Jay, his closest confidant, and Hyukjin knew of Bbobbo’s existence. Don’t go to dungeons, and even if you go, absolutely not alone. Jaehwi, who had even stepped forward saying he would accompany him, left the office with an expression of utter disbelief.
Jay, who didn’t step forward for most matters and didn’t easily open his mouth, excused himself saying he’d go take care of some business for a moment, and in the office, Hyukjin, whose eyes had completely changed, and Bbobbo were facing off.
“So you went alone to an E-rank dungeon and just mined ore, but when you came home, this thing had followed you.”
“Probably got into the backpack. I tried to return it, but that dungeon disappeared, and if another ore dungeon appears, I’ll send it back.”
Raon sat in his seat and opened a file to write up the content about the dungeon he had eliminated. Should he gloss over it saying it naturally dissipated?
“The higher the dungeon rank, the more firmly established the master is, so you won’t be able to send it back. Why did something that only comes out in A-rank or higher appear in E-rank?”
At Hyukjin’s words, Raon nodded vaguely and stroked Bbobbo, who was lying down comfortably next to the keyboard. Bbobbo, who had been grooming its front paws while lying down, seemed to like the touch and purred before opening its small mouth wide and yawning.
“I don’t know either.”
Hyukjin’s hand, standing in front of the desk, reached toward Bbobbo, and before it could even touch the fur that had turned white, small paws swatted his hand away.
“What?”
Writing the report was more urgent than the battle between Hyukjin trying to pet it and Bbobbo coldly swatting away his approaching hand as if refusing to allow his hand to touch its body.
“Ppaek!”
So when it’s angry, it shouts “Ppaek.” He’d heard Bbobbo making noise for a short time, but he could definitely feel Bbobbo’s emotions in the sound of it shouting ppaek with full determination.
“Why do you stay still when he touches you but won’t let me even lay a hand on you?”
Even while engaged in fierce(?) combat with Hyukjin, Bbobbo’s tail swayed near Raon’s wrist.
“Because it chose me as its butler? Stop it and leave? I have a lot to do today too, and what about Esper Min’s guide matter?”
“I’ll submit the report as soon as I organize the list, so lend it to me for 3 hours.”
Having given up on touching it, Raon snorted at his words as he thoroughly scanned Bbobbo with his eyes.
“If you can, take it with you. Bbobbo. Want to go?”
Not sharply turning its head, but rising sluggishly as if very bothered, Bbobbo burrowed into Raon’s embrace without even looking at Hyukjin. Once he’d put it in his embrace and it seemed to like that, it came into his cardigan on its own, settled on his lap and curled up, clearly conveying its will.
The one getting worked up was Hyukjin.
-When it looks like it’s in a good mood later, I’ll personally take it to the research lab for you.
Thinking it would understand everything if he spoke aloud, Raon quickly wrote on paper, and with that, Hyukjin left the office. Peace came to the bustling office, and Raon concentrated on work while holding Bbobbo, who had fallen asleep warmly sharing its body heat with him.
Until there was a sudden report.
“Young master.”
Even at Jay’s low voice as he returned from being away, Raon didn’t lift his head or answer, just moved his fingertips to convey the meaning to continue speaking.
“Just now, Esper Min and Team Leader Choi deployed to the field.”
“I never authorized deploy—”
Raon, who had been speaking before Jay finished, suddenly lifted his head to check the date first. It was his fault for not checking the date due to all the changes. The day Raon and Hyukjin were both away from their posts.
“Donghae.”
The Donghae underwater dungeon came to mind, where there had been a deploy-first-report-later call from NCSC. That day too, Jay had reported like this.
Putting down his pen, Raon leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and swept back his hair. At that time, Jaehwi’s stabilization level had been in a precarious state where it wouldn’t be strange if he went into an outbreak immediately. He hadn’t received any guiding at all and was only holding on with stabilizers that didn’t even work properly.
“How did he travel?”
“He went with a teleportation Esper.”
Then he’d be inside the dungeon by now.
“Guides?”
“Three guides with decent compatibility from among the center’s guides are currently traveling by helicopter.”
“Stabilizers too?”
“Yes.”
Unlike that day when he’d rushed over by helicopter in surprise, today was different. Jaehwi’s stability level, having consistently received radiative guiding, wasn’t at a dangerous level. There were guides too. Above all… Today would be Jaehwi and Aiden’s first meeting.
There was nothing to worry about. Nothing, but…
‘Hyung, hold me.’
