Chapter 21: The Silent Office and a Lingering Kiss

The silence was so profound it felt as though even breathing would draw attention. Everyone’s shoulders were perpetually stiff, visibly taut with an almost military-like discipline. The speed at which they answered calls, prepared for deployment, and left the office was astonishing. Every task was executed with remarkable swiftness and precision.

These were Jung Hanseol’s impressions of Team 1, formed only after three days of direct experience.

In this unfamiliar and difficult-to-adapt-to atmosphere, Hanseol found himself with precious little to do. He mostly kept a quiet silence, observed Ryu Yishin and the other team members, and diligently tried to memorize their names, faces, and seating arrangements in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Beyond that, his thoughts were consumed by his own guiding side effects.

……

The kiss with Ryu Yishin on his first official day, performed under the guise of ‘guiding,’ had left a remarkably vivid impression on Hanseol. Although Ryu Yishin hadn’t called him back to his room to abruptly press their lips together again, Hanseol couldn’t help but flinch whenever he saw him. One small mercy, he thought to himself, was that Ryu Yishin hadn’t severely reprimanded him for falling asleep due to the side effects.

‘Why weren’t the side effects so severe that day, even though it was direct guiding through a kiss?’ Jung Hanseol began doodling aimlessly on a corner of his notepad with the pen he held, his mind drifting back to the first time he had attempted direct guiding. The memory, still quite vivid despite not being too old, instantly sent a shiver down his spine.

It must have been about four months ago. Hanseol, who had only ever performed indirect guiding with slightly reduced efficiency due to his side effects—partly because of his young age when he joined—had first tried direct guiding at Joo Youngmin’s suggestion.

Following Team Leader Joo’s advice to start lightly by simply holding hands, Hanseol chose Jo Jinwoo as his guiding subject. Jinwoo was his closest friend, someone with whom he felt completely at ease. They settled side-by-side in the guiding room, Hanseol harboring an equal mix of worry—’What if I fall asleep instantly during direct guiding too?’—and a strong desire to provide the best possible guiding. He gathered every ounce of his concentration.

The moment he placed his hand on Jinwoo’s, judging himself ready, a sensation of all the blood draining from his body overwhelmed him. His vision instantly plunged into a suffocating darkness. Simultaneously, his body felt as if it were plummeting into an endless abyss, a terrifying thought flashing through his mind: ‘Is this what it feels like for the soul to separate from the body?’

‘But why hadn’t he experienced such feelings when he kissed—no, when he guided Ryu Yishin?’ While he had ultimately lost consciousness and fallen asleep, the subtle sensations he’d felt throughout and Ryu Yishin’s words remained vividly etched in his memory. This proved that he hadn’t immediately collapsed but had retained some awareness.

As frustration mounted with no clear answer in sight, a phone rang, loud enough to shatter the quiet Friday morning before the weekend. The call was answered by the Esper Seongbin, who sat opposite Hanseol, separated by a partition. Since only Hanseol and Seongbin remained in the office, it was naturally Seongbin who picked up.

–This is Seongbin from Investigation Team 1. …Yes. The Sinshicheong Station construction site? Ah, yes. What’s the scale? Yes. …We can arrive within 30 minutes. Yes, understood. We’ll see you upon arrival.–

Like the other team members, Seongbin possessed an unapproachable aura, yet their voice during the call was surprisingly gentle, making it even harder to gauge their personality. Hanseol furtively watched Seongbin, who, immediately after the call, rose with fluid movements, gathered their weapons, and donned their coat. Seongbin, without sparing Hanseol a glance, checked their wristwatch and promptly exited the office.

……

With Seongbin also gone, Hanseol was left utterly alone in the vast office. The other team members were already out on their respective assignments, and even Ryu Yishin had departed ten minutes earlier.

As the top-performing team within the investigation headquarters, calls for their assistance flooded in from all directions. Consequently, the team members spent more time in the field than in the office. Only Hanseol, whose sole task was Ryu Yishin’s guiding, was stuck as a permanent fixture in the office.

He felt awkward, sensing that he alone was idly passing the time while everyone else was busy. He also worried that the team members wouldn’t look kindly upon his apparent inactivity.

What saddened Hanseol most was the fact that no one ever initiated a conversation with him. His timid nature meant he lacked the courage to strike up a friendly conversation himself, often going an entire workday without uttering a single word.

He hadn’t expected to grow close with his team members, engaging in trivial chatter as he had with Team 7. Yet, he certainly hadn’t anticipated being so overtly treated as if he didn’t exist. Unable to even guess the reason for this treatment, Hanseol felt nothing but profound sadness.

