Ilkyung shook his head. Then he tried to quickly drag Section Chief Kang to the elevator before he discovered Director Ha. But in Woo Ilkyung’s life, things never go as planned!
“Oh, that’s Director Ha, isn’t it? Were you watching the Director?”
“No way. Why would I be watching Director Ha? I didn’t even know he was there.”
Ilkyung flatly denied it.
“But who’s that person in front of the Director? I’ve never seen them before?”
“You’re seeing them for the first time too, Section Chief?”
Section Chief Kang nodded.
“They’re pretty good-looking.”
At Section Chief Kang’s words, Ilkyung unconsciously nodded.
“You like that style too, Section Chief?”
Ilkyung asked while taking a sip of the coffee in his hand. But Section Chief Kang didn’t give any answer. Finding it strange, Ilkyung turned his head to the side to look, and Section Chief Kang was making quite an odd expression. Ilkyung, thinking he had done something wrong, looked around carefully and stepped back slightly.
“Wh-why?”
“Assistant Manager Woo, I’m not gay. I don’t like men.”
Ilkyung gaped at what he had just blurted out.
“Ah, I must be crazy. I’m sorry, Section Chief. That’s not what I meant…”
“Why apologize? I was just a bit flustered. Though, Espers and Guides don’t really have that distinction. As long as the matching rate is good, it doesn’t seem to matter. It’s just something us ordinary people can’t understand.”
“That’s true.”
Ilkyung nodded as he walked. Not ordinary people, but because ability users had special relationships, there were people who prioritized matching rates over gender. However, neither Section Chief Kang nor Ilkyung could easily understand it.
“Yeah, but I didn’t know Director Ha was someone who could smile so affectionately like that.”
At Section Chief Kang’s words as he stood in front of the elevator, Ilkyung tilted his head and said.
“You’ve never seen it?”
At Ilkyung’s words, Section Chief Kang looked at him strangely again. Ilkyung looked back at Section Chief Kang with a blank expression.
“Did I say something strange again?”
Ilkyung took a sip of coffee and asked. Section Chief Kang also took a sip of coffee and answered.
“Assistant Manager Woo, have you ever seen it? Him smiling like earlier? I’ve never once seen Director Ha talking and smiling warmly with anyone. Isn’t he really businesslike? Does he even have anyone close at the Center?”
“Is his personality that broken?”
At Ilkyung’s words, Section Chief Kang laughed out loud.
“When did I say that? I’m just stating facts.”
“Is that so?”
At Section Chief Kang’s words, Ilkyung muttered to himself. Director Ha looks cold when expressionless, but when he smiles, it’s also very natural. Some people don’t smile often, so smiling is awkward for them, but Director Ha was very stylish when he smiled.
And Director Ha had the corners of his mouth slightly raised, so he had a smiling face. Even when still, it wasn’t a face that looked angry or coldly blank. Director Ha was a very flashy beauty type, so if you didn’t know his personality, he could attract favorable impressions. Even Ilkyung, when he first saw him at the matchmaking event, had considered whether he shouldn’t throw a fit and just hand him over to his noona.
“The elevator’s here. Let’s go up.”
Just before getting on the elevator, Ilkyung looked back at the cafe. Director Ha was still talking with that man with an affectionate expression.
“Assistant Manager Ilkyung.”
He was sighing while looking at his empty inbox when Team Leader Park Eunji called Ilkyung. Woo Ilkyung jumped up from his seat.
“Go down to the matching room. Section Chief Kang is currently testing matching rates with the newly arrived Esper and Guides.”
“A newly arrived Esper?”
Ilkyung stared blankly at Team Leader Park, wondering what this was about. He hadn’t heard anything about a new Esper coming. Section Chief Kang had the best information network in this Center. He knew all the Center’s rumors and told things even before news circulated on messenger. Thanks to sitting next to Section Chief Kang, Ilkyung would get news earlier than anyone else at the Center, but he hadn’t heard anything about a new Esper coming.
“They came today. Go say hello and check which Guide they have good matching rates with.”
Ilkyung had many things he wanted to ask. Where on earth did this Esper come from? And what level were they? But before he could ask, Team Leader Park received an internal call. Unable to ask Team Leader Park who was on the phone, Ilkyung had no choice but to head to the matching room loaded with curiosity.