‘Hyung, I’m in pain.’
The hand that gripped his shoulder trembled finely, and his face was deathly pale. Jaehwi had leaned his exhausted body on him, and he had held him like that. He couldn’t do anything like guiding, but he could give him his embrace to rest in.
Jaehwi’s hot embrace came to mind—tightly pulling him in, accepting just a bit of his meager guiding to fill the precarious limit. It felt like his long sighs, exhaled with groaning sounds as if it took a lot of strength while burying his face in his nape, crumbled at his nape and ear.
He lowered the hand that had been gripping his swept-back hair and stroked his nape, which seemed to feel warm. The back seat of the car where he’d sat with the exhausted Jaehwi came to mind. He had interlaced his hand between the fingers of the completely exhausted, sleeping Jaehwi. They had held hands like that. Was that the first time Jaehwi had mentioned a kiss?
The comfortable yet strange feeling, the trembling of his chest and the way his gaze kept going to him—it all made sense now. The reason Jaehwi’s lips kept lingering in his eyes was because even then, he already liked Jaehwi so very much.
He had been continuously caught up in the thoughts that he was a younger brother. That he was someone he had to take care of. That he had to find him a guide good enough to form a bond with. It would have been nice if he’d known then, but regret and lingering attachment come belatedly.
Just recalling that precarious, heart-fluttering night and the hand he’d held in the car made his chest ache. The chest that trembled then now felt cold and painful.
‘If you’re going to leave, put me to sleep first.’
‘I just need you, hyung.’
‘If you’re here, I’ll sleep well, but you’re uncomfortable. See you tomorrow.’
Now he knew what kind of feelings Jaehwi had when he said those things. If he would say such things to him just once more, he could do anything. He could put him to sleep hundreds, thousands of times. The slightly drawn-out way of speaking, the pitiful-looking expression, even the touch of his hand grasping his collar—those moments he longed for could never be met again.
“Will you go?”
Only at Jay’s words did Raon open his closed eyes.
“They prepared stabilizers and guides went, so why would I?”
Realizing he’d reacted sensitively without meaning to, Raon straightened his body with a sigh. He ran the hand that was still touching his neck over his face. His heart was beating faster than usual. His mouth dry, Raon bit down firmly on his left index finger.
“I’ll understand it as you’re going and prepare.”
Though he hadn’t said anything, Jay left just one remark and left the office first. He could stop him if he tried, could stop what Jaehwi was doing with one phone call, but Raon didn’t even blink.
* * *
Can’t something be done about this damn helicopter motion sickness?
Though traveling with a teleportation Esper was also terrible, helicopters were the worst means of transportation for Raon as well.
The moment he got off the helicopter, Raon, covering his mouth with one hand, listened to the current situation coming through the headset.
[Why isn’t the stabilization level getting under control?]
[Try increasing the radiative guiding more.]
[Should we administer stabilizers?]
There should be the three guides who went from the center first plus Aiden, but the stabilization level isn’t getting under control? That can’t be. Raon’s steps, wavering from motion sickness, quickened.
And standing in front of the slightly open door, Raon faced a scene he’d already seen before. Jaehwi and Hyukjin with eyes closed, leaning back in chairs, and unlike when only Aiden had been there, there were three more guides. The same time period, the same situation, but a bit twisted.
Unlike back then when he had tried to turn back, Raon readily stepped into the space where they were. As he approached Jaehwi, who was completely still, things he hadn’t seen before entered his view. Red liquid flowing down Jaehwi’s limply hanging hand beaded at his fingertips before falling to the floor.
The torn and dirty protective suit was crumpled in one corner, and Jaehwi’s hair was tangled with sweat, water, and dust. He’d thought he was okay, but he wasn’t okay at all.
Hyukjin, who recognized him, sent a look as if asking why he’d come. Unlike the guides who bowed their heads in greeting, Aiden was looking at Jaehwi with a flustered expression.
“If radiative won’t solve it, you should at least make contact. Are you planning to let the Esper enter an outbreak state like this?”
The distance between them that Jaehwi seemed to want. Three steps. Raon, who stopped at exactly that distance, opened his mouth while looking at the guides. Jaehwi’s head, which had been tilted back limply, moved slowly, and at the same time his closed eyes slowly opened, Raon faced the darkness.
Jaehwi’s lips rose crookedly. With an expression saying it was absurd, he clicked his tongue as if irritated.
