DB Vol 1 Part 21

-Back to present-

There was a time when Seung-wook couldn’t take his eyes off Ji Won-woo’s eyes. It was when he first saw the young boy long ago. The only thought that came to mind was: How can a person’s eyes shine like that?

He stared at those sparkling eyes for so long that it took a while before he even noticed the handsome face. Though he wasn’t just an innocent young boy, Seung-wook blushed like a child while looking at him.

For days, his heart fluttered thinking of Won-woo. Born as an A-rank Esper in a good family, always receiving people’s attention, he never knew he could be so captivated by someone. Maybe it was first love. But at the time, his pride was too hurt to admit love. How could I, an A-rank Esper, like a D-rank Guide?

So he cruelly trampled on the green emotion that had sprouted like new shoots on thawed spring ground. A D-rank Guide doesn’t match me. He deliberately suppressed the face trying to surface. But every time he heard the name “Won-woo” around him, it rang clearly in his ears as if through a speaker.

Whether fortunate or unfortunate, most talk about Ji Won-woo was mockery and sneers. He could just frown and ignore such words, but occasionally there were those who pitied Won-woo. He seems to be abused by his family, Won-woo is excessively criticized now that the Ji family has become publicly popular, and so on.

These stories didn’t easily leave his mind even as time passed. Couldn’t I save him? He’s a pitiful person. If I helped him, he’d be much better off. He imagined such scenarios but couldn’t act on them, worried about others’ eyes. Won-woo and he were not of the same class. He had no excuse ready if someone saw them together.

So for several years, Won-woo was like a box Seung-wook couldn’t throw away, just gathering dust in a corner. Then he saw him at the Center. But the Won-woo he saw again no longer had those sparkling eyes. With an expressionless face, his gaze was always cast downward.

While disappointed, he also felt a desire to save him even now. So he met with him. Quietly, without anyone knowing. But the results of his offered salvation fell far short of expectations. Won-woo just followed him like a doll. He showed no affection for Seung-wook, not even gratitude.

Unable to see those sparkling eyes he had fallen for, his relationship with Won-woo ended filled only with disappointment. He belatedly realized that others had noticed their meetings and misunderstood that Won-woo was stalking him, but he had no intention of coming forward to explain.

By then, he had already met a new, truly sparkling partner. A Guide named Idan was A-rank with a wide guiding wavelength range, a talent Centers vied to recruit. Moreover, he always had a smiling face. Perhaps because he had met Won-woo who seemed like the end of darkness, Idan captivated him instantly like bright sunlight.

For a while, he lived completely immersed in that warmth. He was happy, and sex with the A-rank Guide was satisfying too. Since guiding heightened pleasure, all Espers desired relationships with well-matched Guides. Idan was the best partner for Seung-wook in every aspect.

But why, he doesn’t know why that gloomy Guide keeps coming to mind. Why his name still sounds exceptionally loud like through an amplifier, why he gets more excited thinking of the wooden Won-woo even while having satisfying sex with Idan, he couldn’t understand. All Seung-wook could do was habitually suppress it, just as he had trampled on his first love feelings.

So even when he suddenly encountered Won-woo in the Center, he could ignore him as if he were a stranger. No, he felt he was the one being ignored. Because Won-woo still wouldn’t look him in the eye.

But this time was different. When Idan dragged him up saying he had the key to the rooftop, he never dreamed he’d see Won-woo there. Nor that they would look each other straight in the eye, and that those eyes would shine beautifully like before.

Won-woo was exasperated. Do people connected in the original world also have ties here? Won-woo stared straight back at Seung-wook, who was looking at him intently. Why did Ji Won-woo become that guy’s stalker? As soon as the question arose, an answer came to mind. There’s no way Ji Won-woo would have liked that person. He was certain that if he was another version of himself, it would never happen. Was it really ordered by the Ji family?

“Oh, are you perhaps Guide Ji Won-woo?”

Won-woo turned his head at the unfamiliar voice and saw a short man standing next to Seung-wook. He was looking up at Won-woo with surprised eyes.

“Why are you there?”

“I was going to eat.”

“There?”

Finding his surprised questioning cute, Won-woo chuckled.

“Yes. The view is nice.”

