SOG Ch 37

“Wow, shameless bastard.”

“Don’t get me wrong. My phone was broken.”

“Don’t give me that shit, bastard.”

Jae-chan could see the Guides around him glancing because of the loud voice without hesitation. Espers from E-SOF, whose senses had no bounds, would have heard it long ago. It was because of the close distance. Of course, Go Woo-jin will not listen with his back ear, but… As Seon Jae-chan wrinkled his eyebrows in annoyance, Gyeong Chang-hyun’s voice continued.

“Then what about yesterday, you were at the Emergency Guidance Center, right? Jung Yeon-oh saw that your phone was fine.”

Jeong Yeon-oh was the whistleblower out of the three. He must have seen that Jae-chan’s phone was still working, and then ran to Gyeong Chang-hyun and told him.

“That, I just fixed it yesterday.”

Jae-chan made an excuse, trying to keep his words as short as possible.

“What. I called at 5 o’clock and 8 o’clock yesterday.”

“I didn’t ignore it. I was tired so I went to bed at 5 o’clock.”

“… You slept from 5 o’clock until this morning?”

As if trying to prove his call record, Gyeong Chang-hyun, who was about to reach out to his cell phone, hesitated.

“Isn’t that mean you’re dead?”

At first glance, his sharp expression turned solemn. “Are you sure you’re still alive?” he asked, raising his eyebrows as if he didn’t believe Jae-chan when he says he slept while he put his hand on Je-chan’s forehead 

The perfume smelled stronger. Jae-chan obediently accepted the touch, but he wondered how much longer he would have to struggle with this big idiot. At this point, Seon Jae-chan’s eyes cooled bitterly beneath the palm that covered his forehead.

“Oh. It’s the old man.”

Gyeong Chang-hyun, who meticulously compared his temperature, pulled his head out like a turtle.

There was only one person who was called Old man. Jae-chan also hurriedly lifted his forehead beneath the warm palms and looked at his superiors, who had just arrived. mong the executives, one person who was noticeably young and dressed in a black uniform caught his eye right away.

Han Tae-hoon, Team Leader of Guide Team 1.

Although they were not related on paper, President Gyeong Jeon-seok, was the son-in-law of Han Tae-hoon’s family, and Gyeong Chang-hyun himself was a guide for Team 1, so he is often referred to as an old man.

Team leader Han Tae-hoon was seated in the front seat with the other team leaders. Seon Jae-chan’s eyes followed him as he watched the clean back in a black coat. It was a face that had been stuck in his mind at every opportunity since yesterday.

Han Tae-hoon, who later became the director of the guide, was a person who stood against Black Swan until the end.

Not to mention having a lot of power and influence. His ability was exceptional enough to be considered one of the best in the current situation, and he even had a relationship with President Gyeong Jeon-seok. There would be no one more suitable than him if Jae-chan need to gain the support of a powerful figure who would support his actions. The only problem was…

‘… I’ll have to control that.’

Unlike before, he felt the need to gain power, even if it meant putting himself under some pressure. He contemplated how he could gain Han Tae-hoon’s cooperation. It was when he was thinking. Suddenly, he felt a gaze on him. Jae-chan immediately returned the gaze that had been directed at him.

It was Seon Eun-soo, who stood about five steps away from Han Tae-hoon.

“…”

Jae-chan thought he wasn’t attending the event because he wasn’t part of Esper Team 1, but now he was with the team leader of Esper Team 1. Seon Eun-soo smiled like a spring breeze while escorting the competent team leader. Even the hairstyle that was raised to reveal a bright forehead was pretentious, Seon Jae-chan thought.

Then he heard the sound of breathing.

A stifled breath. The sound of a strangled animal, stuck in place, leaking out in short bursts through a clogged airway.

It was the sound of his own breath. Seon Jae-chan’s facial muscles stiffened. Seon Eun-soo, who had seated the team leader, was coming straight toward him.

*

The gaze that met his eyes was as disgusting as the mucus that had been scavenged.

The malice in his smiling eyes. The humidity that clung to the back of his neck. The thin pupils inside his older brother’s semicircular eyes rolled silently and scanned him. Jae-chan despised those gazes that left behind sticky traces like snail tracks.

The glossy black shoes stepped onto the blue velvet carpet that symbolized unity.  The space where Jae-chan sits seemed to shrink by an inch as Seon Eun-soo approached one step at a time. The buzzing noise around him was like turmoil in his mind. The air rushed in like a closed room, forming a wall.

Seon Eun-soo’s smile deepened when he noticed Seon Jae-chan, who had visibly stiffened. A dark dimple appeared on one of his cheeks.

