Chapter 32

Yugeon stopped in his tracks and stared out the window with a cold gaze. At first, he thought he must have seen it wrong and didn’t think much of it. But he hadn’t seen wrong.

“Why are you like that?”

“…”

Even to Jaehyuk’s question, Yugeon didn’t respond. He was too angry to even speak. Without a response from Yugeon, naturally, Jaehyuk’s gaze followed Yugeon’s.

“…Ah, it’s Park Haon?”

Eventually, Jaehyuk also spotted Haon. Thanks to this, Yugeon was able to confirm that the person sitting there right now was Park Haon.

“Who’s that in front of him?”

Yes, the problem wasn’t Park Haon. If it were just Park Haon, he wouldn’t feel so angry. It was because there was someone Park Haon was smiling at that made him so furious. Jaehyuk seemed clueless about who the guy opposite Park Haon was, but Yugeon knew.

It was the guy who had almost killed Park Haon a few days ago. And the same guy who shamelessly came looking for Park Haon.

“Ah, I see. That guy, the new Esper.”

As if realizing something, Jaehyuk spoke. Yugeon, already know about it, didn’t respond. And as always, Jaehyuk spilled information that Yugeon hadn’t even asked for.

“Hey, Cha Yugeon. It’s him. That’s the Esper I was talking about. The one desperate to make Park Haon his guide.”

‘I know. That he’s that guy.’

Right after hearing Jaehyuk’s words that day, Yugeon immediately went to see Park Haon. Even asking himself what he intended to do by meeting him, he had no answer. His feet just moved on their own to find Park Haon.

He encountered that bastard there. He heard from Jaehyuk that the guy was causing trouble for the higher-ups at the center, wanting to make Park Haon his guide.

From the looks of it, Park Haon seemed completely unaware of that fact. He didn’t even seem to know that the bastard liked him.

The clueless Park Haon was frustrating but at the same time, it was also a relief that he knew nothing.

This was because he got excited imagining how Park Haon would react when he found out that the bastard was attracted to him.

“Cha Yugeon, you need to snap out of it. That guy is already on a date with Park Haon.”

“…How is that a date? It’s just eating together. And why do I need to snap out of it if Park Haon eats with that guy or goes on a date?”

Yugeon snapped at Jaehyuk’s teasing.

Just eating together…

Though he said that, Yugeon knew too well how significant and difficult that was. He had known Park Haon for a long time but had only eaten with him twice.

Both times were almost by force, and both were within the center.

And this bastard, not long after meeting Park Haon, was eating out alone with him. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

But therein lies the problem.

Why was he getting angry over Park Haon eating with that guy or dating him? Yugeon couldn’t understand that point.

Of course, he had decided to maintain a good relationship with Park Haon. To be honest, the appearance of that bastard did play a part in that decision. But that was all. It wasn’t because he was nervous or jealous.

It was just because, since they were dedicated partners, it was better for both of them to get along.

Since they would be seeing each other often, there was no point in snarling or being petty.

Since they had to see each other often, it was better to see smiling faces… It was nice if Park Haon smiled…

It would be good to see him smile… That was why.

Really, that was all. There was no other intention. It’s better for his dedicated partner to be smiling than frowning, right?

Yes, that was why.

But Park Haon was smiling at that guy.

Haon gave him a cold smile, but not for that bastard.

Yes, it’s true. his relationship with Park Haon hadn’t been healthy or good.

But even so, to think he could smile so brightly at that bastard. Yugeon had known Haon for much longer, yet Haon only show him his cold faces…

Yugeon had no time to consider how one-dimensional and childish his thoughts were. He was fuming inside.

To tell the truth, Park Haon wasn’t smiling brightly. He just had a slightly awkward smile. But to Yugeon’s eyes, it didn’t seem that way. It looked as if Park Haon was so taken with that guy that he was willing to give him everything.

“…Fuck it.”

Yugeon couldn’t hold back and cursed, grinding his teeth.

This morning, he had been in a good mood. Actually, until he saw Park Haon, his mood wasn’t bad.

But seeing Park Haon eating happily with that bastard made him feel twisted inside.

“Whoa, whoa, we’re outside here, not in the Center. If you start a fire, you’ll be in trouble.”

Jaehyuk, sensing the seriousness of the situation, quickly tried to calm Yugeon down. However, to Yugeon, who was already in a state of war inside, a few words could hardly be effective.

“…Should I just kill him.”

“What are you saying, you crazy bastard. I told you to to calm down, and now you’re talking about killing someone?”

Jaehyuk was flabbergasted by Yugeon’s murderous intent. However, as if Jaehyuk’s words were not heard at all, Yugeon continued to emit a fierce heat.

“Hey, hey! Forget the food, let’s go inside the Center. Ah, it’s been a long time since I’ve been out, but I can’t even eat because of my crazy friend.”

Jaehyuk, truly worried that something he feared might happen, hurriedly dragged Yugeon towards the Center.

It was half in jest. He said he should come to his senses because Haon is on a date. Jaehyuk could easily tell, although Yugeon would never admit it, that Yugeon’s attitude towards Park Haon had completely changed compared to before.

And it was obvious that the reason stemmed from an esper’s obsession or affection, or whatever it was, towards their guide.

Yugeon was unlikely to accept that fact, so Jaehyuk had said it in jest, not expecting him to get this angry. If it were anger stemming from understanding his own feelings, as he was also an esper, Jaehyuk could have understood, but that was not the case.

To Jaehyuk, Yugeon was “an incredibly stupid crazy bastard.” If it weren’t for the fact that they were friends, and if Yugeon wasn’t an S-class Esper and he himself wasn’t an A-class Esper, he would have smacked Yugeon hard on the back of his head.

But since none of that was the case, Jaehyuk chose to drag Yugeon to the Center without resorting to violence.

* * *

“…I should have killed him.”

Yugeon muttered murderously as he glared at the ceiling. After being forcibly dragged into the Center’s dorm by Jaehyuk, Jaehyuk, feeling sick, left Yugeon alone and left. For Yugeon, it was a good thing. He was already boiling with rage, and if Jaehyuk had fanned the flames next to him, he couldn’t have endured it.

“Really annoying.”

His muttering was filled with murderous intent. Yugeon genuinely wanted to kill that bastard. Thinking back, that bastard had attacked Park Haon and had almost drown him to death.

That thought still made him dizzy.

The fact that Park Haon could have died gave Yugeon a fear he had never experienced before. It felt like the world was crumbling, and something inside him was breaking. He did give Park Haon a medicine, but he hadn’t considered such a serious situation.

His pale face, coughing up blood and unable to connect words properly, haunted him. He should have killed the person who did that to Park Haon back then. Then he wouldn’t be so bothered or heated up about it now.

The more his murderous intent towards Baek Chan-kyung grew, the more irritated he became with Park Haon. He almost got killed by that bastard, and he couldn’t understand why he was happily eating with him, smiling foolishly.

As Yugeon’s anger soared, heat waves swirled around him. However, the heat-producing Yugeon and his flame-resistant uniform were unscathed, while everything around him helplessly melted away in the intense heat.

Then, his watch rang. But with his anger reaching its peak, Yugeon had no intention of checking his watch and just glared at the ceiling. The call didn’t end, and eventually, Yugeon, irritated, looked at his watch, and his expression softened in an instant.

<Park Haon>

In fact, Park Haon was the cause of Yugeon’s anger, but just seeing the two syllables of Park Haon’s name made his anger dissipate in an instant.

Yugeon cleared his throat a couple of times to steady his voice before answering the call.