SWNOVELXO 48
48
That… young brat is acting up.
Siwoo couldn’t bring himself to retort and just bit his lip. He felt that if he confronted him now, he’d only get hungrier.
Inwardly seething, he glared at the back of Seojun’s head. He knew Seojun had a strange personality, but he didn’t expect him to change so abruptly.
What happened to when he was begging Siwoo to join his guild? To avoid thinking about him, Siwoo shifted his gaze to the window.
It wasn’t surprising for a person’s attitude to change overnight. Humans were the kind of creatures who could laugh one day and hurl insults the next.
Fearing his stomach might growl, he hugged the envelope of documents to his chest, covering his hungry belly. He wanted to touch the mouse doll in his pocket, but he resisted, knowing it would make a sound.
As they neared the dormitory building, Seojun checked his phone. Just as they stopped at a red light, he received a text from Jihan hyung.
Make sure to feed him before sending him back.
Seojun sighed deeply as he saw the large smiley emoji Jihan had sent. If he went straight to the dorm like this, it would be obvious they hadn’t gone to eat, so he turned the steering wheel first.
“Where are you going?”
As Seojun turned the wheel just before reaching their destination, Siwoo looked bewildered.
“We’ll stop by a nearby cafe for a bit.”
“Why a cafe?”
“Jihan hyung insisted I feed you something.”
Seojun looked for the cafe closest to the dormitory. There were quite a few cafes and restaurants gathered near the dorm. These were spaces where anyone could enter, regardless of whether they were Espers or guides.
“If you don’t want to eat, at least have some water.”
They needed to sit together for at least 10 minutes to have the excuse that they ate something quickly before parting. Seojun looked around for the most quiet cafe.
“I’m hungry.”
Just then, a sulky voice pierced from behind.
“I said I’m hungry!”
Siwoo shouted, telling him to stop the car immediately. He wanted to go into any restaurant and fill his stomach right away. As his hunger intensified, his irritation surged.
He became even angrier seeing Seojun acting so rudely, when he had been all smiles saying he’d treat Siwoo well if he just joined the guild.
“Stop quickly!”
“Alright, alright.”
Seojun covered his ears and glanced at Siwoo through the rearview mirror as he parked in front of a restaurant.
“You pay. You’re rich, aren’t you?”
It was an overly confident attitude for asking someone to buy a meal. Before Seojun could answer, Siwoo got out of the car first and ran into the restaurant.
Seojun turned off the engine and coldly watched Siwoo disappear into the restaurant. Should he just leave now?
Ever since he heard Siwoo yelling that he came only for the money, his impression of him had reverted to square one. Of course, Seojun had lured him with money first, but hearing that it was truly the only reason he came to the guild didn’t sit well with him.
[I think money is the most important thing in the world! If it weren’t for the money, I wouldn’t have come!]
Any thoughts of Siwoo being a decent guide had completely evaporated. He was just like all the other guides. The kind that saw Espers merely as a means to make money.
He seriously considered abandoning the guide and driving away, but thinking of Jihan hyung, he got out of the car.
“Oh! Esper Ha Seojun?”
As he was about to enter the restaurant, forcing his heavy legs to move, a group of unfamiliar Espers greeted him cheerfully.
“Hello! Are you here for a meal?”
“Yes, hello.”
Seojun nodded his head out of habit. However, the group of Espers hesitated and observed his reaction.
“Are you… in a bad mood today?”
“You’re not sick, are you?”
At these unexpected questions, Seojun slightly frowned. Then, realizing his mistake, he quickly relaxed his expression and put on a belated smile.
“I’m just not feeling well today. Thank you for your concern.”
He had let his guard down. Seojun hadn’t realized he wasn’t smiling even in front of Siwoo. That’s how low his mood had been.
“I was startled because your expression was so dark!”
“Please eat and get some rest. Health is the most important thing.”
“Fighting, Esper Ha Seojun!”
Seojun exchanged smiles and greetings with the group of Espers before entering the restaurant. If it weren’t for them, he might have gone around with a sour face all day.
This was all because of that self-centered guide. That money-loving, ill-mannered guide.
As Seojun entered the restaurant, he stared at the white lump sitting in the farthest corner. Siwoo was glaring at him, urging him to hurry up with his eyes.
Anyone watching would think I’m the one here for a free meal. Seojun suppressed a rising laugh as he approached Siwoo.
He knew Siwoo had an unusual personality, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad.
“Hurry up. I’m hungry.”
Seojun had thought the guide would at least feel some guilt towards Geonho hyung.
