Yu Wooyoung and Ji Sanghyeon observed Kang Ian, whose identity they couldn’t determine, with great depth.
After working the convenience store part-time job for over a week, Yu Wooyoung’s conclusion was the same as on the first day.
<I can’t be certain, but the store manager is a hybrid closer to a Guide.>
Yu Wooyoung still said that Kang Ian seemed to be both a Guide and an Esper.
Unfortunately, he added that he couldn’t know for certain because Kang Ian hadn’t been giving off any energy lately.
Come to think of it, ever since the helmet was put on the wanted list in Goyang, the pleasant energy that Kang Ian had been emanating had disappeared. Once that mysterious energy vanished, the number of ability users coming and going from the convenience store also decreased.
‘He wasn’t being controlled, but now he can control it?’
Perhaps by guiding Gu Baekyoung in actual combat, he had fully awakened his abilities and become able to control them.
Ji Sanghyeon didn’t doubt Yu Wooyoung’s conclusion.
He just believed that Kang Ian must be an S-rank Guide with some unknown special ability.
What didn’t make sense was Kang Ian’s attitude.
He didn’t show off his extremely rare and special ability. He just seemed content living as a convenience store manager and guiding Gu Baekyoung.
Did he like Gu Baekyoung that much?
‘If it were me, I’d do anything with that ability.’
It wasn’t about sacrificing himself for a greater cause. He felt like he would have pursued private interests, whether by establishing an anti-Management Bureau or whatever else.
Didn’t Kang Ian also have Park Hanil as a target for revenge? At the very least, he would have been working behind the scenes to get revenge on him.
But Kang Ian didn’t do anything. Only recently, all he’d done was take on the job of handling orders for Management Bureau events.
What exactly was he trying to do?
As far as Ji Sanghyeon knew, Kang Ian didn’t particularly enjoy convenience store work. Rather, he hoped customers wouldn’t come, and when he wasn’t in the mood, he’d chase customers away.
The problem was that thanks to his pretty appearance and mysterious atmosphere, there were no customers who disliked his unfriendliness…
Anyway, there seemed to be some other reason for taking on this ordering job. For instance, something he had to do. Something that required him to get into the Management Bureau.
If he found out that reason, he might be able to learn Kang Ian’s secret.
Ji Sanghyeon also planned to stick close to Kang Ian as a proper part-timer.
This time, he really wanted to find out everything about Kang Ian.
To recruit him, he had to uncover what he truly desired and what trauma he carried.
As part of that effort, lately Ji Sanghyeon had been stopping by the convenience store even when it wasn’t his shift time, trying to reveal the identity of the mysterious store owner.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. It was because the time spent with Kang Ian was secretly enjoyable.
Though he seemed prickly on the outside, Kang Ian was the type who took quite good care of his people.
At some point, Ji Sanghyeon seemed to have been included in those ‘his people.’
Even when he showed up out of the blue, Kang Ian would naturally hand him a drink or get him something to eat, and when new products came in, he’d offer them first.
<This is apparently trendy these days, have you tried it? I didn’t think much of it.>
Behind his casual, offhand tone, there was a hint of caring.
For Ji Sanghyeon, who as the head of an organization was the one who took care of others, this kind of treatment was unfamiliar.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t bad. No, rather… it felt warm.
When was the last time he’d felt this emotion?
It was probably before he was separated from his parents.
Kang Ian was someone who reminded him of the warmth he’d forgotten for so long.
Perhaps that’s why, today too, he stopped by the convenience store as if enchanted. Kang Ian was deep in thought with three bottles of tomato juice placed on the counter.
‘What’s he doing today?’
Ji Sanghyeon stopped by the convenience store with anticipation. And then he ended up receiving one of those mysterious tomato juices.
<Would you like to try just a sip?>
He had no intention of following his suggestion to just taste a sip. Ji Sanghyeon gulped down the juice, intending to tease Kang Ian.
But what was this? As soon as he drank the juice, he felt like his body was floating. The surroundings suddenly became warm and gravity seemed to disappear.
The floating sensation wasn’t unpleasant. Would heaven feel like this?
…No, I don’t deserve to go to heaven.
He became so hazy that he didn’t even have the presence of mind for self-mockery.
His body, which had always been tense as the person in charge of the anti-Management Bureau called the evil of society, went completely limp. Ji Sanghyeon leaned against Kang Ian, blinking his eyes slowly.
Kang Ian dragged him along and laid him down in the small room in the convenience store.
Looking up suddenly, Kang Ian seemed much prettier than usual. White skin, delicate features… his eyes looking at him contained a worried expression.
Worry. This too was something he was receiving after a long time.
Ji Sanghyeon always showed only a strong appearance, unable to show weakness in front of the ability users who believed in and followed him. He wasn’t in a position to be worried about, but rather the one who led everyone.
