FETCH 41

Jaechan’s steps toward the dinner party location grew lighter and lighter. Beside him, Han Kang walked with a steady tap, tap, tap, nagging him for a while now, saying, “I’m being dragged to a dinner party I don’t even want to go to, and yet you’re standing there smiling like that.”

Jaechan didn’t know why he was so grumpy, but he just shrugged and said, “Yeah, I like it.”

“Do you want to sleep over at my house after the dinner party tonight?”

“So suddenly?”

“I don’t have to go to work tomorrow. I’m in a good mood, so I’m letting you sleep over, that’s why.”

“Oh. I should suggest we have dinner parties more often then.”

“No, I don’t think that’s it.”

Jaechan let out a chuckle and tapped Han Kang’s shoulder. Han Kang nodded as if it wasn’t a bad proposal.

Before long, the two arrived in front of the restaurant side by side. Jaechan grinned happily in front of the meat restaurant, where boisterous noise was leaking out.

Inside, it seemed that Team Zero, along with their respective dedicated Guides and staff, had gathered to clink glasses. Following their credo that nothing beats alcohol, the party had started whether someone was running late or not.

Hearing that loud clamor made his expectations for his first dinner party swell. A smile began to creep onto his lips.

What time would the dinner party end? In dramas, they often lasted until late into the dawn. Then would he be heading home near dawn today too?

If it got too late and he felt tired, he planned to grab only Han Kang and make a quick run for it.

Drawing various scenarios in his head, Jaechan lightly gripped the collar of Han Kang, who was standing beside him, and looked back at him.

“You worked hard training today, so let’s have some fun before we go.”

“Honey, just make sure you don’t get too drunk.”

“What’s wrong with getting a little drunk?”

“That’s why I’m saying only get a little drunk.”

He thought Han Kang was being restrictive about the strangest things. Jaechan just gave a beaming smile to Han Kang, who kept telling him not to drink much, and grabbed Han Kang’s hand, saying they should head in now.

The Guiding wavelength slipped out, proving their contact. Han Kang’s body shivered for a moment, but that was all.

Ting! With the cheerful sound of a bell, people’s eyes focused on them all at once. He had thought there would be twenty people at most sitting around, but the scale of the dinner party was larger than expected.

Avoiding the eyes of the researchers scattered here and there, Jaechan rolled his eyes around roll, roll looking for an empty seat. Han Kang, standing right next to him, was also in the middle of choosing a spot, saying, “Not there,” and “This place is no good too.” His eyes were very cautious, as if trying to avoid sitting next to someone who ate a lot.

“Hey! Jaechan, Kang! Come sit over here!”

Then, hearing Ji Sangtaek’s voice, the two looked toward the same spot. His cheeks were already flushed red as if he were drunk, and he was pounding the chair next to him—thump, thump!

Fortunately, two seats were empty side by side. Moreover, one seat across from them was also empty, which perfectly met Han Kang’s condition of finding a table without many heavy eaters.

The two headed toward Ji Sangtaek’s table without either going first. Because it was located quite deep in the corner, it took a fair amount of time to reach the table because they had to exchange greetings with surrounding tables or refuse entreaties to sit with others.

In the meantime, Ji Sangtaek was in the middle of placing meat on the grill and cooking it to a delicious brown.

“Team Leader, shall I grill it?”

Jaechan asked with a refreshing smile. Since he was the youngest on the team, he asked because he felt he should at least offer to take the tongs as a matter of etiquette.

At the same time, he looked at Ji Sangtaek with eyes that said, “Please never hand them over.” Whether he read the hidden meaning dripping from his gaze or not, Ji Sangtaek laughed, saying, “This punk,” as if it were absurd.

“You don’t even have any intention of taking them.”

“Yes.”

As Jaechan laughed softly, the other person also laughed pleasantly and flipped the meat.

“Kids these days are so honest, right, Kang?”

“Yes.”

“You’re one of those kids these days too, so what do you mean ‘yes’, man.”

Ji Sangtaek, letting out another absurd chuckle, raised his hand and called a waiter. Han Kang placed the glasses scattered on the table toward himself and began to pour the alcohol—trickle, trickle, trickle. It seemed he knew well how to behave at a dinner party, perhaps having experienced a few while living at the Center.

Jaechan grinned and watched Han Kang’s actions. It was extremely rare to see Han Kang navigating social life, so he felt even more intrigued.

He had seen him living with the team members while staying as a resident Guide, and he had seen him at the Center for the past month, but this was his first time seeing this full-blown “I am currently navigating social life” attitude.

But that was as far as it went.

“Guide Jeon Jaechan! Have a drink with us! It’s been a while since we saw you during your time as a resident Guide.”

“Oh, shall I?”

