Wonwoo recalled what Jinho looked like an hour or two ago, under the soft, atmospheric lighting befitting a famous date spot. The way he had smiled shyly at him, followed by a small laugh.
‘I believe in destiny. Strongly. And I think my destiny is you, Wonwoo-hyung.’
No matter how many times he thought about it and mulled it over, Jinho’s words sounded like a confession. Or had the meaning of the word "destiny" changed without his knowledge? If not that, was it really some kind of slang among Espers?
Hearing the word "destiny" from someone he had just met, Wonwoo felt a strange, ticklish sensation all over his body. It felt like even the backs of his knees were itchy, so he sat cross-legged on his bed and replayed that moment in his mind.
Just as Wonwoo’s eyes were darting around, wondering how to respond to Jinho’s words, a message from Yonghyun arrived at the perfect time. A constant stream of major incidents meant that it would be difficult for him to join them at the restaurant. As soon as he received the message, Wonwoo shot up from his seat.
‘The Chief says it’s going to be difficult for him to come. Um, should we get going then, too?’
He didn't know how he got home after that. First, he almost lost his mind at the countless digits written on the restaurant receipt.
In truth, having been treated to an expensive and delicious meal, Wonwoo had been planning to treat him back later. He'd been in a state of frantic, solitary confusion, wondering, ‘Should I look for the most expensive coffee in Korea? That one related to that cat, the lu-? lu-a? Luwak? Is there a place that sells that?!’
After paying and leaving, while walking to the subway station, he vaguely recalled Jinho saying things like, ‘I have to stop by the Bureau tomorrow anyway, so since things turned out this way, would you like to go together?’ and ‘I don’t know when was the last time I walked the night streets so leisurely.’ But Wonwoo couldn't remember clearly.
‘The moon we’re seeing like this is truly… beautiful.’
That was because the last thing he heard before parting with Jinho was a classic romantic cliché with a 200% chance of being misunderstood by anyone who heard it. At the time he heard it, Wonwoo had replied, "Haha, it is," and laughed it off, but thinking about it now, it wasn't something he should have laughed off so casually.
"Yeah, that can't be it. Haha, there's no way he meant it like that."
It felt as if he could hear the words ‘I love you’ from somewhere, and Wonwoo shook his head to dispel the illusion. There was no way someone would say that to a person they’d known for less than a day. As if to tease Wonwoo for thinking that, a humming alarm sounded.
[Normally, kindness extends to pork, but from beef onwards, it's personal interest, isn't it? ✪ω✪]
[The grams of top-grade Korean beef that user ‘Wonwoo’ ate today alone were… 300g!]
"That's just me. You said Jinho-ssi makes a lot of money. For that amount, it could have just been a simple meal he was buying. No, the fact that I'm even making excuses is ridiculous… No, wait a minute. So you're saying Jinho-ssi has personal feelings for me?"
[(* >∀<)ノ]
When Wonwoo asked demandingly, the system only displayed a message with a cheeky-faced emoticon.
"This system, it has no filter…! And come to think of it, how did you know the gram count?! Did I really eat that much?"
[(｡･∀･)ﾉ Here’s a summary of the food user Wonwoo ate!]
[First, the wine you drank with the meal was a 1949 Château La Tour! Though user ‘Wonwoo’ said the taste was odd and only had a sip or two!]
[On top of that, the pasta Wonwoo ate was packed not only with snow crab but also with sea urchin roe…!]
"I, I was already feeling guilty just thinking about what I ate...."
[No matter how you look at it, that wasn't a menu selection made without personal feelings, was it!]
[Plus, didn't Esper Han Jinho ask you on a date? ( *︾▽︾)]
Wonwoo let out a flustered, excuse-laden remark at the system's message.
"No, how can you call it a date when it was just a suggestion to meet the next day because our three-way meeting fell through!"
[‘SYSTEM’ actively supports the smooth progression of the relationship between the Esper and user ‘Wonwoo’! (≧∇≦)ﾉ]
"What the hell are you talking about!"
[But, looking at the amount on the receipt Esper Han Jinho received, it has 7 digits. (∼￣▽￣)∼]
“……”
The food was expensive, yes, but I really ate a freaking lot, so that’s why it came out to so much….
Wonwoo shed a tear and slapped his own mouth. Of course, he couldn't actually hit it, only doing so many times in his mind. He had lost his mind and eaten because his conscience had lost the battle, but if a person had any shame, they shouldn't have eaten that much.
