Chapter 40: Paychecks And Gates

While Tae-woo worked, So-won leaned back comfortably against the sofa and checked his bank account on his smartphone.

After confirming how much money he had, he planned to do some online shopping.

For the time being, it looked like he’d have to wear clothes that covered more skin, but So-won’s wardrobe—having failed to prepare for autumn—was filled mostly with short-sleeved shirts.

“Huh?”

The moment he checked his balance, So-won’s eyes went wide.

His salary had been deposited.

But the amount was drastically different from what it had been eight years ago.

He rubbed his eyes and checked again, but the number didn’t change.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s nothing.

My paycheck came in—it’s just more than I expected.”

The sound had slipped out without him thinking, and Tae-woo reacted.

He’d said he would stay quiet.

Realizing he might have interrupted Tae-woo’s work, So-won felt awkward.

Chuckling sheepishly, So-won looked back down at the balance.

Even before regressing, he’d earned quite a lot as one of the few A-rank Guides—and as the exclusive Guide of S-rank Esper Kang Tae-woo—but now it had increased even further.

“It’s almost double what it used to be…”

He muttered under his breath, then belatedly glanced at Tae-woo, worried.

Fortunately, Tae-woo didn’t seem to notice anything odd about what he’d said.

Relieved, So-won stared at the numbers again and tried to reason out why his salary had increased.

Was it because his matching rate with Tae-woo had risen so dramatically?

Or because they’d achieved the world’s first 100% match?

Well, he’d be cooperating with all sorts of research on matching rates from now on—so it wasn’t that strange for his pay to go up.

Once he’d more or less convinced himself, the sight of the extra money made his heart flutter.

In the past, he’d been shut in at home, with nothing to spend money on besides treatment for his depression.

Now, that wasn’t the case.

Humming softly to himself, So-won bought everything he’d had his eye on.

Most of it was clothes, with a few electronic devices thrown in.

At the end, without even consulting his parents, he sent several household appliances to the house where they lived.

In an instant, half his paycheck was gone—but he didn’t mind at all.

This was better than hoarding it unused, only to lose everything by suddenly regressing to the past.

So-won stole a glance at Tae-woo, who was quietly working.

He must earn way more than I do, right?

As an S-rank Esper whose price was whatever the Association named—and with additional pay depending on the rank of each gate deployment—Tae-woo must make an unimaginable amount.

On top of that, he worked late every night, came in early every morning, and even worked weekends.

Enough to replace expensive imported cars—ones So-won wouldn’t even dare dream of—multiple times over eight years…

Just how much did an S-rank Esper make?

When So-won tried to estimate it, the number was so absurd he grew even more confused.

“Tae-woo, can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes.

Go ahead.”

“About how much is your annual salary?”

In the end, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

It might have been an intrusive question, but he was curious enough to ask anyway.

So-won waited for Tae-woo’s answer, holding both nervousness and excitement in his chest.

“I’ve never checked, so I’m not sure.

I’ll look it up right now.”

“Oh—no!

You don’t have to do that.

I was just curious.”

So-won shook his head quickly, marveling inwardly.

He’d never even checked his salary.

Was that what it meant to be an S-rank Esper—earning so much you didn’t bother with details like that?

Maybe he was just too busy to check, but either way, Tae-woo’s income was clearly beyond So-won’s imagination.

…Especially after seeing the brutally expensive price of Tae-woo’s imported car just now.

“I’m going to save up and buy the same car as you someday, Tae-woo.”

Watching So-won declare this with shining eyes, Tae-woo imagined it.

His car and So-won’s, parked side by side in the driveway.

That didn’t sound bad at all.

***

Stepping out of the car, So-won looked around in awe.

A massive sinkhole had opened in the middle of the highway.

From its depths, a blue light seeped upward.

At the edge of the collapsed road, Espers stood in precarious positions, guarding the gate.

“Wow…”

So-won murmured in amazement.

This was his first time coming all the way to the front of a gate.

“Lee So-won, are you sure you’ll be all right?

Even now, it wouldn’t be too late to go back—”

Tae-woo asked, worry clear in his voice.

The night before, So-won had begged nonstop to follow Tae-woo right up to the gate.

Tae-woo had refused at first, but after So-won kept pleading, he’d finally given in.

This gate wasn’t particularly dangerous, and it was small enough that the operation wouldn’t take long—that was the only reason Tae-woo had agreed.

“I’ll be fine.

You said this gate was safe enough that even staying nearby wouldn’t be dangerous.”

So-won repeated Tae-woo’s own words from the night before.

