Chapter 123: I Like Him

In the center of the Sector 1 field, a brilliant light flashed from the gate.

Tenacious plant-type monsters tirelessly created new stems, patching up the cracked gate.

The gate, surrounded by sturdy tree roots, was not easy to eliminate.

Of course, if an S-class Esper joined, it would be over in a flash.

“Why didn’t you eat lunch? Are you sick?”

Because that S-class Esper was focused on a phone call instead of the gate, the thorny stems showed no sign of decreasing.

The A-classes had to earn their keep, so they couldn’t rely solely on Tae Hwan.

They dealt with the monsters first, praying that Tae Hwan’s call would end as quickly as possible.

– I’m just not hungry.

“Are you not feeling well?”

Tae Hwan became very serious at Bodam’s words that he had skipped lunch.

It was almost time for dinner.

For Tae Hwan, who ate six meals a day, it was an impossible situation.

Aside from not liking sweets, Tae Hwan was not a picky eater and ate everything well.

– I ate too much for a late-night snack yesterday.

“Should I buy you some digestive medicine?”

– It’s okay. There’s plenty in the waiting room. But where are you?

When Bodam asked, having detected the loud noise of the attack-type Espers rampaging, Tae Hwan gave a vague answer, saying he was just outside.

He didn’t know a guide’s hearing could be this sharp.

He had been deliberately dealing with the monsters from a distance with his psychokinesis.

– Outside where?

“I just came out somewhere nearby for a bit.”

– You went out to a gate, didn’t you?

Just as Tae Hwan denied it, someone happened to be pierced by a monster’s root and screamed.

The guy had an excessively loud voice, so it was clearly audible even to Tae Hwan, who was near the waiting tent.

– I told you not to call when you’re working!

Bodam, who shouted asking if he was crazy about getting hurt, hung up the phone.

Tae Hwan, who called out Bodam’s name in disappointment, sent the screaming guy flying.

“He didn’t eat? Yoon Bodam?”

At that moment, Ji Oh, who he didn’t even know was there, suddenly stood in front of Tae Hwan.

He had been secretly eavesdropping on the call from behind Tae Hwan.

“Get lost.”

“Why didn’t he eat? Is he sick?”

Ji Oh, who had dodged Tae Hwan’s fist with a teleport, was now openly worried about Bodam.

They were currently forced to participate in team activities in celebration of the Center’s founding anniversary.

Since they were in the middle of eradicating the unregistered Espers, they had to move as a team to strengthen their bond instead of having an anniversary event.

Tae Hwan and Ji Oh, who had tried to refuse the ridiculous order, couldn’t say a word at a single glance from Bodam and followed Seung Ho.

Seung Ho was sitting in the waiting tent, just putting up a barrier.

He, too, didn’t seem to welcome the team activity and didn’t directly participate in eliminating the gate.

“You should be the one taking care of Yoon Bodam’s meals, you bastard!”

“Shut your mouth and get lost.”

Ji Oh, who had fled to avoid being crushed by Tae Hwan’s psychokinesis, cursed under his breath.

Now, just the mention of Yoon Bodam skipping a meal was enough to get under Ji Oh’s skin.

Tae Hwan, who diligently bought him food, had naturally become the person in charge of Bodam’s meals.

“What time is it, and he hasn’t even had lunch…”

Ji Oh, who was muttering curses laced with worry, paused at a past memory that flashed before his eyes.

He recalled himself chiding Yoon Bodam for his rumbling stomach, calling it noisy, and his face flushed.

And was that all?

He had also unceremoniously dragged the kid, who was sitting in the living room eating bread, and received guiding.

The kiss had been particularly sweet then.

“Aaargh-! Get a grip, you bastard!!”

Ji Oh, who had hurled curses at his own personality that wouldn’t change overnight, entered the gate.

His blood pressure rose as he recalled that day when, intoxicated by the sweet taste in his mouth, he had performed mucosal guiding for longer than usual.

‘How shitty must Yoon Bodam have felt?’

***

Bodam, who had finished his now-familiar call with Tae Hwan, was lazing around on the sofa when his lips pouted at a short text message.

[Don’t skip dinner.]

It was a text from Seung Ho.

‘Even though he doesn’t eat well himself.’

After that, he also received a long KakaoTalk message from Min Ji Oh asking why he hadn’t eaten lunch, but he didn’t read it.

He deliberately ignored Tae Hwan’s text as punishment for talking on the phone during a gate elimination.

“It’s not like anything bad will happen if I skip one meal.”

Bodam’s lips slowly curled up at the fussy reactions of his Espers.

Even though it was awkward to have Han Seung Ho taking care of his meals, it didn’t feel bad.

No, to be honest, it felt good.

To have someone take care of him and show interest in him to the point of being a nuisance.

It was much better than being ignored.

“….”

As he fiddled with his phone, a past memory suddenly came to mind, and Bodam sent Tae Hwan a meme with a curse word in it.

‘Is it because we’re the same age?’

He was particularly comfortable with Tae Hwan and would even pick fights with him when he was bored.

Since Lee Tae Hwan took it all, he didn’t feel guilty even when he sent curses like this.

Even if he suddenly bumped his shoulder and ran away, he would check on my body first.

‘Does he like me that much?’

Bodam, flustered by the shameless train of thought, tried to clear his head by mimicking ab exercises.

He had become conscious of it because Lee Tae Hwan showed his affection with his words and expressions every time he saw him.

Even when he did nothing, he expressed a deep affection with his eyes every moment.

