SOG Ch 38

“Yes. Let’s eat together sometimes.”

The faintly amused eyes searched him silently.  In contrast to the females’ opinion of him which resulted in the not-so-funny nickname “player,” the public opinion of Seon Eun-soo was that he had a “good personality.” Unlike Seon Jae-chan, who blatantly picks and chooses whom he associates with, he seemed to get along with everyone.

They were brothers with different personalities. So, Woo-jin thought that Jae-chan was just not getting along with his brother, just like any other brother…

He wondered if that was the case.

“I’ll contact you.”

Seon Eun-soo raised his lips and smiled cooly. On top of the as clear as the autumn sky expression, the bizarrely excessive number of missed calls overlaps.

He pretended his younger brother doesn’t exist in front of others, yet he called him so obsessively behind his back.

Go Woo-jin’s sunken eyes grew deeper without realizing it. Seon Eun-soo once again requested a meal together and left. After leaving a message for the team leader of Esper 1, his back disappears toward the dark emergency exit.

Woo-jin averted his gaze after confirming that Seon Eun-soo had disappeared completely. Seon Jae-chan, who was sitting in the same position on the opposing side, came into view, much like a soldier in a military car right before a battle.

Jae-chan was looking straight ahead, even though he was being touched by the president’s nephew. He’s even missing his usual bright smile. Only a doll-like expression remained on his cold face.

“…”

As Woo-jin was watching him openly, he met his gaze. His dark brown eyes were higher than usual due to the staircase-like seating arrangement.

Their gazes locked. He peered beneath the delicately stretched eyelashes into the inorganically shiny pupils, but quickly realized it was a futile effort. He couldn’t find any hints about emotions.

“Wah. He’s now talking about you in your face. What. Is it because of Eun-soo hyung? Can you introduce me to a social worker you know?”

He seemed to have been looking over there for quite some time. The president’s nephew, who was speaking with Seon Jae-chan, cast a glance this way. There would be no benefit to continuing to observe, and it would be prudent to do so at this point.

For some reason, Woo-jin was concerned about Jae-chan’s overly rigid appearance.  It reminded him of a hermit crab armed with a shell to protect its delicate skin.

‘Am I crazy?’

Comparing Seon Jae-chan to a smaller life form than the palm of his hand. He wondered if he’d gone too far. Woo-jin silently turned his attention to the front. He fixed his gaze on the bustling crowd.

On the other hand, Seon Jae-chan was keeping his eyes on Go Woo-jin’s clean back. His eyes, which had been sharpened defensively, gradually rounded out.

…….

It was only for a moment that Go Woo-jin looked at him with an incomprehensible gaze.

Although Go Woo-jin’s gaze was only for a moment, it was filled with a solid intensity that flattened Jae-chan’s bundle of emotions. Seon Eun-soo shrank into an insignificant presence, barely discernible and nestled deep within his brain.

Jae-chan looked as if Woo-jin’s neat,  plentiful back hair and clean ears. It feels like stepping under the shade of a dense and strong tree when he looked at the back straight like a beautiful tree. The strength in his tightly clenched hands was gradually fading as if he had found a place to rest for a while.

Jae-chan was brought back to reality by Gyeong Chang-hyun’s rough jab to his side with his elbow.

‘What’s wrong with you.’

As if he was embarrassed to be chewed on, the one who hadn’t said anything was now painfully poking him in the side with his elbow. Seon Jae-chan’s face became increasingly grim.

Jae-chan had been lost in thought about the calm and serene demeanor of Woo-jin, oblivious to the world around him. The reason for his distraction was his sudden reversion to his usual self, which provided a brief sense of relief that was almost indiscernible.

A commotion erupted from far below on the terrace.

……!

It was the center of the protesters, who were holding placards.

At the same time, the team leader’s shout came through the in-ear receiver he was wearing. Go Woo-jin met the eyes of his colleagues who were looking back at him and nodded briefly.

*

It was a light fuss. Protesters wanted to march through the streets to declare their intentions during the ceremony. However, the response of the upper management was not lighthearted. A suppression order was immediately given to the E-SOF unit.

It was an edict from the President to disperse the protesters quietly and immediately as if nothing had happened.

“What a waste of time! What kind of useless nonsense is this? What’s the point of using the 1st Special Forces to catch flies?”

Gyeong Chang-hyun grumbled. He and Seon Jae-chan were walking down the narrow street between buildings that led to the memorial hall. He’d noticed Seon Jae-chan walking away from Go Woo-jin and decided it would be more fun than the ceremony to join him.

