Even while doing her utmost to stop Gu Baekyoung, Onyul was inwardly curious whether that concentrate would be effective on an S-rank Esper as well.
“Haah… What is this? I feel so good.”
The effect was quite substantial.
Gu Baekyoung, who had gulped down the drink, also seemed to feel a strange excitement like Ji Sanghyeon. He leaned his body against Onyul and acted silly like Ji Sanghyeon.
‘Even though I made it after a long time, the effect is certain.’
Unintentionally, the test was completed splendidly(?).
Onyul hung a sign on the convenience store door that read ‘Going to the bathroom for a bit! Please wait a moment.’
Then he took out the scroll he always carried in his pocket.
“Baekyoung-ah, you can’t let go of this.”
“Yees…”
He placed the scroll in the half-unconscious Gu Baekyoung’s hand. When he clasped their hands together and tore the two scrolls, he felt like he was floating.
When he opened his eyes again, his surroundings had changed. From the cramped convenience store to Gu Baekyoung’s spacious bedroom.
Onyul dragged Gu Baekyoung, who was leaning on him, and laid him on the bed. But perhaps because of Gu Baekyoung’s weight, Onyul’s body also fell onto the bed together.
He couldn’t push away Gu Baekyoung, who embraced him as if he’d been waiting. It was clearly different from when Ji Sanghyeon had embraced him.
“Hyung… you can’t go anywhere now.”
Gu Baekyoung, who seemed completely intoxicated, called for Kang Onyul from his past life in a tearful voice.
To think he still called for hyung when he’d decided to forget Kang Onyul.
Onyul flicked Gu Baekyoung’s forehead.
“Your hyung doesn’t exist anymore.”
“…”
Gu Baekyoung, who briefly closed his lips, spoke only after a long while.
“Don’t go.”
He couldn’t bring himself to push away Gu Baekyoung, who was nuzzling his face against his nape. Since he’d put up a sign saying he was going to the bathroom, it should be okay for a moment.
Onyul patted Gu Baekyoung’s back.
Gu Baekyoung’s panting breath touched his nape. His whole body was entangled with Gu Baekyoung.
It was completely different from when he occasionally embraced him. Because normally, Gu Baekyoung embraced Onyul comfortably so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
He felt his body temperature rising rapidly. He could hear his somewhat quickened heartbeat by his ear.
It felt like blood was rushing below his lower abdomen. It seemed like if he made a mistake, something big could happen.
Onyul hurriedly escaped from Gu Baekyoung’s embrace.
“Whew.”
The breath he exhaled was only hot.
‘I was fine when Ji Sanghyeon embraced me, so why am I like this now?’
Onyul, who became awkward for no reason, tore the scroll again and returned to the convenience store. When he peeked into the small room, Ji Sanghyeon was sleeping unconscious.
Since there was quite a bit of time left until the night shift, if he let him sleep until then, he would return to his right mind.
With this, the effect of the highly concentrated energy drink that would enable him to secretly enter the Management Bureau was completely confirmed. Not only ordinary people, but even an S-rank Esper had been knocked down at once.
The problem was how to explain that drink to Ji Sanghyeon and Gu Baekyoung when they woke up…
***
Contrary to his concerns, Ji Sanghyeon didn’t harbor much doubt about the highly concentrated energy drink.
<I was a bit tired so I made a scene. I’m sorry, Manager.>
He seemed to have concluded that he’d become strange because he was tired. Onyul, who no longer needed to explain, feigned innocence and patted Ji Sanghyeon’s shoulder.
<If the convenience store work is hard, please tell me. I’ll try to find another part-timer.>
<Hey, no matter how tired I am, I have to do the convenience store work. I like working together with you, Manager.>
Ji Sanghyeon, who laughed hehe, returned to his home with the words that he should rest for a bit. After that, Onyul handed over the convenience store to Yu Wooyoung and left work for Gu Baekyoung’s house.
He harbored the expectation that Gu Baekyoung might have gone to conquer a Gate… but Gu Baekyoung was waiting for Onyul like the grim reaper.
“Honey, let’s be straight. Why did you make something like that? Who else are you trying to send to their grave?”
His expression was excessively stern, but perhaps because he happened to be preparing dinner, he was wearing a cute apron. It was a cheeky apron with a small squirrel drawn on it.
