Onyul answered without his expression changing at all.
“I’ve seen an article before about an esper I used to like dying. Just the fact that that esper died was so heartbreaking that I was sick for days, so how much harder would it be if I were part of that? I’m too weak-hearted, so I can’t do that.”
A question appeared on Na Geonwoo’s face after hearing that reason. It was because it was an unexpected reason.
He wanted to ask if it wasn’t too much of a leap, but Onyul’s expression was too serious for that.
His appearance from just before, happy while looking at the deposited money, had completely disappeared.
Na Geonwoo thought that Onyul didn’t seem to be lying.
“I understand. I think calming Gu Baekyoung takes priority over you registering as a guide. So I won’t force you to take a guide examination, but…”
“…”
“If the Management Bureau notices on their own, I won’t be able to stop it then either.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“I’ll also always watch over you from nearby. I’ll try my best to protect you too.”
“Oh my, if you’ll take care of me that much, I can only be grateful.”
“Of course, Gu Baekyoung will man-mark you more than I will.”
Having said that much, Na Geonwoo’s gaze suddenly turned somewhere. There was a tall man with a hood pulled down low.
The man walked with long strides toward the table where Na Geonwoo and Onyul were sitting.
Onyul, who had seen that appearance often, could tell right away. The fact that that man was Gu Baekyoung in his own kind of disguise.
Na Geonwoo continued speaking without taking his eyes off the approaching Gu Baekyoung.
“Still, I think it would be better to control your emission guiding if possible.”
“I’ll try.”
Guiding was definitely controllable, but the therapy ability was ambiguous.
The energy lingering in the convenience store was a strange mix of emission guiding and therapy ability. Among them, he would contain all the emission guiding, but the remaining therapy ability was the problem.
It wouldn’t be as much as before, but for a while, good energy would circulate in the convenience store. He seemed to have to consider it fortunate that the concentration had thinned.
“If it becomes even a little dangerous, you must receive the Center’s protection. If the fact spreads that you’re the only S-rank guide who can heal Gu Baekyoung…”
When he said that much, Gu Baekyoung, standing in front of the table, cut off Na Geonwoo’s words with a terrifying face.
“I’ll take care of my lover myself, Team Leader.”
Gu Baekyoung had lightly penetrated the magic barrier that Na Geonwoo had set up.
For some unknown reason, his expression hardened, and he looked like he would drag Onyul away right now.
“Baekyoung, don’t cause a scene. There’s nothing good about attracting attention.”
“I know that too, so I’m holding back as much as I can.”
The atmosphere between the two was unusual. Onyul was anxious even though he knew that the always calm Na Geonwoo wouldn’t cause a scene.
Before a bigger problem occurred, he, the cause of the trouble, decided to step forward.
“Team Leader, we’ll be going now. Please contact me separately if you have more to say.”
“…What? You’ll contact him separately?”
Gu Baekyoung’s hand, which had interjected into the conversation, reached out and grabbed Onyul’s shoulder tightly.
His face, visible between the hood, had turned pale.
Soon the table rattled. As if an earthquake had occurred, the glasses on the table were shaking slightly.
It was because of the telekinesis ability that the excited Gu Baekyoung had unconsciously used.
Onyul spoke briefly but firmly.
“Baekyoung, no.”
It was a tone just like training a large dog.
Na Geonwoo thought, Would such a tone work on a person, especially on Gu Baekyoung, a renowned esper?
But surprisingly, the movement of the shaking table disappeared. Gu Baekyoung, who had been about to turn his surroundings upside down at any moment, quickly calmed down.
“…Oh.”
Na Geonwoo looked at Onyul with fairly surprised eyes. As soon as he did, there was a feeling of his entire body being scanned.
Déjà vu. In his mind, old memories that hadn’t crumbled passed by.
<Baekyoung, gate clears are good, but you need to think of your body as the top priority.>
<Still…>
<No. Moreover, you don’t even have a guide. Be careful. Got it?>
<…Yes, hyung.>
It was the scene of Gu Baekyoung and Kang Onyul having a conversation.
Kang Onyul had hoped that Gu Baekyoung, who could hardly receive guiding because there was no guide with a high compatibility rate, wouldn’t overdo it. There was a limit to how much he could stabilize him with therapy.
Gu Baekyoung, who had become sensitive from not receiving guiding, only became obedient to Kang Onyul, so he’d thought he handled the willful Gu Baekyoung quite well…
Kang Onyul’s face was superimposed over the face of the man sitting across from him.
The two didn’t resemble each other at all, and he still didn’t believe in reincarnation. Yet Na Geonwoo still felt the man was like Kang Onyul.
If I’m like this, what about Baekyoung.
Na Geonwoo let out a deep sigh.
He had a premonition that perhaps even after the year contracted with the man passed, Gu Baekyoung might not let the man go.
From Na Geonwoo’s standpoint, it was a welcome development.
Since Gu Baekyoung became an esper, he’d been searching for his guide for over 10 years.