But shamelessly, he said he came only for the money. He even spouted nonsense about the person who was fooled being stupid. And to make matters worse, Geonho hyung overheard it.
“What are you going to eat? I heard they serve a lot of seaweed soup here.”
His heart, which had grown numb from dealing with all sorts of strange guides, was strangely scratched. Clearly, on a normal day, he would have treated the guide indifferently, but for some reason, he found it hard to smile.
“The pork cutlet portion is big too.”
He didn’t understand himself. It felt odd to be disappointed in a guide he barely knew.
What exactly had he expected? Why was he so angry?
“Hey, I asked what you’re going to eat.”
“Order anything.”
Seojun handed his wallet to Siwoo as if throwing it and looked out the window. Although he was smiling, conscious of the surrounding gazes, his voice was curt. This was the best effort he could muster.
Siwoo clenched his fist for a moment before taking the wallet and standing up. He glared at Seojun, who wasn’t following, all the way to the kiosk.
“The young one has no manners.”
With glinting eyes, he ordered a ton of food from the menu. It was with the mindset of showing what happens when you leave a cat in charge of fish.
After finishing his order, instead of returning to his seat, he waited near the kiosk for the food to come out. He didn’t want to sit idly with Seojun. He hated seeing him put on a fake act in front of people.
As he was checking the order number, hoping the food would come out quickly, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
“No, I’m telling you we just held hands!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I saw everything. You two were embracing and all.”
The group entering the restaurant made eye contact with Siwoo. They were his training colleagues and roommates from the same dormitory.
“…”
Siwoo awkwardly nodded his head. It was even more awkward since it was the first time he had met his roommates outside. Even though they weren’t close, he still greeted them first since they shared a room.
“Where should we sit?”
“Let’s go by the window. The window. The weather’s nice today.”
However, the group of guides ignored Siwoo and walked past him without acknowledging him.
Siwoo regretted trying to be friendly and glanced at where Seojun was sitting. Fortunately, he was sitting with his back to the entrance, looking out the window. He was relieved that Seojun hadn’t seen him being ignored. He didn’t want to be caught in such an embarrassing situation.
“Isn’t that Esper Ha Seojun over there?”
“Where? Oh, it really is.”
The group of guides who came to the kiosk to order food pointed at Seojun.
“Wow, it’s my first time seeing Ha Seojun in person. This is so cool.”
“How can his body be like that? He looks even bigger than the rumors say.”
“I heard he responds to everyone who greets him. Should we try?”
Siwoo tried to ignore his fussing roommates and focused only on the order number. Just then, Siwoo’s number was called.
He quickly ran to the pickup counter but couldn’t immediately grab the food, his mouth hanging open.
“It’s going to be heavy. Can you carry it?”
Since he had ordered extra large portions of everything, the bowl sizes were enormous. The extra large portions were meant for Espers, so the size and weight of the dishes were extraordinary. It looked like even one tray would be difficult to carry.
The flustered Siwoo, conscious of his roommates’ stares fixed on him, tried to leave quickly. He could feel that they were talking about him as they whispered and laughed.
Having endured this often in the dormitory, Siwoo lifted his chin and picked up one tray. Even though he chose the tray that looked the least heavy, his arms trembled. It was because his strength was depleted.
This is bad if I drop it. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the plates on the tray tilted to one side. At the same time, hot soup sloshed and fell on Siwoo’s hand.
Siwoo’s eyes, which had been clenched shut, suddenly widened.
The back of his hand where the hot liquid had touched felt cold. Surprised by the chill that made his hand tingle, he ended up dropping the tray.
“Are you okay?”
Seojun, who had caught the tray Siwoo dropped, supported him. He brushed off the ice crystals covering the back of Siwoo’s hand and checked its condition.
Seojun was an ice-type ability user. He could freeze any object.
“I’ll carry it, so please sit down, Guide-nim.”
Seojun supported the startled Siwoo and personally escorted him to the table. Siwoo just stared blankly as Seojun easily carried the heavy trays with both hands.
So he’s an ice ability user. It was the first time he learned this.
“Eat quickly. Didn’t you say you were hungry?”
Seojun personally placed a spoon in Siwoo’s hand and picked up his own utensils. Although he wasn’t hungry, he couldn’t just leave the trays that filled the table untouched.
If you weren’t going to eat it all, why order so much out of spite?
Seojun, who had been subtly glaring at Siwoo, swallowed a laugh at the sight of him stuffing his mouth full of food. He really must have been hungry.