Seung-wook seemed to frown at his smile, but Won-woo ignored it and stood up. He carefully picked up the trash beside him and quickly slid down the water tank’s pillar like a fireman’s pole. He knew both of their gazes were fixed on him, but Won-woo didn’t care. As he was about to leave the rooftop, someone stopped him.

“Excuse me.”

“Ji Won-…”

Seung-wook and Idan called out to him simultaneously. Then they both looked at each other in surprise, their expressions hardening.

“What is it?”

When Won-woo broke the awkward silence, Idan looked back at him. But Seung-wook averted his gaze.

“How did you get in here? I’m the only one with a spare key.”

“The door was open, so I came in.”

“Uh…”

Idan blinked in surprise. Won-woo then turned his gaze to Seung-wook.

“If you have nothing to say, may I leave?”

Seung-wook furrowed his brows and his lips moved, but he ultimately didn’t open them. Bang! As soon as Won-woo closed the iron door of the rooftop, a question was heard.

[I thought you said you couldn’t act?]

“Yeah, that’s right.”

[You calmly lied about the door being open though.]

“Yeah, I’m good at lying.”

[Haha.]

A short laugh was clearly heard. Won-woo stopped walking.

“Oh, you can laugh? I didn’t know you had such sound effects.”

[…I was updated.]

“That’s good. It really sounded like you were mocking me.”

[…Of course it was re…]

“Huh? What did you say?”

[I asked if there’s a difference between acting and lying.]

It seemed completely different from the faint words just before, but Won-woo brushed it off lightly.

“Of course. Acting requires emotion, but lying doesn’t. People who are good at both can shake others by acting while putting emotion into their lies. So when you talk to those people later, never be fooled.”

[Who are you referring to?]

“The Ji family people.”

[But you’re also from the Ji family. I guess I shouldn’t be fooled.]

“Our Nani is quite smart, isn’t he?”

When Won-woo praised him affectionately with a laugh, a sigh was heard. Judging by how it sounded slightly different each time, it seemed like they had recorded multiple versions of sound effects. Suddenly, there was a lot of static and a faint voice was heard.

[Don’t talk to me like that while smiling. Damn it.]

Won-woo was going down the stairs and didn’t hear properly, so he asked again.

“What did you say?”

[I didn’t say anything.]

What was that, another malfunction? Won-woo, who firmly believed in the AI’s honesty, didn’t pursue it and just nodded.

“I thought you told me not to speak while smiling.”

[Why? Did someone get angry when you smiled?]

Won-woo’s steps slowed. For a moment, the smile disappeared from his face as he recalled someone from the past, and his eyes sank endlessly as if darkness was falling. His voice also lowered as he answered.

“Yes.”

[Seems like they disliked you.]

“They did, at first. But later, they didn’t. That’s why… it was a problem.”

I wish they had kept disliking me. Won-woo shook his head briefly as if to forget him and changed the subject.

“By the way, do you have other laughing sounds? Like laughing out of joy?”

[No. Even if I did, I wouldn’t use them.]

Instead, Won-woo laughed out loud.

“Hahaha, is that so? Then I guess you’ll have to learn from hearing my laughter. I’ll laugh joyfully at your stories.”

Tap tap tap, only footsteps echoed as they went down a floor, with no voice from Nani. After a long while, a dry response was heard.

[I don’t tell stories worth laughing joyfully about.]

“No, you’re quite funny actually.”

[…Me?]

And cute too. But he didn’t say this out loud, thinking he might get upset again.

“Yes. But I also laugh freely because you’re a machine. You won’t have emotions towards me, so there’s nothing uncomfortable about it.”

[What’s uncomfortable?]

“Those who have emotions for me watch me closely, so it’s troublesome in many ways. Even now, I left quickly because there’s someone I don’t want to get emotionally involved with.”

While Ji Won-woo’s stalking rumors were annoying, Seung-wook’s stalking was also a problem. There’s no rule saying this Seung-wook couldn’t like him either. In this world, he wanted to keep his distance before that happened.

[You weren’t scared of Hong Seung-wook?]

“Why would I be scared of Hong Seung-wook?”

[That you might fall in love.]

It was surprising that Nani mentioned Seung-wook’s name, but more than that, his words were amusing, so he just smirked.

“Not at all. There’s no way I’d fall in love with Hong Seung-wook.”

[Why? Because you love someone else?]

Won-woo stopped with his leg raised, about to go down the stairs.

“Are you curious about that?”

