The Youngest Master wants to be exorcised! chapter 44

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Hyunsoo was dozing off like a sick chicken in the car on the way back to the dorm after being discharged from the hospital.

He hadn’t planned to sleep outright, but to doze comfortably, he chose to sit in the backseat instead of his usual spot in the passenger seat.

Yoon, who ended up in the passenger seat instead of Hyunsoo, kept glancing at the rearview mirror, and feeling frustrated, twisted his body to look at the backseat.

“Yoon-ah, sit properly. You’ll cause an accident.”

“What did I do?”

“You’re twisted up like a pretzel; how can I not notice?”

“So what? Just focus on driving. You know I’ll make sure you’re sorry if Jaehee gets hurt.”

“Quiet…”

At Hyunsoo’s half-asleep mumble, the car fell silent. Jiwon, who had been letting Hyunsoo rest his head on his shoulder, gently hugged him.

“Go back to sleep.”

“Okay.”

When Hyunsoo tried to lean on Jiwon’s shoulder again, Jiwon tilted his body slightly to make it more comfortable.

Though he had a blunt way of speaking and was shy around strangers, Jiwon’s basic nature was kind.

As he inhaled the comforting scent of fabric softener, Hyunsoo drifted back to sleep.

When Hyunsoo opened his eyes, it was late evening. It seemed they had moved him to his room without waking him. Out of habit, he checked the time on his phone and stretched.

‘What kind of secret scheme are they plotting out there?’

The muffled sounds coming from outside the door were suspicious. It wasn’t quite a fight or a conversation, just a murmur that made him curious. When he quietly stepped out of his room, he saw three people huddled together, deep in discussion.

“No, Jaehee doesn’t like this.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve seen her enjoy it.”

“Who eats sweet and sour pork this late at night? It’s too greasy.”

It seemed they were deciding on dinner. They were so engrossed in their debate that they didn’t notice Hyunsoo approaching.

“Have you all not eaten yet?”

When Hyunsoo spoke up quietly, the three of them finally noticed him and smiled brightly.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“Perfect timing! What do you want to eat for dinner?”

“Come over here.”

Hyunsoo felt a sudden rush of warmth from their welcoming attitude.

He had put on a brave face in the hospital, but ever since being treated like a parasite at Jaehee’s house, he had felt like an unwelcome outsider everywhere.

But seeing these guys still welcoming him made all his sorrow melt away.

“It’s late. Why didn’t you eat yet?”

“Food tastes better when we eat together.”

“Even so, you shouldn’t all skip dinner.”

Minchan smiled and patted Hyunsoo’s head as he sat next to him, like one would pet a dog. But Hyunsoo, now accustomed to it, ignored Minchan and instead looked at the phone Jiwon handed him.

“Did you sleep well? Pick something to eat.”

“Yeah, I slept like a log. Didn’t even dream. Hmm, what should I eat…”

As Minchan watched Hyunsoo scroll through the menu on his phone, he impulsively bent down and kissed Hyunsoo’s slightly flushed cheek, making a soft, wet sound.

“What the—? All of a sudden?”

Surprised by the unexpected kiss, Hyunsoo turned his head slightly to look at Minchan, who simply smiled and said, “Because you’re cute.”

Having witnessed Minchan’s kiss, Jiwon and Yoon couldn’t resist and rushed to kiss Hyunsoo too.

“Hey, what’s with you guys? Are you nuts?”

Hyunsoo was overwhelmed by the flurry of kisses showering down on him. The big guys who had decided to pounce all at once nearly smothered him.

He struggled to push them away and finally collapsed onto the couch, exhausted.

“Phew, I thought I was going to get crushed to death.”

As Hyunsoo let out a deep sigh, he suddenly remembered what they had been discussing.

“By the way, what are we eating for dinner?”

“Why don’t we order a bit of everything and just eat what we feel like?”

Hyunsoo’s eyes widened in shock at Yoon’s extravagant suggestion.

“Are you crazy? Do you think money grows on trees?”

“It’s not that much even if we order everything.”

“I told you to save money, didn’t I? No matter how much you earn, if you spend like this, you’ll go broke in no time.”

“Who goes broke from ordering a few extra dishes?”

“It all adds up over time…”

Just as Hyunsoo was about to launch into a lengthy lecture, Yoon interrupted him.

“Wow! Our little one is totally a young old fogey!”

At those words, Hyunsoo froze.

‘Me… an old fogey?’

Hyunsoo had thought he had adapted well to being the youngest. Sure, when he was the oldest, he’d been a bit strict at times, but after joining D Team in Jaehee’s body, he had tried to hold back as much as possible. So what was Yoon talking about?

“Why do you think I’m an old fogey?”

“Old fogeys don’t realize they’re old fogeys. Only the people around them do.”

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

Even the epitome of an old fogey, the Central Director, probably didn’t realize he fit that description.

Hyunsoo was at a loss for words. If that’s how others saw him, he had no choice but to accept it.

He started to replay his actions toward the three of them in his mind.

It was true that he had unconsciously meddled in every little thing.

Given their troublemaking tendencies, he thought a bit of control was necessary…

‘To them, I must have seemed like an old fogey.’

