* * *
It would be a lie to say Rex’s departure after declaring, “I hate you,” didn’t bother me, but brooding over it wouldn’t solve anything.
For now, I decided to focus on the present.
At the moment, Eunsoo was eating a hamburger.
He held the big burger, almost the size of his palm, with both hands, opened his small mouth wide, and took a bite.
He didn’t bite off much, but his cheeks puffed out as if his mouth was full, and he chewed diligently.
It was the cutest sight in the world.
Seeing such an adorable being enjoying food…
I couldn’t help but smile. I probably looked like an idiot, but right now, I couldn’t even control my expression.
‘Ah, I feel like my lifespan is increasing…’
They say watching something cute is good for your health.
That’s exactly how I felt. My body felt healthier!
I could watch him 24 hours a day. Even for a lifetime. If I could keep watching him like this, I wouldn’t need to eat or sleep.
‘Still, I’d prefer to feed him rice instead of fast food…’
If I heard someone else saying something like what I just thought, I’d think they were being overbearing, but when it’s about my own child, it’s easy to see how fickle the heart can be.
I guess this is what happens when you become a parent.
Of course, Eunsoo isn’t really my child…
“Is it good?”
I asked as Eunsoo sipped from a cup of cola with a straw.
“….”
Eunsoo, still a bit shy around me, rolled his eyes and nodded.
‘He’s so cute…’
My heart ached.
I wanted to feed him all the delicious food in the world.
If it’s food for Eunsoo, I wouldn’t mind if it cost ten times as much per meal…
He’s eating so well, I want to pat him on the head and tell him how lovely he is.
But you shouldn’t disturb someone while he is eating, so I’ll hold back… I’ll hold back…
“Ahjussi.”
Ahjussi?
The word jolted me out of my happiness. It was a shocking term.
‘No way he’s talking about me?’
I hoped not, but Eunsoo’s pale blue eyes were definitely fixed on me.
Yes.
Eunsoo just called me “Ahjussi”! Damn it!
“What’s your relationship with those people?”
“Uh… Eunsoo. We’re not that far apart in age…”
“….”
Eunsoo’s lips pouted, and his eyes were filled with dissatisfaction. It was the gaze of a stubborn child.
There’s only a four-year difference between Yang Heewoon and Eunsoo, so does he really have to call me that?
It’s not like Yang Heewoon looks that old…
It’s unfair, but I don’t think I can break Eunsoo’s stubbornness. And when I think about my real age, it’s not all that strange…
The person inside this body is someone Eunsoo must see as an Ahjussi.
The Ahjussi inside me that I can’t hide…
Damn it. It hurts…
Eunsoo, who was once purely adorable, became just a little bit annoying.
“They are just colleagues… from work.”
“Do colleagues do that kind of thing?”
“Oh…”
By “that kind of thing,” he probably means kissing, right?
How do I explain this to our genius guide?
You’re in the top 0.01% of ability, so non-contact guiding is possible for you, but for ordinary guides like me, it’s absolutely impossible.
When the amount to be processed exceeds a certain level, non-contact guiding can cause serious physical damage unless it involves mucosal guiding…
Moreover, you’ll eventually be doing both level 1 and level 2 mucosal guiding with him frequently, all for efficiency…
‘But I can’t just tell him that…’
Recalling those incredibly explicit scenes made my face flush.
He’s still a kid, so is it okay to explain something like this?
“It’s not meaningful. It’s just work, work!”
“Work… ‘Guiding’?”
“Yeah!”
“But you did it even when it wasn’t ‘guiding.’”
“….”
Eunsoo’s pale blue eyes looked at me quietly. His eyes were as emotionless as ever.
There was no sign of resentment or anger.
But I still felt like a sinner in front of him. A chill ran down my spine, and I lowered my head.
“S-sorry…”
Yes. I’ve gotten too used to it.
The affectionate and gentle touches made me unconsciously accept his affection and physical contact.
They aren’t mine.
They all belong to Eunsoo.
I should retire soon. Once Eunsoo is settled, the sooner, the better.
“If you’re sorry, then don’t do it.”
Eunsoo said bluntly.
“Yeah. I won’t do it anymore.”
When I responded, Eunsoo looked incredibly pleased.
A rare smile graced her lips, and her mouth even twitched with satisfaction.
As he happily took another bite of her hamburger, he looked as adorable and lovely as ever—maybe even more so than before.
