Chapter 8 : Be my guide (6)

“Huh?”

“I said, I’ll be your Guide.”

Hyunwoo blinked slowly. He stood there, dazed, as if he hadn’t understood. Then, his eyes widened.

“Really? You’ll really be my Guide?”

“Yes, I will. Your Guide.”

“Really, really? You’re not lying?”

“I’m not lying.”

“You’re not joking?”

“I’m not joking.”

“For real, for real?”

Hyunwoo asked again and again, as if he couldn’t believe it. Jisung raised an eyebrow, then cupped Hyunwoo’s face in his hands. He looked directly into Hyunwoo’s dark eyes and said in a serious tone,

“I will be Park Hyunwoo’s Guide!”

Hyunwoo’s dazed expression crumpled. He looked like he was about to burst into tears. Jisung opened his arms and hugged him gently.

“Are you really okay with this?”

“I’ve thought it through. It’s okay.”

“There are so many dangerous things. Things you hate, Jisung…”

Even as he said it, Hyunwoo clung to Jisung’s back. Jisung chuckled at the contradictory behavior.

“What’s this? You don’t seem very happy. Should I not do it?”

“No!”

Hyunwoo jerked his head up, horrified. Jisung saw the worry and fear in Hyunwoo’s eyes and pursed his lips. He knew how important being a Guide was to Hyunwoo; he shouldn’t have joked about it.

Jisung regretted his words and looked at Hyunwoo. Meeting his trembling gaze, he said,

“I might regret it. I really hate scary and dangerous things!”

“…”

Hyunwoo lowered his gaze. Seeing him clench his fists, Jisung continued,

“But, if I pretend I don’t know you here, I’ll probably regret it until the day I die.”

Hyunwoo’s eyes widened. He stared, stunned. Jisung smiled lightly.

“You… you guys aren’t strangers to me anymore. I can’t live pretending I don’t know you. If I did, I’d probably live with a regret far greater than any regret I might have about doing dangerous things.”

“Hyung…”

“Every time a terror attack happens, I’ll think of you. And if I ever see you on the news… I don’t even want to think about it. I’m not strong enough to live with that kind of worry for the rest of my life. So, what can I do? I’ll probably regret it from time to time, but I’ll live with you, through it all!”

Arms reached out and embraced Jisung. He was pulled into a hug so tight it was hard to breathe. Jisung struggled to raise his hand and pat Hyunwoo’s back.

“I like you. I really like you, Hyung.”

“There, there.”

KABOOM!

Even as they were lost in their emotional moment, the enemy’s attack continued.

‘Seriously, can’t they read the room?’

Jisung’s eyebrow twitched. Here he was, making a momentous decision, abandoning his life motto, and the enemies were inconsiderately causing noise pollution.

Jisung raised his hand and brushed Hyunwoo’s bangs aside. The wound that had been obstructing his vision had completely disappeared. He checked that the scratches on Hyunwoo’s handsome face and the injury on his side were all healed, then nodded.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No.”

Hyunwoo smiled beautifully, his eyes crinkling. He was always handsome, but today, with his eyes sparkling from unshed tears, he looked even more beautiful.

Jisung, momentarily dazed by the smile, slapped his own cheek. Hyunwoo jumped, startled, and called his name. “What’s wrong, Hyung?” Jisung waved his hand dismissively at the flustered voice.

‘I wasn’t just swayed by his looks, was I? No, of course not.’

Jisung shook his head, denying it. His noble decision couldn’t be tarnished like this. He forced himself to remain calm and looked at Hyunwoo.

“Honestly, I want to forget about the terror attack and everything and just run away with you right now!”

“Shall we?”

Jisung paused at Hyunwoo’s smiling question. His eyes darted around. ‘Can we?’ Hyunwoo burst out laughing at Jisung’s cautious expression.

He knew it was a joke, but he couldn’t help but wish it were true. Hyunwoo was strong, but not invincible. He had been injured just moments ago. If they could escape this dangerous situation, nothing would be better.

But then there would be no Esper to stop the rampaging terrorists. The number of Espers affiliated with the Center was too small compared to the terrorist organizations. The current reality was that they were relying on Hyunwoo, an S-Rank Esper, to bridge the gap with his superior level. If Hyunwoo and Jisung ran away, Korea would become a lawless zone for terrorists.

“If you want to, Hyung, I don’t mind.”

