Chapter 74: He Wasn’t the Only One

The awakened individuals affiliated with the Center could broadly be called comrades who shared the same goal. However, when people with special abilities were gathered together, ranked, and lined up accordingly, competition was inevitable.

In such a place, failing to provoke others’ competitive spirit was no different from failing to be acknowledged.

The fact that Chaewon was now being regarded warily by fellow awakened individuals also meant that he had firmly established himself as an esper standing shoulder to shoulder with the rest.

Compared to before, when he had been looked at with eyes no different from pity, it was a tremendous change.

The awakened were conscious of Chaewon and curious about him. Those who mustered the courage to approach him first found themselves feeling an overwhelming fondness after a brief conversation, eagerly wanting to grow closer to him.

Naturally, the way people looked at Su-ha also changed. He had long been judged as someone who, after chasing after Min I-hyeon, ended up as the downgraded pair guide of an esper and thus pitiable.

These days, Su-ha was frequently approached by other guides asking about Chaewon.

But if one were to ask whether these changes made Su-ha feel proud, the answer would be “not at all.”

Of course, Chaewon receiving positive evaluations was something Su-ha could feel pleased about, but beneath what Chaewon could never guess, there were other problems that only Su-ha sensed.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

“Ah, I think I could go a little longer…”

“You’ve already done more than enough. We also have psychokinesis training scheduled for tomorrow, so it’d be better to rest today and prepare.”

Chaewon still looked a little regretful, but since Su-ha wasn’t wrong, he soon nodded. Tomorrow’s training was the session with Gi-yoon that had been postponed last time.

Su-ha, Ye-seon, and even Eunho were all saying in unison that it would be tougher than the training with Min I-hyeon, so conserving strength didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Handing Chaewon a towel he’d prepared in advance and walking out of the training room together, Su-ha spoke.

“You’re going back to the dorms to shower, right?”

“Yes. Thank you for the towel, Su-ha.”

“It’s nothing. Then I’ll stop by the dorm too, wash up, and head to your room. Let’s do a bit of guiding before dinner.”

Chaewon almost reflexively said that Su-ha always went through so much trouble because of him, but consciously stopped himself. He was trying to break the habit of talking as if he were constantly being a burden to Su-ha.

Just like everyone else, Su-ha was simply doing his job diligently, and framing it as if he were making personal sacrifices for Chaewon felt discourteous.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

Pressing the towel to his face as he answered, Chaewon had no idea how those words might sound to Su-ha.

Su-ha barely managed to suppress a sigh, smiling awkwardly as he looked at Chaewon. He wondered how it was possible for someone’s sweat-soaked face to still look so soft and fresh, then nearly let out a hollow laugh at how pathetic he felt for even thinking such things.

Was this what it was like to become aware of one’s feelings? Was it normal for unfamiliar sensations and thoughts to flood in so suddenly and violently, like a dam breaking? And did realizing special feelings for someone really have to be this childish and one-dimensional?

It was hard enough to sort out his thoughts about Chaewon, and even harder to decide what to do going forward, yet he had to face him every day, train with him, and guide him. It was genuinely exhausting.

Walking while doing his utmost to avoid noticing his own desire to brush Chaewon’s flushed cheek, Su-ha suddenly remembered that there was something he had really wanted to say today.

He had even lost sleep the night before, worrying about how to bring it up naturally. Just thinking about it made his heart pound like crazy. Su-ha took a slow breath and opened his mouth.

“Chaewon.”

“Yes?”

“Um, if it’s okay, tonight…”

His lips felt so dry that the sentence wouldn’t come together. Su-ha paused, uncharacteristically sticking out his tongue to moisten them. Chaewon simply turned his head and looked at him with an innocent expression, unaware of anything.

Would you like to go out to eat tonight?

That was all Su-ha wanted to say. A simple, ordinary question, something that could be asked between a paired esper and guide without any special meaning. Yet that short question refused to come easily, and Su-ha found himself hesitating after hours of deliberation.

Was this how everyone acted when they had special feelings for someone, or was he just being especially foolish? Su-ha couldn’t tell.

