Chapter 58: Recovery

Team Leader Kim put protein powder and oats into a shaker bottle, poured in a whole bottle of water, and shook it.

He even kept emergency rations that could be eaten easily in the drawer so he wouldn’t get hungry.

As his hospital stay exceeded a week, his belongings, accumulated from his 24-hour guard duty for Bodam, began to pile up one by one in the room.

Knock, knock.

“Yes. Just a moment.”

Sensing the aura of the person standing before the barrier, he quickly chugged his shake and opened the door.

Team Leader Kim’s eyebrow shot up when he saw the shopping bag the visitor pushed forward.

“Again?”

The Teleport Esper, who merely delivered the instructed item and then vanished, bowed his head, as if saying “that’s all.”

He was Lee Tae Hwan’s recently hired errand boy.

Team Leader Kim chuckled and opened the heavy shopping bag.

As expected, it was the same food sent yesterday and the day before.

His gifting sense seemed to match his personality.

“That damn kukhwa-ppang.”

Steam rose from the freshly baked, warm kukhwa-ppang bought from various places.

What was packaged in the luxurious box was a monaka pastry, resembling kukhwa-ppang.

‘Why on earth is he doing this?’

He even searched online, wondering what meaning young people these days attached to kukhwa-ppang as a gift.

Of course, the only information that came up was that there weren’t many places selling kukhwa-ppang.

He ate the kukhwa-ppang one by one, which was hard to find even in winter, and placed the shopping bag on the table.

The shopping bag from yesterday was still there, untouched.

‘Where did he pick that up?’

Since Guide Yoon had slowly regained consciousness, he had been offering kukhwa-ppang.

“What’s this?”

The paper bag felt heavy today, and it turned out there was also a tea set inside.

As expected of someone without a sense of taste, all the glass jars contained only yuzu marmalade.

He was someone who lacked even the basic sense of gifting a variety of items.

“Truly unique. Very unique.”

Team Leader Kim, who had devoured five kukhwa-ppang while standing after eating his shake, glanced at the quiet bed, then grabbed a bag and went to the sofa.

He went to a spot where Bodam couldn’t see him and finished eating the kukhwa-ppang.

Strangely, every time he ate something, Guide Yoon woke up.

He turned around once, confirmed Bodam was sound asleep, and put two kukhwa-ppang into his mouth.

When he heard a faint voice saying, “Team Leader Kim…”, he swallowed the pastry without even chewing.

***

Team Leader Kim had told Seung Ho that Guide Yoon would probably go find Kang Yi Jun once he opened his eyes.

Seung Ho didn’t deny it either.

Even Han Seung Ho, who was well aware of the relationship between Kang Yi Jun and Yoon Bodam, agreed.

The two were connected by a 96% matching rate.

Espers naturally couldn’t let go of their Guides, and Guides couldn’t bear to watch their Espers suffer.

Unless a very long time passed, enough for their wavelengths to fade, they would always seek each other out.

“Guide-nim. Lean on me.”

Team Leader Kim, supporting Bodam who had quickly grown thin in a week, spoke.

His words came true.

With a body that couldn’t even properly balance, Bodam went to find Kang Yi Jun.

It was because he kept appearing in his dreams and tormenting him.

To be precise, an intangible presence spoke to him without sound.

Every time he tried to fall into a deep sleep, it would call his name.

It was annoying enough to drive him crazy.

Because of this, Bodam suffered for a week, stuck in a shallow, dozing state.

He just wanted to fall deeply asleep, but an invisible presence kept grabbing and shaking him awake.

Judging by its persistence, it was definitely Kang Yi Jun.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Team Leader Kim, who had briefly stopped in the hallway, asked.

Bodam, who still needed to recover, had his eyes tightly closed, as if feeling dizzy.

They couldn’t stop Bodam, who adamantly declared he had to go to Kang Yi Jun the moment he woke up.

“Don’t overexert yourself.”

Bodam, with a pale face, nodded and gripped the hallway railing.

With his left arm, he held onto Team Leader Kim’s arm, moving forward one step at a time.

It was a distance that could be covered in an instant via teleportation, but he wanted to walk on his own two feet.

‘He needs to move his unused muscles so he can kick Kang Yi Jun.’

At the appearance of Guide Yoon Bodam, the researchers’ eyes darted about busily.

The spacious private room, large enough for even a training camp, was filled with researchers and all sorts of newly installed machines.

Kang Yi Jun was still obscured within the barrier and the massive machinery.

“He’s sleeping, right?”

Bodam, standing in the spot made for him by the barrier user, opened his mouth.

Kang Yi Jun, covered by a blanket due to his falling body temperature, had electrode pads attached almost everywhere on his body.

The sight of long wires connected all over his body was bizarre.

He looked so precarious, as if cutting just one of those wires would instantly stop his breathing.

“No. He’s conscious and unable to sleep.”

A researcher who seemed to be the representative quickly approached and answered.

All of them were new faces, not the fat Director and researchers from that day.

He pressed himself close to the barrier user and continued his explanation.

“Espers on the verge of rampage cannot sleep because their wavelengths constantly stimulate their nerves.”

This meant he hadn’t slept for over a month.

Although his eyes were covered by black cloth and couldn’t be seen, it meant he was trapped in bed with his eyes open, feeling only physical pain.

