TG Ch 2 Part 8

‘Why did I end up with this job…?’

The next day, Ham Geonwu and Jeong Taeyul sat across from Sijin in his office. He had purposefully called both A-rank Ability Users to the diagnostic room together, although it wasn’t entirely his decision. The order had come down from above.

“You two share a special relationship, correct?” Sijin began as casually as possible.

“In some ways, yes,” replied Jeong Taeyul.

“Well, entrusting our lives to each other isn’t common.”

Both Ham Geonwu and Jeong Taeyul nodded easily, acknowledging their special relationship. Sijin concurred, already aware of their connection. In truth, his next question was crucial yet difficult for him to ask.

He now needed to inquire about their willingness to undergo imprinting.

Both were nearing their S-rank promotions, and their abilities had been amplifying recently. Moreover, with a compatibility rate of 70%, which was quite high, there could be only one wish from the country: to expedite the imprinting process to reduce the risk of them going berserk while accelerating their promotion timeline. Ham Geonwu and Jeong Taeyul had likely already received multiple suggestions along these lines.

Sijin felt uneasy but had no choice but to follow protocol.

“I see… Thank you for your cooperation. Now, since both of you are Ability Users on the cusp of becoming S ranks, I have some questions related to that.” He paused briefly, observing Jeong Taeyul sitting stiffly and Ham Geonwu firmly focused on him. Trying to sound nonchalant, he continued, “Please don’t take this personally. It’s just a procedure.”

“I already feel like I’m treading on eggshells.”

Sijin resisted the urge to silence Jeong Taeyul and instead checked their chart before asking, “Do you two plan to imprint?”

“…..”

“…..”

The uncomfortable silence prompted Sijin to look up, meeting the gazes of both men. Jeong Taeyul stared at him with an unsettling intensity while Ham Geonwu maintained his unusual quiet demeanor. In that brief moment, the Ability Users exchanged glances, communicating something unspoken between them.

Clearing his throat, Sijin continued calmly:

“Hmm, I know it’s a sensitive question, but it’s just part of the procedure…”

“Of course we do.”

“…Pardon?”

Sijin’s voice cracked slightly at Jeong Taeyul’s response. However, far from feeling embarrassed, he was too surprised and busy looking back and forth between them.

“Ah… What the?  Why would you just come out and say it like that?”

Adding to the confusion, Ham Geonwu bashfully rubbed the back of his neck.

Sijin’s mind blanked out as the two continued their banter. They were now even leaning into each other, their hands resting on the shared armrest of the sofa.

“Why? Ham, it’s about time you said something.” 

“It’s embarrassing.”

“Come here.” Jeong Taeyul draped his arm around Ham Geonwu’s shoulder, who leaned comfortably against his sturdy frame.

Jeong Taeyul then turned towards Sijin with a confident smile, almost as if issuing a challenge. Despite trying to appear calm, Sijin’s eyelashes began to subtly flutter.

Sijin managed to open his eyes and affectionately watched them.

“S-So… is the imprinting already underway or something like that?” Sijin inadvertently stumbled over his words. Pretending he had a sore throat, he took a sip from his travel mug. But he couldn’t even taste the bitterness of the Americano. 

“The sooner we get imprinted, the better for you, Doctor, right? It’ll help stabilize our energy quicker.” Jeong Taeyul said kindly, a hint of mockery in his tone. His words felt like an attack. Ham Geonwu, the little rascal, was leaning against Jeong Taeyul’s shoulder, watching Sijin with amusement. 

Yesterday, it was him who had rested his head on Sijin’s shoulder. Sijin felt betrayed, like a dog owner whose pet suddenly turned against them.

‘Don’t let them get to you.’

Sijin blinked rapidly, trying to gather his wits. He spun the pen in his hand out of habit. Trying to regain his composure, he responded as the Diagnostic Examiner.

“As long as it’s feasible for both of you, the sooner, the better. Do you have any preferred dates?”

“Tomorrow.”

“No, today would be even better.”

“Really…?”

The shark and killer whale locked eyes intensely. Clack! The pen spinning in Sijin’s hand flew off, mirroring his chaotic mind.

“Here you go, Doctor.” Jeong Taeyul courteously picked up the pen with a smile. Pale-faced, Sijin accepted it with trembling hands.

“T-Thank you.”

“No problem. Having two troublesome A-ranks imprinting must be quite a headache for Doctor, right? Why do you look so pale?”

“Uh, hic. I…” The hiccup was an accident, caused by a sudden intake of breath. Flustered, Sijin cleared his throat, pretending to regain his composure.

Concerned, Ham Geonwu handed him a bottle of water. Struggling to maintain composure while accepting it, Sijin said:

“Of course, I’m happy. I’m very happy for you both…  Congratulations. So, the next questions for your imprinting counseling are…”

“Timing. Method. Matching rate. Living arrangements. Marriage.” It was Jeong Taeyul who spoke.