At the call of the Espers from over there, Jaechan stood up from his seat with a pleasant smile. They were team members he wasn’t very awkward with anymore, and clinking glasses together wasn’t difficult, so just as he was about to go to them.

Suddenly, a thick forearm abruptly blocked the path in front of Jaechan.

“What is it?”

Without needing to look further, it was Han Kang. With his expression heavily crumpled, Han Kang spoke to the team members quite threateningly, as if the person who had been pouring alcohol trickle, trickle while pretending to navigate social life just a moment ago was someone else.

“What do you mean ‘shall I’? Can’t you all just drink on your own? Don’t even think about making my honey drink.”

“Hey…”

“You only drink with me. Don’t you dare even clink glasses with other guys.”

Han Kang’s eyes were wide and fierce as if he were dead serious.

No, I mean, we can have a drink together. No matter how specifically the teams were divided, in a way, they were all one team. He had the goal of naturally melting into this group, but Han Kang spoiled it from the start.

When a flustered Jaechan blinked his eyes, Han Kang simply grabbed his wrist, pulled him, and made him plop down into his seat. Then, with a clink, he bumped their glasses and gulped down the alcohol by himself. As if telling him not to argue anymore.

“Whew…”

He let out an exasperated breath, but only for a moment.

Jaechan discovered Ji Sangtaek sitting at the same table, just grinning, and his face flushed hot—whoosh. He felt as if he had shown something embarrassing.

“So, he’s your Guide, is that it?”

Ji Sangtaek, smiling, tapped the table with his chopsticks—clack, clack—and started teasing. No matter what Han Kang’s reaction was, he looked like he was itching to just poke fun.

Han Kang frowned deeply and retorted.

“He’s not my Guide, he’s my honey.”

His act of shouting angrily that he wasn’t his Guide until the very end was unnecessarily embarrassing.

I mean, I’ve done everything I need to do as a Guide, so can’t he just acknowledge it now? Jaechan laughed awkwardly at the sight of Han Kang, who spoke as if cutting him off, as if he had forgotten what happened at the museum.

“Fine, Guide or honey. Isn’t that just a matter of what you call him?”

“No, it’s not.”

Jaechan realized early on that this conversation would only be a loss for him if it dragged on. Han Kang would continue to deny that he was a Guide in his own way, and Ji Sangtaek would keep teasing him precisely because Han Kang’s reaction was so fun. Hearing that, the one who would naturally feel bad was Jeon Jaechan, himself.

Jaechan waved his hand, saying it was enough, and sat properly in his seat. To the disappointed team members, he left a hollow promise to drink together next time, then firmly held Han Kang’s hand.

“There, I’m sitting. Let’s drink with you. Happy?”

“Yeah. Don’t get too close to other Espers.”

He just laughed off the following nagging lightly. Since he was selected as the team Guide, if he didn’t get along with them, he would be the only one struggling; would he really listen to that?

Jaechan gave a vague answer of “okay” and clinked glasses with Han Kang. As if reluctantly giving in, Han Kang let out a groan—”Ahhh.”

“I’m serious, don’t take this lightly. Do you know how black the hearts of those Esper punks are? Huh? They’re just trying to catch themselves a Guide.”

“Hey, hey, Han Kang. Aren’t you an Esper too? Why are you slandering your hyungs like that?”

“Ah, Team Leader, please stay out of this. Hey, honey. Are you listening?”

“Yeah, I’m listening, and I never once took it lightly. What’s with you?”

Jaechan chuckled and clinked his glass against his. The transparent soju sloshed—jingle—carrying a light ripple. When he held the small glass and tilted his head as if to say “Shall we drink?”, Han Kang sighed again—”Haaa.”

“I’m really letting this slide only because it’s Jeon Jaechan.”

“Letting what slide?”

How absurd.

Despite being the one who blocked him from even moving to the next table, his posturing was immense. Jaechan said “whatever” and shook his glass again. It was a sign to drink quickly, and Han Kang, holding his glass reluctantly, clinked it again—clink.

“One shot.”

“Yep.”

Soon, the two of them downed the alcohol refreshingly. He heard Ji Sangtaek’s voice grumbling about how these punks didn’t even include an adult in their toast, but he didn’t care.

In any case, he felt good.

It was good to clink glasses with Han Kang after a long time, and it was also good to have the illusion that only the two of them were in this boisterous space.

“Meat?”

Even Han Kang’s action of asking while moving the well-cooked meat to his front plate.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that the three elements were perfectly in sync. Jaechan laughed happily at Han Kang’s consideration of even personally making a wrap for him and accepted the wrap into his mouth.

“My honey is acting cute.”

He saw Han Kang twitching his eyebrows as if displeased, but he ignored that too.