Chapter 62: Showering

Ji Oh visited Seung Ho, who was alone in the gate doing his personal training.

Although he was in a barrier user’s position, Han Seung Ho’s combat skills were at a level to command an attack-type team.

He never missed his 45 minutes of physical enhancement training, even within his tightly packed schedule.

It was something he had been doing since before he manifested as an Esper.

Of course, in his civilian days, it was just strength training.

Training like now, where he entered a monster’s body to crush its spine with bare hands, find its heart, and burst it in one go, began after he entered the Center.

– “Why.”

He had just snapped the tough neck bones of a monster over three meters tall and pulled out its heart.

Seung Ho, who had burst out after further tearing open the already ripped belly, was holding the heart, which was still twitching with muscles.

The monster’s heart, larger than his face, was placed into an icebox.

It was a task requested by the research center for experiments.

Seung Ho, covered in sticky blood, faced Min Ji Oh, who was standing far away without a word.

He had come just before Seung Ho entered the monster’s body and had remained silent until he came out.

– “Teleport personnel must be short.”

As Attack Team 1, responsible for civilian area security, had swept away all the barrier division personnel, a large number of Teleport Espers needed to move them had also been called away.

It was a sign of preparation for the increasing number of unregistered incidents and dangers not yet revealed above water.

Ji Oh, ignoring Seung Ho’s words, merely rolled a pebble embedded in the ground with his toe.

Seung Ho, withdrawing his gaze from that meaningless action, tried to focus on his work again.

Then Ji Oh asked.

– “What are you going to do?”

– “About what?”

– “What else?!”

He yelled at Seung Ho, who was checking the time on his watch and observing the signs of the gate.

He wondered if Seung Ho was pretending not to know the obvious reason for his visit.

– “Are you just going to leave Yoon Bodam alone?”

– “Kang Yi Jun is recovering.”

– “Not that bastard, but Yoon Bodam! Are you just going to let him go?!”

Ji Oh’s foot, which had been angrily rolling the pebble, kicked the ground and got stuck there.

Ji Oh, who had punched through the ground, let out a loud string of curses.

It was a common occurrence.

– “Don’t be obsessed with a Guide.”

At Seung Ho’s firm voice, Min Ji Oh’s face, with heavily darkened under-eyes, stiffened.

– “There’s nothing more pathetic than an Esper clinging to a Guide who’s turned their back.”

– “…What the hell are you talking about?”

Ji Oh, frowning at Seung Ho’s uncharacteristic words, muttered a curse.

It was true, which made him even angrier.

He was currently obsessed with Yoon Bodam.

He was even going to the hospital room and loitering, despite being rejected every time by that annoyingly smooth barrier user.

He just went to see him, even though he didn’t know what to say when he actually met him.

‘I missed him. f*cking hell.’

– “Let me see Yoon Bodam.”

Min Ji Oh, with his arms crossed, said through clenched teeth.

– “I’ll do everything you tell me to, just get rid of that barrier user.”

Seung Ho didn’t ask Ji Oh why, even though Ji Oh’s eyes were wide, expecting the question.

He only sensed the monster’s presence through the gate’s aura and the vibrations of the ground.

Min Ji Oh’s familiar shouting couldn’t disturb his concentration.

He began to organize the full icebox, maintaining his calm concentration.

He held the largest, most vividly blue heart in one hand and searched for something to discard to make space.

Thanks to having already sorted and collected them, there were no hearts truly suitable for discarding, but he still found one that was duller in color and smaller.

He planned to kill at least three more monsters, so he needed space.

Ji Oh, who had been glaring at Seung Ho ignoring all his words, soon averted his gaze.

All the hearts Seung Ho had collected belonged to beast-type monsters, so only their color differed from a human heart.

The sight of him casually touching the hearts and stirring them with his bare hands in the bloody water was extremely disgusting.

It was a sight even Min Ji Oh, who had killed countless monsters, found unsettling.

Buzz.

Seung Ho’s phone, covered in blue, sticky blood, vibrated.

Seung Ho immediately read the message from the caller displayed on his wrist watch, stopping his working hand.

It was a short message from Team Leader Kim.

[Guide-nim allowed Esper Lee Tae Hwan to visit. Conversing for quite a while. Just the two of them.]

Thump.

The largest, most vividly colored heart held in Seung Ho’s left hand rolled to the ground.

It was an ambiguous action, unclear if it was dropped or discarded.

To Ji Oh, who had chased right next to him and was squawking, it looked like it had been thrown on the ground.

Ji Oh, who detested the still-beating heart, kicked the fallen blue mass far away.

– “Tell him you’ll grant Yoon Bodam everything he wants!”

Ji Oh was insisting that even someone of Seung Ho’s team leader rank should go and try to negotiate.

The heart, kicked like a soccer ball, flew so far it looked like a dot about to embed itself in the moon.

***

“Wh-wha…”

Tae Hwan, who was about to ask if he was okay, had his brain freeze for 3 seconds at the sight he had never witnessed before.

With the extraordinary reflexes of an S-class Esper who felt an instinctive sense of danger, he avoided hell and was one step away from Bodam.

His body reacted first, retreating the moment Bodam opened his mouth.

‘Maybe I should have caught it.’

“Hic.”

Bodam, hunched over so much that his stomach touched his knees, couldn’t lift his head, which was facing the floor.

Shocked by throwing up, he didn’t know what to do and just burst into tears.

Tae Hwan, quickly accepting the situation, moved his body.

“Yoon Bodam, try to get up.”

Bodam, unable to lift his face, shook his head.

Thick teardrops fell onto the floor.

