TG Ch 5 Part 2

Sijin asked innocently, his eyes still drowsy, “Does it hurt?”

“Are you serious right now…?”

“It must be clustered again…”

“…..”

Jeong Taeyul, caught off guard by the unexpected assault on his vital point, was speechless. Meanwhile, Sijin had moved on, pressing his fingers against the crook of Jeong Taeyul’s elbow. It was another pathway for his wave energy. 

“You don’t have congenital analgesia, do you?”

“…No.”

“Then, it must be around -70%…. Why is that? You’ve been doing well with Geonwu. You haven’t even been stressed…”

“…..”

Sijin mumbled to himself, trying to make sense of the situation. He had been swamped with work, but this was too important to ignore. After all, if an A-rank Ability User were to lose control, it would be Sijin who’d suffer the most. 

But for Jeong Taeyul’s readings to worsen like this… Sijin sighed and finally looked up at him.

“Why… Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, perplexed.

Jeong Taeyul, as if enduring something, had turned his head away with his eyes tightly shut. His back was still pressed against the wall, his thick eyebrows furrowed. His breaths, deeper than before, seemed strained. For some reason, Sijin felt like he was overpowering the armed A-Rank Guide with a single finger. The sight of Jeong Taeyul, fully armed with guns and knives, felt somewhat comical.

‘It should be okay if I just check quickly, right?’

Debating with himself, Sijin moved his hand down and pressed against Jeong Taeyul’s abdomen. This, too, was a crucial wave channel. Beneath his fingertips, he could feel the firmness of Jeong Taeyul’s abs.

“How about here?”

“…..”

‘Seems okay.’

When Jeong Taeyul didn’t react, Sijin slowly withdrew his hand. To be thorough, he needed to check his inner thighs as well. However, as his hand moved lower, he could feel a hot breath against his ear. 

Thud. 

“…Stop.”

“Why? Does it hurt?”

“The examination room. Let’s go there.” 

Jeong Taeyul abruptly sidestepped Sijin and moved away. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, then grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-fridge and gulped it down. His back, stiffening with each deep breath, seemed to exude a palpable tension.

To top it off, Jeong Taeyul hastily unbuckled his leg holster and tossed it aside. 

‘Why is he so obviously angry? And so quiet about it…’

Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Sijin shrank back awkwardly, gauging his reaction. Shark wasn’t particularly sensitive to physical contact during examinations, so he’d touched him without much thought. But now, realizing he might have overstepped his boundaries, he felt a pang of guilt. Judging by how Jeong Taeyul wouldn’t even look at him, he must be quite angry. 

“Um…. Your wave readings haven’t been good lately. And I’ve been so busy, I haven’t been able to check up on you as often as I should have…”

“…Just sit down.”

Without turning around, Jeong Taeyul gestured toward the table where the lunch box was laid out. 

Hesitant, Sijin was about to take a seat when he suddenly remembered something and fished out his ID card from his shirt pocket. Jeong Taeyul asked in a strained voice, “Why are you taking out your clothes?”

“I need to get the examination equipment from my room.”

“…Don’t you get tired, living like that?”

Jeong Taeyul asked with a sigh. It seemed Sijin’s dedication to work even right after waking up frustrated him. But it wasn’t like Sijin enjoyed this either. 

“I wouldn’t be so tired if a certain someone’s condition was better…”

Sijin couldn’t help but retort, throwing a subtle jab at Jeong Taeyul’s deteriorating condition. As if realizing the underlying message, Jeong Taeyul narrowed his eyes and extended his hand without approaching Sijin. 

Sijin looked at him suspiciously. Losing his ID card within the Center would mean restricted access to almost everywhere. 

Jeong Taeyul simply pointed at the table with his chin and said, “I’ll get it, so eat.” 

“I can go.” 

“You’re not supposed to wander around alone, so just give it to me.” 

His words reminded Sijin that he was under protection. But to think he couldn’t even visit a room within the same building. It was undeniably excessive.

Still, he couldn’t refuse the offer. Sijin handed over his ID card. Then, as if remembering something important, he asked hurriedly, 

“Did Geonwu use his abilities a lot today? How was he?”

“…..”

“Geonwu hasn’t been to the examination room since he got back, right? He seemed fine, though.” 

Despite his questions, Jeong Taeyul remained turned away. 

