Chapter 13: A Strange Birthday Gift

“Hm?”

The moment I opened the taxi app on my phone, I spotted the back of a man lingering near the center with a troubled expression.

He wasn’t as tall as Kwon Yiyul, the tallest in our team, but he still had a sturdy build and fairly handsome features.

Dressed in a black field jacket and combat boots, he vaguely reminded me of Kim Seokhwan with his rough and stoic appearance.

‘Just ignore him and walk past. We’ve never met before, and sticking my nose into someone else’s business won’t do me any good. If anything, I’ll probably just get cursed at for acting nosy.’

I didn’t want to waste my precious time on something unnecessary, so I tried to turn away as if I hadn’t seen him.

But somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to ignore the pitiful sight of him anxiously pacing around with nowhere to ask for help.

To be more honest, he reminded me of myself when I first stepped into the center, and that bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

“I seriously can’t tell where anything is around here.”

“…Excuse me.”

“??”

As the cold wind blew harshly against me, I fastened the remaining buttons of my thick cardigan and lightly tapped the man on the shoulder.

The man turned around brightly, revealing ears so covered in piercings that both his lobes and cartilage looked practically destroyed.

From behind, I hadn’t noticed because of the hood covering his head, but he had unusual ash-gray hair and pitch-black eyes devoid of any light.

“I’ve been watching for a while, and it seemed like you were lost. If it’s alright with you, would you like me to guide you inside the center? If you already have your access pass issued, you can enter right away.”

“……”

“…Excuse me. Can you hear me?”

“…Ah, no. Thank you for the offer. The problem is, I lost that access pass. I contacted the person in charge, and they said I could get a new one if I went through the process again. They said they’d send an employee over soon, but it’s already been over an hour with no sign of anyone, so I was having a hard time.”

The man stared at me for a moment before seemingly snapping back to his senses.

With an easygoing smile, he scratched the back of his head.

Contrary to his delinquent-like appearance, he spoke politely and even bowed his head respectfully toward me.

“I’m really not some suspicious guy. I’m an Esper. An Esper. I was recently reassigned from the Eastern Center to the Southern Center during this personnel transfer.”

“Ah, I see. But from what I know, Espers assigned to a center usually have a designated escort officer. Have you tried contacting yours?”

“Well… there was a bit of an issue with my escort too, so I was trying to find my own way here somehow. But when things start going wrong, they really keep going wrong.”

The man clicked his tongue tiredly.

As he tilted his head to the side in annoyance, the piercings and earrings dangling from his ears clinked loudly together.

For some reason, his face felt strangely familiar even though I was certain I’d never seen him before.

“So… until the employee arrives, would you mind staying with me for a bit?”

Clatter.

“Wow, this is warm. I was seriously starving to death, so you saved me.”

“Please eat as much as you want. You were outside suffering in this cold weather, after all.”

…What exactly am I doing here?

I stared blankly at the steaming bowl of gukbap placed before me.

The man bit deeply into a cube of radish kimchi soaked in red seasoning and practically inhaled the food with his face buried in the bowl.

It honestly looked like he’d been starving alone on some deserted island for days.

At least in this area, I’d never seen anyone react so dramatically over a single bowl of soup.

Afraid he might get indigestion from eating too fast, I quietly slid the bowl of dongchimi broth closer to him.

“So, Jaeyoon, you’re a guide working at the center?”

“Yes. It’s been about three years now.”

“This kind of job isn’t something people last long in unless it suits them. Still, you’ve endured for quite a while.”

“…It’s not that I endured because I wanted to. I just had no choice. There were circumstances.”

“Well, that’s just how work is, isn’t it? Even when it’s miserable, you can’t quit carelessly when you think about your future. Especially if you work for the center. Compared to other jobs, the procedures and paperwork are ridiculously strict.”

I stirred the clear broth with my spoon until my shabby reflection disappeared from the surface.

Then I nodded along to the man’s whining complaints as he pouted with chopsticks between his lips.

How long had it been since I’d had an actual conversation with someone who wasn’t part of the team?

For some reason, the thought left me feeling hollow.

“So once I officially join the center later, I’ll probably see you around often, right? I’m scheduled to be assigned to the attack division too.”

“Ah, really?”

“Yep. I may not look like it, but I’m actually an A+ rank Esper.”

“…Cough— what?”

I nearly spat out the food in my mouth.

I knew his rank was probably high when he mentioned the attack division, but A+?

My complexion instantly darkened, and my stomach began to churn uncomfortably.

