Confinement Constitution Guide

Life in Confinement, Hard Ver. (11)

Sa Hae-geon raised the corners of his mouth as he watched my face grow darker. What kind of conversation did this conscience-less guy have with someone who was asleep? I wanted to question him right away, but knowing it was Sa Hae-geon, it seemed pointless.

Carefully observing Sa Hae-geon’s face, he was waiting for my choice with a very pleased expression. He seemed confident, as if he knew exactly what I was struggling with.

“…Alright. I get it. So you’re saying that even answers given while unconscious are my opinions, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

Looking at Sa Hae-geon, who responded with a broad smile, I made a promise to myself. I’d do the same to him when he’s asleep.

Sa Hae-geon, who had been staring at me with a somewhat satisfied gaze, suddenly got up and headed to the bathroom. Soon after, he came out of the bathroom with steam rising and reached out his hand to me, saying:

“Hyung, give me my right hand.”

“Why are you asking me for your right hand?”

“Because my right hand is with you.”

When I remained silent at his brazen words, Sa Hae-geon grabbed my right hand.

“…Do you completely own my right hand now?”

“Yes. To be precise, I own the rights to your right arm.”

It was truly maddening.

Unlike me, Sa Hae-geon seemed very pleased that I had easily acknowledged the transfer of ownership of my right arm, even while I was in my right mind, just as I had the night before.

“Hyung, do you like sinseollo?”

“Sinseollo?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never had it, so I don’t know. But isn’t that a labor-intensive dish? You’re going to make that first thing in the morning?”

“Yes. Is that not okay?”

I felt tired looking at Sa Hae-geon, who insisted on making royal cuisine early in the morning.

“I appreciate the thought, but let’s just eat something simple.”

“Simple?”

Sa Hae-geon looked at me with narrowed eyes, clearly not thrilled, but mumbled an okay and headed to the kitchen. It’s nice to indulge in good food, but sinseollo seemed a bit excessive. Galbi-jjim or seafood stew would have been more than satisfactory. Besides, even if I ate an even grander dish, I probably wouldn’t notice much difference or have any special impression.

As I glanced at Sa Hae-geon, who had started preparing various ingredients in the kitchen, I turned on the TV. Cream, who had been lying on the rug, climbed onto the sofa and stared blankly at the TV.

While flipping through channels, I came across a rerun of a variety show that my colleagues at the center enjoyed watching. It was a program where single Espers and Guides appeared to find partners, and it was popular not only within the center but nationwide.

[So, what’s your ideal type?]

[I like people who have their own unique aura. You know, those people who are just lost in thought, but others see them as having a decadent charm… Of course, I don’t necessarily mean they should have a decadent atmosphere. It’s just an example, an example.]

[Ah, I understand. There are people with their own unique aura. Then, how about me? Do you think I have my own unique aura?]

An Esper with a familiar face and a Guide with a neat appearance were chatting face to face. The Esper was smiling brightly while making eye contact with the Guide, but his face was strikingly familiar.

I tried to dismiss it, thinking there are many lookalikes in the world and that’s why he seemed so familiar, but the Esper on the screen kept catching my eye.

[Hmm. Stay like that for a moment.]

[Okay. I’ll just keep looking at you, Ha-seon.]

Hearing the familiar name, a sudden realization struck me.

“…Ha-seon noona?”

It was Song Ha-seon, an A-class healing Esper working in the same Field Team 1 as me. She had mentioned enjoying this program, but I never expected her to actually appear on it. The shock was amplified by how unexpected it was. There was certainly a subtle difference between her actual face and the one captured by the camera. Enough that I couldn’t easily recall the familiar face I saw every day.

Anyway, Song Ha-seon on the screen looked very happy. The Guide opposite her also seemed to like her, his ears turning slightly red. As I blankly stared at the two of them, Sa Hae-geon, who had come out to the living room at some point, asked in a serious tone.

“Hyung, you don’t want to go on a program like that, do you?”

