Chapter 10: The First International Mission and the Persistent Prankster

Seokjoo, perhaps noticing Jungwon’s displeased expression, subtly curved his lips into a smile. A belated remark followed his bland reply.

“That’s a relief. I would have felt terrible if I’d made you stay and then served you something awful.”

Jungwon found it difficult to adapt to both this strangely conventional reaction and his absurd teasing. It seemed best to simply nod along and move past whatever he said.

Jungwon intended to leave the moment they finished eating, had Kang Seokjoo not stopped them.

“Please, have some fruit before you go.”

Fruit, after a full meal? It sounded like a grandmother trying to feed her long-unseen grandchild just one more thing. If Jungwon accepted, they would awkwardly have to eat the fruit as well, so they sought a reason to decline.

“I’ll be in trouble if I don’t submit a proper report to headquarters. I should get back as soon as possible.”

“Headquarters?” Seokjoo asked, sounding puzzled.

This kind of overnight stay, especially with another Esper or Guide, always required a detailed report to headquarters. He must have already contacted them when he brought Jungwon home after they fell asleep, so why was he acting as if he knew nothing?

“Yes? Yes, they’ll be waiting.”

“They’ll probably just assume you got home safely on your own.” Seokjoo shrugged indifferently.

Jungwon, just in case, ventured a question.

“…You didn’t contact headquarters?”

They had naturally assumed the news of their overnight stay would reach their respective headquarters. This had, deep down, made Jungwon uncomfortable. The agency typically received reports on every move of its personnel.

Even entering places like hotels or hospitals would be recorded, even without direct reporting. Even outside such specific cases, national Espers and Guides generally remembered to report any unforeseen circumstances to the agency.

They wanted to avoid the repercussions, such as the inevitable interrogations from headquarters. An Esper of Kang Seokjoo’s caliber might not need to worry about headquarters’ scrutiny. Still…

His answer to Jungwon’s question came out nonchalantly.

“No, I didn’t. We just had a private drink; do I really need to report that?”

A brief silence followed. Jungwon’s mind reeled. While their furrowed brow might suggest displeasure, the truth was quite the opposite. Jungwon managed to speak.

“If you had contacted headquarters, they would have given you my home address. Then you wouldn’t have had to go to all this trouble.”

“Wouldn’t that be rude? You’re uncomfortable with your home address being exposed, Jungwon.”

Jungwon was indeed sensitive about their home address. Yet, it was incredible that he remembered. Was it due to his long career dealing with countless difficult Espers, or perhaps the first impression Jungwon had of him?

“On my end, I’d prefer to stay disconnected from headquarters until I leave, if possible.”

Jungwon almost instinctively nodded in agreement with that statement. The desire to avoid bothersome entanglements with headquarters resonated too strongly.

This detail bothered Jungwon more than the fact they had woken up in his house with no memory of what happened last night. A profound sense of relief washed over them. All it took was hearing that simple sentence: ‘He didn’t contact headquarters.’

Was this not similar to how Jungwon, when drunk yesterday, had let their guard down and babbled on about their reasons for working at the agency?

“Regarding that…”

Jungwon had no choice but to concede. Hesitating, they let out a small sigh.

“Thank you. I truly mean it.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Kang Seokjoo raised an eyebrow, as if surprised by Jungwon’s gratitude. Then, perhaps to lighten the mood, he chuckled softly.

Though grateful, and thus tempted to linger, Jungwon, precisely because of their gratitude, hastened their departure. Seokjoo did not offer fruit again, merely bidding them farewell with an enigmatic smile and a ‘see you on departure day.’

****

Jungwon picked up their phone, scrolling through the messages filling their inbox. Their gaze settled on the last exchange.

[Jungwon ^^

Do you ^^

adapt well to foreign environments? ^^]

[I’m not sure. This is my first overseas mission.]

[Jungwon ^^

Did you ^^

know this? ^^]

[Know what?]

[When boarding ^^

a plane ^^

you have to take off your shoes ^^]

Upon receiving this message, Jungwon genuinely wondered if Kang Seokjoo’s mental age was akin to a grade-schooler. What kind of preposterous joke was this?

While they assumed it was a prank, Jungwon had never once boarded an international flight, so they couldn’t be entirely certain. It was for this reason that they had even searched the internet, just in case.

Despite encountering some difficulties due to posts from childish people like Seokjoo, who enjoyed playing pointless pranks, Jungwon eventually confirmed that his statement was indeed nonsense before replying.

[Is that so? Thank you.]

‘As if anyone would fall for that,’ Jungwon thought. Their decision not to reply with ‘I know it’s a lie’ was purely to prevent any further conversation.

