TG Ch 6 Part 5

An hour later, Sijin was settled into a private room after undergoing a thorough examination. Two Alpha Team members stood guard outside.

Jeong Taeyul stepped out to catch up on his pending reports.

“Captain?”

One of his team members, Ryu Seonyeong, approached him. She was a D-rank Esper with brown wings, an extremely rare therianthrope Ability User.

“Yes, report.”

Jeong Taeyul said curtly. Ryu Seonyeong presented her tablet, her fingers tipped with sharp claws. He didn’t bat an eyelid.

The screen displayed a string of numbers and letters. 

“This is the ID chip number we found on the monster’s neck.”

“Have you traced it?”

“Of course.”

Ryu Seonyeong said smoothly, swiping across the screen. A map of the area surrounding the Center appeared, with the monster’s route highlighted.

Jeong Taeyul’s brow furrowed as he saw the starting point.

“…It escaped from the Monster Research Institute.”

“Yes. Apparently, they lost it during an incident today.” 

“Nice try.”

Jeong Taeyul scoffed. Incompetence was no excuse. Someone could have died. His precious person, at that.

His amusement faded as he considered the situation.

If it was intentional, it was well-planned.

While wild, frenzied monsters did occasionally intrude on the Center, it was highly unlikely that a monster would escape from the Institute and travel all the way to the Center by chance. He handed the tablet back to Ryu Seonyeong.

“What’s the status?” 

“The Fox Team is investigating the incident.”

“We’re handling it ourselves. No other team is to interfere.”

“Understood.” 

Ryu Seonyeong nodded, then left to resume her duties. Jeong Taeyul, alone in the hallway, checked his team’s mission assignments.

He was relieved that Ham Geonwu was personally handling the scene investigation. He didn’t need to ask for details; he trusted him implicitly.

Satisfied, he entered Sijin’s room.

Sijin was sleeping, curled up on the bed. The lights were on.

Jeong Taeyul watched him for a moment, then quietly switched off the lights. The room was dimly lit by the nightlight. He approached the bed.

“…..” 

He pulled a chair over and sat beside the bed. He should have been at the examination room, but he wanted to stay with Sijin a little longer.

He could see Sijin’s peaceful face, illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window. Jeong Taeyul stared at him, mesmerized.

Sijin stirred, his eyelids fluttering. He squinted, his voice laced with anxiety. He wasn’t wearing his glasses.

“Jeong Taeyul…?”

“…Yes.” 

His voice, calling his name the moment he woke up, was like a balm to his soul. 

Jeong Taeyul watched him silently. Sijin, seeing him, relaxed. He was willing to stay by his side all night if that’s what Sijin wanted.

Sijin blinked sleepily, his eyes struggling to stay open. He was exhausted from the day’s events. But he kept looking at Jeong Taeyul, his gaze filled with anxiety.

He needed to sleep. Jeong Taeyul adjusted his blankets and said, “Sleep. The Alpha team will be guarding you.”

“Go to the examination room… please…” 

“Okay.”

Jeong Taeyul replied, then gently placed his hand on Sijin’s shoulder, using his wave energy to soothe the frantic energy swirling around his heart and mind.

Manipulating an ordinary human’s weak wave energy was a delicate process, but he had been doing it secretly since Sijin’s arrival, and he’d become quite adept at it (Sijin had fainted the first time, overwhelmed by his energy).

Sijin’s breathing slowed, becoming deeper and more even.

“There’s… something I wanted to say…”

Sijin mumbled, forcing his eyes open. He was fighting against exhaustion, his lips moving slightly. 

“Today…” 

“You can tell me later. Sleep.”

“Thank you… for saving me.” 

“…..”

Jeong Taeyul couldn’t speak.

Instead, he focused on calming Sijin’s wave energy. Sijin, succumbing to exhaustion, finally drifted off to sleep.

He withdrew his hand, his fingertips trembling. He felt a weight lifting from his chest, a burden he had carried for far too long.

Sijin had thanked him. It was a gift he didn’t deserve.

‘Yes… yes… I’m… okay…’

He remembered finding Sijin, his body trembling, his face pale. He had tried to comfort him, but Sijin had only repeated, “I’m okay.”

And in his desperate insistence, Jeong Taeyul had seen a reflection of his own past. 

‘It’ll be okay. Someone… someone will come. It’ll be okay…’

The memory sent a pang of pain through his heart.

He had so much to say, but he held back. He simply reached out and took Sijin’s hand, his large hand enveloping Sijin’s smaller one. Unlike the past, he was the one offering comfort now.

He stared at the sleeping Sijin and whispered, “How did you protect me back then?”

“…..”

“When you’re so afraid of everything…”

There was no answer. Sijin, curled up on the bed, was sleeping peacefully. Jeong Taeyul’s gaze softened.

Baek Sijin was afraid of everything, yet he didn’t know how to rely on others. His constant reassurances were like a mantra, a self-soothing mechanism. He didn’t need to do that with him anymore. He hated that he couldn’t reveal the truth, that he couldn’t tell him everything.

But he just had to protect him a little longer. Just a little longer.

Jeong Taeyul closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.

He could feel Sijin’s steady heartbeat, a faint pulse of wave energy emanating from him. It was so weak, he wouldn’t have been able to sense it if he wasn’t an A-rank Guide.

He reached out again, his hand enveloping Sijin’s. Sijin, in his sleep, tightened his grip.

Jeong Taeyul opened his eyes, a predatory glint in his gaze.

Baek Sijin.

The tenderness in his eyes vanished, replaced by a hunger that had been starved for months. His jaw clenched, his muscles tensed.

Jeong Taeyul could feel his wave energy surging within him, a wild, untamed force. The pain made his breath hitch. The only thing that could soothe him, the only source of solace, was right here beside him. His eyes were bloodshot.

