GTLTGIDES chapter 20

I hope you’re not being serious. Even though Yang Heewoon looks ordinary, it still hurts…

“You’re not fully recovered yet, right? Why are you out instead of resting?”

Elliot scanned me up and down, as if checking if I was really okay.

Seeing my loose-fitting clothes, the fashionista Elliot seemed displeased.

“Is that really your outfit? Are you so strapped for cash that you’re wearing second-hand clothes now… Wait, these are brand-name?”

He sure has a keen eye. He recognized it right away.

I don’t know much about the prices of these so-called ‘luxury’ clothes, but if they’re from Cha Junseong’s house, each piece of this tracksuit must be at least worth as much as what Rex gives for Colby.

“Judging by the size and brand… are these Junseong’s clothes?”

“Yes. I’m staying at his place for a bit…”

“…So the quiet cat climbed up to the kitchen first, huh?”

“What? Cha Junseong already made a move? Damn it, I wanted to go first…!”

Rex shouted angrily.

Elliot blocked Rex with his arm in irritation.

“Shut up for a second. Can’t you see from that blank look?”

“Hmm. He didn’t, huh.”

Elliot’s words seemed persuasive, and the furious Rex calmed down.

‘Blank look?’

Surely he wasn’t talking about me?

As I stared blankly, Elliot approached with a gentle smile.

“…Heewoon, after we finish here, how about going shopping with me? I’ll buy you something.”

“Crazy. What do you plan to dress him in? If you’re going, I’m going too.”

“Don’t get any weird ideas. Not everyone is a pervert like you.”

They bickered back and forth with incomprehensible words.

That’s all fine, but… are these guys here for fun?

I’m starting to lose patience.

“Excuse me, but this is a crime scene. A serious crime scene with a victim. If you’re here to mess around, please leave.”

A cold voice slipped out without me realizing it. The two who were growling at each other suddenly stopped moving.

An unpleasant feeling made my chest tight. I pressed my chest with my fist and lowered my head.

“I admired Special A Team for always doing their best even in small matters, but this is… disappointing.”

As soon as the word ‘disappointing’ came out, the two of them flinched noticeably.

I closed my eyes tightly.

‘Ah, I misspoke…’

It’s ridiculous to be hurt because my own illusion was shattered. After all, I wasn’t even called out; I came out voluntarily, so maybe I was too harsh.

I said something unnecessary. Just as I was about to apologize, I noticed something strange about their demeanor.

Elliot and Rex’s eyes were blazing. The phrase ‘burning with determination’ fit perfectly here.

“If we wrap this up quickly, you won’t be disappointed, right?”

“I’ll catch that unregistered Esper right now.”

What is this atmosphere?

Before I could say anything, the two exchanged fiery looks.

“It looks like Heewoon can’t guide both of us today. Shall we play rock-paper-scissors?”

“I’m in.”

“Don’t waste your abilities. Don’t create a situation where you need guiding due to a rampage.”

“That’s what I should say. Don’t make a big mess while rampaging recklessly.”

“Hey, I’m a pro too.”

“…?”

Their quick agreement showed they’ve been a team for a long time.

But… what about my opinion on this guiding?

Well, I guess I’m not really in a position to refuse guiding…

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll definitely catch him and come back, so please guide me then.”

“Ah, uh, okay!”

As soon as I answered, the two started sprinting at an incredible speed.

Before long, the Special A Team’s radio channel became chaotic.

• C, this is R. Send the location of the target we need to capture.

• This is E. I’ll join the chase, so send the location info.

• …Why are they interfering? Did Special A Team request backup?

• It’s not bad to finish quickly!

• Stop talking and send it fast. We’re in a hurry!

• …You guys…

Cha Junseong’s voice was noticeably flustered by the sudden intrusion of the two.

‘…Is it okay to interfere in B Team’s work like this?’

Of course not.

But there was no stopping the two once they got going, so I ended up inadvertently pushing them to interfere.

It’s embarrassing, but it’s out of my hands now.

I felt sorry for Cha Junseong, who must be having a headache over this.

I scratched my head.

‘If I have to guide, I should probably replenish some calories.’

