The contamination level measured on the morning commute had dropped to 75%. It was the first time in several years that the numbers had recorded a figure in the 70s.
The persistent headache and nerve-gnawing pain remained, but his physical condition was the lightest it had been in recent days. Objectively speaking, it should have been a situation where he felt very good.
“If he doesn’t show up tomorrow either, I’ll have to stop caring about training or anything else.”
However, the next day, Park Shinui didn’t show up at the training room either, and the resolution he’d spat out became lighter than a sheet of paper. Contrary to his determination not to care, Kang Taejun was walking of his own accord toward the guiding training room.
Was that talk about wanting to go to the battlefield together just empty words to curry favor? Where does this arrogance come from—having a physical grade at rock bottom yet skipping training on top of that? When he’d stubbornly insisted and clung to him saying that if guiding was done well, training wasn’t necessary, that was one thing—but now, he absolutely had to hear the reason why he’d become so insincere.
“Hello, Esper Kang Taejun-nim.”
“Hello.”
The Espers who spotted Kang Taejun crossing the corridor brightened and greeted him. Normally, even if he didn’t necessarily respond, he would at least give a light nod, so the Espers’ eyes held subtle expectations.
But today’s Kang Taejun passed by with an ice-cold expression, completely ignoring them. The Espers, flustered by the fierce momentum that seemed to carry killing intent, hurriedly cleared the area while murmuring among themselves. The oppressive waves emanating from Kang Taejun’s entire body were making the air in the corridor tense.
Arriving in front of the guiding training room, Kang Taejun glared sharply at the firmly locked door. It’s something I could ask about later through the Center, so why exactly am I in such a rush that I ran here in one breath? Belated regret washed over him, but he irritably closed his eyes and concentrated on Park Shinui’s waves.
As expected, Park Shinui was inside. When he sharpened his abilities sensitively to examine the interior, even his voice began to be heard clearly from beyond the wall.
“Hahaha. Noona, what’s that? That’s so funny.”
“I’m telling you it’s true. That man fell for me at first sight, you know? You’d know if you saw him too, but I’m quite a beauty myself.”
“Yes, yes. Let’s say that’s true. So, did you two become lovers after that?”
“Lovers? We just enjoyed a one-night stand and fooled around.”
“What? But you said the feeling was good.”
“It was good. He was pretty good at sex.”
“……What?”
“Hohoho, your face is all red. When I look at you closely, our Shinui is really so innocent.”
“Don’t tease me, really.”
Kang Taejun’s brow furrowed sharply. Skipping training with me on a whim, and just exchanging idle dirty talk here of all things.
Even if Park Shinui was originally an insincere and self-centered person, Lee Haneul was a top researcher directly selected by K Group. He’d believed that even with her eccentric personality, she’d be more thorough than anyone when it came to her work. But in reality, she was nothing more than a chatterbox who made such remarks and giggled frivolously.
“So how are things between you and Esper Kang Taejun? Going well?”
“Going well…… what do you mean?”
“What are you pretending not to understand again? Esper Kang Taejun’s contamination level has stabilized quite a bit. I’m asking if you two have made any progress.”
“Pr-progress, what……! He’s still at 75%, you know.”
“That means you haven’t gone as far as sex?”
“Noona, how can you say that so openly……”
“Why? What’s wrong with a bonded Esper and Guide sleeping together? It’s strange that you two haven’t done it yet. Besides, Esper Kang Taejun’s contamination level is already well past the dangerous level.”
“Well, that’s true, but……”
“I’m just so curious. Why exactly are you two still like that? Does Esper Kang Taejun have some kind of problem?”
“What? A problem? No, there’s no problem!”
“Don’t be like that and just tell me. There was a rumor going around briefly in the past. That Esper Kang Taejun has never met any guide other than Lee Jisoo, and that he’s too clean in that regard—way too clean.”
“Ha.”
A scoff escaped. Things really do pile up—did he skip training just to chew on such trashy rumors and debate whether I’m sexually dysfunctional?
Just as Kang Taejun twisted the doorknob and was about to open the door, Park Shinui’s firm voice that followed immediately caught his hand. Kang Taejun stopped the hand that was turning the doorknob.
“Lee Jisoo?”
“Yeah, the flower of the Ability Guide Center and the highest-grade guide. Ah, now that you’ve appeared as an S-grade, maybe the ‘highest’ title doesn’t quite fit anymore?”
“By any chance…… did Esper Kang Taejun date that person?”
“Pfft, dated?”
