Chapter 89: Gentle

Even just recalling the moment he faced the unregistered individual made goosebumps erupt all over his body, but he bit it back and relayed the situation.

He had deliberately not forgotten the woman’s appearance and her name.

He even meticulously described the appearance of the Teleport Esper who had come to pick her up.

Bodam had a good memory.

“What should I do?”

Tae Hwan, his gaze fixed on Bodam’s left cheek where the unregistered individual’s hand had supposedly touched, spoke in a low, even voice.

The terrifying voice he had once grown sick of hearing was strangely, unbelievably welcome.

Thinking that the vivid anger filling that voice was for him, he wasn’t scared.

“Should I cut off her wrist and bring it? Or do you want to do it yourself?”

“What are you talking about?”

At the serious nonsense, Bodam forgot his injured shoulder and punched him hard, then quickly pulled his fist back.

He glared at the guy who showed no reaction despite being hit, feigning disgust.

“Are you a gangster? Just catch them properly so they can’t do bad things. They’re really scary people.”

“It must have been her right hand then.”

Tae Hwan muttered, spreading his wide palm around Bodam’s left cheek where the chilling sensation had touched.

He wasn’t yelling, so Bodam thought he was less angry, but looking closely, his eyes were completely deranged.

A heavy anger could be felt even in his deep exhalations through his nose.

He wondered if he’d spoken unnecessarily, yet part of him had wanted Lee Tae Hwan to get angry, so he remained still.

“What else did she do?”

“…That’s all.”

Bodam shrugged, carefully not pushing away the warm palm covering his left cheek.

Lee Tae Hwan’s large hand completely covered even the unpleasant sensation.

The lingering creepy sensation on his cheek seemed to have vanished, scared off by Lee Tae Hwan.

“You did well. It must have been scary.”

Bodam, who had been looking down due to their uncomfortably close proximity, looked up at Tae Hwan.

It was a genuinely praising gaze.

His fear-stricken, shrunken heart slowly began to unfurl with that praise.

“You’re damn cool, Yoon Bodam.”

Tae Hwan continued to praise Bodam, who had emphasized that he didn’t avoid the unregistered individual’s gaze until the very end and had lain down on the floor so as not to be easily dragged away.

It wasn’t something just anyone could do.

Especially for a timid Guide like Yoon Bodam.

Smack.

Tae Hwan, who had paused his praise to press Bodam’s round cheek with his palm, received a smack on the back of his hand.

His hand, drawn by the soft cheek, had unconsciously tightened its grip.

Bodam, acknowledging Tae Hwan’s praise by saying he knew it himself, got down from the table.

He roughly pushed away Tae Hwan’s excessively large frame and intentionally spoke forcefully, telling him to hurry up and move.

‘Was Lee Tae Hwan always… so gentle?’

“Let’s go quickly! Aren’t you going to take me?!”

He even flared up in anger, touching his heating forehead.

Glaring at Lee Tae Hwan, who was immediately calling a Teleport Esper, he cut off any stray thoughts before they could deepen.

He just left the lingering tail of his thoughts, which hadn’t been cleanly cut.

‘It was strange how skilled he was at comforting, even with that fierce face.’

‘And he was grateful too.’

***

Where a commercial building should have stood, only a lone sign reading ‘Delicious Chicken’ remained.

Ji Oh surveyed the wreckage trampled by gigantic footprints, wondering what on earth this was.

Chewing back the curses on his lips, he grabbed a patrolling Esper and made him report the situation.

“Lee Tae Hwan came?”

The relaxed Esper prattled on about Tae Hwan’s exploits, even clapping his hands.

He pointed to the Gate floating in the air, saying that if Tae Hwan hadn’t been there, the entire area would have been utterly devastated.

Only then did Ji Oh notice the Gate that had appeared in the civilian area.

“What the hell is that now?”

“It hasn’t closed yet. We’ve temporarily handed it over to the Barrier Team and are reorganizing.”

The Esper, pointing to the Gate like a hole in the sky, continued with a lengthy explanation.

He constantly marvelled as he described how Lee Tae Hwan had directly shoved a monster that couldn’t be cut down or suffocated into the Gate.

Enamored by the S-class psychokinesis he’d only heard rumors about, he looked ready to confess his love.

Ji Oh dismissed the Esper, whose unnecessary commentary was dragging on, and surveyed the monster’s traces.

He could roughly gauge the size of the creature horde.

The monster Lee Tae Hwan had dealt with, its size was evident just from its footprints.

For now, these things weren’t truly registering.

Ji Oh’s attention was focused on the chicken restaurant.

“Ah, dammit, my phone.”

Ji Oh, looking despairingly at the formless chicken restaurant building, scratched his head vigorously.

He had come to this spot to find Bomi’s phone.

After leaving an unforgettable first impression on each other, Ji Oh, who had then transported Bomi (with whom he’d started speaking informally) and her boyfriend to the hospital, had volunteered to act as their driver.

He had waited for Bomi’s treatment to finish, driven her home, and was on his way back.

She had said she left her phone at the store, and he was trying to find it.