Hyunwoo smiled, as if he had read Jisung’s thoughts.

“But those things tried to kill you.”

Hyunwoo’s eyes instantly turned cold. Suppressed anger resonated in his voice.

“I’ll take care of them.”

‘Why do you say such bloodthirsty things with such a beautiful smile?’

But Jisung didn’t stop him. He nodded. Those who didn’t value human life needed to be taught a lesson. Jisung shivered, recalling the terrifying moment from before.

“Be careful and come back without getting hurt as much as possible.”

“Okay, I’ll be back soon.”

Hyunwoo gave Jisung a quick kiss on the forehead. He levitated into the air, taking a moment to imprint Jisung’s image in his mind. Then, he returned to the center of the battle to deal with the enemies.

Watching Hyunwoo’s retreating figure, Jisung raised his hand and touched his forehead.

“They say kids learn fast…”

Jisung mumbled to himself, dazed. Sunwoo and Yuaan ran towards him.

“Jisung!”

“Hyung!”

They called out to him urgently and looked in the direction Hyunwoo had flown.

“Did you meet Hyunwoo?”

“Hyung, why are you here?!”

One was curious about the current situation, the other angry that he had come. Jisung raised both hands, signaling them to calm down.

“How could I just stay still when you guys left like that?”

“But you came to this dangerous place alone?! What if you had gotten into an accident on the way? What if you had run into terrorists?”

“Uh…”

Jisung’s eyes darted around. He had actually already encountered one. And it had been a life-threatening moment.

“Hyung, you were already in danger, weren’t you?”

“N-no?!”

‘His intuition is scarily sharp.’

Jisung avoided Sunwoo’s piercing gaze and looked up at the sky. His jaw dropped. “Hyung, we’re not done talking.” Sunwoo called out, thinking Jisung was ignoring him. Jisung’s pupils trembled rapidly. Seeing this, Sunwoo also looked up at the sky. And his expression mirrored Jisung’s, his mouth agape.

“Espers are amazing!”

“Don’t lump us all together…”

Yuaan muttered sullenly at Jisung’s awestruck voice.

They stared at the objects floating in the sky. Things that couldn’t even be compared to mere buses were rising into the air, one by one. The eyes of the enemies watching the spectacle filled with horror.

Jisung spotted something familiar among the floating objects. It was the department store he often went shopping at. Its electronic billboard, usually glittering only at night, flickered on and off as if broken. Beside it, a variety of buildings, from a bakery to a movie theater, floated. They had only one thing in common: they were all buildings that had no business being in the sky.

“Not just one building, but three, four, five, wow.”

“Hyung, what did you do to Hyunwoo?”

“Blaming me for this situation is a bit much, don’t you think? I didn’t do anything. I just kissed him to heal his wounds and…”

“Wh-what?!”

Yuaan gasped in shock. Jisung waved his hands, trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

“It was on his eyelid.”

“No, isn’t that beside the point?”

“And I told him I’d be his Guide.”

“It is your fault then, Hyung.”

“Why? What did I do?!”

Sunwoo pressed his lips into a thin line, looking at the indignant Jisung.

“Hyung, next time, please be moderate. Moderate. Well, cleaning up isn’t our job, so it doesn’t really matter, but if things get too chaotic, the Center Director starts nagging about the higher-ups and the media and whatnot.”

Even though he doesn’t fight himself. Anger tinged his last words. Seeing his darkened expression, Jisung’s opinion of the yet-unmet Center Director plummeted. If even the usually stoic Sunwoo disliked him this much, he was probably, at best, a condescending old boss.

But right now, he needed to focus on Hyunwoo, not the Center Director.

CRASH!!

With a deafening roar, the buildings floating in the sky plummeted to the ground. The earth shook as if an earthquake had struck. Jisung was some distance away, so he couldn’t see the exact situation, but it was impossible for anyone to survive that attack. As proof, Hyunwoo flew towards him at a speed comparable to a meteor, smiling brightly.

Like a cat bringing back its prey, seeking praise, Hyunwoo threw himself into Jisung’s arms, his eyes sparkling. Jisung nearly fell backward but managed to stay upright with his core strength.

“I came back without getting hurt.”

Jisung smiled faintly at Hyunwoo’s beaming face. He looked cute, proud of having kept his promise.

“Yes, welcome back. You did well.”

“I’m back, Jisung-hyung. My Guide.”