The matching room was on the 12th floor. The Field Support Team’s office was on the 7th floor, but the place they were most active was the 12th floor. Level tests were conducted there, and matching rate tests between Espers and Guides were also done there. And Espers receiving Guiding from Guides took place in the Guiding rooms from the 8th to 11th floors.
When the elevator opened on the 12th floor, Ilkyung came face to face with Daehoon.
“Huh? Director.”
Ilkyung wondered if he had pressed the 15th floor by mistake and looked at the screen once.
“It’s the 12th floor.”
At Daehoon’s words, Ilkyung hurriedly got off.
“Aren’t you getting on?”
“Did you come to say hello?”
“Ah, but I heard there’s a newly arrived Esper. Who is it? I didn’t hear about it, but do you know, Director? Maybe you don’t know since you’re an Esper?”
Ilkyung poured out the curiosity he had wanted to ask Team Leader Park earlier onto Director Ha in a rush. Daehoon chuckled.
“You’re so curious, you must want to eat a lot too.”
“Ah, what are you saying?”
“If you’re curious, go in and see.”
“You never give a proper answer. Always like that.”
Even as Ilkyung pouted his lips, he opened his mouth again. Normally one would get tired when not getting answers like this, but Woo Ilkyung wasn’t like that. Be strong, Woo Ilkyung.
“Or did you also do a matching rate test with the newly arrived Esper, Director? Why? Are you going to form a pair? But what level is that Esper?”
Director Ha just smiled looking at Ilkyung. Those small, red lips chattered tirelessly. It was like a sparrow chirping. What could he possibly have so much to say?
“So go in directly, say hello and see for yourself.”
“Tch. Petty.”
Ilkyung said that and was about to go inside, then turned back around.
“Ah, right. Director.”
“What. What else are you curious about?”
“The day after tomorrow, it’ll all be over for us.”
Come to think of it, while sleeping at Daehoon’s house and commuting together, they’d been so busy he almost let it pass, but the promised fake dating contract was ending. The day after tomorrow was the last day.
“Let’s have our last date the day after tomorrow.”
At Daehoon’s words, Ilkyung hesitated. In his heart, he wanted to just end it, but he thought why not for the last day. Ilkyung obediently nodded his head.
“Since it’s the weekend anyway, let’s spend the day together.”
“The whole day?”
“Why, do you have prior plans?”
Ilkyung shook his head. Actually, he was going to contact his friends to get set up on blind dates. Because he felt he was sexually frustrated. It was definitely because of sexual frustration that he kept doing strange things lately.
But well, it seemed fine to postpone it for about a week. Thinking he would definitely go on a blind date next weekend, Ilkyung answered that he understood.
“I’ll head up.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
After watching Director Ha go up in the elevator, Ilkyung headed to the matching room.
“Oh, Assistant Manager Woo. Come quickly.”
Ilkyung stopped his steps abruptly. Because standing before his eyes was that man he’d seen in the lobby this morning. When Ilkyung just stood there blinking, Section Chief Kang pulled Ilkyung over as if frustrated.
“Are you broken? Why are you standing like that? Say hello. He’s an S-rank telekinesis-type Esper who came from England.”
“What? England?”
Somehow it was a familiar country. Ilkyung looked at Section Chief Kang once, then at the man before his eyes whom he’d seen this morning once.
“I’m Henry.”
The man extended his large hand to Ilkyung. Ilkyung inadvertently took that hand. It was smaller than Director Ha’s hand, but perhaps because he was an Esper, the texture felt rough.
“Hello. I’m Assistant Manager Woo Ilkyung from the Field Support Team.”
Ilkyung shook hands lightly and looked at Section Chief Kang. He didn’t understand what was going on.
“Ah, Director Ha requested support. We’ve been continuously requesting support because there are no telekinesis-type Espers. Director Ha knew about it and apparently requested support from England.”
“What?”
Ilkyung’s head wasn’t working well.
“When did he make the request?”
“The contact came three days ago.”
“So you came as soon as you received contact?”
When Ilkyung asked with an expression of disbelief, Henry nodded as if asking why he was asking something obvious. Wait a minute. Director Ha definitely said last night.