Of course, instead of having fun, he was pushed around by groups of people. He would have been annoyed by the unspecified number of people crowding the street if Seon Jae-chan hadn’t grabbed his forearm and entered the quiet alley.

“He must have wanted to hide the fact that such an attempt itself had taken place. As if there were no protests.”

Seon Jae-chan answered while cutting through the alley. The president, who had previously stated that true power did not come from casings, was actually employing Espers instead. Excessive suppression can result in extra teeth in the wrong places. It’s not surprising that a powerful anti-government organization like Black Swan would rise up later.

“That’s an impure statement, isn’t it?”

Gyeong Chang-hyun, who had been pouting after him, narrowed his eyes.

“Look. A truly powerful man can make friends with impure people.”

The impure Seon Jae-chan smirked and joked that he should tell the President about his words. Gyeong Chang-hyun forgot what he was hearing because he was distracted by a bright smile he hadn’t seen in a long time and a dot on his white cheek.

It was as if a friend who had been distant for months had come to his side for the first time. His stomach melted like cotton candy. Gyeong Chang-hyun impulsively opened his mouth, saying hey without even knowing it.

“I… I’m telling you now.”

He spilled the beans he hadn’t thought to bring up in the bond that had been rebuilt, albeit superficially.

“About Eun-soo hyung. Did you hear about it? The story about your brother being reported?”

Seon Jae-chan stopped walking again. He was surprised that the topic of conversation had suddenly turned to Eun-soo, but then Gyeong Chang-hyun’s voice continued.

“I heard that in the morning too… but it seemed to be true. Can’t you talk to your father and stop Eun-soo hyung?”

“What’s going on?”

“Your brother is a little crazy.”

Gyeong Chang-hyun, who was disgusted, couldn’t keep it in any longer and twisted his lips. He bared his sharp fangs and chewed a foul sound.

“I heard he touched one of the senior Esper from Esper Team 4 this time. They reported it to the Sexual Harassment Complaint Center and the police.”

Seon Jae-chan’s jaw dropped.

Seon Eun-soo had been accused.

Of course, he was a well-known figure that would not be surprising if he was accused at any time, but… The mouth that had been opened had been shut. Only then did he realize why Gyeong Chang-hyun had been rude to his older brother, unlike in the past. Lee Hyo-hee, the senior Esper from Esper Team 4, was the first Esper assigned to Gyeong Chang-hyun. She was a very nice person and one of the few former Espers with whom Chang-hyun maintained contact.

But, something was…

‘Strange.’

Jae-chan thought to himself as he walked back through the noisy crowd of onlookers. In the past, Seon Eun-soo was never reported for doing something with the senior Esper of Esper Team 4. Gyeong Chang-hyun was also never distancing himself from Seon Eun-soo.

What was it. Why did the past change?

“I’ll tell my parents.”

He said that even though his father probably knew everything about his older brother’s affairs anyway.

Right now, the job came first. Seon Jae-chan patted Gyeong Chang-hyun on the shoulder and nudged him toward the memorial hall, which they had already reached.

The smell of black smoke lingered in the scene, probably because of the flame-type Esper. Go Woo-jin was also found under the memorial hall standing tall like history. He was seen talking to armed military and police, with his back to the disgruntled demonstrators.

“I’m going. You find the other Espers.”

He waved his hand at Chang-hyun and moved on. He could feel Go Woo-jin’s violent wavelength as he approached. He must have used far more force than usual to subdue the protesters and keep them safe.

Go Woo-jin had a habit of subtly losing to the weak. Especially to the helpless, powerless, and poor.

He became stronger for the strong and weaker for the weak, much like a seat belt fastener. Jae-chan was perplexed as to how Woo-jin could grow up like that between President Go Young-chang and Director Yoon. Jae-chan felt a brief moment of envy for the protesters who must have sympathized with Go Woo-jin throughout the suppression. Of course, Jae-chan, who had used Guiding as an excuse and always ruled like a tyrant in front of Go Woo-jin had no right to be envious of them.

Go Woo-jin soon found him.

There was no surprise or concern on his face. However, there was only a dangerous expression that can not be hidden in the eyes that look as calm as jet black at first glance.

Jae-chan stepped on the sidewalk block, straightening his shoulders trying not to shrink from the Espers’ wavelengths. He pulled the corners of his mouth as far as he could and said with a bright face.

“I’m here to guide you.”

“…”

“Do you want it?”