“Esper Woo Ilkyung.”
Then a voice like a savior was heard. It was Director Ha. At the face he was seeing after a long time, Ilkyung almost ran to embrace him. He wanted to act spoiled. Director, do you know how much the team leader is working me? I thought I came for army guerrilla training. He held back wanting to do this.
“Director, hello.”
When the research team leader greeted him, Daehoon just nodded his head to receive the greeting.
“Director.”
Ilkyung called Daehoon with his eyebrows drooping in a V-shape. Everything was contained in that call.
“Why aren’t you answering your phone?”
“How can I answer the phone while doing this?”
Ilkyung answered back while still walking on the treadmill, trudging along. Watching Woo Ilkyung whining with a miserable appearance like a puppy with its tail and ears drooping, Daehoon chuckled. He heard a rumor that Woo Ilkyung was dying in the physical training room. When he asked Secretary Min what Woo Ilkyung was doing, that was what he heard.
“Come up to the conference room for a moment.”
“Esper Woo Ilkyung still has exercise left…”
“Come up right now. It’s urgent.”
Cutting off the research team leader’s words, Daehoon spoke once more. Then, as if there was nothing more to hear, he turned his back and left. Ilkyung quickly turned off the machine and wiped his face with a towel.
“Team Leader, then I’ll go and come back.”
“In the afternoon there’s concentration practice. Make sure to do it properly then.”
“Alright. I’ll do that properly.”
Ilkyung drooped his shoulders and greeted the team leader. Then he hurriedly came outside. But Director Ha, who seemed like he would have left first, was waiting.
“Why are you coming out so late?”
“Why are you here? I thought you left.”
“I was waiting. In case Woo Ilkyung crawled out and collapsed completely on the floor.”
“You really have to say it like that. Crawling out! It’s not that bad.”
Even so, Woo Ilkyung’s legs were trembling. Before building stamina, he was about to die.
“Why are you watching the research team leader’s mood so much? When I tell you to come out, you should come out quickly.”
“I came out as fast as I could. The research team leader’s mood is really scary. You don’t know how much he berates me for not being able to exercise.”
“Tsk.”
Director Ha clicked his tongue. Then he looked at Ilkyung quietly.
“What’s this with your face? Did you cry?”
Ilkyung shook his head. Daehoon took the towel from Ilkyung and wiped here and there on his small face. Ilkyung just stood there with his head lifted.
“Is exercise that hard? Why are you crying while exercising?”
“I didn’t cry.”
“The rumor is all over. That Woo Ilkyung is dying.”
“Really?”
Ilkyung, who had been muttering with his eyes closed and a sulky face, opened his eyes wide.
“Would it be fake?”
At Daehoon’s words, Ilkyung stomped his feet.
“Hey hey! A telekinesis-type shouldn’t use strength like that!”
“The ground won’t collapse from this. But why are we going to the conference room?”
“We’re not going to the conference room?”
Daehoon returned the towel to Ilkyung and started walking again. Ilkyung quickly followed behind.
“Then where are we going?”
“To eat.”
“What?”
Ilkyung made a face asking what he meant and grabbed Daehoon’s sleeve. Woo Ilkyung had this habit of grabbing people’s sleeves or hems like this. He didn’t seem to be aware of it himself, but when they were outside, if he had something to say, he would grab sleeves like this, and inside the house, he would grab hems.
“What are you curious about again? We’re just going to eat. It’s lunchtime.”
“Not yet though? It’s not noon yet?”
“Before Woo Ilkyung gets heated from exercising and destroys the Center, I’m going to feed him something delicious. I’m an investor here. What if Esper Woo Ilkyung destroys the Center?”
“Ha!”
When Ilkyung laughed as if in disbelief, Daehoon shrugged his shoulders and walked again. So completely self-centered. What if the Research Team Leader finds out about this?
“Just think of it as eating lunch 30 minutes early when you have to eat anyway.”
“What will I say if the Research Team Leader asks later?”
“Make up something on your own. Do I have to tell you that too?”
Daehoon started walking again. Woo Ilkyung frowned. Completely self-centered.
“You’re telling me to lie?”
“Make up anything.”
