Chapter 43: A Call That Shouldn’t Matter

“Of course, I know you’ve probably heard something like this many times already, but still… I really wanted to say it at least once.”

“…”

“When I’m receiving your guiding, Su-ha, it feels like I’m quietly soaking my body in very warm water.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. That… it really makes me feel at ease.”

As Chaewon said, it wasn’t the first time Su-ha had heard words like that. Espers who had received his guiding often used similar expressions, and that warmth was one of the main reasons so many of them preferred Su-ha’s guiding.

It was feedback he’d heard so often it practically littered the ground at his feet.

And yet, for some reason, Chaewon’s words were different. They felt different somehow. It was far too vague a sensation to explain properly, but they were nothing like what anyone else had said. It was as if each word carried a life of its own, quietly glowing.

Su-ha couldn’t understand what this feeling was. The emotions he couldn’t define were already throwing him into confusion.

“…Thank you.”

In the end, all Su-ha could do was respond as if Chaewon’s words were nothing more than ordinary praise. Nothing more. Nothing else.

****

“Should I get a driver’s license too?”

Chaewon, fastening his seatbelt in the passenger seat of Su-ha’s car, suddenly asked in a serious tone. He didn’t even own a car, but thinking about possible emergencies, he figured it might be better if he could at least drive.

Turning to look at him while starting the engine, Su-ha nodded lightly and answered.

“When we deploy as a team, we usually take specially equipped vehicles or helicopters, so it’s not strictly necessary. But when you’re moving privately like this, it is more convenient to have one.”

“I see…”

“For the time being, if you ever need to go out, just let me know.”

“No! I can’t do that!”

Chaewon flailed both hands in alarm at Su-ha’s suggestion. Having already anticipated that reaction, Su-ha started the car slowly, unable to suppress the smile spreading across his face.

Still flustered, Chaewon glanced at Su-ha’s profile. Come to think of it, this was the first time he’d seen Su-ha smile.

Afraid that Su-ha might wipe that expression away if he noticed, Chaewon clamped his mouth shut and quickly looked straight ahead.

Then he tilted his head slightly again, sneaking another glance at Su-ha’s face where the smile still lingered, only to snap his gaze forward once more.

The corners of Chaewon’s lips twitched. There was no particular reason, yet he felt as if a smile might spill out too. It wasn’t a smile with any special meaning, but seeing Su-ha look so relaxed around him for the first time made his heart flutter for no reason.

It felt like his efforts had finally paid off. He was still lacking in many ways, but it seemed Su-ha was looking kindly upon those efforts, and that alone made Chaewon feel newly motivated.

If he spent this day off well, and then handled the upcoming training with Giyoon properly, maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to earn a little more of Su-ha’s approval.

A loud ringtone shattered the moment. Chaewon naturally turned to look at Su-ha. He had no one who would call him, so it had to be Su-ha’s phone, or so he thought. But instead of answering, Su-ha was looking at Chaewon with a puzzled expression. Chaewon asked,

“Aren’t you going to answer? If it’s because you’re driving, I can pick it up for you.”

Su-ha replied,

“It’s not my phone… I think it’s yours that’s ringing, Chaewon.”

“…Mine?”

“Yes. Yours.”

“But I don’t have anyone who would call me…”

Chaewon realized he’d spoken in a remarkably stupid voice, but he couldn’t help it. He was that shocked.

There truly was no one who would call him. No one even knew his number. When he’d received his phone, Chaewon had changed his number as a way of steeling his resolve, and the only people who knew it directly were Eunho and Su-ha.

Had something suddenly come up with Eunho? Chaewon hurriedly fished his phone out of his pocket. The device, far larger than anything he’d used before, still felt unfamiliar in his hand.

The number on the screen wasn’t Eunho’s either. Even though he hadn’t saved it, he’d memorized Eunho’s number when he’d received his business card, he would have recognized it immediately. But the number displayed now was completely unfamiliar.

‘Do espers get spam calls too?’

The useless thought flashed through his mind as Chaewon pressed the call button.

“H-Hello…?”

“Is this Lee Chaewon’s phone?”

