“Ah… I’m glad you’re okay.”
Yeoul smiled awkwardly as he withdrew his guiding and rubbed the back of his neck. At that moment, Seo Giwon’s hand grasped his wrist. Meeting those strangely heated eyes, Yeoul unconsciously swallowed.
“Can’t you do it a little longer? Ah, of course, only if your body is okay with it, Yeoul.”
“Of course I’m okay!”
It was a relief. This was his first time guiding an Esper other than Kang Hyeseong, so he’d been quite nervous, but to think he’d like it this much. Yeoul gladly began guiding again.
“Haah… This is the first time I’ve felt like this. It’s like my whole body is melting.”
Seo Giwon muttered with a rapturous expression. Yeoul, who had been repeatedly gathering and absorbing his waves full of fiery energy before mixing them with his own waves, couldn’t hide his embarrassment and fidgeted with his fingers.
Does it feel that good? Following Kang Hyeseong, he’d succeeded in guiding Esper Seo Giwon too. He felt proud and happy at the thought that he’d truly become a member of R1 now.
“The team leader gets this kind of thing every day, right? What a blessing, seriously.”
“Haha…”
Yeoul laughed with clouded eyes. Kang Hyeseong isn’t such an easy opponent, he desperately wanted to complain about how difficult it had been just to hold that man’s hand once, but he held back.
They guided in the car for about 30 minutes like that. After finishing the guiding, Seo Giwon, who stretched while saying thanks, looked extremely refreshed. Before they knew it, the number 44% was displayed on the meter’s screen.
“You’re really the best, Yeoul. My body feels completely light.”
He lightly cracked his neck left and right, then stretched his arms this way and that. Unlike earlier when he’d looked tired, his face had regained color and his eyes sparkled with vitality.
It was hard to hide the smile that kept creeping out, both shy and giddy, at Seo Giwon’s praise as he continuously gave him thumbs up. His toes curled inside his military boots on their own.
Esper Seo Giwon’s satisfaction level seemed high enough to make his pre-mission worries seem pointless. Pride swelled in his chest. To think I can be helpful to the team like this.
“You worked hard guiding. How’s your body?”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
“Yeah? That’s a relief. Our matching rate doesn’t seem bad. I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
Seo Giwon grinned with crinkled eyes. Then suddenly he reached out and patted Yeoul’s head.
“Yeoul, want to go eat lunch with me?”
***
The place they arrived at was a meat restaurant located near the Ability Management and Security Bureau. The sign was moderately worn and shabby—the kind of exterior that gave a baseless confidence that it must be a great restaurant because of that.
1:40 PM, perhaps because lunch hour had just passed. There were only three or four tables with people eating. The citizens who had been streaming out in a group brightened when they saw Seo Giwon.
“Oh my, aren’t you Esper Seo Giwon? Could I please get your autograph?”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
Despite the sudden request, Seo Giwon smiled brightly as he received the marker and paper. After readily giving his autograph, he asked with prettily crinkled eyes.
“Did you enjoy your meal?”
“Yes! I come here often.”
“Haha, then I’ll see you often. I’m a regular here too.”
The face of the woman who received the autograph was flushed bright red. As she covered her mouth with her hand and stomped her feet while letting out a muted scream, her companions teased her noisily. Once the customers streamed out in a rush, the owner approached and welcomed them with a broad smile.
“Oh my, hello! Did my cutie come?”
“Auntie, you’ve been well, right? Today I’ll start with 5 servings of pork belly. I came with a junior I treasure, so please treat us well!”
“Oh yes, yes. Of course I have to treat you well.”
Hearing the conversation exchanged with the friendly owner, it really did seem like he was a regular. But wow, he really has such an outgoing and nice personality… Since he spent every day with Kang Hyeseong who was stoic and taciturn like a scholar, this side of Esper Seo Giwon felt incredibly refreshing.
“Eat a lot, Yeoul. This is my thanks for today’s guiding.”
Seo Giwon said with a beaming smile. Yeoul straightened his back with a tense face.
“No, sir. I only did what I should naturally do.”
“Aw, our Yeoul. You’re way too disciplined, aren’t you?”
He reached out and lightly tapped the back of Yeoul’s hand.
“When it’s just the two of us, you can be comfortable. Of course from the seniors’ perspective it’s endearing, but we’re together almost 24 hours a day, so we treat each other pretty casually. You can do that too.”
“Ah…”
“Now, shall we try it once? Drop the formal speech and try calling me hyung.”
Seo Giwon’s face wore a playful smile and expectation as he gave that instruction. Is this okay…? Yeoul was a bit troubled, but thought he should do it since his senior was telling him to.
“Ah, understood… no… I understand, hyung.”
“That’s right, good job. How about adding my name to it too?”
“…Giwon hyung…?”
Even as he squeezed his eyes shut and called him that, he wondered if this was right. Still, he’s my military senior—what if I get scolded…
However, upon hearing Yeoul’s words, Seo Giwon smiled brightly and covered his mouth with his hand. This might be very rude to say to a senior, but… his sparkling eyes looked exactly like a large dog.
