Confinement Constitution Guide

Warning! Gully 300m Ahead (6)

“Meow!”

It was Cream. She seemed very displeased as I suddenly moved with the gait I usually show only when going to work, after acting like a lazy bum for a while. Cream expressed her dissatisfaction without filter, slapping the sofa with her long tail. Knowing that if I ignored her now, she’d be upset for a while, I carefully opened my mouth.

“I’m not going far. I’ll be back today. Really.”

Cream scrutinized me with sharp eyes.

“Really, I mean it. Don’t you trust Dad?”

Her long tail answered by banging on the sofa. As expected of an intelligent cat, she seemed to distrust my words about coming back today based on years of experience. But while this might have been understandable two weeks ago, this time it was really unfair. I gestured towards Sa Hae-geon’s bedroom and spoke to Cream as if protesting.

“I’m not lying this time. …Then ask Sa Hae-geon if you don’t believe me.”

At that, Sa Hae-geon, who had been rustling alone in his bedroom, came out with a sports bag and answered.

“Hyung is right. We’ll be back today, Cream.”

Although I had blurted it out without much thought due to the unfairness, an absurd scene unfolded before my eyes as if mocking me. Cream, who had shown unfiltered displeasure at my words, wagged her tail and nodded at Sa Hae-geon’s words. She even exchanged eye greetings with Sa Hae-geon.

“…Cream.”

Even at my call, which was close to a sob, the ungrateful Cream ignored me and only made eye contact with Sa Hae-geon. I stood blankly with rising feelings of betrayal before belatedly heading to the bathroom. Is it just my imagination that I feel betrayed by Cream several times while being here?

I tried to convince myself that it was all because of Sa Hae-geon while washing, but as soon as I came out of the shower booth, I realized the reality I had momentarily forgotten.

‘…Right, what should I wear when going out?’

How could I forget such an important thing? There’s no way a guy with weird tastes in pajamas and underwear would have normal outerwear. …Well. It’s natural that I forgot since I ended up in shackles for bringing up the topic of outerwear.

But even so, it was hard for me to understand why I entered the bathroom without preparing clothes. As I stood awkwardly holding the bathroom doorknob, I heard Sa Hae-geon’s voice from outside.

“Hyung, I’ll leave the clothes on the bed.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

“I’ll be in the living room, so take your time changing and come out.”

This thoughtful guy, unlike typical Espers these days. He appeared with clothes at just the right moment, making me want to scold my earlier self who was busy blaming Sa Hae-geon. The only worry was his peculiar taste…

‘It’ll be fine, right?’

I suppressed my anxiety and left the bathroom to check the bed.

“Huh…?”

Fortunately, there were normal clothes and socks on the bed. Does Sa Hae-geon’s unusual taste stop at pajamas and underwear? I looked pitifully at my lower body clad in one of the few pairs of black briefs, then started putting on the clothes Sa Hae-geon had prepared.

A white long-sleeved T-shirt and black slacks, a white shirt and a thick navy blue knit. It was quite a nice combination. It was also the style I often wear. Realizing that Sa Hae-geon’s aesthetic sense wasn’t just developed in a strange direction, I felt a deep sense of relief.

After adjusting my clothes, I left the bedroom with a much more comfortable mind. Sa Hae-geon was waiting for me with a caramel-colored long coat and a checkered muffler. As soon as he saw me coming out of the bedroom, his eyes widened.

I could see his eyes, resembling deep seas, stirring.

“Did I wear it wrong?”

“…No. Here.”

Sa Hae-geon hurriedly handed me the coat and muffler and turned around. His ear lobes, which had been white, were slightly reddened. As soon as I put on the coat and muffler, Sa Hae-geon immediately blindfolded me. He didn’t even give me a chance to see what clothes he was wearing. Well, I think I caught a glimpse of a caramel-colored knit.

I followed Sa Hae-geon’s lead while blindfolded. Even when getting into the car, he was so careful that I didn’t bump into anything. I was worried about encountering people on the way, but I figured that someone meticulous enough to manipulate CCTV would have handled it well.

It’s my first time being blindfolded, and it definitely made other senses more sensitive due to the limited vision. For example, hearing and touch. I quietly listened to the sound of Sa Hae-geon moving beside me and asked.

“By the way, wouldn’t it be okay to go without the blindfold in the car?”

“No.”

I could only nod quietly at the firm answer. Soon, the parked car started moving. As I imagined the training ground said to be in the outskirts, I gradually became accustomed to the darkness provided by the blindfold.

* * *

Sa Hae-geon removed my blindfold after we arrived inside the training ground. It seemed he wanted to hide what the outside of the training ground looked like and where it was located. Since this was behavior a kidnapper might show, I didn’t feel anxious or uncomfortable.

The interior of the training ground I saw after removing the blindfold boasted an impressive grandeur that made my jaw drop. Was a private training ground this vast? It had an amazing system comparable to the Central Center, famous for its large and good facilities even among centers.

A private training ground that measures ability usage in real time, and displays statistics on average usage, efficiency, and required guiding amount on an electronic board… Although I knew that machines measuring ability usage cost billions of won, I never expected them to have machines that check guiding amounts as well. It was a system that Espers interested in training facilities would absolutely go crazy for.

Not only the system but the environment itself was extraordinary. What surprised me the most was that they had created a huge artificial lake and river inside the training ground. It felt like a space dedicated to Espers who handle ‘water’. Although science has made a lot of progress with by-products from dungeons, I couldn’t help but be amazed throughout my tour of the interior, as I didn’t know that even private training grounds, not centers or guilds, would be this advanced.

And the fact that a family member, not someone else, owned such a space seemed to explain the natural air of nobility I felt from him.

So, has Sa Hae-geon been training here alone all this time? I glanced at Sa Hae-geon, who was looking at this impressive space as if familiar with it. I thought I caught a glimpse of boredom in between, but when I checked Sa Hae-geon’s face again, only familiarity and expectation were present.

As I came along as a guide, I asked while checking his expression.

“Do you train alone here?”

“Yes.”

“Did you train alone here before kidnapping me too?”

“Mostly.”

“I see. Then I’ll be in the rest area.”

“Okay.”

Sa Hae-geon’s vague answers were now familiar. I nodded roughly and walked towards the rest area prepared at one side of the training ground. The rest facilities were as well-equipped as the huge training ground. A private space for contingencies, comfortable sofas and tables. And a glass window to check the training ground situation and an electronic board showing the Esper’s condition in real-time.

This was really no less than center or guild facilities. I sat down quietly on a chair near the glass window, admiring it, and watched Sa Hae-geon standing in the middle of the training ground.

In fact, since working as a center-affiliated guide, I’ve been too busy going to sites to have the opportunity to watch and guide training Espers. I only guided a few times during practice at the training school.

Through the glass window, I could see Sa Hae-geon’s back in a navy long coat. He was just standing still with his head down, which made him look nervous…

‘Should I go and give him some guiding?’

Just as I thought that and was about to get up, the ground shook.

“…Huh?”

More precisely, the inside of the training ground shook. I stood up awkwardly and blankly checked outside the window. At some point, Sa Hae-geon had raised his head. Several streams of water surrounded him. When I turned my gaze to check, the artificial lake inside the training ground had already revealed its bottom.

However, something was a bit strange.

“Moving the artificial lake shouldn’t make the ground shake…”

At that moment, my lips tightly closed at the scene unfolding before my eyes.