No matter how much Jinho considered it the equivalent of his simple soup and rice, if you eat 50 bowls of that soup, aren't you a shameless bastard? It was only now that Wonwoo’s heart filled with tears of regret as he threw himself onto the bed.
"Tomorrow, I can just treat him tomorrow!"
He had no idea what he could possibly do to repay such a tremendous meal, but for now, Wonwoo ignored the reality before him and mulled over the promise to meet Jinho in front of the Bureau headquarters tomorrow.
While contemplating what time he would have to wake up to get to the Bureau headquarters, Wonwoo realized it wasn't even 9 o'clock yet.
"The day is… incredibly long."
The day had been so long that if he hadn't checked the time, he would have thought it was at least 11 o'clock.
Even when he died and came back to life and found out he had become a Guide, and when he was waiting for the malfunctioning system to return, time hadn't felt this long.
With that thought, Wonwoo pulled the bundled-up blanket from his feet and covered his body. As the soft, warm fabric touched him, the tension immediately left, and his whole body grew languid. Wonwoo wiggled his toes for no particular reason.
‘GRUUUUCK!!!GRUUUUCK!!!!’
It was his first time facing a Gate directly, his first time facing a monster that had emerged from a Gate. To think you could smell such a foul, fishy stench even from the river….
Wonwoo sniffed unconsciously as he recalled the kraken-like monster. The vile smell, the cry so loud it hurt his ears, and the strength to crush everything.
The monster was so enormous that it was hard to believe it had frozen with a single gesture from Yonghyun.
Excluding matters related to his family, Wonwoo considered himself to be a lucky person.
Even though he had received countless disaster alerts, he had never actually seen a Gate. Even when a Gate opened at his university, he had only heard that it ‘happened’ and had never encountered one.
But now, facing a real Gate that wasn't some virtual experience… it felt suffocating. So this is what a disaster is. I've been living safely… all this time.
"So, you're saying that now, these Gates… will appear more often, and in greater numbers?"
At Wonwoo's small question, the system made an alarm sound and displayed a message.
[Does user ‘Wonwoo’ know what the frequency and number of Gate appearances have been like so far?]
“…Um, roughly.”
Even though Wonwoo had never faced a Gate directly, he knew about them because news outlets and messenger notification tabs diligently reported on the Gate situation.
[Starting with double that number… as time passes, it will become triple, quadruple, and then tens of times more. (´。＿。｀)]
[More Gates, appearing more frequently…! (；′⌒`)]
[That is why the existence of user and Guide ‘Wonwoo’ is extremely important! ( •̀ω•́)✧]
For a brief moment, Wonwoo stared blankly at his phone screen. Seeing his name and the word ‘important’ together felt unfamiliar and strange.
“…To be honest, I don't really know.”
Why him, of all people? The system hadn't given him an answer from the first time he asked until now. Even if he asked again, the system would just display a ‘■□■□■□’ message, busy avoiding the situation. In such a circumstance, facing a disaster and defeating it was something that required immense courage.
He didn't realize it during the Gate raid, but thinking back on that moment now, alone in this empty space, felt suffocating. Once the ‘taste’ of the food that had tickled his palate faded, what remained was fear and anxiety.
“…Hoo.”
Wonwoo bit his lip and took a deep breath. Thinking about the ordinary person he was until just a few days ago, this worried version of himself felt alien.
[‘Wonwoo’ is not alone, I hope you don't forget that.]
[Not only is there ‘SYSTEM,’ but there are Espers who will be with Wonwoo! @(ㅇㅅㅇ@)]
“…Thanks. But, um.”
They were people he had just met. Could he be sure they could be together?
Wonwoo bit his lip and thought deeply. It was clear that both Yonghyun and Jinho were favorable toward him. On top of that, he had succeeded in appealing his ability as a ‘Guide’ to Yonghyun. And for some reason, Jinho had even made a kind offer to work together as freelancers.
But working with such people was one thing, and standing directly in front of a Gate to raid it was another.
Could he, who wasn't even an Esper, who had been an ordinary person until a few days ago, stand before that Gate? Could he face a monster and still be able to move? Furthermore, there was no guarantee that the two Espers he had yet to meet would be favorable toward him.
Wonwoo felt a throbbing headache coming on. And the headache that came with it made Wonwoo's eyes, already drowsy from being burrowed deep in the blanket, close. Just like that, Wonwoo sank into a deep sleep. As if he were running away from the things to come, avoiding them and escaping into sleep.
Comments Box