Confinement Constitution Guide

Warning! Gully 300m Ahead (1)

The Guiding ended close to lunchtime. Sa Hae-geon said a warm soup dish would be good and prepared beef shabu-shabu. As the clear broth made with vegetables came to a boil, he added beef and vegetables in order. Then he scooped out the quickly cooked ingredients onto my plate.

“Be careful, it’s hot.”

“Thanks. You eat too.”

I picked up some meat, bean sprouts, and bok choy, dipped them in the yuzu ponzu sauce Sa Hae-geon had made, and carefully put them in my mouth. The mild shabu-shabu and tangy yuzu ponzu blended harmoniously in my mouth, creating a balanced flavor. My mouth watered. Forgetting Sa Hae-geon’s warning to eat carefully because it was hot, I was engrossed in the meal when I burned my mouth on some cabbage I had stuffed in without cooling it.

“Ah, hot… Haa, hot…”

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”

I had no time to answer Sa Hae-geon’s question and had to hurriedly cool my burning mouth with cold water. As I quickly chewed and swallowed the cooled cabbage and held some cold water in my mouth to soothe my burning tongue, Sa Hae-geon suddenly turned pale and asked worriedly:

“Are you okay? Did you burn yourself badly? Let me see.”

Although I was quite startled, I shook my head, not wanting to show him the inside of my mouth. I meant to indicate that I was fine, but Sa Hae-geon seemed to interpret it differently and urged me with a stern face.

“Hurry. Say ‘ah’.”

Bewildered by Sa Hae-geon’s frequent requests to open my mouth, I unconsciously swallowed the water I had been holding. I was about to question him, but that was my mistake.

“Why do you keep telling me to open my mou-mmph!”

Seizing the opportunity, Sa Hae-geon grabbed my chin and gently pressed both my cheeks to part my lips. As my cheeks were pressed, my tightly closed lips popped out and opened. Suddenly, I found myself puckering my lips like a goldfish in his large hands.

Flustered, I struggled to break free from Sa Hae-geon, but to no avail. It didn’t seem like he was using much force, yet escaping was so difficult. Even if clumsy, an Esper is still an Esper, it seems.

Regardless of my reaction, Sa Hae-geon carefully examined every part of my forcibly opened mouth before letting out a shallow sigh.

“That’s a relief. It’s not serious.”

“Uh-huh, ah-ah-oh ha-ha-ha…!”

“You’re saying, ‘See, I told you I was fine’? Still, what if it had been a serious burn? How could I just let it go?”

“Oh hoo oo-ah-hoo-hoo!”

“I’m not usually this fussy. But what can I do? I can’t help but be overly concerned when it comes to you, hyung.”

Despite my pronunciation being close to baby talk due to my cheeks being held, Sa Hae-geon understood perfectly. That level of comprehension was almost a talent. I was having idle thoughts about whether Espers were talented in various areas when I belatedly realized that Sa Hae-geon was still examining my mouth.

Seeing his serious indigo eyes made me unbearably embarrassed.

“Ee-eh oo-ah-hae!”

“You want me to stop? I think I need to look a bit more.”

“Ah ae-ah-ah-oh!”

I shouted that I was fine, trying to shake off Sa Hae-geon, but he either didn’t understand or pretended not to, looking at me with a strange gaze. …Wait. It also seemed like a suspicious look.

“Ae?”

“It’s nothing.”

Sa Hae-geon replied blandly and moved away from me. Ignoring my resentful stare, he went to the refrigerator and brought something in a bowl.

“What’s this?”

“Ice. Hold it in your mouth.”

“Ah… Oh, okay. Thanks.”

I muttered in response and took the bowl from Sa Hae-geon. After watching me obediently put the ice in my mouth, Sa Hae-geon went to the bubbling shabu-shabu pot, scooped out meat and vegetables onto a large plate. He waited for it to cool down a bit, and only after confirming it was at an appropriate temperature did he place them on my plate.

His excessively meticulous and careful consideration made me feel like a small child, and I truly didn’t know how to react.

The afternoon routine with Sa Hae-geon was quite different from yesterday. The blackout curtains that were usually neatly tied on either side of the windows were now drawn across the living room’s large windows. As a result, the pleasant sunlight that had been flooding the entire living room was now blocked.

