Ordinary Person A

#11

Pulled inside abruptly, Ho-woo fidgeted restlessly, feeling that Oh-yul, who had been staring at him intently, looked very pitiful and miserable.

Since he said he was sick, should I bring him some medicine from home? Or should I take him some of the chicken that’s coming soon, telling him to take care of his health?

“What are you doing? If you need to pee, go to the bathroom.”

Of course, Do-hyun snorted at Ho-woo’s behavior and downed the remaining beer.

“I’m worried because he said he’s sick. He seemed to have a fever, did I have any fever reducers?”

“He’s not just any grade, but an S-grade Esper. Does it even make sense for him to be sick in the first place?”

“But he looked sick. Aren’t S-grade Espers human?”

“Nope. Probably not human?”

Living alone, Ho-woo rummaged through his drawers for the medicine box he kept for those miserable times when there was no medicine. Fortunately, he found his usual medicine and put three or four chicken legs on a separate plate on a tray, along with the timely delivered chicken.

“You’re trying hard.”

Do-hyun helped Ho-woo, who was walking carefully so the chicken legs wouldn’t fall, by opening the front door for him. He thought that an ordinary person like Lee Ho-woo wouldn’t catch the eye of such an S-grade Esper anyway.

“Oh, thanks?”

“Give it to him quickly and come back. Big bro is bored.”

Ho-woo came out through the door Do-hyun had opened and stood in front of Oh-yul’s house, which was tightly closed again. Ho-woo took a slow breath to calm his strangely fluttering heart and carefully knocked on the door.

“Oh-yul. It’s your neighbor.”

The light knocking sound was so soft that he thought Oh-yul might not hear it. However, contrary to that worry, the tightly closed door opened quietly again before the three knocks were even finished.

Still drenched in cold sweat, Oh-yul looked down at Ho-woo with narrowed eyes. His sweaty forehead, clear and deep eyebrows, eyes with deep corners, slightly furrowed brow, and parted lips releasing slightly rapid breaths were strangely sensual, making Ho-woo hold his breath.

My goodness, he’s truly breathtakingly beautiful.

Hey! What am I thinking about a sick person?

Ho-woo quickly gathered his wits and carefully held out what he had brought.

“Here, some medicine and chicken. Please eat some. They say you get better quickly when you eat well when you’re sick.”

“…Thank you.”

“And next time you’re sick, please make sure to tell me. It’s really miserable to get sick when you live alone, right?”

“Again.”

Oh-yul received the tray and bowed slightly. At that moment, Ho-woo stiffened at the sudden feeling of warm body heat and breath.

“You’re saying ‘next time’ again.”

“Because this time has already passed…?”

“It’s better not to give me too many chances. I’m quite ill-mannered, you know.”

“…?”

If Oh-yul is ill-mannered, then is Kim Do-hyun, who’s sitting in our house right now eating all my chicken legs, the world’s biggest jerk?

Ho-woo firmly pressed down the thoughts that were about to spill out of his mouth. Oh-yul was smiling somewhat languidly, perhaps due to the fever. Momentarily dazed, captivated by that smile, Ho-woo suddenly came to his senses at the sound of a door swinging open beside him and Do-hyun’s voice.

“Hey! Lee Ho-woo, when are you coming! Can I rent a movie on your TV?”

“Oh, uh… I’m coming. Well then, get some rest.”

Ho-woo bowed quickly and turned around. Somehow, it felt like Oh-yul’s fever had transferred to him. Rubbing his cheeks that had belatedly become hot, Ho-woo turned at Do-hyun’s urging.

However, he had to stop after just a few steps, caught again by Oh-yul’s voice.

“Ho-woo.”

“Yes?”

“Would it be alright if I joined you for a drink?”

“Shouldn’t you be resting?”

When Ho-woo expressed concern because Oh-yul didn’t look too well, he slowly shook his head.

“It’s fine. I’ll shower and come over, so please wait a little.”

“If it’s okay with you, it’s okay with me. Take your time coming over.”

Kim Do-hyun might grumble, but a few pinches to his side or back would make him just pout his lips without much resistance. Even if he complained about the tyranny of the host.

“See you in a bit.”

Oh-yul smiled, his eyes crinkling at Ho-woo’s voice tinged with a bit of expectation and lingering worry. After Ho-woo went back inside, Oh-yul wiped the smile off his face.

To his sensitive hearing, sounds blocked by just a thin wall were no different from people talking right next to him. He twisted his lips as he undressed to wash off the cold sweat.

‘Oh-yul said he wants to drink together.’

