Chapter 82: Textbook Jealousy

It had actually been easier when Su-ha kept his distance and treated him coldly. Back then, Chaewon only had to shrink himself and stay alert, the same way he dealt with people at work who disliked him.

But not anymore. The fact that his relationship with Su-ha had completely changed was something he could no longer deny. Su-ha no longer pushed him away, and in turn, the defensive wall Chaewon had built to protect himself had crumbled in the face of that change.

Whether he had wanted it or not, Chaewon couldn’t deny any longer that he relied on Su-ha. Su-ha smiled freely in front of him, gave him more than enough guiding, and didn’t even hesitate to go out and have meals alone with him.

With their relationship altered this much, Chaewon couldn’t help but seriously wonder how he should treat Su-ha from now on. How much of Su-ha’s help could he hope for? How much was it okay to lean on him? How close could they become?

Could they truly become as intimate and singular as other esper–guide pairs, even if they weren’t lovers?

Countless questions brushed through his mind every moment. He told himself that what he had now was already enough, more than he deserved, even.

And yet Su-ha’s repeated words kept drawing him further inside a line he had never once dared to cross before. He was afraid that maybe this was just his own misunderstanding, born from his inexperience with close relationships.

And he was certain of one thing: in a situation like this, having his heart race just from thinking about Su-ha would not help him at all.

“Don’t overreact.”

Muttering to himself, Chaewon let go of the blanket he had been gripping and patted it down with his palm. Su-ha had always been that kind of person, responsible and sincere about the work he took on, willing to risk himself for others, gentle by nature.

In other words, none of what Su-ha was showing him now was necessarily something special meant only for him.

If he let himself be swept away and develop feelings on his own, it would only be the quickest way to ruin the relationship that had only just begun to improve. And Chaewon truly didn’t want that.

Once his thoughts reached that point, his emotions gradually settled. No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t the time for useless distractions. He had training with Gi-yoon tomorrow. That was what he should really be focusing on.

This time, his heart pounded for a different reason. He was nervous about the training, but if he was honest, he was also looking forward to it. He wanted to confirm how much he had improved and see what more he could learn from Gi-yoon.

Pulling the blanket up to his chin, Chaewon stopped staring blankly at the ceiling and shut his eyes tightly. If he wanted to be in the best condition for training, proper sleep was essential.

It must be because today had felt so unreal, he reasoned. Spending such a warm, easy time talking with Su-ha. Meeting someone who said they supported him.

Everything had felt almost unbelievable. Of course his heart would react when he thought about the person who had shared all of it with him.

Convincing himself wasn’t difficult. He cut off any thoughts that tried to deepen further. Even as he lay there with his eyes closed, he found himself wishing that tomorrow would come quickly.

****

“Se-jin!”

As Su-ha stepped into the training room with Chaewon, he watched in disbelief as Chaewon suddenly called out brightly and rushed ahead. He didn’t even react that strongly when he saw Su-ha, so how long had it even been since he met Se-jin to be that happy?

He had never understood people who grew jealous over trivial things just because they had developed feelings for someone. He had always thought that was other people’s business. Just because you fell in love, did you really have to become that childish?

But once Chaewon began strength training, everything fell apart.

Se-jin wasn’t using training as an excuse to satisfy any ulterior motives, and yet Su-ha found himself distracted by every brush of Se-jin’s fingers as he corrected Chaewon’s posture.

He couldn’t even focus properly on his own workout. In his entire life, he had never experienced anything like this.

“Chaewon, you’re here?”

Se-jin casually slipped into informal speech and looped an arm through Chaewon’s as they walked. Su-ha really didn’t want to admit to himself that he was glaring at Se-jin’s back.

With extreme restraint, he stopped himself from saying something pathetic like, “Am I invisible?” and simply followed behind them in silence.

No one knew better than Jin Su-ha how good Se-jin’s personality was, how easily he broke down people’s walls and made them feel comfortable. It wasn’t strange that Chaewon, who hadn’t known him long, would welcome him so warmly.

While Su-ha was lost in his own trivial and complicated thoughts, they reached the training room, and Se-jin turned to Chaewon.

“You’re training with Team Leader Joo today, right? You okay with that?”

Though his voice carried concern, Chaewon smiled and nodded.

“I’m worried I might not do well, but I’m looking forward to it just as much.”

“Oh? Looking forward to it?”

“Yes. I think just seeing Team Leader Joo’s power up close will help me a lot.”

“Mm, that’s true. Good attitude. Since you’ve got telekinesis training today, let’s just do a light warm-up. Want to go stretch first?”

“Yes! Su-ha, see you in a bit.”

Su-ha, who had been quietly listening, responded to Chaewon’s farewell with an awkward smile. Only then did Se-jin turn to him with a teasing voice.

“Jealous because you’re his pair guide?”

“…What? What are you talking about?”

Su-ha barely stopped himself from jumping on the spot and managed to put on a confused expression. At least, he thought he had succeeded. But Se-jin snorted.

“You were staring at me like you wanted to eat me alive. That’s textbook jealousy.”

“…Me?”

“Yes, Guide Jin Su-ha. What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

Su-ha’s face went blank. It showed? Really? His mind filled with disbelief. He had thought he’d been managing his expression perfectly.

Avoiding Se-jin’s gaze, he answered quietly, “It’s not like that.”

“Sure it’s not. You think I don’t know you?”

“….”

“You were sulking not long ago because you thought you’d driven a wedge between yourself and Team Leader Min.”

Su-ha caught the edge hidden beneath Se-jin’s playful tone. Knowing Se-jin’s character, even if he had felt disappointed or unsettled, he wouldn’t have liked that Su-ha had directed that frustration toward Chaewon.

Feeling heat rise to his face at the memory of his past behavior, Su-ha busied himself glancing around at the equipment. Se-jin laughed lightly. He knew that Su-ha would regret and reflect more than enough without being told.

Changing the subject, Se-jin said, “By the way… are you sure it’s okay for him to train with Team Leader Joo? Isn’t it a bit rushed?”

“Mm…”

“It’s different from Team Leader Min. Him suddenly offering to help Chaewon train feels strange… I’m worried something might happen.”

Se-jin’s concern was valid. Aside from Joo Gi-yoon and Chaewon, everyone who knew about this probably felt the same way. Su-ha and Ye-seon had even suggested postponing it.

But it had been Chaewon who firmly insisted on starting as soon as possible. It wasn’t reckless bravado. He simply, desperately, wanted to grow.

No one doubted that training with Gi-yoon would help him. They were just worried he might get hurt or pushed too far. And the one who had worried about that most fiercely was Su-ha.

“I’ve thought about that too,” Su-ha admitted. “Team Leader Joo isn’t exactly warm, but he’s not the kind of person who’d bully or injure a rookie esper for no reason.”

“Hm. That’s true.”

“And more than anything, if he really intended to make Chaewon suffer, he wouldn’t go through all this trouble.”

Se-jin burst into laughter. He was right. Though Se-jin was fairly close with Gi-yoon, he couldn’t exactly describe him as having a good personality. Still, he wasn’t someone who abused his power to hurt others.

That was ultimately why Su-ha had agreed to the training.

“You’re not wrong,” Se-jin said with a nod. “Anyway, I hope it goes smoothly. You’ll handle it, I know, but take good care of Chaewon.”

“I will. See you later.”

Even as he suppressed the lingering worry in his chest and turned to start his own light workout, Se-jin called after him.

“Stop being jealous and focus on your exercise!”

Su-ha pretended not to hear him.

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