When he nodded, intending to hear what the favor was, Seo Igyeong murmured quietly.
“I’m sorry to bring this up again after you’ve already refused once, but the personal guide offer I made to Kihyun-ssi is still valid, so I’d appreciate it if you’d contact me later if you change your mind.”
Sure enough, it was the personal guide offer again. At this point, he couldn’t help but be curious.
“Why exactly do you need a personal guide?”
“Mm, as Kihyun-ssi said, it’s not that I absolutely need a personal guide, but I want to have Yoon Kihyun-ssi as my personal guide?”
“So what I’m saying is… Your wavelength isn’t difficult either, and you’ve had no problems with center guiding all this time, so I don’t really understand why you’re pushing this hard. My guiding doesn’t seem that special either.”
He wanted them to stop beating around the bush and tell him their honest intentions. Whether Yoon Kihyun’s feelings got through, Seo Igyeong’s expression became serious. It was a face that showed no trace of his earlier grinning.
“Are you saying it seems strange that I’m acting like this toward Kihyun-ssi?”
“Well, naturally.”
Yoon Kihyun’s response was blunt to the extreme. That’s why Seo Igyeong found it puzzling.
Normally, don’t people like it when someone acknowledges their abilities and pursues them?
People who dislike praise weren’t common. Yet Yoon Kihyun was busy bristling and being on guard. He understood not trusting people easily given what he’d experienced at the center, but was it really necessary to put up such walls?
“Kihyun-ssi is right. Actually, I don’t absolutely need a personal guide like Team Leader Jung. But that doesn’t mean I’m satisfied with center guiding either, though anyway…”
“…”
“But I can’t help wanting Kihyun-ssi. To be honest, I really dislike Team Leader Jung Sijun.”
As Seo Igyeong finished speaking, Yoon Kihyun slightly averted his gaze and buried his lips in his takeout cup.
So Seo Igyeong dislikes Jung Sijun. Even without him saying it, it did seem that way. But so what?
At least he thought it wasn’t something you should say to a guide personally employed by Jung Sijun.
“Team Leader Jung is the type who doesn’t respect internal rules. He’s tolerated because he’s that capable, but honestly, his personality isn’t exactly welcomed either.”
Yoon Kihyun could understand Seo Igyeong’s remarks to some extent. But not enough to enthusiastically agree. Working under such a guy, agreeing felt like spitting in his own face.
“I already didn’t like him, but after Kihyun-ssi came as his personal guide, he’s been so thrilled he’s practically flying around, and it’s kind of annoying.”
Wait, I didn’t know he disliked him that much?
Seo Igyeong’s unfiltered inner thoughts were a bit unexpected. How much must he dislike Jung Sijun to confide in him like this?
When he glanced over, Seo Igyeong was making an expression he’d never seen before. At least he didn’t look like he was lying.
Catching Yoon Kihyun’s gaze examining his expression, Seo Igyeong smiled faintly. While being the very person who made Jung Sijun, already an eyesore, act up even more, he himself seemed completely oblivious to that fact.
Since Yoon Kihyun had started working as Jung Sijun’s personal guide, Jung Sijun’s team had been growing at a truly phenomenal rate. It looked like Team Leader Jung Sijun was dragging his team members by the scruff of their necks, but results were results.
Being one of only two S-rank Espers in the headquarters and always compared in a rival dynamic, it was growth he didn’t particularly welcome.
So it kept bothering and irritating him. This irritating beauty sitting next to him with a completely clueless expression.
“That’s why I wanted to steal Kihyun-ssi away. I’ve always liked Kihyun-ssi’s guiding since you were at the center too.”
“…”
“You ruthlessly rejected me last time and today too, but…”
Seo Igyeong trailed off briefly and shrugged his shoulders.
“So what I’m saying is, even if you won’t come as my personal guide, I want to get closer to Kihyun-ssi.”
“Ah, yes.”
“If it’s burdensome, I can’t help it, but it’s upsetting to keep getting rejected without even being able to talk properly.”
Despite receiving no proper response, Seo Igyeong looked relieved after saying everything he wanted to say. Only Yoon Kihyun, who had ended up hearing Seo Igyeong’s inner thoughts one-sidedly, felt awkward.
‘So… a guy he already disliked brought in a personal guide and it pisses him off, so he wants to steal them away and make him eat shit. Something like that? And he originally liked the guiding too, so killing two birds with one stone?’
He wondered if this was really the kind of thinking a thirty-year-old man should have. Though, there weren’t really that many people who acted their age in society.
Just look at Yoon Kihyun’s employer.
There was even a guy who, despite being twenty-five, routinely acted like an elementary schooler and whined. Well, compared to that, this was nothing.
“So, about that. If Kihyun-ssi is okay with it, can I contact you sometimes? I’m not trying to pressure you or anything.”
Holding his drink cup with both hands, Seo Igyeong slowly leaned his upper body forward and murmured. At his face subtly gauging his reaction, Yoon Kihyun slowly blinked. The conclusion was asking to exchange contact information.
