# Chapter 69
“I’m not joking.”
The rigid voice made the cheerful tone she had been using just moments ago seem like a dream. The intimidating pressure unique to Espers rushing toward Junseo was stark despite her immature body hidden within the gym clothes.
“Yes, I know. You’re not joking.”
“Then…”
“Yes, then. What should I answer first?”
In contrast, Junseo’s demeanor was gentle. Responding with a drawling tone, he traced Dohyuk’s hand with his thumb.
“Popularity…”
His full lips moved as if echoing Seah’s words. His fox-like, narrow eye-smile remained. Junseo’s following words, coupled with that expression, conveyed an almost excessive tenderness.
“Thanks for seeing me in a good light, but I don’t have any. Because my personality is quite…”
Shitty.
Junseo silently mouthed the playful words before smoothly smiling again. Facing him, Seah keenly realized that Junseo was upset by her interference. She also realized the truth that this gentle-faced man wasn’t simply warm and easy-going like a spring breeze. Junseo had just precisely defined her place to Seah. As long as she didn’t cross that line, he would continue to treat her kindly. It was excessive for a rolling stone to try to dislodge a fixed one.
Seah raised her eyebrows. Although an obvious evaluating gaze shot toward Junseo, he didn’t appear displeased at all. He seemed completely uninterested in the other person’s reaction. The reason he had spoken so directly to Seah probably wasn’t for opinion coordination either. He appeared to be someone more accustomed to notifications than suggestions.
Having known Dohyuk for quite a long time, Seah occasionally indulged in idle imaginings. What kind of person would suit being by Dohyuk’s side—such light daydreams. Despite his handsome face, Dohyuk had a tiresome personality that felt skeptical about forming relationships with others, but there was nothing wrong with having free fantasies by oneself. It wasn’t like it harmed anyone.
The first thing Seah imagined beside him was a kind face. Someone with a broad mind, full of affection, and more reliable would suit him. She had imagined various scenarios like this until now. But Yu Junseo wasn’t the type she had imagined would suit Dohyuk. Though he pretended to be kind, from Seah’s perspective, if she had to categorize him, he fell on the dangerous side. One should normally avoid that type. Isn’t it said that the more dazzling something is to the eye, the more poison it harbors?
What exactly did Yu Junseo want? Why had he approached Choi Dohyuk? She couldn’t help but think it was mere curiosity that could be easily extinguished by a sudden gust of wind. Dohyuk was too good to be toyed with by such feelings.
“Don’t touch him out of curiosity.”
“All relationships begin with curiosity. And the most important thing…”
Just as Seah glared at Junseo with full vigilance, Dohyuk, who had been motionless under the influence of drugs, stirred slightly with a faint sigh. Even in his unconscious state, he seemed uncomfortable, his neat face showing a hint of strain as he slightly furrowed his brow.
Simultaneously, Seah gasped. It was because Junseo’s expression had helplessly melted away. His long fingers gently brushed Dohyuk’s furrowed brow. Bending his waist, he brought his lips close to Dohyuk’s ear and whispered something. His murmuring voice was so small and careful that even Seah, an Esper, couldn’t hear it.
His eye corners curved roundly, like the slow pattern drawn by flower petals falling on water. It created an illusion as if a sweet scent was drifting. This wasn’t a face fabricated for Seah and Seungmin. Just watching made her palms tingle. What awakened Seah’s dazed, blinking mind was the still gentle voice.
“Hyung adores me. He said I’m the most precious and dear to him in this whole world.”
Like a squirrel clutching an acorn preciously, he boasted excitedly about something trivial, then immersed himself in Dohyuk again, naturally forgetting Seah’s existence.
“That’s a lie.”
But even as she said so, Seah finally had to admit it. That was the face of someone deeply in love, not knowing what to do.
How childish. Seah eventually let out a short sigh like a world-weary adult, then covered her lips with her palm. Her eyes met Junseo’s as if by chance.
“Isn’t this enough?”
Although he noticed what shape Seah’s lips, covered by her palm, were making, he pretended not to understand.
