Chapter 60: Hamburgers

The desire for world peace, which Bodam harbored in his heart, ended his staring contest with the ceiling.

Getting angry at a soulless ceiling, a bed, and snacks would only make him look insane.

There was no need to vent his anger on innocent targets.

The object of his wrath was already running wild, practically begging for attention.

“Lee Tae Hwan, you bastard.”

He cursed first at the guy who, without fail, sent him perfectly browned kukhwa-ppang and snacks perfectly suited to Bodam’s taste.

He picked up his phone, which was as good as a clock, and opened the messenger app.

He tapped on the friend management list and searched for Lee Tae Hwan among his blocked profiles.

‘Yoon Bodam!’

Bodam unblocked Lee Tae Hwan on the messenger.

‘Ah… Yoon Bodam. Please.’

His voice, calling out his name and pouring forth apologies as if to burst a sick person’s eardrum, vaguely remained in his memory.

At first, he thought he had dreamt that he was receiving an apology.

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry. f*ck, so f*cking sorry. Ah, f*ck, I really—’

The apology was so excessively Tae Hwan-like that it felt overwhelmingly real, yet he still thought it must be a dream.

It was Lee Tae Hwan of Attack Team 3, of all people.

He had thought they would never apologize to him, not even if he died.

He truly hadn’t expected him to cry and pour out verbal apologies, rather than just throwing an actual apple at him.

‘Yoon Bodam… don’t die.’

That Lee Tae Hwan had embraced him and cried.

His face, his expression, and his trembling voice became vividly clear with time.

“…I should have recorded it.”

Bodam looked down at his phone, regretting that he hadn’t captured his tear-streaked face in a photo or video.

It was an expression he wanted to see whenever he felt down.

The apology, repeated so often it was etched into his ears, was strangely not tiresome.

He wanted to hear it more, and more, and more.

That was why he hadn’t returned the kukhwa-ppang that was offered like a tribute every day.

He had unblocked him, but he hadn’t forgiven him.

He just wanted to eat something other than kukhwa-ppang.

He intended to tell him that if he was going to buy him offerings, he should send something more expensive and tastier.

Buzz.

Bodam, who had opened the chat window with Lee Tae Hwan and was typing a long list of things he wanted to eat, was startled and dropped his phone.

A message had come from Lee Tae Hwan at this hour past midnight.

He had just unblocked him; how did he know?

[I miss you]
12:09

Bodam picked up his phone, checked the message, and dropped it again with a curse.

His face was dumbfounded, like someone who had just seen a ghost.

‘What did I just read?’

‘Am I dreaming?’

Seeing the goosebumps on his arm, it wasn’t a dream.

At that moment, Lee Tae Hwan was…

“Why…”

He dropped the phone he was holding into the gate and gasped.

His expression was as astonished as Bodam’s.

He mumbled, his face plastered with monster blood.

His voice, listless and weak, was faint.

“Why… did he read it…?”

His whole body flushed red, like someone drenched in blood, as he had habitually sent a message to the chat window that Yoon Bodam had blocked.

Of course, these were messages he had sent, never expecting them to be read.

He had thought Yoon Bodam would never unblock him in his life.

“f*ck!”

Lee Tae Hwan, who was hunting monsters under the moonlight, entered the gate to retrieve his phone.

Surprised by the sudden disappearance of the number 1, he threw his phone.

“f*ck!”

***

Team Leader Kim was contemplating whether to go get guiding for a moment.

He had requested a list to arrange reliable replacements from the standby barrier teams.

It was incredibly fortunate that the time he spent agonizing over not finding a suitable replacement had been prolonged.

“Yoon Bodam woke up, didn’t he?”

Lee Tae Hwan asked Team Leader Kim, who was guarding the hospital room door.

He looked as if he’d just rolled around on the scene, just like when Esper Jo Yeon first visited.

Indeed, perhaps due to the different scale of their assigned sectors, his appearance was even more severe.

“Did he wake up? Are you deaf?”

“Please step back, Esper Lee Tae Hwan-nim.”

He said, drawing a line with a barrier at Tae Hwan, who was drenched in monster blood.

It seemed as if he had actually entered a monster’s body and come out.

An S-class like him wouldn’t usually go around covered in that much blood.

“You are currently subject to a no-approach order. You should know that well.”

The S-class Esper’s aura, flashing black eyes and huffing, was quite intimidating.

It was an aura that would make other barrier users forget their duty for a moment and flee.

As the rumors said, his presence was formidable.

“Guide Yoon Bodam-nim’s condition is not good. Please go back.”

Lee Tae Hwan didn’t curse and charge like Min Ji Oh.

He merely inhaled threateningly, and exhaled fiercely, cursing silently.

It was an even more difficult attitude to deal with than Min Ji Oh’s whining.

Above all, he was an S-class monster.

In the end, Team Leader Kim decided to call Han Seung Ho.

Because Attack Team 1 had dispatched almost half of its barrier personnel to civilian areas, there was no one suitable to call.

Even for Team Leader Kim, dealing with an S-class was exhausting.

Dra-dduuk.

As Team Leader Kim strengthened the barrier and took out his phone, the hospital room door opened behind him.