Sijin waited for an answer, shifting his weight awkwardly and stealing another nervous glance at Jeong Taeyul’s back. He wasn’t going to scold him for working, was he?

Then, Jeong Taeyul asked something entirely unexpected.

“You know, I’m curious.” 

“Yes?”

“Why don’t you speak casually to me?” 

Sijin was at a loss for words. Jeong Taeyul turned slightly, looking at him with a questioning gaze.

“Am I intimidating you?”

‘Is he serious…?’

Sijin was dumbfounded. He wondered if Jeong Taeyul was genuinely clueless or just pretending.

To be fair, speaking casually wasn’t difficult. He’d gotten used to it after spending so much time with the Ability Users children. He wasn’t particularly hung up on formalities. 

Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to drop the honorifics with Jeong Taeyul. Even though he’d grown to trust him, a part of Sijin still found him intimidating.

“I… I don’t really differentiate people based on how formally I speak to them.” 

“Then you can speak casually to me too.” 

“That’s not…”

“And I’ve been in worse shape than him lately.”

“…What?” 

“Yet, you’re only concerned about Ham Geonwu.”

Jeong Taeyul scoffed. His words sparked an unexpected anger in Sijin’s chest. 

Jeong Taeyul was comparing his suffering to his friend’s and accusing him of favoritism. Sijin never discriminated between Ability Users. He poured his heart and soul into caring for them when they were sick and worked tirelessly to maintain their health when they were well. To think he’d compare it to his friendship with Ham Geonwu…

Perhaps it was the fatigue, but Sijin’s composure finally snapped.

“Are you… Are you seriously trying to pick a fight right now?”

“…What?”

Jeong Taeyul looked genuinely surprised. But Sijin continued, his voice firm.

“How can you try to use your condition to claim superiority? You should be thinking about recovering together! Why would you compare it with your friend?”

“…..”

“I can barely focus on anything else because I’m always so worried about your wave readings. Why…”

Sijin’s voice cracked, not out of anger, but out of sheer exhaustion. Despite his hectic schedule with general check-ups, he always reviewed Jeong Taeyul’s readings himself. A Guide’s condition, once deteriorated, was far more difficult to manage than an Esper’s. 

Yet, for him to brush it off so lightly…

Sijin wanted to yell, to release all the pent-up frustration, but he simply lacked the energy. In the end, he settled with a firm, “Next time you compare yourself like that, …Jeong Taeyul?”

His scolding was cut short as Jeong Taeyul suddenly burst into laughter.

The tense atmosphere dissipated instantly. Jeong Taeyul’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he turned his head away, biting his lower lip as if trying to contain his laughter.

Sijin, forgetting his anger, stared at him in a daze. For someone who was usually so curt and intimidating, Jeong Taeyul had a smile that could melt hearts.

Sijin’s cheeks felt warm. This sudden change in Jeong Taeyul’s demeanor caught him off guard. Flustered, he stammered, “Why… Why are you laughing?” 

“…..”

Jeong Taeyul, for once, didn’t answer. He wiped at his lips, still suppressing a smile, then said softly, “I won’t compare. You should eat.” 

Before Sijin could even process the situation, Jeong Taeyul pocketed his ID card and walked out. Left alone in the room, Sijin was utterly bewildered. 

‘Did I have something on my face? …Or did he find it amusing, seeing me angry?’ 

He nervously touched his face, then, overwhelmed by the lingering fatigue and the emotional outburst, he collapsed onto the chair.

‘He has a nice smile, though…’

Sijin sighed wearily and started unpacking the lunchbox. It was sundubu jjigae, a type of soft tofu stew. It was a light and savory meal, and one of Sijin’s favorites. Even though he didn’t have much of an appetite, the familiar food brought a small smile to his face as he picked up his spoon. 

“…..”

Then, he caught a glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror and grimaced. 

His face was puffy, and due to his habit of sleeping on his side, one side of his hair was a mess. He looked like a disheveled puppy with one ear folded wrong.

‘He could have said something…’

He quickly attempted to fix his hair, then rushed to the bathroom to at least splash some water on his face. He couldn’t help but feel resentful towards Jeong Taeyul for laughing and not telling him. And to think he’d been so worked up a moment ago. Deciding he didn’t have the energy to dwell on it any longer, Sijin let out a sigh and picked up his spoon. 

***