# Chapter 42
Junseo’s hair tips were slightly damp, sticking to his forehead as if he’d just washed up quickly with water stored at the base.
Seo Jaesik was convenient, though. He was a water-attribute Esper, so if he was dispatched with them, there was no need to bring separate drinking and living water from outside the dungeon. They just had to purify the water he created when using it for drinking.
“No, I thought you’d be clinging to Esper Choi Dohyuk’s side all night.”
After a bit of debate when first establishing the base, they concluded that Jaesik would use the tent that Sangjun had originally planned to use alone, and Sangjun would share a tent with Dohyuk. Hayeon would share with Hansol, and Jihun was supposed to share a tent with Junseo, but Junseo had insisted on sharing with Dohyuk instead. When Dohyuk, not Sangjun, refused, Junseo had looked completely shocked.
Sangjun shrugged his shoulders as he recalled Dohyuk’s serious face when he’d secretly approached him, expressing that he absolutely couldn’t be assigned to share a tent with Junseo. It seemed that even Dohyuk wasn’t entirely comfortable with Junseo. Right, if he were human, it would be impossible.
He ignored Junseo who had spouted nonsense about being uncomfortable sharing a tent with Jihun because he was shy with strangers. They were using a five-person tent with just two people—Sangjun couldn’t understand why Junseo was being so picky.
Since he’d been full of complaints from the start about the seating arrangement, Sangjun thought that no matter how much Dohyuk tried to stop him, Junseo would stick close, crawl into his tent, and act up all night. But contrary to Sangjun’s expectations, Junseo had quietly gone to sleep as soon as it hit 11:30.
“I need my sleep.”
“Oh.”
Seems like you prioritize yourself after all, Sangjun thought as he giggled and poked Junseo. Junseo responded to Sangjun with indifference. It was a listless demeanor that Sangjun was all too familiar with.
The vacant expression coming from that pretty face was as lovely as it was wasteful, and today was no different.
“You get wrinkles if you don’t get enough sleep.”
Meaning that was bullshit.
“You crazy bastard.”
Junseo just glanced once at Sangjun’s harsh pronunciation and ignored him. He was only thinking about going to the shop he’d booked right after the dungeon stabilized, feeling like his skin was getting rough due to the changed environment. Though he was naturally good-looking, even natural gifts needed polishing to shine more brilliantly. Dohyuk, despite his proper demeanor, was extremely weak to attractive faces. He especially couldn’t resist small, clear, and cute things, and since Junseo himself knew he wasn’t small, he at least needed to be clear and cute.
Sangjun, who had no way of knowing what busy thoughts were filling Junseo’s round head, plopped down next to him.
The base was still quiet. Junseo and Sangjun had only woken up early because of Dohyuk; breakfast time was set for 9 o’clock, so they just had to be up before then.
For a while, the two of them sat quietly in the center of the peculiar jungle where no birds chirped and no insects flew around, just observing the rustling shadows of trees. Sangjun, who was the first to feel bored, got up from his seat stretching briefly. His gaze then fell on the log Junseo was sitting on.
Come to think of it, that log seat that bastard is sitting on looks familiar.
Just as Sangjun narrowed his eyes at the sudden sense of déjà vu, Junseo turned his head and asked him:
“Have you talked to him?”
Sangjun was startled unconsciously but soon caught onto what Junseo was saying and fell into contemplation. He knew exactly what Junseo was talking about.
“Ah, that. I did bring it up casually.”
He could still vividly recall Jaesik’s excited voice insisting that he had never done such things throughout the search. After somewhat calming Jaesik down and dropping a few hints…
“He definitely seems to have an inferiority complex toward Esper Choi Dohyuk. About personal abilities and such…”
Sangjun began snickering as if something amusing had occurred to him, eventually releasing his suppressed laughter. He had the expression of someone who had heard plenty of entertaining stories.
“Oh, and he said an expert he knows mentioned that Esper Choi Dohyuk is at a dangerous mental stage and even headquarters is keeping an eye on him? That expert is supposedly a doctor affiliated with headquarters. What was his name again, Chae Jong-ik? Chae Jong-wook? I don’t know who it is, but I’m sure you’ll find out. He also had a lot of complaints about why an A-class Esper with so many issues was receiving care from an S-class Guide. He seemed pretty interested in you too?”