For a moment, Team Leader Kim paused, sharply emitting his wavelength, wondering if Lee Tae Hwan had used psychokinesis.

“Come in.”

Bodam, who had opened the door himself, said to Tae Hwan.

Tae Hwan, whose eyes were as wide as Team Leader Kim’s, quickly moved his feet.

At the same time, thump, his head hit the barrier, and he fell backward.

Team Leader Kim’s barrier also vibrated violently from the impact of the S-class Esper’s forehead splitting.

If he had hit it a little harder, it might have cracked.

“Team Leader-nim. It’s okay, please release the barrier.”

“The barrier?”

“It’s okay.”

At Guide Yoon’s firm voice, Team Leader Kim finally withdrew the barrier, his eyes moving busily.

He just watched Lee Tae Hwan, who had hit his face against the barrier and covered his reddened face with one hand, enter the hospital room.

For a moment, he admired the S-class Esper’s control ability, which had instantly erased his intimidating aura.

Then, Team Leader Kim quickly called Bodam back and asked.

“You don’t need the barrier?”

“No. We’ll talk for a bit, just the two of us.”

At the words about going into the hospital room alone with an Esper who had such an intimidating presence, Team Leader Kim’s gaze sharpened.

A “no” welled up in his throat, as if he were dealing with his youngest daughter.

It was the feeling of watching his daughter go into a room alone with a delinquent boyfriend.

Clack.

As Lee Tae Hwan, who followed him in, tried to close the door, Team Leader Kim’s hand instinctively shot out, stopping the closing door.

“Leave the door open.”

Tae Hwan turned around.

Before he could curse at the presumptuous barrier user, Bodam extended his arm.

“It’s okay.”

Bodam smiled, meaning to thank him for his concern.

At that pretty smile, Team Leader Kim, who had grown fond of him, felt a pang in his heart.

Dra-dduuk. The door closing unfeelingly almost felt hurtful.

‘Will he be okay?’

He hadn’t expected Guide Yoon to open the door to Attack Team 3 first.

He stood by the hospital room door with a displeased expression, crossing his arms.

He changed the direction of his impressively thick arms to cross them, revealing his discomfort.

Lee Tae Hwan was indeed dangerous.

He couldn’t relax, as he was at a level he couldn’t handle alone.

He began to rack his brain quickly.

He uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on his hips.

Even a quick mind can stumble in the face of a child’s impulsive actions.

Of course, Bodam wasn’t his child, but–.

Dra-dduuk.

Less than three minutes passed before the door opened.

Team Leader Kim’s expression brightened at how quickly the conversation ended.

Conversely, Lee Tae Hwan’s face, as he stepped out, was ambiguous.

It was an unclear expression; it was hard to tell if he was angry, sad, or happy.

At least his handsome eyebrows were furrowed.

“Move.”

With the word, Lee Tae Hwan bumped Team Leader Kim’s shoulder hard and walked down the hallway.

‘Ah, the conversation didn’t go well,’ he thought, and immediately checked on Guide Yoon.

“Are you okay?”

Bodam followed Lee Tae Hwan, who was stomping out.

A subtle smile blossomed on his somehow brighter face.

He peeked his head out the door and watched Tae Hwan’s retreating figure, who had already walked to the end of the hallway.

True to being an Esper, his steps were very fast.

“Team Leader-nim. What would you like to eat?”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

To the innocent question asked with wide, round eyes, he replied that he usually didn’t eat much at night.

The stinging shock of being called a “pig bastard” still lingered.

“I’m going to have a hamburger.”

“Then I’ll just have two as well.”

As Team Leader Kim, who had reduced his order, was about to order on his phone, Bodam grabbed his wrist and smiled.

“Hey. Lee Tae Hwan—.”

He called out the name loudly towards the now empty hallway.

Surprisingly, the owner of that name walked out.

It was in the direction of the stairs, not the elevator.

He replied from a distance.

“What.”

“Buy two more.”

Bodam said, making a V-sign with his hand.

Lee Tae Hwan confirmed the briefly raised arm, then turned sharply.

“Answer me.”

At Bodam’s stern voice, the S-class Esper turned around again and spoke in a fierce tone.

Team Leader Kim merely raised an eyebrow, watching the situation unfold.

“Buy the same thing?”

To Team Leader Kim, who seemed to doubt his ears, Bodam confirmed his perfectly fine hearing by asking what he wanted to eat.

Upon understanding the situation, Team Leader Kim’s lips twitched.

“I’ll have the Double Bulgogi Burger set and the Grilled Shrimp Burger set.”

“Hey. Did you hear that?”

“And please, all drinks as Zero Coke. Light on ice.”

“You goddamn…” Lee Tae Hwan, cutting off his curse, obediently nodded and continued on his way.

He couldn’t help but laugh at his quickly disappearing back.

“Wow,” Team Leader Kim covered his mouth and looked down at Bodam.

“Can you eat all that?”

“Of course.”

Bodam, shrugging his straightened shoulders, returned to the hospital room, replying as if it were obvious.

The back of the Guide, who was treating an S-class Esper whom even the Center Director couldn’t casually address like a bread shuttle, seemed astonishingly large.