FETCH 10

— Look at the rear! While Esper Han Kang led the battle from the vanguard and drew the entire opposing team’s attention, Esper Kang Chanbit, acting as the leader, has begun to condense the surrounding air!

“Fuck, I need to see something to pay attention to it.”

As Jaechan voiced his frustration, voices of agreement were heard from all around. Whether there was a major problem with the transmission, the screen remained pitch black. In the midst of that, the commentators’ fuss continued unabated, mostly consisting of content praising the Korean Espers.

If Kang Chanbit condensed the surrounding air, it would explode before long. As an explosive-round Esper who could create bombs and bullets to attack whenever he wished, it seemed Kang Chanbit intended to blow up and shatter the ice Han Kang had created and then seize the Japanese territories.

Before long, ding-ding-ding, the sound of the bell signaling the end of the match was heard.

— 0:25! The match ends with Korea absorbing all territories!

— It is Team Korea, advancing smoothly to the semi-finals! Look at Esper Han Kang, isn’t he smiling so beautifully?

— He’s handsome. All of our Espers are truly handsome. Haha! Look at him going straight to Leader Kang Chanbit to chatter away because he’s the youngest. It’s truly cute.

— Yes, they are all returning to the bench to receive guiding. They all look exhausted, don’t they? I hope they receive good guiding and can properly recover their physical strength for the next match.

— Following this, we will continue the commentary for the female Esper team’s match. Uh… since the field equipment has still not been restored, it is unknown whether the screen can be broadcast, but we will do our best to continue delivering the vivid situation of the scene at least through audio!

With the commentator’s closing remarks, Park Minjun turned off the TV. The image of Han Kang, who had been staring at the opposing team as if he were going to kill them, lingered before his eyes. After grasping victory, he would have surely smiled more radiantly than anything. It was a shame he couldn’t see it directly, but even so, the image of how he would have smiled rose vividly in his mind.

I should call him later when I finish work, Jaechan thought, gripping the mop again, as Park Minjun sidled up to him.

“Hey, but if Kang becomes that famous, is he not going to play with us anymore?”

At the immature words coming from beside him, Jaechan frowned and looked at Park Minjun. In the past, he would have rebuked him, saying, “Where would Han Kang find friends besides us that he wouldn’t play with us,” but for some reason, those words stuck in his chest, leaving him unable to say anything.

Han Kang had become a celebrity. Not just moderately famous, but a talented Esper that the whole world was watching. He wasn’t some mediocre sports star; he was a formidable guy who might become an Olympic gold medalist.

Inevitably, people swarmed around Han Kang. From teammates who operated the matches back-to-back with him to the Guides who had to guide him. Not only the center researchers who checked and examined his condition, but also the team manager who organized his schedule, and the other people within the center who paid his salary and bonuses.

Furthermore, making the past where it was natural for them to stick together every day seem distant, isn’t Han Kang currently living in the dorms and staying with his teammates? Naturally, they would be the ones sharing more time.

A sense of gloom rushed over him, wondering if the gap would widen bit by bit like this until they eventually drifted completely apart. While Jaechan was proud and happy about his victory, his mind was noisy with an unknown restlessness bubbling in a corner of his heart.

As if that weren’t enough, since the recent body ache, his anxiety had reached a peak, and he was overusing his medicine. He had increased the amount he took compared to usual and was taking it at shorter intervals.

But what’s the point if I’m the only one feeling this.

“Ehyu,” Jaechan let out a sigh and slumped into a chair. The customers who had swarmed in to watch the match had all left, and the inside of the shop, nearing closing time, was already finished being cleaned, the floor shining glossily.

Confirming that it wasn’t long until his clock-out time, Jaechan pulled out his cell phone.

「Good job you were cool」

After sending the message to Han Kang, who would be waiting for his contact, he accessed a portal site. The portal main page was entirely filled with stories about Han Kang and the Esper team he belonged to. It seemed that since it was the first Olympics and an exotic sport, attention was firmly focused.

Jaechan, who was scrolling down with an indifferent expression, forced himself to push the fans’ reactions out of his sight. Trying to grasp Han Kang’s popularity only made his stomach churn.

.✦ ݁˖

The moment he left the shop after closing up, his phone rang. Whether he had arrived at the dorm after finishing the match, the two words he was waiting for, [Kangi], appeared on the screen.

