Beyond The Control

Chapter 52

It was a confession that immediately brought to mind the stereotypical nerdy virgin often seen in TV shows. If it had been a scene from a drama, I would have eagerly watched it while reaching for popcorn, but the reality of the situation left me simply bewildered.

When I remained speechless for a moment, Jeon Hyeon-wook cautiously called out to me again.

“…Su-hyeon?”

Only then did I manage to move my lips.

“I’m sorry. It’s just so sudden…”

It had been a while since I’d received a serious confession, and it was my first time being confessed to by someone of the same sex, as well as my first time receiving a confession in front of Cupid’s statue. Everything felt complicated in various ways.

An additional weight was added to that complexity: finding an answer to the confession.

First and foremost, my heart was steadfast. While I understood that Jeon Hyeon-wook was a kind and good person, I felt absolutely no romantic interest in him. To me, Jeon Hyeon-wook was simply an Esper from another team with whom I had a decent acquaintance, nothing more. In other words, there had been no hint of us developing feelings for each other or exchanging any sort of “green light,” which made this sudden confession all the more bewildering.

‘Should I politely ask for time to think about it? Or should I reject him right away?’

Seeming to notice my inner turmoil, Jeon Hyeon-wook fidgeted with his hands and added a few more words. However, those words only caused greater confusion.

“If it’s because of Esper Song Ji-hyeok, you don’t have to wo-worry. I know how important contracts are. But if we both stay strong, a year will pass quickly.”

Not only was I puzzled by the sudden mention of Song Ji-hyeok’s name, but I was even more concerned about what followed. Feeling that I couldn’t let this pass ambiguously, I immediately questioned him.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Huh?”

“What you said about both of us staying strong.”

“It, it means exactly that. If your heart continues to be di-directed towards me, I can wait for a year or so.”

My heart directed towards him? This was completely news to me.

Unlike my stunned state, Jeon Hyeon-wook continued to stand there with a flushed face. Realizing that some serious misunderstanding had occurred without my knowledge, I instinctively blurted out words to correct it immediately.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any romantic feelings for you, Hyeon-wook. Of course, I think of you as a reliable and trustworthy colleague, but that’s all.”

Hearing my words, Jeon Hyeon-wook’s jaw dropped, and he wore a dumbfounded expression. Soon, he spoke in a tone of disbelief.

“You don’t like me…?”

“No. As I said, it’s more like camaraderie… If I’ve done anything to cause a misunderstanding, I’m sorry.”

“I, I see. Oh, um, I’m really sorry.”

Thoroughly flustered, Jeon Hyeon-wook bowed to me at almost a 90-degree angle. Equally surprised, I instinctively reached out to stop him, saying it was okay. Only after he raised his head again did I take a step back.

Jeon Hyeon-wook hurriedly checked his wristwatch and then smiled awkwardly, like a robot.

“Oh, I just remembered it’s past time to feed my cat. Can I leave first?”

“Of course. Please go ahead.”

“Thank you. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He bowed his head again and quickly walked away. I watched his retreating figure with a bewildered expression until he disappeared from sight. Only then did I slump down onto a nearby bench.

“……”

What was that? A dream?

Even as I thought this, the events that had just transpired began to replay in my mind.

He had seemed too passive for someone interested in me, so I was unsure… But more baffling was the fact that he thought I had feelings for him too. It was beyond bewildering; it was downright absurd.

All I had done was greet him when we passed each other in the hallway and provide guiding when requested. If this counted as a romantic relationship, I would be crowned the greatest Casanova in history, with over a hundred people I was supposedly involved with. No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t recall giving Jeon Hyeon-wook any reason to think I liked him… I couldn’t understand why he thought I had feelings for him.

Surely he didn’t think that just because I greeted him or provided guiding? That would be truly ridiculous.

While I was curious about the reason for his misunderstanding, I didn’t want to ask. Remembering the expression Jeon Hyeon-wook had worn when he heard my denial made me feel somewhat guilty.

Moreover, a subtle sense of unease remained. Should I have said we should continue to get along well as colleagues? I didn’t want things to become awkward.

‘Sigh, I don’t know.’

There was nothing I could do about it right now. Although it might not be appropriate to say this after rejecting him, I hoped that Jeon Hyeon-wook would be able to recover from this well. With these thoughts, I belatedly stood up from the bench.

