NOVEL NEXT 18.
18.
I had just returned to the lodging after clearing two A-grade dungeons in a row. Although both dungeons were small in area and I entered them consecutively, it wasn’t too physically demanding. However, the first one was in South Jeolla Province, and the next one in northern Gangwon Province, so the long travel time was more exhausting.
Usually, Espers tend to rush to their Guides as soon as the lodging door closes, but Ryu Ho-yeon, as if he had another Guide hidden in the bathroom, went straight to the bathroom and started filling the tub as soon as he opened the front door. Seeing this, Choi Jae-won thought, “It’s the same as always,” and entered another bathroom to take a shower…
“Jae-won.”
“Hyung? Why are you out so quickly?”
“That’s not the important thing.”
The person who should have been soaking in the tub for at least thirty more minutes after Choi Jae-won’s short shower was already in the living room. Flushed cheeks from the warm water, damp hair, and a shower robe revealing the silhouette of a delicate body. Choi Jae-won’s heart fluttered strangely, wondering if Ryu Ho-yeon was finally going to request guiding first, like other Espers. With each step closer, the sweet scent of the frequently used blueberry bath bomb tickled his nose. He felt like buying a whole blueberry farm for him.
“You know…”
He trails off uncharacteristically. Although Choi Jae-won knew well that Ryu Ho-yeon wasn’t that kind of person, blinded by love, the number one culprit in making people foolish, he indulged in vain dreams like, “Even hyung gets shy when talking about this, he’s so cute…” However, Ryu Ho-yeon was still Ryu Ho-yeon.
“Want to go on a blind date?”
Choi Jae-won couldn’t believe his ears. How dare he doubt Ryu Ho-yeon?
“What? What kind of nonsense… I mean, what are you talking about, hyung?”
“An older female friend of mine broke up with her boyfriend and asked if I knew anyone to introduce. I told her I know a younger guy with a good appearance and personality.”
There wasn’t even time to be moved by the fact that Ryu Ho-yeon had directly praised his appearance and personality. Of course, even though he hadn’t properly confessed his feelings yet (thinking that confessing rashly now would result in a 100% chance of rejection, he planned to confess after carefully accustoming Ryu Ho-yeon’s every move to his touch), even if Ryu Ho-yeon truly hadn’t noticed Choi Jae-won’s feelings at all. How could he think of ‘introducing’ his pair Guide, with whom he shares his life, to someone else?
“Want to see a picture? The noona is pretty.”
“…”
“Jae-won?”
“I’m a bit tired, so I’ll go in first…”
No matter how he thought about it, this was too much. The most frustrating thing was that those aloof eyes looking up at him, as if wondering what the problem was, still looked pretty. Saying he would go in to rest first was the best defense Choi Jae-won could muster. Even as he trudged in, Ryu Ho-yeon kept talking behind his back, asking if that meant he didn’t want to go on the blind date.
* * *
For several days after that, the two continued a cold war that wasn’t really a cold war. It was Choi Jae-won’s unilateral declaration of a cold war regime, and of course, Ryu Ho-yeon didn’t notice. Even during the cold war, the only changes were reducing the amount of Ryu Ho-yeon’s favorite side dishes in the daily breakfast or holding hands longer during guiding out of greed. It would be stranger if Ryu Ho-yeon had noticed.
“Oh, really? Then when does the next volume come out?”
“I’ve already pre-ordered it. It should be out by next week at the latest.”
“It’s been so long, really.”
Now, he’s not even annoyed anymore. Is it because he’s realized in many ways that he’s too insignificant to be jealous? Watching Lee Han-seo and Ryu Ho-yeon chatting happily about some unknown topic, each with their pairs hanging on them like accessories, Choi Jae-won barely suppressed a sigh.
That’s when it happened. Lee Han-seo, unaware of what had transpired between Choi Jae-won and Ryu Ho-yeon, suddenly dropped a bombshell.
“Did you hear about Hyesu noona asking for a blind date?”
That damn blind date. Just thinking about it again makes his teeth grind. According to additional information Choi Jae-won later obtained, the ‘older female friend’ in question was Lee Hyesu, an A-grade mental Esper. Apparently, she was close with Lee Jung-hyuk and Lee Han-seo from a young age, naturally becoming acquainted with Ryu Ho-yeon as well. In Ryu Ho-yeon’s sparse human relationships, that level of connection was clearly in the upper ranks. Choi Jae-won didn’t want to think about it, but he couldn’t be sure if he was ranked higher than that ‘older female friend’ in Ryu Ho-yeon’s relationship hierarchy.