His fern-like hands, unable to touch his face or cover the floor, wandered aimlessly.

“It’s okay.”

As Bodam was about to gag again, Tae Hwan spread his palm beneath his chin.

“Do it here.”

To Tae Hwan, who spoke as if he was about to pat his back, Bodam only shook his head again.

He tightly closed his eyes, suppressed the nausea, and grasped Tae Hwan’s outstretched hand.

“Ba… throom…”

Tae Hwan, barely understanding the mumbling voice, ignored his rapidly pounding heart and quickly helped Bodam up.

As Yoon Bodam’s small, cold hand overlapped with his own high-fevered hand, his heart pounded.

‘Crazy bastard.’

All sorts of curses towards himself tangled within Tae Hwan’s burning insides.

He carried Bodam entirely in his arms to the bathroom so he wouldn’t step on the floor.

The small body he held after a long time felt much lighter than he remembered, making his insides ache.

It seemed he had lost more weight than appeared.

“It’s because of you. You fu—.”

Bodam, who immediately looked for a towel upon entering the bathroom while still in Tae Hwan’s arms, huffed.

He rinsed his dirty mouth with water, then stopped and hit Tae Hwan’s shoulder repeatedly.

It was probably due to overeating snacks and hamburgers, but Lee Tae Hwan’s bullshit played a big part.

All the foods that made him sick were bought by him, so it was entirely Lee Tae Hwan’s fault.

‘Lee Tae Hwan, you bastard.’

“I know. I’m sorry.”

At the apology that came as if expected, Bodam’s tears intensified.

The awkward, clumsy patting on his back didn’t stop his crying.

Instead, watching his thin shoulders constantly heave more, Tae Hwan just bit his lip.

‘I don’t know what to do.’

“You, clean it all up.”

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

“You, clean it up.”

“I’ll clean everything up, so please stop crying.”

Tae Hwan, looking worriedly at Bodam whose face grew redder the more he cried, tried to soothe him.

Bodam, ignoring him, cried for a long time, also pouring out curses.

As he fully vented the anger within him, his reddened ears gradually began to calm down.

His tears still didn’t dry, clinging and falling like dew, but his churning stomach settled.

Lee Tae Hwan’s large, hot palm was stroking his back rather gently.

“Let go. I’m going to wash.”

When he pushed away the firm shoulder with a voice choked with tears, Tae Hwan easily withdrew.

Tae Hwan looked anxiously down at Bodam, whose arm strength was like a feather, and asked.

“Want me to wash you?”

“Get out.”

Slam.

Tae Hwan, who had been chased out with a swift answer, scratched his head vigorously.

He couldn’t leave the tightly closed bathroom door and just listened.

An Esper would heal quickly even if they smashed their nose on the bathroom floor, but if the fragile Yoon Bodam were to fall, his head would immediately crack open.

“Yoon Bodam. Call me if you need anything.”

He couldn’t even knock and just raised his voice from the door.

He was even more anxious because he couldn’t hear the sound of water from inside.

Before he could try speaking again, fortunately, the door opened.

“Give me clothes. Second drawer next to the bed.”

Bodam, who didn’t show his face through the very small opening, said.

Lee Tae Hwan, whose eyebrows furrowed at the moist voice tinged with tears, immediately brought the clothes with psychokinesis.

“Can you wash by yourself?”

Before the door closed, he put his hand into the gap and persistently asked.

He asked not with any other intention, but out of worry that Yoon Bodam might get hurt.

Seeing the response of “you bastard” returning, his sincerity didn’t seem to have been conveyed.

Tae Hwan quickly withdrew the hand he had put in the door gap.

“Clean that up. Before anyone sees it.”

Bodam, who had threatened him with the sternest possible voice, slammed the door shut again and went inside.

Lee Tae Hwan obeyed without a word of complaint.

He had never liked his psychokinesis ability as much as he did today.

He pulled out every visible piece of tissue, wiped the floor, and put them in the trash can.

Fortunately, it didn’t get on the difficult-to-clean sofa, and only the table legs got dirty.

Thinking he would need a rag to clean up the traces, he sharpened his hearing to the bathroom and opened the hospital room door.

In front of the door, the large barrier user was standing right there.

“Hey.”

Team Leader Kim, who had been on the phone with a serious expression, turned around at Tae Hwan’s call.

Immediately after, startled by the sound of the shower coming from inside the room, he hung up the phone.

“Guide-nim.”

Team Leader Kim, pushing Tae Hwan aside and entering the hospital room, stood in front of the bathroom.

The situation of Guide Yoon, who had gone in to talk, now taking a shower was embarrassing.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes! Yes! Yes!”

At Team Leader Kim’s loud voice, Bodam, who had turned off the shower, quickly replied.

He raised his voice, saying he was fine and to please continue waiting outside.

He didn’t want to show what he had thrown up on the floor.

“He said to f*cking leave.”

Tae Hwan, who grabbed Team Leader Kim’s shoulder with his hand, not psychokinesis, and pushed him out, sounded annoyed.

It bothered him that the guy, who was just working for money, was excessively looking after Yoon Bodam.

“Just bring a rag.”

Team Leader Kim, facing Lee Tae Hwan, who was blocking the door and armed with rudeness, took a deep breath.

“Why a rag?”

“None of your business, just bring it.”

“Why don’t you use what’s hanging from your mouth?”

He gently smiled, pointing at Tae Hwan’s mouth with his chin.

To the curses that came back, he waved his hand, saying it was a joke, and willingly went to get a rag.

It was for Guide Yoon Bodam, not for him.