DB Vol 3 Part 5

Could people express all their desired emotions with just a look? If not everything, most things were possible. Won-woo could at least clearly perceive hatred and dislike. The hatred he exuded when he first properly looked at him was intense enough to make him hesitate. That’s why he had even asked the auntie about it before.

‘Why does he hate me?’

Won-woo couldn’t even bring himself to voice his anxiety that maybe he knew he was Ji Geun-oh’s son. The auntie answered nonchalantly while looking at Won-woo.

‘He doesn’t hate you.’

‘No, he does. Every time he looks at me, he’s shooting “I hate you” lasers.’

‘It must be “I love you” lasers.’

‘…Do you think I’m an idiot, auntie?’

‘I know you don’t have mind-reading abilities.’

Well, that’s true. While Won-woo tilted his head, the auntie coolly turned away.

‘Auntie, but…’

He stopped her urgently and asked.

‘What should I call him? You won’t… tell me his name, right?’

The auntie hadn’t even taught him her own name, after all. As expected, his name didn’t come from her lips.

‘Just call him whatever you want.’

‘What do you call him, auntie? I’ll follow your lead.’

‘Chick.’

‘…’

‘Don’t curse.’

‘I didn’t curse.’

Aunt shrugged as if it didn’t matter.

‘You were about to, weren’t you?’

Of course. Chick? What kind of ridiculous nickname is that? No matter how much the auntie disliked cursing, he couldn’t overlook her terrible naming sense.

‘Why on earth do you call him that?’

‘It was his nickname.’

‘Ah.’

‘He was cute when he was young.’

‘…Isn’t everyone cute when they’re young?’

‘Maybe not everyone?’

Won-woo looked at the auntie’s face and realized she was joking again. Even with her expressionless face, he could tell when she was playing around. At first, it was hard to get used to, but now it just made him chuckle.

‘Anyway, won’t he dislike being called Chick?’

‘That’s right. Even when he was young, he would talk back to me when I called him by that nickname. Then, feeling upset, he called me Cucumber Monster.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Cucumber was his least favorite vegetable.’

The auntie smirked as if remembering an amusing past.

‘He ate everything else, but he absolutely refused to eat cucumbers. Then later he said he was allergic to cucumbers.’

‘Really?’

‘Of course, it was a lie.’

Won-woo glanced around the room where he was lying. It was a bit strange to hear about his ordinary past for the first time from the auntie. It was hard to imagine that he, who was now waiting for death, was once just like any other person.

‘He hated being called Chick almost as much as he hated cucumbers.’

Won-woo frowned at the auntie’s reminiscent murmur.

‘Then why do you call him that? Don’t tell me you’re deliberately calling him that to annoy him?’

‘That’s right.’

When Won-woo looked dumbfounded, the auntie calmly explained.

‘If he gets angry and his emotions come back, other things might come back too. Then he might want to live.’

Does he have to live? When he wants to die so badly? Won-woo thought the auntie was being unnecessarily stubborn. Shouldn’t they respect his wishes? The auntie, seeming to understand Won-woo’s thoughts, added this,

‘Don’t worry. If death is the only way for him, I’ll take care of it myself.’

But there was no need for the auntie to take action. Because she died before that. And the other emotions the auntie wanted from him returned afterward. Although he didn’t have mind-reading abilities, Won-woo could tell that the hatred and dislike had disappeared from his eyes when looking at him.

Instead, his staring gaze began to fill with a different emotion. He still mostly just threw blank, aimless glances anywhere as if dazed, but a few times a day, mostly when Won-woo was around, his eyes would follow him. At first, he didn’t understand that emotion well. Perhaps he instinctively ignored it because he was afraid to acknowledge it.

In any case, it was he who had erased the desire to die from him. The only consolation was that his phantom pain seemed to have decreased. So shouldn’t he be allowed to live a little longer? For the sake of the days when he didn’t want to be alone. So when Aunt died, he begged him with selfish greed.

‘Don’t leave me. Stay by my side. Please don’t leave me alone.’

He painfully moved his hand to place it on Won-woo’s head. That was all the movement, but it felt like he was stroking it. The weight of the hand on his head felt like comfort, making him happy to the point of sadness. That’s why he couldn’t let him go. No matter how much he twisted his body like he was having a seizure from the pain that sometimes came, no matter how much he looked at the world with dazed eyes as if he had given up on life, maybe he still wanted to die. He kept him alive only for his own loneliness.

* * *

Won-woo thought he had adapted to the new world, but there were still things he wasn’t used to.

“There’s an Esper order for takeout, so you’ll have to wait longer, customer.”