The cheek dimple on his smooth cheeks was only noticeable for a split second.

Seon Eun-soo’s leisure walk stopped

His eyes, which had been curved into a semicircle were distorted. His older brother had turned his gaze straight ahead. It got away from him, like a lie in an intangible cage.

“…”

By now, Seon Jae-chan had regained his composure.

It was thanks to the accumulated experiences until he was 27. Although he did not know such a fact, Seon Eun-soo, a special-minded person, was vaguely aware of his brother’s mental strength, which had become as hard as a trained muscle.

Wait a second. Passing attendees stopped and looked at him with concern. Following the passing of the apologetic group. For a brief moment, Eun-soo rubbed his stiff neck. He relaxed his neck and his eyes narrowed again.

He climbed the stairs and approached his brother.

“It’s been a while, Chang-hyun.”

However, the gaze that was pressing Seon Jae-chan was colorless, and the person he spoke to was Gyeong Chang-hyun.

Hearing the voice ignoring his side, Seon Jae-chan internally snorted. It was a familiar situation. His brother hasn’t changed.

“The clothes fit well. Why don’t you usually wear it like this?”

Seon Eun-soo continued to ignore Seon Jae-chan and only spoke to Gyeong Chang-hyun. Unlike his father and mother, who were conscious of what others thought of them, his older brother openly ignored Seon Jae-chan even outside, so it was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Ah… yes.”

The odd one out was Kyung Chang-hyun. He nodded in greeting, but for some reason, his words were hesitant.

“How is the President?”

“I think the reporters on state TV know better than I do.”

Gyeong Chang-hyun raised his long, single-lidded eyes. Jae-chan became increasingly intrigued by the amount of conversation the two of them were doing. Wasn’t it Gyeong Chang-hyun originally on good terms with Seon Eun-soo? Why was he suddenly causing trouble?”

It was something that hadn’t happened in the past.

‘… Well. It can’t be important.’

He could figure it out later.

The important thing now was that he had shrunk like a frog in front of a poisonous snake after encountering Seon Eun-soo a while ago. Taking advantage of Seon Jae-chan’s self-reflection, Seon Eun-soo switched targets.

“Woo-jin. I heard you had a hard time on Mentosa Island.”

His voice became smoother than when he was talking to Gyeong Chang-hyun.

Other people don’t know, but Seon Jae-chan can tell the difference. Hearing that, Jae-chan had a fleeting thought that the brother he hated looked exactly like him. Seon Eun-soo was an S-class Esper who full of pretense, tried hard to maintain a close relationship with Chairman Go Young-chang’s son. 

Go Woo-jin replied with a light nod. Sun Eun-soo’s smooth voice continued.

“As expected. You’ve always had a hard time in your life. I mean Jae-chan. Even though he’s my younger brother, I know he’s stubborn. And disqualified as a guide.”

While Seon Eun-soo continued the conversation by himself, Jae-chan inadvertently turned his gaze to Go Woo-jin. Due to Seon Eun-soo’s oblique position in the aisle, Jae-chan was able to see Woo-jin’s profile. Jae-chan was taken aback when he saw him respond with a slight smile, as most people do.

If Woo-jin knew how double-faced Seon Eun-soo is, he wouldn’t smile like that.

Not only Woo-jin, but everyone would despise Seon Eun-soo if they saw the real him.

However, the inside that was seething with childish thoughts soon calmed down. The burning corners of Seon Jae-chan’s eyes were weakly extinguished.

“…”

Even if Seon Eun-soo’s true identity was revealed, no one would care.

The world he knew was like that; the more you showed your vulnerability, the more they will bite you. Even he wasn’t one of the fortunate greats who were praised for displaying vulnerability. There was no prior history of being cared for by begging.

It was better to hide the weakness as tightly as possible.

Jae-chan was used to being discouraged. His double-faced parents and Seon Eun-soo were all things he had to hide, especially in front of Go Woo-jin. It was natural for him to want to be seen as cool and dignified in front of his crush, even if it wasn’t what he wanted.

He couldn’t afford to expose an embarrassing weakness with one swipe.

His lips pulled tightly together. Seon Jae Chan held his head up even more firmly and clenched his fingertips, which had been trembling since Seon Eun Soo approached.

‘Stop thinking useless things, and while I’m back, I’ll have to fix this weak habit.’

If it was not an animal trained for stimulation and reaction, he didn’t know why he shrank weakly when he saw Seon Eun-soo.

Seon Jae-chan needed to grind his teeth and organize his thoughts. Go Woo-jin was also gradually wrapping up the conversation.