SOG Ch 21

Just like the male protagonist in a high-teen drama, Kim Geun-won’s thick arms swayed refreshingly through the clutter of the pub.

Seon Jae-chan’s eyes, which had been flustered, widened. Indeed, it was because he found Go Woo-jin standing with his back to the closed door. A comfortable outfit with only a black mask. He looked as if he was hypnotized by Woo-jin’s hair that gently flowed down his forehead as if he had just washed it, Seon Jae-chan hurriedly lowered his head and whispered.

“Did sunbae call him?”

“I can’t take you unless Woo-jin knows. I told you before, didn’t I? Be confident and speak directly in front of him.”

Kim Geun-won’s forehead began to wrinkle. In fact, he had no idea Go Woo-jin would show up. He left a text message explaining his situation after much thought, but Woo-jin quickly asked for the location, and he just thought it wouldn’t hurt to have a three-way face-to-face meeting.

“Ah, shit. That’s not it.”

“…?”

“If I knew Go Woo-jin would come…”

He wouldn’t drink beer like this. Seon Jae-chan quickly pressed the words he was about to utter with a burp. Go Woo-jin was approaching.

No matter how hard he tried to forget about him, the human heart was like raw human emotion, and his lingering feelings for him still grew pathetically. Of course, he didn’t want to burp in front of someone he cared about. Besides.

‘Let’s get our minds straight.’

He had a history for getting drunk and confessing his feelings in front of Go Woo-jin. Seon Jae-chan hurriedly called the bartender to clean up his empty glasses and ordered cold water. He didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. Maybe it was because he was nervous, but his cheeks felt like they were on fire.

Meanwhile, Go Woo-jin took a seat next to Kim Geun-won and ordered a drink. Turning his back on Seon Jae-chan, who had transformed into a honey-eating scallop. Kim Geun-won then explained what he had sent via text message once more.

“This guy wants to go to Mentosa Island. He asked me to include him as an assistant guide, but I don’t think I’m taking him without your knowledge.”

Kim Geun-won jabbed Seon Jae-chan, who was only sipping bottled water. Until then, neither Kim Geun-won, who was pointing out, nor Seon Jae-chan, who was being pointed out, had expected it.

“No. Hyung. You don’t have to come.”

He never expected Go Woo-jin, who was slowly removing his mask, to say that. It was a shaky voice.

“What?”

The shocked Kim Geun-won made a high-pitched sound. What do you mean don’t come? After all, no matter how much I was indebted to him, was it wrong to communicate with Seon Jae-chan?

“You punk. Still, you should have an emergency guide. Do you know what will happen?”

Go Woo-jin had fewer Guides with a high matching rate than other Espers. Even during the pirate sweep in August, Kim Geun-won did his best to guide on the spot, allowing him to walk to Seon Jae-chan at the Guiding center on foot.

He wondered if he had made a mistake, and if Woo-jin hated it that much, he was about to declare that he would no longer communicate with Seon Jae-chan. Go Woo-jin, who was holding a margarita cocktail looked at him first. He faced Seon Jae-chan with Kim Geun-won in the middle.

“Hyung, don’t bother. Come by yourself. As a pair guide.”

His voice was as dry as salt on the glass rim. Kim Geun-won and Seon Jae-chan’s gazes unexpectedly met.

Go Woo-jin, who appeared calm as a stranger, had a brief moment of emotion in his gaze, but the phone in his hand soon vibrated and his eyes were obscured.

[Stepmother]

His smooth lips hardened as he checked the text message from her.

Only the music that kept playing in the pub could be heard between the three silent people on a crowded Friday evening. In contrast to modern rock’s static melody, it was an unfriendly lyric because there was a lot of room for interpretation.

*

It was unbelievable, but Go Woo-jin’s words, ‘Come to Mentosa Island yourself as a pair guide’ seemed serious.

“Guide Seon Jae-chan. E-SOF requested on-site assistance. Can I tear it up?”

Monday following the weekend. Seon Jae-chan, who came to work as Team 2 of the Guide Bureau in the morning, received an official letter of a business trip. E-SOF was an abbreviation for the Esper-Special Operation Force (E-SOF), to which Go Woo-jin belonged.

Team 2 team leader Hong Ye-deok poked his gray head through the office partition, asking if it had arrived in the wrong place. His hands were poised to rip the official document Fax had just delivered.

“No, team leader. That’s all right. Please give it to me.”

