SOG Ch 81

A hint of hesitation flashed through Seon Min-yeol’s eyes when he spotted Go Woo-jin, but that was all. Seon Min-yeol approached Jae-chan with a gentle smile.

“Jae-chan, are you okay?”

The people in suits were his father’s attendants. Seon Jae-chan tilted his head and looked past the attendants toward the new arrivals. They had cameras, notebooks, and phones with them. They were clearly reporters.

“You don’t know how worried I was when I heard the news. At first, I thought you made a rash decision, but in the end, I was so proud of you…”

His father’s voice, seemingly polite but lacking in genuine consideration, was staged, predictable, and utterly dull. Jae-chan responded roughly, but unable to endure it any longer, he lowered his voice and asked.

“Father. Then can you lift the suspension on my card now?”

Seon Min-yeol’s mouth twitched briefly as he turned away from the reporters. Suddenly, the phone call with the credit card company from earlier this year seemed to ring in his ears.

– Sir, it seems that your cash service requests have been somewhat frequent. If you urgently need funds, how about considering a loan consultation with our affiliated bank? Even if you repay the credit card loan immediately, it could have a negative impact on your credit rating…

It was when Seon Min-yeol was upset with the youngest child about something related to Seon Eun-soo, the eldest child, and requested a consultation to get rid of the card. The consultant’s tone was cautious enough, but this was the first time Seon Min-yeol who had always received VIP treatment in the financial sector since inheriting the family fortune, found such words unprecedented. It was also shocking.

“I will use it sparingly now. Please lift the card suspension. Okay?”

Yet, even now, his son was trying to embarrass him in front of the reporters.

Seon Min-yeol’s fingertips twitched as he wanted to slap his youngest son for his immature behavior, but he couldn’t afford to show such a scene in front of the reporters he had brought.

He could only express his displeasure by flicking the collar of his general uniform. His son persisted in pleading for the card’s reinstatement with an innocent expression as if seeking forgiveness. The pleading voice seemed to get louder every time he tried to take a picture. Eventually, Seon Min-yeol had no choice but to get up from his seat without achieving a clear goal.

‘The card suspension will not be lifted until the end.’

Seon Jae-chan looked at the closing door and felt a brief moment of regret. The enthusiasm for his father’s visit ended there.

However, why did he come in the first place? Even if he received media attention for this incident, Jae-chan did not anticipate his father’s personality bringing him to the hospital room. Jae-chan lay down with a slightly disappointed expression on his face.

They served nutritious porridge for lunch. Perhaps because it was hospital food, it lacked any taste, unlike the morning meal. Jae-chan forced himself to scoop up the mushy porridge and got a bite or two of oven-baked chicken from Go Woo-jin, who was eating lunch ordered through a delivery app.

Once the cleanup was done, the next visitor arrived.

“Here. Your laptop.”

It was Gyeong Chang-hyun. Seon Jae-chan’s laptop came out of a cross bag filled with print that made him wonder where he bought it. Gyeong Chang-hyun was the only guest called by Jae-chan directly for matters related to that laptop.

“You know you have to grant me three wishes, right?”

Chang-hyun once again went on with his courteous wishful talk.

“Whatever.”

“Don’t you think you’re being too generous? I’m going to get what I deserve.”

“Whatever.”

Seon Jae-chan responded with the same words and plugged in the laptop. He quickly connected to the cloud and began uploading photos. He took a photo with Go Woo-jin’s phone this morning.

He was also running a decryption program. This was the reason he asked Gyeong Chang-hyun for the laptop. Jae-chan had been restless since discovering the black mark because he wanted to decrypt it. The black mark was a code system that demanded a letter array panel and needed the decryption code stored in the laptop.

“What’s that? What’s going on?”

Chang-hyun tried to pull Jae-chan into a hug out of habit but was rejected. He withdrew after Jae-chan said he was in pain, avoiding using a wish ticket as Jae-chan indicated discomfort. During this process, his eyes met with Go Woo-jin’s.

Gyeong Chang-hyun paused for a moment, then stood up with a more stubborn look on his face.

He intentionally picked up the fruit basket that was closest to Go Woo-jin. He deliberately unwrapped the package loudly and spoke to Go Woo-jin.

“Hey. Give me my necklace.”

In fact, Gyeong Chang-hyun had never even spoken to Go Woo-jin. Childish thoughts like “The enemy of my friend is my enemy” dominated Chang-hyun’s mind. On the day when Jae-chan was kidnapped if Han Tae-hoon had answered the call on time, there wouldn’t have been a handover of the tracking device to Guide Team 2 apprentice, and the apprentice wouldn’t have passed it on to Go Woo-jin.

“I don’t have it.”

A cold reply came at that moment.

“What?”

“I don’t have it. I handed it over to the investigation bureau as evidence.”