“Jihan hyung says to eat slowly.”
Seojun gently pushed a glass of water towards Siwoo, who wasn’t listening to his words at all. However, instead of water, Siwoo gulped down the soup and diligently picked up side dishes to eat.
When delicious food was placed in front of him, his eyes would roll back no matter the situation. Right now, filling his stomach came first.
* * *
Seojun parked the car near the dormitory building.
Throughout the journey back to the dorm after the meal, Seojun and Siwoo didn’t engage in much conversation. There was just a strangely awkward air between them. Siwoo couldn’t stand this kind of atmosphere very well.
“I’m going.”
He opened the car door and got out as if escaping. Just around the corner was the entrance to the dormitory building. He was about to run straight towards the entrance.
“Guide-nim.”
Before that, Seojun suddenly got out too. He hadn’t said a word the entire drive.
Siwoo turned around reluctantly to face him.
“What?”
“Are you really not sorry?”
It was an unexpected question, but Siwoo didn’t ask what he meant. He immediately understood what Seojun was referring to.
“You should at least feel sorry towards Geonho hyung.”
Seojun, who took a step closer to Siwoo, put his hands in his pockets.
“After how much Geonho hyung fussed over you.”
When Siwoo averted his gaze, Seojun leaned forward to stare at him more intently.
“He literally fussed over you with his mouth. Almost every day. How much must he have cared to do that? Fussing over you while eating, fussing over you while sleeping—”
“Ah, enough about the fussing already!”
Siwoo rubbed his reddened ears vigorously. It was an undeniable fact.
Siwoo, who had been scuffing the ground with his foot, looked up at Seojun. He was standing still, waiting for an answer. It seemed he wouldn’t leave without hearing it.
Just saying it was something he blurted out in the heat of the moment… It felt like it would sound more like an excuse, so the words wouldn’t come out. But that was the truth.
“Han Siwoo, that ill-mannered brat?”
Just as Siwoo was about to open his mouth, he bit his lip at the sound of voices approaching from afar. A guide walking with his colleague was on the phone.
“Are you crazy? With Ha Seojun? Baekya Guild’s Ha Seojun?”
“What? What’s going on?”
“The ill-mannered guy from our room apparently just had a date with Ha Seojun at a restaurant.”
“What?! With Ha Seojun?!”
The roommates who had met Siwoo at the restaurant were spreading the news.
Siwoo held his breath, hoping they would quickly enter the building. He couldn’t make out the details of their conversation clearly. Only the insults directed at him were distinctly audible.
“Why with him? Are they dating? Since when?”
“I don’t know. What’s with Ha Seojun’s taste? Is he just looking at his young face?”
“Ask him when you get back today. If they’re really dating.”
“I don’t want to talk to him.”
The guide clicked his tongue, emphasizing that he absolutely didn’t want to get close to Siwoo.
“His expression is always disgusting, and you can’t even talk to him. He doesn’t do any work but stays out overnight all the time. He’s hardly ever in the dorm these days.”
“Then where does he sleep?”
“I don’t know. I don’t care.”
“Wow, he must be living up to his looks.”
The guide who had giggled clapped his hands and spoke as if he had just remembered something.
“And he kind of smells.”
The excessive criticism directed at Siwoo continued even after they passed through the entrance.
Siwoo, who had bitten his lip until it turned red, only inhaled after their voices had faded away. Thinking his flushed cheeks might have turned red, he quickly lowered his head. Then, worried it might look like he was crying, he lifted his chin again.
Siwoo was about to leave, forgetting even the content of his conversation with Seojun. Before his face could get any redder.
“They were your roommates, right? From the restaurant earlier too.”
Why can’t he just ignore it? Seojun insisted on speaking.
“Don’t mind them.”
Siwoo muttered as he hurried his steps. He didn’t want to return to the dorm right now, but he had nowhere else to go. Thinking about the guide who had just been gossiping about him being in the room made his feet even heavier.
“Pack your things and come out.”
Siwoo, who had stopped abruptly, hesitated before turning around slightly. At the same time, his eyes met Seojun’s.
“I’ll wait for 10 minutes.”
He was looking down at Siwoo with a dry expression. There was no sign of mockery or contempt. He wasn’t pitying him either.
“If 10 minutes pass, I’m just leaving.”
Seojun just left those words and returned to the car. Siwoo stood there dazed, but moved his feet first at Seojun’s additional words before he closed the car door.
“Should we make it 5 minutes?”
Siwoo, who had dashed into the building, came out with his luggage packed in just 4 minutes.