TG Ch 2 Part 10

“How about counseling once a week? With… your body?”

Sighing at his blatant harassment, Sijin realized he was cornered. With Park Jaesung drunk, there was no way to resolve this situation now. It would be better to leave and deal with it later. He decided to abandon any further conversation and stand up… until Jeong Taeyul arrived.

“I must have misheard.”

Bam! Their foreheads slammed against the table. Sijin’s eyes zeroed in on their neatly-combed hair. 

A large hand was pressing down on their heads as if trying to crush them. The hand was so enormous that it made their heads look like balls. Moreover, both men let out painful groans, suggesting that Jeong Taeyul might be using his ability to mess with their minds.

“G-Guid Jeong Taeyul?” Sijin called out hesitantly, but Jeong Taeyul, who didn’t seem to hear him, growled, “You bastards, are you blind?”

“N-No, sir.” 

Their demeanor instantly became disciplined. Only Sijin remained stunned and bewildered. He could feel everyone’s attention drawn towards them, yet no one dared to intervene. They merely watched sympathetically at the two men being reprimanded by Jeong Taeyul.

Jeong Taeyul pressed down harder on their heads and asked, “Does Dr. Baek look like some experiment subject to you?” 

“No, sir…!”

“Then why are you being such an asshole to him?”

Sijin’s eyes widened as he watched from the front. The two men were gripping the table with both hands, clearly suffering immense pain. It was inevitable given that an A-rank Guide was forcefully disrupting their minds with his powerful energy.

“You seem to outrank me.”

“Ugh…”

“Why are you being such a disrespectful prick to Dr. Baek, who has a higher rank than even I? I must be nothing to you then, being even lower in rank?”

“N-No, sir…!”

“Guide Jeong Taeyul! That’s enough,” Sijin urgently called out, fearing one of them might faint at any moment. However, Jeong Taeyul continued aggressively.

“Don’t mess with Dr. Baek. If you do, I’ll consider it insubordination.”

“Guide Jeong Taeyul, stop this now.” Unable to bear any more, Sijin intervened again. By then, both men were sweating profusely and unable to respond due to their intense pain.

With a blank expression, Jeong Taeyul glanced at Sijin before reluctantly removing his hands from their heads. The two men gasped for breath as if they had just endured waterboarding. 

Sijin looked at them, astonished by their drenched state, certain that things would have gotten ugly if he hadn’t intervened.

At that moment, Jeong Taeyul, still standing emotionlessly, addressed Sijin:

“Disciplinary action.”

“…Pardon?”

“Will there be a disciplinary action?”

At that moment, Jeong Taeyul indicated towards the two men with his eyes. Sijin finally snapped back to reality. He had forgotten about feeling insulted due to their pitiful appearance. 

Sijin belatedly cleared his throat. In truth, he hadn’t expected to make such an immediate decision. Moreover, it still felt strange being of higher rank, making disciplinary action sound unfamiliar.

“Hmm, this time I’ll let you off with a warning. However, if something like this happens again, there will be consequences.”

“Understood…”

“Thank you.”

The two barely managed to respond. They seemed relieved as they caught their breath. Suddenly, from behind them, Jeong Taeyul calmly muttered:

“And what about as fellow agents?”

“…We apologize.”

“Eh? Why apologize to me? It sounds like you’re only saying sorry because of potential disciplinary action.”

“…..”

Jeong Taeyul had a real knack for putting people on the spot. Sijin was just grateful that his higher rank shielded him from such treatment.

“You two need to work on your attitude… Actually, scratch that.  You knew exactly what you were doing.” Jeong Taeyul added with a chuckle, “Just get ready to train with Ham Geonwu tomorrow.”

“…..”

Their faces paled. It was almost pitiful, the way they stared blankly at the table, unable to speak. But Jeong Taeyul was not one to show mercy.

“And tell Ham Geonwu everything. Every single detail about what happened here, and what you said to the doctor.” 

“…..”

“No response? Is it because of my low rank?”

“We’re sorry.”

“Just answer me.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Get out of my sight.” 

As soon as Jeong Taeyul spoke, the two men scrambled to their feet. They gave Sijin a stiff salute and disappeared, the looks of pity and judgment from the others following them out the door. 

Even after they left, Jeong Taeyul still had an annoyed expression on his face. Then, without a word, he plopped down right next to Sijin.

Sijin looked at him, surprised. It was strange seeing Jeong Taeyul defend him like that. And the things he said to reprimand them were unexpected, too. 

Feeling his gaze, Jeong Taeyul looked ahead irritably and asked gruffly, “What?”

“Just surprised, that’s all.”

“Why?”

Sijin hesitated, unsure how to explain it. He decided to just be direct. 

“Telling them off for… bothering someone for no reason.”

“I…” Jeong Taeyul started to say something, then seemed to think better of it and took a swig of Sijin’s iced coffee. 

‘My coffee…’

Sijin sadly watched as half of his drink disappeared instantly. He had barely taken one sip…

Regardless of Sijin’s feelings, Jeong Taeyul continued after finishing the coffee.