Perhaps because of that irony, he didn’t feel scary. He was just somehow cute.
Onyul tried to use the method he’d used at the convenience store during the day again, thinking to cajole Gu Baekyoung.
“Honey, it’s a misunderstanding.”
Even when he slyly hugged his waist, Gu Baekyoung didn’t budge.
Oh ho, so he’s holding out?
“Honey, do I get fooled once, get fooled twice?”
It was quite an answer.
But Baekyoung-ah, this hyung manipulated many people’s hearts even when working as an Esper.
Onyul just hadn’t dated, that’s all.
“Can’t you get fooled twice?”
As soon as he cutely asked, Gu Baekyoung’s body flinched.
His stern face smoothly relaxed and he made a voice mixed with a sigh.
“I can get fooled twice… but just tell me why you made something like that.”
“Aren’t you curious how I made it?”
“You probably used a special ability like when you fooled Park Hanil before. Because my honey is an amazing person enough to guide me.”
So he doesn’t need the whys and wherefores, just tell him the essence?
“…What is it. What’s going on again.”
“…”
“Honey, can’t you tell me honestly this time?”
Of course, he hadn’t not thought about that either. Onyul thought about how far he should tell Gu Baekyoung.
“Let’s sit down and talk.”
“No, let’s eat first.”
As soon as he sat at the dining table, Gu Baekyoung began bringing out food.
The dinner table was much more generous than usual. It seemed like he’d poured his complicated feelings into cooking.
Onyul ate all the food he made without leaving anything. It seemed like only then would his heart ease a little.
As soon as he put down his spoon, Gu Baekyoung spoke as if he’d been waiting.
“You want to secretly enter the Management Bureau, right?”
“Huh?”
“Being selected as a supplier for the Management Bureau event is also because of that.”
“But what does that have to do with the drink you had?”
“That drink made even an S-rank Esper lose consciousness. Aren’t you trying to make someone at the Management Bureau drink it and secretly do something?”
It was a question befitting Gu Baekyoung, who seemed simple but was subtly sharp.
He asked about the facts as if telling him not to think about evading anymore.
Perhaps because of that, he could no longer pretend not to know. It seemed like he could only escape this situation by revealing the facts to some extent.
“Yeah, your guess is right.”
“…”
“But it was also sincere that I wanted to see you shine by participating in the Gate event.”
It was sincere that he wanted to see him be selected as MVP and receive everyone’s cheers again.
He wanted to face that scene he’d seen every year even after becoming Kang Ian.
“Yeah.”
Fortunately, Gu Baekyoung didn’t seem to doubt that point.
“Like you said, it’s also right that I’m trying to secretly do something by feeding them that.”
“What are you trying to do secretly?”
“…There’s something I want to confirm.”
He absolutely couldn’t say that he was entering the Management Bureau because ‘Kang Onyul’s death’ was suspicious. So Onyul had thought of tens of thousands of excuses.
That he recently found out there was an Esper among his relatives who died unjustly so he wanted to look into it separately, that among his friends there was someone who died unjustly…
But Onyul’s thoughts were broken by the sound he heard at that moment.
“You could just ask me to help.”
“…Huh?”
“You just had to say one word that there’s something you want to confirm and you want to secretly enter. Why are you trying to bring danger upon yourself by even making a strange drink.”
Gu Baekyoung didn’t pry into what Onyul wanted to confirm.
He was just worried that Onyul might fall into danger again.
Nothing but sincerity showed on Gu Baekyoung’s face as he looked at him. He was sincerely worried about Onyul.
“I wish you wouldn’t do dangerous things.”
“…”
“Because I don’t want to lose a precious person ever again.”
He couldn’t ask jokingly, why am I your precious person, are we already in that kind of relationship.
It was because his heart stung at the words that seemed wounded by loss.
Perhaps his heart was uncomfortable knowing that he was the one who hurt him.
“…”
Onyul stared at Gu Baekyoung’s eyes looking straight at him.
In those unwavering pupils, a firm will seemed to be engraved. The will to help him no matter what he said.
Right now, the answer Onyul could give was decided.
“Okay, help me.”
“…”
“Don’t ask anything and just help me. If that’s what you want.”
It seemed inevitable that his heart weakened only for Gu Baekyoung. Onyul finally pulled Gu Baekyoung into his affairs.