“Yeah. I asked if he knew anyone and thought about introducing Choi Jae-won, but he hung up cursing. Your cousin’s appearance and personality are impeccable. It’s strange.”
“No, wait, that’s…”
If that older female friend had just been an acquaintance, it would have been annoying enough, but she’s even an Esper. It’s already strange for an Esper to set up a blind date for a pair Guide, but for the potential match to be another Esper?
It was Choi Jae-won’s biased view, but even Lee Han-seo, who usually acted particularly oblivious in front of Choi Jae-won, seemed at a loss for words, quickly checking Choi Jae-won’s expression with his mouth agape.
‘Hey, are, are you okay…?’
Lee Han-seo mouthed silently over Ryu Ho-yeon’s head, who was still tilting his head in confusion, not understanding what the problem was. Choi Jae-won wordlessly lifted the corners of his mouth. Needless to say, the angle of that lift was somewhat crooked.
He should be grateful that Ryu Ho-yeon wasn’t volunteering himself as a candidate to be that older female friend’s boyfriend, instead of trying to set up a blind date.
Meanwhile, Lee Han-seo’s beloved boyfriend, Park Woo-jun, was smiling perfectly like a mannequin. That artificial appearance somehow felt uncomfortable. Although he had been pretending not to notice, it had actually been like this for quite some time. While he hated getting involved in others’ affairs, he disliked even more that Ryu Ho-yeon was concerned about Park Woo-jun’s strange behavior. Choi Jae-won called Lee Han-seo aside, using the excuse of needing to discuss family matters.
There wasn’t really a suitable place to talk nearby, even after leaving the workshop, as it was a research facility. Lee Han-seo briefly looked around and then, acting like the senior with more experience at the center, confidently led Choi Jae-won without hesitation. They arrived at the lobby cafe. Lee Han-seo added that since they were already out, they might as well buy some snacks, and ordered two drinks to start.
“What is it? Are you worried about Ho-yeon’s birthday gift again?”
That was surprising. He hadn’t even thought about it. Ryu Ho-yeon’s resident registration number, which only came out this year, actually had the date of registration as the birthdate, not his actual birthday. When asked why it wasn’t his birthday, Ryu Ho-yeon said he didn’t know the reason either, just that his mother told him to do it that way. Damn, this is a problem. It was important to find out what he liked and disliked, but he should have looked into this first.
“Ah. No, that’s not it.”
Choi Jae-won habitually denied it at first. The long-standing inferiority complex kept popping up whenever he stood in front of his cousin.
“What is it then? Do you have anything else to ask me about other than Ho-yeon?”
There isn’t. That’s true. But there is another purpose for bringing him out today. Choi Jae-won pretended to change the subject and started, “About your Esper, Team Leader Park Woo-jun…” Lee Han-seo didn’t seem inclined to answer. He dodged the question like a slippery loach and countered by asking if he knew that Ho-yeon’s birthday was next week.
“…!! Ah, you should have told me that first! Ne-next week, you say?”
“Tsk tsk. You still have a long way to go.”
The one-sided cold war ended so easily. Choi Jae-won immediately started placing endless orders from the department store’s food section, intending to prepare a proper feast with seaweed, abalone, and beef ribs.
“I haven’t practiced making seaweed soup yet, what should I do? No, wait. When exactly is it? If we suddenly have to enter a dungeon that day… Hyung, can’t you and Team Leader Park Woo-jun go in instead of us just for that day?”
“We don’t mind going in, but sorry. We have an S-grade alert that day.”
“You’re never any help when it’s really needed…”
“Hey now. As if you’re ever any help to us?”
“Whatever. Ah, what kind of gift should I get that he’d like?”
“Try to get the first edition limited version of that comic book Ho-yeon and I were talking about before. He’s been wanting to get it for a while but still hasn’t managed to.”
“How am I supposed to get that? Even Ho-yeon hyung hasn’t been able to get it for years.”
“Well. Try talking to Director Kim. Won’t he be able to get it somehow?”
Director Kim was a group employee directly under the Chairman’s office, dedicated to managing the daily affairs of the Vice Chairman’s family. Lee Han-seo said that when he doesn’t know something, he asks Director Seo, who is in charge of his family, for everything, as he sipped his lemonade.
Both of them, equally born as young masters with nothing but money, clicked their tongues at each other’s faces. Thinking, “What a hopeless young master.”