At the employee’s words, the customer in front of Won-woo couldn’t hide his annoyance and asked.

“Huh? Again? How much longer do I have to wait? I’ve already been waiting for over 20 minutes.”

“But we have to prioritize Esper orders, so…”

As the employee repeated the same explanation, the customer stepped back, but their angry expression remained. Won-woo felt similarly to the customer. The Esper order was due to the Esper prioritization that was prevalent in this world. Espers, who protect everyone’s lives, are given priority in various sectors of society on the grounds that they must always be in the best condition to fight monsters.

Even ordering at this small kimbap shop had to follow that Esper prioritization. Won-woo had just left the Center out of habit, changing his meal location irregularly without much thought. But he never dreamed it would take this long just to wait.

Is even eating a roll of kimbap subject to Esper prioritization? Are they saying everyone except Espers should starve to death? Geez. Just as Won-woo was considering whether to leave…

“Ji… Won-woo-ssi?”

Turning his head at the sound of his name, he saw a man with cute features standing there. It was that Guide who was always by Hong Seung-wook’s side. The one who stuck so close to him and exchanged glances that anyone would think they were dating.

Won-woo had no intention of getting friendly, so he just nodded slightly and tried to ignore him. But the greeting that came from him made it impossible to turn away.

“Hello. I’m Lee Idan.”

Lee Idan? The familiar name made Won-woo search his memory. Who was that again?

“Ah, I’m a Guide working at the same center.”

Idan explained, misunderstanding Won-woo’s expression, but a different answer was coming to Won-woo’s mind. He had seen that name before in Yoo Geon-young’s report. Yoo Geon-young’s long-time crush. Was the Yoo Geon-young here different? If not, he would be watching his close friend date Idan from the sidelines.

“You’re not eating at the Center cafeteria today?”

At Idan’s question, Won-woo inwardly scolded himself. He must have gotten lax after meeting someone he wanted to see in this new world. Even strangers knew where he ate. I need to change my eating locations more often, he resolved while answering half-heartedly.

“No.”

“Ah, I came to pick up a takeout order.”

“I see.”

He turned his head away, but he could feel Idan still staring at him from the side. Even as he continued to ignore him, he heard a hesitant question.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“We’re not even close enough to say whether we’re comfortable or uncomfortable with each other.”

“…Is that so?”

“It is.”

He thought that would be enough to make him leave, but he was mistaken. Idan pulled out the chair in front of Won-woo and sat down, blocking his view.

“Actually, I really wanted to talk to you once.”

Whatever he wanted to talk about, Won-woo wanted to ask if it had to be in a kimbap shop. Won-woo looked at him with disapproval, but Idan seemed determined and got straight to the point.

“What kind of relationship did you have with Seung-wook hyung?”

Asking this so suddenly? Won-woo was dumbfounded, then realized that the employees in the kimbap shop and the other customers had all stopped moving. Glancing around, it seemed like everyone was pretending not to listen but had their ears perked up. Won-woo answered quickly and firmly.

“We had no relationship.”

“Please be honest. I’m not planning to be jealous about past events.”

As Won-woo was about to repeat that nothing happened, Idan blurted out:

“I heard. That you date Seung-wook hyung.”

“Who did you hear that from?”

“That… I can’t say.”

“Was it Team Leader Yoo Geon-young?”

Idan’s eyes wavered. Won-woo inwardly let out a hollow laugh. Is that person pining for Lee Idan in this world too? And he’s not even trying to drive a wedge between them, but what is this? Feeling ridiculous, he asked jokingly,

“By any chance, is your birthday April 7th?”

“Uh, yes. How did you know?”

Ha, really? He didn’t expect his random guess based on Yoo Geon-young’s PC password to be correct. 0407ED. To think that the password Nani had told him was really Idan’s birthday.

Won-woo inwardly shook his head and resolved. Don’t get involved any further. He didn’t want to step into that messy relationship at all.

“Did you look into me by any chance?”

When Idan asked with a guarded look, Won-woo coldly denied it.

“Why would I?”

“Then how did you know my birthday…”

“I looked at all the publicly available Guide information, wondering if I could recover my lost memories. Though I’ve forgotten the past, my current memory is good.”

Idan seemed unconvinced, but perhaps thinking there wasn’t time to press further, he returned to the main point.

“What I want to hear from you, Won-woo-ssi, is the truth about your relationship with Seung-wook hyung.”

Truth. As soon as that burdensome word came out, the rustling sounds from the packaging counter stopped abruptly. Kimbap ordered by someone unknown was packaged and came out, but the employee just fiddled with the plastic bag, stalling for time. The customer who had been complaining about the slow service now sat extremely quietly, half-turning their body towards the two of them.

