“It’s fine.”
“Still. You said that medicine is hard to obtain.”
“It is precious, but…… it’s not to the point where we can’t obtain it. Anyway, K Group has secured it in large quantities, so there’s no problem at all using it for Park Shinui’s training.”
“……Still.”
Of course, now that Park Shinui with a matching rate of 99.99% had appeared, Kang Taejun would likely have almost no occasion to take Mendorin going forward.
Park Shinui inadvertently looked down at his own hands and bit his lips firmly. Since the bunker incident, he had been holding hands and sharing embraces with Kang Taejun twice a day for now.
The reason he added “for now” was because they hadn’t determined the level or method of guiding yet. For the time being, Kang Taejun desperately needed guiding, and Park Shinui also had to fulfill his duty, so it was a rule set as a temporary measure.
He didn’t remember how the atmosphere had flowed that way. What was certain was that Park Shinui had proposed it first, and Kang Taejun had accepted it without particular refusal.
What was it like the first day they held hands? That day was the day after they’d kissed in the bunker. In short, the atmosphere had been indescribably awkward.
The two had sat side by side in the examination room without saying anything and held hands silently. Evening light was slanting through the window, and the interior was strangely quiet. The moment their large palms pressed together, it felt like the sound of his pounding heart would be heard loudly. And after some time passed, it led to an embrace. Of course, the two only looked at different places. With no conversation and even their gazes crossed. They merely continuously felt the faintly pulsing heartbeat through their touching bodies, the heat spreading over their skin, the unfamiliar sensation seeping between their collars.
Park Shinui tried to maintain an indifferent expression while staring fixedly at one point on the ceiling, but he couldn’t help being conscious of the person he was touching. The more he tried not to be conscious of the touching sensation, the more his nerves were drawn in that direction. Just holding hands and embracing, yet I can’t keep my wits about me at all. So how could he dare attempt other guiding methods? Right now, even just this was sufficiently overwhelming.
“Even if Park Shinui swallows dozens of Mendorin pills a day, Esper Kang Taejun would absolutely never consider it a waste, so don’t worry.”
“Up to dozens is a bit…… But is it really okay to take that many? Like side effects or something.”
In the novel, Kang Taejun would pour dozens of Mendorin pills down during battle. Even doing so, his contamination level that had reached its limit would hardly drop.
Park Shinui recalled what had happened in the bunker, which had already become an event from three days ago. The sensation of becoming an absolute existence to someone was unfamiliar and uncomfortable yet simultaneously unbelievable.
That moment when the sharply rampaging waves subsided and an unusual glint arose in his blood-colored pupils was still vivid. The exhilaration he’d felt then was something that couldn’t be fully explained in words. The sight of Kang Taejun stabilizing with just one kiss from him. The world’s strongest esper was catching his breath because of him alone. It was truly a miraculous sight.
Park Shinui had always been on the side receiving help, and had never been someone needed by anyone. That was true even in trivial matters. Yet the person who desperately needed him happened to be Kang Taejun. The world’s strongest esper and savior.
“The reason Mendorin is expensive is also because it has absolutely no side effects.”
“……As expected, it wasn’t for nothing that it’s the medicine Taejun takes.”
“Moreover, from now on Park Shinui will be by Esper Kang Taejun’s side, so what would be the problem?”
“Ah…… yes. That’s true. Haha.”
Park Shinui awkwardly scratched his eyebrow and pulled his legs out of the chair. Whenever talk of Kang Taejun came up, it was hard to shake off the feeling that somewhere inside his body was tickling.
Even trying to ignore it, since the mucous membrane guiding, his nerves kept standing on edge. Setting aside the excitement he’d felt while kissing, now he was getting used to words that linked Kang Taejun and himself as a pair. This situation where it’s awkward yet I don’t feel rejection is absurd even to myself.
Park Shinui pressed down firmly on his stirring chest with his fingertips. At the center of this strange change was definitely Kang Taejun. Because his gaze, which had been dry and flavorless like an inorganic substance, had somehow changed since that day.
Kang Taejun was coming home without missing a single day lately. In a time of extreme emergency when the Ability Center and K Group were dealing with consecutively occurring gates, the man who supposedly stayed out often was instead returning home without fail.
That said, he wasn’t barging into Park Shinui’s room recklessly or forcing physical contact like before. Instead of speaking to him, he only sent searching gazes from a distance as if on guard. Eyes as if weighing something, or as if unable to reach a conclusion. That strangely grated on one’s nerves.
If he’d acted rudely like before, I wouldn’t have cared at all.