‘Really… even though he’s someone I should be wary of, I can’t dislike him.’
Our store manager, who’s cute and handsome and even has special abilities. Our store manager who genuinely worries about me when everyone else fears or criticizes me.
Before he knew it, Ji Sanghyeon pulled Kang Ian into an embrace. He couldn’t help it.
Kang Ian’s struggling body became still with just one question: ‘You’re not going to leave, are you?’ He was indeed weak to sympathy and compassion.
Was it too arrogant to wish that time would stop like this?
Ji Sanghyeon just desperately hoped that time would flow slowly. His body was excessively languid, and in his ears he could hear a thump-thump, an unfamiliar heartbeat.
But regrettably, the heaven-like time didn’t last long.
It was because of an intruder who suddenly appeared.
“Get away from him right now.”
The man who spoke warningly in a low voice grabbed the back of Kang Ian’s neck.
Ji Sanghyeon tried to hold onto Kang Ian by putting strength in his arms, but he was heavily intoxicated by something. He couldn’t overcome the man’s strong grip.
Having suddenly lost Kang Ian, Ji Sanghyeon glared at the man. Black hat, mask, black clothes… an entirely pitch-black man.
Yet Kang Ian seemed to recognize the man’s identity and was flustered.
“Gu, Gu… Hey!”
“Come out.”
The man, who seemed to be suppressing his anger, looked at Ji Sanghyeon with contempt before dragging Kang Ian away.
Ji Sanghyeon seemed to know who he was too.
‘Is it Gu Baekyoung?’
He had discovered Gu Baekyoung circling around the convenience store area several times.
The reason he could circle around so boldly seemed to be because he disguised himself with a disruption ability that made it impossible for others to recognize him.
With such an ability, he might be able to fool up to A-rank, but Ji Sanghyeon was also an S-rank Esper. He could see through Gu Baekyoung’s identity at once.
…But our store manager recognizes him too?
Was he really an S-rank Guide after all?
Ji Sanghyeon couldn’t even think of following Kang Ian and Gu Baekyoung and just let out an empty laugh. From the moment he’d embraced Kang Ian, the dull ache below had only been uncomfortable.
What on earth had Kang Ian made? A juice that makes energy surge up?
Or regardless of the juice, had it swelled up just because of his own feelings?
He rubbed his face as if washing it dry. He belatedly realized his cheeks had become hot.
***
“Heyyy, stop. If you leave the convenience store now, who’s going to run the business?”
Onyul pressed Gu Baekyoung, who was dragging him away with tremendous force. He didn’t know since when Gu Baekyoung had been watching before appearing.
“Are you crazy… No, how can you say that in this situation?”
“Wait a sec. Don’t go out. Resolve it inside the convenience store.”
At those words, Gu Baekyoung’s steps fortunately stopped. He too seemed to have judged that it wouldn’t be appropriate to make a scene outside the convenience store.
“Calm down and listen. It was an accident.”
“An accident…”
Gu Baekyoung, who repeated the word ‘accident,’ let out a scoffing laugh as if mocking Onyul.
“You accidentally hug just any guy? Yeah, I never liked that part-timer from the start. Always massaging your shoulders and hands at every opportunity! Looking for chances to touch you!”
When have you been watching me, you punk?
He wanted to argue, but if he did, it seemed like the excited Gu Baekyoung wouldn’t calm down.
Onyul, Gu Baekyoung’s exclusive trainer, quickly thought of a way to calm him down.
“Honey, I’m sorry.”
Namely, apologizing with words that had aegyo in them, as if they were real lovers.
“…”
The effect was immediate. He could see Gu Baekyoung’s brow, visible above the mask, twitching.
“I’ll be more careful next time. And Ji Sanghyeon… No, that part-timer wasn’t in his right mind either, that’s why. He’s not normally like that.”
Onyul, who had made excuses, lightly hugged Gu Baekyoung’s waist. This time, Gu Baekyoung’s body flinched.
He’s almost won over.
A laugh was about to come out at his simple reaction, so he put strength in his lips. Then suddenly he thought.
‘…It feels like real lovers fighting.’
How serious is Gu Baekyoung about this fake relationship?
“That thing?”
“…Hm?”
“He became strange after drinking that.”
Gu Baekyoung, who seemed to have calmed down briefly, looked fiercely at the tomato juice placed on the counter.
“Ah, no. That’s, well…”
“I want to try drinking it too.”
There was no time to stop him. Gu Baekyoung immediately shook off Onyul, who had been hugging him, and grabbed the glass bottle in his hand.
“No! Even so, if you’re going to drink it, just one sip!”
Despite the desperate cry, Gu Baekyoung snorted and gulped down the drink all at once.