***

At the same time, Song Ji-hyeok was lying on his bed, watching a video on his phone. The door was wide open. Rather than forgetting to close it, it would be more accurate to say he had left it open intentionally. That way, he could hear sounds from outside immediately.

Song Ji-hyeok’s face, as he stared at his phone, was expressionless. Judging by his expression alone, one wouldn’t think he was watching a collection of funny videos. In reality, he didn’t find them particularly amusing, perhaps due to a difference in sense of humor.

Eventually, he turned off what he was watching and sat up abruptly. The digital clock on the wall had just passed 8 o’clock. Suddenly, he became aware of the silence permeating the entire house.

‘Was it always this quiet?’

Recently, there hadn’t been time to notice the silence. He had been away from home continuously until yesterday, and for the few days before that, he had been returning home with Lee Su-hyeon.

When Su-hyeon said he would prepare dinner to repay Song Ji-hyeok’s kindness, Song Ji-hyeok didn’t particularly refuse. He didn’t really think about owing anyone, but there was no reason to turn down an offer of someone else making a meal.

Living together for a few days had revealed that Lee Su-hyeon preferred Korean cuisine. While the rice and soup were mostly instant products, dishes like rolled omelettes or stir-fried fish cakes were quite palatable.

After dinner, they would go out for about an hour of running, and on the way back, they’d stop by the convenience store in front of the house to buy isotonic drinks or ice cream. By the time they returned home, it was usually around 9 o’clock, and because of Su-hyeon, they had never gone straight to their respective rooms.

On the first day, they had eaten tteokbokki as a late-night snack together, and the next day, they had shared a can of beer while chatting about various things. Although most of it was meaningless small talk, spending time with someone in that way turned out to be quite nice.

But Lee Su-hyeon wasn’t here for dinner today. Song Ji-hyeok had ordered delivery and eaten alone, and for once, he didn’t need to talk and could spend time comfortably in silence, yet he felt an inexplicable sense of loneliness. And Song Ji-hyeok found this fact a little disconcerting.

No matter how adaptable humans are, it hadn’t even been a few days since Lee Su-hyeon had moved into his house. The fact that he found the house quiet because Su-hyeon wasn’t there was almost ridiculous.

‘Is it because he has such a strong presence?’

Asking Lee Su-hyeon, who had lost his place to stay, if he wanted to come to his house had been purely impulsive. While he wasn’t a morally bankrupt person who would laugh at others’ misfortunes, it was enough of a situation to lightly tease about bad luck. After all, he had become quite close to Lee Su-hyeon.

But what actually came out of his mouth was a series of unexpected words. What did he say again? Something about Su-hyeon being his pair, temporary or not. And that it would be embarrassing for him if rumors spread about Su-hyeon having nowhere to go and staying at the guild.

Thinking about it now, those words themselves were embarrassing. Like a thief exposing their own guilt, he had essentially made excuses that no one had asked for.

Still, in the end, speaking those words then had been a stroke of genius. Thanks to that, his evenings were no longer boring, and there was much to laugh about on the way to and from the guild.

“……”

Glancing sideways, Song Ji-hyeok picked up his phone that was sprawled next to his pillow. He sent a message to Lee Su-hyeon, whose chat window had been at the top of his app recently.

[Aren’t you coming?]

As soon as he sent it, a notification sound rang out. The corners of his mouth turned up involuntarily at the sound.

[I’ll be there soon]

His mood lifted even more at the reply suggesting Su-hyeon would be back within an hour. He had expected Su-hyeon, being so outgoing and good at socializing, to go for at least a second round of drinks, so this was unexpected. After exchanging a few more messages, he checked the time again.

‘If he’s coming around 10… Wonder if we’ll go running today too.’

As he was estimating the post-return schedule, suddenly a sound like a fire alarm went off somewhere. At first, he wasn’t sure what it was, but then he realized it was coming from his device and immediately picked it up. The reason he hadn’t recognized it right away was that the sound was different from what he usually heard.

Only after checking the device did he understand why the notification sound was different from usual. For the first time, an emergency summons corresponding to Code Zero, which he had only heard about during training, had been issued.

[Dungeon break occurred in XX-dong, XX-gu, Seoul. All A-rank or higher Espers currently on standby, their paired guides, and A-rank guides are to assemble at the guild without delay.]