After all, he wasn’t obligated to take care of these three. He just wanted to look after them because they had known each other for so long.

As an Esper and a Guide, all he had to do was manage their energy waves, but he had clearly overstepped by interfering in their financial and other personal matters.

“…Okay. Order whatever you want. Whether it’s five dishes or ten, do as you please. Now that I think about it, you’re all adults, so I was too strict. Sorry. I won’t do it again.”

Hyunsoo spoke with a calm face. Sensing something was off, Yoon looked at him.

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“So, what are we ordering?”

Hyunsoo nonchalantly looked at the delivery app. Jiwon glanced at Yoon with a look of mild exasperation and then suggested several options to Hyunsoo.

Meanwhile, Minchan watched the situation unfold with great interest.

“Jaehee…”

Yoon called out to him nervously. He wanted to call him “Hyung” instead of “Jaehee,” but he held back.

“What?”

“Are you mad?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not mad. Just pick something already.”

Is he really not mad? Yoon was confused.

In the past, Hyunsoo would have been furious, but now he was letting it go so smoothly.

He had teased Hyunsoo, treating him like the youngest, but now it felt like a subtle wall had formed between them.

“I’ll have the pork cutlet.”

“Okay. What about you, Jiwon?”

Hyunsoo turned to Jiwon. There was nothing unusual in his behavior, but Yoon felt an inexplicable anxiety.

“We’re all ordering different things. It’ll take a while for everything to arrive.”

“Yeah.”

As they placed separate orders from different restaurants and waited for the food, Hyunsoo chatted with them as usual, but occasionally, he would drift into his own thoughts.

‘Was that something an old fogey would say?’

Because we were so close, like family, it felt like I might speak to them as casually as I usually do if I let my guard down for even a moment.

I was worried that even the smallest comment might come across as unwanted advice from an old-fashioned elder.

“Yeah, it’s kind of ridiculous to keep fussing over grown adults like that.”

It felt a bit silly that I hadn’t shaken off the habit of looking after my coworkers, just as I did with my younger siblings at the orphanage.

Besides, if the real Jaehee ever returned, I would have to leave anyway, so it was a problem if I kept protecting them like I used to.

“They’ll figure it out. I should stop worrying.”

Hyunsoo decided not to meddle in the affairs of the three any longer. As he sorted out his thoughts, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of their food.

“Oh, the delivery’s here. I’ll get it.”

“No! I’ll go!”

Yoon, who had been anxiously watching Hyunsoo ever since he thought he misspoke, suddenly jumped up.

But Hyunsoo was already crossing the living room to answer the door, not wanting to look like an old-fashioned elder sitting back and giving orders.

As Hyunsoo took the food and placed it on the table, a long shadow stretched over his head.

“Jaehee…”

“Hmm?”

“You got mad earlier when I called you a young old-fashioned elder, didn’t you? Right?”

Yoon, hugging Hyunsoo from behind, asked in a subdued voice.

“I wasn’t mad. Why?”

“It just seemed like you were angry at me…”

“I wasn’t. Oh, looks like more food has arrived. I’ll go get it… Never mind, I’ll go.”

“No, it’s okay!”

Hyunsoo tried to take the initiative to avoid looking like an old-fashioned elder, but Yoon, who had turned pale and was visibly startled, was quicker to disappear toward the door.

Hyunsoo was puzzled by Yoon’s reaction. When Yoon returned to the table, it seemed as though there had been a gathering of delivery drivers at the door, as he was carrying a mountain of food. With everything they ordered finally on the table, the four of them sat down together.

“Jaehee, can I have a bite of that?”

“Sure.”

As they occasionally chatted and ate their respective meals, Hyunsoo, who was watching Minchan and Yoon clean up, habitually checked his phone.

Even though he knew he had no appointments, doing nothing and just lazing around felt awkward.

“That cake, you know, the Christmas cake…”

“What? Why? Why the cake? Don’t you want it? I was going to pick it up tomorrow, but should I just tell them to throw it out?”

As soon as Hyunsoo brought it up, Yoon, who had been sorting the recycling, dropped everything and rushed over with a barrage of questions.

While Hyunsoo blinked in confusion, Yoon stared intently at him. His intense gaze made Hyunsoo feel as if his face might burn through.

“Why would I throw away a perfectly good cake? Calm down.”

“Then why…?”

“I just forgot what flavor it was and wanted to ask.”

“Oh. It’s a strawberry shortcake. If you don’t like it, should I get something else?”

Yoon was frantically trying to please Hyunsoo, distressed over an offhanded joke.

But Hyunsoo had no idea why Yoon was behaving this way.

“No… I didn’t do anything. I was just genuinely curious. I’m not picky with food.”

“I know, I know that, but I was just worried that maybe you didn’t like it anymore.”

“You worry about the strangest things…”

Hyunsoo gave Yoon, who was acting oddly, a glance before getting up. There was nothing like a walk to clear his head.

“I’m going for a walk. I’m full and getting sleepy, so I’ll go for a walk to digest. If anything comes up, give me a call.”

“I want to go with you.”

Jiwon immediately jumped in. Yoon shot Jiwon a fierce glare.

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