Beyond The Control

Chapter 60

As Song Ji-hyeok left, silence returned to the guiding room. I stared blankly at where he had disappeared and gently touched my lips. They still tingled from his habitual biting.

He had come so suddenly that I thought it was an emergency, but there was hardly any internal damage. I couldn’t push him away immediately because of the expression I had just seen on his face. It was brief, but I could clearly sense his discomfort.

Fortunately, he seemed to have calmed down quickly… but unintended questions remained. Why did he suddenly kiss me when there was nothing to guide? And what was that thing he didn’t tell me before leaving?

‘I can’t chase after him and ask.’

Even if I wanted to, it was already too late. Unless he was sitting in the waiting room, he would have gone somewhere by now.

Thinking I should definitely ask him when he comes back later, I belatedly ate the chocolate bar. I hadn’t used much energy, but this was just a habit of mine.

Chewing what was in my mouth, I moved the computer mouse. After checking the time, I wrote in the guiding log.

“Around 2:20 PM… Guide Lee Su-hyeon, Esper Song Ji-hyeok…”

After quickly writing that, there was nothing else to do. I had gone through all the dungeon reports in the morning and finished all other miscellaneous tasks. Even the occasional guiding requests had dried up today.

Thanks to that, I was stealing company time for once. I opened the real estate app on my phone and looked at the newly updated listings.

The battle site that was fully disclosed to the public yesterday was literally a wasteland. Especially in the areas close to the gate, buildings and roads were all destroyed, making it hard to believe this was South Korea. Although I couldn’t enter because it was still a restricted area for civilians, it was obvious that the one-room building I used to live in had been devastated as well.

‘I lived there all this time because the rent was cheap… Maybe I should have pushed myself to find a place near the guild.’

Well, I didn’t have the money back then. No one knows when and where BK dungeons will appear, but perhaps due to psychological stability, land prices around the guild had skyrocketed. When I joined, our guild was already a major guild in name and reality, so naturally, I couldn’t even think about finding a place nearby. When I first looked for a place without knowing better, I almost fainted when I realized the monthly rent was higher than my salary.

Anyway, even if the government put all its efforts into restoration, it wouldn’t be finished in just a month or two. I couldn’t keep relying on Song Ji-hyeok forever, so it was right to start looking for a place to live.

Since I had to move anyway, I looked at areas a bit closer to the guild than before. Comparing with the bank balance stored in a corner of my mind, I bookmarked a few listings that weren’t too burdensome.

As I looked at other apps, one thought that kept recurring was ‘thanks to Song Ji-hyeok.’ If he hadn’t appeared before me, if my salary hadn’t multiplied, I would have had to look for a place even further away instead of closer to the guild.

Of course, he probably needs me just as much, but I’ve lived too long in a position that seemed insignificant despite all my efforts. Even the good matching rate with Song Ji-hyeok felt more like luck than my skill or effort, so I subconsciously thought of myself as the subordinate.

In fact, that’s correct. Song Ji-hyeok would have no major problems in life even if he chose a second-best option. But not me. If he turned his back on me, I would instantly become like a kite with a broken string, having to return to my original place. As a C-class Esper and Guide with no presence no matter how hard I tried.

‘Life would become tough again.’

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how big a part Song Ji-hyeok played in my life. Not just in terms of material benefits, but also in terms of relationships. Whether I was freeloading or not, we shared our lives, lived in the same house, ate together, and at some point became close enough to share our innermost thoughts.

Moreover, with all the physical contact during guiding, we could now excite each other with just a few touches, to put it crudely. Thus, not just Song Ji-hyeok as an Esper, but Song Ji-hyeok as a person was leaving more and more traces in my life. Thanks to this, I finally understood a little why paired Awakened ones are so attached to each other and can’t live without each other.

‘I don’t know if I’m such a presence for Song Ji-hyeok…’

But maybe I am, at least a little? I hope so, anyway.

In any case, the only thing I could do for Song Ji-hyeok was guiding. Thinking that I should do my best when he comes again later, I continued to look at the real estate app.

Time passed well. After reading the materials registered with the Awakened Association and running an errand for the team leader once, it was almost time for Song Ji-hyeok to come back.

I stood up to go to the bathroom before that. Walking lazily with both hands in my jacket pockets, I suddenly stopped without realizing it.

Jeon Hyeon-wook was standing in front of the reception desk about 3m away. It was the first time I had seen him since his confession, perhaps he had been to some distant site.

‘What should I do? Should I pretend I didn’t see him and turn back?’

Avoidance isn’t my style, but it was obvious we’d both feel awkward if we met. However, I failed to turn away. With bad timing, Jeon Hyeon-wook turned his head and our eyes met directly.

“Su, Su-hyeon.”

I was a bit surprised for a moment. Not because he suddenly called my name. There was a slight redness flickering in his eyes as he looked this way.

Now that I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t seen him, I spoke with an awkward smile.

“Looks like you came for guiding.”

“Yes. I actually requested you, and we, we just happened to meet like this.”

Oh no.

My bewilderment was compounded by surprise.

Looking at his reddish eyes, it seemed like hand-holding guiding would take forever. For efficiency, we’d need to do at least mucosal guiding, but that’s exactly what bothered me.

When it comes to personal feelings versus duties as a guide, the latter obviously takes priority in this situation. Usually, I would have taken Jeon Hyeon-wook’s hand first and led him to the guiding room with the thought of ‘saving a person.’

But what Jeon Hyeon-wook had said before made me hesitate. That he thought I liked him too. I briefly thought that if I guided him now, he might misunderstand again that I liked him or attach his own meaning to it.

But refusing wasn’t acceptable to my guide self. Rejecting a guiding request based on personal feelings without a valid reason was clearly a dereliction of duty.

Right. Let’s save the person first.

“Let’s…”

Just as I was about to say “Let’s go,” an unexpected problem solver appeared. Song Ji-hyeok casually emerged from the opposite corridor.

He approached and spoke to me, completely ignoring Jeon Hyeon-wook standing next to me.

“What are you doing here? Did you come out to greet me?”

“No, I was just going to the bathroom…”

“Hurry up and go then.”

But an unexpected situation unfolded. Jeon Hyeon-wook took a step forward, blocking my way and facing Song Ji-hyeok.

“I, I requested guiding first.”

The smile vanished from Song Ji-hyeok’s face for a moment. A look of ‘Who are you?’ appeared in his eyes, and similar words flowed from his mouth.

“What did you say?”

“I just requested guiding from Su-hyeon first. So…”

“What nonsense.”

The atmosphere suddenly became tense with that irritated remark. People around were already looking this way with nervous faces. Especially the non-Awakened staff, who rarely see conflicts between Espers, had turned pale.

“Wait. Let me sort this out.”

I quickly came to my senses and tried to mediate. But Song Ji-hyeok grabbed my arm and made me step back behind him before speaking again.

“Do you know what ‘don’t even dream of it’ means?”

“…Pardon?”

“He’s my guide, so go look elsewhere.”

Even though he had returned to formal speech, his tone was cold and aggressive. But for some reason, Jeon Hyeon-wook remained stubborn.

“I, I know it’s a temporary pair. But…”

“It’s not temporary anymore.”

“…What?”

Jeon Hyeon-wook, caught off guard, asked in confusion. I also looked at the back of Song Ji-hyeok’s head with the same expression.