# Chapter 75
“I told you to stay out of my business. Lee Jaehee.”
Kang Dohyun’s eyes looking at his hyung were filled with hostility.
‘Why?’
Geonwoo couldn’t understand Dohyun’s attitude toward his hyung.
“Oh. Esper Kang Dohyun?”
Then Geonwoo came to hear the reason through the Center’s staff.
“Actually, when Esper Kang Dohyun was young…”
He was abandoned the moment he was born and grew up being exploited even at the orphanage, they said. They said he went through too many harsh experiences for a child to endure. Because of that, he didn’t trust anyone. He didn’t let anyone get close. That’s why everyone at the Center found Dohyun difficult to approach.
“Guide Lee Jaehee particularly took care of Esper Kang Dohyun a lot.”
Among such people, his hyung was the only one who approached Dohyun, they said. But perhaps because of that, unlike others, Dohyun was even more wary of his hyung who approached him and reached out. This was because those who came to him with smiles were the most terrible beings in young Dohyun’s memories.
“……”
Geonwoo’s expression was strange. His eyes contorted. While his past was certainly tragic, separate from that, Geonwoo was angry at Dohyun’s attitude towards his hyung. The time his hyung had spent by his side was too long to push him away with such words.
The hyung Geonwoo knew was a kind person. He couldn’t not know this because he himself had received such great comfort from that kindness. Geonwoo also knew well how considerate his hyung was of others. That’s why he couldn’t understand Dohyun’s behavior at all.
Moreover, recalling the contents of the letters exchanged with his hyung, it seemed like Dohyun had received even more care from his hyung than himself… How could he ignore someone who was like a benefactor? Geonwoo was starting to get angry now. He now even hated Dohyun, who pushed away his hyung and acted coldly.
‘Kang Dohyun treats hyung poorly, so why does hyung take such good care of him?’
Geonwoo wanted to ask his hyung directly. He wanted to tell him to stop. He felt this even more because he had seen Dohyun treating his hyung poorly so many times.
But he couldn’t go to his hyung right away. Undeveloped Espers had to take many mandatory education and training sessions. Since the Center’s rules were strict, if these weren’t properly completed, even if one developed as an Esper, they couldn’t be deployed in actual missions. It was a kind of penalty. Geonwoo, wanting to develop as an Esper as quickly as possible to stand by his hyung’s side and protect him from getting hurt more, wanted to avoid such penalties.
So Geonwoo set out with the Esper who had come to get him. After greeting the staff, he clenched both fists and suppressed his emotions. He just went to receive education without saying anything, gritting his teeth.
“In the case of this gate…”
A middle-aged Esper conducted education about monsters for undeveloped Espers. Geonwoo absently flipped through the educational book handed out. Because of the story he had heard just before, his mind was so full of thoughts about his hyung that it was difficult to concentrate.
“……”
Then his hand stopped at a specific page. A monster with a familiar appearance occupied a large portion of the page.
[E-class Beast-type Monster: Giant Rabbit]
At that moment, Geonwoo recalled the saddest day of his childhood. The festival day he last spent with his hyung. The monster that turned that happy day into a nightmare. With furrowed eyes, Geonwoo read through the description of the monster. Detailed information about the monster was written over several pages. Among them, there was a line that caught Geonwoo’s attention.
[The claws of the giant rabbit contain a unique weak poison. While this poison doesn’t penetrate deep into the body and isn’t fatal, it spreads quickly through skin capillaries and causes skin necrosis. Also, as blood vessels swell due to the poison spread through capillaries, it leaves scars that look like branches.]
Geonwoo slowly lowered his gaze and read the last line.
[Also, wounds from this poison never fade throughout one’s lifetime.]
And below that was a photo of a scar that made one automatically furrow their brow. As described, swollen blood vessels on black necrotic skin formed shapes like dried, dead branches.
‘…Thank goodness.’
That his hyung wasn’t injured then. Geonwoo exhaled deeply in relief.
And a few days later, Geonwoo belatedly learned the truth of that day.
“Hyung!”
