#48
It was the first time he'd ever felt like this. A tingly, soft, cloud-like feeling that spread throughout his body.
How could this be, when they hadn't even exchanged a single word, only met eyes? It felt as if all his senses were focused on him.
It wasn't a simple matter of a crush. It felt as if his heart was pounding so hard it would leap out of his body.
It was comfortable. The ominous, suffocating heat that always tormented him felt as if it had met a giant raincloud and been washed away, clean and cool. A comfort enveloped his entire body.
Within that comfort, Juwon slowly took in the sight of Wonwoo, as if examining him piece by piece.
With eyebrows that sloped slightly downwards, round eyes, and corners of his mouth that turned up just a bit, he looked gentle from every angle.
Perhaps because his impression was the complete opposite of his own, his gaze lingered on him even more.
‘So he’s the one who cleared the Gate with Kim Hyeonil and Han Jinho?’
He hadn't seemed so in the video, but seeing him in person, he looked so frail it seemed a strong gust of wind in a Gate or a stomp from a monster’s foot would blow him away. It was even more pronounced standing next to Yonghyun, who was over 190 cm tall.
‘How can they take someone so powerless to clear a Gate? Is he the type who doesn't eat well? Or maybe a picky eater? Is he unwell?’
Despite not having even properly introduced himself yet, Juwon began to imagine forming a party with Wonwoo, joining a Gate raid, and protecting him from a monster's attack.
Then, before he could come to his senses, he blurted out a blunt remark instead of a greeting.
‘What's this. No way, is this frail-looking thing the Guide?"
Juwon’s intention to ask if he was eating properly because he looked very unwell got horribly twisted after passing through his ‘Mouth of Terror’, ending up far from what was in his heart.
Only after seeing Wonwoo’s expression freeze the instant his words were out did Juwon realize what he had said.
‘Ah, ah damn it. That's not what I meant…!’
The words he spat out next to fix the situation also came out tangled and twisted.
Juwon’s intended meaning—that it would be dangerous to enter a Gate like this, so it would be better to build up some physical strength through training before jumping into real combat—became....
‘Can you even be of any help in a Gate like this?’
Juwon chose to simply shut his mouth and not say anything more. In his mind, he was tearing his hair out, stomping his feet, and didn't forget to smack his own mouth repeatedly.
He felt like an idiot. Even after spitting out such pathetic words, his gaze kept drifting towards Wonwoo, and Juwon had to scowl to endure it.
He never knew the day would come when he would relate so deeply to the lyrics that one becomes a childish fool when they fall in love.
What Juwon did best was scoff at rambling love songs or snort at romance dramas with protagonists who fall in love at first sight, thinking, ‘As if that ever happens.’
Especially when his senior, Lee Yul, a romance drama fanatic, would be bawling his eyes out watching a drama and trying to sell him on the charm of the love exchanged between the main characters, he would just go ‘Hmph’ and scoff.
Of course, after doing that several times and getting a hard smack on the head, he only did it in his mind.
If people fell in love just by making eye contact, why would the world be so bleak? That was what Juwon had thought.
‘It's always the ones who've never dated who try to find reasons and causes in love!’
Lee Yul had grumbled and chided him, asking if there was any reason or logic in love, but regardless, Juwon felt uncomfortable with emotions that lacked a ‘convincing reason.’
And yet, here he was, swept up in such an impulsive emotion.
As Jaeyoon wracked his brain, asking what he was going to do now and how he was going to approach the Guide, it was Juwon himself who wanted to cry.
‘Ah… I must have ruined my first impression.’
"Right.... So you were embarrassed. Our Juwon was…."
"Th-that's. I mean, yes."
"...It's already happened. What can you do? Should we look up how to turn back time?"
Juwon, who just a moment ago had been searching the internet on his phone for how to turn back time, ducked his head to avoid Jaeyoon’s gaze.
"First, let's go back to the guild and discuss it. How to fix the first impression our maknae ruined, and about cooperating with the Guide Guild. So, don't think about playing games right now, and think about it.".
"Yes.... Underst, ood."
If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have learned how to cooperate with people outside the guild. Juwon, whose communication with non-guild members was practically zero, cursed the ground in regret, thinking of the bed he had made for himself.