Listening absentmindedly to the radio chatter, I sat on a folding chair and started munching on an energy bar.

“I miss Eunsoo…”

It’s been a while since I last went to the convenience store. Is Eunsoo eating well?

Is he sleeping well? I hope he’s not having a hard time dealing with troublesome customers.

I want to check if Eunsoo is okay.

They really did it. Less than 20 minutes after they left, the situation was resolved.

Not only did they capture the unregistered Esper, but they also neatly took care of his associates. No collateral damage either.

Even though they interfered without being asked, the results were so good that everyone admired Special A Team.

“Heewoon, kiss me!”

The winner of their capture contest was Rex.

As soon as he saw me, he shouted excitedly, even though he had just been scolded by Cha Junseong. Thanks to him, I was thoroughly embarrassed.

Still, I felt proud of how capable the team was. Even Special B Team didn’t seem to have any major complaints about Special A Team stepping in since they had already taken initial damage.

“Ah, damn it. This is bullshit!”

…Except for Jake Powell.

Unintentionally, I ended up screwing him over, which was a bit satisfying.

‘Well, you should have worked better with your team to finish without us needing to step in.’

I stuck my tongue out secretly at Jake, who was cursing and kicking a nearby object.

The joy of screwing over Jake Powell didn’t last long.

After the gate alarm went off, I left the convenience store and hadn’t seen Eunsoo for over a week.

Even on the day we caught the unregistered Esper, I stopped by Jake’s convenience store, but Eunsoo wasn’t there.

That day, I assumed Jake had him stay home to be ready for guiding, so I didn’t think much of it.

But Eunsoo still hasn’t shown up.

‘Why isn’t he coming…?’

At first, it was just a sense of regret. Regret that we kept missing each other.

But after the third time, it turned into anxiety.

‘Did something happen?’

Why hasn’t he been to the convenience store for so long?

It doesn’t seem like Eunsoo would not come out because of his own wishes. Even after experiencing unilateral violence from a nuisance, Eunsoo still worked as usual.

I couldn’t understand why Eunsoo wasn’t coming out. The worry was so overwhelming that it felt like my chest was tightly blocked.

The time when Eunsoo worked at the convenience store was before the original story began. There was little information, as it was only occasionally mentioned in past recollections.

Even after digging through my memories, I couldn’t find any useful information.

After ten days of this, I decided to take drastic measures.

‘I’ll wait until he comes.’

I decided to wait an entire day.

I arrived early in the morning and sat at the table, waiting for Eunsoo. One hour, two hours… time passed, but the person I was waiting for did not appear.

My anxiety was so great that even milk wouldn’t go down my throat. If I collapsed from not eating again, Cha Junseong would be angry…

Just as I was about to force myself to eat and was glancing at the convenience store lunch boxes…

• Ding.

The device rang. It was a personal message.

[E: Can you see me for a moment? I’ll buy lunch.]

It was Elliott.

He rarely called me separately, so it was unusual for him to ask to meet.

Holding the device in my hand, I hesitated, unable to reply.

‘Is it something I really need to go for…?’

Normally, I would have been delighted that Elliott wanted to meet and would have rushed over immediately. But today, I didn’t feel like going. I wanted to wait for Eunsoo.

I was worried that going without seeing Eunsoo, with my anxiety and indecisiveness, might just end up irritating Elliott.

While I was in doubt, ding, the device rang again.

[E: I have something to discuss regarding becoming the ‘Dad’.]

“Ah…!”

I jumped up from my seat.

I quickly typed a response and sent it.

[Yang Heewoon: I’ll come right away!]

Elliott had called me to a Korean restaurant.

Seeing Elliott, clearly a foreigner with a light complexion, sitting neatly at a Korean restaurant felt strange, but thinking back, it was similar in the original story.

He had said he liked the variety of flavors and how it was both delicious and good for digestion. It seemed a bit excessive as a setting, but seeing it in person, it seemed okay.

Though I wondered if his pretty appearance would look out of place anywhere.

“Let’s eat first. I asked to meet for a good reason, so don’t be unnecessarily anxious.”