IGWKE Episode 32

Episode 32

“What?”

By the time Yoon-ui processed what was happening, Heon-ju was already staring at him with a smug, knowing expression. What did he say? Oh, right—asking if I dislike someone.

He hadn’t caught the name, but it wasn’t hard to guess. After all, Yoon-ui’s relationships leaned more toward dislike than fondness. Considering his limited social circle, anyone he was close to had probably already been roped into Heon-ju’s orbit. Betting on probability, he nodded hesitantly.

Heon-ju grinned widely at the response.

“I thought so, so I took the initiative!”

“You… took what initiative?”

“I acted first,” Heon-ju whispered confidently, his voice low enough that no one at the neighboring desks could hear. His posture exuded self-assurance as he patted his chest proudly.

“I made sure that Song Ki-heon guy can’t come to Seoul.”

“What?”

The words snapped Yoon-ui back to full attention, his voice unintentionally bright and lively from sheer surprise. Seeing his reaction, Heon-ju beamed, looking immensely pleased with himself as he leaned forward expectantly.

“Did I do well?”

“Uh, yeah… you did. But how? What did you say?”

“I hyped you up as much as I could! Then I told them this: I think I’m struggling with training because of a lack of guiding, so instead of bringing him from Busan, I want you as my dedicated guide for training!”

“What?”

“Didn’t I do great?”

“Uh…”

Caught between disbelief and amusement, Yoon-ui glanced over the partition. Jung-woo and Woo-joo, who had been quietly listening, wore equally bewildered expressions.

Meanwhile, oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, Heon-ju continued recounting his grand strategy, growing more animated with each word.

“See, I already have results to show, right? I compared my report from the day I trained with him in Busan to yesterday’s. And obviously, the day you guided me had way better progress!”

“Uh-huh… right.”

“So, I explained to Manager Park that if I trained with you, I could improve even faster. She said she’d seriously consider it!”

“Uh… right.”

A chuckle escaped Yoon-ui. He had planned to demonstrate the gap between himself and Song Ki-heon’s guiding abilities, but he hadn’t expected it to play out so directly—or with such blatant evidence. And then there was Heon-ju’s over-the-top lobbying.

The situation was shaping up to be interesting. Yoon-ui could already imagine the gears turning in Manager Park’s head.

With the event day fast approaching, there wasn’t much time left. Heon-ju’s skills, the main attraction, weren’t progressing as needed. But with Yoon-ui guiding him, the schedule could be met without fail. Showcasing an S-class Esper’s performance before the president would be a career-making moment.

But there was a catch. Manager Park had probably already promised Song Ki-heon a return to Seoul. Now, she couldn’t exactly tell him to stay in Busan.

On top of that, she’d have to swallow her pride and personally request Yoon-ui’s help—something she’d avoided so far. For someone like her, who valued pride as much as results, the thought of bowing her head to him was likely unbearable.

It was a delightful dilemma. Watching Manager Park wrestle with her pride and practicality would be an entertaining spectacle until the day he left.

Go ahead, agonize over it. And when you finally come crawling for help, I’ll kick you to the curb so hard you’ll regret it.

Grinding his teeth inwardly, Yoon-ui gave a playful tap under Heon-ju’s chin, offering the praise he so eagerly sought.

“Well done.”

“Thanks! Oh, I have training at 4 p.m. today. Can you guide me before that? If you do, I’ll make sure to keep hyping you up!”

“Hmm… fine. Go grab some lunch and come back by 3:30.”

“Yes, sir!”

With both praise and a promise secured, Heon-ju practically skipped out of the office. The moment he left, Jung-woo poked his head over the partition, his expression curious.

“Did he just ask you to be his dedicated guide?”

“For training, yeah.”

“So… dedicated guide in practice.”

“Pretty much.”

“Hmm?”

Yoon-ui blinked, processing Heon-ju’s sudden entrance. The younger man was already grinning confidently, as if he had all the answers to questions that hadn’t even been asked.

