# Chapter 32
“Kang Raon’s happiness. So I’ll do whatever Raon tells me to. If he says to get an exclusive Guide, I’ll get one. If he says he likes this one, that’s the one I choose. If he tells me to sit, I sit. If he tells me to stand, I stand. If he tells me to die, I die. So there won’t be any Dungeon Outbreak or anything like that until Kang Raon tells me to die. Any other questions?”
“Why don’t you just ask Raon to be your Guide instead?”
It was the simplest solution. Though the exact numerical change couldn’t be determined, judging from his current visible condition and the overall feeling, it was clear that his condition had improved because he was with Raon, not Aiden.
How many Guides and Espers compensate for grade differences with compatibility? Of course, the difference couldn’t be ignored, but it was better than having nothing.
Hyukjin couldn’t take his eyes off the changes in Jaehwi’s expression as he looked at him. He seemed dazed for a moment, and a faint smile even crossed his face. But what remained at the end was contempt directed at Hyukjin.
“That will never happen, even if I die. Kang Raon needs to remain as Kang Raon. He’s someone who can’t become anyone’s Guide.”
As if there was no value in continuing the conversation, Jaehwi left the room.
In the end, left alone with the young Guide who was sleeping innocently without knowing anything, Hyukjin roughly ran his hand through his hair and grabbed the remaining bottle of alcohol on the table, gulping it down. It wasn’t the first time dealing with the roughness of Espers. This was who he had been, working with these types until now.
Cursing at them, giving orders, and ignoring their nasty attitudes was his daily life, but the moment his eyes met Jaehwi’s, Hyukjin felt like a frog in front of a snake. He couldn’t speak or act carelessly.
There was something between the two of them that he didn’t know, and they wouldn’t easily tell him about it.
Raon thought his own abilities were lacking, so he was trying to assign a highly skilled Guide to Jaehwi. And Jaehwi was someone who had no intention of becoming a Guide. Jaehwi knew that Raon didn’t want to become a Guide. And to Raon, Jaehwi was a younger brother who needed to be protected and taken care of.
On the other hand, to Jaehwi, Raon was… He’d already experienced Raon’s Guiding, and Jaehwi knew better than anyone that their compatibility was good. After having already tasted proper Guiding, would he want to receive Guiding from someone else?
“Fuck. Kang Raon, that bastard was the problem.”
After trying to think with a head made even more sluggish by alcohol, Hyukjin cursed and pulled himself together to deal with the drooping Aiden. Raon was Raon, and Jaehwi was Jaehwi, but this guy who suddenly appeared was no pushover either. It felt like his back would be the one to burst in a fight between whales.
When he saw Raon in the garden of the restaurant, trapped in the arms of a large man while looking at his phone, he wasn’t even angry anymore. Drunk? What drunk? The most rational person here was Jaehwi. When was he threatening him with a sober face, and now he was pretending to be drunk while clinging to Raon? It made Hyukjin’s insides boil.
“I called a driver. What about Aiden?”
“I’ll take him on my way. Isn’t he heavy?”
Wanting to curse at Jaehwi but unable to do so, Hyukjin addressed Raon indirectly.
“He can’t be heavy, can he? He must weigh at least 30kg more than me? He’s almost 2m tall, right?”
“Yeah. Want to switch?”
When Hyukjin made a remark without any sincerity, thankfully he got a response saying that Raon would take care of Jaehwi, so Hyukjin should look after Aiden. Hyukjin’s eyes were on Jaehwi as he listened to Raon’s words.
Jaehwi was sticking tightly to Raon’s back, hugging his upper body firmly, with his face buried in Raon’s shoulder, so Hyukjin couldn’t see clearly, but Jaehwi was definitely smiling.
That psychopath. How do I save my friend from this crazy person?
“Min Jaehwi. You’re heavy. Put a bit more strength in your body.”
Despite being offered to switch, his friend who refused was grinning broadly for some reason, stroking Jaehwi’s head with one hand while fiddling with his phone with the other.
“You can’t handle alcohol well, yet you drank so much. You should drink moderately from now on.”
Hyukjin could only hear what Raon was saying to him, not whether Jaehwi was responding. Hyukjin clicked his tongue at the soft and warm tone, as if dealing with a small child. Act like you usually do. That commanding tone without manners. It’s because he doesn’t know that that Jaehwi is being fooled by you.
Both at fault. They’re both at fault.
That bastard Nox is hiding his dark intentions, and Raon is hiding his nasty temper.
