“…Um.”
“…”
“Um, Heichi-ssi.”
Heewoo called Heichi softly, but there was no response. Heichi closed his eyes and didn’t even move, as if savoring something. The problem was that he’d been doing that for nearly thirty minutes now.
At first, Heewoo had thought it took longer than expected to gauge a Guide’s grade, and didn’t think much of it. After all, he wasn’t a machine, and since he was measuring the grade just by holding hands, even if it took long, there was no complaint. But…
But Heichi couldn’t leave Heewoo’s clasped hand alone for a single moment.
He kept, kept fiddling with and groping his fingers, so Heewoo felt like his hand was being molested. On top of that, he was so obsessive. Even when he tried to subtly pull his hand away, it didn’t budge. Moreover, he gradually increased the range of contact, and now almost everything below his elbow was caught in Heichi’s hands.
“Yes. Please speak.”
“Could you let go now…?”
By now, Heewoo also knew that Heichi’s caressing of his hand like this wasn’t for grade measurement but for another reason. Yet he couldn’t take a hard line because Heichi somehow looked hazy. But since he had to go to his part-time job soon, Heewoo called him to wake him up.
“…”
“I have to go to my part-time job…”
Heichi, who had never done such a thing before, pretended not to hear Heewoo’s words and didn’t let go of his hand. It almost seemed like he was pleading for just a little more. Heewoo wore an apologetic expression and removed Heichi’s hand somewhat forcefully.
“…I apologize.”
“Ah, no… It’s just holding hands, so… Um, so what’s my grade…?”
Thinking he must have gauged the grade by now, Heewoo didn’t miss the opportunity and asked. Heichi, who had kept his mouth closed for a moment, spoke quietly.
“You seem to be at least above Brown Dwarf.”
“Huk, Brown?”
Earlier, what order did Orin say the Guide grades were in? Brown seemed to be around grade 5… It was difficult for Heewoo, who had only heard it once, to memorize the colors in order, so he asked Heichi again as if receiving confirmation.
“In… numbers…”
“Fifth.”
“So grade 5…”
Heewoo had never taken the college entrance exam, let alone a mock test, but since news related to the entrance exam poured out every year-end, he knew that generally grade 5 was the most common. Then wasn’t he around that level too? A grade 5 Guide. It was probably a grade that was extremely common.
Orin also seemed to have said he’d met Brown Dwarf Guides a few times. The fact that he’d praised him as an “awesome Guide” was likely because, being an Esper, he wanted to look good to the Guide.
Still, Heewoo felt good learning that he was a Guide of a not-bad grade. Even though that didn’t mean money would come out of it.
Heewoo, who had been smiling inwardly, spotted the clock tower erected in the middle of the park in the distance. Current time: 7:32 PM. There were now less than 30 minutes left until 8 PM, the start time at Matgal Meat Restaurant.
“Huk…!”
Startled, Heewoo sprang up from the bench. When on earth had time flowed like this? Normally it took 8 minutes to get from this park to Matgal Meat Restaurant, but for Heewoo, who always arrived 10 minutes early for work, there wasn’t much time left.
“I-I’ll go to my part-time job…!”
Heewoo, who hurriedly gathered his belongings, grabbed his crossbody bag and tried to rush out immediately. Heichi also stood up following him, but didn’t seem to intend to stop Heewoo.
Heewoo, who had turned around demonstratively, suddenly stopped moving. Then he looked back at Heichi.
“Um… Then, do you also need guiding, that thing, Heichi-ssi…?”
These days, since the news was constantly talking about Espers, Heewoo also knew what role Guides played for Espers and why they had come all the way to Earth looking for Guides.
Until the weekend, Heewoo, who had tried to distance himself from Heichi the Esper because he was scary and uncomfortable, felt unsettled today seeing Heichi hold his hand as if desperately yearning for it. Because while it was just uncomfortable for him, it was said to be a matter of life and death for Heichi.
Moreover, how many meals had he received from him until now? Heewoo, who had been hesitating, added,
“I…”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, but… I don’t have money, so I can’t buy you food…”
It was frustratingly stuttered speech. Heewoo knew it too. But since he had to say such words with his own mouth, he felt awkward and embarrassed, so he kept stuttering inside his mouth.
“If it’s okay… as payment for meals… I could at least just hold your hand…”
“Really?”
At the question that burst out before his words even finished, Heewoo, who had been bowing his head and fidgeting, raised his head. Then he saw Heichi’s beautiful golden eyes had grown slightly, just slightly larger. At that reaction, Heewoo unknowingly gave a slight nod of confirmation.
