TG Ch 5 Part 6

The next day, Sijin woke up feeling relatively calm. He had successfully convinced himself overnight.

‘Jeong Taeyul wouldn’t care about a silly doll.’

Maybe he’d use it for target practice… The thought of his dolphin doppelganger being subjected to such a fate made him uneasy.

Then, around lunchtime, one of the trainees approached him, his face pale.

“Dr. Baek… We’re dead.” 

“W-What? Why?”

Sijin’s hard-earned peace of mind shattered. 

His worst fears had come true.

But not in the way he’d expected. 

“We went to the lounge early this morning, and we saw Captain Shark watching a movie… while hugging the dolphin.”

‘Why is he carrying that around?’

Sijin’s face went blank as he listened to the situation.

“We were so worried, we thought he knew about us sneaking out. So, we were going to apologize…” 

“Oh… oh.”

“But Captain Shark cut us off and said… that the doll was a gift from you, and told us to shut up and get lost.”

“…..”

“He’s definitely got it out for us, right? Shit… We’re so stressed, we can barely eat…” 

Sijin’s stomach lurched. 

He was baffled. He’d offered the dolphin as a sacrifice to protect the trainees, but he hadn’t expected Jeong Taeyul to use it as leverage against them. He was flustered, but he tried to reassure the trainees.

“That… Seungwon…”

“I’m Seo Gyuho, Dr. Baek…”

“S-Sorry. My mind’s not working right now.”

He meant it. His mind was spinning. 

He turned to Seo Gyuho, forcing a reassuring smile, “I did give him the dolphin, but I told him I found it to cover for you guys…” 

“…So, Captain Shark saw through our lie and is punishing us, right?”

“Well… knowing him, it’s possible…” 

Sijin sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Huu… But don’t worry too much. I’ll talk to him if anything happens. It’ll be okay.”

“Okay… We’d rather he just yelled at us…” 

“R-Right. Go on, get going.”

Shark was indeed living up to his name. To think he’d use such a tactic to punish everyone involved in the lie…

Glancing out the window of the examination room, Sijin spotted Jeong Taeyul.

He was sitting on a bench with Ham Geonwu, sipping coffee. And nestled beside him, on full display, was the dolphin plush toy. Ham Geonwu, sitting next to him, was glaring at the toy with a look of utter disgust.

Sijin’s face fell.

‘Please, just let me live through today…’

He hadn’t expected the price for his lie to be so high. 

Every time he saw his doll doppelganger, he felt a strange sense of unease. He felt like he was being held hostage by Jeong Taeyul through the toy. It was unsettling.

***

The next day, after completing Jeong Taeyul’s full-body examination, Sijin kept him in the examination room.

He had no choice. The results were worrisome.

‘Why has the wave cluster in his shoulder gotten worse?’

His readings were at -65%, which was decent, but the wave cluster in his shoulder had intensified. This usually happened when a Guide was under stress or had performed excessive guiding with an Esper with low compatibility. 

‘He must have pushed himself even though the compatibility wasn’t optimal…’

Sijin sighed. It was his fault for sending Jeong Taeyul on the guiding support mission. He had never encountered a Guide as difficult to manage as Jeong Taeyul.

When he tried to stabilize his wave readings, his energy would cluster in his body. And when he tried to disperse the cluster, his wave readings would drop below the safe zone. Sijin was starting to get a headache.

He decided on a drastic measure. 

[A-rank Guide: Jeong Taeyul] 

[Status: All missions prohibited]

He placed Jeong Taeyul on a complete mission ban.

While a reading of -65% wasn’t usually grounds for a complete ban, Jeong Taeyul’s readings had been unstable for far too long. Sijin was determined to get him back to normal, even if it meant forcing him to rest. 

Jeong Taeyul looked annoyed, but he quietened down after Sijin led him to the recovery room and made him lie down. The recovery room was located right next to the examination room. As Sijin hooked him up to the wave regulator, he warned, “Don’t even think about leaving this room today.”

“If I rest, Ham Geonwu will be overworked.”

“You know it can’t be helped. Lie down.” 

At Sijin’s insistence, Jeong Taeyul settled onto the bed, his upper body covered in intricate patches. They were devices that acted like magnets, attracting wave energy to areas with poor circulation. Wave energy, like blood, needed to flow evenly throughout the body to prevent strain.

‘I hope he’s not stressing himself out even more by resting…’ 

Sijin kept glancing at him nervously.

To his surprise, Jeong Taeyul was sleeping peacefully. The examination room was always bustling with Ability Users, so it was quite noisy. Sijin had never seen him sleep so soundly before.

‘He looks like an angel when he sleeps…’

Sijin thought, observing Jeong Taeyul’s sleeping form. His chiseled physique alone could probably charm a whole crowd.

Strangely, examiner Shin Dayoung kept popping in and out of the recovery room.

“Huu, we’re out of recovery room supplies…”

“Don’t you usually ignore the recovery room?” 

“I just feel like checking up on it today.”

Shin Dayoung replied with a mischievous glint in her eye. Sijin chuckled, recalling how Jeong Taeyul had boasted about his popularity during their first meeting. He had underestimated the number of people seeking Jeong Taeyul’s attention. He’d been turning them away all morning.

