DB Vol 2 Part 22

Geon-young became even more agitated and spat out curses repeatedly. Seung-wook was used to seeing him like this and stepped back to watch him until he calmed down. As expected, Geon-young took a deep breath and calmed down a moment later.

“No way. I’ll definitely kick Han Seona out of our team. Let’s see how long she can endure, damn it.”

“How are the other team members reacting, besides you?”

“All the Espers except one are in the hospital. They’d all be displeased if they knew.”

“What about the Guides, not the Espers?”

Guides? Geon-young tilted his head in confusion, then suddenly remembered someone. He also remembered getting angry at Ji Won-woo. Geon-young asked Seung-wook, just in case.

“You didn’t tell HR about Han Seona because of Ji Won-woo, did you? Because he wanted it?”

But then he remembered what his friend had said earlier and shook his head.

“Ah, you said HR asked first.”

Seung-wook averted his gaze as if avoiding the question, but Geon-young didn’t notice and sighed.

“I got angry at Ji Won-woo without knowing that.”

“You got angry?”

At his friend’s sharp voice, Geon-young frowned.

“No, I thought you were doing it because Ji Won-woo asked you to. You seem interested in Ji Won-woo at the Farm…”

“Me?”

Geon-young flinched at the chilly question and avoided his gaze.

“Of course not. You have… Idan. I’m sorry.”

Geon-young mumbled an apology and glanced at his friend, but Seung-wook had turned his head to the side, so his expression wasn’t visible. Was he angry? Did he hate being associated with Ji Won-woo that much? Strangely, he felt relieved, but he wanted more reassurance that it wasn’t true.

“Hey, Won-woo has changed a bit, but his personality has actually gotten worse. You shouldn’t get involved with him anymore…”

As Geon-young was speaking, a sudden ringtone made him take out his phone. The caller’s name appeared on the screen.

‘Ji Dong-hyeon.’

Damn, why is this snake calling? Geon-young excused himself to Seung-wook and went out to the hallway. The Ji family always took a high-handed attitude because they had Alpha Seeds, so he didn’t even want to talk to them. But he couldn’t ignore the persistently ringing phone.

“Hello.”

[Team Leader Yu Geon-young, I heard you worked hard at the farm, but have you fallen ill? We haven’t heard from you lately.]

The monotone voice was robotic and stiff, but to Geon-young’s ears, it sounded like a sneering laugh. He bit his lip, barely holding back curses. Knowing that Espers who used an Alpha Seed once would eventually use it again, the Ji family treated them like fish they had caught.

“What do you want?”

[The regular reports you used to send haven’t been coming.]

What reports? As Geon-young was thinking, the answer came.

[Ji Won-woo. You’re supposed to report on how my brother is doing. Did you forget?]

Forget? He just didn’t know how to write it.

‘Leave out the word “like a different person” in the reports you submit to the Ji family.’

That’s what Won-woo had requested. But the content for the report was all about how Won-woo had changed. As if he had become a different person.

[How’s my brother these days?]

As Geon-young hesitated for a moment, Ji Dong-hyeon couldn’t wait even that short time and pressed.

[You’re his team leader, aren’t you? Can’t you immediately report on your team member’s situation? Well, that’s why you got all your team members killed at the farm this time. You should have bought more Alpha Seeds and raised your rank one more level. You’re still incompetent because you hesitated.]

To still be labeled incompetent even after becoming the A-rank he so desperately wanted. Geon-young clenched his fist and answered.

“It’s not that I’m incompetent, it’s that your brother is just such a useless existence. How is he these days? The same. Completely the same as before, Mr. Ji Dong-hyeon.”

***

The reactions of unique wavelength Espers who had received guiding from Won-woo in the past were usually one of two types. Either they couldn’t contain their emotion and expressed admiration or shed tears, or they begged not to let go of Won-woo. The exception was Seona. She just suppressed her emotion and tried to act normal as if nothing special had happened.

Either way, they couldn’t hide their intense emotions and revealed them through words, expressions, or eyes. But the person Won-woo was guiding now was different. Even though he was the Esper in the worst condition.

There was no emotion or joy on the expressionless face staring blankly. Usually, people in such bad condition would have relaxed eyes just from the pain disappearing.

So Won-woo looked at him with puzzlement and wariness. He might be extremely suppressing or thoroughly hiding his emotions. But since the other person looked to be in his early 20s, if it was true, Won-woo first thought he might be a dangerous person. He had already started being cautious while confirming the enormous amount of the other’s power.

“It is guiding. Just a different method.”

Calming the other’s energy took a bit longer than expected, and Won-woo belatedly gave an answer. As he did so, he tried to pull back his hand. But the other person gripped Won-woo’s hand strongly. Sang-cheon, who had been anxiously watching from behind, was startled and about to jump forward, but Gye Yoon’s voice came first.