The mood that had been restless just a moment ago felt significantly better. His self-pity over being unable to manifest as a Guide vanished for a moment. A smile bloomed on Jaechan’s lips.

“Yeah.”

As he lightly answered the call, a boisterous commotion was heard from beyond the receiver. It was quite noisy, as if they were all having a late dinner together after finishing the match.

While quietly waiting for Han Kang’s answer, he heard Han Kang’s irritated voice from the receiver saying, “Ah, everyone be quiet.”

If the group was noisy, it was right that he should be the one to move away, but Han Kang didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.

Jaechan laughed lowly.

— Hello?

“Hey, if your surroundings are noisy, you should be the one to move.”

— No, everyone could just go into their rooms, but they aren’t.

“Aren’t you guys eating?”

— That’s true.

He let out a laugh at Han Kang’s bold attitude.

They were all gathered together eating dinner, so why would they go into their rooms? It was so typical of Han Kang, who lived exactly as he pleased, that the laugh grew deeper.

He deliberately walked slowly, even though he would have normally stepped quickly. The weather was especially nice today. The gentle breeze was good, and the characteristic smell of nature touching the tip of his nose was fine too.

“You were cool in today’s match.”

When he conveyed exactly what he felt while watching the match, a low laughing sound, “Heu-heu,” was heard from the other side. Laughing like this meant he was shy, but shyness didn’t suit Han Kang, which was puzzling.

— I was pretty good, right?

“I heard you made something like a house out of ice?”

A sense of regret settled on Jaechan’s lips as he recalled what he heard through the commentary. It would have been better if he had seen it in person. Since he couldn’t see him on the screen either, he tried to imagine it in his head, but a house made of ice didn’t draw well in his mind.

Was it an igloo?

Or was it a house with a steep roof, like one usually draws when drawing a house? Ah, maybe there was no roof?

While he was working his brain by mobilizing his imagination in his own way, a grumbling voice was heard from beyond the receiver.

— What, you didn’t watch?

“No, there was friction between your wavelength and the Japanese guy’s wavelength, so the transmission was cut. That’s why I couldn’t see the screen and only heard the broadcast.”

— Oh, was that so?

When he explained the situation, the slightly grumbling voice subsided immediately. Han Kang, who was laughing “Hi-hi,” soon explained the shape of the house he had made. In his words, which were full of triumph, he said it was a general rectangular shape with no roof, and he had pushed forward by creating a massive space.

He seemed very happy about today’s victory. Since it was the same for him, Jaechan also kept giggling. He wondered if something was up because Han Kang seemed to like it exceptionally more than other matches, but he spent the whole time bragging about the team as if he were proud of the team that was on a winning streak, achieving an undefeated myth.

Among the teams that reached the semi-finals, South Korea was undoubtedly the only team with an undefeated record. Was the next match in two days? The male Esper matches, where the finals were held immediately after that, were the event that held the finals the fastest among the Olympic sports.

Han Kang made a joyful sound as if he had already reached the finals. As if he had already figured out the power of the other teams, his voice, saying there was nothing to be afraid of, was very confident.

“Then do you come back right after the finals end?”

Jaechan entered the door lock password while wedging the phone between his shoulder and ear. Even though he had walked so slowly, he was already in front of the house. No sooner had he entered the pitch-black house where all the lights were off than a question came back from the other side: “Are you home?”

“Yeah. I’ve arrived. I’m asking if you’re coming back immediately.”

— Probably? They said there’s no need to stay behind. You’re coming to meet me, right?

Of course he was going, but whenever he was asked indirectly like this, a strange crankiness was bound to rise. When he delayed his answer with a “We’ll see,” Han Kang gave a sulky voice, saying “Why right now?”

Probably the corners of his eyes and the corners of his mouth drooped down at the same time. Imagining gloom casting over that handsome face made a thin laugh escape.

“Depends on how you act.”

When he gave the same answer as before, Han Kang let out an exclamation, “Ah-ah.” Since Han Kang’s reactions are this good, how could he resist not teasing him.

When he let out a mischievous giggle, “Kik-kik,” only then did Han Kang realize he was being teased and gave a voice tinged with laughter, saying, “Ah, what.”