“Die from what.”
Gyujin stared at him with a baffled expression. This kid really takes exaggeration to a whole other terrifying level.
“You can just get guiding from someone else. I’ve already put in a request to the Guide Center. While I’m off, they’ll send another guide to Team 1—”
“I don’t want anyone but Team Leader.”
The stubborn reply shot straight out of Song Yeongju’s mouth. He pocketed his phone and stepped in close beside Gyujin.
“Who else am I supposed to get guiding from if not you? And while we’re on the subject — honestly, if you actually had guiding addiction, I was going to bite my tongue and follow you to the grave. That’s a lot cleaner than suffering through going on a rampage because I can’t get guiding.”
One after another, these two kept tossing around talk of dying like it was nothing more than “nice weather today.” Gyujin pressed his fingers hard between his brows. He hadn’t been caught off guard by his teammates’ reactions exactly — but having it hit all at once like this kept leaving him with a suffocating feeling in his chest.
“Does dying without me even make any sense? Guides are everywhere in this world, and there are more S-rank ones than you’d think. Hyeguk alone is the same S-rank as me.”
“Go Hyeguk? Absolutely not! How could I get guiding from him!”
A deep crease carved itself between Gyujin’s brows. He’d figured Song Yeongju, being the more cooperative of the bunch, would be easy enough to persuade — but had even that been wishful thinking?
“Relax your face. You can’t let your condition get worse while you’re here.”
Kwon Dajung had eased his way over in the meantime and gently stroked Gyujin’s forehead with his thumb. Gyujin gave him a sidelong, uncertain glance.
Come to think of it, Kwon Dajung’s reaction had been strangely lukewarm about all of this too. After hearing everything up to and including the guiding addiction — there was no way he’d let it go this easily…
“Let’s get you home quickly.”
Kwon Dajung smiled sweetly and took hold of Gyujin’s shoulder. As the gentle push nudged him into taking a step forward, Gyujin immediately grabbed his wrist.
“What about you?”
He held Kwon Dajung’s hand firm. Warning bells were going off in his head. This doesn’t add up. This was too easy. He’d fainted right in front of him while guiding — there was no way Kwon Dajung was going to let this go without making some kind of move.
The Dajung Gyujin knew would not have batted an eye at kicking the examination room door in right now. The image was vivid as something he’d just witnessed — grabbing the doctor by the collar, shaking him, threatening and demanding he tell the truth.
But right now Kwon Dajung was just rolling his eyes prettily with that beautiful face, not doing much of anything. Was he actually taking Gyujin’s excuse of “it’s not guiding addiction” at face value?
There’s absolutely no way.
Unless he confirmed it with his own eyes, Kwon Dajung would dig until he hit the bottom. And when he did — would the doctor still keep Gyujin’s secret then? The law was far away and Kwon Dajung’s fist was exceptionally, unrivaled-ly close. Gyujin was certain it wouldn’t take long before Kwon Dajung found out about the pregnancy.
At this rate, it’s over. Sensing the urgency, Gyujin scrambled to put Plan B into action.
“Dajung, I feel dizzy.”
He called out to Dajung with an exaggerated wobble. Kwon Dajung’s hands were at his back in an instant, steadying him.
“Are you okay? Does it feel really bad?”
Kwon Dajung pulled him into his arms, clearly flustered. He wasn’t dizzy or struggling at all, but Gyujin shamelessly dropped his head against Dajung’s arm.
“Hold onto me for a bit.”
That way you can’t go off and do something. For the sake of keeping Kwon Dajung efficiently occupied, Gyujin was perfectly willing to sacrifice his dignity. Embarrassment was fleeting — results lasted. It was fine.
“Hang on, hyung.”
Kwon Dajung scooped Gyujin up like a princess. He lifted a full-grown adult man like he weighed nothing and picked up his pace.
Patients and nurses passing through the hospital corridor spotted the two of them and went wide-eyed. Clearly it was obvious to anyone watching that something about this scene was extremely unusual.
“Oh no! Team Leader, are you actually okay? Do you need to be admitted again?”
Song Yeongju fussed and panicked as he rushed after them. His wailing drew more and more stares with every step.
Carried out like a princess under the gaze of the entire world, Gyujin thought to himself — maybe embarrassment does last longer after all.
— Gyujin, I heard you collapsed! Are you feeling okay?
Gyujin adjusted his grip on his phone and turned on the tap at the sink. He lowered his voice so it would be swallowed by the sound of the rushing water.
“I’m fine. More than that, there’s something I need to ask of you, senior.”
Gyujin’s eyes moved to the closed door. He’d turned on the water just in case, but he still couldn’t let his guard down. Kwon Dajung had sharp ears and sharp instincts. He was perceptive enough to piece together the full picture from just a handful of words. After a moment of deliberation, Gyujin moved to the shower stall and pulled the glass door shut firmly behind him.
