# Chapter 29
They discovered Kim Juyoung around the middle of the dungeon. Even accounting for the fact that they had gone to the end of the dungeon and come back without engaging in battles with monsters, it was a very slow pace.
Well, still, he had been handling multiple monsters alone, so he was living up to his name as an A-class Esper in his own way.
Though it was somewhat comparable to Suhyun, who had taken down monsters in one go without being instructed and without giving them a chance to swarm, but anyway.
The two easily ignored Kim Juyoung, who was staring at them with blazing eyes. The Association would figure out why he had done such a thing. The two calmly exited through the dungeon exit that had conveniently appeared.
And now.
Jiwon was struggling immensely with two choices.
‘So he was hoping for the wavelength to become disrupted.’
Jiwon was certain about what Kim Juyoung had been aiming for. And he knew that the man had achieved his modest goal. Suhyun’s wavelength had fallen to around 50.
Having returned from the end of the dungeon to the middle part and dealt with all the monsters visible to him alone, there was no way Suhyun’s wavelength could remain intact. It was only because Suhyun’s stability had maintained a peaceful level throughout that it didn’t drop below 50.
Honestly, at this level, there’s no need to worry. From here, if Jiwon guides as usual, it could easily reach the high 70s.
‘The high 70s, huh…’
The problem is that even that level now feels somewhat precarious.
They enter and exit dungeons multiple times a day. The best-case scenario is to come out without using any special powers, but things don’t always go as desired.
If battles with monsters occur, the stability that had been barely raised would quickly fall again. This is why Suhyun’s wavelength had been precariously neglected for a long time.
To create a solid wavelength that wouldn’t waver greatly even when using abilities, the only solution was to significantly raise the stability.
So, he was at a crossroads: should he guide as usual despite the unstable state, or should he use guiding that could dramatically raise the level at once, like before?
It’s not like his lips would wear away after two kisses, so what’s there to be hesitant about? It was something he wouldn’t have even considered before, and even if he had thought about it, he would have been shocked, but now it was quite tempting.
Perhaps because he had seen such a great effect.
“…Esper-nim.”
Jiwon had contemplated for a long time and finally reached a conclusion. He thought it was better to be safe than precarious.
“No.”
But Suhyun refused, as if he had been waiting. And Jiwon had only called his name.
“I haven’t said anything yet?”
“I think I know what you’re going to say.”
“What do you think I’m going to say?”
“……”
Suhyun turned his head away quickly. It seemed his claim to know wasn’t just a baseless statement. He really did seem to know what Jiwon was going to say.
Jiwon absently rubbed his lips. Being cut off so abruptly made him lose the will to persuade.
“Then how about not entering the dungeon for a while? Let Kim Juyoung Esper-nim, who created this situation, go in.”
“Kim Juyoung Esper-nim doesn’t know what that dungeon feels like, so that won’t work.”
“Ah, yes….”
Don’t you think your wavelength is precarious, Esper-nim?
Jiwon sighed, holding back what he wanted to say in response to Suhyun’s sound answer. He’d probably say he’s fine. That he would continue entering dungeons in this state.
His gaze toward Suhyun involuntarily sharpened.
“I will agree to rest for one day.”
Perhaps uncomfortable with that look, Suhyun unusually took a step back. Though somewhat surprised as he hadn’t expected much, Jiwon didn’t miss the opportunity and nodded.
“Good.”
Furthermore, he directly contacted the Association and managed to secure a day of rest. Since the Association knew that Suhyun had pushed himself somewhat because of Kim Juyoung, they didn’t insist otherwise.
They even seemed pleased that he was only taking one day off. It was evidence that Suhyun and Jiwon were going through hardships voluntarily.
“……”
This is better than resting for a long time and feeling uncomfortable. It would be good if they could find a clue as quickly as possible.
Jiwon sighed, sprawled halfway on the sofa. Fatigue was continuously building up. It was an unavoidable rest, just for one day, but even that made him somewhat uncomfortable.