“Then can I keep holding your hand from now on?”
“…Every time we meet?”
“Every time we meet.”
No matter what, it would look a bit unseemly for men to walk around holding hands in the street. Heewoo, who wasn’t drawn that far, shook his head and corrected Heichi’s proposal.
“After eating, if there’s time, then… that’s okay.”
“Understood. After eating, whenever there’s time.”
Isn’t that a bit different from what I said?
Before that thought could continue, Heewoo checked the park’s clock tower once more. Time remaining until work at Matgal Meat Restaurant: 20 minutes. Now there really was no time.
After briefly greeting Heichi, Heewoo turned around and began running frantically. Heichi quietly watched Heewoo’s retreating figure.
His legs were so thin and skeletal that every time Heichi saw him walking or running, he learned for the first time in his life what the feeling of being “anxious” was. If he fell, at least he could catch him, but with those thin legs, he hardly ever fell.
Even after Heewoo disappeared from sight, Heichi, who didn’t take his eyes off the direction he’d headed, muttered. It was probably about 8 minutes after he’d departed.
“He should raise his hand when crossing at the crosswalk.”
***
“Huk, huff…”
After running desperately for 8 minutes and arriving across from Matgal Meat Restaurant, Heewoo waited anxiously for the traffic light to change. Matgal Meat Restaurant, located on a main street, was positioned facing a 4-lane road, so he always had to cross the crosswalk to get to work.
Heewoo, who had run breathlessly, lightly caught his breath before entering the restaurant. Though he couldn’t help his flushed face from running, he could at least catch his breath. After regulating his breathing, Heewoo entered the restaurant with a ding.
“Oh, Heewoo’s here.”
The owner, who was carrying charcoal to the tables, spotted Heewoo first. Heewoo bowed politely in greeting and hurriedly went to the employee break room to change clothes. Though there was no separate uniform, he had to take off his padded coat and put on an apron.
“Oh my, Heewoo, perfect timing. Table 6, party of 2.”
“Ah, yes!”
The owner’s wife, who had been in the kitchen, also spotted Heewoo coming out of the break room and immediately assigned him work. From then on, Heewoo frantically moved charcoal, carried side dishes, and cleared tables. Thanks to moving frantically, he completely forgot the hunger he’d felt before coming to work. If it was fortunate, it was fortunate.
After working like that for a while, he had some leisure around 9 o’clock. Standing blankly in front of the kitchen in case the order bell rang, Heewoo suddenly noticed the delicious smell of meat rushing into his nose.
Once the hunger was recognized, from then on it began to torment Heewoo like crazy. No matter how many times he swallowed his saliva, his stomach kept thundering. Eventually, unable to endure any longer, Heewoo asked the owner’s wife for understanding.
“…I’ll go to the bathroom.”
“Oh, Heewoo. While you’re at it, empty the bathroom trash can.”
“Yes.”
Heewoo, who took the bathroom key hanging on the bottle opener, clutched his hungry stomach and went out the back door. Matgal Meat Restaurant, an old run-down building, had its only shared bathroom outdoors. Heewoo, who opened the bathroom door and entered, stood in front of the sink.
Since he hadn’t eaten anything, it wasn’t that he urgently needed to use the bathroom. But his stomach was too hungry, and he couldn’t exactly beg the boss for food.
Gush…
When he turned on the faucet, Heewoo bent down before the pouring stream of water. The ice-cold stream of water coolly hit his throat. Gulp, gulp, gulp. Heewoo drank water without stopping.
“Ugh, ha…”
The water was so cold that his stomach felt like it was filling with ice. Still, this should let him endure for a moment. Really just a moment. It was when Heewoo, who had somehow filled his hunger, opened the bathroom door and went outside.
“Uh…”
When a drunk customer staggered toward the bathroom, Heewoo hurriedly stepped aside from in front of the bathroom door. To avoid needlessly touching the customer’s nerves.
“Ah, this fucking sucks, phew…”
The customer, who was quite heavily drunk and staggering here and there, kicked the pile of charcoal placed next to the bathroom. Startled, Heewoo approached him and spoke carefully.
“Um… you can’t kick that…”
Though it was charcoal to be used and thrown away so it wasn’t useful, it was dangerous because embers might remain. The customer, who had been staring intently at Heewoo looking lost, suddenly grinned.
“Fucking hell, where does some minimum wage loser get off lecturing me?”
