TG Ch 8 Part 2

Just then, a shadow fell over the crouching Sijin.

Sijin, who was looking at his pad, hesitantly looked up. And he was certain that God had abandoned him.

“Are you here so I can see you?”

Jeong Taeyul asked. Seeing Sijin’s dazed expression, he chuckled in disbelief.

Jeong Taeyul was wearing combat trousers with a holster and a special material t-shirt that clearly outlined his muscles. Sijin couldn’t take his eyes off Jeong Taeyul’s impressive figure. It was just the usual attire of the ability users, but why did it look so different today? Perhaps because the sunlight was hitting him from the side, his sharp features stood out even more.

And a cigarette hung from Jeong Taeyul’s fingertips. Looking down at Sijin, he took a drag, a smirk playing on his lips. There was a communal ashtray next to him.

Sijin belatedly realized that this was the smoking area.

He felt stupid for blindly seeking a secluded spot. He had wanted to avoid smokers, yet he had walked right in front of one.

“T-That’s not it, I…”

Embarrassed, Sijin dusted himself off and stood up. He couldn’t form a coherent sentence after running into the person he was trying to avoid.

Then, Jeong Taeyul asked first, checking Sijin’s complexion, “How are you feeling?”

At the overly casual question, Sijin hesitated, as if buffering.

But they weren’t in a situation where they needed to act like this after a drunken mistake, were they? At a loss for what to do, Sijin’s face flushed, but he tried to speak calmly.

“I’m… fine. I slept well and woke up around 9.”

“Yes. I know.”

“……”

He must have heard from Seo Gyuho… Sijin stood frozen, as if time had stopped, at the abrupt end of the conversation.

He glanced at Jeong Taeyul’s expression. He seemed annoyed as he quietly stared at Sijin.

‘Why does he seem upset? Is it because of me…?’

Sijin felt deflated, wondering if he was the only one agonizing and nervous because of the kiss. Seeing Jeong Taeyul’s constantly furrowed brow, he couldn’t help but think so.

Then, Jeong Taeyul abruptly asked, “I heard you woke up because Seo Gyuho touched your lips.”

“Uh, yes…”

Gyuho, why did you have to say that?

Sijin felt dizzy. Now he knew for sure. Seo Gyuho was the type who only understood what he was explicitly told. He had wanted to at least spare Seo Gyuho from getting scolded, but now it was all for naught.

Sijin asked hesitantly, “Did you… by any chance scold Gyuho…?”

“Yes.”

Jeong Taeyul answered quietly and took a drag of his cigarette. Between the long exhaled white smoke, his fiercely furrowed brow was visible.

“Like hell I did.”

“…Why would you scold an innocent kid?”

Sijin thought he was being mean. He had given him a strange mission, and now he was picking on the poor kid.

“Innocent?”

Jeong Taeyul scoffed as he smoked. His demeanor was rebellious, as if challenging Sijin to do something about it. Watching his brazen behavior, Sijin mumbled, looking down, “You kissed me…”

Then, Jeong Taeyul’s hand, holding the cigarette, froze in Sijin’s view.

For a while, Sijin couldn’t bring himself to look up at Jeong Taeyul. Whatever his expression, he didn’t want him to see his flushed face, caused by his pounding heart.

‘Wait, I’m the older one here.’

He had to take responsibility for this. Sijin somehow pulled himself together. He was five years older; he couldn’t act so pathetically as a working professional.

Sijin decided to handle the situation calmly. Even if he couldn’t sort out his emotions, it would be better to talk about it, at least for the sake of their professional relationship.

“I, I was actually going to talk about that. Jeong Taeyul…”

Sijin finally looked up at him and started to speak.

He was different from yesterday’s aggressive self. He kept his distance, not coming closer than two steps to Sijin.

However, Jeong Taeyul’s gaze lingered on Sijin’s hesitant lips before finally returning to his eyes. The half-smoked cigarette in his hand slowly burned. His sharp gaze seemed particularly intense amidst the white smoke.

Looking at those eyes dreamily, Sijin spoke after a moment, “Let’s talk for a bit.”

“…Okay.”

Fortunately, Jeong Taeyul didn’t refuse. It was as if he knew he had no right to refuse.

Sijin sat on a bench in a relatively secluded spot with Jeong Taeyul. Jeong Taeyul sat a handspan away from him. Fidgeting with his hands on his lap, Sijin forced himself to speak calmly.

“Um… Guide Jeong Taeyul.”

Jeong Taeyul turned to look at Sijin at his call. Perhaps because of the strong sunlight, his hazel eyes seemed particularly prominent today. Looking at his languid eyes waiting for the question, Sijin forced a playful tone, “You didn’t knock me out on purpose, did you?”

“No.”

Jeong Taeyul added as if it were obvious, “Not at all.”

Sijin was relieved at his words. Then the only remaining reason was a mistake due to emotions. For some reason, eliminating the worst possibility made Sijin feel much better.

Smiling in relief, Sijin said, “That’s all I needed to know.”

“……”

Then, Jeong Taeyul furrowed his brow suspiciously.

He seemed dissatisfied with the reaction, lost in thought for a moment. Taken aback by the unexpected response, Sijin looked at him quizzically. He had only said it was okay; why did he feel like he had made a mistake?

Jeong Taeyul asked quietly, “…Are you really okay with that?”

“Yes?”

“You’re okay with being kissed by an ability user and fainting?”

“Well, you didn’t make me faint out of malice.”

At those words, Jeong Taeyul simply stared at Sijin, tilting his head. He seemed to be holding back a response because it was such an obvious question. His gaze lingered on Sijin’s lips before he turned away and rubbed his face.

He sighed and said, “Malice or not, you shouldn’t say you’re okay with something that should have knocked you out for three days.”

“……”

Sijin pondered his words for a moment, then muttered to himself in confusion, “That’s true. Normally, I would have been unconscious for about three days, and even after waking up, I would have felt chest pains, lethargy, headaches, nausea, and barely been able to breathe due to exhaustion…”

Sijin was a diagnostic examiner. He knew exactly what happened to ordinary people when they received guiding from a Guide.

“But why do I feel so refreshed?”

“…Is that what you’re wondering about right now?”

Jeong Taeyul looked at Sijin incredulously. He had told him to get angry, not to exercise his scientific curiosity.

Sighing, Jeong Taeyul said, “It’s not okay, so get angry instead of trying to brush it off. If someone else does this to you later, don’t just accept it…”

Jeong Taeyul abruptly stopped speaking. He lowered his head and sighed, as if he’d been interrupted.

Sijin, puzzled by the sudden change in his expression, asked, “…What’s wrong?”

Sijin asked in confusion. Jeong Taeyul’s eyes grew sharp. He glanced to the side, then suddenly fixed his gaze intently on Sijin. Sijin felt a surge of nervousness.

About to say something, Sijin suddenly stopped.

His gaze was now directed behind Jeong Taeyul.

“…Uh, Geonwu is coming.”

“Yes. I know. Look at me.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Look only at me.”

Jeong Taeyul said, staring directly at Sijin.

“If you pretend you don’t see him and ignore him, he’ll get sulky and leave, so don’t acknowledge him.”

“How can I do that to Geonwu…”

“Or tell him we kissed.”

“…I’ll be quiet.”

Sijin nervously started to speak in a trembling voice.

“But even so, pretending I don’t see him… Ugh.”

It wasn’t a sound he made intentionally. It was because of the heavy weight that squeezed between them and leaned against his shoulder. As Sijin managed to look to the side, he saw something with its cheek pressed against his shoulder like a stray cat.

“G-Geonwu…?”