It had only been around ten minutes since we started talking casually, yet my mind had already gone cold and my palms were damp with sweat.

“I’m only telling you this in advance because you’re special, Jaeyoon, so you have to keep it a secret.”

Unlike guides, even Espers within the same rank had strict hierarchies among themselves.

Even among S-ranks, someone like Kwon Yiyul held the position of team leader and had a plus sign attached to his Esper registration card.

That meant the man sitting in front of me was also an executive-class Esper who stood out even among other A-ranks.

And yet, despite that, he barely seemed to have any sense of superiority.

Once an Esper reached B-rank, they were treated no worse than high-ranking government officials.

Most of them flaunted their status arrogantly wherever they went.

As if they weren’t just walking time bombs who couldn’t even function without guides.

It was idiotic and foolish beyond belief.

The man stared at me and asked if he could order another bowl of rice.

I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek before slowly nodding.

I didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere by openly revealing my inferiority complex over ranks.

He smiled brightly and said we should greet each other often once we met at the center.

But honestly, I had no intention of doing that.

‘In the end, he’ll probably be just like the others anyway.’

The truth was… I was scared.

Once he learned about my rank, my position, and the situation I was in, he’d probably start looking down on me too.

It was a narrow-minded and selfish thought, but I couldn’t help it.

I clenched my fists tightly on top of my knees and silently blamed myself for being pathetic.

“By the way, Jaeyoon. Center outings usually require using half-day leave unless it’s a designated day off, right? So why are you out here today? If you had to take sudden leave, it must’ve been something serious. I’m starting to wonder if I’m wasting your time.”

“…No, it’s fine. My leave lasts until tomorrow, and aside from stopping by the flower shop, I don’t really have anything else to do today.”

“A flower shop? Why? Something happen?”

This man really seemed to have endless curiosity.

I tried brushing it off and changing the subject, but honestly, it wasn’t like going out on my birthday was some huge secret worth hiding.

And maybe…

Maybe I just wanted at least one person to know it was my birthday today.

“So today’s your birthday, Jaeyoon? But if it’s your birthday, is it really okay for you to spend it like this with me instead of your friends or family?”

“…I already told you. I have unavoidable circumstances. Let’s just say me wasting time here right now is part of those unavoidable circumstances.”

“…Sorry. I wasn’t trying to make things difficult. I’m just kind of bad at reading the room. I’ve been cursed behind my back a lot for prying into people’s business without realizing it.”

“It’s alright. Let’s just say we each know one troublesome secret about the other now.”

When I shrugged, the man let out a relieved sigh and patted his chest.

Surprisingly, maintaining eye contact and talking with him wasn’t exhausting at all.

“If you’re done eating, should we get going? I’ll pay. I happen to have the company card with me right now.”

“…I asked you for directions in broad daylight, then got treated to food too. I seriously feel bad about this. Next time, I’ll buy you a proper meal somewhere fancy. I’ve got a ton of money. My wallet’s just packed in with the rest of my luggage right now….”

“…I’m going to order something expensive, you know. Are you really okay with that?”

“You can rob me blind. Seriously. Leave me with nothing but dust.”

Mixing jokes with sincerity, the man laughed casually.

Then he carefully picked out only the strawberry-flavored candies from the small basket on the counter and stuffed them into his pocket.

Come to think of it, he’d also had a lollipop in his mouth earlier while wandering around outside the center.

Maybe he liked sweets.

Thinking something so pointless, I finished paying and stepped outside.

Before I realized it, the clock had already rushed past 3 PM and was nearing 4.

“Jaeyoon, can you give me your hand for a second?”

“…What?”

Just as I was thinking I needed to hurry and buy flowers before visiting my grandmother, the man walking ahead suddenly grabbed my hand.

Then, without warning, he stuffed a whole handful of strawberry candies from his pocket into my palm.

Startled by his inexplicable behavior, I instinctively tried pulling my arm back.

But there was no way an ordinary civilian like me could easily break free from the grip of a man whose strength rivaled Kwon Yiyul’s.

I got dragged toward him like one of those inflatable tube men dancing wildly outside supermarkets.

“It’s a birthday present.”

“…….”

…What the hell is wrong with this guy?

The man looked absurdly proud of himself as he explained that strawberry flavor was his favorite, but he was specially giving them to me.

I stared straight ahead, feeling the sharp edges of the candy wrappers pressing into my palm.

Honestly, this was a completely different level of bewilderment.

I couldn’t tell if he truly meant it sincerely or if he was just teasing me.

The constant smile on his face made it impossible to read his intentions.

‘Ha….’