# Chapter 42
How long had this been going on? Jaehee’s condition worsened.
‘Lee Jaehee. You have a fever.’
Jaehee, feeling dizzy and disoriented, looked up at Dohyun who was touching his forehead. Dohyun’s expression was intense. He looked as serious as the adults who went on Gate missions.
‘Why are you getting up?’
When Jaehee struggled to sit up, Dohyun grabbed his shoulders and asked.
‘Today’s medicine… I haven’t taken it yet. I need to… take it…’
Jaehee glanced cautiously at Dohyun as he spoke. There had been quite a few instances where Dohyun had forced him to drink that bitter medicine.
Dohyun reached for the cup containing the medicine. Jaehee, his face flushed red with fever, opened his eyes wide in surprise, afraid that Dohyun would force him to drink it again.
But even after a while, Dohyun made no move to do so. He just stood there silently, staring down at the medicine cup as if contemplating something.
But then, huh?
‘…Do-Dohyun!’
Suddenly, Dohyun raised the cup to his own lips. Then he downed the medicine in one shot without leaving a single drop.
‘…Huh? What?’
Jaehee was completely baffled by the incomprehensible situation. Thoughts floated around in his feverish mind: Why is Dohyun drinking my medicine? I’m so glad I don’t have to drink that bitter medicine. That stuff tastes really weird, is Dohyun okay?
‘Lee Jaehee. Go back to sleep.’
Just as Jaehee’s mind was filling with question marks, Dohyun interrupted his thoughts and made him lie down again. He neatly covered Jaehee with the blanket and awkwardly patted it. It was his way of telling Jaehee to fall asleep quickly.
‘…My medicine…’
Why did you drink it…?
Oddly enough, that patting lulled him to sleep. Before Jaehee could finish his question, he fell asleep. He needed to ask why Dohyun drank it…
But it wasn’t just that day. Every day, Dohyun would frown deeply and take Jaehee’s medicine for himself. As Jaehee’s condition gradually improved, Dohyun wouldn’t even let him touch the cup anymore.
‘That’s my medicine, though…’
Because of this, Jaehee timidly tried to claim his medicine a few times. When he did, Dohyun said,
‘Espers usually share good things with each other.’
With that nonsensical explanation, he would drink all of the medicine without leaving a single drop.
But from then on, strange things started happening. Jaehee’s condition improved day by day, while Dohyun’s condition gradually worsened. Even so, being an Esper with physical abilities far superior to normal people, he recovered quickly.
Then one day, when Jaehee received his medicine again and was sitting on the bed, Dohyun snatched the cup and was about to drink it. But then he paused. He looked around, went to the window to peer outside, and spent a while surveying the room.
Puzzled by Dohyun’s strange behavior, Jaehee followed him around, looking at all the places Dohyun was checking. Outside the window, people were training as usual, and there wasn’t much to see inside the room.
Having manifested at a young age with issues in his guiding function, Jaehee was staying in a small ward. The ward was structured like a large studio, and the bathroom was outside, so there really wasn’t anything to see no matter how much they looked.
Dohyun seemed to think the same, as he walked toward the door next. He opened it just a crack and peered through the gap. Jaehee scurried after him and also peeked through. Outside, examiners and Center staff were passing by. Dohyun closed the door.
After circling the room for quite some time with Dohyun, Dohyun suddenly stopped walking. As if something was troubling him, he let out a big sigh and roughly messed up his bangs. Dohyun’s bangs stood up sharply. Jaehee slowly reached out to smooth them back down.
Then Jaehee noticed something. The ends of Dohyun’s eyebrows were raised high. Is something bothering him? Just as Jaehee was wondering this,
“…Huh?”
Dohyun picked up the cup again and downed the medicine in one shot.
‘Lee Jaehee.’
Then he called out to Jaehee.
‘Yes?’
‘From now on, this medicine is mine. So you should never even think about drinking it.’
Dohyun suddenly declared this, and from then on, he monopolized the medicine every day. And he told Jaehee not to tell anyone about it.
Once, Jaehee tried to meekly resist Dohyun.
‘They said I absolutely have to drink that…’
‘Oh, really? Then you’ll be in trouble.’