If he refused, he might show up at the guiding room again next time, claiming to be the Guide Headquarters Director’s messenger. It wasn’t like anything serious would happen just from exchanging contact information.
It seemed better to keep an appropriate distance rather than keep pushing him away like this. Most of all, it was bothersome.
‘Right. It’s not like I’ll wear out from giving him my number.’
In the end, he decided to exchange numbers with Seo Igyeong. Receiving his phone back, Seo Igyeong smiled faintly and asked carefully.
“But you always look unwell… Are you sick somewhere?”
Surprised by the out-of-the-blue question, Yoon Kihyun choked and started coughing. Seo Igyeong slowly rubbed Yoon Kihyun’s back.
“Are you okay?”
“…Yes.”
The cold peppermint went down the wrong way and his throat felt burning. While he cleared his throat with repeated dry coughs, Seo Igyeong rubbed Yoon Kihyun’s back slowly with a worried expression.
And then, when the coughing stopped.
“Kihyun-ssi. I think you should go to the hospital.”
Yoon Kihyun looked at Seo Igyeong while catching his breath. What’s with the sudden hospital talk? Seo Igyeong, close enough that their lips could touch at any moment, had a serious expression.
“I’m saying this because my ability is in this field. It’s hard to confirm unless I’m close and concentrating, but… something is leaking out. Here.”
Seo Igyeong slowly tapped around Yoon Kihyun’s nape with his thumb.
His ability was specialized in combat, but if applied well, he could also check changes in another person’s body. He didn’t use it often since he had to be close to the other person and it consumed quite a lot of wavelength.
‘Looking closely, his whole body is a mess.’
Seo Igyeong frowned.
“…Ah.”
At the sensation of Seo Igyeong lightly touching his nape, Yoon Kihyun narrowed his eyes. The part Seo Igyeong touched was the awakened body gland that appears when you awaken as a guide.
Other Restrictive Awakened Body Abnormality Syndrome.
The disease that had saddled Yoon Kihyun with massive medical bills appears when there’s an abnormality in the awakened body secreted from the awakened body gland. Unable to properly purify wavelengths, the Esper’s wavelength circulated throughout the body, spreading all kinds of inflammation and destroying cells.
Seo Igyeong looked at Yoon Kihyun, who was pushing him away and straightening his posture.
‘From his expression, it seems he knows about it…’
Though he was rubbing his throat as if it hurt from choking and coughing, he had definitely felt something leaking out near the neck. Quite a lot, too.
“Does Team Leader Jung Sijun know Kihyun-ssi is sick too?”
“…Yes.”
“You’re saying he employed a sick person as a personal guide?”
The intention behind the question was transparent. Based on Seo Igyeong’s words alone, Jung Sijun sounded like a terrible bastard.
In reality, if it weren’t for Jung Sijun’s personal guide offer, by now he would have long since entered the crematorium and become bone ash, but he couldn’t exactly say that outright.
So he needed to appropriately shield his employer here. After all, it would have been troublesome without Jung Sijun, one way or another.
“I accepted because I wanted to. Team Leader Jung considered my convenience.”
At the firm tone, Seo Igyeong decided not to pry further. What he was worried about was Yoon Kihyun.
“It’s fine as long as I don’t do too much guiding. There’s no problem.”
Yoon Kihyun emptied the drink in his cup in one go and tossed it into the trash can placed near the bench. It was a signal that he was about to get up from his seat.
Seo Igyeong seemed to notice too, as he threw away his drink cup and casually came to stand beside him.
“You’re receiving treatment properly, right?”
The questioning voice was quite careful.
“Yes.”
“If you need help, tell me. I have fairly extensive connections.”
It seemed unlikely there would ever be a day when he’d request help from Seo Igyeong, but the words were appreciated.
Looking back to when he was first diagnosed with the disease, there wasn’t a single person around him he could ask for help. He supposed it couldn’t be helped with such shallow relationships.
If he’d been acquainted with Jung Sijun or Seo Igyeong a bit earlier, would it have been different?
No, even if that were the case, it didn’t seem like he would have asked them for help. His pride, which made him hate asking others for favors even if he were dying, wouldn’t go anywhere.
That’s how he parted with Seo Igyeong. The corridor back to the guiding room felt unusually long.
‘I just hope he doesn’t spread rumors.’
He had no sense at all whether the guy had a loose or tight mouth. Even though being sick couldn’t be a weakness, thinking about it being added to the gossiping behind his back was another subtle stress.
Having no choice, Yoon Kihyun sent a message to Seo Igyeong. To the request to keep his illness secret from others, Seo Igyeong sent a reply right away.
Just a few simple lines saying not to worry should have been concerning, but somehow it was reassuring. Perhaps he just wanted to believe it.
‘Ah. I don’t know. Whether rumors spread or not. I’ll think about it when the time comes.’
Yoon Kihyun closed his eyes while leaning his back against the sofa. It seemed like there was never a day that passed peacefully.
