Confinement Constitution Guide

Unexpected (1)

Sa Hae-geon’s emotions gradually settled. The unnamed emotion melted naturally into me as if it had always been there. The bewilderment and unpleasantness I felt earlier had long since disappeared. Accepting this unfamiliar emotion was quite laborious, leaving me drained.

It seemed I needed a nap to regain my lost energy. Even without deciding to sleep, my eyelids were drooping. Just as I was about to fall into a deep sleep, feeling as if I was walking on clouds, I heard someone pushing open the carelessly closed door.

Judging by the lack of footsteps, it must be Cream. Years of living together meant I could sense it keenly without even forcing open my heavy eyelids to check. I patted the empty space beside me, calling for Cream.

“Come here.”

Again, I couldn’t hear footsteps, but I could clearly sense Cream approaching the bed. It was time for her to lightly jump onto the bed and settle beside me… But something felt off.

Was Cream heavy enough to make the bed sway? Whatever was occupying the space next to me felt quite large and heavy for Cream. Feeling uneasy, I opened my eyes to see Sa Hae-geon looking down at me with a shy face.

“…”

Of course. While our Cream is an extraordinary eater, she’s not fat enough to make the bed sway.

Anyway, Sa Hae-geon sat on the edge of the bed where I had patted and made eye contact with me. His deep blue eyes were shining pleasantly. When I just stared at him without saying anything, he spoke innocently.

“You told me to come, hyung.”

“Ah… yeah. I did.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say that I had meant to call Cream. But does he really come when called like this? Does he think he’s a cat or a dog or something? However, since I was the one who told him to come without checking, it seemed best to let it slide despite feeling awkward.

Pretending not to notice Sa Hae-geon’s intense gaze, which was almost burdensome, I asked:

“Why did you come?”

“Because you told me to come, hyung.”

“No, I mean why did you come to my room in the first place?”

“You said you were dizzy and not feeling well. I came to check if you had a fever.”

“…Ah, I see. But I’m not feeling bad enough to have a fever. I’ll be fine after a little sleep, so you should go rest too.”

As I said this, waving my hand dismissively, Sa Hae-geon shook his head and placed his hand on my forehead. When his cool skin touched my forehead, it felt like goosebumps were rising all over my body.

“What, what are you doing? Why?”

“I’m just checking if you have a fever.”

Sa Hae-geon replied calmly to my question.

“…Ah, right. You said that’s why you came. Sorry. I overreacted.”

As I apologized with an awkward smile, Sa Hae-geon, who had been staring at me, said as if it was no big deal:

“It’s okay. It’s not wrong to be afraid of your kidnapper.”

“…”

“Though you seem to be getting scared a bit late for someone who’s been kidnapped.”

“Well, um…”

I trailed off, unable to deny it. It surprised me every time I realized that Sa Hae-geon clearly recognized his actions as criminal. From the beginning of the kidnapping until now, Sa Hae-geon had consistently been good at self-awareness.

If it were another kidnapper, they would have vehemently explained that this wasn’t kidnapping or confinement, but rather an Esper’s attempt to open a dialogue. Sa Hae-geon blushed under my newfound gaze and lowered his eyes. Then he mumbled:

“Fortunately, you don’t seem to have a fever. You won’t need a wet towel.”

“Yeah. I told you so.”

“Yes. Well, get some rest.”

“Okay. You too, Hae-geon.”

At the casual mention of his name, Sa Hae-geon’s body staggered as he was getting up from the bed. He looked at my lips with surprised eyes and stammered, revealing his bewilderment without filter.

“Why, why again…”

“What’s wrong with calling your name? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Sa Hae-geon’s pupils were trembling left and right as if confused. It was just like when I called his name before. He remained in an awkward posture for a while, flustered, before leaving my room as if escaping.

“What’s the deal?”

I didn’t expect him to react so sensitively just because I called his name once. Feeling perplexed, I found myself glancing towards the direction Sa Hae-geon had left.

I felt like I might have gained some weight, probably from eating and lazing around sleeping every day. I was fiddling with my belly when I called out to Sa Hae-geon.

“Hae-geon.”

By now, I had gotten quite used to calling Sa Hae-geon’s name. Of course, Sa Hae-geon’s thoughts might be quite different, but that didn’t matter. I was enjoying Sa Hae-geon’s reactions, which were like a cat bristling its fur every time I called his name.

“Why, why do you keep calling my name?”

