The angle of his face gradually tilting toward Yoon Kihyun was simply astounding. There was definitely an answer he wanted. Seeing him tilt his face, it was fair to say he’d given all the hints.
‘Ah, if only the kid hadn’t gotten hurt, I would’ve asked what bullshit he was talking about.’
One piece of concern that the injury might have been from insufficient guiding was enough to break down Yoon Kihyun’s heart. In the end, Yoon Kihyun muttered in a reluctant voice as if defeated by Jung Sijun’s blatant and persistent gaze.
“And at this point, well… I’m thinking of you as a moderately handsome employer. Is that enough now?”
It was almost a charity-like answer as if telling him to take it and leave, but far from being offended, Jung Sijun reddened his face and just gaped his mouth.
Though there were many modifiers attached in front, he’d definitely said ‘handsome employer.’ Wasn’t that the saved name he’d directly entered into Yoon Kihyun’s phone when he’d offered the personal guide proposal and exchanged numbers?
To think the person who’d saved his contact under that name despite being asked if he had excessive self-consciousness would remember it so well.
“Wow… Yoon Kihyun-ssi, you really have something that drives people crazy.”
“Who laughs while receiving guiding? Don’t laugh.”
Yoon Kihyun frowned at the wavelength that started bouncing around every time Jung Sijun giggled.
“Team Leader Jung, please.”
“Ah, what am I supposed to do when I’m laughing because I’m so happy?”
“What makes you so happy? Getting the answer you wanted?”
“Yes. I’m fucking happy.”
At the honest answer, Yoon Kihyun let out a small sigh. Whether Yoon Kihyun was lukewarm or not, Jung Sijun kept grinning like a madman.
‘Ah, fuck. Yoon Kihyun.’
He just liked this man grumbling, throwing fits, even that look of contempt and disbelief toward him.
This was a first for such feelings. His heart was pleasantly pounding. Yoon Kihyun, who must be nearby, was probably hearing this heartbeat too.
No, he hoped he could hear it. Could he hear it? He must have heard it, right?
‘Do I really like Yoon Kihyun?’
Without a word, Jung Sijun casually placed his forehead against Yoon Kihyun’s shoulder. Yoon Kihyun, who seemed like he’d shake him off in distaste, was surprisingly still. After hesitating for a moment, he called Jung Sijun quietly.
“…Team Leader.”
“What?”
“Did you also hurt your side in today’s conquest?”
“Huh? Why? I got it stitched when they put on the cast.”
“It seems to have burst open…”
“Ah?”
No wonder his side felt a bit painful. While Jung Sijun let out a short sigh, Yoon Kihyun pressed the medical staff call button without hesitation.
Really, not a single day passed quietly.
***
“What do you do when you rest on your days off?”
Jung Sijun asked while lying with his stomach on the folding bed as usual. In his hand, he held an e-book reader displaying a comic screen.
“What do I do while resting? I just rest.”
Yoon Kihyun replied languidly and sipped the yuzu tea in his hand.
Among the things Jung Sijun had brought in under the guise of personal guide welfare were six different types of fruit syrups.
At first, he’d felt overwhelmed wondering when he’d drink all that, but as he steadily drank them, he could see the bottom before he knew it. It was also nice not having to go to the Center cafe, cutting through people’s stares.
“Of course you’d rest on your days off. Not that kind of thing. I could say that too.”
Jung Sijun grumbled and demanded a different answer. He could feel there was an answer he wanted, but…
‘Really, what am I supposed to do about that?’
He really did nothing on holidays. He slept, and when hungry, ate meals moderately and took medicine. In fact, it was closer to eating meals to take medicine.
“Don’t you have hobbies or something? Games, billiards, running, soccer, watching movies, stuff like that?”
Jung Sijun asked while grumbling. The lineup of hobbies was thoroughly off from Yoon Kihyun’s tastes.
He didn’t prefer moving his body much to begin with. He’d built a wall against exercise, and since he had to save money, naturally there was nothing he could call a hobby.
“No. I don’t like moving around.”
At Yoon Kihyun’s words shaking his head, Jung Sijun gave an answer like talking to himself.
“I kind of thought so…”
What did he mean by ‘kind of thought so’? It scratched his nerves for no reason. But to argue back, he had nothing to say. While just glaring at him for no reason, Jung Sijun asked with shining eyes.
“Want to go see a movie this weekend?”
It was an approach that was trite in bad terms and classic in good terms. Though he looked clumsy as he glanced and inwardly expected his reaction, which felt somewhat cute, it was bothersome.
