Chapter 33: The Unseen Presence

There are rare moments like this. You’re wide awake, all traces of sleep gone, yet you don’t want to open your eyes. At the same time, a strange sensation makes you curious about what lies beyond your eyelids. Jung Hanseol found himself in precisely such a situation.

Jung Hanseol remained on his side, eyes still closed, pondering for a long while. Should he open his eyes, or not? Should he confirm what was there, or not? As time passed, the peculiar sensation on his face intensified, demanding a decision.

‘Please, just don’t let it be a ghost or a spirit…’ Jung Hanseol muttered inwardly, slowly opening his eyes.

“……”

Despite his prolonged contemplation, his eyes met nothing. Or rather, it was so utterly dark that nothing could be discerned. Jung Hanseol huddled, blinking repeatedly in the lightless void. The persistent sensation from before suggested something was indeed there, but his eyes had yet to adjust to the gloom.

“…Aargh!”

Jung Hanseol, still blinking, screamed and shot upright in terror as a sudden light illuminated a pallid face. His heart hammered against his ribs, threatening to burst free, and he clutched his chest, trembling uncontrollably.

“T-Team Leader…?”

Jung Hanseol, his gaze fixed blankly on the familiar face in the light, stammered out the words. The moment he recognized the figure, which he had mistaken for a ghost, as Ryu Yishin, the tension instantly drained from his body, and his overly stiff muscles melted away like heated cheese. The light emanating from the object in Ryu Yishin’s hand had shone upward onto his face, making him appear ghostly.

Upon closer inspection, the object was merely a phone.

“Nine hours and sixteen minutes.”

“……”

“You certainly slept a long time. Stop dawdling and get up.”

Ryu Yishin pressed the right button, turning off the screen, then stood up without hesitation. With the light gone, darkness enveloped the surroundings once more, and the sounds of footsteps and movement gradually receded. Just as Jung Hanseol, his eyes still slowly adjusting to the gloom, was about to step out of bed, his body was abruptly lifted into the air as if suspended by a ceiling rope. The blanket covering his legs rustled and fell back onto the bed.

“Are you still half-asleep? Why are you so slow?”

“I-I’m sorry…”

To wake up, see Ryu Yishin, calm his startled heart, only to be met with irritated nagging—Jung Hanseol couldn’t shake the feeling that his life was becoming increasingly eventful. Still suspended in the air, he began to move, entirely against his will. Normally, he might have been briefly surprised, then fascinated, by such a situation. But with the surroundings utterly dark, he was simply afraid of bumping into something.

“Team Leader…”

“What.”

“Um… could you turn on the light, please? It’s too dark, I can’t see anything…”

Jung Hanseol mustered his courage, pleading almost desperately. He felt as though he had finally left the bedroom, but he had no idea where he was or where he was being taken, filling him with unease. He was floating in the air now, yet Ryu Yishin could drop him to the floor at any moment.

He requested light, hoping it would help him prepare for whatever might happen.

“……”

“……”

Although his voice was a little quiet, it surely must have been heard, yet Ryu Yishin offered no reply whatsoever. If Jung Hanseol could see his expression, he might have been able to tactfully salvage the situation, but the oppressive darkness made him feel utterly helpless.

“Oh, oh no…”

Jung Hanseol, wondering if he should simply bow his head in submission, flailed as his body began to move against his will. A wave of anxiety washed over him as his floating form started to descend. Fearing Ryu Yishin might unceremoniously drop him to the floor again, he awkwardly attempted a breakfall technique he’d once learned from Jo Jinwoo. However, the sensation against his body was unexpectedly soft.

Lying flat like a frog, Jung Hanseol sharply lifted his head as light suddenly flooded the room.

“…What are you doing?”

“Ah… haha, nothing at all…”

Of all places, the Team Leader had to be standing directly opposite him. Jung Hanseol, embarrassed by Ryu Yishin’s gaze as he still touched the wall switch, quickly sat upright and scratched the back of his neck. Ryu Yishin paid him no mind, turning and walking off somewhere with deliberate steps.

Only then did Jung Hanseol realize he had landed on a sofa, and with a sense of relief, he surveyed his surroundings. He was utterly bewildered by the unfamiliar furniture and the layout of the house.

‘Where on earth am I?’

Jung Hanseol subtly slipped off the sofa, taking in every corner of the space. It seemed to be a spacious, open living room, yet it felt desolate, containing nothing but the sofa and a rectangular wooden table. Furthermore, thick black blackout curtains covered where windows might be, seemingly blocking all light.