He was wearing another unique apron today. A quokka and sunflower combination… It seemed quite cute.

But the moment I heard Sa Hae-geon’s words, all of my previous impressions shattered.

“W-What? Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

“You seemed very interested. Did I misunderstand?”

“Yeah. You completely misunderstood. I was just surprised to see someone I know. This is the first time I’ve watched this show.”

“Someone you know? An ex? Or someone you had a crush on? But hyung, don’t you not have a girlfriend?”

Sa Hae-geon casually stabbed at my heart. I didn’t know where to start pointing out the problems.

“We were just ordinary workplace colleagues. We never saw each other romantically.”

I’m not sure why I had to explain this to Sa Hae-geon, but seeing his intense gaze, I found myself speaking without realizing it. Sa Hae-geon, who had been silent for a while, alternately looked at my face claiming innocence and Song Ha-seon smiling happily on TV, then abruptly turned away.

“I understand for now.”

Sa Hae-geon muttered his response while turned away and disappeared back into the kitchen. Cream, lying on her stomach on the sofa, looked at me quizzically, tilted her head, and then closed her eyes.

‘They say you can’t even drink cold water carelessly in front of a child.’

Isn’t this exactly that situation? I quickly changed the TV channel, worried that Sa Hae-geon might come out of the kitchen again. After wandering through hundreds of channels, I finally found one showing a decent movie.

It was about an ability user with both S-class abilities and Guiding skills single-handedly conquering S-class dungeons. With impressive action scenes and direction, it was hugely popular with the public. To be honest, I was more drawn to the interior of the S-class dungeon he was conquering than to the handsome actor.

The dark interior was filled with giant, bizarre-looking monsters and plants. I got goosebumps seeing a man-eating plant opening its maw towards the protagonist.

“Even if you have the ability to deal with it, it’s best if S-class dungeons don’t occur at all.”

S-class dungeons were vastly different from other dungeons in both scale and difficulty. According to statistics, S-class dungeons usually occur every 10 to 12 years. The last S-class dungeon was about 10 years ago, so it’s about time for one to appear… but I hoped it would just pass us by. Even the Ability Department, which is sensitive to such matters, hadn’t made any announcements yet.

As I was watching the movie with blank eyes, suddenly the large window in the living room vibrated slightly. Cream, who had been sleeping and even snoring occasionally, jumped up in place and bristled her fur. She didn’t stop there but started growling while glaring out the window.

Worry took over as the cat, who usually remained indifferent even when strangers knocked on the door, reacted so sensitively.

“Cream, are you okay?”

As I reached out to comfort the seemingly startled cat, I noticed the trees outside swaying violently. There had been no forecast warning about strong winds, so this must be artificially created wind.

The wind continued to blow fiercely with no sign of calming down. The gust I witnessed up close was much stronger than what the news had described. The trees were slowly revealing their roots that had been buried in the soil, and even parked cars seemed about to fly away at any moment. Even the building across the street was shaking.

To begin with, Espers who could control wind were rare, and even those rarely used their power so extensively. It was inefficient and just a waste of energy. Therefore, most would use their power efficiently by directing wind to a small area, piercing a monster’s weak point in one strike.

So, Espers who flaunted their wind power like this could be counted on one hand.

A few Espers crossed my mind, but comforting the cat, who was still puffed up and wary of the outside, seemed more urgent. Just as I was about to take Cream into my arms:

“Hyung.”

Sa Hae-geon, who had come out of the kitchen at some point, looked at Cream and me as he drew the curtains on the living room window. Then, with eyes full of concern, he asked:

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, y-yeah… I’m fine, but Cream seems a bit startled.”

“Is Cream okay too?”

“…Meow.”

Cream, still unable to let go of her wariness even in my arms, responded with a cracked voice.

“Breakfast is almost ready, but I think it might be good for you and Cream to rest in the room for a bit.”

After saying that, Sa Hae-geon personally escorted Cream and me to the room, then went out to the living room alone. His behavior somehow felt like that of a protector, which was strange even to myself.