TG Ch 5 Part 3

By the time Sijin was halfway through his meal, Jeong Taeyul returned to the room. He seemed to have been gone longer than expected, but Sijin wasn’t bothered. 

In Jeong Taeyul’s hand was a silver aluminum case containing basic examination equipment. 

“You found it. Thanks.”

Sijin expressed his gratitude as he took the case. He intended to examine Jeong Taeyul right away. He could have sent him to the examination room, but it was probably still a mess from the aftermath of the general checkup. Moreover, Sijin always felt more at ease when he could assess the situation firsthand.

As Sijin began taking out the examination tools, Jeong Taeyul said with a frown, “Just finish your food first.”

“It’s okay. I’m almost done.”

Sijin wasn’t a big eater, and he had trouble stomaching food when something was weighing on his mind. Jeong Taeyul glanced at the remaining food, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he didn’t push it. Instead, he obediently offered Sijin his arm. Relieved, Sijin started the basic examination. 

[-70%] 

As expected. Sijin sighed. The normal wave reading for Guides ranged from -40% to -60%, and his had dropped again. Why did Jeong Taeyul’s readings keep worsening when he was always paired with an Esper with excellent compatibility? Sijin pondered over this.

“Let’s check your wave recirculation rate, too.”

Taking out another device, Sijin began pressing it against various points on Jeong Taeyul’s body. It was a device that identified areas experiencing strain from wave energy. It worked by forcefully scattering the wave energy in a specific area and measuring how quickly it returned to its original state. It was quite a painful process, but Jeong Taeyul showed no reaction whatsoever.

Beep.

Then, an abnormal reading appeared on the device – Jeong Taeyul’s left shoulder. The reading was high enough to make anyone cry out in pain. 

Sijin frowned and said, “…This hurts, doesn’t it?”

“…..”

“Who said you could hide your pain?”

Despite his disheveled appearance, Sijin’s gaze was stern. How dare he try to conceal his symptoms from the diagnostic examiner? Sijin sighed and stood up. 

“This won’t do. You’re sleeping with the wave regulator on today.”

“If I wear that, you won’t be able to sleep, will you?”

“That’s right.”

Jeong Taeyul was well aware of a diagnostic examiner’s duties. As he said, if an Ability User was hooked up to a wave regulator, the examiner had to personally monitor their condition every few hours. Naturally, that meant Sijin wouldn’t get any sleep.

“Don’t bother. It won’t make much difference anyway.” 

“We have to do everything we can. Let’s go.”

“Aren’t you going to take care of yourself?”

Jeong Taeyul asked pointedly, as if something bothered him. But Sijin brushed it off, gathering his belongings. 

“I’m putting you on dispatch restriction for now. And take one tranquilizer before bed. Oh, I need to check Geonwu’s readings as well.” 

Concerned, Sijin picked up his equipment and turned to leave, when suddenly, Jeong Taeyul grabbed his wrist.

“Jeong Taeyul…?”

Startled, Sijin looked up at him.

Seemingly taken aback by his own actions, Jeong Taeyul hesitated for a moment, avoiding Sijin’s gaze.

Then, he sighed and said in a coaxing tone, “How about this?”

“Yes?”

“I’m not in a hurry. I’ll take my medicine and get some rest. Will that do?”

“Uh… Yeah. Okay.”

Unused to his cooperative demeanor, Sijin stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly.

He then cautiously made his way towards the door, only to be blocked again.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Jeong Taeyul leaned against the wall, blocking his path. Sijin wondered why he was being stopped as if he was about to walk into a monster lair. As they stood close, Jeong Taeyul’s breath tickled his ear. He spoke again, his voice low, “Dr. Baek. Just rest for today. You’ve already taken a look at me.”

Was he trying to seduce him? Why was he speaking in such a soothing tone, as if comforting a child? Sijin’s eyes darted around nervously. Noticing this, Jeong Taeyul gestured toward the inviting bed with a soft chuckle.

“And you’re free to put me on dispatch restriction tomorrow. How’s that sound?” 

Somehow, Sijin felt compelled to agree.

He hesitated, then said, as if in a trance, “A…Alright. I’m tired and want to sleep anyway.”

“Good. Now lie down.” 

“Just let me check Geonwu’s readings…”

Jeong Taeyul sighed and asked, “You’ll just check his basic readings and send him to the examination room if it’s bad, right?” 

“Uh, yeah.”

Though Sijin had planned on personally reviewing every reading, he nodded. He didn’t want to waste any more time arguing with Jeong Taeyul.

As Sijin tried to sidestep him, Jeong Taeyul casually draped his arm around Sijin’s shoulders and said, “Okay.”

For some reason, his words made Sijin uneasy. The way he said it sounded too final, as if he’d already made up his mind.

Sijin looked up at him questioningly, only to hear Jeong Taeyul say with a straight face, “Then I’ll put you to sleep.” 

“…What?”

“You said you wanted to sleep, didn’t you?” 

“What are you talking about?”

