TG Ch 1 Part 12

“Well then, please share this ‘nothing important’ with me.”

“……” 

Suddenly feeling both wronged and helpless, Sijin wondered why he had allowed himself to be manipulated by an Ability User who could read minds effortlessly. 

He cleared his throat and tried to maintain composure before speaking calmly.

“I simply asked for an examination.”

“Oh, just an examination request?”

“Yes.”

“But you were trembling while handcuffed.”

“……”

How embarrassing! Sijin internally cringed at Jeong Taeyul’s mocking words. When Ham Geonwu told him not to tremble, Sijin thought he was joking. However, it seemed like he had truly been shaking in front of him.

Sijin wasn’t particularly adept at hiding his emotions. In front of the Ability Users, who were trained espionage experts, he must have appeared quite inexperienced. He felt utterly despondent.

Still, up until that point, it could be considered a misunderstanding, leaving Sijin speechless. But then, Jeong Taeyul asked something truly outrageous:

“Do you usually use honey traps just to request an examination?”

Clang.

Hearing this, Sijin nervously set down the testing equipment. His gaze, now visible through his glasses, turned menacing towards Jeong Taeyul. Yet, he remained unfazed.

“Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not mocking you. I’m genuinely curious.”

“A honey trap? What nonsense.”

“Why not? You even took off your gown, dressed prettily, styled your hair, and went straight to Ham Geonwu.”

“Dressed prettily???” 

Sijin couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of his words. Dressed prettily? It simply meant he adjusted his clothing and fixed his hair slightly. Sure, Sijin wanted to make a good impression on Ham Geonwu, but it wasn’t as exaggerated as Jeong Taeyul implied. 

His blood felt like it was turning cold due to this familiar misunderstanding.

‘You— you were flirting with my Guide, weren’t you? Tell me the truth!’

Sijin had grown tired of such childish accusations. Taking a deep breath, Sijin realized he lacked the energy to deal with Jeong Taeyul’s antics after barely sleeping last night while reviewing data.

“I didn’t dress up prettily. I was just following what you did on the first day.”

“You?”

“Yes. Esper Ham Geonwu seemed resistant to examiners. So, I started by removing my gown…”

“Ah, right. First impressions matter, don’t they? You wanted to make a good impression on Ham Geonwu.”

“I…! Ha.” Sijin tried raising his voice, but anger made his face flush red. Spending too much time with Jeong Taeyul was starting to give him a headache.

‘Why am I even explaining this?’

He suddenly realized there was no need for explanations. Yesterday, he had merely been doing his job. While it might seem unusual, he decided to speak confidently.

“Guide Jeong Taeyul, listen carefully.”

“Yes.”

“There was a misunderstanding at that time, so I was briefly… detained, but nothing serious happened. Honestly, I just tried to persuade him for an examination; I didn’t discuss anything else with Esper Ham Geonwu. And…”

Suddenly…

BOOM-!!

A loud noise echoed throughout the Center, sounding like massive concrete being shattered. Everyone was startled and looked outside the windows, except Jeong Taeyul, who remained focused on his examination. Sijin, feeling tense, checked his smartwatch, expecting an emergency notification.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Fortunately, no alarm sounded even after several seconds passed. It seemed okay. The lab personnel calmly returned to their positions, shaking their heads as if this were routine.

Yes, it must be insignificant.

However, Sijin’s memories instantly flashed back to the accident from ten years ago.

Gradually, his vision turned crimson, and even sounds around him seemed to fade away. Without realizing it, Sijin tightly gripped whatever was in his hand.

Sijin found himself trapped amidst the rubble inside a collapsed building, confined in a space smaller than a coffin amid the deafening noise. Suffocating smoke filled his lungs. The acrid smell of blood hung heavy in the air. Chilling screams echoed all around him. Darkness enveloped everything, making it impossible to see more than an inch ahead. Sticky blood dripped from his fingers.

‘I-I’m okay. Everything’s going to be fine…’

And there he was, feeling utterly helpless.

Sijin stared blankly at something on the floor. Only a few seconds had passed according to the smartwatch on his wrist, but those brief moments were enough for terrifying memories to flood his body. That’s how trauma worked—just a small trigger could suddenly immerse you back into those horrifying recollections…

‘Take my hand!’

In the pitch-black darkness, Ham Geonwu had extended his hand towards him…

Click, click.

Someone snapped their fingers near Sijin’s face, bringing him back to reality. He dazedly looked up and saw Jeong Taeyul leaning closer. His expressionless face scrutinized him cautiously with keen brown eyes, startling Sijin momentarily.

He stammered, “Ah. I’m sorry… I… W-Where was I?”

“……”

“Ah, right, measurement. Measurement… And… regarding about Esper Ham Geonwu…”

Sijin tried hard to sound composed as he continued speaking, but his heart raced, making it difficult for him to catch his breath and articulate properly. Embarrassed by this, he avoided Jeong Taeyul’s gaze while talking.

