FETCH 11

“What do you mean, ‘what is it,’ I’m teasing Han Kang. Let me know once your flight time is set. I’ll adjust my part-time job schedule and try to go.”

Jaechan let out an “Uah,” exclamation and flopped down onto the sofa. He had a personal rule of not getting onto the bed before taking a shower. He didn’t want to hang up the phone, but he couldn’t exactly shower while on a call, so the sofa was the best option for now.

From the other side of the receiver, as if knowing him all too well, a tender question came back: “Sofa?” Jaechan let out a low laugh at that.

Just as he had become an expert at grasping Han Kang’s state just by hearing his voice without seeing him, the fact that Han Kang could do the same seemed to prove the long years between them.

Answering with a quiet “Yeah,” Jaechan bent one knee and crossed his legs by resting the opposite ankle on top of it. As he tapped his resting foot, the commentator’s voice saying he was “receiving guiding” suddenly came to mind.

The foot that had been tapping pleasantly came to a dead stop. The commentators saying he was receiving radiation guiding even during the match followed in his thoughts. He wondered how they could perfectly notice guiding wavelengths that weren’t even visible; they were making a fuss by broadcasting things like that.

When he fell dead silent, a questioning voice came from the other side: “Hello?” Jaechan fidgeted with his fingers for no reason.

“Guiding… did you receive it well?”

— Yeah, though it’s shitty.

“What’s shitty about it? It’s something you have to do.”

— You don’t know how miserable this is. What the fuck, it’s not like they’re bastards in heat, but every day, their bodies… Ugh.

Han Kang probably didn’t know that all of this sounded like the complaints of someone who had it all. Feeling needlessly offended, Jaechan couldn’t say anything. When Jaechan simply kept his mouth shut, Han Kang started nagging instead.

— How about when you were sick last time, are you okay?

“Hey, how long ago was that? And you’re asking that every single day now.”

— It’s because you even collapsed. Do you know how shocked I was?

It was a repetition of the same words this time too.

As if it were a nuisance, Jaechan pulled the phone slightly away from his ear and pretended not to hear the pouring nagging.

He has to be sick to manifest, yet he’s told not to be sick.

Jaechan’s lips pouted because of the attitude that seemed to suggest his words had been ignored, despite having said repeatedly that he wanted to manifest as a Guide. Only when he heard Han Kang’s voice searching for him, asking “Are you listening?”, did Jaechan finally grip the phone slowly.

“Yeah. I heard you.”

— You didn’t listen, you didn’t. Yeah, you didn’t listen to a word I said.

Han Kang acted slyly as if he were quick-witted. Jaechan didn’t have the sincerity to tell him he was wrong. Jaechan turned his heavy body over with a “Sseuuk,” and restated his position which he had already conveyed numerous times.

“Hey, I said I want to manifest as a Guide. So I’m saying being sick is fine, but why do you keep telling me not to be sick?”

As he explained slowly as if to persuade him, Han Kang suddenly shut his mouth and went quiet. Waiting for a response from him while he was perhaps thinking for a moment, Jaechan simply blinked his eyes silently.

Then, words he never grew tired of being hurt by reached his ears.

— I hate the idea of you manifesting as a Guide.

It was a statement that hurt no matter how many times he heard it. Knowing better than anyone how much he longed to be a Guide, he felt needlessly annoyed at Han Kang for drawing a line and saying he hated it every time.

“Why.”

Jaechan asked back in a low voice without realizing it. If he became a Guide, they could stay together regardless, and if given the chance, he could guide him personally; not only that, but their physical affection—which currently came to a clunking halt like hitting a speed bump—would become deeper, and from there, their feelings might align and they could date.

Even if this was just his own greed, it was only natural to get angry at being repeatedly rejected or having his efforts ignored. Jaechan’s eyes rolled slightly to stare at the pill bottle sitting on the cupboard. It was medicine he didn’t know since when he had been taking.

Probably, he thought he started taking it not long after Han Kang manifested as an Esper…

Hardly had he swallowed a sigh inwardly when Han Kang’s disgruntled voice came back from across the receiver.

— I said I hate it. They’re like bastards whose heads are filled with nothing but sex. I don’t know why they have to resolve this kind of thing through their bodies, and I hate being instinctively drawn to that.

