Chapter 59: The Unwanted Houseguest (2)

Unable to bear Sung Yohan being in our house any longer, I headed to the Association as soon as morning came.
I had managed to endure for a few days, but the thought of having to live with him in the same house every day was suffocating.

As I entered the Association, everyone’s gaze turned to me.
Unlike before, there was a blatant wariness in their eyes.
From that, I could tell that the rumor of me moving to the American Association had been distorted and had spread much more than I thought.

I tried to ignore the stares and moved to the floor where the President’s office was.
I wanted to talk to the President and get out of there as quickly as possible.

As soon as I entered the secretary’s office, I asked for the President.

“I’m here to see the President.”

“The President is not in right now.”

The secretary’s expressionless face and lack of greeting made me frown.

“When will he be back?”

The secretary seemed to be checking the President’s location, but she soon shook her head and said she didn’t know when he would be back.
At that, I thought that the President might be avoiding me.

“I’ll come back tomorrow. Can you make an appointment for me?”

“I’ll check the President’s schedule and contact you again.”

In the end, I went home empty-handed.
And for two days, there was no contact from the secretary.
With this, it became certain that the President was avoiding a meeting with me.

Unable to just stay at home powerlessly, waiting for the President’s call, I headed to the Center for the first time in a while.
I had no choice, knowing that if I didn’t go to the Center, the suspicion that I was going to the US would only grow.

When I went to the Center, familiar guides and Espers asked me about the American scout offer.

“Guide-nim, are you really going to the American Association this time?”

“No. It’s a distorted rumor.”

“Everyone is worried that you might go to the US.”

“You don’t have to worry.”

“I hope you’ll stay here, Guide-nim.”

I also wanted to stay with my colleagues.
If only the President would stop avoiding me.

Fortunately, after I explained it myself, the rumors about the scout offer quickly died down.
But I still couldn’t meet with the President.

I had become close with Minseong during the last US gate, so in the afternoon, I was in the 01S team’s exclusive room.
Fortunately, there was an empty seat, so I sat there and rested.
It was the seat I had used before the regression.

Spending time in the 01S team, I felt that this place was indeed comfortable.

It was about time to help Wonjae with his guiding training, so I was getting up from my seat when a call alert appeared on my Guiding Watch.
Since I had become Sung Yohan’s pair again, I received calls like this every day.
I had never once answered his call.

I moved from the Center’s main building to the training wing building.
I was on my way to my guiding room to change into my training clothes before going to Wonjae’s guiding room when I saw someone standing in front of the door.
When I got closer, it was Taewoon.
He always appeared so suddenly like this that I wasn’t even surprised anymore.

“Are you really going to the American Association?”

I had guessed that the reason he had come to see me was related to the American scout, and my prediction was not wrong.
But I didn’t want to talk about this anymore.

“Why? Are you worried too?”

“The US is not much different from Korea. I told you they are worse than the ones in Korea.”

Knowing that he was the one who would not be happy about me going to the US, I couldn’t believe his words.
Even if it was true, I had no intention of going to the US, so I wasn’t interested.

However, since I had been under a lot of stress since coming back from the US, I found myself sneering and taking it out on him without realizing it.

“But it seemed better than Korea.”

“It will be harder if you go to the US.”

“I’m an S-Class Guide, so I think I’ll be fine. And if I do go to the US, it will be because of you.”

“Why because of me?”

“Because I dislike you.”

“I know. I dislike myself too. But I don’t want to be a person who is disliked by you.”

His words were unexpected.
The Hyun Taewoon I had known until now loved himself more than anyone.

He was the type of person who could swallow his pride and beg me, whom he had treated as insignificant, for guiding for the sake of his own life.
Even if he said now that he thought of me more than himself, there was no way I could trust him.

“I thought you had a strong sense of self-love, but I guess not?”

“I wish for your happiness more than anyone else.”

He wished for my happiness?
A snort escaped me.
It was then.
I suddenly felt Sung Yohan’s wavelength from the hallway.
He also seemed to have sensed him approaching and turned around.

“Shinui-ssi, so you were here.”