“Ah, what are you even saying?”
Though Ilkyung chattered on, he didn’t say he wouldn’t eat. Daehoon chuckled. How pathetic. Looking like a drowned puppy.
“But where are we really going to eat? I didn’t shower, so I smell like sweat.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s summer anyway, so everyone’s sweating.”
At Daehoon’s words, Ilkyung narrowed his brow. But you don’t have a single drop of sweat right now? Just how air-conditioned was the place you were in? He wanted to ask that, but for now he said nothing, grateful that he’d been rescued from that hell-like fitness training room.
“But what should I really say as an excuse? Don’t we need to make an alibi together?”
“Well, I don’t need an alibi though?”
Ilkyung made a face full of dissatisfaction and followed closely behind. Then something suddenly came to mind and he shouted.
“Then mileage! I’ll let you accumulate mileage.”
Daehoon looked at Ilkyung across the car.
“No regrets later.”
“What is there to regret?”
“Suit yourself. I’ll make you an alibi over the meal.”
Director Ha got into the driver’s seat with a satisfied smile. Ilkyung also hurriedly got in the car.
But wait, if we’re coming to a place like this for lunch, shouldn’t you have told me in advance? Looking at Daehoon elegantly cutting his steak, Ilkyung wondered if it was okay for him to be sitting there in this state. Ilkyung, who had been dragged out while exercising, was naturally dressed in workout clothes. On the other hand, Director Ha was dressed in a suit despite it being summer.
Fortunately, the place they came to wasn’t like an open hotel restaurant, but a small shop composed of private rooms. Ilkyung buried his nose in his arm and sniffed.
“It’s fine. You don’t smell.”
“You could have at least let me change clothes.”
“I already know all about Woo Ilkyung’s sweat smell anyway, what’s the fuss?”
At Daehoon’s words, Ilkyung’s mouth fell open. Really crazy bastard. He just says anything.
“What if someone hears you say that?”
“Who’s going to hear? The rooms aren’t even attached to each other, so there’s no way anyone will hear.”
How shameless. Ilkyung tried to recall if Director Ha had always been this shameless and cunning. He was annoying if anything, but it didn’t seem like he was this kind of personality—people really do need to be experienced to be known.
Ilkyung looked at Daehoon, who neatly cut the steak and switched it with his own plate, and asked.
“But does a place like this even exist?”
“Yeah, it exists. It’s a place I know, so just eat deliciously.”
“This isn’t one of those places your family frequents, is it, Director?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? Hurry up and eat.”
Daehoon answered while cutting the steak in front of him. Woo Ilkyung made a dumbfounded face and his mouth fell open.
“Anyone seeing this would think your jaw dropped. I’m not telling you to pretend to be my lover again, so eat, hurry. You said you have to be back by 1 o’clock.”
“Ah, right. 1 o’clock. But Director, being an Esper is too intense.”
“Even if you tell me that, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Even though right now he let him eat lunch 30 minutes early.
“When I was in the Field Support Team, there was time to drink coffee and time to take walks.”
“Now you exercise instead of taking walks.”
At Daehoon’s words, Ilkyung made a disgusted expression. Woo Ilkyung was fun to tease because his emotions showed like that.
“There’s no time to even drink coffee.”
“What’s the point of drinking coffee? It’s not even good for you.”
“What about you, Director! You drink three or four cups of that not-good-for-you stuff a day. Plus, Director, you smoke too.”
“I didn’t know Woo Ilkyung cared about my body so much.”
At Daehoon’s words, Ilkyung gripped his knife and glared. You’re not thinking about your body right now! I want to go to the Center cafe and drink coffee too.
“I wish there was at least snack time.”
“I don’t have snack time either.”
“Director, you don’t eat that kind of stuff anyway!”
Ilkyung shouted out loud. When he was in the Field Support Team, whenever they ran out of snacks, they’d buy some to eat, drink coffee with the Team Leader’s corporate card, and have team dinners. But Espers were thoroughly individualistic unless they were temporarily grouped into teams because of major incidents, so there was none of that.
“I didn’t know you knew that much about me.”
Ilkyung trembled while gripping his knife.
