Chapter 16 : Rampage (3)

Jisung adjusted the belt of his combat suit and finally put on his black gloves. After a moment of adjusting his wrist, he turned his head and looked at Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo, who was indifferently packing his daggers, felt his gaze and looked at him. Jisung approached Hyunwoo, who was smiling at him.

He gently brushed aside the bangs that covered his eyes and adjusted Hyunwoo’s belt. A small chuckle was heard from above his head. When he looked up, his eyes met Hyunwoo’s. The round eyes crinkled into a thin crescent.

“Safety first, safety second. Think of your safety as the top priority.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t rush to finish, alright? We can go on vacation anytime.”

“Okay.”

Jisung narrowed his eyes at him, who was answering with a beaming smile.

“Are you listening to me properly?”

“Yes, I’m listening to every word you say without missing anything.”

Hyunwoo smiled brightly. At that, Jisung sighed softly with a look of resignation.

“Don’t get hurt.”

Jisung knew full well how unreasonable his words were. It was a difficult request to ask Hyunwoo, who was about to go fight a terrorist group, not to get hurt. No matter how strong Hyunwoo was, if enemies attacked him in droves, he was bound to get a scratch or two. Nevertheless, Jisung hoped that Hyunwoo would not get hurt and would not be in pain.

Hyunwoo’s lips curved into a crescent at Jisung’s words. He was smiling and looked genuinely happy. Hyunwoo pulled Jisung into his arms.

“Hyung.”

“Yes, why?”

“You smell like coffee, Hyung.”

“Is it because I chugged a shot when I woke up?”

Hyunwoo leaned his forehead against Jisung’s shoulder. At that, the scent of coffee became even stronger. A coffee scent always lingered around Jisung’s body. Even after becoming a Guide, Jisung did not quit his job as a barista. He brewed his own coffee with beans he brought himself, and sometimes, when he needed a change of pace, he would bake cookies.

Jisung looked happy when he talked about the cafe. It was really cute to see his lips chattering away as he explained the different types of coffee or told stories about his daily life with the customers. Jisung really loved his cafe. But, he had quit that cafe and chosen him. He was so happy, grateful, and sorry about that.

Jisung tilted his head to the side at Hyunwoo’s staring gaze.

“Why, is there something on my face?”

Hyunwoo raised his hand and cupped Jisung’s cheek.

“I’ll definitely protect you, Hyung.”

Jisung slowly blinked at Hyunwoo’s determined words.

“I’ll just be waiting for you guys to come back from a safe place. Don’t worry about me, you just make sure to protect yourself. Got it?”

Hyunwoo smiled faintly and nodded at Jisung’s serious expression. His Guide, who was so fragile in the eyes of an Esper, was more worried about him than himself. The one whom everyone else called a monster and avoided…

This operation was a large-scale one. As such, there was a possibility of unforeseen variables. It would be difficult to constantly check Jisung’s location once the battle with the enemy began. Usually, Yuaan would remain with the Guide team to protect the Guides and relay information, but this time, Yuaan was also participating in the operation.

A few C-Rank Espers were assigned to protect the Guides, but he didn’t trust them. No one other than Yuaan was satisfactory enough to protect Jisung. If he had his way, he would want to keep him by his side and protect him, but he was the first target of the enemies. The Center’s S-Rank Esper. Keeping Jisung by his side was not a good solution.

“Hyung, don’t do anything dangerous.”

“Why would I do anything dangerous? I wouldn’t do it even if you told me to.”

Hyunwoo said to Jisung, who was shaking his head from side to side.

“Because you can be reckless sometimes, Hyung.”

“Me?”

Jisung tilted his head with a look of utter confusion.

“You came to a terror site unarmed.”

“Well, that’s…”

“You tailed the Center Director.”

“That wasn’t a dangerous thing, was it?”

“You don’t know. What if the Center Director lost it and threatened you, Hyung?”

“He’s just a person who became the Center Director through connections. He’s not an Esper, not even a Guide. Even if he gets excited and comes at me, I can easily subdue him. I was thoroughly trained by Sunwoo!”

Hyunwoo’s expression darkened at Jisung’s thumbs-up. He leaned his forehead against Jisung’s.

“Still, I’m worried. The most important thing to me is you, Hyung. So promise me.”

Hyunwoo looked straight into Jisung’s eyes and opened his mouth.

“When I’m not by your side, promise me you won’t do anything dangerous. Promise me you won’t get hurt.”