“I’ve never heard of guiding like this.”

He thought it was a very calm voice. But the eyes facing him were so intense it was burdensome, so Won-woo changed his earlier thought. He’s not completely suppressing his emotions.

“Whether you’ve heard of it or not, isn’t it enough if it’s effective?”

“Y-yes. As long as it’s effective.”

Sang-cheon quickly intervened to support Won-woo and then belatedly asked timidly.

“…It is effective, right?”

Sang-cheon asked worriedly because he couldn’t see any big change in Gye Yoon, but Won-woo answered for him.

“Yes, it’s effective. Don’t worry.”

Won-woo’s expression and voice towards Sang-cheon were extremely gentle. Gye Yoon witnessed that gentleness disappearing as if erased when it was directed at him. He suddenly felt disgusted. Won-woo coldly informed him.

“It’s over. Let go of my hand.”

“It’s not over.”

Won-woo wasn’t surprised because many people who received his guiding held on like this and wouldn’t let go. However, while they held onto Won-woo with urgency and desperation, the person in front of him was different. Within the strong heat was an ice-cold blade.

“How did you do it?”

This time Sang-cheon couldn’t hold back and jumped forward.

“You shouldn’t ask about that! Did you forget the contract? And quickly, let go of his hand.”

He shouted anxiously from the side, but Gye Yoon just stared intently at Won-woo. Instead, Won-woo turned to Sang-cheon and smiled.

“Director Hwang, about the drink you gave me earlier. Do you have any more of that?”

“Drink? Ah, that was from the vending machine downstairs, I don’t have any now. Why suddenly?”

“It was delicious.”

At those words, Sang-cheon immediately turned as if to run to the door but then hesitated. He looked worriedly at Gye Yoon, who was still staring intently at Won-woo.

“I could get you 100 if you want… but right now…”

“One is enough. My throat is dry after guiding.”

“Then you must drink!”

Sang-cheon disappeared out the door, making the floor rumble. As soon as he left, Won-woo looked down at the hand holding his with an expressionless face.

“Since I met you at the farm, it should be easy to explain.”

“What?”

Won-woo raised his eyes to meet the black eyes staring intensely at him.

“What do you think my ability is?”

Instead of answering, Gye Yoon slowly lowered his eyes to look at their hands. Won-woo’s hand in his grip seemed to twist, then interlocked fingers and gripped Gye Yoon’s hand tightly instead. Then power started draining from his body again.

If in the previous guiding it had flowed out slowly like water draining from a bathtub with the plug removed, this time it drained out completely as if the bottom of the tub had been completely removed. His body felt like it would collapse with dizziness as if riding a roller coaster. But it was only for a moment. As if just giving a taste, the draining power stopped and began building up again. Then Won-woo’s calm voice was heard.

“Espers who receive my guiding can’t easily let go of my hand. To them, I must be like a goose that lays golden eggs. But I can also become a hawk that tears Espers apart through guiding. Of course, I’m a hawk to most Espers.”

Gye Yoon didn’t know Won-woo’s true identity, but he seemed to vaguely understand his guiding method. It seemed he calmed energy by draining power and then putting it back. It was also the fastest way to calm turbulent water.

Suddenly he remembered Won-woo saying before that his method of adjustment was different and he could Guide all Espers. So it was true. Now he understood why Won-woo responded to Espers without fear.

When he drains power while guiding, the Esper becomes weak. Won-woo must have been trying to warn about this. If you hold my hand, I can tear you apart like a hawk. But well? Gye Yoon barely held back the laughter trying to burst out. But the following words made his smile disappear completely.

“I’m the one who tore Hong Eun-tae apart.”

“…You?”

Emotion flashed in Gye Yoon’s voice for the first time. Won-woo nodded calmly, looking at the other’s sharp eyes.

“It was me.”

How? Gye Yoon was about to ask a sharp question but found the answer in the hand holding his. So he can drain an Esper’s energy without even touching them. This time it was quite a shock. It sent a tingling sensation down his spine.

But it wasn’t an unpleasant chill. Rather, it was an excited stimulation that made his lower abdomen tingle. And his dick started to harden. Gye Yoon tightly clenched his other hand to resist the urge to pull on the hand he was holding. Gye Yoon lowered his eyes so that he couldn’t see and hide this side of himself.

“Ah, is that so?”

Heat mixed into his low voice. But since it wasn’t an intense reaction, Won-woo looked at him warily. Is he really hiding his emotions? At that moment, Gye Yoon diverted his attention with another question.

“Did you send Director Hwang out to tell me this?”

“Director Hwang worries a lot. If he has more secrets, he’ll get indigestion from stress.”

