IGWKE Episode 27

Episode 27

“I feel completely tricked,” Heon-ju grumbled, holding a cup of coffee in one hand. Four days had passed since their last call. Although they had exchanged messages in the meantime, this was their first meeting after over a week. Yet the moment Heon-ju saw Yoon-ui, he began complaining nonstop.

“You said you’d buy me something delicious.”

It was true—coffee from the center’s café was the kind of drink that barely qualified as edible. Even Yoon-ui couldn’t argue with that. After making it sound like he’d treat Heon-ju to a nice meal, he’d instead dragged him to a place where they were essentially paying for ashtray rinse water.

“And I thought it’d just be the two of us.”

But on this point, Yoon-ui had a rebuttal ready. Giving Heon-ju a sidelong glance, he raised his own cup of coffee.

“When did I ever say it’d be just the two of us? I only said I’d treat you.”

“If someone says they’re buying you food, it’s implied it’s one-on-one!”

Faced with Heon-ju’s confident generalization, Yoon-ui, who lacked both social skills and friends, felt momentarily swayed.

“…Is that how it usually works?”

Awkwardly, he glanced at Esper Lee Hyun-ji, who was sitting next to Heon-ju and laughing silently. She gave him a half-hearted shrug and raised a hand in mock surrender.

“Well, I guess it’s up to the person paying.”

“See? Told you.”

Bolstered by Hyun-ji’s lukewarm support, Yoon-ui regained his confidence. But whether he cared or not, Heon-ju was still sulking, resting his head on the table with his coffee cup in hand, looking thoroughly disappointed.

“I was really looking forward to it.”

“Looking forward to what exactly?”

“Having a meal with just the two of us!”

His large frame sprawled across the table, completely covering it. Hyun-ji found his whining amusing and laughed, but Yoon-ui felt a sudden wave of anxiety. Sure, Heon-ju was naturally affectionate, but being this openly attached could easily lead to rumors.

It was an unspoken rule among Espers to let “first love embarrassments” slide without mention. But this time, the protagonist was Heon-ju, and the target happened to be none other than Jung Yoon-ui himself. Even the mere fact that an S-class Esper had a first love could spark gossip—but if people found out that Yoon-ui was the object of that affection, the resulting chatter would be far from favorable.

Feeling uneasy, Yoon-ui subtly glanced at Hyun-ji while lightly kicking Heon-ju’s shin under the table.

“Hey, sit up. You’re taking up the whole table with that big frame of yours.”

“Put the coffee tray on my back then.”

“You really not getting up?”

Yoon-ui tapped the top of Heon-ju’s head with the condensation-covered plastic cup, and only then did Heon-ju lift himself up, his face still sulking in a playful pout. Hyun-ji, watching him with an amused expression, teased with a grin.

“Looks like I wasn’t supposed to be here today, huh?”

“Ack, no, it’s nothing like that!”

Heon-ju frantically waved his hands and shook his head, clearly flustered. Both Hyun-ji and Yoon-ui knew it was just harmless whining, but seeing him overreact made them want to tease him even more. Catching Yoon-ui’s gaze, Hyun-ji exaggerated a sigh with a dramatic expression.

“I’ve been told I’m a bit oblivious sometimes….”

“Ah, no, that’s not it! Hyun-ji noona!”

Watching Heon-ju flail in embarrassment, Yoon-ui hid a chuckle behind his coffee cup. He may have been the target of all this energy, but moments like this made it hard not to smile.

“Apologize quickly.”

“Oh, sorry, noona. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Watching the hulking Heon-ju meekly grovel to the petite Hyun-ji, who barely stood over 160 cm, was amusing. Leaning back in his chair, Yoon-ui grinned as he observed Heon-ju flusteredly apologize repeatedly, insisting he hadn’t meant any offense.

Initially, when he had suggested a meal, Yoon-ui did plan for it to be just the two of them. If Heon-ju hadn’t made it so painfully obvious during their phone call how much he was looking forward to it, Yoon-ui might have picked one of the center’s least frequented dining spots, just to avoid teasing from colleagues.

But Heon-ju’s overflowing excitement had made him rethink his approach.

While he didn’t want to be the subject of jokes, having a meal alone with someone as enthusiastic as Heon-ju felt burdensome. It wasn’t just the intensity of Heon-ju’s interest—it was also the risk of being seen together in the center. Such a sight could easily lead to rumors.

Frankly, he had seriously considered canceling the entire meal. However, telling Heon-ju, “Sorry, I’ve reconsidered, and I don’t think we should eat together,” felt equally awkward. And leaving the arrangement vague with a “Let’s eat together sometime” would only have encouraged Heon-ju to push for specifics with relentless enthusiasm.

