Feeding My Guide
Late at night, Lee Heewoo returned home after work and suddenly recalled what had happened at the convenience store today.
‘What are you?’
‘Um, excuse me, customer…’
‘You’re above Brown, right? Huh? Fuck, there’s treasure hidden here.’
The man who had accidentally made contact grabbed Lee Heewoo’s wrist and pulled hard. Lee Heewoo, wearing thermal underwear, an old turtleneck, and the convenience store uniform vest on top, actually didn’t have much exposed area. Only the range from his fingertips to his bony wrist was all.
But the man, no, that esper kept fondling and groping Lee Heewoo’s exposed skin as if something would come off if he touched it. Eventually, as if his hands weren’t enough to satisfy him, the man’s touch became a bit stronger and Lee Heewoo’s old turtleneck riiip, tore.
Lee Heewoo realized the seriousness of the situation from that point on. He looked around to see if there was anyone to help, but people had already sensed something was wrong and all gone outside, so there was no one in the convenience store.
‘My name is Dumor 127. Jupiter Team 1, Dumor. Please, remember. I’m your only esper.’
That esper kept muttering the same words in a voice that seemed somehow dazed. The voice was too low and fast, and he was so out of it that he couldn’t even properly understand the words.
And at that moment, the esper’s hands that had been groping Lee Heewoo’s body over his clothes suddenly entered through the gap in his torn clothes. From his waist to his navel, each time the esper’s hot hands touched, his skin heated up as if he’d gotten a burn. The strength was so great he couldn’t even struggle.
I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared…
Lee Heewoo’s father, who died when he was in middle school, often poured violence onto Lee Heewoo when drunk. He was beaten if he resisted, caught if he ran away, and the intensity increased if he stayed still and took it. That day too, Lee Heewoo, who had been running away from his drunk father’s violence, had been caught by his hair and dragged from the alley entrance all the way home.
The father who had caught his runaway son, perhaps worried that Lee Heewoo, who was in 4th grade of elementary school, would run away again, grabbed his collar tightly with his hand and slammed him to the ground. Under pressure so strong he could barely breathe, Lee Heewoo couldn’t move at all and had to endure terrible punches as is.
Although the esper before his eyes wasn’t pouring violence onto Lee Heewoo, the gestures of strongly pressing and crushing reminded him of his dead father. Lee Heewoo even felt like he’d returned to being a weak and pathetic 4th grader who couldn’t do anything.
As his fear surged to the extreme, his mind went white and he even felt a sense of his eyes rolling back. He also felt like something was leaving his body, but Lee Heewoo, who had nearly lost consciousness, didn’t notice.
‘What, what is this? What is this? Wh, what, this, what.’
‘I, I don’t like it. Huu… This, let go of this. Please…’
‘You, this, what is this? You… you can radiate? Bl…’
He didn’t remember well after that. When he came to his senses, Heichi was before his eyes, the esper who had oppressed him was spouting blood like a fountain, and the convenience store shelves had been sliced horizontally and collapsed.
It was true that he was shocked to see the esper pouring out enough blood to die instantly. It was also true that he was scared by the shelves that had collapsed after being sliced horizontally and the traces that seemed to have cut the entire store in half.
However, the reason Lee Heewoo was so terrified wasn’t simply because all of this situation was frightening.
What is that?
What… is that?
Behind Heichi’s back, a massive and opaque formless energy was surging. It was so big and enormous that it not only filled the interior of the convenience store but also seemed to pierce through the ceiling and shoot outside. Lee Heewoo had been scared by that overwhelming size and energy.
When Heichi approached Lee Heewoo, naturally that massive formless energy also wriggled as if approaching Lee Heewoo, and Lee Heewoo had no choice but to reflexively grope behind the floor where he was sitting and retreat. It wouldn’t have been just Lee Heewoo—any human who came would have done the same.
‘Lee, Heewoo…’
The startled Lee Heewoo rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to the esper who had been spouting blood earlier, just in case. Then he realized that from that esper too, though much smaller than Heichi’s, a fairly large energy was flowing out.
But before he could figure out what it was, all the formless energy disappeared from Lee Heewoo’s sight.
“What was that…”
Lee Heewoo, who had been mulling over what happened at the convenience store, became somewhat frustrated as no answer came no matter how much he thought about it. At times like this, it would be nice if he could search using a smartphone or the internet like other people. However, Lee Heewoo, who had returned from work, kept blinking sleepily, perhaps because too many things had happened today.
In the end, Lee Heewoo fell asleep without finding out what he had seen today.
* * *
Several days later, dawn.
Lee Heewoo got up from his seat with sleepy eyes. The current time was 6 AM. It wasn’t as early as when he went to work at the convenience store, but he was equally tired.
When he was fired from the convenience store and Matgal Meat Restaurant that had handled the beginning and end of Lee Heewoo’s daily routine, he realized he had a lot of time left over. Still, thanks to Heichi who came at every meal time, he wasn’t bored, but his heart was anxious.
So what he found was a flyer part-time job he’d worked before.
The good thing about the flyer part-time job was that working hours were flexible, so he could do it anytime he wanted. The downside was naturally that the pay was relatively low. When Lee Heewoo, who had gotten up from dawn, slung on his crossbody bag and came outside, Heichi, who was in front of his house, greeted him.