‘Eck! I don’t want to!’

‘Whose house is this? If you don’t like it, get out.’

‘Tyrant. You’re a tyrant. We didn’t raise our Ho-woo like this.’

‘You raised me? Don’t make me laugh.’

Oh-yul slightly bit the inside of his cheek at Ho-woo’s comfortable and free voice, so different from how he spoke to him.

He was very displeased.

***

Wow, the atmosphere…

Ho-woo rolled his eyes around. Oh-yul sat up straight with his back erect, tilting the new bottle of whiskey he had brought over his glass. The snacks were the newly ordered chicken and a few foods found by rummaging through the refrigerator. Thanks to Oh-yul, there was more alcohol, but the atmosphere was completely subdued.

This was because Kim Do-hyun, who Ho-woo thought would give up after a few pinches to his side, was still glaring at Oh-yul, and Oh-yul was calmly enduring that gaze.

No, it wasn’t so calm. When Ho-woo wasn’t looking, they were intently observing each other. Like males engaging in a fierce battle of wills after their territory had been invaded, the two men occupying Ho-woo’s house quietly tilted their glasses.

Caught in the middle of this whale fight, Ho-woo was the shrimp getting its back broken as he watched nervously.

He had thought his outgoing friend who got along well with everyone and his recently interesting, very kind neighbor would get along well, but it seemed to be a complete misjudgment.

It’s totally uncomfortable.

Ho-woo, his throat burning, gulped down the whiskey he would hardly touch normally. One glass, two glasses, as the number of drinks increased, the host, unable to hold his head up, finally dropped his heavy head.

Oh-yul’s blue eyes gleamed coldly as he caught the collapsing Ho-woo. Placing Ho-woo on his lap as if embracing a precious treasure and letting his head rest on his shoulder, he gently patted Ho-woo’s back as he mumbled incoherently.

Witnessing this scene, Do-hyun put down his glass on the table with a thud.

“Why is an Esper approaching an ordinary person?”

Even at Do-hyun’s question, Oh-yul continued to stroke Ho-woo’s soft light brown hair with his large hand. His eyes were rippling like a calm sea about to stir up a rough storm.

The cold ocean that could swallow the helpless human at any moment and bury him deep under the water gazed at the laughable competitor.

“If it’s just a game or a casual feeling, you should stop.”

“……”

“You guys die without a Guide anyway, right? Ho-woo can’t handle that.”

The giant beast twisted his lips at the sharp voice mixed with blame and reproach.

It’s been bothering me for a while, should I just kill him?

The temperature around them dropped coldly at the sudden surge of killing intent. Do-hyun cursed under his breath as he saw the whiskey in the glass freeze.

Ho-woo, who had been sleeping in Oh-yul’s arms, groaned and instinctively wriggled to burrow deeper into the warm embrace in response to the coldness.

“Mmm… cold…”

“…I’m sorry. It’ll be warm soon, so please bear with it for a moment.”

Oh-yul withdrew the energy that had been permeating the surroundings and curled up a bit more to transfer his body heat. He fully savored the soft scent tickling a corner of his chest and the small chest rising and falling with breath. His not-yet-ready pair was so fragile, as if he might break at any moment.

Do-hyun was equally dumbfounded by this sight. It was unsettling to see a monster in human form, yet not human, holding his friend and looking at him with the most affectionate eyes. It was exactly the situation where the unlikely happens.

“Are you serious?”

Really, an Esper sincerely falling for an ordinary person who can’t even perform Guiding? Do-hyun let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. If his parents heard this, they would be delighted and rush to study this love of the century.

“Kim Do-hyun.”

“……”

“It’s none of your business.”

An expressionless face, devoid of even a hint of emotion, faced Do-hyun. The gaze, as if looking at a complete stranger or an inanimate object, was chillingly frightening to Do-hyun.

“The only reason I’ve kept you alive until now is because you’re Ho-woo’s friend, not because you’re special.”

Someone like Do-hyun, a powerless ordinary person, could be cleanly disposed of without anyone knowing. These were beings who regarded the monsters they killed daily and the people they protected as not much different; they only stood on the human side because humans provided the foundation for their existence.

A chilling fear crept up Do-hyun’s spine.

He had said with his mouth that they weren’t human and were monsters, but the Oh-yul he faced was truly a monster.

“You’re crazy.”

“What are you saying all of a sudden?”

You’re the one who said I wasn’t normal.

Do-hyun trembled as he saw Oh-yul’s eyes gradually changing from blue to purple.

‘Oh, my God.’

His friend was already trapped in the monster’s jaws.