SOG Ch 24

He gasped like he had fallen into the water and was pulled out of it. Seon Jae-chan put his mind back together. Even as he grunted from the overwhelming nervousness, tension, and suffocation, he unleashed a storm of curses at his past self.

Stupid.

You stupid!

You should have done field guiding a long time ago…!

It was so…

Wow.

It was so good.

‘Crazy. I’m not even a pervert….’

I’m going crazy. Everything he wanted was right here.

Even though his breath was caught in his throat, black dots flashed, and he felt as if he were looking out at the universe from the edge of an unlit cliff, but somehow… it was good.  His heart pounded painfully against the heat of Go Woo-Jin’s body. Even as he hugged his body like a rock heated up by lava, his heart ached from the desire to contain and touch him more. He closed his eyelids tightly and inhaled deeply the familiar scent that filled his lungs.

Even if he didn’t want to die from breathing difficulties, he would never have been able to push Woo-jin away. It was just as good. It was a realization that was so bitter that it brought him to tears.

‘Humans don’t change. I even think it’s good in this situation.’

He breathed out with a heavy head and resigned himself. No matter how many times he returns, his true nature doesn’t change.

He had no idea whether human nature is innately evil, as some scholars claim. It was obvious that his nature was evil. It was so nice in the past when the friend he always wanted to lean on was forced into his hands, but he seemed to go insane when he voluntarily hugged him warmly. Even though that guy must have been in pain to the point of losing reason.

This’s driving me crazy.

With a flushed face, Jae-chan blamed himself for being mean. At the very least, it would be a relief if his poor self was freaked out and did his best to guide more than ever before.

“…”

On the other hand, Go Woo-jin was distorting his eyes as he watched Seon Jae-chan struggling to breathe, not knowing that he was thinking that way.

The wide open lips and the heated eyes looked painful, but… Perhaps because of the previous contact, it was perceived as a strangely perverted scene.

He was stunned by the sudden excitement. He wondered if his rational mind was now paralyzed by his instincts as an Espers.

His breathing became rough again. When he tried to hit himself on the head at the irrational impulsiveness,

“It’s fine.”

Seon Jae-chan hurriedly stretched out his hand. Swallowing his breath, he still hadn’t even managed to mend his disheveled shirt.

Even so, the absurd thought came to him: I want to slide my hand under that disheveled shirt. I wanted to feel the touch of the thin skin that seemed to cling to my palm again. Was I this kind of person? Go Woo-jin became stunned again and tightly wrapped his trembling fingertips.

This was the first time. It was the first time that he had physical contact with the guide while being guided.

“…”

The shaken black eyes were still fixated on the wavelength of the connected guiding machine. ‘Wavelength stability 82.’ Despite being far above the stable value, it was more stable than usual.

… I wanted to touch him.

‘It must be because of the guiding.’

That’s right. It must be because of his guiding. What the hell did he do over the summer that made him think that guiding…

No.

The guiding isn’t the only problem.

Woo-jin took a breath. He wanted to touch the firm and perfect tranquility that never backed down no matter how wild his wavelength was. No matter how hard it was, Seon Jae-chan accepted it all. So was the kiss. The absurd kiss that seemed to eat his lips and the area around them was steadfastly endured. Even the hand that was pushing him away was cautious and euphemistic.

Woo-jin unknowingly turned his gaze back to him. When their gazes met, Jae-chan turned to lick his lips in embarrassment while his eyes avoided him. It was at that moment when he became dazed as if bewitched by the color of his small protruding tongue and then frowned his brows after noticing something.

Jae-chan’s pale hand wrapped around the back of his hand again.

“It’s okay.”

The content of the slightly raspy voice continued very strangely.

“Uh. Well. Friends can kiss each other. Something like that.”

Seon Jae-chan moved his fingertips like ants crawling on them, without saying anything. He raised his bloodless hand as a result of his excessive guiding and tapped Go Woo-jin’s shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said once more. He wiped his wet lips with his other hand.

Go Woo-jin relaxed for a moment as he looked at him. He followed Seon Jae-chan and rubbed his lips with the back of his hand, unable to think of anything to say.

