“Still, there must be at least some rumors you’ve heard.”
Yoon Kihyun asked in a much softer tone. It was a gentle tone, almost as if coaxing a young child.
He felt a bit skeptical about whether he should treat Jung Sijun using even this kind of tone. But changing his tone didn’t cost money, so if he wanted to obtain necessary information, this much was sufficiently worth enduring.
‘That old man keeps bothering me.’
If he registered as Jung Sijun’s personal guide at the Center, a report would definitely go up to the Guide Headquarters Director. Since he wouldn’t be a Center-affiliated guide, there wouldn’t be blatant retaliatory work orders like before, but it still bothered him.
Even if their departments were different, the Center wouldn’t run without the collaboration of Espers and Guides. So he thought Jung Sijun must have heard something.
“These days whenever there’s a meeting, they’re busy fighting and throwing fits with the Esper Headquarters, you know. Last week, the Guide Headquarters Director looked like he was about to grab our Director by the collar…”
Was it just a day or two that the Guide Headquarters Director had been fighting with the Esper Headquarters Director?
The Esper Headquarters Director didn’t bother hiding his tendency to look down on the Guide Headquarters Director. Part of it might be because the two directors had different political lines, but the Esper Headquarters Director was what they called a kkondae.
Generally speaking, it was roughly correct to think that the perception of guides entrenched in the Center started from when the Esper Headquarters Director was active in the field.
A typical old-fashioned person who treated collaborating colleagues as subordinates and looked down on them. That was the current Esper Headquarters Director at the Awakened Center.
This definitely has no nutritional value. Yoon Kihyun was having that thought when—
Jung Sijun twitched his eyebrows with a sullen face. Anyone could see it was a slightly offended expression.
‘The first thing he asks when we meet is about the Guide Headquarters Director’s recent status? What the hell.’
Until just moments ago, Jung Sijun’s mood had been the best. It was because he’d unexpectedly met Yoon Kihyun again near the Center.
Even after making the personal guide offer and returning home, he kept thinking about Yoon Kihyun’s face.
Yes, that face.
Even when going to work at the Center, even when beating magical beasts to death at Gates, that pretty face glaring at him bluntly kept flickering before him and it was killing him.
Even now, he wanted to ask when exactly he’d give an answer about the offer, but he was holding back.
He’d already been completely crushed once when he’d thoughtlessly pushed about creating a position if Kihyun was thinking about returning to the Center. He didn’t want to make the same mistake twice if possible.
“When are you going to the family gathering?”
At Yoon Kihyun’s question, Jung Sijun hesitated for a moment.
Ah, the family gathering. It was true he’d taken annual leave, but saying there was a family gathering was a lie.
To be precise, there was a family gathering, but Jung Sijun had no intention of going there. If he went, he’d just hear nagging and his mood would be ruined, so it was better for his mental health to make excuses and not go to such places.
“I still have time. But did you get any contact from the Center?”
“Contact?”
“Well, if there’s talk about taking better care of you or calling you to a higher position, tell me. I’ll take better care of you than they will.”
Jung Sijun’s words got faster and faster as he felt anxious and cross for no reason. He was confident when it came to money.
The Center ran on a limited budget, but he had quite a lot of assets he could personally operate. And if it was for Yoon Kihyun, he was willing to give any amount.
‘I can’t do anything about rank though. No, wait, he didn’t seem to have much desire for power…’
Jung Sijun couldn’t hide his inner thoughts and just stuck out his lips, when a clinking sound came from across the table.
“No. It’s not that.”
“Then why the Guide Headquarters Director?”
“Even if I work as a personal guide, in principle I have to register at the Center to get an access pass, right? The Guide Headquarters Director threw a fit before I quit, so that’s been bothering me. I just asked.”
Yoon Kihyun answered while holding and sipping from a mug with a tea bag. His tone was plain enough to feel dry.
‘Ah, that’s what it was? And here I thought…’
Jung Sijun was unknowingly relieved while looking at the beauty sitting in front of him as if enchanted. It was because the scene of him drinking tea under the sunset light seeping through the gaps between tall buildings caught his gaze.
‘Wow, look at that face.’
He still wasn’t used to Yoon Kihyun’s casual clothes that he could never see when he worked at the Center, and even though his speech was sharp as if his amazing personality had softened a bit, his attitude had become subtly gentle, which combined to double the impact.
Jung Sijun, who had been captivated by that amazing face, twitched his lips at a thought that suddenly crossed his mind.
‘Wait, hold on. If he’s talking about Center registration, does that mean he’ll be my personal guide?’
He’d been suffering from insomnia lately from worrying about what to do if by any chance he was rejected. But the atmosphere contained in Yoon Kihyun’s words came across as very positive.
“What did that old man say when he threw his fit?”
“That’s not how you do social life, don’t think about working in the guide industry from now on, stuff like that.”
Yoon Kihyun’s expression as he recited what the Guide Headquarters Director had said was indifferent.
At a glance, he seemed to find it ridiculous, but seeing how he asked about the Guide Headquarters Director’s recent status, even if he pretended otherwise, he was definitely quite concerned.
Separate from wanting to gain Yoon Kihyun’s favor, Jung Sijun also didn’t like the Guide Headquarters Director.
“He threw such a fucking kkondae-like fit.”