Could it be that after seeing the sudden gust of wind nearby yesterday, he thought someone might notice through the windows that I was being held captive in this house? Had that made him more cautious and attentive to the curtains? After Sa Hae-geon finished adjusting the blackout curtains and returned with a rather solemn face, I casually asked:

“Are you worried an Esper who can control wind might discover me?”

“What?”

Sa Hae-geon asked back in confusion, as if he’d heard something incomprehensible. His reaction made me the flustered one. If that wasn’t the intention, why on earth did he draw the blackout curtains? Was he planning to watch a horror movie with me in broad daylight?

However, the answer Sa Hae-geon gave a moment later surprised me even more.

“I’ve already taken precautions against that long ago.”

“…What?”

“I drew the blackout curtains for Cream and you. So you won’t be startled like yesterday.”

My bewilderment was short-lived. Sa Hae-geon’s words instantly made my mind go blank. I wondered if the reason I momentarily felt Sa Hae-geon as a protector yesterday was because of this attentive side of his. And above all, Sa Hae-geon neither boasted about his actions nor bragged for me to just trust him. I really liked that about him.

I turned my gaze from Sa Hae-geon to the TV. Perhaps because the captive life had somewhat settled into a routine, even watching TV had become boring now. Before, I had been so desperate for rest that I would have stayed glued to the bed for the entire week or two weeks of captivity, but now I was feeling bored. It seems I’ve unknowingly become satiated with this luxurious lifestyle.

At that moment, Sa Hae-geon suddenly got up from the sofa and headed to his room.

‘What’s up with him?’

It felt strange to see him suddenly go to his room when he usually didn’t leave my side except for sleeping or cooking. I stared blankly at the door Sa Hae-geon had entered, then looked back at the TV.

Well, what can I do if I’m bored and restless? In this captive situation, the simplest and least effortful hobby available is watching TV. Compared to the days of struggling in the field, this was nothing short of living in luxury.

‘…But what is he doing in there? Is he going to stay in his room?’

Despite my eyes being on the TV, my mind was focused on the room Sa Hae-geon had entered. I could occasionally hear rustling sounds as if he was searching for something. How many times had I glanced at Sa Hae-geon’s room door? The firmly closed door opened cheerfully, and soon Sa Hae-geon appeared.

Sa Hae-geon came out of the room with a flushed face, holding a box I had never seen before. Then, like a dog proudly bringing back a frisbee thrown by its owner, he placed the box in front of me with great pride.

“What’s this?”

“A game console.”

“A game console?”

Could it be that he noticed I was bored and brought out a game console? I looked at Sa Hae-geon with slightly surprised eyes. He lowered his gaze as if embarrassed and mumbled:

“Yes. It’s called a Switch, a game console you connect to the TV.”

I couldn’t help but be greatly surprised by the word that came out of Sa Hae-geon’s mouth. The fact that he, who didn’t know about the still-popular Jjorong-i, knew about the Switch. And even had bought one… It felt like the image of Sa Hae-geon I had in my mind was being denied.

“…Ah, Switch. I think I’ve seen Jjorong-i advertising it before.”

“Jjorong-i advertised for Switch too? I didn’t know that. Hyung, have you ever played this?”

“No, never. I haven’t even seen anyone play it.”

“It’s surprisingly fun. What kind of games do you like, hyung?”

Sa Hae-geon asked with sparkling eyes, seemingly excited at the thought of playing games with me. But I had to remain silent for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Only those who have played many games can know what kind of games they like. Ability users like me, who started working in the field at a very young age, have been buried in dungeons and work life without having the chance to thoroughly explore the culture of gaming with peers.

Therefore, the hobbies we could enjoy were also limited. Of course, there might be some who liked games and have been playing since childhood, or enjoyed them in their spare time, but I don’t think there are many.

Anyway, given this situation, on the rare occasions when schedules aligned and I met civilian friends from childhood, there were no topics to talk about, and we’d spend awkward time together before quickly parting ways. When meeting several friends, I couldn’t understand their conversations and had to just nod along pretending to understand before leaving.

After that, meeting civilian friends became a bit burdensome. To mingle with them, I needed to engage in some cultural activities, but I was busy catching up on sleep during that time. In the end, I only acutely felt the gap between civilians and myself that I had so desperately wanted to deny and had been constantly ignoring.