Since their strange first encounter, Jungwon had come to one conclusion: they needed to maintain distance from this man.

It wasn’t that they genuinely disliked him, nor were they so annoyed that they wanted to avoid conversation entirely.

Though Jungwon was wary of him simply because he was an Esper, at this point, they didn’t consider Kang Seokjoo a bad person. The aspects he had revealed were likely, for the most part, genuine.

He was quite courteous and reasonably sensible. Perhaps due to being an Esper, he was somewhat self-willed, but he also possessed a sense of humor. This was the conclusion Jungwon reached after considerable deliberation about him.

The decisive factor was undoubtedly the fact that he ‘didn’t contact headquarters.’ It was rather astonishing to Jungwon that such a simple reason could lead them to conclude he wasn’t a bad person.

Regardless, how decent Kang Seokjoo was didn’t matter in the slightest. Even if Jungwon’s assumptions proved wrong, it wouldn’t change anything. What if Seokjoo turned out to be a terrible Esper? It would make no difference.

In fact, the nicer he was, the more problematic it became, as Jungwon had no desire to grow close to him—or anyone else, for that matter.

Thus, from that day forward, Jungwon meticulously maintained their distance with the same unwavering attitude. Even to Seokjoo’s peculiar messages, which arrived several times, Jungwon responded with cold, businesslike brevity.

Nevertheless, Kang Seokjoo seemed largely unconcerned. He never initiated talk of meeting again, nor did he get angry at Jungwon’s terse replies, nor did he try to extend their conversations.

It made Jungwon wonder what his true intentions were for reaching out with such childish jokes. And so, in this state, the day of departure finally arrived. The schedule was incredibly tight, requiring hasty preparations, but for Jungwon, who yearned to start the mission as soon as possible, it was actually a welcome turn of events.

After organizing their thoughts, Jungwon put away their phone. It felt as if Seokjoo’s ‘^^’ emojis, utterly incongruous with his actual demeanor, were floating in their mind. Jungwon instinctively scanned their surroundings with a slightly sour expression.

The timing was uncanny; Kang Seokjoo was walking towards them from the other side of the airport. The airport was bustling with people coming and going, yet even amidst the crowd, his presence was so strikingly conspicuous that Jungwon couldn’t help but spot him.

Jungwon themselves weren’t particularly noticeable in such a distinct way, yet Seokjoo had, somehow, spotted them from afar and approached.

“Been well?”

His natural greeting made it impossible to fathom what he was truly thinking. Jungwon awkwardly nodded, then gestured with their eyes, urging him to hurry.

The procedures for Jungwon’s first international flight passed in a dizzying blur. Honestly, without Kang Seokjoo’s help, they probably would have wasted considerable time fumbling through it all.

He assisted with checking their luggage, and even took charge of stowing their carry-on bag once they boarded the plane. Though Jungwon wished they could refuse his help and handle everything independently, Seokjoo cited a desire not to waste time, leaving them with no choice.

Left with no alternative, Jungwon settled into their seat first, watching Seokjoo as he stowed the luggage. Jungwon had packed both a large suitcase and a carry-on for comprehensive preparation.

Seokjoo’s luggage, by contrast, was minimal—just a single, moderately sized bag he carried on. Was this perhaps due to his extensive experience with international travel?

“You didn’t take off your shoes?”

Seokjoo, having stowed his bag, sat down beside them. Jungwon had wondered what he would say, but never expected him to bring up that topic again. Jungwon responded coldly.

“Did you really think I’d fall for that?”

“Well, Jungwon, you do have a rather sharp, no-nonsense air about you.”

Seokjoo grinned. Was he, after all, just trying to tease them? Jungwon averted their gaze from his smiling face.

When texting, Kang Seokjoo’s incessant use of baffling emojis and strange pranks often made it hard to believe he was the same person as the real Kang Seokjoo. Yet, seeing him now, laughing and bringing up that childish joke, Jungwon realized he was indeed one and the same.

Despite this, he quickly adopted a composed expression once more.

“Is this your first time abroad?”

“…Yes, it is my first.”

Jungwon answered his calm question after a beat of hesitation. His timing remained unpredictable, but Jungwon knew they shouldn’t dwell on it. They reaffirmed their resolution not to pay him any mind.

Seokjoo’s questions continued.

“Overseas missions aren’t uncommon, and a Guide of your caliber would surely have been called upon frequently. Does having no experience so far mean you deliberately avoided them?”

This question felt uncomfortable. So much so, Jungwon thought the joke about taking off their shoes to board a plane was preferable.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Feelings of love

darkHealinglove

Read Now →
Not interested