“……”
“Hmm. Well, did he date them? Why, is that important? Does it bother you?”
“……”
“Don’t tell me, are you jealous?”
“No. I’m not! I actually think it’s fortunate that there was someone to give guiding to Kang Taejun-ssi.”
“But your expression says otherwise? That expression is exactly like the one our youngest makes when he’s angry and forcing himself to hold it in.”
“What are you talking about? I said no.”
Slam.
Kang Taejun threw the door open without hesitation. He didn’t have a hobby of eavesdropping on others’ conversations, but at this very moment, he couldn’t resist wanting to see what kind of expression Park Shinui was making. Park Shinui is jealous of someone because of me. Those words echoed strangely in his ears.
Unlike Lee Haneul who immediately turned her head upon sensing a presence, Park Shinui stood dazed a few steps away with his face flushed bright red. He couldn’t tell how he was feeling, but seeing the sharp, edged look in his eyes, he seemed to be anything but calm. Kang Taejun silently scanned that gaze.
So he said it was fortunate there was someone to give me guiding, but in reality, he was bothered by it?
Kang Taejun suddenly recalled Lee Jisoo’s face. But that was merely an afterimage summoned due to an unnecessarily good memory, nothing more. There was no reason to list out such trivial excuses to Park Shinui. The clear fact was that Lee Jisoo was definitely not someone Park Shinui needed to worry about.
As Kang Taejun moved toward the two of them, Lee Haneul asked Park Shinui, who hadn’t noticed anything yet, a useless question.
“But Shinui-ya. Don’t you like Esper Kang Taejun? Then, it’s natural to be jealous when another guide’s name comes up.”
“Of course I like him. But getting angry about things that happened when I wasn’t a guide yet is a bit much, isn’t it? That’s petty.”
“Ah, you think it’s petty to bring up the past? Then what about now?”
“What?”
“What if Guide Lee Jisoo is still interested in Esper Kang Taejun now?”
“Noona, why do you keep asking questions like that?”
“Still, wouldn’t you be jealous?”
“I would. I will. I’m jealous. Happy now?”
“Oh my, Esper Kang Taejun-nim. Our Shinui says so, you know? Hohoho.”
“What?”
At Lee Haneul’s mischievous laughter, the moment Park Shinui turned around, he let out an involuntary “Huh!” Kang Taejun, who may have been there since who knows when, was standing right behind him with an expressionless face.
“Come to think of it, I forgot to tell you. This training is mental synchronization training, so all Esper waves are erased within the set zone.”
“What……?”
“So you probably couldn’t sense Esper Kang Taejun’s presence.”
“What?”
“Just in case you were curious.”
In other words, Kang Taejun had entered this room a while ago and heard everything he said, but he alone had been completely oblivious and blabbed out all his inner thoughts. As Park Shinui blinked rapidly in embarrassment, Lee Haneul jumped up from her seat.
“Oh my, I had something I urgently needed to finish. I totally forgot?”
She hurriedly spoke and turned around. It was an action that clearly showed her obvious intention to leave the scene.
“Um…… Noona?”
Without giving Park Shinui a chance to stop her, Lee Haneul rushed out of the guiding training room. They could even hear her carefully closing the door from outside. In the end, only two people remained in the spacious training room: Kang Taejun and Park Shinui.
Lee Haneul’s footsteps receded beyond the closed door. Park Shinui only stared at the door until the sound completely disappeared, then slowly turned his gaze toward Kang Taejun. The wide space suddenly felt narrow.
“When…… did you get here?”
Park Shinui awkwardly opened his mouth, suppressing the embarrassment rising to his throat.
“It’s been a while.”
Kang Taejun answered briefly and let out a sigh mixed with dissatisfaction. That heavy sigh pressed down even more on the sunken air of the training room.
“By any chance…… did you hear what I was saying?”
“Does that matter?”
“Not exactly, but……”
“I really don’t understand what Park Shinui-ssi is thinking.”
“What?”
When he asked back with a look that said he didn’t understand the reason, Kang Taejun wrinkled his brow severely and snapped at him.
“Why don’t you come to the physical training room?”
“That’s……”
“Was what you said about wanting to go into combat with me just lip service?”
“No. I really want to go out together.”
“Then why are you skipping training? For two days.”
“That’s…… because Kang Taejun-ssi only makes me do weird things……”
“Weird things?”
The corners of Kang Taejun’s eyes rose sharply. At his low, dangerous voice, Park Shinui seemed intimidated as he hunched his shoulders, but still mumbled as if he had things to say.
