“Yes, understood.”
“Especially take good care of S-rank and A-rank Guides and talk to them in advance so they can guide at any time.”
As soon as Ilkyung heard the words S-rank Guide, he thought of Director Ha Daehoon. Now, because of Director Ha who appeared in his mind at all hours, Ilkyung’s insides were constantly noisy. He should hurry up and end this contract relationship or something.
* * *
He was busy all day. These damn ability users repeatedly formed pairs and then broke up, and just when you thought they were doing well, they’d break up as soon as you said it. In the end, he heard that Esper Do Yunseong and Guide Kim Ian, who had cried out that they couldn’t live without each other, had also ended their romantic relationship. Esper Do Yunseong, who had insisted they could get along well even if their matching rate was worse than enemies, eventually lost his mind after seeing Guide Kim Ian guiding another Esper. After fighting several times like that, they finally broke up.
“I feel like I’ll never understand the ability user world even if I die and come back to life.”
Ilkyung muttered after hearing the story from Section Chief Kang. Even though his family members were all ability users except for him, the more he learned about the relationship between Espers and Guides, the harder it was to understand. Was that why? The older Ilkyung got, the more often he felt alienated.
“We’ll never understand ability users. We just have to live accepting it.”
Maybe Section Chief Kang’s words were right. But Ilkyung, who lived with ability users he couldn’t understand, often thought whether it was okay to live like this. Still, they were family.
“Anyway, let’s go home.”
Section Chief Kang picked up his bag and said goodbye first. Following him, Ilkyung also picked up his bag.
“I’m leaving first!”
Ilkyung greeted the remaining people and left the office.
“Get in.”
Director Ha Daehoon’s car was in a secluded spot in the external parking lot. Originally it was in the underground parking lot, but at some point he started parking in a place most people didn’t know about.
When Ilkyung approached, Director Ha opened the passenger door for him. At first, Ilkyung had said gruffly, asking if he thought he was a woman, but now he just accepted it and got in. Daehoon sat in the driver’s seat and asked.
“Is there something you want to eat?”
“Yes. But I don’t think you’ll be able to eat it, Director.”
Daehoon stared at him intently before starting the engine. It meant to tell him.
“Can I enter the address?”
“Go ahead.”
The address Ilkyung entered had no business name and was a very small market.
“Is there a place to park here?”
“Yes. You can just park on the street here.”
Even after parking and getting out, Daehoon looked around. It had been a really long time since he’d been to a place with such small alleys lined up like this.
“This is your first time at a place like this, right?”
“Hmm, should I say it is so Woo Ilkyung-ssi will be less disappointed?”
“You’re saying it’s not your first time?”
Surprised, Ilkyung raised his voice.
“Let’s say it’s my first time. So where do you want to go? A tteokbokki place? Or a gopchang place?”
At Director Ha’s question, Ilkyung stopped short and frowned.
“Ah, whatever. You ruined it.”
Ilkyung said sullenly. Since his business was gone anyway, Ilkyung had come here with the intention of making Director Ha uncomfortable. He had dragged him here thinking when would a chaebol grandson have come to such a small traditional market, but seeing his reaction, the picture Ilkyung wanted wasn’t going to happen.
“You’ve really been to a market like this before?”
“I’ll say it’s my first time.”
Director Ha answered with a chuckle. That made him even more annoyed. What kind of chaebol is this! Ilkyung huffed and puffed by himself and entered a tteokbokki shop in one corner of the market.
“Is this what you wanted to eat?”
“Whatever, just eat it.”
Ilkyung stuck out his lips and picked up a fork. Daehoon, holding chopsticks, smiled and held out sundae dipped in tteokbokki sauce to Ilkyung.
“Say ah.”
“What?”
“Why?”
“Why do you even know this?”
Who taught him to eat sundae dipped in tteokbokki sauce! It was completely ruined. There was nothing to tease Director Ha about.
“Hurry and eat. Say ah.”
“I’ll just eat it myself.”
“This way it feels more like we’re dating.”