Kang Taejun appeared suddenly before Park Shinui strangely often. Then he’d stare fixedly and usually turn his head away sharply.
Today was the same. The shock of seeing him sitting at the morning table I’d kept alone every day. When they’d run into each other by chance while taking a walk behind the house, he’d truly thought his heart would jump out of his mouth.
So postponing physical contact as much as possible was the best strategy. The first time is difficult, but from the second time it’s easy, and honestly, he himself hadn’t had much resistance from the start.
That was the problem. At this rate, later on he might casually take the initiative without caring. How much would contamination levels that reached their limit drop with just holding hands and embracing? But for Park Shinui right now, even that required tremendous resolve.
“Today wasn’t completely without gains.”
“What?”
Park Shinui, who had been lost in thought, blinked, not understanding Lee Suchan’s words. Gains? What gains is he talking about?
“The duration increased just a tiny bit compared to yesterday.”
“Really?”
Park Shinui’s eyes widened and his voice rose. The face that had been dejected just moments ago brightened in an instant. Lee Suchan, who’d been watching that appearance, paused briefly then quietly turned his head.
“It’s not something to be that happy about…… It’s just a very minute level at best.”
“Still, it increased, didn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
Lee Suchan nodded briefly.
“How much? How much did it increase?”
Is the training’s effect finally appearing? Unconcealed anticipation permeated Park Shinui’s voice.
“Four seconds.”
“……Four seconds……?”
“Yes, to be precise, it lengthened by 3.8 seconds.”
“……”
Park Shinui closed his mouth as if at a loss for words. After repeating training without skipping a single day for four days, only four seconds? Then does that mean it increased by only about one second per day?
“So put aside useless worries about medicine and just focus on training. If you keep at it, results appear like this, don’t they?”
“……”
“Now you can move to the guiding training ground.”
Lee Suchan began organizing the training room, leaving Park Shinui standing there in a daze. Though it was a room no different from when he’d first entered, neat and tidy, he insisted on wiping down the space that was already clean to an even more obsessive degree.
Park Shinui bowed slowly in greeting and left the training ground. His departing steps were heavy again today. Checking the clock on the wall, barely over 10 minutes had passed since training started. Since the increased time was only four seconds, it was no different from the usual time.
‘At this rate, in what lifetime will I be able to go to the field with Kang Taejun?’
At this speed, it seemed impossible even until he died of old age. What on earth kind of gain is this that Lee Suchan spouted as praise?
“Haah……”
Letting out a heavy sigh as he pressed the elevator button, Park Shinui leaned his head against the cold wall.
“I don’t know, really.”
“What don’t you know?”
“Ah, you scared me!”
At the voice heard from behind him, Park Shinui’s body jumped up. Just how long had he been there? Kang Taejun was staring at Park Shinui from right nearby.
“How long have you been here?”
“Is training over?”
“Yes……”
Park Shinui awkwardly averted his gaze from the man who answered a question with a question. Kang Taejun in his impeccable suit looked as if he’d just come back from a photo shoot. Even the mask covering one eye couldn’t hide his handsome appearance. His fine-textured hair flowed smoothly over his forehead, and below that, his sculpted nose bridge and lips that looked as if carefully drawn captivated one’s gaze at once.
Had there been no battle today? For some unknown reason feeling awkward, Park Shinui couldn’t find a place to rest his gaze and just looked at the innocent ceiling.
“I heard there were results today.”
“Ah…… well, yes.”
Since the training content would be reported in full, he would already know the fact that he’d endured only four seconds. Park Shinui squeezed his eyes shut then opened them, feeling his face burning hot.
“Was it 3.8 seconds? At that rate, I wonder when you’ll be able to go to the field.”
Though it had been his own thought just moments ago, being confirmed killed directly through Kang Taejun’s mouth was a problem of a different dimension.
‘Is he making fun of me right now?’
Park Shinui glared at Kang Taejun with clenched fists. Just then, the elevator arrived. It was fortunate that the door opened before he could find words to refute.
“Shall I help you?”
“……What?”
It was then that an unexpected proposal was heard. Park Shinui, who’d been stepping into the elevator, stopped and whirled around toward Kang Taejun.
“You’re so earnest even though I said it would be useless, so it seems only right to help even a little.”
“Really?”
“The door’s closing. At least get in properly.”
Along with his words, a firm hand snatched Park Shinui’s arm. At the suddenly pulling force, his body swayed helplessly. Thump—only after his face was buried in Kang Taejun’s broad chest did Park Shinui startle and step back.