And just as he swallowed once and was about to finally ask the question…

“Oh, Chaewon! Are you done with training today?”

Someone he hadn’t even noticed approaching suddenly spoke to Chaewon. Su-ha’s face twisted the moment he recognized the person.

It was Gong Tae-jun, a B-rank guide he’d been running into frequently in this corridor lately. As Tae-jun and Su-ha exchanged brief nods, a subtle sharpness hung between them.

Chaewon, seemingly detached from that atmosphere, greeted him warmly.

“Tae-jun, hello. Yes, we just finished.”

“Good work. Here, take this.”

As if he’d been waiting for this moment, Tae-jun smoothly held out a cold ion drink he’d been carrying. Chaewon accepted it reflexively and asked in surprise,

“You bought this for me? Really?”

“Yes. You usually finish around this time.”

As he spoke, Tae-jun glanced at the water bottle and towel Chaewon was holding, items Su-ha had prepared.

Watching this from right beside them with a look of disbelief, Su-ha immediately realized that all of Tae-jun’s actions were intentional. It was blatant to the point of being impossible to miss.

Chaewon smiled and bowed his head lightly.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

“Let’s go, Chaewon.”

As soon as Chaewon finished speaking, Su-ha stepped forward and said so. But Tae-jun didn’t back off and opened his mouth again.

“When you have time, let’s have a meal together sometime. Training nonstop isn’t good for you either.”

Su-ha’s heart dropped. There had been others who suggested getting closer to Chaewon in the future, but as far as Su-ha knew, this was the first time someone had so openly asked him out.

“Ah… well…”

Chaewon hesitated for a moment and glanced at Su-ha. His expression was clearly different from the cheerful one he’d worn before. Tae-jun looked slightly disappointed, while Su-ha felt a sharp, electric sensation rush from his toes to the top of his head.

It was a childish feeling. Su-ha had never imagined a day would come when he’d feel like this. He was someone who had always kept his distance from guides who strutted about, drunk on the status of being paired with a successful esper.

And yet now, in this moment, Su-ha felt the urge to subtly flaunt the fact that he was Chaewon’s pair guide in front of Tae-jun.

No, it wasn’t just an urge. When Chaewon checked his reaction to Tae-jun’s suggestion, Su-ha couldn’t honestly say that he hadn’t let those feelings show in his expression or his presence. Realizing that filled him with a vague sense of self-loathing.

As Su-ha grappled with that, Tae-jun lowered his brows slightly and said to Chaewon,

“Just because you have a pair guide doesn’t mean you have to spend all your time only with him, right?”

“Oh, it’s not like that… Yes. I think I’ll be pretty busy with training for a while, but I’ll definitely try to make time later.”

“Alright. Don’t overdo it… See you next time.”

“Yes. See you again, Tae-jun.”

With a well-balanced answer that was neither a full rejection nor a clear acceptance, Chaewon left Tae-jun with no room to press further. They parted with polite words, and as before, Tae-jun and Su-ha exchanged only a brief glance.

Su-ha gnawed lightly at his lip. Now it wasn’t just espers, guides, too, were showing keen interest in Chaewon, making it impossible for Su-ha’s nerves to relax anywhere in the Center.

It hadn’t even been that long ago that he’d resented being assigned as Chaewon’s pair guide and treated him like a fool.

What on earth had changed? Self-blame, self-disgust, helplessness, and yet a lingering satisfaction at still being Chaewon’s guide all mixed together, wrapping Su-ha’s emotions in a murky gray haze.

“Su-ha.”

At that moment, Chaewon, who had been walking silently beside him, called out to him. Su-ha reflexively answered, “Yes?” and looked over, only to tense instantly. Chaewon’s face looked unusually dark.

“What’s wrong, Chaewon? Are you not feeling well?”

As he spoke, Su-ha reached out his hand toward him. Checking Chaewon’s condition whenever possible by holding hands had become routine for them.

Whenever Su-ha extended his hand, Chaewon would naturally take it. Lately, it was a moment Su-ha found himself cherishing more and more.

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