Fox. Since one is a bear, well, maybe this suits too. Seah, still not removing her palm, glared sharply and replied curtly.
“Save that vague evasion tactic for Dohyuk mister. So are you two living together now?”
“Hmm… no.”
When Junseo’s answer was strangely delayed, Seah narrowed her eyes. Though her small frame couldn’t even reach Junseo’s chest, her firmly folded arms didn’t look easy to deal with.
“Dohyuk mister told me everything.”
She lied with a nonchalant face, conducting a leading interrogation. She was 100 years too early. Observing the movement of her still childishly round cheeks, Junseo raised the corners of his lips and smiled benevolently.
“Really? He’s not the type to talk. Our cohabitation is not suitable for teen audiences.”
“That’s not funny.”
At her firm disdain, Junseo’s lips jutted out conspicuously. His face was now full of mischief, so Seah ignored it.
“I was talking about someone I know, but now that I think about it, I think it was about you. You begged Dohyuk mister desperately, right? And he, being wishy-washy as usual, easily gave in. I can picture it clearly.”
Whether he knew it was criticism or not, Junseo just chuckled without any particular response. It was cunning how he behaved so obediently as soon as Seah noticed his warning and stood at a proper distance, as if asking when she had ever been hostile.
“Anyway, I warned you. If you ignore my warning and make him suffer later, you’ll have to live under the threat of a capable Esper. For life! I hold grudges for a long time, you know?”
“What if hyung makes me suffer?”
Now he asks with a pitiful look, drooping his eyebrows. If Dohyuk had seen this, he would have predictably fussed, trying to put that large frame in his pocket. His beauty was profoundly affecting.
“What can I do about that? The person who made the first move should endure it.”
Of course, she wasn’t as soft as Dohyuk. Seah, who had absolutely no interest in others’ affairs no matter how handsome they were, replied coldly. With another sigh and an “ugh,” she deliberately expressed her grumpy mood and was about to walk away, mumbling, “I’ve been hungry all day, so I’m going now,” when Junseo asked out of the blue from behind her as she was turning the doorknob of the guiding room.
“Do you know the movie ‘Discord’?”
It was a truly random but welcome question.
“What? Of course I do. It’s by the same director as ‘Void.’ I’m a fan of that director!”
Seah tried to act indifferent but eventually revealed her taste, which made Junseo curve his lips brightly.
“Really? That’s great. It will be released in Korea soon.”
The director Seah liked was an Indonesian named “Magpira Ahsan.” He was a rookie horror film director who had formed a considerable fan base in a short time, but his recognition in Korea was still low, and his first work “Void” was barely being distributed in indie theaters by word of mouth. Even the expected box office revenue was low, so this release alone was considered a stroke of luck.
It was unrealistic for another work by such a director to be released in Korea soon. Realizing this was a kind of bribe from Junseo, Seah frowned deeply. Good grief, first a warning, now a carrot. Seah, feeling like Junseo was treating her like a child, retorted venomously.
“What did you say? Trying to tempt me with this, really… Attempting to beguile future capable Esper Jung Seah with something like this! Do you take me for a child? This is so annoying.”
“No, it’s because I like that director too.”
Ha, really annoying. Seah tried hard to suppress her quivering lips as she pushed the doorknob she had turned. When the door was half open, a thought suddenly struck her, and she turned her head slightly.
“…But when are you going to give me that limited ‘Void’ special edition you promised before? I’m just asking because oppa said he’d give it to me. Really.”
Junseo willingly accepted her gesture of truce.
***
Fortunately, Dohyuk’s complexion and breathing returned to normal not long after Junseo intensively guided him. Unlike the light weight of his fingertips tapping Dohyuk’s hand like a pianist playing the keys, Junseo’s eyes slowly sank.
There were still many things he couldn’t understand.
If an A-class Guide’s guiding is like a charger, an S-class Guide’s guiding is like a rapid charger. It means it’s incomparably superior. The high rank alone would give tremendous effects, but Dohyuk and Junseo also had a high matching rate. Therefore, Dohyuk, who was only A-class but received care from an S-class Guide, should always maintain optimal condition.