Today too, Geonwoo was searching all over the Center for his hyung. He had heard that his hyung had been injured in a gate again. Having heard that his hyung had received treatment and gone to his lodging, Geonwoo immediately headed to where Jaehee was.
“Hyung! Jaehee hyung!”
“Geonwoo? W-wait a moment!”
Jaehee, who wasn’t visible anywhere in the lodging, was in the shower. At his hyung’s urgent voice that was unlike his usual self, Geonwoo flung the door open. He thought his hyung was injured.
“Hyung!”
Opening the door, a pale naked body was visible. His hyung was awkwardly holding a towel. Normally, he would have turned red with embarrassment and gone back out, but right now Geonwoo’s mind was filled only with thoughts that his hyung might be injured.
Geonwoo immediately approached his hyung.
“W-wait!”
His hyung stepped back with an embarrassed face. His hyung’s back touched the wall.
“Hyung, they said you were injured…!”
When Geonwoo approached and asked, his hyung immediately extended his arm and urgently said,
“Look, I’m not injured.”
At those words, Geonwoo immediately grabbed his hyung’s arm and examined it carefully.
“It’s just a slight scratch.”
It was as his hyung said.
“Phew, thank goodness.”
Geonwoo exhaled in relief. Just to make sure, Geonwoo examined his hyung’s body more.
“Um, Geonwoo.”
“Yes?”
While meticulously checking if his hyung was injured anywhere, his hyung looked at Geonwoo with an awkward smile.
“Even though we’re both men. It’s a bit embarrassing to be naked alone.”
At his words, his hyung’s naked body, awkwardly covered with a towel, finally registered. In an instant, Geonwoo’s face turned red hot. Geonwoo urgently tried to go back out. Then he paused. As the tension eased with the relief that his hyung wasn’t injured, another strange point caught his eye.
Why did his hyung’s behavior feel so unnatural? Like someone who wanted to hide their back rather than cover their body with a towel.
“Geonwoo?”
His hyung had a surprised expression as he saw Geonwoo looking down at him silently.
“Could you go out first? I’ll come out after getting dressed…!”
Geonwoo grabbed his hyung’s arm.
“Geonwoo!”
His surprised hyung tried to remove Geonwoo’s hand. But when Geonwoo applied force, he couldn’t shake him off. For the first time, Geonwoo physically overpowered his hyung who was much smaller than him. He grabbed his hyung’s arm and shoulder and turned him around.
And on his hyung’s back was.
“This…”
A large scar that looked very old. It was shaped exactly like the image shown in the monster description he had seen a few days ago. Geonwoo couldn’t continue his words. His hand holding his hyung loosened.
“This…!”
His hyung turned around to look at Geonwoo. As if trying to make excuses that it wasn’t true, his hyung listed various things. But soon, his hyung’s expression became strange. His hyung, who had been continuously talking while looking at Geonwoo, gradually lost his words. Then finally, biting his lower lip, his hyung made an expression as if he was about to cry. And reaching out his hand to Geonwoo’s face, he said.
“It doesn’t hurt.”
His hyung’s voice was very gentle. His hyung was comforting Geonwoo. He no longer tried to hide with other words, sensing that Geonwoo had noticed.
“It doesn’t hurt at all. Just a slightly large scar remains.”
His hyung’s hand caressing Geonwoo’s face was wet. It was Geonwoo’s tears. The large-built Geonwoo was sobbing.
“Geonwoo.”
His hyung reached out and hugged Geonwoo.
“It’s okay. This is really nothing.”
His hyung comforted Geonwoo in a soft voice.
“Since it’s on my back, it’s not even very visible. So I usually forget that I have a scar.”
He tried to reassure Geonwoo somehow.
“It’s okay. Really.”
Just like on the festival day, his hyung whispered, “It’s okay.” Even in this moment, worrying about Geonwoo more than himself.
But Geonwoo couldn’t hear those words.
‘It was all… a lie…’
There wasn’t a single truth in his hyung’s letters. An emotion hard to describe in words welled up.
