# Chapter 96
“…”
Suhyun didn’t answer Jiwon’s confession right away. He just stood there, somewhat stiffly, looking at Jiwon.
He seemed hesitant, as if contemplating what to say and how to say it, which Jiwon found lovable and cute. He could think this way because he was confident about Suhyun’s feelings.
“Um… actually, I don’t know when it started for me either.”
As the silence stretched on and became awkward, Jiwon rambled on.
He wanted to smile naturally, but what usually came easily was difficult today.
After boldly making his confession, his heart raced wildly as if screaming, “Are you crazy?”
It was only natural that his face felt like it was about to burst with heat.
Feeling like he must look quite pathetic, Jiwon slightly lowered his head.
“One day, I suddenly realized it. That I, I liked you, Esper-nim.”
If asked to recite the reasons he came to like Suhyun, he could normally list them one after another. But right now, his mind was a blank page.
‘I should have thought about what to say before this moment.’
A useless regret came too late.
And what was he thinking, grabbing someone who had just returned home and confessing right at the entrance?
“Sh-should we go inside first?”
Looking back on it now, this was a complete mess. Jiwon opened his eyes after squeezing them shut and smiled awkwardly.
“…”
But Suhyun still didn’t say anything and made no move to go inside.
“Why are you just, ahem, standing there without saying anything?”
How quickly the human heart can vacillate.
With no particular reaction from Suhyun, Jiwon was now growing impatient.
It hadn’t even been that long, but he felt pathetic for being so anxious. This is why he ended up blurting out his confession as soon as Suhyun came home.
‘But what if… I’ve barked up the wrong tree?’
The creeping anxiety made him doubt even Suhyun’s feelings, which he had thought were clear.
What should he do if that was the case? He had done all this on his own. How would he face Suhyun afterward?
“…Just.”
Just as worries that hadn’t existed until moments ago were rapidly consuming his thoughts, Suhyun finally spoke.
“I can’t believe it.”
Jiwon moistened his dry lips and stared at Suhyun. His somewhat dreamy face looked unreal.
“I never… thought I would hear such words from you, Guide-nim.”
Jiwon never thought he would say these words either. Not just to Suhyun, but to anyone.
“Ah, yes. Me too. That’s right. Um, Esper Suhyun used to dislike me. So I really didn’t know that I would come to like you. Was this fate? The fate to fall in unrequited love… something like that.”
Perhaps that’s why, of all the things he could have said in this situation, he brought up the useless fact that Suhyun had disliked him.
Belatedly realizing his mistake, Jiwon moved his lips to try to salvage the situation.
“I did not dislike you.”
But Suhyun’s firm answer was much quicker.
“Not once, have I ever disliked you.”
He was articulating clearly that he had never disliked Jiwon.
Jiwon lost his words and stared blankly at Suhyun. He’d never disliked him? Then what was Suhyun’s attitude before they formed the exclusive contract? Was there another reason he had avoided Jiwon?
He wanted to ask immediately, but he was still concerned about standing in the entryway.
“Let’s talk inside. I was too hasty.”
Jiwon came to his senses and stepped back.
Still, this was respectable. He’d also thought about wanting to hug Suhyun as soon as he saw him.
Well, when he actually saw Suhyun’s face, hugging was out of the question—he felt too awkward and didn’t know what to do.
“I need to shower first.”
Suhyun, who had nodded and come inside, said in a tone calmer than before. Only now realizing that Suhyun hadn’t had a chance to shower after dealing with monsters and visiting the Association, Jiwon quickly responded.
“Ah, right. Yes.”
What was the hurry, anyway? An awkward smile naturally formed.
“Go ahead and shower.”
“Yes.”
The footsteps faded away and soon disappeared. Jiwon stared blankly at the firmly closed door and let out a long sigh, clutching his heart.
‘Wait a minute. I didn’t get his answer.’
As he collapsed onto the sofa with his legs giving out, he realized he’d inadvertently overlooked something.
Suhyun hadn’t told him that he liked him. He’d only said he didn’t dislike him.
There was an enormous difference between the two emotions.
‘Am I forcing the idea that he likes me?’
As soon as a gap appeared, distracting thoughts wedged their way in. Jiwon shook his head vigorously.
‘No. I felt it clearly.’
It had been only a few hours since they shared an intense kiss.
Would Suhyun make such an impulsive move toward someone he had no feelings for? His wavelength wasn’t unstable like when he fought the American Espers…
‘Still…’
It was strange.
He had thought he was certain, but his confidence was gradually diminishing.
The thought that he should seriously consider the ‘guiding rejection reaction’ was now taking a back seat.
“Haah…”
Jiwon looked at Suhyun’s tightly closed bedroom door. There was no sign of it opening.
‘Tell me before you go.’
That you like me, that is.
While Jiwon was writhing in regret, Suhyun, who had gone straight to the bathroom and was standing under the shower, was also letting out a long sigh.
‘I like you.’
Jiwon’s words, delivered in a trembling voice, had turned his mind upside down. It was such a sweet thing to hear that he couldn’t regain his composure no matter how much cold water he doused himself with.