‘…It must be totally smashed.’

Ji Oh lightly kicked the innocent sign, deep in thought.

‘If I go back and ask her phone model, will she think it’s even weirder?’

Recalling Bomi’s likely reaction—that she’d probably just throw it away even if he bought her a new one—he paced around the same spot.

“Five minutes are already up…”

Ji Oh glanced at his watch, his irritated sighs unending.

Bomi, who was like a scary version of Bodam, had told Ji Oh that she would wait exactly five minutes when he asked her to wait a moment.

She had granted him that five-minute favor because he was Bodam’s colleague.

Ji Oh, who had introduced himself as an Esper from Bodam’s former team, even dug around the ground, where dark dust plumes were rising, with his foot.

He was completely unaware that he was acting like someone desperate to make a good impression.

‘If I give her money, would she accept it?’

Remembering the conversation of the couple sitting in front of the chicken shop, worrying about the broken store, Ji Oh immediately teleported away.

***

After taking Bodam to his hospital room, Tae Hwan immediately called the attending physician to examine him.

Bodam was deeply moved by Tae Hwan’s gruff concern, telling him he should get treated, and agreed, but didn’t actually receive treatment.

After all, an Esper’s wounds healed quickly.

“Be careful.”

Bodam said to Tae Hwan, who had to return to deal with the Gate.

A Gate that had suddenly opened in a place where even supernatural powers weren’t concentrated would surely have many variables.

He was worried Tae Hwan might let his guard down, trusting his S-class abilities too much.

“Keep checking your power frequency. Use your abilities with control. Don’t try to solve everything by yourself. Got it?”

Seeing Lee Tae Hwan just meeting his gaze like a stunned idiot without a reply, Bodam felt even more worried.

He wanted to tell him to just claim he was sick and take sick leave, but because Tae Hwan’s physique looked healthier than anyone else’s, he figured faking illness wouldn’t work.

‘He should just be moderately strong, honestly.’

“It’s fine. I won’t die.”

Tae Hwan, thrilled by Bodam’s concern, replied lightly.

Just as he boldly stated, his life force was not one that would easily perish.

As long as he had manifested as an S-class Esper, he was destined to live longer than anyone else, unless he intentionally decided to die.

“Don’t treat your body recklessly.”

It was something he had always wanted to say while guiding Attack Team 3.

He had swallowed it down internally, fearing he’d be cursed at for presumptuous nagging if he said it out loud.

The more they used their abilities, the more trouble he had with guiding.

Their appearance, as if they’d run wild on the scene as if they only had one day to live, wasn’t pleasant to see.

Those guys, who weren’t particularly diligent characters except for Han Seung Ho, would rush into Gates as if they had ten lives.

‘It’s like he’s my dedicated Guide.’

Tae Hwan’s muttered thought, which had abruptly slipped out, passed by quickly.

He seemed surprised by his own words, trying to retract them.

“No, I mean. When you say it…”

Bodam, who was sitting on the plush bed in a new patient gown, covered himself with the blanket and lay down at those words.

He adopted the most comfortable posture possible, conveying the meaning that no dedicated Guide would leisurely lie down while an Esper went off to battle.

Tae Hwan, discerning his meaning, retreated after telling him to rest well.

“Call me if anything happens.” He left that phrase, which he’d been saying often lately, as if it were a habit.

“Look at him, acting all nice.”

Bodam, idly glaring at the spot where Tae Hwan had been, scratched his chin.

His chin, which wasn’t even itchy, quickly turned reddish.

As he pulled the blanket closer and focused on his now calm breathing, his breath felt hot.

Because he had been tensing his body so much, signs of body aches were already starting to emerge.

His fingertips, which had been clutching the Kubotan tightly, kept twitching.

The attending physician had said he would get better with rest, so he relaxed and gripped a cool water bottle.

Because Lee Tae Hwan had overheard him say his hand hurt and then ranted at the doctor, Bodam was now wearing elaborate bandages and muscle protectors.

Physical therapy was even scheduled for tomorrow.

‘He just needed some rest, that’s all.’

Pfft. Bodam’s lips twitched as he pulled out his phone.

Recalling the sight of the big guy flustered in front of him, even the fear left by the unregistered individual faded.

Lee Tae Hwan’s clumsy actions, constantly rushing to take care of only him, made his heart feel at ease.

‘He really came to save me.’

‘And he came covered in injuries, just to keep his promise to come quickly.’

– Yeah, Mom. How’s Yoon Bomi?

Bodam, who had already heard via text that Bomi had safely returned home, called his mother.

He also heard the agitated voices of his aunts, due to the monster videos dominating the news and the Gate suspended in the sky.

He felt relieved that she was with his dependable aunts.

– I’m fine. Don’t worry.

Bodam spoke in a voice so calm it surprised even himself.

Even after being attacked by a creature and almost abducted by an unregistered individual.

His quietly beating pulse was utterly calm.

‘Am I bolder than I thought?’

– The strongest Esper at the Center went to resolve it. He’s really strong.

‘Ah, it’s all thanks to Lee Tae Hwan.’