IGWKE Episode 23

Episode 23

It had been a long time since Yoon-ui had such a gentle and innocent conversation devoid of any aggression. It was strange, really. Even without discussing anything of real importance, simply talking to Heon-ju put him at ease and calmed his nerves. For the first time in a while, he fell asleep with surprising ease.

As he reached for the bottle of pills from the cupboard, he habitually poured out a few more than necessary. Glancing at his phone, he noticed that even now, Heon-ju was still chatting away on the other side of the line about what he planned to eat when he returned to Seoul.

― I like sushi, and I’m good with all kinds of meat. I don’t dislike vegetables either. Do you like hot pot? You don’t seem like you’d eat much meat, Deputy Director.

‘He knows me well.’

Smiling faintly, Yoon-ui hesitated before putting all but one pill back into the bottle.

‘Will this one pill really keep me asleep until morning?’

Yet tonight, he felt like he could sleep easily without the extra help. After checking the time, he swallowed the pill with water as he continued to listen to Heon-ju’s soft yet curious voice.

― Do you like sweet things? What about mint chocolate ice cream?

“…I do.”

― What about mint chocolate macarons?

“They make those now? I haven’t tried them, but they sound good.”

Sitting back at the table, he noticed the medication’s effects kicking in faster than usual. Propping his chin on his hand, he let himself relax as he listened to Heon-ju’s steady voice.

‘Maybe his voice matches my frequency.’

As sleepiness gradually overtook him, he stumbled halfway to his bed.

He’d intended to stay awake long enough to listen to everything Heon-ju had to say, but the spirited young man didn’t give him a chance to end the call. In the end, all Yoon-ui could manage were half-hearted “mhm”s and “yeah”s as his eyes fluttered shut.

― Deputy Director, are you sleepy?

“Mhm…”

― You’re falling asleep, aren’t you?

“Mhm…”

― You can sleep if you want.

“Mhm…”

― Goodnight, Deputy Director.

“Mhm…”

He thought he heard Heon-ju laugh softly, but by the time he wanted to say something, it was already morning.

Startled, he glanced at the clock. Thankfully, his internal alarm hadn’t betrayed him. Though he was cutting it close, a brisk walk would get him to the office on time. Forgoing any meticulous grooming, he managed to enter the office at 8:55 AM.

“Almost late today,” he muttered.

“You’re here!”

“So, there are days I come in later than you, huh?”

“There sure are!”

Jung-woo nodded proudly. Checking the attendance log, Yoon-ui saw that he’d arrived a mere three minutes earlier than usual. Yet the way Jung-woo beamed made it seem like he’d come in hours earlier, convincing Yoon-ui to never risk being late while working with this junior.

Right at 9:00 sharp, the office door creaked open.

‘Who dares to show up so boldly at this hour?’

Scanning the room, he confirmed everyone else was already in their seats. Turning back toward the door, he watched it inch open just enough for a head to peek through. It was a face he recognized but couldn’t place immediately.

After frowning in thought, it clicked. It was Lee Hyun-ji, the Esper who had recently returned to active duty after being discharged from detention.

“Oh, hello,” she said hesitantly.

Though he was usually curt with Espers, he greeted her kindly. Her effort to suppress her rampage and take control of her powers had left a positive impression on him.

Lee Hyun-ji ducked her head shyly in response to his approach, nodding quickly as if to mimic a bow.

“What brings you here?”

“Uh… I wanted to see you, Guide….”

“Me?”

Turning slightly, he noticed Team Leader Kim glancing over from his seat with obvious interest. His restless expression screamed that he was itching to comment.

‘Here we go again, old man,’ thought Yoon-ui, barely restraining his exasperation.

“Let’s talk outside,” he suggested, leading her into the hallway.

Once there, he repeated his question, and she shyly handed him a small box wrapped with a pink ribbon.

“I wanted to thank you….”

“Thank me?”

At first, he thought he’d misheard. It wasn’t common for Espers to thank guides, after all. Maybe she’d meant to say ‘monitor’ instead of ‘thank?’ But what would he even be monitoring her for?

She elaborated, her face slightly puzzled, as if unsure whether her words sounded strange.

“You came to guide me when I was rampaging….”

“Oh, that.”