Turning his head towards where Ryu Yishin had walked, Jung Hanseol saw a marble island counter connected to a U-shaped kitchen. Ryu Yishin was seated at the counter, dressed in comfortable-looking training pants and a black short-sleeved T-shirt, drinking water. His actions were so natural that Jung Hanseol instinctively knew this was Ryu Yishin’s home, without needing to ask.

‘If this is the Team Leader’s house… why did he bring me all the way here?’

Jung Hanseol shivered at the chilling question that gave him goosebumps, forced to cut off the thoughts that followed. He had only just noticed the bandage wrapped around Ryu Yishin’s arm. Jung Hanseol let out a low gasp, then continued speaking.

“Oh, right… Team Leader, did you go to the hospital? Is your arm… feeling any better? Your back and shoulder seemed to be bleeding a lot, too…”

Recalling Ryu Yishin, drenched in blood, naturally led Jung Hanseol to the memory of their kiss. Had the Guiding been effective? Curious about his condition, Jung Hanseol approached cautiously, his gaze lowered as his voice trailed off. He felt his ears burning and awkwardly touched them.

Ryu Yishin stared at Jung Hanseol, then lowered his eyes to his bandaged arm, speaking in an unconcerned tone.

“No, I didn’t go.”

“…What? Why not? You were badly hurt…”

“I hate hospitals.”

‘He didn’t go because he hates hospitals… what kind of answer is that?’ Jung Hanseol stared blankly at Ryu Yishin, bewildered by a statement even an immature elementary schooler wouldn’t make.

“It’s almost healed. It’ll take care of itself anyway.”

“Well, yes, but…”

“You worry about everything.”

Ryu Yishin was clearly the injured one, yet he seemed utterly unconcerned with his own physical state. Espers typically possessed faster recovery and regeneration than ordinary people, so it was true that he might heal on his own without needing a hospital. Still, having witnessed his severe condition firsthand, Jung Hanseol couldn’t help but feel worried. Seeing Ryu Yishin’s indifferent face, Jung Hanseol felt a pang of awkwardness, as if he were the only one making a fuss.

“Worry about your own body instead. You slept for over nine hours.”

“That’s… that’s because of the G-Guiding…”

‘Is sleeping over nine hours really that serious? Even without Guiding side effects, couldn’t someone sleep for nine hours if they were tired?’ As Jung Hanseol found Ryu Yishin’s words somewhat unreasonable, Ryu Yishin’s expression hardened even further than before, and he stared intently at Jung Hanseol’s face.

“You didn’t stir once the entire time you were asleep. I thought you’d died.”

“Me…?”

“Yes. At that rate, it seems like you’re the one in poor condition, not me. I’ve never seen a Guide with such side effects before.”

He hadn’t stirred once the entire time he was asleep. Jung Hanseol found this utterly baffling, and then wondered how Ryu Yishin could possibly know. The way he nonchalantly stated a fact that could only be known by watching him all night made him feel strangely unfamiliar.

With nothing left to say, Jung Hanseol simply swallowed hard as Ryu Yishin rose from his seat. Ryu Yishin casually ran a hand through his hair, then gestured with his chin towards a certain direction.

“First, get ready to leave. We’re going to the hospital for a check-up.”

“Huh? Oh, yes…”

“Go in there and wash up. There’s a bathroom.”

“Yes…”

Jung Hanseol, having answered inadvertently, watched Ryu Yishin turn abruptly and disappear into another room, as if his instructions were complete, before shaking his head. He had more than a few lingering doubts, but for now, he decided it was best to follow Ryu Yishin’s orders to avoid further irritating him.

Jung Hanseol quickly moved towards the direction Ryu Yishin had indicated. He was already starting to worry about how unevenly this day had begun.

By the time he left the company’s affiliated hospital, having been told to return in a week, lunchtime had long passed. Jung Hanseol had undergone the same tests several times before and expected the results to be no different this time. However, he made no outward show of this in front of Ryu Yishin. The Team Leader had, after all, been scowling intensely throughout their entire time at the hospital.

Jung Hanseol tried to console himself, reasoning that Ryu Yishin’s grim expression and cold demeanor couldn’t possibly be because of him; it must simply be due to some deep-seated grudge he held against hospitals. He quickened his pace, however, finding it challenging to match Ryu Yishin’s long strides.

The oversized, long navy trench coat flapped around him with every step, proving quite cumbersome. Each time it did, Jung Hanseol involuntarily held his breath, catching the unfamiliar scent emanating from the garment.