Rather, he seemed satisfied at having drawn out the reaction from Do Ganghyun that he so wanted. Looking at his attitude, light as if he could fly, it wouldn’t be strange even if you said they were friends playing around.
“How do you feel, dirty right?”
“……”
“That’s exactly how I feel right now.”
However, when the two faced each other head-on again, the air in the room froze coldly. Not to mention Do Ganghyun, the smile also disappeared from Hyun Yoonseo’s face.
And I also couldn’t move due to the two’s sharp wavelengths. I didn’t understand at all where things had gone wrong, why such a fight had broken out. My insides were just noisy and my head was complicated.
Though they say a Guide’s existence is absolute to an Esper, that wasn’t always the case. That was a fact you could see just by looking at Do Ganghyun and me.
In situations like now, likewise, I couldn’t be an absolute existence. Unless it was as an absolutely weak person.
In other words, it meant that even with such light clashing between Espers, I could fall without receiving proper protection. I had even already directly experienced an Esper’s ability, Do Ganghyun’s ability, hadn’t I?
“Hic…!”
As my thoughts reached that point, a hiccup suddenly burst out. The tightly drawn atmosphere disappeared in an instant as if losing tension. And in the aftermath, both Espers’ gazes focused on me.
I hurriedly bit my rolled lips and lowered my head. Rather than embarrassed, I was bewildered. Even more so because I couldn’t guess at all how this meeting would end.
A quiet silence where no one opened their mouth continued for quite a while. Just as I was even dividing my breaths in the suffocating stillness—
“Ah, there was a little squirt……”
Hyun Yoonseo broke the silence first and opened his mouth. Seeing the strength drain from his voice, fortunately it seemed he had no intention of continuing to confront Do Ganghyun or escalating things further here.
Whether Do Ganghyun felt the same, he ran his hand through his hair once and immediately organized his wavelength. Hyun Yoonseo, who had been watching this just in case, also slowly withdrew his sharp wavelength with a face full of regret.
As I stared blankly at that sight in bewilderment, Hyun Yoonseo, who had even composed his expression, smirked at me.
“I’ll only vent my anger this much. See you next time~?”
“Um, hic, yes……”
“Don’t do useless things.”
As Hyun Yoonseo showed signs of forming a strange current with me, Do Ganghyun immediately intervened.
I didn’t know whether ‘useless things’ was aimed at Hyun Yoonseo or aimed at me. Could it possibly be said to both?
‘Really, nothing happened though.’
A gloomy feeling came first. I thought that something done to help someone, and moreover something unavoidable as a Guide, had become ‘useless things.’
However, the S-rank Esper backed by the Center Director seemed completely unaffected by such words.
“And, I won the bet, right?”
Enough to leave behind a shocking remark without tact and disappear.
***
The room gave off a chilly atmosphere in a different sense than before. It wasn’t because of the absence of one person who disappeared like the wind. To pinpoint the cause precisely—
“A bet. What’s that supposed to mean?”
It was because of the last words that one person left behind.
Of course, Hyun Yoonseo’s presence and the multiple lines he left behind left various ripples. But I can say with certainty that the last words were overwhelming. Because he acted as if something remained between him and me.
The problem was that there was no such substance at all, and I also didn’t know what the bet Hyun Yoonseo mentioned meant.
“I don’t know either……”
“You don’t know?”
“Yes……”
I answered without confidence. Even though there wasn’t a single wrong word, being pressed like that with interrogation made me lack confidence in myself. To the extent that before feeling wronged, I first looked back through my memories to see if there was anything to point to. It was because of the habit of always reading his mood and responding to his needs.
‘Again like this……’
Though I said I would desperately try to forget Do Ganghyun, the heart that had become a habit always held me back. Was it just habit? The falling matching rate and clinical trial, the rejecting surroundings, my grandmother’s hospital bills—
“……!”
I trembled in shock, startled.
‘How can I be like this no matter how hard things are? How could I, of all people, blame my grandmother……’
And at this reaction of mine, Do Ganghyun narrowed his eyes thinly.
“If the person involved doesn’t know, who would?”
“I really don’t know. If you ask Esper Hyun Yoonseo…!”
“Why, did you have fun you can’t tell me about?”