Go Woo-jin replied without lifting his eyes from the book, maintaining a composed posture. His cold demeanor was so intense that it was impossible to tell if he was telling the truth or lying.

At that time, Seon Jae-chan called him. Chang-hyun glanced at the annoyingly cold face, then retreated with a bunch of oranges in his arms.

“A necklace?”

Jae-chan, who had been concentrating on his laptop, looked at Chang-hyun. Chang-hyun placed the oranges on the bed and then explained the whole process to Jae-chan. Only then could Jae-chan understand the rapid rescue process, which was uncharacteristically efficient for the military.

“But is he going to stay here all the time? It’s been three days.”

Chang-hyun grumbled as he ate his third orange. His tone was like he wanted to be heard. Jae-chan, feeling a slight tingling at the tip of his nose due to the fresh orange fragrance filling the room, asked.

“Three days?”

“Don’t you know? Go Woo-jin has been here from the beginning. The rumor spread because he used his leave and didn’t come to work. Someone might think he’s your guardian.”

Chang-hyun murmured as he picked off the yellowish pulp to eat. Go Woo-jin, who had been staring at the book, stiffened.

Gyeong Chang-hyun wiped his hands with a wet tissue and squinted his eyes. He had never liked Go Woo-jin. While disliking his friend, Woo-jin would give him a heavy gaze whenever he sought comfort from Seon Jae-chan as a man. It was like a warning.

If you don’t like it, just say so. What’s the point of hating someone for no reason? Chang-hyun wished Go Woo-jin would make up his mind. He didn’t want him to bother his friend and make those strange faces.

After Chang-hyun left, there was a somewhat awkward atmosphere in the room. It wasn’t just because Chang-hyun had completely eaten the oranges from the basket.

‘…I can’t believe he had always been by my side.’

Jae-chan fixed his gaze on the paused screen, forgetting to run the decryption software. He pretended to be calm, but he felt like his body was subtly turning. Even Go Woo-jin went out for the rescue using the tracker instead of Han Tae-hoon. Although the rescue team arrived too quickly, causing a momentary bewilderment… Seon Jae-chan’s ears heated up.

“Thank you.”

Before the temperature rose further, Jae-chan expressed what he had been thinking about since earlier. Once again, he found it strange why words of gratitude could be so awkward.

Go Woo-jin also closed the book he had been unable to flip a single page of.

“… I am more grateful.”

Jae-chan, who was pushing the enter key while thinking about the unexpected content, raised his head.

“For telling me about my stepmother.”

Woo-jin mentioned Yoon Seo-mi.

Jae-chan momentarily struggled not to lose his composure. The guy who acknowledged his efforts by thanking him for informing him about Yoon Seo-mi had a subtly reddened cheek.

Beautiful.

Although Jae-chan had seen a few press photos of him gently smiling, seeing Go Woo-jin with flushed cheeks like that was the first time. It was stunningly beautiful. Despite thinking it was not okay to look, his gaze involuntarily turned. Due to the fluttering heartbeat, Jae-chan’s face became even warmer.

“…Yeah. Thank you.”

The two had an awkward moment after Jae-chan’s response. The decryption results were displayed on the split laptop screen, but Jae-chan was having difficulty concentrating.

Woo-jin was in a similar situation. He tried to concentrate on the book he bought, but he had been on the same page for some time. He couldn’t make out the words.

Woo-jin occasionally shifted his posture due to unnecessary discomfort. He tried to focus on the book, but the air in the room seemed to drag him away from it. It wasn’t a battle situation, and he hadn’t used his power, yet his brain’s reticular formation appeared to be constantly agitated in one way.

Unable to endure such awkwardness, Go Woo-jin decided to say something when the last visitor of the day arrived.

“Are you feeling okay?”

It was Han Tae-hoon, the leader of Guide Team 1.

As if it wasn’t too hot, the team leader was wearing a custom suit complete with a vest. Even if he pulled out a famous economic magazine from the document bag he was holding, it wouldn’t seem out of place.

“Could you please make some room?”

When Han Tae-hoon saw Go Woo-jin, he had a different reaction than the other visitors. Woo-jin closed the book he was reading in reaction to the direct demand to go.

“I’m afraid I can’t. I’m worried that something will happen.”

“What is there to be worried about when the Ross Hospital itself is completely protected?”

“Esper’s obsession with their Guides is sometimes unreasonable.”

Woo-jin continued to answer with a completely indifferent face that didn’t seem to have any obsession at all.

“Team leader, you know this because you’ve experienced it, right? I’m talking about Esper Chae Seong-hwan.”

Han Tae-hoon was silent for a while.

Jae-chan, who had been observing the sudden debate, raised his eyebrows questionably.

It was not easy to read Han Tae-hoon’s expression from the side profile. Go Woo-jin’s face, seen straight ahead, was perfectly expressionless as usual. It seemed like there was no backing down from each other.