“Why are you coming out at this time today?”
Since Lee Heewoo had been coming out at the time to go to work at the soup restaurant where he worked at lunch after being fired from the convenience store part-time job, Heichi asked with a puzzled face. But the puzzled one wasn’t Heichi but rather Lee Heewoo.
“Um… Heichi, are you always here?”
Well, it was natural for such doubt to arise. Recently, Lee Heewoo’s part-time job hours changed frequently, and his original work time had been 4 AM at dawn, then 11 AM during the day, and now it was 6 AM, but Heichi was always in front of Lee Heewoo’s house. At this point, Lee Heewoo suspected that he might be lodging in front of his house.
“No.”
“Right, right? This too, well… that psychic power thing, right?”
At Heichi’s denial, Lee Heewoo was greatly relieved. No matter how much he was an alien, if he was waiting for him all day in front of his house in this cold weather, it couldn’t help but be burdensome.
“Today’s breakfast is toast.”
“Oh, this…!”
Seeing the toast wrapper Heichi suddenly held out, Lee Heewoo’s face flushed. It was a famous franchise toast, and Lee Heewoo had often seen friends buy and eat this toast from the morning when he was in school. Of course, Lee Heewoo, who was desperately poor, could only swallow his saliva gulp gulp at the toast.
Toast packed with cheese, eggs, and even bacon. Lee Heewoo, who received the toast with both hands, opened his mouth wide and took a big bite. Then the corn kernels that had been embedded grain by grain came pouring out, gifting his mouth with a pleasant texture.
“It’s delicious…!”
But Heichi’s reaction was strange. Seeing Lee Heewoo eat, his shoulders flinched and trembled, then his brow furrowed deeply. Lee Heewoo wondered if he also wanted to eat toast and looked at Heichi.
“Heewoo.”
“Yes?”
“…Are you, happy right now?”
“Oh, yes!”
Thanks to the tributes Heichi had been offering recently, Lee Heewoo’s mood soared every morning. Of course, lunch wasn’t much different either. Last time, he’d even bought the most expensive Korean beef burger from the hamburger place Lee Heewoo had always wanted to try, so Lee Heewoo’s happiness level had maxed out then just as much as now.
“Haah…”
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Are you going to work now?”
“Yes. I’m going to put up flyers today.”
Instead of asking what flyers were, Heichi unwrapped the scarf he was wearing and wrapped it around Lee Heewoo. As the soft texture characteristic of high-quality cashmere wrapped around his neck, the cold subsided considerably.
“Th, thank you… I’ll wash this and return it.”
Last time, Heichi had taken the coat right away so he couldn’t wash it and return it, but Lee Heewoo promised thoughtlessly.
“It’s fine. Please return it as is.”
“But, but this will smell… It’s expensive, isn’t it?”
“It’s not that expensive.”
At those words, Lee Heewoo buried his face in the scarf a bit more comfortably. As his breath burst out and warmth was transmitted even to his cheeks that had cooled from the cold wind, his chest warmed. Heichi walked a bit more with Lee Heewoo, then stopped when they reached their destination.
Lee Heewoo, whose face had been warm thanks to the scarf while coming, waved his hand at Heichi and turned around. Then, at the notification sound of his mobile phone, he opened the flip phone he’d put in his pocket.
📶✉️ 🔋
Text Message
Sender: Bonita Boss
Hello. ^^ This month’s part-time job salary (December portion) has been deposited as of today. Please check and contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for your hard work this year too^^
Lee Heewoo’s complexion brightened after checking the text. The last day of the month had come and payday had arrived. The last day of the month was payday not only for Bonita but for all the part-time jobs Lee Heewoo worked. Although he’d been fired from the convenience store part-time job too, he hadn’t received this month’s salary yet, so it would come in today.
Lee Heewoo, excited after seeing the salary text, whirled around and ran hurriedly to Heichi. It was still okay since there was still time until his promised work time.
Heichi quietly looked down at Lee Heewoo, who had returned to him with a flushed face.
“Hei, Heichi, um, are you busy today by any chance…?”
“It’s fine. What is it?”
“Later, this evening… may I buy you something delicious…?”
Thanks to Heichi, there had been almost no money spent on food expenses recently, and with even his salary received, Lee Heewoo’s bank balance had become plentiful for the first time in a very long while. Lee Heewoo wanted to quickly share this joy with Heichi. Not just a bowl of jjajangmyeon like last time, but this time something really delicious and expensive…
“Understood.”
“…!”
Lee Heewoo’s eyes widened round after obtaining permission. As if he hadn’t expected him to say yes. Lee Heewoo’s heart, for whom it was the first time both to buy someone food and to make plans to eat out with someone particularly close, beat loudly. Because he was happy. Because he was joyful.
But Heichi’s reaction watching that sight was strange.
“Haah… Heewoo.”
“Yes, yes…?”
“…Please, calm down a bit.”
Lee Heewoo, who couldn’t control his excessively beating heart, looked at Heichi with a puzzled face.
“Radiating… haah…”
He kept wiping his face with a very weary expression.
