FETCH 8

Even so, after being held for a bit, his breathing gradually stabilized. Once his startled heart calmed down, only then did he feel the other man’s unstable breathing.

“What is with you?”

Jaechan, who had soothed Han Kang by gently stroking his back, asked once more, “Hm?” Only then did Han Kang slowly lift his body and look at him. His pitch-black, deep eyes were filled to the brim with worry.

Would it be making too much of a fuss to say his heart sank “Kung” again for no reason?

“Hey, it’s just a cold. Why are you like this? Anyone would think I’d actually manifested.”

It was a joke added in its own way because Han Kang’s reaction was awkward. Since Han Kang was someone who would jump for joy if he were a Guide, the intention was to reassure him, but Han Kang remained silent.

Usually, at this point, a playful rebuke like “What’s the big deal about a Guide?” should have been heard.

“That damn Guide. Fuck, Guide, seriously. Say Guide, Guide one more time. I told you I really hate it.”

He didn’t expect such an intense reaction. Feeling embarrassed instead, Jaechan simply shut his mouth tight. He felt a bit resentful toward him for always turning serious the moment the topic of Guides came up, without even asking why Jaechan wanted to become one.

So, as he gently gnawed on the inside of his lip with his front teeth, Han Kang let out a long, trembling breath, “Pu-uk.” Perhaps feeling sorry for getting angry just now, he adjusted his expression and faced him with a much gentler countenance.

“More importantly, what were you thinking, just sending a text saying you’re going to the hospital without even saying which hospital it was?”

Then, wasn’t he actually scolding him instead?

Han Kang let out a long sigh, “Ha-ah.” The trembling breath contained his anxious feelings exactly as they were.

“I really almost froze every hospital in Seoul.”

“Freeze what? Aren’t you supposed to avoid overusing your supernatural abilities?”

“That’s why, Jaechan.”

Han Kang stared at him. Since the dead-serious voice was a rare thing, Jaechan reflexively swallowed hard, “Kkol-kkak.” As he faced him with a sense of unnecessary tension, Han Kang said one heavy sentence.

“If you want to see me get kicked off the national team, send a text like that again.”

Simultaneously with those words, the hand they were holding together was completely folded by the strength of his grip.

.✦ ݁˖

“Ah-ah.”

Jaechan let out a pained sound. The grip strength being gradually applied was immense. He had squeezed his hand so hard that it hurt as if his finger bones were all being crushed. When Jaechan frowned and tried to pull his hand away, only then did Han Kang let go, saying “Ah.”

“Why are you gripping so hard? My hand’s going to burst.”

“Sorry.”

Han Kang scratched the back of his head with a “Beok-beok” sound, smiling awkwardly.

Jaechan shrugged his shoulders and looked around. The gazes watching them were still stinging, as if curious about the relationship between him and Han Kang.

Click, click. Between the sounds of camera shutters and the murmuring voices, Han Kang’s name was being mentioned quite often. It was around that time he began to think, Han Kang really is Han Kang.

He kept becoming conscious of them. Even though Han Kang himself had no reaction as if his ears were closed, Jaechan worried that strange rumors might spread on the internet.

For example, “Han Kang hugging a guy at the hospital shivering shivering but doesn’t look like a Guide? Is he gay?” or, “Han Kang skipped training and came to the hospital shivering shivering.”

Having thought that far, Jaechan’s expression stiffened. Training? Without realizing it, his eyes flicked over to check the time.

It was still the time when he should have been in the middle of training. That meant Han Kang should not be here.

Especially now, they said the Olympics were fast approaching and they were spurring on the final training sessions. Because training continued into the night, Han Kang was someone who not only saw him less after work but could barely even make time for a phone call.

But at the hospital at this hour?

“Hey, what about your training?”

Jaechan asked, giving his shoulder a “Tuk” poke.

If it were individual training, it wouldn’t be a problem for Han Kang to be missing. However, Esper combat, which was adopted as an Olympic sport, reflected a team system among numerous match formats.

Matches consisted of five members per team, divided into women’s team matches and men’s team matches. Other than those, a total of three types of matches are conducted, including mixed matches with three men and three women selected.

That was the same as saying if one person, Han Kang, was missing, it would cause harm to the other teammates as well. No matter how urgent his own situation was, Jaechan was someone who couldn’t stand seeing harm caused to others. After all, hadn’t he called Park Minjun even while collapsing to say he couldn’t go to his part-time job?

