Because of that, Ilkyung, who smashed his face into Daehoon’s broad back, scrunched up his face. How could he just stop like that suddenly!
“Ow, that hurts.”
He was rubbing his nose roughly because it hurt, but Daehoon didn’t care and started walking again. Daehoon glanced back. This wasn’t even a baby chick, so he couldn’t understand why he followed so close behind someone’s back. Well, more than half of what Woo Ilkyung did was incomprehensible to Daehoon. Woo Ilkyung was a bit quirky, his actions were silly, and that was funny.
“So you’re not eating dinner?”
“As I said during the day, Director-nim.”
“Yes, don’t worry because I don’t need more dating partners. Looking at it, Ilkyung-ssi has groundless confidence.”
At those words, Ilkyung made a displeased expression.
“So what are you going to do? How many times are you going to make me say the same thing?”
“Not eating, I said I’m not eating! I’ll go home and eat.”
Ilkyung spoke like a sulking child. At that, Daehoon chuckled.
Actually, Ilkyung wanted to eat dinner together, but for that, he also had something called a conscience. He couldn’t mooch off dinner too when he’d already mooched lunch and was asking to be taken home. It was ridiculous to go dutch with Director Ha Daehoon, and if Ilkyung said he’d pay, he didn’t even pretend to hear those words.
“Then let’s go home.”
As if it were natural, Daehoon took the car keys from Ilkyung and opened the passenger door to seat Ilkyung first. Ilkyung leaned deeply against the backrest. Each day was too exhausting.
“If you’re tired, sleep a bit.”
“It’s okay. I want to go home, wash, and sleep. It’s too hard. Is Guide training originally like this too?”
“Well, they say it is, but I wasn’t exhausted so I don’t really know.”
Daehoon replied while driving smoothly. Ilkyung stared intently at Daehoon’s profile. It was a face that looked like he had a lot to say.
“You know you’re kind of annoying, right?”
“Well, even if you say that, it’s the truth, so there’s nothing I can do.”
“Uuuuuugh.”
Ilkyung made a strange sound.
“Oh, wait a minute. Ilkyung-ssi, get out first!”
Daehoon pulled the car over to the shoulder right away.
At this point, either Woo Ilkyung or Ha Daehoon had to be Sherlock Holmes, Kindaichi, or Conan. This couldn’t be happening. How many times was this already?
“Woo Ilkyung, that car. Stop that car!”
“What, how do I, how do I stop it!”
How was Woo Ilkyung, who was moving paper boxes, supposed to stop a huge tanker truck! It didn’t make sense.
“You’re the only Esper here. Hurry!”
“Director-nim, I can’t. I don’t know how.”
A tanker truck was racing terrifyingly while crossing the center line. Startled cars pressed close to the side as if making way for an ambulance, but the tanker truck wasn’t going straight like an ambulance. It started to sway slightly as if being driven by a drunk person.
“You have to stop that, Woo Ilkyung!”
“Director-nim!”
“Come here.”
Even though he said he couldn’t, Ilkyung ran following behind Daehoon. Some people had stopped their cars and gotten out, while others were still in their cars not knowing what to do.
“Please call the police. Please move aside, we’re Espers. Move aside.”
Even while closely chasing from behind, Ilkyung thought that he was the only Esper here, so he didn’t know what Director Ha was trying to do. Anyway, had he ever run this fast in his life? Normally he should have been panting with his breath up to his chin already, but somehow he was fine.
“Come here, Woo Ilkyung.”
Daehoon went near the cars that had moved aside from the center line like the parting of the Red Sea, then lightly caught Ilkyung running toward him in his arms.
“Focus.”
“Director, I can’t do it.”
“Focus! Right now only you can do it!”
Instead, because the cars avoided the center line, the car picked up even more speed and started running. If it crashed like that, it would definitely cause a major accident. They had to stop the car before that happened.
“You did it before, right?”
“Director.”
“You can do it. Reach out your hand!”
