Chapter 38: An Unspoken Thanks

Hyung left the house early in the morning.

His rehabilitation therapy, which would last until late evening, started in the early afternoon.

“Are you coming back at eight today too?”

After a simple breakfast, I hastily cleaned up and followed Hyung to the entrance.

I had offered to take him until he could walk without crutches, but he stubbornly refused, so I was only able to see him off.

“I’ll come back earlier. Let’s make dinner together.”

Hyung, who had been contemplating while looking at the living room clock, said he would be back before seven.

“Please teach me how to cook. Anything.”

“You want to learn to cook?”

“I think it might help my memory return. The doctor told me to try doing anything my body is familiar with often.”

This was the first time Hyung had shown a will to find his memories on his own.

I thought he had no interest in his thirty-three-year-old self and thus no desire to regain his memories.

“Alright, let’s do it. I’ll teach you the easy things first.”

I’m glad Hyung wants to find his memories too.

I wondered if his eagerness to use his abilities again was also for the sake of regaining his memories.

With a weight lifted from my heart, even my worries began to slowly fade.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

I asked, blocking the front door.

Hyung tilted his head slightly and raised the end of his sentence ambiguously.

“Have a good day?”

“Not a greeting.”

After pondering what he might have forgotten, Hyung said, “Ah,” and held out his hand to me.

I gently handed over the phone he had left in the bedroom.

I had grabbed it in advance and was waiting for him to look for it.

This had become a part of our morning routine.

“What are you going to do today, Hyung?”

The same question from yesterday and the day before came my way again today.

Chul-soo hyung always asked about my daily schedule before he left.

As I was a person living like a hamster on a wheel, my answers grew shorter and shorter.

“I plan to read a bit. And clean.”

When I gave another answer that wasn’t much different from yesterday’s, Chul-soo hyung pointed to the living room window.

“The weather is nice, so you should go for a walk too.”

Just as Hyung said, the day was bright and clear.

It was perfect weather for watching the world outside the window with the kids at home.

“I should do that. Be careful on your way.”

I opened the door for Hyung, who was on crutches, and gave him a final farewell.

Seeing Hyung off at the entrance, who had always left for work via Teleportation, still felt new.

Even though Hyung told me to go back inside, I stuck my head out and stayed there until he disappeared down the hallway.

‘Will I look like someone with nothing to do?’

Returning to the living room alone, I was about to sit on the sofa but stood up again.

Whenever I was asked what I would do today, or what I had done, my shoulders slumped a little more.

I was conscious of how I might appear in the eyes of the younger Hyung.

‘I want to look like a cool adult to Hyung right now.’

A twenty-eight-year-old man cooped up inside his house couldn’t possibly be cool.

With a lover like this, Hyung’s future must look pretty bleak too.

I suddenly felt sorry and apologetic for Chul-soo hyung all over again.

To think he lived with someone like me for eight years.

And even Imprinted, on top of that.

“…Let’s live together for just 80 more years, and then I’ll let you go.”

I muttered, kicking the innocent sofa.

It was something I actually said to Hyung from time to time.

I’d say it like a joke, but with sincerity, that I would let him go in 80 years.

I wanted to live with Hyung until we were exactly 100 years old.

After we die, if I extended the term by another 80 years, Hyung would reluctantly agree.

Because Chul-soo hyung is soft-hearted.

Sometime after the afternoon had passed, I was reading a book by an open window when I received a call from Hwang Gyu-tae Esper and rushed to the Medical Center.

He had asked me to come as quickly as possible, so I ran without thinking.

The already busy atmosphere of the Center became even more chaotic upon entering the emergency room.

It seemed a large Gate had opened.

“Seo Yeong-u Guide-nim! This way!”

I forcibly pulled up my gaze, which kept falling to the floor, and ran towards a welcome voice.

Even in this noisy emergency room, Hwang Gyu-tae Esper’s loud voice was distinct.

“I have to go back right away! Please take good care of Seung-jun sunbae!”

Hwang Gyu-tae Esper wrapped an arm around my shoulder and strode through the crowd.

With a horde of large-statured Espers pushing in all at once, just moving forward was a chore.

I would have never been able to push through on my own.

“Sunbae, are you okay?!”

Hwang Gyu-tae Esper, who had led me here, pulled back the curtain.

Lying on the sickbed, the battered and bruised Tae Seung-jun had his face buried in a trash can, vomiting.

Hwang Gyu-tae Esper quickly smacked Tae Seung-jun’s back.

I wondered why he was hitting him, but it turned out he was trying to pat him.

“He’s going to die at this rate. I’ll do it.”

I stopped Hwang Gyu-tae Esper, who was swinging his fist, and patted his back instead.

The frantic Hwang Gyu-tae Esper emphasized Tae Seung-jun’s Wavelength level and then left in a hurry.

The level was indeed high.

Tae Seung-jun’s Wavelength, which was usually as stable as Aran noona’s, had reached 73%.

This might be a common occurrence for Attack-type Espers, but for a Barrier user, it was a pretty serious level.

“Do you recognize me?”