“Names are meant to be called, aren’t they?”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

“Hm? I don’t really know what you mean.”

As I shrugged and replied nonchalantly, Sa Hae-geon’s cheeks turned bright red. He looked at me with a face that seemed about to burst, then abruptly turned his head away. His sulky appearance made me laugh. Sa Hae-geon was quite fun to tease.

“Hae-geon.”

“…”

“Hae-geon?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you answering, Hae-geon?”

“…”

He startles and flinches every time I call him, yet he pretends not to hear.

“Okay. I won’t call your name anymore, so please answer.”

“It’s, it’s not like that. I just need some mental preparation.”

“Since when did you need mental preparation to have your name called?”

“It’s like that with you, hyung…”

Sa Hae-geon replied in a sulky voice, glancing at me and asking grumpily:

“Anyway, why did you call me?”

“Oh, do you have a scale by any chance?”

“A scale? Why?”

“I feel like I’ve gained some weight, so I want to weigh myself.”

“Really?”

At my words, Sa Hae-geon jumped up from his seat and asked. His lips were unusually curled up, which was quite a sight. It was really nice to see such a pretty person smile. This, not anything else, is what you call a perk.

Unaware that I was admiring his face with satisfaction, Sa Hae-geon chirped happily:

“Actually, one of my goals was to fatten you up, hyung.”

“Why? Planning to eat me up after I’m fattened?”

The next moment, both Sa Hae-geon and I were at a loss for words. While I had been picking up on Sa Hae-geon’s reactions for fun a few times, I didn’t mean to say something so ambiguous. I avoided Sa Hae-geon’s gaze as he stared at me blankly with a flushed face.

“It’s, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it at all… but why would you say something like that so casually, as if joking…”

“No, I really meant it as a joke. Not ‘as if joking,’ but a real joke.”

I hurriedly explained, but it didn’t seem to reach Sa Hae-geon’s ears. Plopping back down on the sofa, Sa Hae-geon fidgeted with his hands as if such a situation had already befallen him. To be precise, he was fidgeting with his hand that was holding my right hand.

“Anyway, it’s a misunderstanding, so you don’t need to be so embarrassed.”

Again, it didn’t seem to reach Sa Hae-geon’s ears. He sat there half-dazed, mechanically kneading my hand and frequently blushing. When I couldn’t stand it anymore and tried to gently pull my right hand away, Sa Hae-geon tightened his grip and looked at me.

“This is my hand.”

“Ah, right. It is, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Please be careful from now on.”

…Should I apologize in this situation? I shook my head at the absurd situation and blankly stared at the TV screen. That’s when it happened. At the bottom of the channel broadcasting a popular drama rerun, the word ‘Breaking News’ suddenly appeared along with a message.

[[Breaking News] After the gust ends, now a waterspout?]

When I started looking at the TV seriously, Sa Hae-geon sensed something was off and changed the channel with the remote. When the news channel came on, Sa Hae-geon put down the remote.

[Next news. About a week after the gusty winds centered around the Central Center subsided, this time a waterspout has reportedly occurred in Seosan City, Chungcheongnam-do. To find out what’s going on, reporter Choi Dal-woo has covered the scene. Reporter Choi Dal-woo?]

The signal seemed unstable as reporter Choi Dal-woo, who had been oddly frozen on the right side of the screen, started moving jerkily.

[Yes, this is reporter Choi Dal-woo!]

[We heard a waterspout occurred in Chungcheongnam-do. What’s going on? Where did this happen?]

[Yes, we are currently in a village in Seosan City, Chungcheongnam-do. This place is called Peace Village because it’s said that even natural disasters avoid it. A waterspout suddenly occurred here around 10 AM today. Uh, there were no casualties, but without any precursor symptoms…]

The reporter and the anchor were actively exchanging words, and every time I heard their conversation, I felt uneasy. When I confirmed the area where the waterspout had occurred, someone who might be related to the gusty wind incident naturally came to mind.

Just then, the TV screen showed a resident of Peace Village. The young resident with a gentle impression expressed anxiety in a slow voice.

[This village is where many people who have returned to farming live. So there are many people who have moved from the city. I know there are also a few households of families of famous Espers and Guides. Anyway, we think there might be a possibility related to the fact that the family of Esper Shin Woo-jun lives here… That’s right. It’s also known that he doesn’t get along well with his family…]

Shin Woo-jun. Remembering the man who acted more hot-tempered and rough than most Espers who handle fire left a bitter taste in my mouth.