Was I receiving punishment for blaming my grandmother? Do Ganghyun persistently held on. Normally, he would have thrown an appropriate word or disappeared clicking his tongue in contempt. I thought he was reacting particularly sharply today.
‘You see, creatures called Espers aren’t the type to tolerate their Guide sticking with others.’
Hyun Yoonseo’s words suddenly came to mind. Along with the addition of ‘just watch’ and Do Ganghyun’s subsequent visit.
‘Could it be.’
Could the bet be referring to this? Then perhaps the reason Do Ganghyun was reacting differently than usual was also……
As my thoughts reached that point, I unconsciously glanced at Do Ganghyun’s face. Even more so because I had found the answer but couldn’t answer. As I explained earnestly earlier, I couldn’t say to him, who hated being associated with me, ‘We bet on whether Esper-nim would come to save me or not. The result is, as you can see?’ Considering Do Ganghyun who had strong pride and was very conscious of others’ attention, that would clearly be the worst answer.
As I hesitated to answer after going through various worries, his momentum suddenly became even fiercer. It was because I had a face that seemed to have something come to mind but kept my mouth shut.
“You really did have fun.”
‘You really, had fun.’ Do Ganghyun muttered again.
In an instant, a chilly energy quickly wrapped around the room. Then it soon took the form of wavelength and constricted my body. As if moving with will in response to its owner’s uncomfortable feelings.
“No, it’s not…!”
I shouted urgently, pale as a sheet. It was a desperate cry relying almost on instinct.
“Then why can’t you answer?”
“That’s—”
“As a mere C-rank, wasn’t one Esper enough to satisfy you? You were anxious because the matching rate dropped, so you thought you should grab a new line?”
Do Ganghyun approached step by step and pressed his body against me.
As he approached, I naturally retreated backward. I put strength into my trembling legs and quickly lowered my head.
“I’m, I’m sorry…!”
At that moment, my foot caught on broken debris and my body swayed greatly. I came to my senses belatedly with a gasp. That an apology in this situation was no different from affirmation.
The mistake I realized only now felt more frightening than my body losing balance and falling backward. As I closed my eyes tightly without even thinking to protect my body—
“Tell me.”
Thud, my arm was caught. There was no need to check. The only one who could support my falling body here was Do Ganghyun.
Thanks to that, my body quickly regained balance, but my heart pounded even more noisily. Over Do Ganghyun’s face that had gotten closer, Hyun Yoonseo’s words mentioning Espers’ temperament overlapped.
‘Just watch.’
I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the thoughts that came up.
“I swear nothing happened. We just held hands for guiding purposes…”
“That’s not what I asked to hear.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“The bet, what does it mean? You have something in mind, that’s why you have that face.”
I trembled in shock at those words. Rather than the thought of being caught, I was more surprised by the fact that Do Ganghyun was observing me. And so precisely at that.
“I’m not going to get angry, so tell me.”
At the same time, the threatening momentum that had filled the room softened. Though it would change depending on my answer, it seemed he would listen for now.
‘Since when has he been watching?’
Since when had Do Ganghyun been examining my face and showing consideration to let me speak?
I looked around for a moment, examined his undulating wavelength, then haltingly opened my mouth.
“Esper Hyun Yoonseo-nim said to just watch. That Espers aren’t the type to tolerate their Guide getting entangled with others……”
In the end, I trailed off. Because I couldn’t bear to continue, conscious of his reaction. Do Ganghyun let out a hollow laugh with a “huh.”
“So you’re saying I was obviously played, is that what you want to say?”
With that question, silence fell over the room. Like someone who had forgotten how to breathe, I took shallow breaths and tried my best not to get on his nerves.
“……No.”
All I could do was carefully give a negative answer to his words.
However, whether Do Ganghyun found even this irritating, he gradually put strength into the hand holding my arm while fiercely furrowing his brow.
“What do you mean no? It’s obvious I was played. You went through me and still thought to pull this kind of thing?”
“It’s really not! This was just Esper Hyun Yoonseo unilaterally—!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You wanted to confirm it too, didn’t you? That I would appear here and you, you……”
That was the end.
Do Ganghyun repeated the word several times, but ultimately couldn’t continue. As if he couldn’t believe the words even as he spoke them.