‘Serves him right.’

“If I take this off, will he die?”

He asked, pointing at the oxygen mask covering his lower face.

The flustered researcher hesitated for a moment before replying.

“He won’t die from just that.”

“Ah. Okay.”

The researcher, who had looked between Bodam and Team Leader Kim supporting him from behind, then slowly backed away, creating distance.

The Guide, who seemed to have a screw loose, looked too weak to speak.

He merely stared down blankly.

Below him was only a dark blue monster.

He carefully watched the monster, reading the tangled wavelengths.

He scrutinized it to identify any differences from before.

He desperately tried to find any changes between how Kang Yi Jun was when he guided him normally before his resignation and now.

There was nothing special.

‘Then it’s not imprinting.’

Bodam felt deeply relieved.

“Kang Yi Jun.”

Among Attack Team 3’s four biggest bastards, this bastard was the one Bodam found most difficult.

He was on par with Han Seung Ho, but this f*cking bastard always had the overwhelming victory.

Being a very uncomfortable ability user who could read minds was one factor, but the biggest reason was his matching rate with him.

Bodam was weak to him.

His heart had grown numb enough to be exploited by Kang Yi Jun, even when he knew it was happening.

“Are you listening?”

While he cursed along with Lee Tae Hwan and rebelled in his own way against Min Ji Oh, he was helplessly dragged along by Kang Yi Jun.

Thus, kicking him in the stomach and severing ties with him decisively on the last day was practically exhilarating.

That’s why he kept crying.

Convinced it was a relationship bound only by money, he had cried, shedding tears that the rain seemed to wipe away.

He believed that now that the money issue was resolved, he wouldn’t be entangled with them again.

Overlooking the fact that he wasn’t just an ordinary human, but a Guide.

Thump, a frail fist that barely made a sound landed on the blanket.

Like that day, he put his weight into it, repeatedly hitting Kang Yi Jun’s stomach.

Only a soft, cushiony sensation was transmitted through the thick blanket.

It was a punch that had no impact on either the one being hit or the one hitting.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

Bodam, who mumbled as if whispering, tightly gripped Team Leader Kim’s lapel.

His body, drawn by unconscious urges, tried to move towards the Esper who craved guiding.

To prevent himself from going to him, he held onto Team Leader Kim’s clothes and resisted.

“I’m sorry. Let’s go now.”

He said, suppressing the emotions that hadn’t been resolved even after hitting Kang Yi Jun.

He was embraced by the Esper who gently told him it was okay.

Lastly, he glared fiercely at Kang Yi Jun one last time, then buried his face.

No expression could be read from the black face covered by cloth.

It was even more annoying.

He hated him enough to want to kill him.

***

Returning to his hospital room, Bodam lost his appetite.

He forced down a spoonful or two of porridge, then put the spoon down.

Feeling like the pitiful heroine of a dark drama, he shook his head in front of the untouched bowl of porridge.

He didn’t even have the energy to utter the line, “I can’t eat any more.”

“Tell me if you’re hungry.”

Team Leader Kim, who had cleared the meal tray, tidied Bodam’s blanket as he lay back down in bed.

He was always kind, but his attitude towards Bodam seemed to have grown even gentler.

Bodam, who faintly uttered a “thank you,” looked up at him.

‘How nice would it have been if Team Leader Kim were my Esper?’

“Do you need anything?”

He simply smiled with his lips and shook his head at the Esper who was so meticulously attending to him.

‘Even if it wasn’t Team Leader Kim, if I had just stayed on Jo Yeon’s team, I would have nothing more to wish for.’

“Ah.”

Bodam’s mouth opened slightly, and he had a realization inwardly.

If he hadn’t joined Attack Team 3, he wouldn’t have experienced the miracle of the lottery.

It was good fortune that came in proportion to his misfortune.

He wondered if this was the kind of happiness one could only achieve by enduring 3.1 billion won worth of hardship.

Perhaps half a year of hardship wasn’t enough.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

Team Leader Kim, who had remained standing by the head of the bed instead of returning to the sofa, spoke to him.

‘He was worried about Guide Yoon and also puzzled.’

‘Why isn’t he asking about his own condition?’ he wondered inwardly, filling his mind with question marks.

Since Bodam didn’t ask first, he decided to put it on hold for now and just continued to take care of him.

“If you’re sleepy, go to sleep. They say the sedatives will keep making you drowsy.”

He smiled as he looked down at the Guide, whose blurry gaze was vaguely fixed on the air.

Bodam, looking up at that kind smile, asked.

– “Team Leader-nim… Do you not need a dedicated Guide?”

Team Leader Kim tilted his head at the unexpected question delivered in a hoarse voice.

Seeing his genuinely curious expression, he lightly scratched his chin and replied.

– “I have a partner. Due to imprinting.”

– “I see.”

With a subtly sulky expression, Bodam pulled the blanket up and turned his body in the opposite direction from where Team Leader Kim was standing.

To the unnecessarily kind voice asking, “Shall I turn off the light?”, he merely nodded his head, buried in the pillow.

– “What are those?”

Then, a table came into his sight as he turned to lie on his side.

Several white paper bags with no logos were stacked on the round table.

– “Ah… Kukhwa-ppang.”