At Dohyun’s words, Jaehee’s eyes widened. The higher-ups were particularly scary compared to the people in the Esper or Guide teams. They had told him to secretly take this very expensive special medicine, but Dohyun had drunk almost all of it, so Jaehee had only taken a tiny amount. If they found out he barely drank any, he might get in serious trouble.
As Jaehee was on the verge of tears, imagining angry staff members, Dohyun spoke in a tone that suggested he could see right through Jaehee’s thoughts.
‘Just don’t tell them.’
‘Huh?’
‘Don’t tell them I drank it. Just say you drank it yourself.’
Dohyun spoke as if it was the obvious solution, wondering why Jaehee was even worrying.
“……”
But Jaehee resisted this suggestion. When Jaehee remained silent, staring at the cup,
‘We’re in big trouble, Lee Jaehee.’
Dohyun suddenly spoke as if something terrible was about to happen.
‘Huh?’
‘You’re going to get scolded badly for not drinking it.’
He threatened. With that, Jaehee’s fighting spirit, which had been blazing to reclaim his medicine, instantly deflated. After that, well, it became commonplace for Dohyun to easily take the medicine meant for Jaehee.
But that’s not to say Jaehee always remained passive.
‘It’s mine!’
Jaehee stood on his tiptoes. He stretched his arm up high, trying to snatch the cup from Dohyun’s hand. But his arm couldn’t reach. Despite both being 13 years old, the height difference between an Esper and a Guide was obvious. Going through manifestation pains, Dohyun was growing frighteningly tall.
Eventually, Jaehee headbutted Dohyun’s chest.
‘Ow, ow, ow.’
Dohyun pretended to be hurt.
So obviously fake! How annoying!
Jaehee’s lips jutted out.
‘It’s mine…’
Jaehee protested, asking why Dohyun kept drinking his medicine. He circled around Dohyun, demanding he hand it over. When Dohyun refused, Jaehee tried to subdue him using methods he had learned in close combat training class.
But instead, Jaehee’s arm was twisted behind his back. Jaehee’s face crumpled. Thinking about it, Dohyun had received the same close combat training. Although they were children and had only learned the basics, Dohyun had absorbed it well and used it against Jaehee.
And then, gulp. Once again, Jaehee’s medicine went down Dohyun’s throat. Jaehee’s lips quivered. He sniffled, looking like he might burst into tears at any moment.
‘My medicine… why do you keep drinking it?’
‘Because it looks tasty?’
Dohyun was truly infuriating.
‘Waaah!’
Before Jaehee could cry properly, Dohyun hugged him. Only the first syllable of his cry came out; the rest was muffled against Dohyun’s chest.
Then one day, Dohyun became seriously ill. Jaehee wiggled his way into Dohyun’s bed.
‘Dohyun, does it hurt a lot?’
Jaehee placed his hand on Dohyun’s forehead.
‘It hurts.’
Dohyun vocally admitted he was in pain. In response, Jaehee comfortably settled down next to Dohyun. Dohyun, as if it was the most natural thing, spread his arms to let Jaehee lie beside him.
So the two kids were pressed close together in the middle of the large bed. As their bodies touched, Guiding Energy flowed from Jaehee’s small body into Dohyun’s. Guiding Energy diligently transferred through their joined hands.
After a while, Dohyun asked,
‘Are you okay with guiding me?’
‘…Yes!’
Jaehee timidly told a lie. Ever since seeing Dohyun suffer severely from manifestation pain, Jaehee had been secretly guiding him like this.
Although the Guiding Energy leaving his body and the wavelengths felt from Dohyun’s body were still too frightening, seeing Dohyun in pain was even more terrifying.
For 13-year-old Jaehee, who had no memories, Dohyun was his only support in this scary Center. Dohyun, who cherished him, was also incredibly precious to Jaehee.
‘Tell me right away if it hurts.’
Even though Jaehee said it didn’t hurt, Dohyun always said this whenever Jaehee guided him.
But that day was a little different. Usually when Jaehee guided him like this, Dohyun’s condition would improve, but strangely, Dohyun kept feeling sick that day.
“……”
Memories flashed through his mind. Jaehee’s breathing quickened.
‘No way…!’
Jaehee gritted his teeth. He clenched his fists. His hand holding the glass vial of red liquid trembled violently.
‘An Esper with top-tier potential.’
There was one more besides Geonwoo. 13-year-old Kang Dohyun. His examination report clearly stated the same thing.
