FETCH 29

If Han Kang were to go berserk and get caught up in an unsavory accident, and if he were then Compulsory-ly prevented from participating, the media would not leave him alone.

Could there be anything more disgraceful than that?

He was the world-renowned Han Kang; Jaechan hoped the glory surrounding him would not end in a period of dishonor.

Besides, he was only twenty years old. If he became embroiled in such scandals while his future was still so bright, nothing would be more pitiful.

Before enduring Han Kang’s rejection of him as a Guide, Jaechan simply did not want to see him fall. He didn’t mind if Han Kang chose to step down on his own, but he absolutely did not want to see him dragged down by others.

As much as he liked him, he wanted him to thrive, and he wanted that honor to last as long as Han Kang desired. Seeing him happy while achieving everything he wanted made Jaechan happy just by watching, so he sincerely wished for him to be happy for a long, long time.

Usually, the heavens were not on his side, but Jaechan, desperately praying that his wish would be granted this once at least for Han Kang’s sake, slowly stood up.

Despite this or that, the workday had to proceed. Now that he had joined the Center, they were no longer just simple friends; they had duties to perform as an Esper and a Guide. He did not want to cause any setbacks in that regard.

“I’m going to training now.”

“Oh, is today the first joint session?”

At Ji Sangtaek’s additional remark, Jaechan smiled softly and nodded his head. It was his first training. To be precise, after finishing all the preparations for training, he was finally participating in a session as a proper Guide.

The training, conducted informally to test the chemistry between Han Kang and Jaechan, was a simulated combat for an Esper accompanied by guiding; it wasn’t a full-scale battle, but rather a light exercise to align the wavelength harmony between the Guide and the Esper.

Still, it held special meaning for Jaechan. Since he was matching up with Han Kang, who was classified as a veteran among veterans, he wanted to finish it properly, even if it was just a light drill.

“Go and do well. It’s nothing much. Kang will create openings on his own, so just time your guiding to those moments.”

“Yes.”

“You learned, right? That during a match, you do radiation, contact, and mucous membrane contact?”

“Yes!”

“Good boy.”

Ji Sangtaek stroked Jaechan’s hair as if proud of the Guide he had raised well. Jaechan gave him a bright smile, bowed deeply, and left the office.

Just then, his watch vibrated.

[<Notification> Training Room 1 preparation complete.]

It was an urge to move quickly to Training Room 1 to carry out the training schedule. Jaechan’s footsteps quickened as he left the office.

.✦ ݁˖

Training Room 1, which took the form of a typical Taekwondo dojo, was said to be used mainly for general physical sparring.

He had never seen it himself, but he had heard an explanation that it was one of the most necessary trainings for skillfully using transcendent powers.

Since it was training involving physical collision, protective devices against potential injuries caught his eye here and there.

The floor and walls were entirely surrounded by soft cushioning agents. Jaechan approached Han Kang, who was warming up on one side.

Around him were coaches who would observe the training and several researchers to monitor the wavelength analysis. The pressure to show proper results in this training grew heavier.

Entering the training room completely, Jaechan greeted brightly, “Hello.” Han Kang’s gaze, which had been stretching out his joints, landed on him and then quickly pulled away.

“Hey, are you still in a bad mood?”

Jaechan approached Han Kang while cautiously reading his expression. It wasn’t as if they had fought the day before or had a particular argument that morning, but the reason he was walking on eggshells was ultimately because he had to perform guiding.

He still hadn’t received an apology for the harsh words Han Kang had said after the resident guiding period, but he was letting it go for now because there was nothing to be gained by prolonging the fight.

Han Kang, who was warming up and showing off his flexible joints, only lifted his eyes slightly to look at Jaechan. At that gaze, which was clearly full of some sort of dissatisfaction, Jaechan involuntarily flinched.

“You’re being strange.”

Strange? In what way? To Jaechan, the strange one was Han Kang. When Jaechan twitched an eyebrow, Han Kang slowly stood up and walked over with a thud, thud.

“Your attitude is different.”

“What attitude, and just how much different is it?”

He didn’t know why Han Kang was picking a fight again when they were supposed to match their chemistry in front of people. When he scowled deeply, Han Kang tilted his head to the side.

“Why are you so proactive? Because you’re a Guide?”

“Hey, then what else am I supposed to be when we have to do this together? This is something you and I do together.”

“How do you think it would have been normally?”

What the hell do you mean, “normally”?

Because the words seemed to be beating around the bush today, Jaechan displayed a look of disapproval. There were people watching around them and researchers gathered to grade them; did he really have to nitpick like this?

“I’ve been thinking about why I felt so bad the whole time you were the resident Guide. You’re very proactive when you’re guiding. There are even more people here than at the dormitory, so what are you so excited about?”