I laid Tae Seung-jun, who had stopped retching, down properly and removed the machine pad attached to his chest.

The standard-issue Guiding machine wasn’t compatible, which was causing nausea.

It seemed he had been forcing himself to keep it on anyway to lower his Wavelength.

“I asked if you know who I am.”

Judging by the large wound on his stomach, he seemed to have been attacked by an animal-type monster.

I tried hard not to look at the red lumps protruding from his torn clothes.

Focusing only on Guiding, I roused Tae Seung-jun’s consciousness.

“Why… are you, here.”

Coughing up blood, Tae Seung-jun frowned and suddenly grabbed my wrist.

“Hwang Gyu-tae Esper-nim called me. Said they couldn’t find a Guide.”

“Useless….”

Seeing him act all high and mighty, he must be well enough to live.

Feeling slightly relieved, I pushed aside his sticky combat suit and placed my hand on his chest.

His body, responding steadily to my Guiding, flinched slightly.

“I think you’re losing too much blood.”

Thinking Tae Seung-jun was fully conscious, I started to speak but then slightly reduced the Guiding.

Tae Seung-jun’s hand was stealthily creeping up inside my sleeve.

“The level is going down just fine, so don’t worry.”

I didn’t pull his hand away, only adjusting the Guiding.

Pouring out Guiding recklessly to boost an injured Esper’s recovery could lead to an unmanageable situation.

It was something I never wanted to do in a place this crowded, and especially not with an Esper other than Chul-soo hyung.

Although I hadn’t been actively working, I was in my eighth year as a Guide, so I was quite skilled at controlling my Guiding.

My matching rate with Tae Seung-jun was particularly high, which made Guiding him easy.

“It’s already dropped by 2%, so focus on stopping the bleeding. Not on my arm.”

“Who… is holding your arm.”

Unable to finish his sentence, Tae Seung-jun let out a wet cough.

He didn’t seem to realize he was kneading my wrist.

It didn’t feel great, but I let it slide since this was his first Guiding in four years.

My matching rate with Tae Seung-jun was a whopping 79%.

With Guiding from a 79% match, it was bound to feel sweet to him.

If the first digit had been an 8, it would have been seriously uncomfortable.

Unlike our matching rate, we didn’t actually get along well, and our personalities clashed, so neither of us would have been able to tolerate it.

Confirming that his Wavelength was smoothly stabilizing, I shifted my uncomfortable position slightly.

Standing in front of the bed with only my arm extended was making it go numb.

I thought I should probably sit down.

As I moved my body, Tae Seung-jun gripped my wrist even tighter.

I was immune to it, so it didn’t hurt, but I said something anyway.

“I think you can let go of my wrist now.”

“…Sorry.”

Tae Seung-jun’s eyes shot open, and as he slowly came to his senses, he released my wrist.

In turn, I gradually strengthened my Guiding.

“Has the bleeding stopped?”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t have the nerve to check myself, so I just asked instead.

As his Wavelength stabilized, his body was also rapidly regenerating the wound.

As expected of an outstanding Esper, Tae Seung-jun was recovering quickly.

However, it looked like the already damaged area would need treatment, so I pulled the curtain slightly aside to look outside.

I intended to call over any passing doctor, but there was no one but Espers.

The medical staff were hidden behind the large figures and couldn’t be seen.

I just moved my lips, preparing to call for a doctor.

I was suddenly envious of Hwang Gyu-tae Esper’s loud voice.

“It’s fine. They’ll come when it’s time.”

Perhaps frustrated by my hesitation, Tae Seung-jun let out a sigh and examined his own wound.

A deep gash remained, running from his right chest to his left side.

“Was it a Red Code Gate?”

“Three of them opened at once. Thought I was gonna f*cking die.”

Returning to his usual way of speaking, Tae Seung-jun seemed to be feeling better as he propped himself up against the pillow.

In a sitting position, he reached out his hand to me.

“Just lower it to 60% and then go.”

“Like I owe you Guiding.”

I grumbled out of habit as I perched on the edge of the narrow bed and took his hand.

I had been planning to lower it to 50% before leaving anyway.

“……”

Since Tae Seung-jun was quiet, I also kept my mouth shut without much thought.

This was the first time I had seen him since the cafe incident.

Come to think of it, I never thanked Tae Seung-jun.

If he hadn’t arrived before the Rampage Suppression Team, I probably would have been done for.

I was out of my mind that day, and that b*stard Tae Seung-jun was acting so prickly that I didn’t even feel grateful.

Chul-soo hyung had told me to always say thank you when I received help.

Especially to a colleague.

“……”

Instead of a thank you, I figured the Guiding would cover it.

Since I came running as soon as I heard he was hurt, I deserved a thank you as well.

Tae Seung-jun wasn’t saying it, so why should I?

“Hey.”

Just as I was about to remain silent, Tae Seung-jun spoke.

If he said thank you, I was planning to thank him back then.

To say I survived thanks to him.

“You got any water?”

With an unpleasant glint in his eyes, Tae Seung-jun gestured with his chin for me to look for some.

I only pretended to look before telling him to just swallow his spit.