* * *
Upon hearing the reason for Minchan’s berserk symptoms, Hyunsoo was so furious he drank two glasses of ice water.
“Hey, drink slowly. They say there’s no medicine if you get a stomach ache from drinking water too fast.”
Yoon and Jiwon, who had just returned from a mission, rushed to the private room.
They were always at odds with each other, but the camaraderie brought them together upon hearing the news of the hospitalization.
Minchan, eating a mushy apple peeled by Hyunsoo, reached out when he saw Hyunsoo raging.
“My stomach is upset. Come and hug me.”
“I told you not to eat that.”
Grumbling, Hyunsoo hugged Minchan.
Despite the guiding, which had suppressed the berserk symptoms, it would take time for Minchan’s condition to recover.
Hyunsoo, mulling over the medical staff’s explanation, growled as he held Minchan.
“What the hell were those bastards thinking?”
The cause of Minchan’s excessive use of abilities was a violent incident in a nearby area.
Senior espers had been hazing the trainees by giving them grueling tasks during patrols. When a trainee couldn’t take it anymore and fought back, a fight broke out.
The problem escalated when the trainee passed out, and the seniors left him behind and fled.
Minchan, who was chasing flying monsters, arrived at the area where the trainee had collapsed.
The monsters, excited by the scent of blood, gathered, making the situation worse.
Although one senior had argued they should go back for the trainee, by the time they did, the trainee had already been attacked by the monsters.
The resulting chaos injured several seniors, attracting even more monsters.
Minchan was left to handle the situation alone since there were few sub-part espers on what was supposed to be a simple mission.
“What era are we in that hazing is still a thing? They’re insane.”
Hyunsoo never used violence to maintain discipline in the main team.
He sometimes gave a light flick or patted their backs, but mostly he used words to teach them.
Of course, this was possible because the three of them always followed his lead, but he was unaware of that.
“Who were they? Which bastards pissed off our Jaehee! Should I go and drop them on a deserted island?”
As Hyunsoo raged, Yoon raised his fist in agreement. Meanwhile, Jiwon, sitting on a sofa in the room, opened a bag of snacks. The rustling sound caught Yoon’s attention.
“Jiwon, are you seriously eating snacks when Jaehee is angry?”
“I’m mad too, but we can’t just go over and flip their team. And I’m hungry because I came straight from the field. Aren’t you hungry?”
“Is hunger important right now? Our Chani almost went berserk because of those jerks.”
Yoon shook his head.
Although he said that, he was only agreeing with Hyunsoo’s rage, not worried about Minchan. He knew Hyunsoo was the type to take personal revenge.
Minchan, holding Hyunsoo, spoke up as Jiwon mentioned being hungry.
“If you’re hungry, go eat. I’ll stay here with Jaehee.”
“Did you ever think I came here without eating because I didn’t want to leave you two alone?”
Yoon muttered sarcastically, but Minchan just smiled leisurely.
“Well, we were already having a lot of fun before you guys arrived.”
“What? Jaehee, is that really true?”
Yoon glared and charged at him.
“His stamina is incredible.”
Jiwon shook his head as he ate some snacks. The snacks were insufficient to quell his hunger.
He thought of going down to the cafeteria, put his hands in his pockets, and lazily left the hospital room, noticing a shabby figure.
Food wasn’t the priority. He needed to wash up first.
“I’m going to use the bathroom.”
“Sure. Yoon, you should wash your face when Jiwon is done. What were you doing before moving without even wiping off the blood?”
“What? Are you scolding your brother who ran here without even wiping the blood because he was worried about you? Do I really look that dirty? Do you hate seeing me like this, Jaehee?”
Yoon grumbled while touching his face. Hyunsoo, who was held by Minchan, spoke to Yoon.
“Dirty? You came straight from the scene. Of course, you didn’t have time to wash your face. It’s fine. You don’t look dirty at all. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. It must have been hard guiding Chani hyung, so clinging to him would be too much. He can handle this much.”
“Who said I’d guide you? You’re drinking kimchi soup even before getting the rice cake.”
“When will you give me the rice cake then?”
“Depends on how you behave.”
“Wow, I can never figure out what more I have to do to meet your standards. Aren’t you too strict, teacher?”
Yoon whined, then quickly pushed Jiwon, who came out of the bathroom.
“Why are you pushing people?”
“I can’t show my dirty self to our youngest anymore!”
“Again with this nonsense.”
Jiwon wiped his still-wet face and touched his bangs. His hair, having been bleached a lot, became limp when wet.
At a glance, he looked like a pretty idol posing for a sexy photoshoot.
“I’m hungry, so I’m going to eat. Tell Yoon the bed is mine.”
“Are you going to sleep here?”
“Of course.”
“Then Jaehee and Yoon will be alone at home.”
“…What?”
Feeling something was off, Jiwon blinked.
‘Why would Jaehee and Yoon be home alone? Aren’t we all staying here?’
Seeing Jiwon’s confusion, Hyunsoo muttered.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m sleeping at home today. I can’t sleep anywhere but my room these days.”
Jiwon brushed his wet bangs back at Hyunsoo’s words.
“So, today it’s just Chan hyung and me staying here, and Jaehee and Yoon will be home?”
“You said you’re sleeping here. So that’s how it is.”
“No, I assumed you’d be staying here too…”
While Jiwon was babbling, Minchan quickly wrapped up the situation.
“Looks like our Jiwon will be taken care of. I’m so happy. Ha ha ha!”
“What? Jiwon hyung, you were worried about Chani hyung even though you said otherwise? And I didn’t even know…! I’ll take good care of Jaehee. You focus on taking care of Chani hyung. Got it?”