Having finally heard Han Kang say that he felt bad the entire time he lived as the resident Guide, Jaechan’s mood also plummeted.

So what exactly did he want now?

However, even during the resident guiding, the one who said harsh words was Han Kang, and the one who was hurt was not Han Kang but himself. Jaechan faced Han Kang with an expression of total incomprehension. Then, Han Kang took another step closer and thrust his handsome face right in front of Jaechan’s nose.

“Normally, you wouldn’t have come first.”

“…”

Jaechan kept his mouth shut and looked at Han Kang. Right, normally he wouldn’t have come. Not until Han Kang acknowledged his fault and apologized sincerely.

But are this and that the same thing?

When he just stared without replying, Han Kang let out a sigh, “Haaa,” as if frustrated.

“I spoke harshly, and I was in the wrong, but why do you come first? To do guiding? The attitude is different, the attitude. Do people suddenly become generous once they become Guides?”

Jeon Jaechan is not the type to bow down when Han Kang is the one who did wrong first, so Han Kang didn’t know why it felt so offensive that Jaechan was showing his face first now that he had become a Guide.

He wanted to deny the very fact that Jaechan had awakened as a Guide. Yet, it wasn’t that he didn’t acknowledge him as a Guide. Since he had become a Guide, he was a Guide, but Han Kang wished he wasn’t.

He didn’t know what his heart truly wanted. He was just afraid that his feelings might become discolored by guiding. To be precise, he hated the idea.

As a result, he consciously ended up rejecting Jaechan’s guiding. The more the guiding with him felt welcome, the more he pushed it away. Even when he tried not to, words kept slipping out unconsciously.

“Are you being sarcastic right now?”

At this point, Jaechan couldn’t just stand by and listen. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have grievances against Han Kang either. As if he had expected this, Han Kang nodded.

“But what else can I do? You and I are here to do this work. Fine, let’s say you don’t need a Guide. But this is work I have to do, so what am I supposed to do?”

“I’ve done just fine without you.”

He wondered why Han Kang hated it so much, but Jaechan just squeezed his eyes shut as if fed up. He couldn’t deny that a lump formed in his chest every time he saw Han Kang just pushing him away.

Jaechan gave up on further conversation and bowed his head to the staff watching them from behind Han Kang’s back. Unlike the greeting earlier, it was a signal to just start the training.

“Is it okay to be that good at fighting with each other?”

He didn’t bother to answer the person who spoke sarcastically. It was likely said without much meaning, but because he was sensitive to everything right now, Jaechan purposefully kept his mouth shut tight.

Hating the sight of Han Kang showing off by saying he did fine without him, Jaechan turned his eyes to the side, put on his protective gear just like Han Kang, and entered the arena with him.

“Watch. Watch how well I do without guiding.”

“…I get it. Stop pushing me away already.”

Jaechan finally answered as if resigned. No matter how much he was pushed away, he was going to stay by Han Kang’s side as a Guide, yet Han Kang insistently poked at his sore spots and inflicted wounds.

He thought he would be able to stay with Han Kang the way he wanted once he became a Guide, but the feeling that they had actually grown further apart was probably not a delusion.

There was no way to hide his grimness. Nonetheless, Jaechan comforted himself, thinking he should put aside private feelings and only think about the work he had to do.

The arena they stepped onto had a very soft floor. It felt as if any impact would be completely absorbed even if he fell from a high place, and he wouldn’t feel any pain at all.

“Oh.”

When he let out a short exclamation, Han Kang, who followed him in, also shook his body to check the cushioning. It was a training room he already frequented like his own home, so there shouldn’t be anything special, yet he also let out a “Oh.”

This time, Jaechan didn’t look at him. Since he had played along with Han Kang’s attempt to gloss things over only to be harshly rejected, he vowed not to accept it this time.

“Then we’ll look at the radiation guiding last, and first, we’ll try contact guiding. We’re doing it lightly, lightly.”

The coach was speaking as if coaxing Han Kang to restrain himself. He looked directly at Han Kang, telling him he didn’t need to do it like usual and to stay calm, but Han Kang gave him no answer.

At the coach’s voice from behind him, Jaechan tentatively held out a hand to Han Kang. He naturally thought Han Kang would take his hand.

Slap, with that sound, his hand was struck away. Jaechan bit his lip. In Han Kang’s own way, he might have been trying to do a high-five. Han Kang, who paused for a moment as if surprised, soon began to emit wavelengths into the surroundings with a dry “Ahem” cough.

Thump, thump, thump.

Along with the hollow noises, targets began to pop up like bamboo shoots after a rain.