At the sound of a man’s voice on the other end, Su-ha, pretending to focus on driving, shot Chaewon a quick sideways glance. With a serious expression, Chaewon replied,

“Yes, it is… Who is this?”

“Oh, that’s hurtful. You’ve already forgotten my voice?”

Before he could even be surprised that the caller knew his name, the other man spoke with easy familiarity the moment he confirmed Chaewon’s identity. Frowning in confusion for a second, Chaewon suddenly realized something, gasped softly, and said,

“Team Leader Min I-hyeon?”

Su-ha’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

****

“You remember now?”

I-hyeon’s voice came through the phone, unmistakably pleased. It was a warm, pleasant tone that naturally put the listener at ease, but Chaewon couldn’t simply welcome it.

Clutching his phone tightly with both hands, Chaewon reflexively turned his head to gauge Su-ha’s reaction. Su-ha must have heard him say I-hyeon’s name. Frustrated that he couldn’t clearly see Su-ha’s expression while he was driving, Chaewon lowered his voice and answered,

“…Yes. But how did you get my number…?”

“Ah, I asked Team Leader Woo. Did that bother you?”

“No, not at all. I was just a bit surprised.”

Only then did Chaewon realize he hadn’t properly thanked I-hyeon after the training. From I-hyeon’s perspective, he’d spent time and effort he didn’t strictly need to, so Chaewon really should have expressed his gratitude.

But after collapsing and waking up disoriented, he’d let it slip under the excuse that everything had been hectic.

Even so, he didn’t want to give those thanks while sitting right next to Su-ha.

As Chaewon bit his lip briefly, thinking his mistake had tangled things further, I-hyeon continued,

“I was just worried I might’ve gone too far during training. I wanted to check on you in person, but something came up right away, and I’m not at the center right now. So I called instead.”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve contacted you first… Thank you so much for helping with my training. You really weren’t too harsh at all, and I’m completely fine, nothing hurts.”

Even as he said what he needed to say, he felt like he was sitting on a bed of needles. Su-ha wasn’t openly showing any displeasure, but knowing exactly how Su-ha felt about Min I-hyeon made the call deeply uncomfortable.

He knew this call didn’t truly mean anything, to I-hyeon or to Su-ha. It was really nothing at all. And yet, he couldn’t help being conscious of it.

On the other end, I-hyeon spoke just as cheerfully as before.

“That’s a relief. When I get back from this mission, let’s have a meal together.”

“…With me?”

“Yeah. With you, Chaewon. Just the two of us.”

Fearing that Su-ha might overhear I-hyeon’s voice, Chaewon hurriedly turned his phone’s volume all the way down.

Considering how much help he’d received, it would actually make sense for Chaewon to treat him to a meal, but separate from his gratitude, Chaewon had absolutely no intention of doing that. He couldn’t possibly ask Su-ha to swallow even more discomfort for something like this.

Letting out a short breath, Chaewon replied,

“…Please finish your mission safely.”

The reason he didn’t reject the offer outright was simple: he wanted this call to end as quickly as possible. If he refused here, it would inevitably lead to explanations, questions, and more back-and-forth.

For all he knew, the invitation might have been nothing more than polite courtesy. For now, Chaewon just wanted to hang up.

Thankfully, I-hyeon didn’t add anything else.

“Alright. We’ll talk more when I get back then. Take care, Chaewon… See you later.”

“Yes.”

“Save my number.”

“…Goodbye.”

Chaewon didn’t properly respond to the request to save the number. He waited quietly until I-hyeon hung up, and only after hearing the end-call tone did he pull the phone away from his ear and press the button to end the call.

An awkward silence settled over the car. Chaewon, still gripping his phone tightly, placed it on his thigh and took a moment to steady his breathing before finally speaking to Su-ha.

“Team Leader Woo said he gave him my number.”

The defensive, apologetic tone in Chaewon’s voice made Su-ha’s brow crease slightly. It was true that his mood had sunk frighteningly low while Chaewon was on the phone, but this wasn’t what he wanted.

He didn’t want to hear Chaewon speak as if he’d committed some kind of crime.

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