Daehoon grabbed Ilkyung’s hand from behind and stretched it out together. Ilkyung had no choice but to focus since it had come to this. Right now a report had gone to the police station and contact had been made to the Center, so Espers would deploy soon. But before that, Ilkyung had to stop what he could stop.
“Remember what you did then? Just think of it as grabbing.”
Ilkyung nodded his head and then took a deep breath. He could see many people around but tried not to pay attention. He concentrated his mind on his fingertips held by Daehoon.
“Grab it and pull it in.”
At Daehoon’s words, Ilkyung bent his fingers as if grabbing an object. But the car was still running without slowing down.
“It’s okay. Again.”
Daehoon put strength into the arm holding Ilkyung and pulled him a little closer. At his gentle words, Ilkyung concentrated a little more. Ilkyung focused on his fingertips again and bent his fingers.
“Huh?”
“You’re doing well.”
“Huh, huh!”
In an instant, the car that had been racing like crazy stopped.
“Stay like that. Think of it as tying it down. I don’t know where they are, but the anti-government forces will be watching. They could detonate it, so you’re creating a barrier so they can’t touch it.”
“I haven’t learned barriers yet!”
Ilkyung raised his voice as if asking what he was talking about. Even doing this now, he was afraid that if he slipped up for a moment, that car would race again. If he lost control of his power and let go, and an accident happened again because of that, he felt like he’d despair. But now he was telling him to do what? A barrier? He hadn’t even learned that.
“You can do it.”
“No, I can’t do that much. When the hell are they coming?”
“Focus, Woo Ilkyung. Are you planning to detonate it and kill everyone?”
At Daehoon’s command, Ilkyung shut his mouth. This was the first time he’d seen Director Ha this angry. Even when he told him to guide an Esper he said not to attach and made him do guiding, he didn’t get this angry. He spoke sarcastically in an annoyed voice, but he didn’t yell or get angry like this…
“Think of it as imprisoning it. The principle is the same. Blocking flying objects or tying them down so they can’t move are all the same thing. This time you’re imprisoning it.”
“Director, I’m scared.”
“It’s okay. I’m here. Trust me. You can do it, right?”
Tears welled up in Ilkyung’s eyes. He felt hurt by Director Ha who kept forcing him to do what he couldn’t, saying he obviously could. What was he thinking, just getting off work would have been fine, why did he grab Director Ha and ask him to take him home?
“Now, I’m going to move this hand.”
“Okay.”
Ha Daehoon, as if teaching a child, this time took his left hand instead of his right hand that was holding the tanker truck.
“Keep holding with your right hand. Got it?”
Ilkyung felt like he was going to cry, so he sniffled and nodded his head. He was so scared. Had his noonas been continuously exposed to scenes like this? Why didn’t they tell him about this?
“Shh, you’ll get scolded! Don’t think about other things. You’ll get scolded, really.”
“I’m so scared.”
“It’s okay. You’re doing well.”
Daehoon scolded then coaxed and soothed him. Woo Ilkyung was S-rank but like a child, he had to teach him everything step by step. This is why the Research Team Leader keeps clutching his neck trying to collapse.
“Keep your right hand stretched out and draw with your left hand from the top. Answer, Woo Ilkyung.”
“Uung, don’t keep saying things. I feel like I’m going to die too.”
“I can’t even scold this one.”
Ilkyung complained internally that he was still constantly scolding him, so what was this ‘can’t even scold’?
“Focus and like this, good, you’re doing well.”
Daehoon simply wrapped Ilkyung’s left hand with his large hand and started drawing straight lines in the air as if drawing strokes together.
“Yes, you’re doing well.”
“Is this right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. You’re doing well. Woo Ilkyung is doing well. Good.”
Was Woo Ilkyung the Esper or was Ha Daehoon the Esper? Daehoon tightly hugged Woo Ilkyung from behind and started creating a barrier.
“You only need to make it as big as that car. I’m not even telling you to make a lot. Just exactly that much.”
“I can’t get a feel for it.”
“Just follow my hands.”
It meant he would draw it, so pour in energy and focus. Ilkyung completely leaned on Ha Daehoon and focused. Because this was all he could do.