The feeling was strange. Ilkyung glared at the sundae and leaned back slightly.
“Hurry and say ah. It’s going to fall.”
Ilkyung opened his mouth and received it like a baby bird receiving food. When he tried to lick the tteokbokki sauce on his lips with his tongue, Director Ha quickly grabbed a napkin and patted his lips clean. Why is everything so affectionate and chaotic? Anyone watching would think they were really dating.
“So, do you have more to say?”
“That was the end of it earlier. But why do Espers have to marry only Guides?”
At Ilkyung’s question, Daehoon stared at him intently. Even after a long while without saying anything, Ilkyung thought he should just focus on eating and lowered his gaze.
“Who says that? That Espers have to marry only Guides.”
Ilkyung, who was picking up tteokbokki, raised his head at the strange atmosphere. Their eyes met directly, and Daehoon smiled as if nothing had happened.
“What?”
“Nothing, I didn’t say anything special. Eat.”
“Huh? What did you just say…”
“It’s nothing. It would probably be that way. When an Esper is on the verge of rampage or is injured, a Guide has to guide through physical contact—could an ordinary person married to an Esper tolerate that? The same goes for Guides. Could a Guide who has physical contact with others outside really make an ordinary person understand and live together? You’re right. Marriage between Espers and Guides has to be that way. Shall we go if you’re done eating?”
Daehoon stood up first. His back as he paid and left looked somehow strange.
“Shall we go get coffee?”
Daehoon asked when they got in the car. Ilkyung glanced at him cautiously, then readily nodded.
“Still, since it’s a contract relationship, shouldn’t we at least have coffee? If we say we just ate tteokbokki and sundae at the market and went home, wouldn’t that person who follows and reports think it’s strange? And, your grandfather too.”
The more he talked, the longer and stranger his words became. But honestly, Ilkyung thought the Director seemed a bit strange, and it felt awkward to say he’d be worried if they just parted ways and went home like this.
“Right. That would be better. But contract relationship instead of relationship. What if someone hears?”
“Ah! Do they report the conversations we have too?”
“No. Not that. But they say birds hear the words of day and mice hear the words of night. It’s Monday, so let’s go somewhere nearby. Wouldn’t it be better for Assistant Manager Woo to go home early?”
“Well, I don’t really care.”
Ilkyung shrugged his shoulders. Daehoon moved slowly and replied.
“When it’s like that, you should say you’ll do that. What if I then take you to the suburbs?”
“Well…”
Ilkyung mumbled. Now he really didn’t care what happened. Director Ha Daehoon wasn’t as strange as he thought. He couldn’t even remember well now why they had fought and cursed so much.
“Then let’s go for a drive. We can stop at a nice cafe for coffee on the way. Since it’s Monday, the roads there and back probably won’t be congested. I guess that’s people’s psychology. On Mondays, they’re tired from resting so they seem to try to go home early.”
“Actually, even if it’s congested, it doesn’t matter.”
“Won’t you be tired if you’re out late from Monday? Or does it not matter because you’re young?”
“These days, there are actually more company dinners on Mondays.”
“Why?”
Director Ha glanced to the side and asked.
“Because they couldn’t play over the weekend? That’s what the ajussis say.”
“Ah, not Ilkyung-ssi’s opinion but the ajussis? Are you going to appeal that you’re young like this here?”
Daehoon laughed in a low voice. The car with just the two of them made his senses more acute. Director Ha’s low voice, calm tone, the laughter echoing in the car—everything was stimulating. Ilkyung couldn’t understand why all of this was bothering him only now, so he changed the subject.
“I’m already approaching my late twenties to be called young though.”
“That’s young enough.”
“And you, Director— ah, I‘m sorry. I heard you’re not supposed to ask about age and things like that.”
When Ilkyung smiled awkwardly, Daehoon just shrugged his shoulders without any particular answer. He felt like he’d heard his age before the matchmaking meeting, but he hadn’t been interested then so he didn’t remember. Even now, he didn’t really care whether he found out or not.
