Chapter 124: The Tug-of-War He Doesn’t Even See

“That’s right, Chaewon. It was our first guiding session together, after all, so being cautious is a good idea. Now that I understand your wavelength, if we guide again next time, it’ll definitely feel less uncomfortable than today.”

“…It wasn’t uncomfortable today either. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. It’s simply what I’m supposed to do.”

And just as their exchange reached that point, Su-ha quietly knelt down on one knee in front of Chaewon and gently wrapped his hand around the one that had only moments ago been held by Tae-jun.

“Su-ha, please stand-!”

Startled, Chaewon hurried to pull him up, but the moment Su-ha began guiding, Chaewon’s other hand instinctively gripped Su-ha’s shoulder instead, his body trembling. There was no room to continue speaking.

The energy that spread through him was incomparably more intimate and familiar than Tae-jun’s. In an instant it coursed through his entire body, inspecting every hidden corner.

Chaewon could feel each delicate movement as vividly as if he were watching it with his own eyes. Su-ha’s guiding had become that familiar to him.

“Mm…”

The sound that escaped him was distinctly different from before. After swiftly examining Chaewon’s condition in full, Su-ha withdrew his energy and rose to his feet.

Tae-jun’s eyes followed the movement, tension tightening his gaze. Ye-seon would confirm the matching test results separately, but if Su-ha pointed out any flaw here, his words as the official pair guide would inevitably carry significant weight.

“How is he?”

Ye-seon, stepping out a beat late, addressed Su-ha. Su-ha cast a brief, unreadable glance at Tae-jun, then shifted his gaze and gently smoothed Chaewon’s slightly mussed bangs before answering.

“There don’t appear to be any particular issues.”

A breath of relief slipped past Tae-jun’s lips.

For a fleeting moment, he had wondered if Su-ha might nitpick over something trivial. He knew Jin Su-ha wasn’t the sort of person to stoop to something so petty, but private emotions had a way of unsettling even the calmest minds.

It wasn’t difficult to find examples of awakened individuals who, consumed by jealousy, had become shockingly unscrupulous.

But Su-ha had no intention of doing that. Especially not when it concerned Chaewon’s safety. He had no desire to become someone who twisted the truth because of personal feelings.

Even if, at this very moment, he was wrestling with the reckless impulse to pull Chaewon close and press a deep kiss to his lips right in front of Tae-jun.

As if he had expected as much, Ye-seon nodded.

“Good. Then we’ll conclude the test here. The results will be delivered individually later. All three of you did well, you’re free to go.”

In truth, the results could be checked almost immediately; if they waited a few minutes, Ye-seon could have announced them on the spot.

But there was no need to stir unnecessary tension by revealing them together. And beyond the compatibility rate, there were additional factors to consider before deciding on a backup guide.

Thanks to Eunho’s quiet efficiency, Chaewon had already been disconnected from the equipment.

Su-ha waited patiently while Chaewon gave Eunho a bright, affectionate eye-smile and murmured, “Thank you, Eunho,” and then bowed politely to Ye-seon. “Thank you for your hard work, Team Leader.”

Only after that did Su-ha take Chaewon’s hand again.

“Let’s go, Chaewon.”

Behind them, Tae-jun watched in disbelief as Su-ha shot him an almost embarrassingly blatant look of warning before leading Chaewon out. Being practically dragged along, Chaewon hurriedly called out a farewell to Tae-jun over his shoulder.

Someday, Tae-jun thought, he would break that insufferable Jin Su-ha’s pride.

Lowering his gaze to the hand that had held Chaewon’s, he found himself already missing the unstable yet powerful, fragile yet resilient energy he had felt.

Silently wishing that fortune would favor him, Tae-jun offered polite farewells to Ye-seon and Eunho before leaving the examination room as well. It seemed he would need to intensify his training starting today.

****

“Oh, you’re done with the test?”

Su-ha had just begun to relax after finally escaping an uncomfortable presence when he spotted someone approaching Chaewon from ahead, speaking in a friendly, familiar tone. The faint ease on his face instantly twisted again.

