DP Episode 16

Deep Pivot Episode 16

Not knowing how to do anything, and unable to do anything.

…Why did you run so desperately to me?

Seo-joon had never seen a guide so desperate for an Esper. Essentially, Espers are superhumans beyond the ordinary capabilities of humans.

It means they don’t do something as crazy as running headlong into a monster barehanded to save someone stronger than themselves.

Of course, those who have developed a strong bond over many years with their partners might be different. However, this was not applicable to Seo-joon, who does not maintain deep relationships with any single guide and frequently changes them.

The same was true for Cha Yeon-woo. Wasnt this their third meeting?

‘Just three meetings so far.’

How much could he have seen me to rush in so foolishly? And who would be to blame if he ended up dead?

Perhaps that’s just the kind of person he is. The kind who, despite not being able to look after himself, still carries an injured person.

Seo-joon found all his actions too reckless and foolish, and it continually bothered him. Whether this annoyance was due to irritation or sympathy towards the foolish new guide, he didn’t know, nor did he think it necessary to distinguish.

The cleanup operation of the Hyoseok-dong parasite ended only by dawn. Bright lights turned on across the tents set up temporarily in the citizens’ park.

“Disinfection completed at Rex Town intersection.”

Seo-joon led Yeon-woo inside. The tent was filled with the smell of jjajangmyeon(dish). Some sat silently catching their breath, while others quietly slurped their swollen noodles. Everyone looked visibly exhausted.

A middle-aged man writing at one table noticed Seo-joon and waved happily. It was Colonel Jin Hyun-jung, Ji Cheong-oh’s father.

“Ah, good work, Lieutenant Ji. Come and eat some. They make good noodles here.”

“I’ll eat at home. I’m not really hungry.”

Tsk, tsk, Colonel Jin clucked his tongue, looking at Seo-joon with pity.

“You’re still eating liquid food, aren’t you? I have some fried rice, you can eat that.”

“Oh, what, Colonel Jin, did you have fried rice?”

Chae-won, sitting next to Cheong-oh and slurping noodles with a fierce expression, interrupted with a scowl.

“You didn’t say anything about that to me.”

Colonel Jin, receiving a rebellious look from the young lieutenant, twisted his eyebrows in disbelief.

“Eh? You gonna hit me for that, Lieutenant Kang? Huh?”

“No, I’m just saying, why do some get swollen jjajangmyeon and others get fried rice?”

“Hey, Lieutenant Jin. How can you swallow noodles with the lieutenant making comments like that next to you?”

Cheong-oh, who had been mindlessly slurping his noodles, irritably stuffed a piece of pickled radish into Chae-won’s mouth as if to say, Lieutenant, just eat whatever is given.

It was a familiar scene in SAU, which despite its military form, had long since discarded any real regard for rank insignia. They all waited for their petty squabble to end before Seo-joon spoke up with a bitter smile.

“Can I go home now?”

“Yeah, the clean-up team over there will handle the rest, so our team can head out. Good work.”

“Then I’ll head back.”

“Take care.”

A distinctly polite farewell paused everyone’s actions. Chae-won, who had been ballooning her cheeks with noodles, froze. Colonel Jin, who had been focused on his paperwork, looked up at the person who had spoken.

“He’s a new recruit in SAU, dedicated guide to Lieutenant Ji. He was scouted before he even entered the training camp, so he’s quite malleable.”

Cheong-oh spoke as if to defend him. Colonel Jin finally nodded in understanding, as if it made sense now.

“Wait, the dedicated guide to Lieutenant Ji? Wow…”

Straightening up and crossing his arms, Colonel Jin looked at Yeon-woo with renewed interest.

“Well, you’re not a minor, are you? How old are you?”

“I’m twenty.”

“Oh dear.”

Yeon-woo’s answer elicited an enigmatic sigh. Seo-joon awkwardly laughed and interjected.

“He’s not officially assigned yet. …Anyway, since he’s a newcomer, please look after him if you see him on site.”

It felt somewhat like making excuses. He’s too young after all. Seo-joon inwardly clicked his tongue. It seemed Colonel Jin also viewed him as young. Colonel Jin, smiling kindly, gestured for him to go in and rest since he must be tired. Yeon-woo bowed again in response.

“You’ve worked hard. Take care.”

“Alright, take care, okay?”

Colonel Jin waved, smiling like a doting grandfather. Oh dear, smells like baby milk. As Seo-joon led Yeon-woo out of the tent, he heard Colonel Jin’s murmur behind him.
T/N: the term ‘smells like baby milk’ more something like “wet behind the ears” / “a child in my eyes” or “green as grass” those kind of expressions that let them know the old man (Colonel Jin) see him as an inexperienced rookie

As they entered the next tent, discarded combat uniforms lay exactly as they had been taken off, strewn across the floor. Seo-joon led Yeon-woo to a table stacked with neatly folded civilian clothes and paused as he searched for their clothes.