With the consideration of Raon telling him to go first as soon as the driver arrived, Hyukjin got into the back seat with Aiden, and as soon as the car started, he muttered, “Crazy bastards.”
“…Team Leader Choi.”
Hyukjin, who was taking off his jacket as he felt hot inside despite it not being a particularly hot day, was startled by the quiet voice calling him.
“…”
Aiden, who until just now had been leaning on him unconsciously and couldn’t even maintain his posture properly, was now sitting up straight with correct posture. He clearly smelled of alcohol, his cheeks were slightly flushed, and his pupils were a bit unfocused, but he didn’t look like someone who was completely drunk.
“Why are you so clueless? Do I have to spell everything out for you to understand?”
What is this now? Hyukjin’s jaw dropped at Aiden’s words, which sounded as if he was scolding him.
“Team Leader Kang doesn’t seem to know yet… but Jaehwi likes Team Leader Kang.”
“What… what?”
“I heard everything you and Jaehwi were talking about earlier. If Jaehwi says he’ll handle it, why are you interfering? Is it because of the age difference? Or is it the grade? Compatibility? None of that matters when a person likes another person, so why are you trying to interfere?”
Hyukjin couldn’t properly respond to Aiden’s rapid-fire words, like someone who had swallowed honey and become mute.
“It’s obvious they like each other. If there are things getting in the way and making them hesitate, you should help bring them together. I’m saying this because I’m witnessing it from the sidelines.”
“And you’re going to be his exclusive Guide?”
“…Don’t you know what jealousy is? Jealousy? Jaehwi clearly likes Team Leader Kang, but because Team Leader Kang doesn’t show his true feelings… Oh, really. Team Leader Choi, haven’t you ever been in a relationship?”
Are all young people like this these days? Or has he just lost his edge?
Hyukjin, who was known for maintaining discipline at the center, couldn’t gather his thoughts at the straightforward words of the 20-year-old youngster who seemed to see right through him.
“You haven’t, have you.”
Hyukjin, who couldn’t give a proper answer about relationships, suddenly found himself being looked at with pity and being muttered at, and finally, was even being patted on his hand, which had been carelessly placed on his leg with nowhere else to go.
“It’s okay. It happens. Twenty-six… You still have four years until thirty, so you won’t become a wizard.”
Aiden continued saying things that Hyukjin couldn’t possibly respond to.
* * *
After getting out of the car, Raon entered Jaehwi’s arms, lifted Jaehwi’s arm to place it over his shoulder, and wrapped one arm around his waist. With his other hand, he supported Jaehwi’s chest, which kept leaning towards him.
“Ugh. Min Jaehwi. Don’t drink outside. Instead of telling me to drink a little, you should be the one being careful. This kid doesn’t know his alcohol tolerance.”
Due to the height difference, rather than firmly supporting Jaehwi, Raon found himself nestled in Jaehwi’s arms, swaying along with him whenever Jaehwi staggered. When hotel staff who saw them approached to help, Raon declined their assistance, saying it was fine.
“Walk properly!”
Even knowing that such words wouldn’t work on someone who was drunk, Raon still scolded him and gave Jaehwi’s chest a solid slap with the hand that had been supporting him.
Hitting him wouldn’t likely hurt Jaehwi, who was as strong as steel; rather, it just hurt Raon’s palm. On top of that, Jaehwi found this funny for some reason and chuckled, making Raon sigh involuntarily.
“Let’s not talk. Let’s just not talk. What can I say to a child? I need to set a date to sit you down and teach you about your alcohol tolerance.”
As soon as they entered the elevator, Raon pressed the button and leaned Jaehwi against the wall. Only then did he stretch his back a bit and raise his head, meeting Jaehwi’s eyes as he looked down at him.
Would he be cursed for thinking that Jaehwi looked sexy with his alcohol-induced drowsiness, sleepy eyes that opened and closed slowly? If Jaehwi was like a rigid old tree when training or with other people, he was undoubtedly a mischievous prankster when joking or disobeying. But now, lazily leaning against the wall, smiling slightly and blinking his eyes, he was masculinity itself.
“Where are you looking at your hyung with those eyes?”
“With what eyes?”
The sight of Jaehwi running one hand through his handsome face was quite annoying. If they had met without knowing anything about each other… Ugh. What am I thinking? Jaehwi was his child. Who would have known that this child would grow up so much on his own?
“I know you’re handsome, so you don’t need to look at me like that.”
“How am I looking at you?”
It seemed his mischievous nature had been activated—doing exactly what he was told not to do. Cornered in the elevator, Raon clicked his tongue at the enormous Jaehwi who blocked his path.
