GTLTGIDES chapter 24

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I’ve never seen Cha Junseong shout with such a disrupted voice before, let alone directly at me.

“So, what are you saying…?”

“I’ll handle that newbie who discovered the secret quietly. Nobody else knows yet, right? We need to solve this before your daily life is disrupted without you even knowing.”

His dark brown eyes stared at me intently. His large hand reached out and wiped the corner of my mouth.

“……”

What is this, this sense of immersion?

Even though it’s an absurd hypothetical story where I’m substituted for Eunsoo, I can’t believe he’s answering so sincerely.

It felt like I was being drawn into Cha Junseong’s eyes without even realizing it.

Forcing myself back to reality, I moved my jaw and chewed and swallowed the food in my mouth.

In the subtle silence, I pushed the remaining food into my mouth.

“Th-thank you for answering.”

I couldn’t finish the egg roll. I managed to eat about half before putting it down.

“I’ve had enough. Sorry for leaving some. It was delicious, thank you.”

“Okay.”

He seemed pleased that I was full. His gentle expression was nice.

Our eyes met briefly just now, and my face felt strangely warm, so I quickly stood up.

“I should get going now. I’m sorry for bothering you so late.”

“Stay the night. It’s late.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’m an adult man, I won’t easily become a target of crime.”

“Stay.”

“Really, it’s okay… Alright, I’ll stay.”

I was afraid of what might happen if he had to ask three times, seeing his eyebrows raise.

And… it’s not uncommon for guides to become crime targets. It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

There’s nothing particularly special at Yang Heewoon’s house that I need to go back for right now.

“Alright. The things you used before are still here, so feel free to stay. I have work to do, so I’ll be in my room.”

“Okay! Take care!”

Cha Junseong gave me a quick smile and went into his study.

As soon as I heard the click of the door closing, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Sorry for causing trouble, but I’m glad…”

Cha Junseong is someone who clearly separates work from personal life.

He’s not the type to let a colleague stay at his house.

Usually, he would just suggest finishing work and going home.

Allowing me to stay at his house is a sign of trust.

“I’m a bit sorry to Eunsoo though…”

It feels like I’m creating unnecessary past connections with the men Eunsoo will love.

But just for a moment, just for a little while… I hope he can forgive me.

I will never cross the line. I will do my best to let Eunsoo take my place.

Recalling Eunsoo’s face covered in bruises and cuts, I tightly closed my eyes.

---

I couldn’t sleep.

I was someone who fell asleep within a minute of my head hitting the pillow, but now…

The sound of breathing from beside me, Yang Heewoon being within reach if I stretched out my hand, kept me awake.

If it’s going to keep bothering me, I might as well look openly, I thought, and sat up.

“Kidnapping and confinement out of possessiveness…”

Looking at Yang Heewoon’s peacefully sleeping face, I smiled faintly.

“Coming in to ask about something like that, is he brave or…”

Guides are managed by the state.

Unless there’s a serious physical issue, complete freedom isn’t allowed. Guiding dangerous illegal espers cannot be permitted.

So, as a national guide, Yang Heewoon had to belong to a specific team.

As long as he’s part of a team, he’s everyone’s guide. Someone will touch Yang Heewoon, someone will kiss him, and maybe even more.

He can’t be monopolized.

Even if Cha Junseong is an S-class esper, even if his family is powerful.

Had I never thought that such a reality was harsh?

“…I’m sorry.”

I conveyed words I couldn’t say while Yang Heewoon was awake.

Jealous of his honesty, yet still unable to be completely honest myself.

“If it’s too much for you to handle the entire Special A Team alone, then I should step down. There are guides who would take only me. But I… I like that you’re my guide…”

At first, it was certainly an obligatory guiding. Knowing Yang Heewoon’s circumstances, I chose to guide him often, in small amounts, to minimize the burden on his body.

My feelings were just that.

But at some point, the feeling of Yang Heewoon’s guiding changed.

It was as if he opened his body completely, refusing to accept even the slightest bit of his own dirty feelings.

Even while in pain, trembling, and shedding tears, he clung to me with affectionate guiding.

His earnest, loving guiding was so commendable and adorable that I didn’t want to give it up.

A bitter smile spread across my face.

“Selfish…”

Cha Junseong gently touched Yang Heewoon’s tousled black hair.

Despite my talking and staring at him for a while, Yang Heewoon slept soundly.

Comfortably, as if it were his own home, even with me in the same bed.

“…Why are you so defenseless.”

Looking at his evenly breathing lips, I lowered my head.

“…”

I came to my senses just before my lips touched.

I looked at Yang Heewoon’s tightly closed eyes, small nose, and slightly parted lips, and then straightened up.

Letting out a long sigh, I roughly ran my hand through my hair.

“Good night, Yang Heewoon.”

I whispered softly, then picked up my pillow and left the bedroom.

Tonight, I’ll sleep on the sofa.

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I decided to write a will. It felt like it couldn’t wait any longer.

I thought I had a lot to write, but holding the pen, I didn’t know what to say.

I want to write a will that’s not overly dramatic, yet touching, leaves a lingering feeling, ends with a smile, and is smart, modern, and elegant!

“I should have written more often…”

Since graduating high school, I’ve hardly picked up a pen.

Aiming for maximum simplicity, I ended up with a summary that felt insincere.

Trying to pour my heart into it made it seem like the letter would be soaked with tears.

But not writing a will at all isn’t an option, as there are things I want to say to those I love…

If I write it stream-of-consciousness style, it might make the readers uncomfortable because of how much I love them.

I don’t want the Special A Team to be sad because of my death.

“What should I do…”

Seeking the power of collective intelligence, searching the internet or asking for advice would inevitably lead to Cha Junseong finding out within a week, as he constantly investigates his colleagues.

If I search for “how to write a good will,” he would certainly question me about it.

Feeling hopeless, I stared at the ceiling for a long time.

“I miss Eunsoo…”

That made me think of nothing but Eunsoo.

I wasn’t sure if the terrible thing that happened to Eunsoo was because of me.

But you never know.

If I keep going there, something even more dangerous might happen to Eunsoo.

For now, I thought it best to keep my distance and stay away.

…Even so, I wanted to check if he was safe, so I didn’t avoid going completely.

I just watched from afar and didn’t go inside.

‘Maybe seeing Eunsoo will spark some inspiration?’

Trying to come up with some ridiculous excuse to see Eunsoo, I folded my arms and groaned.

I missed Eunsoo terribly, but at the same time, I didn’t want to see her.

It hurt too much to see that pretty child hurt.

At least from what I saw from a distance, his wounds hadn’t gotten worse, which was a relief…

What should I do? I wavered back and forth hundreds of times in my mind.

• Ding.

“Huh?”

A personal message arrived.

It was from Call.

Yes, when my mind is troubled, I should make money.

I reassured myself that having a full wallet could lighten my mental burden as I opened the device.

However… the message contained something completely unexpected.

[R: I miss you.]

“Wh-what?”

What on earth is this message?

The content of the message was so surprising that I stared at it for a while.

‘R’ must be Rex, right?

I tried to see if there might be another R I didn’t know, but it seemed pointless.

His profile picture clearly showed the handsome guy with a perfect smile, revealing his teeth and making a V sign with his fingers.

[R: Come quickly.]

“Um… this is also a call, right?”

It’s 300,000 won, right? It should be, right?

I hesitated, then got up from my seat.

If Rex was trying to confuse me to distract me from my worries about Eunsoo, he’d be very successful.

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