Yoon, who came out of the bathroom, quickly grasped the situation and firmly settled it.
Jiwon, feeling Hyunsoo’s intense gaze, had no choice but to nod. If he refused, he’d be seen as a heartless jerk who didn’t care for his sick brother.
Jiwon couldn’t shake the feeling of being tricked.
* * *
Minchan officially took a leave of absence.
The signs of his breakdown were evident, and without Hyunsoo’s skilled guidance, his hospitalization would have been prolonged.
“Jaehee, how do you handle emergencies so well? Did you get private lessons or something? Or are you one of those regressors from webtoons? For a rookie, you’re too good at this!”
Team Leader Kim Soojung almost treated Lee Jaehee as if he were her son. Jaehee’s baby face and friendly demeanor were the reasons.
‘How is he so good? He’s been a guide for 10 years… no, now it’s 11 years.’
Thinking this, Hyunsoo sipped the drink she brought as a gift.
“Honestly, the atmosphere at the center is tense because of this incident, right?”
“The violence incident?”
“Yeah. It’s been all over the news and special broadcasts. The center director is furious and has ordered us to draft an anti-violence campaign.”
“That’s true…”
The violence among Espers that led to Minchan’s breakdown spread more seriously than expected. The media, obsessed with idolizing Awakeners, reported the incident extensively.
[Is it okay for there to be such violence in the Awakener Center?]
[As a newbie, know your place…”: The hierarchy in the Awakener Center worse than the military]
[I was more scared of seniors than monsters.” An Awakener still in the hospital after mandatory service]
[Focus Issue: Reporting ‘bullying’ leads to threats of being killed secretly, exposing the Center’s horrific side]
An enormous amount of articles flooded in. The hidden irregularities of the center started to be revealed one by one.
The group of heroes who exterminated monsters was suddenly the source of violence.
The center’s officials were obviously shocked.
Amid the center’s rapidly deteriorating image, various campaigns were hurriedly implemented, but the response was cold.
‘What is she building up to say?’
Hyunsoo squinted his eyes while sipping his plum-flavored drink.
“So, I think it would be good for our D Team to appear in a promotional variety show to refresh the center’s atmosphere.”
“A promotional variety show?”
“Nothing grand. The PR team has wanted to do this program with our team for a while.”
Clearly, she came to discuss this, as she pulled out a planning document from her bag.
“Tentative title: [Real Experience Project: Exploring D Team’s Daily Life]!”
A dreadful name popped out. With a serious expression, Hyunsoo spoke to Team Leader Kim Soojung.
“Are you serious?”
“Would I joke about this? Don’t take it so negatively and hear me out, Jaehee. The public basically admires Awakeners. They look flashy and make good money. And if they’re handsome? Game over.”
“We’re not celebrities.”
“Who said we’d film every day? Chief Jung is on leave, schedules are flexible, and the higher-ups want this. I’m not doing this because I want to.”
‘Which crazy higher-up decided to put the front-line attack team on a variety show?’
Hyunsoo frowned at the absurd plan. The document, though formally written, was likely full of nonsense.
“Think positively. Most importantly, this will be a lasting record. Are you going to let good young people waste away catching monsters?”
Minchan, who had been passively listening, was intrigued by the idea of leaving a lasting record.
When Hyunsoo, as Park Hyunsoo, had died, they all regretted not having more photos or videos of him. They wished they had made more lasting memories.
Minchan stood up, took the plan from Kim Soojung, and flipped through the pages. Seeing his interest, Hyunsoo called out to him softly.
“Why are you looking at that?”
“Highlighting the daily lives of the mysterious Special D Team, showcasing their deep camaraderie and bonds to improve awareness about Awakeners…”
Minchan’s face was lit up with a smile as he read the project proposal aloud. Hyunsoo, feeling uneasy, glanced at him.
“This sounds fun. And most importantly, it’s fascinating to have Jaehee filmed by professionals. That’s the most interesting part, Section Chief.”
“What are you talking about? Are you okay? Is this some sort of post-rampage side effect? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
Hyunsoo tried to cover it up with an awkward laugh, but Kim Soojung, the team leader, didn’t miss the fact that Minchan was already halfway convinced.
“Of course. Everyone here looks like celebrities, so they look great on camera. We should preserve these visuals on film. Why waste this? Besides, this is a great opportunity to show everyone how friendly, respectful, and hardworking our D Team is.”
“Great. Let’s bring this up at the next meeting for discussion.”
“Are you serious?”
When Hyunsoo grumbled in disbelief, Minchan pulled a printed paper from his wallet.
“I’ll use my wish voucher for this.”
What Minchan held out was a wish voucher that Hyunsoo had made.
The voucher was given out when the penalty board in the living room was filled with penalty stickers.
The person holding the wish voucher could ask the person penalized to do anything.
Jiwon and Yoon had not used theirs yet, saving them for the right moment. But Minchan decided to use his wish voucher to ask Hyunsoo for anything.
‘This is a video exposed to an unspecified number of people, you jerk!’
Hyunsoo glared at Minchan, who was writing on the voucher with a pen, filling in the details and drawing a big heart next to his name.
[Wish Voucher (Target: Jaehee ♥ / User: Jung Minchan)]
[Wish Content: Discuss participating in the broadcast at the meeting.]
Hyunsoo looked at Minchan and Team Leader Kim Soojung with a sour expression.
‘At least he’s suggesting discussing it first instead of insisting on appearing on the show. I should take a step back and then talk to Jaeyoon about subtly intervening.’
Since ‘Jaehee’ was part of a major conglomerate family, appearing on media would not be a welcome idea for the group. At least, that’s what he thought at the time.
* * *
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Thanks
had a hard time following this chapter for some reason