* * *
“Get that away from me!”
Seo Jaewon slapped the hand away instinctively.
He hit it so hard that even his own hand stung from the impact.
“….”
He flinched, surprised by his own reaction, and looked at Joo Youngha.
He hadn’t meant to be that harsh.
“Ouch.”
Joo Youngha muttered in a small voice a beat later.
“….”
No, there’s no way that hurt.
Would an Esper really feel pain from being hit by an ordinary person?
However, that expressionless face—which was usually impossible to read—looked somewhat sulky for some reason, so Jaewon couldn’t say anything.
“Uh, Youngha.”
Seo Jaewon felt awkward and began to watch Joo Youngha’s reaction.
‘Should I say I’m sorry…? No, but if you look at the facts, he’s the one who started it… But why do I feel guilty?’
The apology couldn’t quite make its way out of his mouth, crushed by his complicated thoughts.
Joo Youngha lifted his head and met Seo Jaewon’s eyes.
“Finally, you’re showing me your face.”
His large, champagne-colored eyes curved, casting shadows of his eyelashes onto his cheeks.
His perfect features, which usually seemed somewhat inhuman, glowed with a mild and soft impression, like a flower blooming under warm sunlight.
“….”
Seo Jaewon was stunned by the unexpected reaction.
‘Was this the same guy who was sulking just a second ago? Wait, was he even sulking? Did I just get tricked? I can’t keep up with his moods at all.’
When Seo Jaewon remained silent, Joo Youngha tilted his head.
The smile hanging on his lips faded slightly.
His calm, steady voice expressed pure curiosity.
“I guess you’re still very angry… Why are you angry?”
Seo Jaewon looked at him, feeling dazed.
Even though they were facing each other, his eyes kept drifting to the side. It was awkward to meet his gaze, but also awkward to avoid it.
Joo Youngha’s fine brow narrowed slightly, and his light-colored eyes sank as if he were deep in thought.
If someone who didn’t know him saw this, they would have said he looked troubled.
“…Joo Youngha?”
The boy gave a small sigh and spoke calmly, the smile gone from his face.
“I was wrong.”
His long, white fingers carefully wrapped around Jaewon’s wrist.
Then, with surprising lightness, he pulled Seo Jaewon to his feet.
Joo Youngha spoke again.
“I won’t do it again.”
Seo Jaewon stared at him in a daze.
‘Did this jerk eat something wrong? I have no idea why he’s making that face.’
“You were wrong about what?”
Of course, rubbing your crotch against a friend’s butt isn’t a good thing to do.
It would be a big problem if he did it again.
But now? After all this time? Joo Youngha? An apology?
And above all… aren’t there about a hundred other things he should be more sorry for than this?
This is a guy who doesn’t care if someone next to him stops breathing.
Why is he making such a big deal out of us being distant for two days?
Joo Youngha paused for a moment, then lowered his eyelids gracefully and answered obediently.
“If you tell me what you hated, I won’t do it anymore.”
Ah…
Of course.
Seo Jaewon finally understood the situation.
He covered his face with one hand and groaned.
“You…”
‘This jerk doesn’t even know what he did wrong; he’s just apologizing first…’
He thinks that if he apologizes, things will just go back to normal.
Joo Youngha felt a throbbing headache and pressed his thumb against his brow.
As expected, when you get involved with Joo Youngha, the person with common sense is the one who loses.
Joo Youngha seemed to be choosing his words again, perhaps unsure of how to take that reaction.
He was still holding onto Seo Jaewon’s wrist.
“Are you going to apply for a transfer again?”
“Huh?”
‘Where is this talk of a transfer coming from all of a sudden?’
“What do I have to do for you to just stay here?”
At those unexpected words, Seo Jaewon raised his head and met his eyes.
Joo Youngha was waiting for an answer with an expressionless face.
Even in the silence, Jaewon could feel that he was highly sensitive to his reaction.
‘What’s with this guy…’
Only then did the pieces start to fall into place regarding why Joo Youngha was acting this way.
In the distant past—which Seo Jaewon could barely remember—he had once applied to be sent to a different Academy branch because he couldn’t stand Joo Youngha’s uncontrollable behavior and lack of cooperation.
It was after he had been burned by Joo Youngha a few times during their Academy days.
For some reason, they kept getting paired together after their first team assignment.
He had a vivid memory of being driven crazy because the guy wouldn’t cooperate at all.
Persuasion obviously didn’t work, and the guy didn’t listen even when Jaewon got seriously angry or tried to start a fistfight, so he had just given up.
What happened back then?
In the end, the transfer wasn’t accepted, but at least Joo Youngha’s attitude improved a little.
Seeing as how he managed to bring this guy this far…
He didn’t know Joo Youngha remembered that.