On the other hand, it was bewildering that Han Kang had thrown everything aside and come running blindly. Of course, if Han Kang had suddenly said he was going to the hospital, Jaechan would have also pushed aside his part-time job or whatever and come running in a hurry, but their situations were different, weren’t they?

He looked at him, hardening his expression even further. For a moment, he twitched his eyebrows as if demanding an explanation. Instead, Han Kang furrowed his brow and said bluntly, “What?”

“Is training important right now?”

“Then is it not important?”

When Jaechan hardened his expression and scolded him, Han Kang grumbled sulkily. He didn’t know why he was pouting his lips as if he were the one who was upset. When Jaechan twitched his eyebrows in disbelief, Han Kang mumbled an excuse.

“I came out after telling them everything properly.”

He said things like how Jaechan didn’t even know his heart, or if he even knew how terrified he was after getting the text. There was no need to properly listen to the words that followed.

He wondered if saying it properly made everything okay, but even if it didn’t, what could he do? Han Kang was already out.

Jaechan clicked his tongue, “Tteut,” and relaxed his expression. When he turned his body slightly to face him, Han Kang grabbed his hand. Would it be a delusion to think the way he gently rubbed it was somehow tender? For no reason, he swallowed hard, “Kkol-kkak.” Jaechan spoke to him, pretending to be unbothered.

“Then since you came all this way, why were you outside instead of being by my side?”

If he had even skipped training and come flying here, he should have stayed right next to him and nursed him devotedly. He remembered the Han Kang he saw when he opened his eyes, surrounded by people. When Jaechan playfully narrowed his eyes at him, Han Kang laughed playfully, “Ah-ah.”

“I was kicked out.”

“Kicked out?”

Why kicked out?

He had even paid the bill himself and explained that he was a precious person. Why kick out a perfectly fine person? When he tilted his head in confusion, Han Kang added an explanation with a smile.

“They said too many people were gathering and making the already crowded emergency room even more crowded. That scary-looking doctor over there told me to leave.”

“Ah.”

“Shouldn’t they have kicked out the people who followed me instead of kicking me out? I came as a guardian.”

As if he didn’t like it, Han Kang frowned sulkily.

But when looking at the gazes still stuck to the emergency room door, staring at Han Kang persistently, the doctor’s actions were understandable. He surely would have obstructed traffic, and from the standpoint of an emergency room where every second counts, it was bound to be a nuisance.

Then it was best to leave the emergency room as quickly as possible. Jaechan fumbled to pull back the blanket and dropped his legs below the bed. Han Kang supported his body as if he were attending to some great patient.

“Hey, you’re making a fuss.”

Jaechan, who pushed his arm away with a “Tuk,” laughed teasingly.

“Did they say I can go?”

“Yeah, I want to go home and rest. They told me to go once this is all finished.”

Jaechan pointed to the IV bag hanging in the air. Just in time, the IV had run out. When he raised his hand and called for someone, “Over here,” the nurse who had been watching them all along noticed first and approached.

Even as she pulled out the needle with kind guidance, her gaze lingered alternately on Han Kang and him. A look in her eyes that wanted to ask something but couldn’t. It was clear she wanted to ask if they were dating but didn’t because it would be rude.

Jaechan laughed lowly, feeling his mood subtly improve. Come to think of it, did she say he called him a precious person when he was paying?

When he looked at him with a smile, Han Kang tilted his head prettily, “Hm?” Because his actions were pretty, Jaechan decided to overlook today’s training desertion. When he gently stroked his cheek, Han Kang gave a beaming smile.

“What’s this? You’re being especially affectionate today.”

“Well, you’re the only one I have to contact when I’m sick and all that.”

“I know all about you contacting Minjun hyung too.”

“That was unavoidable because of the part-time job.”

“I really need to just station a person there or something.”

Han Kang clicked his tongue, “Tteut,” as if he didn’t like it.

As they came outside side-by-side, the people who had been clinging to the door rushed at them. Unlike when he was greeting them kindly before, Han Kang ignored them coldly as if they were people completely unrelated to him.

Han Kang, who had wrapped his arm around Jaechan’s shoulder and pulled him close with force, walked very fast. Since his body hadn’t fully recovered yet, it was even a bit overwhelming to keep up with that pace.

He couldn’t understand why he was trying to escape so hurriedly. Jaechan made flustered noises, “Hey, hey,” but Han Kang didn’t care.