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Join the Server“What?”
‘A pervert… a bastard,’ he called me. Never in my life had I imagined I would hear such a thing.
I was utterly dumbfounded, my ears burning with indignation, as I stared up at Yoon Geon-woo with wide, astonished eyes. He, in turn, furrowed his brows, clearly annoyed by my expression.
“It seems you have a habit of throwing yourself at people without their consent.”
“No, I wasn’t trying to…”
It was difficult to strongly refute his claim, given how ambiguous the situation had been that day. For me, the oral contact guiding had been akin to CPR. Yet, what could I do when this person, who consumed Helper Killers to avoid guiding, was so unyielding?
Though I felt wronged and my stomach churned, the only recourse was to offer a clean apology and pivot to another topic.
“That day… I truly apologize.”
“If you’re truly sorry, then stop hovering and get lost.”
‘Right. He probably thought I’d tuck my tail and run, or be intimidated. But I’m desperate now, unlike before. This level of abuse won’t break my resolve.’
“But… you’re going to get the taser now, right? Can I check it first before you take it?”
Contrary to Yoon Geon-woo’s wishes, I didn’t back down; instead, I brought the conversation back to the main point. He scoffed, as if utterly dumbfounded.
“Who are you to do that?”
“What do you mean ‘who’? I’m your temporary pair, Yoon Geon-woo.”
“Who decided I’m your temporary pair? I’ll be applying for termination soon. Go find some other bastard to suck your tongue.”
“I… I don’t want to terminate our pair status with you.”
“And if you don’t want to, am I supposed to just grant your wish?”
‘How could he speak so beautifully? His words were so “pretty” that I almost wanted to slap that mouth of his for spouting such nastiness.’
I had vaguely assumed Yoon Geon-woo’s temper was due to his surging contamination levels, but somehow, I felt that the current situation stemmed from a different cause. Could it be… because of what happened that day?
‘Damn it, if I’d known this would happen, maybe I shouldn’t have used my tongue.’
That day, Yoon Geon-woo’s condition had been far worse than I’d imagined, making it necessary to mix saliva and sweep the mucous membranes of his mouth just to guide him. So, I wanted to shout that the kiss wasn’t because I was a pervert, but because of his utterly chaotic physical state.
I understood his dissatisfaction with being forcibly matched, given his inherent dislike for guiding. I also grasped intellectually his refusal to acknowledge the existence of a temporary pair. However…
‘If a rampage accident occurs, it won’t just be me who dies or gets injured.’
I knew the future where all my classmates, teachers, and even the perpetrator of the rampage would be in danger. I absolutely couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
Losing precious people due to a preventable accident once, on ‘that day,’ had been more than enough.
Once, on ‘that day,’ when I lost So-eun, who was like a part of my very soul.
‘Terminating the pair status is absolutely not an option.’
It was always the one at a disadvantage who had to yield first.
If he stubbornly insisted on terminating the pair status, the situation would inevitably repeat itself. I had to prevent that at all costs. With a firm resolution, I pleaded with Yoon Geon-woo in a desperate voice.
“From now on, if you say you don’t like it, I won’t do anything like what I did that day. Can’t we just continue to be together?”
“Ha, surely the Director didn’t order you to do even this. To swallow your pride and attend to my every whim.”
Yoon Geon-woo scoffed softly, uttering words I couldn’t comprehend, his earnest wish for no accident seemingly separate from his current cynicism.
But the Director, not even the Vice Principal? Who exactly was this Director? He had said something similar after I finished guiding him in his room before…
Could it be that this ‘Director’ was somehow connected to Yoon Geon-woo’s refusal of guiding?
“…Who is that?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Bringing in even a central pair and planting them as teachers like that.”
When I asked again with a puzzled expression, Yoon Geon-woo glared with clear displeasure at the teachers standing before the platform. The shimmering haze around him was enough to tell me he was forcefully suppressing a boiling rage.
Unable to let the situation worsen, I tried to salvage it.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but… whatever it is, it’s a misunderstanding. The teachers and this ‘Director’ person have absolutely nothing to do with me.”
“Then why do you keep hovering around me?”
Yoon Geon-woo demanded, his expression full of discontent. Yet, there was no way I could explain why I had accepted a temporary pair status that was tantamount to being forced, or why I was embracing it now.
After all, I couldn’t exactly tell him that I had returned from the past a year ago and that he seemed to be the Esper who would cause a rampage at the graduation ceremony. For now, I had no choice but to offer another excuse he might understand.
“I did it because I was worried about you.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“Not well, perhaps… but I want to get to know you.”
A question bloomed on Yoon Geon-woo’s face. Merely creating a tiny crack in the hardened facade he had maintained until now filled me with a strange sense of accomplishment.