“Right?”
“Ah, come to think of it, they were looking for someone who knew your contact info to bring you back…”
Jung Sijun trailed off while glancing at Yoon Kihyun’s eyes, then shrugged his shoulders proudly.
“I didn’t tell them. Your number, Yoon Kihyun-ssi.”
His lips forming an arc were covered with pride. Yoon Kihyun’s expression watching that was peculiar.
He’d thought several times that he was young, but once he recognized it, all his actions looked that way. Looking carefully, he seemed to look even more baby-faced…
‘Ah, what am I thinking right now.’
Yoon Kihyun forcibly pushed away the random thoughts that were slowly floating up and replied halfheartedly.
“You’re more tight-lipped than I thought.”
“Ah, what do you take me for?”
Jung Sijun shrugged as if this was nothing and acted cool. Yoon Kihyun ended up chuckling at the sight.
Around the time he’d decided to resign, he’d thought Jung Sijun was the source of rumors circulating in the Center. He’d thought he was the type who was loose-lipped and enjoyed other people’s stories, but unexpectedly, he might not be the blabbermouth type.
“But what do you mean the Guide Headquarters Director is trying to bring me back?”
“Did I not mention it? Right now the Center guides are a total mess, so the higher-ups are in chaos too.”
At Jung Sijun’s candid explanation, Yoon Kihyun narrowed his eyes.
‘What’s this about now?’
This was definitely an interesting opening. When Yoon Kihyun gestured as if to say more, Jung Sijun leaned forward as if he’d been waiting.
As if that wasn’t enough, he even covered his mouth with his hand as if telling a secret, and Yoon Kihyun also leaned forward accordingly.
“Yesterday, one team leader got into a fight with a deputy because they were dumping guiding work on team members, so they’re holding a disciplinary committee soon?”
“Which team?”
“I wasn’t interested enough to hear the details… Should I ask the guys now?”
Jung Sijun’s hand was heading toward his phone as if he’d contact them right away. Worried it might seem like he was prying, Yoon Kihyun immediately shook his head.
Anyway, it was information that would naturally come his way once he registered as a personal guide at the Center and went in and out of the headquarters building.
After checking the time of the train ticket he’d finished booking, he started thinking about wrapping up the conversation and heading to the train station.
“Anyway, after Team Leader Yoon quit, the guide side is a total mess. Thanks to that, our side got hectic too…”
Jung Sijun grumbled peculiarly and casually leaned his back against the sofa backrest. Yoon Kihyun, who naturally straightened his upper body following Jung Sijun, docilely put down the mug that was almost showing the bottom.
‘The guide team side is a total mess… Hmm, when Team Leader Seo asked for help, there seemed to be some signs, but is it worse than I thought?’
After changing his phone number, he’d lost contact with all the guides at the Center. He hadn’t set up personal SNS either, so there was no way to contact them personally.
As a result, the situation of the guides he heard about through Jung Sijun’s mouth was quite shocking.
After submitting his resignation, they tried to persuade him for a week before doing childish work retaliation, so he’d thought the Center would run smoothly even without him.
Otherwise, wouldn’t the Deputy Director of Management, who was masterful at squeezing guides, not bother with such childish and one-dimensional work retaliation? But apparently, that wasn’t the case.
“That aside, if you don’t have plans later, want to eat together?”
“You said you have a family gathering.”
“Ah, that. It’s the kind I don’t have to go to.”
Jung Sijun muttered with a somewhat uncomfortable expression.
His family relations are worse than I thought. Yoon Kihyun answered while subtly avoiding his gaze.
“The timing doesn’t work. I think I need to get up and leave soon.”
“…Then I’ll buy you a meal next time. Can’t help it if you’re busy.”
Jung Sijun didn’t drag it out and shrugged his shoulders. Now his tone promising next time was very natural. The feeling of sneering or being sarcastic had almost disappeared and only sounded plain.
Yoon Kihyun picked up the coat and scarf he’d placed on the seat next to him and subtly raised his gaze. Jung Sijun was standing next to him with a grin.
Even though quite some time had passed exchanging trivial talk, he could smell a faint disinfectant scent from him.
Espers are human too, so if they get hurt, it would hurt, right?
His mind had been troubled with many thoughts since going to the hospital today. As he struggled to try to live again, he thought the personal guide offer Jung Sijun had made was in a similar vein.
Because there was only one ending for an Esper who couldn’t receive guiding.
“Team Leader Jung.”
“Yeah?”
Yoon Kihyun glanced at Jung Sijun’s face, which seemed to have no expectations. He’d already made up his mind long ago, but it took longer than expected to say this.
He had to preserve his shallow pride and needed time to pull himself together. But now that things were settled, he had to do what needed to be done.
“Can you bring a contract next time we meet?”
When Yoon Kihyun asked that, Jung Sijun nodded with a bright smile.
Just at times like this, isn’t he closer to a companion dog than the Awakened Center’s Mad Dog? Yoon Kihyun, who was suddenly having that thought, slowly closed his eyes.
‘Ah, am I crazy? What companion dog bullshit. How tall is he?’
He was inwardly disgusted, but ended up laughing while hearing Jung Sijun’s breathing next to him.
Anyway, he’s really such a transparent guy. Today too, Jung Sijun’s ill feelings were slowly fading.