He didn’t need to check the tags to know which ones were Yeon-woo’s. He handed over the summer uniform to Yeon-woo.

“Did you wear this to the training center after your morning classes?”

“Yes, I went straight after they ended.”

“That’s why I felt guilty.”

“What?”

“Never mind. Just change your clothes quickly.”

Yeon-woo looked down at his school uniform. He thought he had lost it in the chaos of changing but it seemed there were people specifically tasked with organizing and tagging everything.

Watching Seo-joon unbuckle his combat belt, Yeon-woo quickly turned around and hurriedly began to undo his own harness. For a while, the only sounds in the nearly empty tent were the noises of belts being undone and fabric rustling.

After struggling with his harness, Yeon-woo glanced at Seo-joon with a slightly panicked look.

“What’s wrong? Any problem?”

Noticing that Yeon-woo wasn’t making any progress with removing his clothes, Seo-joon turned his head, sensing something was amiss.

“I… I don’t know how to take this off.”

The cables connecting the harness and the special equipment were tangled, leaving him unable to move forward or backward. Naturally, clothes put on by someone else aren’t easily taken off by oneself.

While Yeon-woo floundered, Seo-joon, a veteran, had already changed out of his combat uniform and was midway through switching into civilian clothes.

“Ah, you should have removed the cables and battery first.”

Having just pulled his slacks up to his waist, Seo-joon fastened the buckle and approached him. Yeon-woo turned around to face him and froze slightly. Unaware of the subtle change in Yeon-woo, Seo-joon began to dismantle the equipment attached to his clothes piece by piece.

“See, Yeon-woo. Next time, remove these first before you undo the harness.”

“Okay.”

“This hose comes off last.”

“Okay…”

Seo-joon undid the buttons of the outer protective suit and took off the bulletproof vest. As he unzipped the specially fitted suit, Yeon-woo’s bare chest was revealed. The warmth touching Seo-joon’s fingertips felt much hotter than when it was through the layer of gloves.

Seo-joon wrapped his arm around Yeon-woo’s waist and removed a line from his back. The contact made Yeon-woo’s chest stiffen noticeably.

“This cable connects to the bulletproof vest, so you need to remove this first before taking off the suit.”

As he continued to explain while unfastening the integrated snaps of the combat uniform down to the waist, Seo-joon glanced up at Yeon-woo.

Their eyes met for a moment before quickly shifting away.

“It seems like it’s done now. I know how to do the rest. Earlier, too, … I will atke this off by myself. Th-thank you.”

Before Seo-joon could withdraw his hand, Yeon-woo’s body had already pulled away. His rapid-fire words eventually broke off as if he was running out of breath.

“That’s fine, then.”

Seo-joon nonchalantly picked up his T-shirt and put it on while gathering his belongings, then suddenly asked,

“Where do you live?”

“Ah, District 3, Sinhee-dong.”

“District 3? Isn’t your school Myeonghyeon High?”

Seo-joon pointed to the emblem on Yeon-woo’s school uniform. Yeon-woo, buttoning up his shirt, responded,

“That’s right. There are no schools in District 3, so I was assigned here.”

“It must be tough commuting.”

Seo-joon lightly clicked his tongue. Public transportation in this area was suspended, so he really should drive him home, but District 3 was far from here.

The time it would take to drop him off and return home would easily exceed an hour. After a day spent battling parasites and disinfecting, Seo-joon didn’t feel like spending that much time.

“My place is close from here.”

“…What?”

“Do you want to stay over?”

“…”

“It’ll be closer to school from my house. Wouldn’t that be better?”

Though he framed it as being for Yeon-woo’s benefit, in truth, more than half of him just wanted to go home and rest. Yeon-woo’s eyes, faintly tinged with blue, wandered, conflicted.

“I’m actually pretty tired. Your place is just too far.”

Seo-joon said with a smile, trying to persuade him. Yeon-woo, looking shocked, waved his hands.

“Then you don’t have to take me. I’m really fine. I’m thankful for all the help you’ve given me today at the site.”

“Hmm, it might be uncomfortable to sleep at someone’s place, right? Especially since we aren’t close.”

“No, I didn’t mean that…”

“If that’s not what you meant, then let’s go. You must be hungry, let’s go home and eat.”

Yeon-woo gazed at Seo-joon’s smiling face as if enchanted. Can I really do that? Is it really okay? Can I, can I really stay at the lieutenant’s house…? His rational mind screamed that he should reject the offer and not bother him any further.

However, without someone else offering a ride, Yeon-woo had no choice but to wait until the first bus in the morning.

“…Thank you.”

“Wow, finally.”

Seo-joon jokingly punched Yeon-woo’s shoulder and laughed.

“Yeon-woo, you’re really hard to persuade.”

Tl/N: JI Seo-joon – Agnes
Hong Young-kyo – Beatles
Kang Chae-won – Berserker
Pak Min-gun – Baldy