“And recommended frequency of sex.” This came from Ham Geonwu.

Sijin wished they would at least give him a moment to breathe. Silently composing himself, he tried to detach his emotions and focused solely on their chart before asking:

“W-Well then… Have you thought about how to imprint yourselves? It’s best to spend at least half a month together. Perhaps living in dorms or finding accommodation nearby and commuting…”

“Ah, we can just share one bed.” Ham Geonwu spoke casually. Sijin deliberately avoided looking at him while jotting down notes on his chart. With a trembling hand, he wrote ‘dormitory’ but couldn’t help overhearing their conversation despite not wanting to.

“Ham, the bed might be too narrow.”

“All the better.”

“That’s right. My meathead is so smart.”

“This… You haven’t changed a bit, you bastard….”

Sijin managed to lift his head slightly, witnessing them intensely staring at each other as they continued bantering. He intervened, albeit half-heartedly. In truth, he lacked the mental energy to deal with this anymore.

“No cursing in the lab, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

“My apologies.”

“So… you’re going to imprint as a married couple, right? Not a contract imprint or a compensation imprint… but a fair and equal imprint, correct?”

“Well, obviously.  You should be asking us this, Doctor.”

Jeong Taeyul persisted stubbornly. Sijin, who had been keeping his eyes tightly shut, now furrowed his brow. He couldn’t understand why Jeong Taeyul was acting so irritating when he must have noticed his discomfort.

Sijin forced himself to lift his head, glaring defiantly at them to show he wasn’t affected. In response, Ham Geonwu bowed his head deeply, gripping Jeong Taeyul’s thigh as his shoulders shook. Suddenly, Jeong Taeyul looked up at the ceiling, biting his lip.

Meanwhile, Sijin composed himself and mechanically asked, “Was there a particular reason you both decided to imprint?” 

“Our Jeong Tae doesn’t look like he’ll live long.” 

^{[TL/N: That’s how Ham Geonwu refers to Jeong Taeyul. Similarly, Jeong Taeyul refers to him as Ham.]}

“What??”

“But Jeong Tae owns quite a bit of land. It’s very enticing.”

Sijin looked back and forth between them as Ham Geonwu spoke amicably. Confusion filled his face.

In response, Jeong Taeyul, with a smirk, said through gritted teeth, “Ham might not look it, but he comes from a wealthy family. Plus, he has excellent life insurance coverage. He’s the perfect candidate for imprinting.”

“Huh? I have life insurance?”

“Yeah.”

“When did I get that?”

“I got it for you.”

“??”

Ham Geonwu was utterly bewildered. Only Jeong Taeyul remained unperturbed, smiling innocently.

Sijin’s eyebrows furrowed suspiciously as he observed them.

“…Wait a minute. You two…”

“Done. Caught. Stop it.” Jeong Taeyul preemptively cut him off and swiftly let go of Ham Geonwu’s hand.

Ham Geonwu showed Sijin the back of his hand, now abandoned. His previous affectionate expression had vanished like magic.

“See that? This shark bastard’s personality is so rotten, we just got divorced.” 

“Don’t make someone else look like a divorcee.”

Their expressions turned colder than anyone could imagine. Jeong Taeyul spoke up from the side, his voice laced with displeasure.

“At least thanks to Doctor here, I had a marriage lasting 2 minutes and 50 seconds with a killer whale.”

Jeong Taeyul then brushed off the part of his arm where it had touched Ham Geonwu, as if shaking away dust.

“That’s ten years’ worth of bad luck taken care of.” Ham Geonwu muttered through gritted teeth, genuinely annoyed.

The most disheartened person was Sijin. He looked back and forth between them with bewildered eyes, still confused.

Trying to suppress his laughter, Ham Geonwu explained, “We’ve heard imprinting suggestions over five hundred times in the past decade. It’s become our ritual.”

“And we do it so they don’t keep pestering us.”

“You two… you really…” After their explanation, Sijin removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes briefly, genuinely taken aback. The reality of the situation hit him hard.

He had been played.

Sijin took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly. He could feel the heat of anger rising up his neck. He opened his eyes sternly and said, “I really, really… hate it when you pull these kinds of pranks in the lab.”

“Sorry.”

“Apologies.”

Jeong Taeyul and Ham Geonwu responded in turn. Sijin wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, trying to maintain his stern demeanor. In reality, his voice trembled with lingering surprise, betraying his efforts. 

“If you two do this again, you’ll be severely reprimanded. Understood?”

“Yep.”

“Yes.”

“And next time, I’m really, truly, going to lose it.”

At his intimidating proclamation, they both obediently lowered their heads. Sijin could’ve sworn their imposing shoulders trembled slightly, but he chose to believe they were simply reflecting on their actions. Please, let it be so.