They’d even conducted matching rate tests with overseas guides, but they couldn’t find Gu Baekyoung’s guide.
Though they hadn’t given up, everyone had subtly given up. In the midst of being at a loss, the convenience store manager had fallen from the sky like lightning.
He didn’t want to lose the man who appeared before Gu Baekyoung like fate.
Not because Gu Baekyoung was an S-rank esper, but because he was Alpha Team’s precious dongsaeng.
Na Geonwoo didn’t want to lose his close dongsaeng again.
“Then I, the intruder, will be going now.”
Even as Na Geonwoo stood up from his seat, Gu Baekyoung glared at him without relaxing his expression.
“Baekyoung, you can’t glare.”
When Na Geonwoo imitated Onyul’s words, Gu Baekyoung’s face became even more fierce.
“I guess it doesn’t work for me.”
The embarrassed Na Geonwoo giggled unlike himself.
“Team Leader. Why would you imitate that…”
Onyul, who had become needlessly embarrassed, spoke as if complaining.
“Why not, it’s fun. To be fair, I’ve known Baekyoung for a long time too, so he could follow my words at least once.”
“Ey. Team Leader is a superior and I’m a lover. Haha.”
Onyul smoothly countered Na Geonwoo’s words.
As only Gu Baekyoung was unintentionally excluded from the conversation, Gu Baekyoung’s mood, which had calmed down for a moment, twisted again.
The moment telekinesis was about to burst out unconsciously, Gu Baekyoung controlled his body and mind.
Not doing things the person he likes would dislike. It was because the words Onyul had said circled in his head.
Instead, he made a forlorn expression toward Onyul.
“I’m in pain.”
If nothing else, he had clearly recognized that Onyul reacted sensitively to him being in pain. Gu Baekyoung hunched his large body a little.
“Where does it hurt? Want to hold hands first?”
Look at that. Hadn’t Onyul’s gaze, which had been focused only on Na Geonwoo, immediately turned to him? With just one word that he was in pain.
Gu Baekyoung’s acting, inwardly rejoicing, intensified. He frowned more and lowered his posture a little more, producing a trembling voice.
“Yeah, hold my hand.”
Soon a warm hand wrapped around Gu Baekyoung’s hand. At the same time, his mood improved significantly.
Though there was no injury, the warm energy flowing from him seemed to stabilize his body and mind.
You’re mine.
Gu Baekyoung gripped Onyul’s hand tightly. As if he would never let go of the hand he’d once held.
“Team Leader, we’ll go first. I think we need to go back to the convenience store like this.”
“Go ahead.”
Na Geonwoo stared intently at the two people hurriedly leaving the cafe while holding hands.
He had an intuition that his premonition wouldn’t be wrong.
So, that intuitive prophecy that even after the year promised with him passed, Gu Baekyoung didn’t seem like he would let the man go.
***
“Why did you meet the Team Leader without even telling me?”
It was a question Gu Baekyoung spat out as soon as they returned to the convenience store. He pressed Onyul as if cracking down on a lover caught trying to cheat.
No, what does it matter to you who I meet.
Those words rose to the tip of his throat, but Onyul smiled broadly. In his head, the 50 million won he had yet to receive from Na Geonwoo floated around.
“I met him by chance. And this is a convenience store, right? Meeting an esper passing by isn’t that strange.”
Onyul, who couldn’t bring himself to talk about the contract, made excuses.
“Still, tell me first next time.”
“What about you and that press conference?”
Onyul naturally changed the subject and looked up at Gu Baekyoung.
“What else. A declaration of war.”
“Declaration of war?”
“A declaration that the only and amazing person who can heal the great Gu Baekyoung is my lover, so no one should covet them.”
I asked you to prove you’re not related to the Anti-Management Bureau, not who told you to make a grand lover announcement, man!
Onyul barely held back from shouting at Gu Baekyoung.
“Gu Baekyoung, how are you going to handle this? If by any chance I’m exposed…”
“That won’t happen. Who would think that cat helmet is a convenience store manager?”
Gu Baekyoung naturally sat behind the register and continued speaking while tapping the POS system.
“Everyone will think I hid that amazing cat helmet in the Management Bureau, right? It might actually be better that honey didn’t take the guide examination.”
True. Even he would think someone receiving everyone’s attention was hidden deep in the Center. He wouldn’t think they’d be in the small, shabby convenience store right next door.
But even so, that didn’t solve everything.
“Still, it’s dangerous. There’s already a rumor that it’s a convenience store where you feel strangely good, and there are ability users who witnessed you coming to this convenience store and asking for my hand!”
“So what?”
“You, who have no friends and don’t interact well with other people, asking to hold hands isn’t a small matter. There’s a possibility they’ll suspect me.”
“…”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Am I wrong? You don’t have friends.”
“…”
“The only people you’re close to are Alpha Team!”
“…Ah. Are you done hitting me? Why does reality hurt so much?”
Gu Baekyoung looked up at Onyul with a somehow hurt face.