“Examination, bad readings, examination room.” 

Ignoring Sijin’s question, Jeong Taeyul muttered to himself as if confirming something. Then, he casually took the examination equipment from Sijin’s grasp. Sijin could only watch in a daze, as if he’d just had something stolen from right under his nose.

Did he plan on conducting the examination himself? Basic examinations were often performed by the Ability Users themselves. But why would Jeong Taeyul take it upon himself when Sijin was right here?

Wait. 

As the realization dawned on him, Sijin froze. 

Jeong Taeyul had put him to sleep before. Or rather, knocked him unconscious. He tried to pull away, a sense of urgency washing over him. 

“Wait, not now… I…” 

But it was too late. A wave of drowsiness was already washing over him. Sijin knew better than anyone – as an ordinary human, even the slightest touch from an A-rank Guide was enough to render him helpless.

His body swayed, and Jeong Taeyul effortlessly caught him. Just like the first time they met, Sijin found his forehead resting against the intimidating Guide’s chest. 

“Sleep well, Doctor.” 

“You… Jeong Taeyul….”

Sijin’s consciousness faded. Jeong Taeyul, with an air of nonchalance, carried him in his arms.

“And don’t say things like you’ll do anything in front of me ever again.”

Through his hazy consciousness, Jeong Taeyul’s low voice sent shivers down his spine. He struggled to keep his eyes open, only to meet Jeong Taeyul’s sharp, hazel eyes. 

“Who knows what I might ask of you.”

His words were laced with a subtle threat that sent a shiver down Sijin’s spine. Unable to reply, Sijin slowly drifted off to sleep.

*** 

‘Shark… that bad guy.’

The next day, on a peaceful Saturday morning, Sijin woke up feeling refreshed. He couldn’t even bring himself to resent Jeong Taeyul for knocking him out. 

He sat up and looked around the room. He was alone. 

‘Did Jeong Taeyul leave already…?’ 

Glancing at his watch, he realized it was already close to 11:00 AM. He must have slept in for a long time. 

As soon as he got up, he checked Jeong Taeyul and Ham Geonwu’s readings on his tablet.

‘So, he actually rested. His morning readings at the examination room were -68%…. Geonwu’s at 51%, Yoo Seunghwa’s at 58%… not bad.’

Though Jeong Taeyul’s readings had improved slightly, they were still concerning. 

[Field dispatch restriction: Jeong Taeyul]

As a precaution, Sijin placed Jeong Taeyul on field dispatch restriction. It shouldn’t be a problem with Ham Geonwu at the Center.

Just then, a notification popped up on his tablet. 

[Guiding Support Request from K17 Center]

The K17 Center was a civilian protection center located near the F12 Center. A mere 20-minute drive away, the two centers often exchanged support and resources. 

‘They must be short on Guides too…’

Like most centers, the K17 Center struggled with a shortage of Guides. With the average Esper-to-Guide ratio at most centers being around 6:4 or 7:3, it was a common issue. Thankfully, the F12 Center maintained a 6:4 ratio, so the shortage wasn’t as severe.

As Sijin pondered, an idea struck him.

‘I can send Jeong Taeyul.’ 

It was perfect. Jeong Taeyul needed guiding, and this would provide him with just that.

Moreover, guiding support simply involved sitting comfortably and holding a guiding crystal – a relatively low-stress task. In fact, many Guides welcomed these requests as they came with generous additional compensation. 

[Support Request Accepted]

Sijin silently accepted the request and began selecting available Guides from the Center’s roster. Including Jeong Taeyul, a total of four Guides would be dispatched for support that day. 

The moment he sent out the notification, he received a private message.

[Jeong Taeyul: Are you kidding me?] 

Even a simple message from Jeong Taeyul was enough to make Sijin break out in a cold sweat. 

But he couldn’t back down now. He reminded himself that he outranked Jeong Taeyul.

[Baek Sijin: It’s an orer]

[Baek Sijin: Order]

Embarrassingly, he’d made a typo. Flustered, Sijin quickly sent a correction. He couldn’t understand why Jeong Taeyul was complaining about something most Guides would be happy about. 

“…..”

There was no reply from Jeong Taeyul. Sijin felt a surge of pride, assuming his order had been accepted. He should have asserted his authority as a superior sooner.

Sijin got out of bed, feeling refreshed. It was a pleasant Saturday morning after a long time. As he made the bed, he decided to add one more order, just because he could.

[Baek Sijin: And report to the examination room after the dispatch]

[Baek Sijin: Understood?] 

Jeong Taeyul’s reply arrived later than usual.

[Jeong Taeyul: Yes] 

[Jeong Taeyul: As you orer]

‘He’s learning all the wrong things.’ 

Sijin, his face flushed, tossed the tablet onto the bed. He wanted to argue, to point out the mistake, but he knew Jeong Taeyul would find a way to wriggle out of it. 

Giving up, Sijin finally got out of bed. He didn’t want to spend his precious weekend dwelling on a silly typo.

***