That’s because dungeons keep appearing steadily. Only Suhyun and Jiwon can explore these dungeons first. They can’t keep up with the rate at which dungeons are appearing.
As a result, more people are losing their homes. It also weighed on his mind that they were focusing on dungeons in Seoul, where the population is dense. Other regions… were becoming so devastated that he didn’t even want to think about them.
“Let’s do the guiding.”
Jiwon abruptly sat up. As if his desire to rest had been a lie, he felt uncomfortable and just wanted to go out to the dungeon. He even thought it was better to get through the hardship quickly.
Thanks to that, he could definitively answer the dilemma he had been contemplating earlier.
This has to be done. Suhyun’s wavelength needs to be made solid.
“I said no.”
As if sensing what kind of guiding Jiwon wanted, Suhyun refused in response to Jiwon’s determination. But this time, Jiwon didn’t give up as quickly as before.
“Esper-nim, your wavelength is on the edge. It might be above 70, but if you use your ability a bit, it will drop drastically.”
“I’m trying my best not to use it.”
“Yes, that’s the problem. You’re trying not to use it, but situations where you have to keep coming up. It might be burdensome, but right now, you’re the only one we can rely on. And if your wavelength is unstable from the start, that’s not acceptable.”
With newfound certainty, Jiwon had no intention of backing down easily.
“We need to find a clue as quickly as possible in a stable state. To put it bluntly… even if we discover it, if your wavelength gets completely disrupted in a moment of carelessness… everything we’ve done will become useless.”
He completely understands why Suhyun is uncomfortable. He’s someone who, until very recently, didn’t even want to encounter him.
The situation of proposing a kiss to such a person was bewildering even to himself, but that was a trivial emotion.
“And… back then, I was disoriented, so I couldn’t properly see how quickly your wavelength stabilized or to what extent. As the guide, I should know best how effective the guiding is.”
Jiwon added something that had been bothering him for a while. He still questioned how Suhyun’s wavelength had soared from 38 to 81 in an instant.
In that sense, trying the same guiding method again was something that had to be done eventually.
“……”
Suhyun’s expression stiffened as if troubled. But the fact that he wasn’t flatly refusing suggested that he thought Jiwon’s words had some merit.
“Of course, it will be uncomfortable. Um, then… how about thinking you’re doing it with an animal?”
Jiwon offered his own alternative to appease Suhyun. Unfortunately, Suhyun seemed utterly repulsed.
Jiwon nodded belatedly. Yeah, comparing it to an animal doesn’t seem right.
“Then… pretend you’re having a weird dream?”
Suhyun’s eyes narrowed. Either way, he didn’t seem very willing. But it’s clear that he’s in a softer state than before. To push through with his determination, Jiwon approached Suhyun. Fortunately, Suhyun didn’t try to push him away.
That was a success for now.
“Or, is there someone you like?”
“…What?”
“If the dream idea doesn’t work… pretend I’m that person. Um, just think of it as having a good dream?”
Jiwon positioned himself directly in front of Suhyun. Then he swallowed dryly.
Actually, he believed this was the right approach and had persuaded accordingly, but now that he was close, the feeling was strange. How to put it… he was the one feeling awkward now. At this rate, it’s as if he had pounced on Suhyun expecting to be rejected.
His judgment is rational since the focus should be on stabilizing Suhyun’s wavelength. But now that Suhyun was calmly looking at him, he started to feel embarrassed. Heat was rising to his face.
Recognizing this, his heart began to beat loudly and rapidly. Sweat formed on his palms.
“Ahem.”
Jiwon cleared his throat loudly. He wanted to hide it, since Suhyun could probably hear his heartbeat.
“……”
“……”
Silence flowed for an instant. Their eyes met for what felt like quite a long time.
Even the sound of exhaling seemed loud. It felt as if they were trapped in a space where only each other’s sounds could be heard.