“Ha, cute. You’re really too cute, Yeoul.”
“Thank you…”
His face grew hot for no reason. Being called cute when I’m a fully grown adult man… Still, he felt extremely proud to have become a junior who receives affection. What fortune did I have to meet a senior who dotes on me so warmly like this?
The meat cooked appetizingly on the grill. Yeoul took turns with Seo Giwon grilling the sizzling meat with an excited heart. Perhaps because he’d worked hard at guiding, he was very hungry.
“Eat a lot, Yeoul.”
“Enjoy your meal, hyung! I’ll eat well.”
The two exchanged warm greetings before starting their meal. Yeoul’s eyes widened as he put a piece of meat in his mouth. The juices bursting in his mouth were a work of art. Giwon hyung had boasted that this place was a real famous restaurant, and he was right.
“This is our first time eating alone together, so is there anything you’re curious about or want to say to me?”
“Uh…”
“It doesn’t have to be work-related.”
He asked kindly with a slight smile. Come to think of it, I was asked to do something…! Yeoul carefully broached the subject.
“Hyung, if it’s not rude… could you give me an autograph later…?”
“An autograph? Why do you want my autograph?”
“Ah… a close noona’s younger sibling really likes you, hyung.”
“Ooh, I see. Of course I can do it if our Yeoul is asking.”
He’d asked carefully in case it might be burdensome, but fortunately Seo Giwon readily granted the request. The owner who happened to be helping grill the meat nearby even provided a marker and paper, so he was able to get the autograph right there.
Yeoul carefully placed the autograph on the seat next to him as if handling a sacred object. Seo Giwon, who had been watching that scene with a grinning face, suggested with sparkling eyes.
“Should I take a photo too?”
“A photo…?”
“Mm-hmm. Unfortunately I can’t take one with that person, but I can take one with you, Yeoul. How about it? As a commemoration of our first mission together.”
Since my face will be in it too, Huijun noona’s sibling probably won’t particularly want this photo… but still, she said to bring anything related to Esper Seo Giwon, so she’ll probably just crop out my photo or something.
Seo Giwon even personally moved to sit next to Yeoul and took the photo carefully. The temperature of his shoulder naturally touching his was hot. Following his voice counting one, two, three, Yeoul shyly smiled and made a V sign.
“It came out really cute. I’ll send you the photo now.”
“Thank you.”
Having returned to his seat, he smiled with a satisfied face. Yeoul received the photo with a pounding heart and pressed the download button. To think I took a photo with Esper Seo Giwon… It felt newly amazing.
“What’s with that expression? You’re making my heart flutter.”
Had his excited mood shown too obviously? At his question asked with a grin, Yeoul felt unnecessarily shy and scratched the back of his neck.
“Well… actually, I was an R1 fan before I awakened too. It’s amazing and great that the team members I always saw on the internet became my seniors…”
“Really? Haha.”
“Yes. Hyung, you’re really incredibly popular.”
“Oh, that feels good to hear?”
Seo Giwon’s eyes widened before he soon smiled brightly and cupped his chin with both palms. Making a flower holder pose and asking ‘I’m popular?’, he was—this is really rude to say to a senior, but… very cute.
“That one’s especially famous. The one where flames come out of your palm in a double helix shape and spin around.”
“Really? This one?”
As he smiled playfully and raised his index finger, a very thin and tiny flame suddenly blazed up from his fingertip.
Yeoul’s eyes went round at the sight of the flame lit like a lighter drawing spirals and spinning around. It was the exact shape of the flames he’d seen in battle, just miniaturized in size.
“W-wow…! That’s so amazing, hyung! Can I record a video of this…? I won’t post this anywhere, I’ll just watch it myself!”
“Sure, sure, you can post it or watch it alone. Do whatever is comfortable for our Yeoul.”
Seo Giwon giggled in response. Yeoul filmed a video with his mouth hanging open. Unlike Scholar Kang Hyeseong who considered it improper for civil servants to be in the spotlight, he seemed to enjoy the attention to some degree.
Seo Giwon, who had playfully smiled at Yeoul’s camera saying ‘Ta-da. Amazing, right?’, extinguished the flame from his fingertip and made a gesture of blowing smoke.
“Wow… Thank you, hyung. I really, really love it…”
I can’t keep this good thing to myself. Since hyung gave permission, I should post it anonymously on the R1 fan cafe… Giwon hyung’s fans will be thrilled. Yeoul felt like he’d become a successful fan as he proudly put down his phone.
“Was it okay? My flame show?”
“Yes, totally. It was so charming and cute.”
“Haha. I am pretty cute.”
Seo Giwon once again covered his face with his hands and pretended to be shy. Actually, I was saying the mini flame was cute, but… Seeing Giwon hyung smiling with such a warm face, he could newly understand why his popularity rivaled Kang Hyeseong’s.