“I really just tried to persuade him for t-the examination. In exchange… I agreed t-to read a book…”

“Got it, so calm down.”

“Huh? …Ah.”

Feeling flustered, he looked down and realized he was gripping Jeong Taeyul’s arm like a lifeline. Embarrassed, Sijin loosened his grip; he must have clutched onto him instinctively out of surprise earlier.

As he glanced up again, he noticed that Jeong Taeyul had two fingers lightly resting on his wrist.

“Take deep breaths.”

“What?”

“You’re nervous.”

Unfamiliar with his calm tone, Sijin hesitated before shaking his head.

“I’m not… nervous at all.”

“But your pulse is elevated, and your pupils are dilated.”

He measured those already? With my wrist?

Sijin looked at him, bewildered. However, Jeong Taeyul quietly observed him. For the first time, with his usual sarcasm gone, there was a different charm to his face. Yet Sijin, fearing he might provoke him again, tried hard not to show any reaction.

“It’s just… I was caught off guard. Hoo… Don’t worry about it; I’m fine.”

“Just caught off guard?”

“Yes, really, I’m okay. The examination… right. Let me continue.”

“……”

Sijin pushed forward with the examination, attempting to change the mood. Despite the visible handprints on his arm, Jeong Taeyul didn’t complain and instead said something unexpected:

“Due to training, we often hear sonic booms.”

[TL/N: A sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound.]

“Huh?”

“If it were a real emergency, Alpha team would be here within 60 seconds to protect the doctor.”

Jeong Taeyul emotionlessly pointed at his own face. Sijin’s nervousness dissipated due to this unexpected reaction. Perhaps it was because he was the captain of Alpha Team? He seemed adept at handling such situations. Feeling disoriented, Sijin belatedly nodded.

“O-Okay. I’ll start… the examination now.”

Sijin hurried through the test, feeling awkward since Jeong Taeyul didn’t make any fuss. As the measurement resumed, he uncomfortably focused only on the count displayed by the testing machine. This time, Jeong Taeyul remained silent as well.

A subtle silence filled the room during the assessment. Sijin stole glances at his handsome face, finding him utterly unpredictable.

On the first day, he was a friendly and kind-hearted staff member. Then, he acted like a thug, but now he appeared as a captain of Alpha team. Sijin wondered what Jeong Taeyul’s true nature might be.

Moreover, he heard something unexpected from him just now.

‘It is strange to hear Jeong Taeyul saying that he’ll come to protect me…’

Perhaps it felt odd because Jeong Taeyul seemed more likely to put him in danger? However, Sijin realized he felt instantly reassured by his words. It was quite remarkable. Normally, he would have remained anxious throughout the late night.

Beep beep.

At that moment, the measurement results were displayed. Lost in thought, Sijin belatedly checked the outcome.

“The measurement is done. The wave value is -63%. Why is it so low?”

The normal wave range for Guides with negative energy was between -40 to -60 percent. At this level, guiding was needed soon. Sijin removed the pad from Jeong Taeyul’s arm and asked:

“Didn’t you do guiding yesterday with Esper Seo Gyuho?”

“I think our compatibility wasn’t good.”

“It must have hurt Gyuho…”

The lower the matching rate, the lower-ranking would feel pain during the guiding. It could be likened to receiving an explosive current that didn’t match well during charging.

“You were scared just now, yet you’re now worrying about others?” Jeong Taeyul spoke grumpily, reverting back to his usual bratty self.

“I wasn’t scared,” Sijin insisted, trying to cover up his momentary fear.

Sighing, Sijin concocted a lie and pulled up Jeong Taeyul’s chart. Thanks to him, Sijim quickly forgot his earlier shock. In truth, work forced it out of his mind.

‘His readings were normal until last week… Did he overuse his ability?’

He found it puzzling. The sudden decline might be related to his impending promotion to S-Rank. After some thought, Sijin asked:

“Should we do the full-body examination today?”

“Isn’t Ham Geonwu next?”

Jeong Taeyul was well-aware of the lab schedule. The full-body examination took considerable time, allowing only one patient per hour. Additionally, Ability Users couldn’t use their abilities for twelve hours prior, making it essential to book appointments in advance.

“Let’s do it tonight instead of this afternoon. You haven’t used your ability today, right?”

“That’s right.”

“How about getting examined today?”

Sijin had volunteered for overtime. It was unavoidable. With Jeong Taeyul nearing his promotion to S-Rank, any changes needed to be closely monitored.

Now, Jeong Taeyul put on his fingerless gloves and asked:

“This is just a recommendation, correct?”

“…No.”

“Then why did you ask?”

“Well then, please be at the lab by 6 pm since we’re doing the examination today.”

At Sijin’s command, Jeong Taeyul grinned widely like he’d received an order from a puppy. Annoyed, Sijin kicked him out of the compatibility testing room. As soon as he left, Sijin removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes.

Jeong Taeyul protecting him? What a joke. It would be fortunate if Jeong Taeyul didn’t pick a fight with him.

***