[No. It’s just information gathering.]

Right, he was a machine. Won-woo let out a hollow laugh, having almost mistakenly thought he was interested in him. Then he heard a soft mutter in his ear.

[Love isn’t anything special anyway.]

“No. Love is a big deal. You probably don’t understand, but love is an amazing emotion.”

Won-woo added quietly as he resumed walking.

“But unrequited love can be terribly awful.”

***

“Ji Won-woo-ssi is very different from the rumors.”

Seung-wook, who had been staring at the closed iron door, startled at the words from beside him. He had forgotten Idan was there. Fortunately, Idan was also looking at the recently closed door.

“Ah, is it uncomfortable for you to talk about Ji Won-woo-ssi, hyung?”

“Why should I be uncomfortable?”

Idan awkwardly rolled his eyes at Seung-wook’s cold voice.

“Well, I heard the stalking rumors. Um, that Ji Won-woo-ssi likes you. …Is it true?”

Seung-wook turned towards the railing and tossed out an answer.

“I don’t know.”

Idan quickly followed him, tightly closing his mouth. It sounded like he didn’t care, but it wasn’t a denial either, so it was a bit puzzling. Whatever the case, he seemed to dislike Won-woo being brought up as a topic. Idan had felt this a few times before, but it became certain this time.

At least on the surface, it looked like he was ignoring Won-woo because he disliked him. But strangely, Idan found it hard to shake off the unease that it might be the opposite. That Seung-wook was actually too conscious of Won-woo and was trying to hide it. Of course, since Seung-wook had never brought up Won-woo first before, Idan thought that couldn’t be the case. But the Won-woo he saw today rekindled that unease.

“I didn’t know Ji Won-woo-ssi was so handsome. I always saw him from afar, and he always had his head down, so I never got a proper look. But he has such intense eyes.”

Idan tried to speak lightly with a smile, but there was no response. Seung-wook was leaning on the railing looking out, but he seemed lost in thought.

“Hyung.”

“…”

“Seung-wook hyung.”

Only after Idan called several times did Seung-wook turn his eyes as if coming to his senses. Then, as if guilt flashed in his eyes, he raised his hand and gently cupped Idan’s face.

“Aren’t I more handsome?”

At the playful words, Idan finally smiled brightly. Then, as if reassured, he habitually nuzzled into the large hand.

“You’re handsome in a different way. Like how I’m handsome in a different way?”

“So you know you’re handsome.”

“You know too.”

Seung-wook showed his white teeth in a brief laugh.

“Yes, I know. But he…”

Seung-wook started to mention someone but stopped abruptly, then laughed loudly as if to erase the awkwardness.

“I like people who acknowledge their strengths and have confidence. Like you.”

Idan’s eyes curved in a smile, unable to hide his joy at the compliment. Seung-wook naturally lowered his head towards Idan’s face. As they got close enough for their lips to touch, the smile disappeared from his face, no longer needing to hide his expression.

A warm, soft flesh touched his lips, but in his mind, the image of Won-woo remained fixed, refusing to disappear. Especially those sparkling eyes.

But when Won-woo looked at Seung-wook, there wasn’t a single shred of emotion.

“No, I didn’t expect Chief Jung to come in person. Isn’t he a very busy person? When he first came to give me the communicator, he said everything he needed to in under 2 minutes and disappeared, so I thought some rapper had come and gone.”

Sang-cheon was talking about Chief Jung’s visit while repairing an old laptop a regular customer had left. But no matter how much he chattered alone, his companion remained quiet today.

“Nani-ssi?”

When Sang-cheon couldn’t hold back and called out, this time there was an immediate response.

[Fuck, don’t call me by that name.]

Hearing the curse actually made him feel relieved. Sang-cheon paused as he was about to close the back panel of the reassembled laptop. Have I become accustomed to Nani’s swearing?

[It’s already fucking annoying enough to hear Ji Won-woo calling me Nani, Nani.]

Ah, no. My heart is at ease because I know Nani is in a bad mood. Sang-cheon reassured himself, finding the reason for his comfort.

“So. Did you cut off communication with Ji Won-woo because you didn’t want to hear it?”

[No.]

The blunt answer sounded no different from usual, but Sang-cheon keenly sensed Nani’s irritation. Why? Did the communication really get cut off? Nani would have to stick to the AI role, so he wouldn’t have ended it first.