Thinking back, he realized she had a reason to thank him, though at the time, he’d only been doing his job. He hadn’t thought much of it. Still, receiving gratitude felt nice. Lee Hyun-ji seemed to have the rare decency not often seen in Espers.

“What’s this?” he asked, gesturing to the box.

“Oh, it’s mint chocolate… I heard you like it….”

Opening the box, he found light blue macarons inside.

‘Since when was my mint chocolate preference such common knowledge among Espers?’

His surprised look must have alarmed her, as she waved her hands frantically.

“No! I didn’t dig into your personal life or anything. It’s just… Heon-ju mentioned it….”

“Heon-ju?”

Ah. He suddenly recalled last night’s conversation with Heon-ju before falling asleep.

― Do you like sweet things? What about mint chocolate ice cream?

‘…I do.’

― What about mint chocolate macarons?

“They make those now? I haven’t tried them, but they sound good.”

What the heck? Wasn’t he asking me so he could buy them for me?

A strange feeling crept over him. He didn’t want to take desserts from a kid, of course, but imagining that Heon-ju had asked him those questions just to tell Lee Hyun-ji about his preferences felt… odd.

Not quite anger, but not pleasant either. It was one of those emotions too ambiguous to name. So, he simply mumbled something vague.

“Uh… are you close with Heon-ju?”

“Yes, we’re both Espers. I once assisted with his training.”

“Ah, I see….”

“He said he’s close with you too, Deputy Director. So I contacted him to ask what you liked.”

“Oh….”

He knew Heon-ju was sociable, but exchanging numbers and staying in touch with an Esper he met during a single training session? That was new. The realization left him feeling ambiguous again.

While Yoon-ui undoubtedly knew more people’s names and faces in the organization, if they compared phone contacts, Heon-ju’s would probably outnumber his by dozens—no, by hundreds. After all, hadn’t Heon-ju already had Joo-min’s number?

It annoyed him, albeit mildly.

After some thought, he found the right word: ‘’jealous.’ That’s right, he was jealous. A rookie barely a year into the organization had more connections and was better integrated into it than he was after a decade. As a senior, the feeling was downright embarrassing.

As he stared at the box of macarons in silence, Lee Hyun-ji hesitated before speaking.

“Um… you don’t like them?”

“What?”

“I mean… mint chocolate is polarizing, right? People say it tastes like toothpaste, so you might not like it….”

“Oh… no, it’s not that.”

“I don’t really like it either.”

She admitted it with a shy smile, leaving Yoon-ui awkwardly smiling back.

‘Well, I do like it….’

“That’s just because you’re weird.”

After Lee Hyun-ji left, he placed the macarons in the break room, only to have everyone wrinkle their noses. Joo-min even flinched as though he’d seen something horrifying.

“Just looking at the color kills my appetite. Who pays money for something like that?”

“Exactly,” Woo-joo chimed in.

Feeling affronted, Yoon-ui snatched the box back.

“Hey, we’re talking about how wide Heon-ju’s social circle is, not trashing macarons.”

“We’re not trashing macarons. We’re trashing your weird taste,” Joo-min shot back.

“Taste aside, we’re talking about personality.”

“Oh, your personality is weird too.”

Joo-min wasn’t about to back down.

“Not ‘weird,’ per se,” Jung-woo offered. “Just… socially awkward?”

Surrounded by enemies, Yoon-ui sighed. It was hard to argue against them. His taste, his personality, his social skills—they were all a bit unusual. Resigned, he bit into a macaron. Lee Hyun-ji had said the shop was recommended by Heon-ju, and sure enough, it tasted great.

“Well, it tastes good.”

“Yeah, you can eat all of them.”

“I wasn’t going to share!”

Nobody had even wanted them, yet they still gave him grief. Annoyed, Yoon-ui scowled as the others grinned. His irritation seemed to be their main source of entertainment.

“Good to see you’re feeling like yourself again,” Woo-joo said, sipping his coffee. He still had no intention of touching the macarons, so the earlier comment about losing his appetite had clearly been sincere.

“Oh, you were worried about me yesterday?”

“Of course.”

His face said otherwise, but if he insisted, what choice was there but to believe him? Smiling faintly, Yoon-ui nodded.

“Thanks. Really.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“It wasn’t a big deal yesterday, just….”