“We had no relationship. This is the truth. Is that not enough?”

“No, it’s not enough. I need to hear about the past to understand why you two look at each other that way.”

It was unfair. Whatever way Hong Seung-wook looked at him, he swore he had only looked back without any emotion.

“Hong Seung-wook has fish eyes, what are you talking about.”

At the sudden interjection of a low voice, everyone’s gaze turned towards the door. And they were simultaneously shocked. Sitting at the table right by the door was a man in a black hood and mask. Wait, when did that person come in?! While everyone was surprised as if he had suddenly appeared out of thin air, Won-woo was surprised once more. Adopted son?

“Are you talking to me right now?”

Idan asked the intruder, putting strength in his voice. Gye Yoon draped his arm over the chair next to him and looked at him sideways.

“What? The part about Hong Seung-wook having fish eyes?”

“Look here. I don’t know who you are, but watch your mouth. Esper Hong Seung-wook is someone who protects people’s daily lives. Show some respect.”

Hearing the word ‘respect’ come from Idan’s mouth made Won-woo want to laugh. That’s what Hong Seung-wook used to say a lot. They’re a perfect match. Still, he didn’t laugh out loud, but the adopted son burst into laughter right away. But unlike Won-woo, what he laughed at was something else.

“Who knows if he’s protecting daily lives or holding them hostage?”

Won-woo looked at him with curious eyes. To be able to criticize the existence of a fellow Esper like that. Moreover, he was the vice head of the Gye family, which commanded numerous Espers. Suddenly, information about the Gye family flashed through Won-woo’s mind.

Even if not here, in Won-woo’s world, unlike other places, the Gye family supported the purification faction and willingly participated in eliminating discrimination. Because of that, they had fallen due to attacks from other Espers.

Perhaps the Gye family in this world had similar ideologies? Sang-cheon wouldn’t have adopted just anyone as his son. While Won-woo was looking at Gye Yoon with an unexpected gaze, Idan showed his displeasure.

“What do Espers gain by holding our daily lives hostage? If you want to say money or power, try fighting monsters yourself, risking your life.”

“Then I guess the goal is to cut in line for this kimbap.”

As Idan was about to say something, the employee, perhaps trying to stop the fight, announced loudly,

“Ahem, Order number 161 for the Esper order, ten rolls of kimbap are ready.”

Ah, that Esper order that cut in line. Who on earth is it, Won-woo thought as he looked around, when Idan stood up with a stiff face. Isn’t this person a Guide? Did he use an Esper badge to order? Despite Won-woo’s incredulous look, Idan tried to maintain a nonchalant face as he received the kimbap and turned around. However, perhaps conscious of people’s gazes, his face was a bit red. It seemed he was also embarrassed about taking kimbap with an Esper order at this awkward moment.

Won-woo inwardly clicked his tongue as he watched him leave with the takeout food. Although Espers were said to be obsessed with Guides, the opposite was also true sometimes. Since human abilities were ranked, high-ranking Espers could sometimes acquire numerous Guides like kings.

So he could somewhat understand why Idan was obsessed with Hong Seung-wook and suddenly interrogated him. After all, he had seen people become fools when in love more than once or twice.

But now, there was something more annoying than Idan saying stupid things because of love. With a scraping sound, the chair moved, and Gye Yoon, dressed all in black, sat in the place where Idan had been sitting.

“I came to eat kimbap.”

Won-woo hadn’t asked anything, but he blurted that out first.

“Who said anything?”

“You had a look that said ‘Did you follow me here?'”

“Isn’t that right?”

“No matter how good my abilities are, I don’t have the power to know where someone whose house burned down is staying.”

Even with the questioning look that seemed to ask if he needed to know where Won-woo was to follow him, Won-woo couldn’t shake off his suspicion. Coincidences can’t happen twice in a row.

“You probably waited for me in front of the Center.”

“If you want, I’ll wait for you next time.”

“Are you saying you really didn’t wait today?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what business do you have at the Center?”

You’re from the Gye family of the North, aren’t you? He held back the rest of his words because of the listeners around. But Gye Yoon openly revealed his purpose regardless of the surroundings.

“A lot. This place is full of people I need to take revenge on.”

Though the exact name didn’t come from his mouth, Won-woo immediately realized it was Ji Geun-oh. Even in the original world, there were many Espers who clung to and helped Ji Geun-oh. Of course, there were far more enemies. As he recalled this, Won-woo noticed something he hadn’t thought of before. In the past, he too had tried to take revenge on Ji Geun-oh. Thanks to that, the auntie who was looking for him discovered Won-woo while monitoring Ji Geun-oh’s house and saved him.