“How did you get here?”

He ignored him, who was in front of me, and approached me.

“I wanted to go to work with you this morning, but when I woke up, you had already left.”

“Were you two together this morning?”

He looked at Sung Yohan with a deep frown and then turned to me and asked.

“……”

As I was contemplating whether to tell him that he was living at our house, he beat me to it.

“You wouldn’t know, Taewoon. I’ve been living with Shinui-ssi for a few days now.”

His gaze, which had been on him, turned back to me.

“Are you really living together?”

He had an expression of disbelief.
At that, my mouth also clamped shut, but I soon answered briefly.

“Yes.”

It was strange to hide it in this situation.
So I had no choice but to tell the truth.

“Why? Why are you two living together? Did you allow it too?”

“Of course. How could we live together if he hadn’t allowed it.”

This time too, he spoke first.
He smiled as if he were fanning the flames of a burning house, knowing that he was in shock.

“Shinui-ssi, is that true?”

He asked again, as if he still couldn’t believe his words.
He had a face that said he would only believe the words that came out of my mouth.
That look in him stirred up a sadistic urge in me.

“What if I did.”

“No, that can’t be. There’s no way you would have allowed it. You two aren’t imprinted, are you?”

“We’re about to be.”

He still spoke as if he were teasing him.
At that, I glared at him and then, this time, I said honestly.

“The Association placed Esper Sung Yohan by my side as a watchman just because I had been in contact with the US. And we are not living together, just the two of us. Wonjae is also living with us.”

At my words, he finally seemed relieved, but the frown on his brow showed no sign of smoothing out.

“A watchman? I’ll talk to the President again.”

“That’s okay.”

“I’m worried.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“It’s because I dislike it. I can’t stand you living with him.”

The Hyun Taewoon from before the regression was a person who would have pretended not to know even if someone like me died on the street.
This situation was another confirmation that an S-Class Guide was a very necessary existence for Espers.

“Do as you please.”

If he finished his conversation with the President and he left the house, that would be great for me.

“Nothing will change even if you talk to the President. It’s already been decided.”

“Shut up.”

He chuckled and then grabbed my wrist and said.

“Shinui-ssi, guide me.”

“I don’t want to.”

I said, swatting his wrist away.
For a moment, his eyes sharpened, but they quickly returned to normal.

“I’ll be going to guiding training now. If you two have more to say, please talk separately.”

If I didn’t stop them, the conversation would not end.
I said I would leave and took a step away from them.

“I understand. Shinui-ssi, I’ll contact you again.”

He nodded when he saw my tired face.
But he was still looking at me with displeased eyes.
As if to avoid his gaze, I entered the guiding room and locked the door.

When I came out after finishing guiding training with Wonjae, he was waiting for me and hugged me from behind.

I told him to stop, but he was still clinging to me.
And Wonjae, who had come out after me, saw him.

“Hyung!”

He frowned at the sight of him and tried to pull him off me, but it was difficult to overcome the strength of an Esper.
The only person smiling here was him.

A headache arose from the situation, which was so different from the past.
Originally, both him and him were supposed to be his Espers…

“Get away from him!”

Fortunately, with my and his persistent resistance, he was pushed away.
He looked at us and laughed, then left after saying he would see us at home.
The sight of him, who suddenly appeared, provoked me, and then disappeared, was just absurd.

He glared at the spot where he had disappeared and said.

“Espers are all so rude and senseless.”

“I know. I don’t want to see them anymore.”

At my words, he said with a serious face.

“Hyung, want to run away together?”

I was tempted for a moment by his words, but the Association knew where I was and who I was meeting, so even if we ran away, we would probably be caught quickly.
And I was also worried that not just me but also him would become a target of surveillance.
That’s why I wanted to finish things with the Association for good and end this life.

“No. I’ll talk to the Association about his case.”

“But you keep failing to finish it.”

His words were right, so I sighed inwardly.
He let out a long sigh and then quietly cursed him.
I chided him and said let’s go home early.

On the way home, I thought about how to get out of the Association.
And the person who came to mind was Sehyun.

He would be able to get me out of the Association.