As a result, all of the Alpha Team’s tasks fell onto Ham Geonwu’s shoulders. Sijin received a barrage of messages from him. 

[Ham Geonwu: Doctor]

[Ham Geonwu: Jeong Taeyul is fine] 

[Ham Geonwu: I saw him. That bastard is faking it]

[Baek Sijin: Geonwu, I’m sorry, I examined him myself]

[Ham Geonwu: Well, I guess there’s nothing I can say to that]

In the absence of the team captain, all command authority was transferred to the main Esper. Sijin could practically picture Ham Geonwu’s frustrated face. He felt bad for him, but there was nothing he could do. Jeong Taeyul’s recovery was paramount.

Before heading out for lunch, Sijin checked on Jeong Taeyul again.

‘He’ll be okay for a while, right…?’ 

He was still fast asleep. Sijin wondered if Jeong Taeyul had been pulling all-nighters.

Not wanting to wake him, Sijin quietly closed the door.

*** 

Stepping out for lunch, Sijin enjoyed the clear weather. It was a perfect day for a walk.

After a hearty meal, he met with his next patient for a consultation. 

“Are you only doing consultations today, Doctor?”

“Yes. Another examiner will be handling examinations this afternoon.” 

His patient was Esper Yoo Seunghwa. Sijin had no choice but to schedule their consultation during his lunch break, as he had a training session for the trainees in the afternoon. Thankfully, Yoo Seunghwa had been understanding.

They walked side by side along the lake. Bathed in the warm sunlight, the contrast between Sijin’s white coat and Yoo Seunghwa’s black Esper uniform seemed particularly striking. 

Sijin asked politely, “Shall we head to the examination room?” 

“Let’s talk here.” 

“Here?” 

“We only need a place to talk, don’t we?”

“That’s true, but…” 

Sijin was caught off guard by the unexpected suggestion. Yoo Seunghwa, usually aloof and cold, seemed strangely approachable today.

After a moment of hesitation, Sijin agreed.

“The weather’s lovely, so why not.”

He couldn’t refuse a patient’s request. Besides, considering Yoo Seunghwa’s delicate situation with her impending divorce, he wanted to be extra careful. Perhaps a change of scenery would be more comfortable for her than the confines of the examination room.

Yoo Seunghwa then extended her hand towards him. Sijin stared at it, unsure of how to react. “You want to hold hands?”

“Yes.”

She was serious. Sijin was flustered, but Yoo Seunghwa’s expression was resolute. Considering their hostile first encounter, this was a significant development.

Hesitantly, Sijin took her hand. Yoo Seunghwa, as if escorting him, led him towards the lake. 

‘What’s she doing?’

She stopped at the edge of the vast lake and pointed. 

Crack.

In an instant, the lake froze over. Sijin’s eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time he’d witnessed Yoo Seunghwa’s ice manipulation ability firsthand. 

“…..” 

“Let’s go.”

Yoo Seunghwa spoke calmly, but Sijin couldn’t move. He felt frozen in place, more so than the lake. He knew A-rank Espers were powerful, but he hadn’t expected her to freeze an entire lake, larger than a football field, with a single gesture. To think she’d create their ‘private space’ like this…

“Doctor?” 

“Ah, y-yes….” 

He snapped out of his daze, startled by her concerned look, and followed her onto the ice.

The ice was slippery, so he had to hold onto her hand for support. Yoo Seunghwa, clad in sturdy military boots, walked effortlessly across the frozen surface she’d created.

With her help, Sijin found his footing and began walking with more confidence. It felt like gliding on a pair of skis, oddly enjoyable.

However, the consultation was his priority. Carefully navigating the icy path, he asked, “How are things with your imprinted Guide?” 

“The same, I suppose.”

Sijin sighed, unable to offer any words of comfort. 

‘My Guide has asked for a divorce.’

Yoo Seunghwa was on the verge of a divorce, and from the Guide she’d been imprinted with five years ago. To think of severing a bond that was supposed to last a lifetime. It was a heartbreaking situation.

Sijin discreetly observed her. Though her expression was unreadable, it was clear that she wasn’t happy about the divorce. If she truly didn’t care, she would have sought guiding from another Guide. 

However, there were no records of her receiving guiding within the Center. And judging by her stagnant wave readings, it seemed they hadn’t even separated yet. 

Sijin hesitated, then spoke carefully, “I wish there was something I could do to help.”

“Thank you for the sentiment.”

Her response was polite, yet strangely mechanical. Sijin wondered if her ice manipulation ability had somehow affected her personality.

He decided to delve deeper. “What kind of person is your imprinted Guide? I’m curious how you two met.”

“It’s not a very interesting story.”

“There’s no way.”

She smiled faintly, the coldness in her features softening slightly. While Yoo Seunghwa was generally aloof, almost unreadable, she seemed to express a glimmer of emotion when it came to her imprinted Guide. 

Perhaps improving their relationship was the key. Knowing that simply listening could be incredibly helpful, Sijin decided to let her talk. Often, people already knew the answer deep down.

“I met my Guide six years ago.”

After a long silence, Yoo Seunghwa began. The Center, with its incongruous frozen lake, seemed peaceful under the clear June sky.