Naturally, he hadn’t managed to properly greet his team members. While the overwhelming sense of helplessness had prevented him from doing anything on his first day, from the next day onward, Hanseol shrewdly matched faces to office seats and names he overheard during phone calls, familiarizing himself with everyone.

He had even looked up the internal contact list and saved all the team members’ numbers on his newly purchased phone. He was ready to acknowledge anyone who might speak to him, but it seemed he was destined to leave work today without having properly opened his mouth.

Alone in the empty office, Hanseol let out a stifled breath, then momentarily removed the brace from his left hand and gently rotated his wrist to stretch it. Having worn the brace constantly, except when washing, his recovery seemed faster than expected. Thinking he should visit Dr. Shin again next week, Hanseol refastened the brace, leaned back fully in his chair, and glanced at the wall clock.

He felt a familiar pang of hunger, realizing that lunchtime was already approaching. With his previous team members, he had often explored popular restaurants near the office when they had downtime. However, since joining Team 1, he had resorted to simply eating whatever he bought from the convenience store near his home on his way to work. There was no one among his current team to eat with, and contacting his former Team 7 colleagues felt awkward. Moreover, with Ryu Yishin potentially calling for him at any moment, a leisurely lunch was naturally an impossible dream.

Hanseol quelled his unwarranted melancholy with a faint sigh, then rummaged through his bag, pulling out one of the breads he’d bought that morning and placing it on his desk. He’d grown tired of eating only gimbap for the past two days, so he had bought an assortment of breads today. However, sitting alone, tearing open the plastic packaging, his appetite waned, leaving him feeling rather dismal.

‘Still, I need to eat to regain my strength. I have to eat to make it through until quitting time today.’ ‘When I get off work, I’ll definitely order something delicious for dinner. Tomorrow’s the weekend, so let’s cheer up!’ Hanseol firmly resolved, picturing the pizza bread and cream puffs still lingering in his bag.

He first bit into the cream bread, its plastic wrapping torn open, and the sweet, soft cream melted delicately in his mouth. However, eating a bit too quickly, his throat soon felt dry, making him crave milk. After a moment’s hesitation, Hanseol decided to settle for water, grabbing the mug he kept in a corner of his desk and rising from his seat.

Wiping his mouth, Hanseol walked to the water dispenser near the entrance, filled his mug with hot water, and dropped in a green tea bag. The water quickly turned a pale green, and the slightly bitter aroma of tea wafted into his nostrils. He took a slow, deep breath, feeling his troubled mind calm slightly, when suddenly, the security lock on the entrance clicked open. The people who then entered the office were, of course, the members of Team 1.

–Oh…–

The first to cross the office threshold was Kang Seungmin, the vice team leader. Following him was the Esper Gyeongjun, who sat diagonally across from Hanseol. Finally, stretching as they entered, was the Guide Woo Chanhee, who occupied the desk right next to Hanseol’s.

The moment Woo Chanhee’s eyes met Hanseol’s, he couldn’t conceal his shock, his eyes and mouth widening dramatically. His face paled as if he had encountered a ghost. Woo Chanhee quickly shook his head, then sharply elbowed Gyeongjun, who stood frozen just like him.

–…Hyung, look quickly.–

–Huh? What? Oh…–

Woo Chanhee, his voice low and tight through gritted teeth, urged Gyeongjun while subtly scanning their surroundings. Even Kang Seungmin, who had been quietly observing the situation, seemed tense, causing Hanseol’s body to stiffen instinctively.

Hanseol, still holding his mug without having taken a proper sip of tea, stared blankly as Gyeongjun shifted their gaze towards Ryu Yishin’s office door. Gyeongjun then furrowed their brow, staring intently at the door with a serious expression. Hanseol, briefly wondering if Gyeongjun had poor eyesight due to their inexplicable behavior, swallowed a dry gulp.

–I don’t see anything. It looks like they’ve left…?–

–…Is that so?–

Only after carefully concluding their conversation—which Hanseol found difficult to understand—did Gyeongjun and Woo Chanhee visibly relax their shoulders, a clear sign of relief. Even Kang Seungmin, who had been silently observing the situation for some time, seemed to shed the tension from his expression.

Hanseol found it unfamiliar to see his team members engage in even such a brief conversation, and he subtly observed them, chewing on the inside of his cheek. This was because, apart from work-related reports, they had never exchanged words in such a manner. At least, not in Hanseol’s experience.

After exchanging glances, Gyeongjun and Woo Chanhee even gave small nods, as if having decided on something. Meanwhile, Kang Seungmin, who had once again glanced towards Ryu Yishin’s room, turned his attention to Hanseol. Meeting his gaze by chance, Hanseol involuntarily tightened his grip on the mug.