To the point where it was amazing how his sharp eyes softened.

“He’ll cool down as soon as a guide with a high matching rate appears.”

Bodam, whose head didn’t clear even after exercising, changed his train of thought.

Espers were beings drawn to matching rates.

No matter how much he fussed about liking me now, if a guide with a matching rate as high as Kang Yi Jun and I appeared, he would give up in a single day.

Just like how he couldn’t get his worries about Kang Yi Jun out of his head even when he hated him to death.

‘Drawn by the matching rate….’

Ding-dong—.

Bodam, startled by the sudden doorbell, shot up.

It was the first time the bell had rung when he was alone in the waiting room.

‘Who could be visiting?’

Knock, knock, knock.

When there was no response to the bell, the sound of knocking followed.

It didn’t seem like an Esper.

Bodam, who had sharpened his guide’s senses and checked the intercom screen, soon had a puzzled look on his face.

‘The Guide Director?’

“Hello, Guide Yoon Bodam. Have you been well?”

When Bodam, who had recognized the director’s face, opened the door, the Guide Director, with a benevolent smile, greeted him brightly.

Next to him stood a strange guide he had never seen before.

“We’ve met once before, haven’t we? When you first joined Team 3.”

“Yes. The advice you gave me then was a great help.”

“I’m glad it was helpful. If you have a moment.”

“Ah, yes! Please come in.”

Bodam had had a short conversation with the Guide Director, whom he had happened to meet on his way to the waiting room when he was assigned to the infamous Attack Team 3.

The director, who had complimented him on looking much better than his profile picture, had given Bodam all sorts of advice for over 10 minutes, but all Bodam remembered now was the impression that he was chatty.

Still, he was a very nice person.

“Would you like some tea?”

“No. It’s fine. I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly.”

Bodam, who had guided them to the living room sofa, asked their reason for visiting, worried that they might mistake the short shorts he wore to bed for underwear.

“What brings you here…?”

“Ah, let me introduce you. This is Guide Yeon Min Sung.”

The guide, who bowed to Bodam, subtly scanned Bodam up and down.

He was the guide who had bought a new designer bag with the money from a one-day guiding part-time job with Tae Hwan and had gone around bragging about kissing an S-class Esper.

“Guide Yoon, you’re here temporarily, right? Are you leaving in a month?”

“No. I’ll be here for about two more months.”

Bodam looked at the guide, whose hair color and style were identical to his own, with curiosity.

Just before the question of why he was here came out of his mouth, an unexpected story followed from the director’s lips.

“I thought it would be good if you could do a handover before you leave.”

“A handover?”

“Yes. Although we don’t usually have such a process, the members of Team 3 are quite unique. It will also make it easier for you to leave with a peace of mind, Guide Yoon.”

The director, for the sake of Bodam who had even applied for personal protection against Attack Team 3, had personally set out to find a dedicated guide to replace him.

Connecting a guide in advance would make it easier to cut ties with the Espers.

“You’re leaving as soon as the unregistered Espers are dealt with, right?”

Guide Yeon Min Sung spoke to Bodam, who was blankly following the sudden story.

His gaze, which was watching Bodam’s every small action, was full of enthusiasm.

He wanted to become the guide for Team 3.

If possible.

“My matching rate with Esper Lee Tae Hwan is 78%.”

He was even aiming for Tae Hwan’s partner position.

“Ah… yes.”

The director, who had expected Guide Yoon to welcome him with open arms, tilted his head at Bodam’s lukewarm response and elaborated.

“It’s really not easy to find a guide with such a high matching rate for Esper Lee Tae Hwan’s rank. And he even volunteered.”

“I really want to do it. Guide Yoon. I will learn well. Please teach me even a little.”

Guide Yeon Min Sung asked him to pass on any points to be aware of or the secret to having been in charge of them for the longest time.

As a fellow guide, he was curious about how he had captured the hearts of the Espers, whose personalities were all uniquely messed up.

Although, looking at his face, it seemed he had his answer.

“Do you… like him?”

Bodam, who was flustered, let the jumbled thoughts in his head slip out.

Judging by his repeated mentions of Lee Tae Hwan, it seemed he wanted to be his pair, not the team’s dedicated guide.

Even though they barely knew each other.

“Yes. I like him.”

The guide, whose eyes had widened like Bodam’s, confessed his feelings and blushed slightly.

He genuinely liked Tae Hwan.

It was true that he was crazy about money, but his feelings of pure affection were greater.

He had fallen for Tae Hwan’s rough charm.

“Lee Tae Hwan…?”

“Yes. I only admired him from afar, but my feelings deepened after guiding him recently.”

‘Is there another Lee Tae Hwan? Or does that bastard go around pretending to be nice in other places too?’

“His personality is really strange. He’s quick to anger and has a bad temper.”

“He curses a lot too, right?”

“Uh, yes. That’s right. Although he doesn’t do it much now.”

“He doesn’t…?!”

Seeing the guide’s disappointment at the news that his cursing had decreased, Bodam realized that this person was not normal either.

The director, who was sitting next to him and seemed to know as well, laughed and wrapped up the conversation.

They had to leave quickly before the Espers of Team 3 arrived.

“I’ll send Guide Yeon Min Sung’s phone number via text. Please contact him when you have time, Guide Yoon.”

The director, who had gotten up from the sofa in a hurry even though it hadn’t even been five minutes since he sat down, swallowed hard as he neared the front door.

Of all the luck.

“What is your business here?”

To run into Team Leader Han.

“I don’t recall summoning you.”