And at this point, it was too late to head back to a nearby center anyway.

Tae-woo seemed to know that as well, because he didn’t argue further.

“I’ll step away briefly for preparation procedures.

The guide waiting room is here.”

“Mm… I’ll just look around nearby for a bit.”

“All right.

It’s dangerous, so please don’t go near the entrance.”

While Tae-woo was gone, So-won wandered slowly around the base.

Several tents stood side by side at a distance from the gate, and strange machines were set up near it.

Thick cables spilled out of the machines, tangled together as they stretched into the interior of the gate.

Despite the gate looming before him, the people walking around looked relaxed, which made the place feel less dangerous than he’d expected.

Just as Tae-woo had said, this wasn’t an unstable gate.

Remembering Tae-woo’s warning, So-won stayed back and watched from afar.

The ground near the entrance had collapsed inward as if struck by a meteor, and inside, light flickered faintly.

Seeing a gate he’d only ever read about right in front of him felt surreal.

“Lee So-won.”

As he wandered around, Tae-woo’s voice called out from behind him.

Turning around, So-won saw Tae-woo in different clothes than before.

Earlier he’d been dressed in all black… but now he somehow looked even darker.

“Is that a combat suit?”

“Yes.”

This was the first time So-won had seen Tae-woo wearing one.

If he was being precise, he had seen it once before—but that had been the moment Tae-woo died, and the combat suit he’d worn then had been too destroyed to even be called clothing, so that hardly counted.

“It suits you.”

So-won complimented him.

He meant it sincerely.

Black suited Tae-woo perfectly.

The rugged black combat suit looked as though it had been designed specifically for him.

Maybe it was just because Tae-woo was built the way he was.

If So-won wore it, no one would be able to tell whether the clothes were wearing him—or he was wearing the clothes.

So-won couldn’t take his eyes off Tae-woo for quite a while.

Only when he realized he’d been staring too openly did he finally look away.

That was when he noticed a group of Espers in identical combat suits passing by.

When they spotted Tae-woo, the Espers scowled as they walked past.

Huh…?

Reading the shape of one of their mouths, So-won froze at the unexpected curse.

He glanced at Tae-woo.

From what he could tell, the Espers didn’t seem afraid of Tae-woo like ordinary people were—they seemed to dislike him.

Neither reaction felt good.

Tae-woo looked unfazed, as if used to it, but So-won suddenly felt uncomfortable in the wide-open space.

He took Tae-woo’s hand and led him toward a more secluded area.

Avoiding people’s gazes, So-won headed for a narrow gap between temporary tents.

Once their view was blocked, he quietly let go of Tae-woo’s hand.

But before he could say anything—

BEEEEEP—

The assembly signal rang out.

“Ah…”

He knew they’d have to part soon since departure time was near, but he hadn’t expected it to be this abrupt.

As So-won stared regretfully toward the sound, Tae-woo spoke first.

“I’ll be going now.

Please wait somewhere safe.”

Saying that the waiting room might be uncomfortable, Tae-woo pressed the car keys into So-won’s hand, telling him to wait at a nearby Association building if he preferred.

So-won looked down at the object in his palm, then quietly grabbed the front of Tae-woo’s uniform.

“Um…”

He hesitated.

Since the mid-term checkup, the only guiding they’d done was simple contact guiding—holding hands.

Even just facing Tae-woo made embarrassment and self-consciousness surge up, and if their bodies brushed even slightly, So-won would startle and bolt away.

Still, having seen how much Tae-woo’s numbers had improved with his own eyes, he wasn’t anxious about doing a bit of light guiding.

What worried him was sending Tae-woo into a gate without doing anything—what if he came back in worse condition, like last time?

“Lee So-won?”

When So-won lingered too long, still clutching his uniform, Tae-woo called his name, puzzled.

Then the assembly signal rang out again.

There was no more time to hesitate.

“The doctor said not to guide—but that was after coming out of the gate, so… I’ll just do a little.”

Muttering quickly, So-won squeezed his eyes shut and lifted his heels.

Because of the height difference, he ended up grabbing Tae-woo by the collar without meaning to—but he managed to press his lips to Tae-woo’s.

As if realizing what So-won was trying to do, Tae-woo bent down slightly.

That made it easier.

“Mmh…”

Their breaths mingled—and so did their wavelengths.

As the guiding continued, So-won could feel how much steadier Tae-woo’s wavelength was compared to when they’d first met.

Even when the wave surged strongly, it didn’t hurt anymore.

Instead, the faint ticklish sensation felt… nice.

Suddenly, So-won wondered if Tae-woo was feeling the same way.