‘No, it's not too late. Even now... somehow, as much as possible.’
Juwon recalled what Wonwoo had said during the meeting.
‘I'm going to create a guild. And from now on, I plan to clear Gates with S-rank Espers through cooperative relationships.’
Although he spoke in a very reluctant voice, Wonwoo had revealed his future plans to Jaeyoon and Juwon as well. In between, Hyeonil, Jinho, and Yonghyun—helped out by chiming in from time to time.
‘When we S-rank Espers participate in a Gate raid, Wonwoo-ssi will be joining us from now on. We plan to keep Wonwoo-ssi's existence a secret for now to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.’
‘It's as the Chief said. So Juwon...ssi and the Geonyeong Guild, please also keep my identity and information as secret as possible for now.’
‘If I had my way, Guide, no. I'd want to wrap Wonwoo in a blanket and keep him with us at Black Star.’
‘Hyeonil-ssi, you've been making comments that sound like you're about to commit a crime… Are you really going to kidnap Wonwoo hyung?'
Facing the four who already exuded the atmosphere of ‘a single team,’ Jaeyoon had no choice but to open his mouth very cautiously.
‘Um... Guide-nim. You said you would be working with S-rank Espers. Does that mean you plan to cooperate with our Geonyeong Guild as well?’
Normally, or if things had gone according to the original plan, Wonwoo would have readily nodded at Jaeyoon’s words. But Wonwoo didn't want to. He hesitated for a moment, glanced at Juwon, and then shook his head.
‘Not right now, but after... the guild is established. I think it would be good to talk again then.’
As soon as he finished speaking, Wonwoo smiled, but that smile was tinged with awkwardness and discomfort. It was so obvious that even Juwon, who was clueless at reading people's expressions, could tell.
Fidgeting at this, Juwon blurted out another sharp remark without realizing it.
His intention to say that he respected his careful choice and that it was good to proceed slowly since they had just met, but he hoped Wonwoo wouldn't overthink it, became....
‘Ah, you're so picky. What’s so difficult about cooperating?’
It turned into a thoughtless comment that made Wonwoo’s face scrunch up and Jaeyoon’s beside him turn pale.
"Because of you, seriously, the Guild Master and I are not going to live to see old age. For real."
"It's fine, I've saved you a few times before, haven't I? Let's just call it even with that."
"If you're going to count it like that, are you not counting the fact that the Guild Master and I basically raised you? Gosh, if you were at least mute, you wouldn't be so detestable."
But to continue nagging Juwon, his expression and mood were unusual.
The corners of his eyebrows, always sharply raised, were now demurely and calmly lowered. His eyes, always brimming with confidence, now held a sullen emotion, making him seem unusually docile.
Moreover, Juwon, who by now would normally be playing some mobile game—be it a battle royale or a fantasy game, who knows—without a care in the world if his team leader was in front of him, was now, completely unlike his usual self, searching the internet for things like ‘how to build a good impression,’ ‘how to change a bad image,’ and ‘how to speak kindly.’
Yes, to anyone, he looked like a dejected puppy. The cheetah that used to be on edge, baring its teeth and growling, had been reduced to a whimpering mutt from the neighborhood.
"Why... did I do that...."
"A little late for that now, isn't it?"
"......"
"I'm telling you, you need to fix that damned temper of yours first."
"Then, how do I fix this damned temper?"
Ruining the first impression was one thing, and his relationship with the Guide might be in shambles, but Jaeyoon was still pleased with Juwon's reaction.
Until now, Juwon had been busy throwing tantrums without any consideration or thought for anyone who wasn't a guild member.
Just when he was pondering whether he should recommend behavioral correction with a dedicated counselor if this continued, Juwon himself, of all people, was the one to bring up wanting to kill his own temper.
Could this be because of that being, the Guide?
Jaeyoon quickly recalled the title of a book he had picked out, thinking he should give it to Juwon someday.
"Buy and read the books I'm about to tell you. There are e-books too."
"Books? Eh…."
"What. You don't want to?"
"No. It's probably better than the internet...."
How to Be a Good Child, A Time to Reflect on My Lacking Self, You Are Not Wrong, etc. Busy writing down all the books Jaeyoon listed, Juwon failed to notice the new push notification that had appeared on his phone.
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