Seon Jae-chan, who was out working, ran and reached out his hand. Team leader Hong Ye-deok stared blankly at the team’s youngest member, whose atmosphere had recently changed, before handing over the official document. Jae-chan took the crumpled paper and returned to his desk in front of the door, where he was working as a guide for the day.

[Request for assistance in handling the remnants of pirates on Mentosa Island]

Duration, location, service details, request guide list, etc. Seon Jae-chan, who was reading it down, wrapped his hands around his head.

He really sent it. He really sent it.

Of course, he was able to enter the island naturally just as he wanted. There was one problem.

‘If I go on a business trip like this, I’ll be guiding Go Woo-jin.’

The words that he would no longer be a pair guide were becoming increasingly meaningless. He tightened his grip on his hair.

Will I be able to fold my heart while staying next to him?

He suddenly remembered something from a few weeks ago. The day his roommate, Jeong Noah, was kidnapped. He met Go Woo-jin’s eyes through the window of the patrol car.  He remembered the softly relaxed gaze and the light sigh that seemed relieved the moment Woo-jin found him.

He was so full of himself, giving meaning to even such trivial moments, that his heart was overwhelmed. Will he be able to do well… Jae-chan clenched his numb fingertips and eventually collapsed onto the desk.

Haa. I have to decide quickly.

Even after dealing with urgent work in the morning and contacting the team guides on site, the worries didn’t go away. Before he knew it, the pins on the wall clock were pointing to 12 o’clock. He reasoned that it would be better to make a decision after he had filled his stomach with lunch.

“Guide Seon Jae-chan. How about lunch?”

A group of Team 2 members, who had been talking before, asked him. They were seniors who usually brought packed lunches to work. Hong Ye-deok, the team leader, had already disappeared because he uses his lunch break very flexibly.

“I’ll eat it separately. Enjoy your meal.”

“Yes. You too.”

Since returning to the past, he has mostly eaten lunch at the library. It was thanks to Park Yu-ram who gave him the key to the librarian’s lounge, where few people come. He always bought two servings, so when the time was right, he would eat with her.

What should I buy today? It was when he smell the delicious food wafting from the seniors’ lunch boxes at the time.

The office door burst open without warning.

The laughter of a group of people who were sharing lunches died down.

Seon Jae-chan also noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere. He met familiar faces coming straight towards him and then opened his mouth one tempo slowly.

“What brings you to the office?”

“Didn’t you ignore all the calls for me to come to find you like this?”

Huh? Gyeong Chang-hyun, who stood in front of him, raised his cool lips and asked with a smile. His pointy fangs protruded from between his smooth lips.

‘Are you really going to eat lunch here? You are avoiding them?’

Park Yu-ram’s voice that he heard one day seemed to ring in his ears.

So…

These guys were Guides from the so called well-known family who were friends with 21-year-old Seon Jae-chan. He’s been avoiding him since he returned from the past.

Seon Jae-chan pressed his mouth shut as he faced Gyeong Chang-hyun, whom he had not seen in several years based on the standard of his twenty-seven years old age. Blonde hair, stud piercings, and Hawaiian zip-up jerseys in purple and turquoise worn over uniform shirts. He was even more extraordinary than Jae-chan remembered. Huh? He even had one hand on a basketball.

“Is it good to avoid us and get cursed? Fucking bastard?”

Thump, thump. Gyeong Chang-hyun continued hitting the office partition with a basketball. Jae-chan wrinkled his eyes as the vibrations were transmitted to his fingertips on the desk. Behind the three of them, he could see seniors with packed lunches quietly leaving the office.

Jae-chan went through each of the idiots, the accuser, the parasite, and the traitor from the beginning. Finally, facing the idiot who was violently pounding the basketball, he pushed the chair back and stood up.

“Why.”

He opened his mouth as if unable to see the basketball. He immediately extended his hand. He smiled, ignoring the sharpening of the corners of Gyeong Chang-hyun’s eyes. 

“Are you bored without me?”

He smiled as if lowering his tail and quietly hugged his body. Just like he used to.

He could smell the perfume as he tapped the idiot’s shoulder while hugging him, and he threw the pack and basketball at random before hugging Jae-chan. Oh, my, my. You must have a hard time. Seon Jae-chan let out a disgusting short sound and hid his twisted face in his zip-up jersey. Shit. I’ll have to come up with something. I felt this in the past, but I couldn’t do this anymore.