‘A guy who is indifferent to everything actually cares about that? Even though you tried to kill me when you were an Esper. I guess you just don’t want to lose your Guide?’
Joo Youngha stared intently at Seo Jaewon and then muttered to himself.
“I don’t know what you want. So just tell me. Without you, this place is…”
Ah, it’s that look again.
A gaze like cracked crystal.
A look that pierced through Seo Jaewon and headed somewhere far away.
He felt the cool fingers wrapped around his wrist twitch slightly.
“It will be really, really boring.”
It was a voice that sounded fed up with everything, a voice that didn’t suit his doll-like face.
Joo Youngha didn’t say anything more and became quiet, as if waiting for a sentence to be passed.
It seemed he had no more will or expectation to speak further.
‘Dammit…’
Seo Jaewon felt like his stomach was turning at that expression.
‘Why is a kid so young making a face like he’s given up on everything?’
“Hey, I’ve heard enough…”
He raised his voice without even knowing why.
He felt anxious, as if Joo Youngha would disappear somewhere if he didn’t.
He wanted to do anything just to keep the guy right there in front of him.
“What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden? Who said they were going anywhere?”
Seo Jaewon repeated himself, putting strength into every word as if engraving them into the other’s mind.
“If I’m not here, who’s going to manage you?”
No, there was no way he would apply for a transfer now.
He had a goal: to control Joo Youngha well and prevent a disaster like his past life.
Joo Youngha blinked as if he couldn’t believe it and asked back.
“You’re not angry?”
“Was there even anything to be angry about?”
“But you yelled. Jaewon, you get angry so easily…”
‘This jerk?’
Seo Jaewon barely held back the urge to smack Joo Youngha’s mouth.
You shouldn’t get angry at an animal.
“I’m not angry, seriously.”
“Then why are you running away from me?”
“Wh-whaat?”
The sudden question made him choke.
“Cough, I mean, that’s…”
‘He’s asking sharp questions all of a sudden?’
“….”
While he was stammering, he felt the strength in Joo Youngha’s hand on his wrist slowly loosen.
Seo Jaewon blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Hey, who rubs their junk on a friend’s butt! Give me some time to forget about it too!”
“….”
“It’s not that I’m angry! It’s just awkward!”
“…Really?”
Joo Youngha’s expressionless face slowly relaxed and became blank.
It was a face that said he didn’t understand Seo Jaewon’s words.
He asked back slowly, as if chewing over the meaning.
“Jaewon, does it bother you?”
“…Huh?”
Seo Jaewon felt a pang as if he’d been hit right where it hurt.
This time, Joo Youngha pulled the hand that Jaewon was trying to withdraw.
“Does it bother you? Do I?”
The corners of Joo Youngha’s mouth lifted strangely.
‘I’m in trouble,’ Seo Jaewon thought.
“Jaewon, did something happen with Youngha?”
At HHwi Saul’s cautious question, Seo Jaewon answered firmly.
“No.”
“Youngha looks like he’s in a really good mood. He keeps looking over here and smiling…”
“Just ignore him, hyung.”
Seo Jaewon tried his best to keep his eyes fixed on the documents in his hand.
On the opposite side, Joo Youngha, sitting on a folding chair, was beaming and looking this way.
He ignored the documents he should have been reading, and his gaze was pinned to Seo Jaewon’s face.
‘It’s a lot of pressure, you punk!’
The fact that an already striking guy was smiling made it even more intense.
His pretty eyelids, which usually felt inhumanly doll-like, curved softly as if he were happy.
That alone brought a brightness as if flowers were blooming.
They were all sitting under the Seongbukcheon bridge, which smelled like fish, but only the space behind that guy looked like an alpine stream.
He thought it wouldn’t be obvious if Joo Youngha just kept his mouth shut, but those eyes were the problem.
Those sparkling, round eyes!
“He’s staring way too hard. Did something happen between you two?”
Now even Ji Myunghoon asked cautiously.
Seo Jaewon straightened his face and turned his head toward him.
“What could have happened?”
“Uh, well…”
“Why? Are you worried something happened because we’re eating and sleeping in the same lodging? Between Joo Youngha and me? Just because we’re a Guide and an Esper? Isn’t that a bit of a prejudice?”
The team members fell silent for a moment at the sight of Seo Jaewon speaking with wide eyes and a smile.
Min Yoomin looked back and forth between Seo Jaewon and Joo Youngha with wide eyes.
Even Hwi Sara, who had been barely listening to the briefing, stopped with a snack in her mouth and looked over.
Seo Jaewon acted composed, but he was sweating on the inside.
‘…Why are they looking at me like that? Did they notice something?’
* * *