“……”
Geonwoo could no longer believe his hyung’s words that he was okay. On the contrary, his affectionate feelings for his hyung only grew.
“…Hyung…”
Geonwoo opened his mouth with difficulty. But that’s when it happened. The image of his hyung holding him gradually blurred. And flinch! A chilling sensation that made his body tremble was felt. A feeling that was somehow familiar yet unpleasant.
‘…!’
Soon Geonwoo realized what this was.
‘…Kang Dohyun…!’
This was Kang Dohyun’s wave that had suppressed him in the examination room.
“You know what punishment an ability user gets for messing with an ordinary person!”
At the same time, he heard his hyung’s voice.
‘…Hyung…?’
But it wasn’t what the hyung in the dream had said. Strangely, the scene before his eyes and the sound reaching his ears were misaligned.
‘It’s definitely hyung’s voice but…’
Hyung…? No. This is… could it be…!
‘…Guide…nim…?’
Dream and reality began to mix.
***
It was late at night when Dohyun was finally able to return to Jaehee’s side. Dr. Yoon had briefly left his place, so only Jaehee and Geonwoo remained in the examination room.
“What on earth did you do!”
As soon as Jaehee saw Dohyun entering the examination room, he shouted.
“What were you thinking when you messed with the Deputy Center Director!”
Jaehee glared fiercely at Dohyun.
“Don’t you know what happens when an ability user messes with an ordinary person? Don’t you know!”
Why on earth did you do that? He was genuinely angry.
But the true nature was affectionate concern. He was angry because his worry was so great. Dohyun also knew this well, so he just silently looked down at the shouting Jaehee.
Then Dohyun opened his mouth.
‘The Center Director isn’t a fool.’
He wanted to tell Jaehee this. So there was no need to worry so much. Don’t you also know how the Center Director is likely to respond?
With the Deputy Center Director and his underlings cut off, in this situation where trust in the higher-ups was diminished, the Center Director wouldn’t go against the strongest Esper in the Center. In fact, the Center Director had only told Dohyun not to get caught. Just as Dohyun had thought.
But completely different words sprang from Dohyun’s mouth.
“So, I should have just left him alone?”
Thud, it was a cold retort different from his inner thoughts.
“He messed with you.”
The anger forged from worry wasn’t just Jaehee’s.
“Are you saying I should have just left him alone?”
Dohyun glared at Jaehee with fierce eyes.
Dohyun had heard the detailed circumstances of what had happened through the Center Director. While Dohyun understood Jaehee for not telling him about such a big matter, he also resented him. Just as Jaehee did, Dohyun’s great concern for Jaehee had turned into anger. How could he be so reckless?
“A trial was scheduled! Even without doing something so dangerous, if you had just left it alone…!”
Dohyun cut off Jaehee’s words in the middle.
“He would have been properly imprisoned and then released after a few decades, no. A few years later.”
By whatever means necessary.
“What can I say. I couldn’t bear to see that.”
Dohyun shouted fiercely and approached Jaehee. Dohyun’s wave grew rough, harmonizing with his emotions.
“…!”
And in that moment, Dohyun’s brow furrowed. His savage gaze turned to Geonwoo. As Dohyun’s wave spread to Jaehee, waves flowed out from Geonwoo’s body, who was lying quietly with his eyes closed on the bed, and wrapped around Jaehee as if protecting him.
“Ha.”
That sight made Dohyun’s anger flare up even more.
‘When you can’t do anything.’
Dohyun found Geonwoo ridiculous. One corner of Dohyun’s mouth lifted, creating a sinister smile.
“It’s the same now. I’m barely restraining myself from making Choi Geonwoo like the Deputy Center Director.”
So end it quickly.
Having approached right in front of Jaehee, Dohyun bent his upper body and whispered in Jaehee’s ear. At the same time, he enveloped Geonwoo’s wave that was wrapping around Jaehee and eliminated it without a trace.
“I’ll help you as you said.”
Hurry up and erase the bond.
“As you so desperately wanted.”
Looking down at Geonwoo with a cold gaze, Dohyun said. As if, for him to hear.