Thud.

Jeong Taeyul stood up, his movements as silent as a predator’s. He leaned over Sijin, his shadow falling over the bed. He cupped his face, his thumb tracing the delicate skin of his neck, feeling the steady thrum of his pulse. Each beat sent a faint pulse of wave energy through Sijin’s body.

It was such a weak energy, barely a mouthful. But it flowed steadily with each heartbeat. If he could stay close to him, skin to skin, for ten days, his own energy would calm down.

No, if he could embed himself, keep himself close to Sijin’s heart, it would only take a few days. Sijin could endure it.

His bloodshot eyes scanned Sijin’s body, his own breathing ragged. He had lost control.

He had held back for too long.

He needed more, he needed to go deeper.

Jeong Taeyul placed his hand on Sijin’s chest, wanting to tear open his clothes, to kiss the soft skin beneath. He could feel the warmth radiating through the fabric. He tightened his grip, the fabric stretching, revealing a sliver of pale flesh.

Then, he froze, his hand flying back as if burned.

He saw the wound on Sijin’s neck, clumsily covered with a bandage. He vaguely remembered inflicting it.

He had hurt him, without even realizing it.

He stumbled back, the chair rolling until it hit the wall. He stared at his hands, then at the sleeping Sijin, self-loathing filling him.

He turned away, his hand gripping the windowsill, his knuckles turning white. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He bit his lip. Perhaps it was the tranquilizer, but he was finding it harder than usual to control his urges.

Jeong Taeyul looked up, his reflection staring back at him. His eyes were bloodshot, dark circles etched beneath them, his expression desperate, hungry. He looked the way he had the day after Sijin’s arrival at the F12 Center.

“Fuck…”

He cursed under his breath.

He had thought he could endure it, that seeing Sijin again would be enough. He had endured years of solitude, a parched wanderer in a desolate wasteland, clinging to the hope of an oasis.

But having the oasis within reach, yet being unable to quench his thirst, was agonizing.

He had overestimated himself. Sijin was an ordinary human, an F-rank, his wave energy so weak that Jeong Taeyul had thought he could resist it.

But that very weakness was what made him crave it even more, the desire to hold him close, to never let go. If he held Sijin in this state, he would surely faint.

He used to scoff at those who engaged in reckless s*x guiding, but he was worse, a pathetic creature driven by base instincts.

‘Guide Jeong Taeyul, why is there so much tension in your heart?’

And Sijin, oblivious to his inner turmoil, had only worried about him. He had no idea what dark thoughts plagued Jeong Taeyul’s mind.

The tension in his heart was self-inflicted.

It was the price he paid for constantly suppressing his urges, for holding back his wave energy.

Jeong Taeyul looked down, his hand clutching his chest, a sharp pain shooting through him. His wave energy craved Baek Sijin, yearned to be consumed by him, to be calmed by his presence. Even Ham Geonwu’s energy was no longer enough. The closer he was to what he craved, the more intense the rejection became.

He needed to distance himself, physically. 

He made a decision and picked up his tablet, intending to contact Ham Geonwu, who was still investigating the scene.

[Jeong Taeyul: Switch positions] 

“…..”

He hesitated, his finger hovering over the send button. The thought of Sijin smiling brightly beside Ham Geonwu made his stomach churn.

But Baek Sijin’s safety was his top priority. And Ham Geonwu was the only one he could trust. 

[Sent] 

A reply arrived almost instantly. It was protocol to respond to mission-related messages immediately.

[Ham Geonwu: Stop fucking with me]

He ignored the insult. He knew Ham Geonwu hated interruptions, especially when he was focused.

After receiving confirmation, Jeong Taeyul approached the bed again.

“Huu…”

He took Sijin’s hand, his thumb stroking the delicate skin, feeling the slow, steady pulse beneath his touch. He closed his eyes, drawing comfort from the faint wave energy emanating from him.

He just had to wait a little longer. To protect him, he just had to wait. 

***

Sijin dreamt.

In his dream, Jeong Taeyul stood before him, his back to a vast blue ocean. His brown hair danced in the wind, and his eyes, filled with an unfamiliar tenderness, were fixed on Sijin.

‘How did you protect me back then?’ 

‘…What?’ 

Sijin stared at him, puzzled. They were at least twenty steps apart, yet Jeong Taeyul’s voice was as clear as if he was whispering in his ear. 

‘…When you’re so afraid of everything…’ 

What did he mean?

Sijin wanted to ask, but his voice wouldn’t come out, trapped in the dream’s silence.

He stood up and walked along the sandy beach, but he couldn’t get any closer to Jeong Taeyul. He felt a surge of anxiety, as if Jeong Taeyul would vanish into the wind.

He opened his mouth to speak, and Jeong Taeyul chuckled.

‘It’s okay if you only remember Ham Geonwu.’

His voice, soft and laced with a gentle resentment, sounded foreign to Sijin’s ears. He couldn’t understand why Jeong Taeyul would say such a thing.

‘I only remember the good things about you, too.’

As he spoke, the ocean behind him began to swell, the blue waves crashing against the shore, white foam churning at their edges. Sijin watched as the waves approached him.

Why wasn’t he afraid? 

He was usually terrified of the ocean, but now, he simply watched as the waves crashed around him, a strange calmness settling over him. He felt no desire to move, no need to escape. It was like the reckless courage he’d felt after realizing Jeong Taeyul would never hurt him.

The waves crashed over him, the foam engulfing him.

It felt… nice.

The cool water, instead of making him feel uncomfortable, brought a sense of peace, washing away his anxieties and fears. Sijin smiled. He wished he could stay here forever.

He drifted back to sleep, lulled by the gentle waves.