TS 055

Yoon Taehwa raised his gaze towards the hesitant Kang Jaemin. He had been checking the submitted documents, leaning his temple on his hand in a slanted posture. It was the expression he always made when he had done something to get scolded for, so his eyebrows furrowed askew.

“Confess.”

“Pardon? I haven’t done anything to get scolded for?”

“You always make that face whenever you have something to confess to the Team Leader.”

Hae Na-eun, who had been looking at the documents with him, chimed in. Kang Jaemin, who had scratched his head awkwardly, let out a silly laugh and slyly joined in.

“That’s not it…”

“If you have something to say, say it. Don’t beat around the bush.”

For the past week, Yoon Taehwa’s nerves had been on edge. It was because they were being hammered by the media every day for the sudden appearance of the monster and the Center’s inadequate terror response system. He wasn’t one to be conscious of public opinion, but it was difficult to completely ignore the news that he couldn’t help but hear.

“Why haven’t I seen Suryeon-hyung lately?”

At the name that popped out, Yoon Taehwa placed the documents on the table. He straightened his posture, leaned back in his chair, and stared intently at Kang Jaemin.

“What about Han Suryeon.”

“No, I was just curious because I haven’t seen him. Our team is in the middle of a busy period right now.”

To say it was a busy period, Kang Jaemin and Kim Su-an were living in a flower garden. Yoon Taehwa narrowed his eyes.

“It seems our youngest has met with Han Suryeon.”

It had already been a week since Han Suryeon had vanished without a trace. A vague certainty arose that this might be the reason why his nerves were so on edge.

“Pardon? Ah, n-no, I haven’t.”

“Team Leader, Jaemin is confessing that it’s true.”

Hae Na-eun pointed out Kang Jaemin’s lie. His face was a dead giveaway, so there was no need to interrogate him.

“Then why are you asking? I thought I told you he was out on the Director’s orders.”

He didn’t know what he was up to, but since there was no excuse to cover for his sudden absence, he had vaguely said that he was carrying out an individual mission.

‘I think it’s because of our last argument…’

Since he had come here with a purpose, it didn’t seem likely that he was just playing around. Just as he was thinking that he might be moving alone, his train of thought suddenly jumped to a different direction.

‘Or did he go to get Guiding.’

He hadn’t received a report that he had left for Russia, so there was a possibility that the Guide had come to Korea. The thought of Han Suryeon receiving Guiding was absurd.

‘I don’t know who it was that declared they would kill my Paired Guide if I had one.’

A slight displeasure arose, and Yoon Taehwa stroked his cheek.

“Hmm, I don’t think it’s just because of the Director’s orders?”

Kang Jaemin scratched the tip of his nose and muttered something out of the blue. The way he propped his arms on the table and shrugged his shoulders made him look like he knew a big secret. This time, too, Yoon Taehwa raised his eyebrows.

“What do you want to say?”

“Actually…”

Kang Jaemin, who had been needlessly looking around, covered the corner of his mouth with the side of his hand and whispered.

“I ran into Suryeon-hyung last time. The day you went to the main house, Team Leader.”

“..…”

“We talked for a bit then, and he said he was sulking with you.”

At the word ‘sulking,’ Yoon Taehwa’s expression crumpled.

“He was whining that he was hurt because of you, Team Leader.”

“Ha.”

His lips twisted.

“He’s not a kid…”

He felt his head throbbing even more. Yoon Taehwa irritably swept back his hair, which wasn’t even falling. He wasn’t one to be sensitive unless he was in the field, but strangely, his emotions were all over the place.

“Why would Suryeon-ssi be hurt because of the Team Leader?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me the details.”

“…Are you two perhaps having a lovers’ quarrel?”

At Kang Jaemin’s answer of not knowing, Hae Na-eun, who had seriously lowered her eyes, threw a bombshell statement. Yoon Taehwa let out a hollow laugh and rolled his eyes toward her. She wasn’t a team member who usually spouted strange things like Kang Jaemin or Kim Su-an, so it was even more ridiculous.

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”

“You had a brief war of words at the Han River.”

“Huh? You two fought? While dealing with the Kraken? I thought I was going to die just blocking one leg!”

“It wasn’t a fight, it was more like I was the one getting an earful.”

At that time, Hae Na-eun had been standing behind. She was in a position where she could watch the confrontation with Han Suryeon unfold.

“For that, Suryeon-ssi‘s expression didn’t look very good. Why did you get an earful?”

“For rushing in to save Kim Su-an.”

“Ah… I was surprised then too. You suddenly ran off.”

“It’s over.”

Yoon Taehwa made an annoyed face and pointed at the documents with his fingertip. It was the data that Seeker Team 1 had organized and sent, with the report on the traces on Bamseom neatly arranged.

“Ah! I know why Suryeon-hyung said he was hurt.”

Just as he was about to shake off the stray thoughts and focus on work, Kang Jaemin shot up from the table.

“Team Leader, you told him not to worry about you again, didn’t you?”

“..…”

Yoon Taehwa just furrowed his brows.

“Right? That’s why Suryeon-hyung is like that.”

“I have no idea what ‘that’s why’ he’s like that.”