“I don’t like movies.”
“Ah, shit, then what do you like?”
Jung Sijun finally sat up abruptly. Seeing him get up without using his arms, his core strength was no joke. While inwardly surprised and admiring to himself, Yoon Kihyun muttered.
“The tranquility and peace I can feel when Team Leader Jung leaves me alone?”
“You know when you talk long, it’s always when you’re mocking me, right?”
“Not really.”
“It is really.”
Jung Sijun huffed and let out a deep breath. Even though it was trivial wordplay, rather than being annoyed, it was quite fun. It seemed impressive how he persistently showed his feelings without yielding even when being rejected so openly.
“I knew from way back that you fucking hated me, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.”
“That’s because you’re talking nonsense. To put it bluntly, can Team Leader Jung watch movies with the Esper Headquarters Director on your days off?”
“Are you crazy?”
“See.”
When Yoon Kihyun gestured as if to say ‘see,’ Jung Sijun, caught off guard, avoided eye contact and shook his legs.
“Am I the same as that crazy ahjussi?”
“You’re different, but if I compare, that’s what I mean.”
“Fine. Just give me guiding. I think my wavelength suddenly went to shit.”
Jung Sijun strode over and plopped down next to the sofa.
Whenever he had no chance of winning an argument, Jung Sijun clung asking for guiding. It seemed only he didn’t know how funny that was.
“You received guiding 10 minutes ago, and your wavelength got worse in that time?”
“Ah, I’m telling you it did. That’s how it feels.”
Like hell it feels that way…
When Yoon Kihyun grabbed Jung Sijun’s hand with a lukewarm expression, he felt muggy body heat. The bonus was Jung Sijun’s loudly beating heart.
Yoon Kihyun, who pulled the wavelength bouncing around noisily like the heartbeat toward himself, narrowed his eyes.
‘Really a funny bastard. When his wavelength is perfectly fine.’
Still, he couldn’t go against his employer’s instructions.
“I’ll start guiding.”
“…Yes.”
Though there was no clear place to purify, the wavelength flowed into Yoon Kihyun and then returned to Jung Sijun.
At the gentle and languid wavelength transmitted beyond the touching palms, Jung Sijun closed his eyes, forgetting even to stare blankly at Yoon Kihyun’s face.
‘Ah, this feels fucking good.’
His mind was peaceful. Such feelings weren’t common. Wanting to touch even a little more, strength gradually entered his hand. Then, when the wavelength entering his body jolted once, Jung Sijun completely relaxed his hand and asked.
“Did it hurt?”
Between Yoon Kihyun’s straight brows, which gave no answer, wrinkles he hadn’t seen before appeared. It meant it hurt.
“I’m sorry.”
Jung Sijun immediately apologized. Apologies were better as fast as possible. It was a simple fact, but he’d only physically learned it not long ago.
To be precise, it was an ongoing realization he felt keenly after meeting Yoon Kihyun. Why hadn’t he known this simple principle all this time? Jung Sijun sometimes felt like going back to the past.
If he had, at least Yoon Kihyun would have looked at him a little better.
“Do you not get nosebleeds often?”
Perhaps the scene of him bleeding from the nose at the hangover soup restaurant was quite shocking, as the question was quite specific.
“It’s decreased a lot. To be honest, saying it doesn’t happen would be a lie.”
Still, the nosebleeds that used to happen daily had decreased to about twice a week, so it was amazing progress. The headache that felt like his scalp was sticking to his skull had also improved a lot.
He wanted to avoid showing Jung Sijun he was sick as much as possible. This was a workplace, and he considered condition management the basics of work.
“Tell me if you need my help.”
“What kind of help?”
“Just, you know, stuff like driving you to the hospital or small things. I’m saying call me instead of calling Team Leader Seo Igyeong.”
Jung Sijun could only say trivial things like using him as a taxi driver or errand boy, afraid of touching Yoon Kihyun’s pride again by bringing up money.
He wanted to look good, but having realized that money didn’t work anymore, all he had to appeal with was his body.
At the words telling him to use an S-rank esper with a brutal price tag as a taxi driver, Yoon Kihyun gave a response mixed with a hollow laugh.
“I’ll ask next time if I need it.”
“You promised, okay? Just let me see you taking a taxi.”
“Ah, what are you even saying? Really.”
Yoon Kihyun turned his head while suppressing laughter that burst out without realizing it.
