This Bratty Esper’s Karma? I’ll Handle It - Chapter 5.2
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t sad.
Especially because he had desperately wanted to become a Guide for his lover’s sake.
Feeling tears threatening to rise, he tilted his head upward for a moment while repeating inwardly that he’d be a fucking idiot if he cried here.
“Hyung, does that mean you’re paired with me now? Are you my Guide?”
Calling Lee Yoon-gyeom by the familiar title, Baek Han-gyeol walked toward the bed. Lee Yoon-gyeom, who had been firmly pressing around his eyes, slowly lowered his head. Then he spoke dryly to Baek Han-gyeol, who had perched on the edge of his bed.
“I know you’re younger than me, but how long have we even known each other for you to call me hyung?”
“You can drop the formal speech too, hyung.”
Despite Lee Yoon-gyeom’s prickly question, Baek Han-gyeol kept smiling brightly. What was he so happy about? Lee Yoon-gyeom stared at him with faint curiosity. Baek Han-gyeol leaned his upper body back, his gray hair flowing softly along his jawline. Sunlight streaming through the hospital window caught in his red eyes, giving them an enigmatic glow.
Lee Yoon-gyeom was briefly mesmerized by the picturesque sight when Baek Han-gyeol suddenly asked.
“I should be better than Yoo Hae-seong.”
His pupils were half-covered by the outer corners of his eyes as they curved roundly. After throwing out the shameless question, Baek Han-gyeol abruptly leaned toward Lee Yoon-gyeom. His head lightly touched the smaller man’s shoulder.
“In terms of ability and face.”
The upward gaze was so direct that Lee Yoon-gyeom looked away for a moment. Then he grew incredibly serious.
From what he’d heard, Baek Han-gyeol was a cold Esper with a horrible personality.
Someone who allowed no one near him, listened to no one, and acted solely according to his own judgment.
And yet, what was this?
The Baek Han-gyeol leaning against his shoulder was like an oversized, shameless dog.
Is something wrong with him? While Lee Yoon-gyeom seriously contemplated it, he suddenly felt a hand patting his lower back. Lee Yoon-gyeom immediately shoved Baek Han-gyeol’s head away with one hand.
“Ah, don’t touch me.”
“Oh, you dropped the formal speech.”
“No, I did not.”
Lee Yoon-gyeom denied it immediately and turned his gaze away. Baek Han-gyeol, who had obediently allowed himself to be pushed aside, kept smiling. Lee Yoon-gyeom glanced at him and became certain.
Something about this guy was definitely off.
“Do we just become a pair like this?”
Lee Yoon-gyeom asked the Center Director. The Center Director, who had been staring at Baek Han-gyeol with his mouth hanging open, belatedly cleared his throat.
“Does Guide Lee Yoon-gyeom not agree?”
The Center Director added that Lee Yoon-gyeom’s wishes were important. Lee Yoon-gyeom thought about it.
He was glad that, even belatedly, he’d finally become the Guide he’d wanted so badly to be. He had awakened one way or another, so now he had to think about what to do from here. But honestly, Guides and Espers could hardly be called equals.
Especially paired ones.
Once a Guide formed a pair with an Esper, there was more physical contact, and because of that, plenty of Guides developed feelings for their Espers.
Well, there would be nothing to worry about if things worked out between them, but that wasn’t always how it went.
There were plenty of Espers who took advantage of that too.
There was a strong perception that Guides were weak beings protected by Espers with superior combat abilities. That was why they remained in the rear and provided support. Even though he’d awakened as an SS-rank, Lee Yoon-gyeom knew his situation probably wouldn’t be any different. The problem was simply that he didn’t want to be treated that way.
On top of that, becoming exclusively assigned to Baek Han-gyeol felt burdensome.
Lee Yoon-gyeom had already experienced more than enough how the greater people’s expectations were, the greater their disappointment became.
After finishing his thoughts, Lee Yoon-gyeom spoke.
“Honestly, it feels like a lot of pressure. I don’t even remember guiding Esper Baek Han-gyeol, and there’s no guarantee my guiding will continue working.”
“That can’t be. You’re SS-rank.”
The Center Director answered as though he couldn’t understand him at all. Lee Yoon-gyeom replied calmly.
“What I wanted was something around a Grade 7 civil servant, and now you’re suddenly telling me to become President. There’s nothing more burdensome than that.”
“You don’t remember guiding him?”
“No.”
Baek Han-gyeol, who had quietly been listening to the conversation between the Center Director and Lee Yoon-gyeom, tilted his head. Yoon-gyeom had seemed almost unconscious when he awakened, so was that why? Baek Han-gyeol considered it, then lightly poked Lee Yoon-gyeom’s cheek.
“……?”
An irritated glare immediately flew toward him. Thinking it was simply adorable, Baek Han-gyeol opened both arms.
“Hyung, try hugging me. The wave watch is accurate.”
“…What?”
“A hug isn’t something to be shy about after we’ve already kissed, right?”
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