What’s the big deal about not being able to eat a little? Gye Yoon didn’t understand, but Won-woo spoke seriously as if this matter was more important than tearing apart the great Hong Eun-tae. Only then did Gye Yoon belatedly realize why Won-woo had guided him.

Because Sang-cheon asked. That was the only reason. He was nothing to Won-woo. Suddenly, he also remembered what Won-woo had said before, like a chain reaction. It must have been when he was talking to him as Nani and criticizing the Ji family. Won-woo had retorted like this,

‘I might be even more vicious. Even if all the Espers in the world who aren’t on my side were to die, I’d just watch.’

My side. Won-woo had said this several times. He acted like someone who only moved for his own side. Gye Yoon’s mind, clearer than ever before, started spinning rapidly. There was only one way for him to hold this hand again. To become his ally.

Because of this, Gye Yoon exerted his patience to the maximum. He forcibly opened his hand and slowly extracted his interlocked hand from Won-woo’s fingers.

The slow sensation of skin brushing against skin caused a tingling pleasure to gather in his lower abdomen again. His dick was still excited to the point of stiffening, but his expressionless face revealed nothing. Instead, he brazenly asked,

“When will we meet again?”

“That won’t happen.”

“It will. For me, this place is,”

Gye Yoon looked around Sang-cheon’s office and slowly added,

“Like home.”

“I’ve never seen you here before.”

“I was on vacation.”

But disbelief still lingered in Won-woo’s eyes. Gye Yoon asked slowly, as if out of habit,

“Don’t you believe me?”

“How could I believe you, Gye Yoon-nim.”

As his name was called, a smile slowly spread across Gye Yoon’s face. But contrary to his expression, he stared at Won-woo with eyes that weren’t smiling at all.

“Just try to believe me.”

Ha. Won-woo swallowed a scoff, trying to hide his confusion. Is this really Gye Yoon? The moment he held his hand and felt his power, he knew instantly that he was S-rank. Because this unbelievably vast power couldn’t be explained by anything less than S-rank. The question was, who was he?

In Won-woo’s world, there were only four S-rank Espers. Two of them had died when Won-woo was young. They were from the Gye family in the North. If this world was the same, there was only one S-rank Esper who fit these conditions. The Vice Family Head of the Gye family, known as the brute.

Moreover, didn’t they say the Gye family and Ji family were sworn enemies? That’s probably why Sang-cheon didn’t even tell Gye Yoon that he would be receiving guiding. He must have tried to hide Gye Yoon’s identity from Won-woo until the end. Won-woo didn’t care whether he was from the Gye family or any other family, but the other party would be different, so he had to ask,

“Why didn’t you turn back at the door when you knew I was Ji Geun-oh’s child?”

“You’re no different from a stranger to Ji Geun-oh, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Am I wrong?”

That’s right, he’s like a stranger. If anyone else had asked, he would have happily told them, but in front of Gye Yoon, the words wouldn’t come out easily. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the moment he admitted it, he would become entangled with him. Here, Won-woo just wanted to quietly live while protecting only those on his own side.

But if he got involved with the Gye family, he might be jumping into chaos again. As Won-woo’s silence lengthened, Gye Yoon twisted his lips again. His eyes still didn’t smile, but it matched well with his soft, low murmur.

“What are you afraid of?”

“Nothing like that.”

As soon as Won-woo refuted, the earlier question was heard again as if it had been waiting.

“Is it true that you’re no different from a stranger to Ji Geun-oh?”

“…And if it is?”

“That’s a good thing.”

His honest opinion was a bit unexpected. So Won-woo spoke honestly too.

“It’s not at all for me. Because I don’t want to get involved with the Gye family.”

Gye Yoon’s eyes seemed to darken, but they soon returned to indifference and looked into space. Then he slowly countered,

“It’s not the Gye Family, but we’re involved with Director Hwang, aren’t we?”

“Don’t involve us carelessly. Come to think of it, what kind of relationship do you have with Director Hwang?”

“What about you?”

There was nothing to say. After all, it was the same as Won-woo unilaterally chasing after him. Somehow feeling like he had lost even before answering, his response came out a bit grumbly.

“Director Hwang is just someone I like and respect.”

“I win then.”

What? As Won-woo’s eyes widened in surprise, Gye Yoon twisted his lips into a smile. Only one corner of his mouth lifted, looking like a sneer, but to Won-woo it felt like a joyful smile. Thinking “I feel bad out of jealousy,” he was about to ask what kind of relationship it was that made him win.

But before that, there was a creaking sound of the iron door. Soon, Sang-cheon came running in with an armful of canned drinks. As he ran in, almost tripping, he first checked the hands on the table. The moment he saw the two people’s hands apart, he sighed in relief, and Gye Yoon’s voice rang out,

“Director Hwang is like a father to me.”

-Continued in Volume 3-