“Long time no see, Chaewon.”

As if utterly unconcerned with Su-ha’s feelings, the one who approached was none other than Ju Gi-yoon, leader of Crisis Response Team 1.

“Ah, Team Leader Ju! Hello!”

Right beside him, Chaewon responded with genuine warmth. Since their last joint training session, he had grown noticeably more comfortable with Gi-yoon.

It seemed that, in this spot at least, the only one suffering from foul luck was Jin Su-ha.

“Good afternoon, Team Leader.”

More than wanting to greet him, Su-ha spoke up first simply to wedge himself between Chaewon and Gi-yoon. Gi-yoon’s gaze shifted slowly toward him.

Su-ha hadn’t expected much. At best, a curt nod; at worst, outright disregard. Given their history, neither would have been surprising.

“Oh, Guide Jin Su-ha. Have you been well?”

“…Excuse me?”

The response that followed drew a startled sound from Su-ha’s mouth.

Ju G-iyoon, who usually made no effort to hide his irritation at the sight of Su-ha, was now smiling brightly at him and greeting him in a gentle voice. Anyone would have been taken aback.

Even Chaewon, who didn’t fully grasp the past tension between them, looked between the two in surprise.

“What? Is it that shocking that I greeted you?”

Gi-yoon chuckled lightly, as though fully aware of Su-ha’s inner turmoil. Su-ha, uncharacteristically, stammered, “No, it’s just…”

Gi-yoon regarded the two of them with a mixture of amusement and faint self-mockery.

His situation was complicated. Now that he knew Min I-hyeon had actively moved to recruit Lee Chaewon into the Special Operations Team, he couldn’t simply rely on upper management’s vague assurances and sit back.

No matter what the higher-ups intended, Min I-hyeon had the influence to persuade, or pressure, them into reversing a decision.

As much as he hated to admit it, even as an S-class Esper himself, Gi-yoon had yet to surpass I-hyeon’s sway. If Chaewon chose to join the Special Operations Team, it would become a difficult battle indeed.

Conversely, if Chaewon sided with the Fourth Team here, Gi-yoon could easily win this tug-of-war, and deal Min I-hyeon’s infuriating smile a satisfying blow.

And unfortunately for Gi-yoon, the person with the greatest influence over Chaewon’s decision was none other than Jin Su-ha.

So, from Gi-yoon’s perspective, a man who rarely quibbled over methods when pursuing a goal, discarding pride and offering Su-ha unprecedented kindness today was simply a practical choice.

Taking small comfort in Su-ha’s continued bewilderment, Gi-yoon turned back to Chaewon.

“Anyway, the test ended without issues?”

Chaewon, having recovered his composure faster than Su-ha, answered lightly.

“Yes. Everyone helped a lot, so there were no problems. I heard you went out on a mission yesterday, Team Leader… You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“Of course not. You should worry about the ones who were up against me.”

“Well, your ability is top-tier, of course… but still, please be careful. You never know when danger might strike unexpectedly.”

At Chaewon’s earnest concern, Gi-yoon fell momentarily silent.

He couldn’t even remember the last time someone had worried about him like this. It wasn’t that no one cared, but Gi-yoon’s usual demeanor, confident at best and arrogant at worst, made it difficult.

Worry, even well-meant, was something he might easily interpret as doubt. Being an S-class Esper already created distance; add a personality like Ju Gi-yoon’s, and that distance only doubled.

And truthfully, he didn’t particularly enjoy hearing others’ concerns expressed aloud.

“…Are you underestimating my abilities?”

The sharp retort slipped out reflexively. Not because he was offended, but because he wasn’t used to the warmth in Chaewon’s voice. No one, not even his own team members, worried about him this way.

At Gi-yoon’s edged reply, Su-ha prepared to intervene with a knowing look, but Chaewon spoke first.

“How could I possibly underestimate you, Team Leader? I’m not underestimating you… I’m worrying about you.”

“…”

“The things you step in to handle are always the most dangerous and difficult. I trust your abilities, of course… but that doesn’t mean I can’t worry.”

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