Thus, Yoon-ui arrived at the idea of bringing a third person along. Someone who was discreet, friendly, and familiar with both himself and Heon-ju. That’s how Lee Hyun-ji ended up here. Recently, she had thanked Yoon-ui for a guiding session with a gift of macarons, making her the perfect candidate for an impromptu coffee invitation.

“Thanks again for the emergency guiding last time,” Hyun-ji said, lifting her coffee cup with a polite smile. “But now I feel bad, having this coffee as a thank-you for the macarons.”

“It’s nothing. I was just doing my job,” Yoon-ui replied modestly.

“Still, I appreciate it. Thank you.”

Hyun-ji took a sip of her coffee, but her face immediately twisted in distaste.

“Wow, this really is terrible.”

“…Right?”

“Someone said this tastes like it’s meant to keep Espers from losing control. It really wakes you up.”

Her serious expression made Yoon-ui feel even more awkward about having invited them here.

“See? I told you we should’ve gone out,” Heon-ju grumbled, returning from the counter after pumping syrup into his drink.

But Yoon-ui wasn’t about to shoulder all the blame.

“It’s my fault,” Hyun-ji interjected, laughing as she lowered her head slightly. “I suggested meeting here. I’m on standby duty today, so I can’t leave the center.”

Espers working in the field were often required to be on standby, ready to respond to emergencies. Though it had been a while since Yoon-ui had left fieldwork, he still understood the need to adjust plans based on her schedule. However, Heon-ju, unfamiliar with such protocols, tilted his head in confusion.

“You can’t go out even if you’re just on standby? Isn’t that for active-duty shifts?”

“Standby is standby, active-duty shifts are active-duty shifts,” Yoon-ui said, lightly chastising him.

Still, Heon-ju looked perplexed. Clearly, his senior Espers hadn’t done much to teach him basic operational knowledge. Clicking his tongue loudly enough for Heon-ju to hear, Yoon-ui expressed his frustration indirectly. Hyun-ji kindly explained instead.

“When all the active-duty personnel are inside a gate, standby teams are there to respond to any new gates that might open.”

“Shouldn’t there be a standby team for the standby team if there are so few people?”

“If it gets to that point, the country’s doomed,” Yoon-ui retorted. “You still sound like a civilian. Haven’t they trained you properly yet?”

Unable to hold back his nagging any longer, Yoon-ui scolded Heon-ju, who retaliated by covering his ears, mimicking a trick he had likely learned from Jung-woo.

“Look at this brat. Who taught you this nonsense?” Yoon-ui swatted Heon-ju’s hands away, their bickering drawing a laugh from Hyun-ji.

“You two must be really close,” Hyun-ji commented, amused.

“Really? Does it seem that way, noona?” Heon-ju beamed, thrilled by the observation.

Yoon-ui, however, felt less enthused. “It just means you don’t know how to respect your senior properly.”

“No, no. It means we genuinely get along!”

“That’s true,” Hyun-ji added, winking knowingly at Yoon-ui. Her playful smile caught him off guard just as he was taking a sip of coffee, making him choke.

“Cough!”

“Are you okay?”

“Cough… Tissue… cough… please.”

As he sputtered, spilling coffee on himself, Heon-ju hurriedly fetched tissues, while Hyun-ji moved closer, patting his back.

“Sorry, did I surprise you?”

“Cough… No, no, it’s fine,” Yoon-ui managed to say, waving his hand.

Still, as he caught his breath, he realized that even he, someone often oblivious, had picked up on Heon-ju’s interest. Expecting others not to notice was asking too much. When Heon-ju returned with water, the sight of him bustling around made both Hyun-ji and Yoon-ui smile despite themselves.

“Wait, noona, why are you sitting closer to him now?”

“To pat his back.”

“Want me to do it instead? Noona, switch seats with me!”

“Just give me the water,” Yoon-ui interjected, cutting him off before the situation spiraled further.

Heon-ju pouted but handed over the water, earning another round of teasing from Yoon-ui. The lively scene was interrupted, however, when a small light on Hyun-ji’s uniform suddenly blinked on.

“Standby alert,” she said, reading the signal.

The mood shifted immediately. Yoon-ui quickly began clearing the table. Somewhere, a new gate had opened, and all the current field personnel were already engaged. Hyun-ji would need to prepare for a possible deployment.

“Thanks for the coffee. I’ll treat you next time,” Hyun-ji offered as she stood.

“No need. It’s getting ridiculous to keep reciprocating.”

“Still…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Yoon-ui replied, extending his hand toward her.

“Now, let’s go.”