I met his gaze, a subtle smile playing on my lips.
“Honestly, lately, I haven’t thought about anyone but you all day. You’re constantly on my mind.”
“What the hell?!”
“So, when I saw the temporary pair confirmation sheet assigned by the school, I actually thought it was for the best.”
Even though it served as another excuse to hide the truth of my regression, there wasn’t a single lie in it. For days, I had been consumed by the thought that Yoon Geon-woo might be *that* rampaging Esper, constantly wondering about his current contamination levels.
“Are you… now…”
“Hm?”
“No, just… don’t answer.”
Yoon Geon-woo looked uncharacteristically flustered, visibly agitated. While it wasn’t overtly obvious, being so close, I could clearly perceive it. His blue gaze, visible through his long, hanging hair, trembled uncontrollably.
‘What? Why is he like this? Did I say something wrong?’
After a moment of twitching his lips in apparent confusion, Yoon Geon-woo immediately turned his back and headed towards the platform. I had thought my excuse had worked splendidly, but perhaps not.
‘Did he see through my roundabout words…?’
Yoon Geon-woo seemed so enraged that he didn’t even bother to express his annoyance further. Otherwise, the face of a man who usually resembled a plaster sculpture wouldn’t have flushed so crimson.
“Yoon Geon-woo, let’s go together.”
However, I wasn’t one to be easily deterred. While other Guides might have given up by now, I immediately trailed after him, hovering nearby. Yoon Geon-woo let out a deep sigh, as if utterly fed up.
“Once you get the taser, can I check it first before you take it? Huh?”
“Don’t pretend we’re close.”
“Then, how about we actually *become* close?”
As if I had been waiting for that cue, I suggested that if he disliked me pretending, we should make it a reality. Of course, no answer came.
Glancing up at Yoon Geon-woo, I saw his eyes squeezed shut, a look on his face that clearly said, ‘What kind of strange person is this?’ I spoke with an intentionally wistful tone.
“You seem to dislike it… I just need to stick by your side. Is even that not allowed?”
“Damn it, just cut out that kind of talk!”
Yoon Geon-woo, without fail, swore again. Seeing him walk ahead, his face pale with frustration, it seemed my tactic of feigning pity to gain sympathy hadn’t worked.
Well, there was no helping it. I’d have to proceed step by step. I even thought I had pushed things too far with that last attempt.
‘Still, it’s so hard to keep up…’
Was it because Yoon Geon-woo had such long legs? Or because he was an S-rank Esper? His pace was incredibly fast. Sprinting to match his stride, I quickly arrived at the platform, which had felt so far away moments before.
Han Seon-ho, who had been chosen as the day’s class president, was helping to distribute tasers in front of the platform, following the teachers’ instructions.
“Han Seon-ho!”
“Sogum, oh… you’re here?”
Han Seon-ho, who had greeted me brightly, looked surprised when he spotted Yoon Geon-woo standing in front of me. Yoon Geon-woo, for his part, paid no mind to such gazes. He swiftly walked off to receive a taser from the temporary class president of the Esper class, who was not far away.
“To get this. Have you decided on your team yet?”
“I’m with the Esper class president here. But Sogum, you… you came with *that guy*?”
“Yes, because we’re a pair.”
Han Seon-ho let out a groan, as if something displeased him. Then, he lightly tapped the bandage that had been affixed to his mouth.
“Don’t come back hurt again.”
“It’s fine. A man can get a few scars on his face in life.”
“No, you can’t. Especially not you, Sogum.”
I tried to brush it off as nothing, but Han Seon-ho reiterated his absolute refusal, even threatening me not to get hurt at all, not just on my face. I could only nod, acknowledging his concern.
Having seemingly entered ‘mom mode,’ Han Seon-ho glared at Yoon Geon-woo once more. It seemed Yoon Geon-woo had firmly earned his dislike.
“Here, the new taser.”
Han Seon-ho carefully handed over the weapon, holding it upright with its safety perfectly engaged. Just then, Park Hyeon-seo walked over at the opportune moment. Before Han Seon-ho could move, I passed my taser to Park Hyeon-seo.
“Park Hyeon-seo, you use this one.”
“Uh… huh? Thank you…”
Though Park Hyeon-seo seemed puzzled, he simply accepted it with gratitude.
“Did you run here?”
“Hoo… yeah… Sogum, your pace… was too fast…”
To be precise, it wasn’t *my* pace that was fast, but Yoon Geon-woo’s. Still, it seemed both Park Hyeon-seo and his temporary pair had been sweating profusely trying to catch up.
Seeing Park Hyeon-seo take the weapon, I suddenly felt the urge to subtly inform him of the most crucial issue.
“Well, it’s nothing big, but… actually…”
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