“I hate that kind of thing.”

“What kind of thing?” Sijin curiously asked. Was Jeong Taeyul just sensitive about rank, being a captain and all? Indeed, it was true that it was ludicrous for an agent to pick a fight with someone of a higher pay grade. 

However, Jeong Taeyul surprised him with his response:

“I hate the idea of you having to go through the same thing I did. What’s the point of making someone else suffer just because I did?” 

His thoughts were similar to Sijin’s. He also hated that kind of shared misery. But he hadn’t expected Jeong Taeyul to share this sentiment. Perhaps that’s how he’d become a captain? 

“You’re kind-hearted.”

As Sijin muttered to himself, Jeong Taeyul paused while reaching for his coffee cup again. He turned to look at Sijin, his sharp, hazel eyes glinting beneath his sleek double eyelids.

“Did you just call me kind?”

Was he picking a fight? Sijin quickly racked his brain, reviewing their conversation for any potential issues. Fortunately, there weren’t any.

“Uh, yeah. You’re kind.”

“Why?”

Why indeed? It was one of the most challenging questions in the world. If not for the recent incident, Sijin might never have been able to answer it. However, believing in giving credit where it’s due, he honestly replied:

“You bu… I mean, you corrected someone earlier about not harassing others.”

Sijin almost said ‘bullied’ but caught himself just in time. Unsure if this was the right answer, Sijin glanced at him and inadvertently nearly took a sip of his coffee. It belonged to Jeong Taeyul — or rather, Jeong Taeyul had taken his cup.

“Why are you complimenting me?”

“Why? Being kind is being kind.”

“You’re the first person who’s ever called me kind.” Jeong Taeyul’s tone remained gruff, yet a smile gradually spread across his handsome face despite himself. Sijin found this change intriguing. Even the shark can’t resist smiling when complimented.

After taking another sip of coffee, Jeong Taeyul continued, “Well, being kind is better than just being cute, don’t you think?”

“I-I guess so.”

“And I’m the one who got rid of all the hazing around here.”

“Y-You did well.”

Why was Jeong Taeyul suddenly talking like this? Sijin found his behavior unfamiliar but played along since he seemed to be in a good mood. Then, he asked out of curiosity:

“But why did you tell them to train with Esper Ham Geonwu earlier?”

“Why do you ask?” The smile vanished from Jeong Taeyul’s face.

Sijin hastily assured him that it was mere curiosity. “I just thought maybe there was a specific reason. Also, I was curious as to why that specific punishment…”

“…..”

The smile vanished from Jeong Taeyul’s face as he stared expressionlessly at Sijin. Under his piercing gaze, Sijin fidgeted and busied himself with organizing his papers. Sitting next to him made his right cheek feel uncomfortably hot.

After a moment, Jeong Taeyul casually replied, “You pick things up after listening to the trainees talk for a while.”

“Like what?” 

“They say that while I work them to the bone, at least my training methods make sense, and I’m reasonable in the end.”

At that moment, Jeong Taeyul’s smartwatch beeped. Someone was contacting him late at night. He briefly furrowed his brow before continuing.

“They say Ham’s nothing like that.”

“Ah…”

“Apparently, it feels like you’re fighting a monster.” 

Sijin quietly nodded. Considering Ham Geonwu’s personality, it sounded plausible.

Suddenly, Jeong Taeyul stood up with his empty glass and asked out of nowhere, “Doctor, wanna grab some drinks with Ham Geonwu tomorrow?”

“Huh? Sure…”

“I’ll be joining you both.”

“W-Wait, Guide Jeong Taeyul?”

Sijin wanted to ask why but held back at the last moment. He knew exactly how Jeong Taeyul would respond: ‘What, are you planning on doing something with Ham Geonwu alone?’, ‘Why, don’t you want me there?’, ‘That’s strange. Am I not allowed to join you?’ and so on. 

“It’s because there’s something I need to discuss with you, Doctor.”

“With me…?”

“Yes.” With that concise answer, Jeong Taeyul got up and headed somewhere else. Meanwhile, Sijin remained seated, bewildered.

‘I also have something important to tell Ham Geonwu tomorrow…’

Sijin wanted to express his gratitude for saving him, but would Jeong Taeyul interrupt him? Sijin looked troubled.

Thud.

Another glass of iced coffee appeared on the table before him. Sijin raised his head and saw who had brought it.

“See you tomorrow, Doctor.” Jeong Taeyul pushed the coffee closer with a bright smile. It reminded Sijin of his friendly grin on his first day at the Center. He seemed genuinely happy.

Sijin, momentarily mesmerized by his handsome smile, only came to his senses when he saw Jeong Taeyul striding away.  

‘…He’s so hard to read.’

He felt like he hadn’t had a single peaceful day since meeting Jeong Taeyul.  Sijin felt a surge of anxiety.  Would he even survive tomorrow’s drinking session?