‘What time is it?’ Yoon-ui thought briefly, glancing at the clock.

He shook his head at the sight of Heon-ju’s familiar, unapologetically bright face. “I told you to come by 3:30. What are you doing here already?”

“Oh, it’s fine as long as I come before that, right?”

“Technically, he’s got a point,” Jung-woo chimed in from his desk, earning a glare from Yoon-ui.

“You’re getting too comfortable around here, aren’t you, Jung-woo?” Yoon-ui retorted, trying to sound stern.

Shrugging, Jung-woo leaned back in his chair with a smirk. Yoon-ui walked over to where Jung-woo and Heon-ju were seated, ensuring to position himself in a way that blocked the view of his resignation paperwork. He wasn’t ready to share that news just yet.

“Did you eat lunch already?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t have any friends or something?”

The jab earned a curious glance from Jung-woo, who silently seemed to ask, And you’re the one saying that?

Realizing how his words might come across, Yoon-ui sighed and adjusted his tone.

“There’s a lounge at the training facility for Espers. Why don’t you hang out there instead of always coming here? Don’t you have anyone your age in the program?”

“Nope. Most of them are way younger than me.”

Heon-ju shrugged his broad shoulders casually, but his reasoning struck a chord with everyone.

The age group typically completing the basic training Heon-ju was undergoing would be middle school students—kids barely old enough to grasp their powers. While they wouldn’t necessarily train together, the shared spaces like lounges were unavoidable.

Imagining the towering 190cm figure of Heon-ju standing awkwardly amidst a crowd of noisy preteens, everyone in the room let out a collective sigh.

“Fine,” Yoon-ui said, patting Heon-ju on the shoulder. “If you don’t mind hanging out with the old folks, feel free to kill time here.”

“Thanks! I get along great with older people anyway,” Heon-ju replied with a playful grin.

“Take it back. Get out.”

“Hehe, come on, be nice.”

Heon-ju leaned his massive frame against Yoon-ui, feigning a playful pout. Without thinking, Yoon-ui reached up and rested his hand on the younger man’s head. It wasn’t until Heon-ju started nuzzling into his palm like a satisfied cat that Yoon-ui realized what he was doing.

Pulling his hand back out of reflex, he paused at the sight of Heon-ju’s easy smile, his mismatched double eyelids adding a unique charm to his grin.

‘He doesn’t flare up anymore,’ Yoon-ui thought, recalling their first meeting. Back then, even the slightest physical contact had set off uncontrollable bursts of flame. Now, there was nothing but warmth and a sense of calm.

Has he stopped feeling that way about me?

The thought caught him off guard. It wasn’t jealousy, exactly, but there was a strange sense of nostalgia for the younger, more impulsive Heon-ju. His mind compared it to how a parent might feel watching their child mature and let go of their once-innocent declarations like, ‘I want to marry Dad.’

A mix of pride and a faint pang of sadness filled him as he tousled Heon-ju’s hair. The thick, warm strands felt soft and comforting under his fingers.

“Hey, I spent 30 minutes styling that!”

“This is styled?”

“Yeah! I dried it for half an hour after showering post-training!”

“Wow, you’ve really got your priorities straight,” Jung-woo quipped, though he made no move to intervene as Yoon-ui continued messing with Heon-ju’s hair.

The younger man’s exaggerated complaints were belied by the laughter spilling from his lips, and Yoon-ui didn’t stop, finding amusement in his reactions. He leaned closer, running his hand through the freshly cleaned and dried hair without hesitation.

But then, something caught his attention.

At the edge of Heon-ju’s ear, a hint of bright red peeked through his hair. Thinking he might have imagined it, Yoon-ui brushed the hair to the other side, only to confirm it—his ear tips were unmistakably flushed.

The realization made him smile softly. Heon-ju, despite his growth, still carried remnants of the boyish infatuation that had once defined their interactions. It was endearing.

“Still as cute as ever,” Yoon-ui muttered under his breath, a rare and unguarded moment of affection slipping out before he could stop himself.