The obsession Espers have for Guides is more insidious than one might think. Sangjun, being an Esper himself, knew this better. But even so, to covet Yu Junseo of all people—honestly, you’d have to be either incredibly tactless or ridiculously optimistic. And from what I heard, he’s even experienced that crazy guiding. Sangjun didn’t really understand, but he figured it was just a matter of personal taste. Well, sure, an Esper of the same rank would be envious of someone who had an S-class Guide as a partner.
“He looked at me deviously.”
Junseo, who had neither talent nor passion for guiding except for one single person, responded haughtily. Sangjun felt like his only wish would be to smack that hateful head just once. If it weren’t for the issues with their families, he would have given him fifty-six smacks by now. Sangjun sighed.
“He definitely seems to have ambition and a desire for achievement. He’s the perfect type to manipulate if you push the right buttons.”
Junseo, who keenly noticed that there was no more information to be gained from Sangjun, had already opened a book before Sangjun could even finish speaking. Sangjun was outraged by this ill-mannered behavior but once again thought, ‘This guy must be the punishment for my sins in a past life,’ and endured it.
In fact, unlike Espers who moved around searching the dungeon, Guides who spent more time on standby at the base often brought along such moderate pastimes for dungeon missions. Usually, when other Guides read books or engaged in small hobbies at the base, he didn’t mind, but seeing Junseo leisurely reading a book irritated him to no end.
Looking at the cover, it read “Deliberately Wrong But Sincere.” Sangjun, not knowing it was a poetry book, grumbled to himself that this guy only reads hateful things like himself.
***
They finished breakfast with the combat rations they had brought from outside the dungeon. Combat rations were food they would have to eat to the point of getting sick of them in the future. Within the dungeon, animals and plants didn’t grow naturally, making it impossible to procure ingredients through hunting.
Ability users, even Guides, required caloric intake far exceeding that of ordinary people, so there were special combat rations for ability users. Though they were higher in calories than regular combat rations, the method of preparation and taste were essentially the same. Dohyuk, who quickly wolfed down the heat-generating combat ration that could be eaten warm just by pouring water without a heating device, unwrapped another energy bar and stuffed it into his mouth. It was closer to consumption than dining. Should it be called the essential act of someone who always had to be prepared for battle?
“Are you already done eating, Guide Yu Junseo?”
Junseo had only learned the theory of dungeon conquering at the Guide Training Center, making this his first actual mission. That’s why Dohyuk had been constantly watching Junseo with concern inside the dungeon. But contrary to Dohyuk’s worries, fear of monsters was no problem at all for Junseo. What Junseo struggled with the most was mealtime. The combat rations didn’t seem to suit Junseo’s taste at all.
To be fair, even Dohyuk, who normally just puts food in his mouth and swallows during missions, wasn’t very pleased with today’s breakfast combat ration.
The current ration was one where you pour hot water, wait for the rice to cook, and then mix it with sauce, but it felt like chewing undercooked rice that had been force-dried, enough to kill any appetite.
Just earlier, Junseo had taken only one bite of this ration and looked at Dohyuk. It was a shocked gaze asking how he could possibly eat such garbage. It resembled a noble young master looking pitifully at a beggar picking up trash to eat.
When Junseo barely ate again for breakfast after hardly touching dinner the night before, Dohyuk’s concerned gaze turned toward him.
“Hmm. I don’t have much of an appetite in the morning.”
Since things had come to this, Junseo thoroughly enjoyed Dohyuk’s worried gaze while acting extra weak. In the end, only Dohyuk was anxiously concerned whether Junseo, who was in a dungeon for the first time, might be sick or might blow away in the wind. Having finished his energy bar, Dohyuk unwrapped a new one, broke it into bite-sized pieces, and held it to Junseo’s lips.
“You still need to eat.”
Like a pretty baby bird, Junseo didn’t refuse the energy bar pieces Dohyuk had cut for him and nibbled at them bit by bit. Perhaps feeling a strange satisfaction that Junseo was eating at least that much, Dohyuk put another small piece of energy bar into Junseo’s mouth as soon as he finished swallowing.
Sangjun, who had been watching the two of them carry on like this for about 15 minutes, muttered quietly.
“…Disgusting.”
He felt embarrassed just watching. Fortunately, Jaesik was still in the tent, and Hayeon and Hansol had already finished breakfast and gone to wash up briefly.
Jihun, who was eating breakfast with a half-sleepy face nearby due to waking up late, gripped his spoon with an expression of disbelief.