A deep anxiety could be felt in Hyunwoo’s voice. Jisung, after taking a moment to compose himself, slowly nodded.

“I promise. I will absolutely not do anything dangerous. So don’t worry.”

“Okay…”

“And Sunwoo is with me too.”

“Ah.”

At the mention of Sunwoo’s name, a sense of relief washed over Hyunwoo’s face. Jisung’s eyes narrowed at that sight.

“…Is it just me, or do you seem to trust Sunwoo more than me?”

“Hmm?”

Jisung frowned at Hyunwoo’s innocent face, tilting his head.

‘This little brat…’

As Jisung glared at him with narrowed eyes, Hyunwoo suddenly hugged his neck. Jisung pursed his lips and clamped his mouth shut at Hyunwoo’s affectionate voice calling “Hyung~” and his smiling action.

He could understand that he trusted Sunwoo more because they had been together longer. But apart from that, he didn’t like that his own reliability was low.

“You usually say you like me the best, but when it comes to the important moments, I’m nothing… Yeah, Sunwoo is reliable. I know that, I know, but do I seem that unreliable to you?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“To think my credibility is at rock bottom!”

“Hyung, it’s a misunderstanding. What I meant was…”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about someone like me!”

“Hyung~”

Hyunwoo grabbed Jisung who was striding towards the door. Hyunwoo, who grabbed his arm with controlled strength so as not to hurt him, said to him who was looking back with a sullen expression.

“I’m sorry, don’t be mad. That’s not what I meant.”

Hyunwoo hugged Jisung from behind. He wrapped both arms around his waist and leaned his forehead against the back of Jisung’s head. Jisung’s soft hair tickled his forehead.

“I’m just so anxious that neither I nor Yuaan-hyung will be by your side.”

“But you’re relieved because Sunwoo is there?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not reliable, but Sunwoo is reliable, so it’s okay?”

“Uh, uh? No, that’s…!”

Jisung chuckled softly at Hyunwoo’s flustered voice.

“I’m kidding.”

“Hmm?”

Jisung spun around and looked at Hyunwoo.

“Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone in the Center who cares about safety more than me. I’ll stick close to Sunwoo and wait safely, so you can focus on your mission with peace of mind. Got it?”

Hyunwoo smiled softly at Jisung’s bright smile.

“Okay.”

As the two of them finished their conversation, the gray door burst open.

“Is the conversation over?”

Jisung’s pupils trembled at Sunwoo’s appearance, who was peeking his head in to ask. Yuaan was also with Sunwoo. When their eyes met, Yuaan subtly raised his hand and waved.

“Uh, since when were you there?”

“Just a little while ago. It seemed like you were having an important conversation, so I waited outside for a bit.”

“For the record, how long is a little while ago?”

“Around the time Hyunwoo-hyung was calling Jisung-hyung reckless.”

“You should have just come in then…”

‘You stood there for a long time.’ As Jisung awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, Sunwoo replied with a firm expression.

“There was still time left, and it’s better to have these conversations properly. For the sake of Hyunwoo-hyung’s mental management.”

A Guide’s job was not only to care for an Esper’s body but also their mental state. Espers put a lot of strain on their brains whenever they used their abilities. Therefore, it was better to alleviate the burden as much as possible. ‘He’s really diligent.’ Jisung thought as he looked at Sunwoo. He nodded and squeezed Hyunwoo’s hand.

“Is the guiding sufficient?”

Hyunwoo glanced at their clasped hands, then pulled Jisung into a tight hug. At Hyunwoo’s slightly forceful embrace, Jisung placed his hand on his back.

‘He really likes hugs.’

Hyunwoo would pull Jisung into his arms when he was happy, and when he was anxious. Then his heartbeat would gradually calm down. The number of times he had had physical contact with others in his 25 years of life was less than the number of times he had had physical contact with Hyunwoo recently.

“Yes, it’s sufficient.”

Hyunwoo, who had gently pulled away from Jisung, smiled at him. The anxious look from a moment ago was now completely gone. Jisung smiled back and nodded.

“Then shall we go smash the terrorist hideout?”

“Last time, the restoration costs were high, so they told us not to destroy the surrounding buildings as much as possible today.”

“It’s hard enough fighting a terrorist group, how can we pay attention to all that? It’s fine, just think about winning. The rest will work out somehow!”

Sunwoo shrugged at Jisung’s words. But he didn’t stop him either.