DP Episode 66
by BrieDeep Pivot, Episode 66
The next morning…
“A terrorist group?”
Seo-joon looked at Colonel Jin with disbelief. Colonel Jin, fidgeting uncomfortably under Seo-joon’s gaze, adjusted his posture and nodded.
“What do you mean, a terrorist group?”
“You know, those crazy folks from a few years back, who were going around saying they’d kill all the Espers in the world.”
“The cult that worshipped the Gates as gods.”
“Yeah, them.”
Seo-joon eyed Colonel Jin with suspicion, noting that he was avoiding making eye contact. The cult he referred to had not been active in a few years but rather for over a decade.
In the early days of Gate activity, when awakeners first began to appear, an international cult had declared its intention to kill all of them.
Many awakeners were indeed killed by that group, making it a significant international issue at the time. But it had been such a chaotic period that there had been multiple similar terrorist groups.
Their activities were one of the reasons many nations had imposed overseas travel bans on their awakeners.
“So you’re saying that Viktor and the Espers who attacked the safe house were all cult terrorists?”
Colonel Jin had practically turned away from Seo-joon but silently nodded. Seo-joon cautiously placed a hand on his arm.
“Colonel Jin, is something wrong? Please look at me and explain.”
“Come on, we see each other every day; what do you need to see me for?”
Colonel Jin reluctantly turned to face Seo-joon, and Seo-joon asked calmly, “So, was Viktor really a member of that cult? And was that why he drove sergei, the designated Esper, into a rampage?”
“Uh… you could say that.”
“What?”
Suddenly, Colonel Jin stood up abruptly, visibly annoyed.
“What is this, Lieutenant Ji?”
“What?”
“I’m a busy man. We’ll discuss the details once things settle down, okay?”
Seo-joon stood up, following Colonel Jin. With his hands on his hips, Colonel Jin continued, almost protesting.
“I need to get those reports ready to submit to Major General Park. I need to write the incident reports for the families of the soldiers who died at the safe house. I have so much to do, but I’m being held up here…”
He hurried to the door, suddenly acting as if he were incredibly busy. Seo-joon, puzzled, followed behind him, needing to see off his superior. As Colonel Jin grasped the door handle, he suddenly turned around and stared intently at Seo-joon.
“…”
Seo-joon, baffled by the inexplicable look, smiled awkwardly.
“What is it, Colonel?”
“Lieutenant Ji.”
Colonel Jin firmly patted him on the shoulder.
“Take good care of yourself. Once this is all sorted out, you can return to your daily life.”
Seo-joon nodded, still feeling uneasy.
“Yes, thank you.”
After seeing Colonel Jin off, Seo-joon approached Yeon-woo, who was tossing and turning in bed. The noise must have woken him up.
“Lieutenant…”
“Sleep more, Yeon-woo.”
Seo-joon pulled the blanket over him, but Yeon-woo mumbled something and held his hand. Seo-joon’s lips curled into a smile that he couldn’t control. It’s human nature to be clingy when in pain, and the fact that it was Cha Yeon-woo made it all the more adorable.
“…Colonel Jin was just here, right?”
“Was it too loud?”
“I had a dream… Colonel Jin was scolding me.”
Seo-joon laughed softly.
“When can I stop sleeping?”
“Once you’ve recovered enough not to need painkillers.”
Yeon-woo tossed and groaned.
“I want to take a shower…”
“You’re clean, so don’t worry. I washed you.”
“…”
The drowsiness in his eyes vanished instantly. Yeon-woo, with widened eyes in disbelief, hesitated for a few seconds before asking again.
“…What?”
“I said, I washed you while you were asleep.”
Yeon-woo, his expression suddenly changing, tried to sit up. As Seo-joon tried to prop a pillow behind him, Yeon-woo snatched it and hugged it close, looking at Seo-joon in shock, almost as if he felt betrayed.
“How… how could you do that?”
“What?”
“How could you… do that while I was asleep? You should have woken me up.”
Seo-joon pondered for a moment, considering whether caring for and cleaning a patient while they slept counted as misconduct. He soon let out a bemused chuckle.
“What are you talking about? You’ve done it while I was asleep too. I have CCTV in my house. Don’t try to deny it.”
“…Please call it ‘care,’ Lieutenant.”