“We know that’s just a habit of yours, Team Leader, but Suryeon-hyung wouldn’t know. Of course he’d be hurt if you said ‘what’s it to you’ after he went to the trouble of worrying. I was really dispirited too when you said that to me when I first joined the Center.”

“A habit of mine?”

“You didn’t know?”

Hae Na-eun asked, her eyes wide. Yoon Taehwa just sighed. Not many people would be conscious of their own verbal habits.

“I’ll tell Suryeon-hyung next time I see him that it’s just a habit of yours, Team Leader! I was really upset too until Na-eun-noona told me.”

“You were in the wrong this time, Team Leader. I also worry about you sometimes. And Su-an needs to be attacked by a monster to snap out of it, so just leave him be next time.”

At the string of nagging, Yoon Taehwa suspected that his team members had heard something from Lee Woojin. Unless the three of them had conspired, there was no way they would be saying the same thing about the same topic.

‘By the way, I didn’t know it was a habit of mine.’

He certainly didn’t know it was a phrase so ingrained that his team members would notice.

“I’m full from hearing an earful of nagging from Woojin-hyung already.”

Only after hearing Kang Jaemin say that he had been upset when he first joined the Center did he realize, anew, that the time he had spent with Han Suryeon was not that long.

‘Should I apologize after all?’

His mind became complicated over something he usually wouldn’t even think about. Thinking it would be better to focus on work, he was about to cut the conversation short when he saw a figure loitering outside the meeting room. As if they had felt his gaze, a knock was heard and the door peeked open.

“Team Leader.”

It was Kim Dohee.

“Could you spare a moment.”

She had something trailing behind her.

Yoon Taehwa stared at the two people standing in front of him with a deadpan expression.

“Team 2 must be busy too. What brings you all the way to the 34th floor?”

“My kid here said he wanted to apologize.”

“I-I’m sorry. Team Leader.”

The person Kim Dohee had brought with her was the A-class Esper who had spouted nonsense during the training last time. Yoon Taehwa, who was leaning against the desk with his arms crossed, tilted his head.

“I don’t know why you’re apologizing to me.”

“Th-that’s…”

“You should be saying that to the Guide, not me.”

As if the emotionless gaze was quite scary, the rookie flinched his shoulders.

“He’s been apologizing every time he sees them. Please let it slide this once, seeing the guts he had to come and tell you directly.”

Kim Dohee, with a good-natured charm, patted the rookie’s shoulder. It seemed she was trying to coddle her kid and give him a carrot.

“Name.”

“Y-Yes?”

“What’s your name?”

“It’s An Sangun…”

It seemed Han Suryeon had trampled him quite well, as he was thoroughly intimidated.

“Alright, you can go now.”

“Yes! I-I’m truly sorry. I will never say such things again! I will worship Guides like gods!”

An Sangun, who had bowed his head deeply, hastily went outside. The speed at which he walked was close to fleeing, as if he wanted to get out of this place quickly.

“You were in charge of the bomb shelter, weren’t you?”

Yoon Taehwa began, turning to Kim Dohee.

“Last week. This week is Team 3 Leader’s turn. You know, the S-classes, except for Team 1, agreed to take turns guarding it.”

“What’s the Director’s opinion?”

“With the Bamseom incident and all, it seems she’s planning to make it official that Monomorium is in Korea. I think they’ll start moving in earnest from next week.”

Seeing as the Ants had targeted Pavel, it was clear that he had important information.

‘It must be about the negotiations. Though I still don’t know what it is.’

That was why Pavel had been moved to one of the bomb shelters in the Center, and why the S-class Espers had decided to take turns guarding him.

“He has to wake up to be of any use.”

“The Director said she’d forcefully wake him up this time, even if she has to massage his brain.”

“If Monomorium comes to the surface, the higher-ups will approve it.”

Yoon Taehwa slowly pushed himself away from the desk. After sending Kim Dohee off, he had to check the reports again.

“Is there anyone going in and out of the bomb shelter?”

“Pardon?”

Kim Dohee tilted her head, as if to ask what he meant.

“Hardly anyone knows that guy is there, so there’s no way anyone would be going in and out. I’m dying of boredom, I tell you. There’s not even anyone who drops by for a moment.”

Since she hated boring things the most in the world, it was understandable that she would be fed up.

“We’ll be moving soon, so just bear with it a little longer.”

“Of course.”

Yoon Taehwa left the team leader’s office to head back to the meeting room.

“And can you stop making trouble when we’re busy? Why did you bring the kid now?”

“No, it ended up like this because I was trying to avoid Han Suryeon-ssi. He absolutely refuses to see him. He says he’s too scared to even run into him.”

The pale face that had been standing in the middle of a pool of blood, when he had said that blood was scary, faintly flashed past his mind.

“I have to ask him how he messed him up when I see him… I don’t think I’ve seen him around lately, did he get a personal mission?”

Tsk, Kim Dohee, smacking her lips, slyly asked. A faint headache came over him, and Yoon Taehwa pressed the space between his brows with his knuckles. He wouldn’t know even if she asked him.

“He’s probably somewhere.”

A sudden thirst welled up, and irritation flared.