“Could you go to the hospital right now and destroy my medical records? I’d rather you go in person than send someone else.”
— Wha……?
Yoon Palsik let out a deflated sound at the outrageous request. Gyujin traced his finger along the glass door as he explained.
“If you send someone else and things get complicated, it’ll be even harder to clean up. And more than anything — I want to get rid of the evidence before he goes to the hospital and starts tearing the place apart.”
Each time his fingertip touched the glass a faint vibration rippled through it. The cool sensation wasn’t unpleasant, and Gyujin found himself fairly absorbed in fidgeting his fingers along the surface.
“Nothing good comes of Dajung finding out.”
— Hmm… but, Gyujin. I’m not taking that bastard Kwon Dajung’s side here, but… are you really not going to tell him? He’s still the baby’s father.
Gyujin kept his mouth shut. Reading his silence, Yoon Palsik spoke carefully.
— I know what you’re worried about. Even so, Kwon Dajung wouldn’t be crazy enough to actually go after his own kid… would he… hmm, actually…
He trailed off mid-sentence as the realization set in, and swallowed the rest of his words with a mumble. Gyujin let out a sigh.
“Senior, I have no intention of holding back someone with their whole future ahead of them. How is Dajung supposed to raise a child? He can’t do something like that.”
It was a conclusion Gyujin had reached after his own careful deliberation. Kwon Dajung’s aversion to children ran deep enough that he’d seriously considered a vasectomy — his stance was unambiguous. And on top of that, he was only twenty-four. Far too young to be a father, and not exactly mature in his own right. What business did someone like that have raising a child.
— But wait, are you seriously going to go through with having it? Why do you keep talking as if you’re definitely having it? Are you really?
At the sharp question, Gyujin’s finger stilled against the glass.
“It’s not like that.”
— Yes it is. Like I don’t know you. But Gyujin — I’m genuinely against this. You don’t need to put your body through all of that for a child you never even planned for. Look at what just happened. You fainted from one guiding session.
“That’s…”
— Don’t make the mistake of thinking the only one with their feet tied is Kwon Dajung. Your feet are tied too. To me, you matter more than a child who hasn’t even been born yet.
“Senior…”
Gyujin let his voice trail off. Apparently moved by his own words, Yoon Palsik began to sniffle. Gyujin frowned with a suspicious look.
“Senior, are you crying?”
— I’m not crying! Anyway, you! For now just rest properly, and let’s settle this properly at the hospital the week after next. You know what I mean, right?
“Understood. Then you’re going to the hospital today too, right? Destroying the evidence — you know what I mean, right?”
Gyujin asked back in a firm voice. The concern was appreciated, but that didn’t change the fact that the objective still had to be met. For now, there was no alternative besides Yoon Palsik sneaking in and making the records disappear.
“I’m truly sorry to the doctor as well, but please tell him to get far away somewhere for a few days. Scare him into it if you have to — tell him an SS-rank Esper has it out for his life.”
That wasn’t even inaccurate. Knowing Kwon Dajung’s nature — stopping at nothing to get what he wanted — he’d obviously hound the doctor until he got the answers he was after. Gyujin spoke with the same firmness he used when laying down the law with Kwon Dajung.
“Make it happen.”
At those words, Yoon Palsik murmured in the tiniest voice, “like calls to like…” Gyujin pretended not to hear it and hung up promptly.
He’d grumble, but Yoon Palsik would ultimately do what Gyujin asked. If the medical records were deleted, he could breathe easy for the time being.
Gyujin stepped out of the shower stall and walked to the sink. He washed his hands, turned off the tap, and exhaled as he examined his face in the mirror.
He looked paler than usual, but that was all. He hadn’t expected to actually faint from one guiding session, but his condition was surprisingly not bad. Whether it was the morning sickness medication working or something else, his stomach had been the calmest it had felt in recent memory.
“Still, I need to be more careful going forward.”
He murmured, shaking the water off his hands. Dwelling on regret over what had already happened wasn’t in his nature — looking ahead and being cautious about what came next suited him far better. Careful, and careful again. Absolutely no guiding. With his resolve reaffirmed, Gyujin pushed the bathroom door open with purpose.
“…What’s going on, why are you all standing there like that?”
The moment the door swung open, there was Kwon Dajung — his displeasure written plain across his face for all to see. Gyujin’s gaze rolled past him to the figures gathered behind.
Song Yeongju, whom he’d met at the hospital, along with the rest of the Special Operations Team 1 Espers, were all clustered in a row behind Kwon Dajung.
Gyujin opened his mouth with a complicated expression.
“Why are all of you gathered here.”