But I couldn’t watch her for long. I lay down and closed my eyes.
My head… it hurts so much.
“…Uncle?”
Even though he called out to me, I kept my eyes tightly shut.
I forced myself to sleep, and when I woke up, the room was dark. It must have been early morning.
The first thing I did was look for Eunsoo.
He was asleep on the small bed meant for guardians across from me.
The bed was tiny, but since Eunsoo was small too, he didn’t seem too uncomfortable.
…Still, seeing him there made me uneasy.
I quietly watched Eunsoo’s sleeping face. He really does have the face of an angel.
“If you’re sorry, don’t do it.”
Eunsoo’s words kept echoing in my mind.
Eunsoo still doesn’t know what kind of relationship he’ll have with the three Espers from the Special A Team. So, he probably didn’t mean what I thought he did.
But… it bothers me. After all, he must have said it because he didn’t like what I did.
“I started all this to smooth things out for Eunsoo’s love life, so what am I going to do if I become a hindrance…?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. My chest feels tight. Maybe it’s the stress, but my head is throbbing.
– Click.
I heard the door open softly.
At this hour?
My eyes shot open, worried that some bastard had come to harm Eunsoo.
But the moment I locked eyes with the visitor, I realized my worries were unfounded.
I sat up.
“Junseong…”
“Yang Heewoon.”
It was Cha Junseong.
Elliot said Cha Junseong would come in the evening. Did he work until this late?
Either way, it was a welcome face.
Cha Junseong is something else. Just seeing him somehow makes me feel at ease.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I was just going to check on you and leave…”
“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t asleep anyway.”
“You don’t look well. You should lie down. Are you still not feeling good?”
“No, I’m okay…”
Cha Junseong reached out to me.
“If you’re sorry, don’t do it.”
Eunsoo’s words flashed in my mind, and I flinched for a moment.
But… I didn’t close my eyes or pull away.
He’s just trying to check my temperature out of concern for my health.
This much contact should be fine.
“Are you… okay?”
The large hand that touched my forehead felt nice. I smiled sheepishly.
Noticing that I had flinched, even if just for a moment, Cha Junseong quickly withdrew his hand.
“Still, you should get checked again in the morning, just in case.”
“I already had a lot of tests yesterday.”
I’m almost afraid that my awful physical condition will get exposed.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Jake really messed me up this time, so for now, they think the deterioration in my condition is just a temporary thing caused by the recent incident.
“Or maybe it’s time to let him find out?”
The three Espers from the Special A Team have Eunsoo now.
It might be time to start thinking about retirement, even if it’s a bit early.
As for Eunsoo’s emotional care, it’s something anyone can do, even if I’m not her guide.
It’ll only take a couple of months to teach her the ropes.
The only issue is money… but it’s not like I haven’t saved anything.
If I can just sort out Hope’s hospital bills, I can probably manage for about six months.
But why… Why don’t I feel any joy at the thought of laying down this heavy burden?
My chest aches.
“I need to get a grip…”
If I were alone, it wouldn’t matter, but if I show any emotions in front of Cha Junseong, he might start questioning me, and who knows how much I’ll end up revealing.
I sneaked a glance at Cha Junseong’s face.
Fortunately, he seemed lost in thought, as if he had his own worries.
“…Yang Heewoon.”
“Yes.”
“That analogy you made when you came to my house earlier… it’s eerily similar to this case.”
“Ah.”
As expected of Cha Junseong. He noticed that already.
His gaze on me was cold.
“It seems like you knew about this case beforehand. How did you know?”
“It was just… a guess. I suspected the kid working at the convenience store might be a guide, so I looked into it and found out that the store belonged to Jake Powell… Jake was strange for an A-rank Esper, wasn’t he?”
I quickly fabricated a story.
If I had said this before Eunsoo was found, they would have dismissed it as nonsense.
But now that it’s been revealed that Jake kidnapped and imprisoned an underage guide, they might just let it slide.
What can they say?
A ridiculous incident has already occurred.
“…”
Cha Junseong furrowed his brow. It must seem suspicious.
Extremely suspicious.
But what can you do?
Just let it go.
“…I told you. He would destroy the evidence.”
But when Cha Junseong finally spoke, it wasn’t to express suspicion.
* * *
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Aww
I see
Thanks
Ur in trouble hehe