“…”
He had thought it was a feeling only he carried. That’s why he had tried to distance himself.
Even when he ended up staying by Jiwon’s side instead of keeping him at a distance, Suhyun had not harbored any expectations. He thought it was something that would never happen from the start.
Even after impulsively kissing him, Suhyun had consciously tried to think of it as just an accident.
Because expectations only lead to disappointment.
‘I loved Esper Choi Young, and he loved me too. That’s why I lost him. The possessiveness that stemmed from our love for each other eventually made us lose each other forever.’
But ironically, it was Jo Wooyeon, who did not welcome the feelings between the two, who made Suhyun realize it was not an accident.
He had noticed the subtle currents flowing between Suhyun and Jiwon, and talked to Suhyun about the ‘guiding rejection reaction.’
Adding that it was something Jiwon already knew about, but he didn’t seem to be taking it to heart, so he was saying this out of concern.
‘You don’t want to lose each other, right? You have to make sure you don’t. I don’t want Guide Jiwon to experience that kind of pain.’
Almost to the point where Suhyun felt sorry for thinking a bit crookedly about him, Jo Wooyeon was genuinely worried about Jiwon.
Suhyun had responded that he understood. It wasn’t a difficult thing. The feelings of liking someone are unavoidable. However, for guiding, he should receive it from someone other than Jiwon. As long as he didn’t reject other guides, it would be fine.
‘Next time, I will.’
To Jo Wooyeon’s suggestion that he might as well receive guiding before leaving, Suhyun should have nodded.
But it was uncomfortable. He wanted to decide after talking to Jiwon at the very least.
In truth, this thought stemmed from a desire to be touched only by Jiwon. The feeling that Jo Wooyeon was wary of, and that would make Jiwon worried if he heard about it.
Jiwon would tell him to receive guiding. He would probably be reconsidering the ‘guiding rejection reaction’ by now.
Because from the moment they confirmed their feelings for each other, he would be the type of person to look ahead and prepare.
“Haah…”
It was only natural. Is it because he was the one experiencing the problem?
He found himself hoping that Jiwon wouldn’t make preparations. Because he just wanted to touch only Jiwon. Even just a fingertip.
“…”
While time was being delayed as he talked with Jo Wooyeon at the Association and explained about the dark red something Jiwon had mentioned at the research lab, Suhyun continuously thought of Jiwon.
The soft lips he mindlessly craved, the eyelids that trembled in embarrassment, that faintly smiling expression was so vivid before his eyes that he wanted to return home immediately.
But when he actually faced Jiwon, he felt as if everything from head to toe was malfunctioning. He had no idea what to say or how to act.
After hearing Jiwon say he liked him, Suhyun’s brain was literally in a state of shutdown.
Knock knock.
The sudden sound of knocking came when Suhyun was struggling to regain his composure under the ice-cold water.
“Esper Suhyun.”
At the sound of Jiwon’s voice, Suhyun turned the lever. Even before the flowing water had fully stopped, Suhyun grabbed a bathrobe and strode to the door.
“I know this is really silly right now, but there’s something I need to clear up.”
Suhyun’s movements became somewhat urgent at the serious tone. A navy bathrobe covered his sturdy body, from which water was still dripping.
“Do you like me?”
However, his urgent movements, prompted by wondering what might be wrong, stopped in confusion at Jiwon’s question.
“I want to know in advance if I’m the only one who likes you. Just in case. So I’d like you to tell me clearly…”
“Ah…”
His mind was still malfunctioning. But it didn’t seem like something he needed to fix right away. Without realizing it, Suhyun smiled as he fastened his robe, roughly brushed his hair back, and flung the door open.
“Oh…!”
Jiwon’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting him to come out so quickly.
“I like you.”
Suhyun spoke to him without hesitation. It didn’t matter if water was dripping or not.
“Much longer than you, Guide-nim, for a very long time, I’ve liked you.”
His feelings for Jiwon, which had blossomed from the beginning, were firmly pressed into a single sentence and flew to Jiwon.
Jiwon’s face, which had turned red as he heard Suhyun’s words, brightened. Suhyun smiled along with him.
Not once had he ever imagined that Jiwon, upon discovering his feelings, would smile at him like this.
But Jiwon smiled as if he was happy. There could be no more perfect time than now to pour out the feelings he had hidden for so long.
“…I like you a lot.”
At the repeated confession, Jiwon quickly nestled into Suhyun’s arms. He didn’t seem to mind that his clothes were getting wet from the water that hadn’t been properly wiped off.
“I like you much more.”
It was an immensely pleasing statement.
“Look at you barging in just to hear me say I like you.”
Suhyun laughed deeply. Jiwon’s gaze followed along the corners of his mouth as they curved into a smile.
Jiwon was wrong. The one who liked the other more was himself.
There was no way that the feelings of liking someone who never smiled and just grumbled could surpass the feelings of liking someone who was always kind and gentle like Jiwon.
“Yes, I like you.”
Suhyun hugged Jiwon tightly.
He did so because he wanted to confirm that this situation wasn’t a dream.