“You’ve done worse.”
“…Just call it ‘guiding.'”
Yeon-woo buried his face in his hands, his head hung low. His muffled words seeped through his fingers, accompanied by a sigh. “It’s so embarrassing…”
Seo-joon grasped his wrists and pulled them apart. As Yeon-woo tried to avoid his gaze, Seo-joon held his chin and turned his face toward him.
“So who do you think changed your clothes? You’ve been lying down for days, but you’re all clean. Who else could have done this if not me?”
“I don’t know… Don’t talk to me; it’s embarrassing.”
Seo-joon couldn’t help but laugh incredulously and held Yeon-woo’s cheeks firmly to keep him from looking away.
“Why are you embarrassed by everything? You’ve done worse when sober.”
“…”
“So, you’re ashamed of being touched while asleep, but it’s okay to grind your… naked against me?”
Yeon-woo’s brow twitched. A flustered sound escaped from his parted lips.
“Gr…”
He tugged at Seo-joon’s grip on his wrists and bowed his head.
“…Can you hit the emergency button? I think I have a fever, Lieutenant. My face feels too hot right now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You think you can get away with pretending to be sick.”
“I’m serious… really…”
Seo-joon couldn’t help but let go, unable to resist his pleading. If Yeon-woo weren’t the patient, Seo-joon would’ve teased him until he cried.
“…Thank you.”
After a long pause, Yeon-woo stuttered out his gratitude.
“I know you’re not feeling well either, but thank you for taking care of me.”
“As long as you understand.”
Those simple words softened Seo-joon’s heart a little. Nearly hovering over Yeon-woo’s body, he finally slid down and lay beside him.
After their brief tussle, the room became eerily quiet.
“…Actually, it was you who cared for me.”
Seo-joon spoke softly, staring at the ceiling. He could feel Yeon-woo shifting beside him. When Yeon-woo turned toward him, Seo-joon did the same.
“Even when the other person isn’t conscious, guiding can still work. Just touching you is like a healing act for me.”
“Oh, I didn’t know guiding could work that way…”
Seo-joon watched Yeon-woo, who blinked back at him with an innocent expression, feeling conflicted. Did Cha Yeon-woo realize what he meant? Did he understand that Seo-joon was nothing but a harmful presence, only taking and stealing from him?
“You understand now why exclusive contracts are so complicated, right? That’s why guides need to protect themselves in various ways, Yeon-woo.”
Yeon-woo’s blue-tinted eyes rolled back and forth as he thought. After a pause, he spoke.
“…Then touch me more.”
“…”
“I feel good knowing you’re touching me even when I’m asleep.”
He met Seo-joon’s gaze and smiled playfully.
“I must seem like a strange person.”
Seo-joon was so enamored that he was left speechless. His eyes stung, and his lips curled up. The Cha Yeon-woo in front of him was so unbearably adorable and lovely.
“…Noted, Cha Yeon-woo, I’ve learned your secret preferences.”
He suppressed a smile and replied seriously.
“But what should we do?”
Half impulsively, half affectionately, Seo-joon gently wrapped his arm around Yeon-woo’s waist.
“I’m not into touching people when they’re asleep, so if you’re okay with it, I’d like to guide you now.”
“I’m totally okay with that.”
Seo-joon couldn’t help but laugh as Yeon-woo immediately leaned in. He pressed his palm against Yeon-woo’s lips.
“Don’t overdo it. I’m not that shameless.”
Yeon-woo kissed Seo-joon’s palm with a hint of disappointment. As Seo-joon carefully embraced him, avoiding his injuries, Yeon-woo nestled obediently into his arms.
“…Let’s just hold each other and sleep a bit. You need to recover quickly so I can stop pretending to have a conscience.”
Seo-joon kissed his forehead.
“Sleep well, Lieutenant.”
“…Goodnight, Yeon-woo.”
The warmth of Yeon-woo’s lips against his palm left a lingering tickle that reached his heart. His body, weakened by too much sleep, felt warmer and softer than usual. Seo-joon sighed and closed his eyes.
…I want him more and more.
His heart fluttered noisily.
He wanted to keep Cha Yeon-woo close.
He wanted to stay by Cha Yeon-woo’s side for a long, long time.