His impulses were calmed by the gentle pat on his shoulder, and he felt a sense of reason return to him.

The silence was soothing and somehow his throat felt heavy. Go Woo-jin dropped his hand and said the words he had to say earlier.

“…Sorry.”

“…”

Jae-chan, unable to take his hands away from his mouth, took a shallow breath. Soon after, he responded calmly that he was fine. He was staring at the ceiling this time.

Likewise, not facing each other, Woo-jin removed all the electrodes that had almost fallen off his body during the turmoil. After that, he took off his uniform top and handed it over without saying anything.

Only then did Seon Jae-chan realize his own outfit as the jacket was silently pushed out. All of his buttons have been ripped off, right down to the pit of his stomach.

The hot hand that had touched his bare skin seemed to come back to life when he saw the red handprint on his chest. He hurriedly accepted the clothes, as if running away from the memory. He hid the marks by wearing a jacket.

He was able to hide it once he buttoned up his larger uniform, but the sloppy shirt collar was a problem.

Go Woo-jin, who blinked at him more quickly than usual, even untied his necktie. Seon Jae-chan suddenly felt very awkward and looked at the ceiling again while trying to say it was okay. He then accepted the tie.

He tied the Esper’s tie, which was only slightly wider than the Guide’s and in good condition, around the neck collar. Jae-chan’s tie, which was crumpled and scattered on the floor, was stuffed into Go Woo-jin’s pocket. 

…

The two of them sat side by side with quite a gap.

They were engulfed in their own thoughts and confusion. They sat far apart on the bed, never making eye contact, even by accident. He stared at every corner of the control room as if it were incredibly interesting. They awkwardly straightened each other’s disheveled hair until the system recognized the Esper’s stable wavelength and increased the brightness of the closed room lights.

*

“I’m so glad, Esper Go Woo-jin!”

Department Head Yoo Jung-jin, who had rushed to the Esper’s congestion prevention room after hearing the news of stability, smiled.

Esper Go Woo-jin smiled and bowed neatly while wearing only a shirt. The waiting guard also entered the countermeasure room, and Seon Jae-chan, whose gaze was in a strange place, stood up.

Department Head Yoo Jung-jin hesitated, then remembered what he was supposed to do and followed Seon Jae-chan. The gold spoon Guide, who walked out of the iron gate at a brisk pace, was wearing an Esper uniform, probably because the air conditioner was cold.

“Guide Seon Jae-chan. You’re exactly like what I’ve heard too. I was surprised to see a stable number notification pop up fairly quickly. The matching rate between the two of you has increased!”

Jae-chan, who had been rubbing his lips with his palm, nodded with a faint smile on his face. He didn’t even look at the monitor, but he thought the result was good. The guiding control is still the same, which is why he called the human amplifier before his return, and it was the first time he was so immersed in guiding.

Before he knew it, the sun was slowly sinking outside the window. “Esper Seon Min-yeol will be full even if he doesn’t eat,” he heard this all the way down the long corridor at sunset. This and other flattering remarks poured in, but he didn’t feel anything about them. He was still mesmerized after he was guiding Go Woo-jin.

It was my first kiss with him.

He couldn’t recognize it properly because he was so distracted, but the heat was clear. He licked the body heat that seemed to be still in his mouth, and his stomach felt unbearably chilly, so he hurriedly pressed the elevator button. He glanced at the corner at the end of the corridor where Go Woo-jin was still standing. He needs to stay away from him for a while.

“…”

He felt his heart pounding as he stood still. As he hesitated to come here, the thought that the closer he was, the more difficult it would be to close his heart became a reality.

Go Woo-jin must have kissed him out of necessity, but the Esper whose wavelength was unstable may have instinctively sought deep guiding rather than what he wanted.

His heart pounded as if it had grown larger. His heart was pounding so hard that it wouldn’t be surprising if he threw his logic out the window and charged at him at any moment.

He suddenly looked down at his oversized jacket. This is a conquest coat with a nametag that reads ’Go Woo-jin’ and a shoulder badge representing the position and class. The warm and heavy touch of the jacket, as well as its distinct cool scent, seemed to provide him with a belated sense of relaxation.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”