If he listened any longer, it felt like Han Kang would go as far as despising Jaechan himself for wanting to be a Guide. He didn’t even have a chance to hide the heavy sinking feeling in his gut. Normally, he would have just let it go with an “Okay,” but Jaechan found himself snapping back at his words.

“…What do you hate so much?”

— I just hate it. Do I need another reason? I don’t want to get involved with Guides.

The words that drove the nail in one after another were so firm that he lost everything he wanted to say. Jaechan felt as if his insides were sinking heavily.

At a glance, Han Kang was someone who engaged in deep physical affection as if he liked him and acted blindly devoted to him. But it was only natural for his heart to become noisy whenever Han Kang strictly drew a line at crucial moments or spoke disparagingly about Guides.

If only he could look into those thoughts, his mind would be much more at ease.

Han Kang didn’t know Jaechan’s heart, which was struggling just to reach him even a little. He repeatedly said he didn’t want Jaechan to become a Guide while comfortably engaging in physical touch with other Guides. Jaechan didn’t know how to take his words.

There were times he thought about whether he should really just give up on becoming a Guide like this. But the reason he continued to linger on the regret was the faint expectation in a corner of his heart that if he actually manifested as a Guide, Han Kang might see him differently.

The expectation that if he became a Guide and they stayed together every hour, Han Kang’s thoughts might change, and he might accept him.

Because Han Kang’s attitude was different only toward him.

…So, would it be greed to hope it would be different this time too?

Jaechan swallowed his bitter saliva heavily.

.✦ ݁˖

Jaechan was watching the screen with anxious eyes.

The South Korean national Esper team had safely made it through the semifinals and was currently facing the finals.

He thought both that he wanted Han Kang to win and that he didn’t want him to get hurt, so he hoped he would just do a decent job. And since he didn’t want to see him being guided by someone else, he hoped Han Kang would use his powers only to a level where he wouldn’t need guiding.

But it was the finals. Out of control cases had already appeared in previous matches, and because of that, Espers being carried out on stretchers were broadcast vividly on the screen, and people were reminded of past traumas they had forgotten.

Jaechan took a “Gkol-kkak,” gulp of cool beer and let out a trembling breath. Of all teams, the opposing team was the Italian team, rumored to be powerful. Among them was an Esper who dealt with fire, and because their compatibility was the complete opposite of Han Kang’s, attention was focused on it as a major point of interest.

He wondered what kind of worry this was now, but at the same time, it was understandable to worry. Even if it was Han Kang, who acted aloof and unbothered by people’s gazes and reactions. Even if it was him, who knew better than anyone how to hold onto his mental strength when losing a match after fighting numerous battles, he was only twenty. An age where it’s hard to be stoic and natural to be swayed.

That was why he was more anxious.

Jaechan accessed a portal site and looked into today’s match. The information that the Italian team was also a formidable team, recording no losses throughout except for one defeat in the group evaluation matches, first caught his eye.

“It’s going to be tough.”

The player named ‘Barbara’ on the opposing team looked very familiar. Barbara, who was older than them and had quite a long career as a player, was a player who had never once faced Han Kang—whether that was good luck or bad luck.

No matter how much one analyzes through videos and learns about his attack or defense style, experiencing it in reality would be on another level. Barbara was already a veteran player, and his match management skills would naturally be excellent, and the sense that comes from experience would be something Han Kang couldn’t catch up to even if he tried to imitate it for a hundred or a thousand days.

If possible, he wanted to see Han Kang smiling prettily with a gold medal around his neck.

— At this very moment! The South Korean men’s Esper team is entering the stadium. Yes, they look dignified!

Just then, the images of Han Kang and the other Espers entering the stadium began to appear on the screen. The Espers, showing dignified greetings to the cheers of the crowd, had somewhat tense expressions.

Among them, Han Kang wore the stiffest, most frozen expression. The team manager sticking right next to him whispered something, but Han Kang only nodded and didn’t make any other gestures.

— Perhaps because it’s the finals, everyone’s expressions are solemn. They’re a bit subdued, aren’t they?

— They look nervous. But our Espers don’t need to be nervous! They’ve already secured the silver medal, and they’ve already done well enough.

— Yes, that’s right. The opposing team for today’s match is Italy; Esper Barbara is noteworthy, isn’t he?

— He’s an Esper with a supernatural power that is the complete opposite in compatibility to Esper Han Kang.