Confinement Constitution Guide

Unexpected (4)

Sa Hae-geon discovered me lying face down on the bed and tilted his head.

“You’re not asleep yet, hyung? Can’t sleep?”

I hadn’t expected him to barge in so suddenly, so I couldn’t hide my surprise. When I didn’t respond and just watched Cream going back and forth between Sa Hae-geon’s legs, he strode over to me.

Before I could stop him, he put his hand on my forehead. My body involuntarily flinched when his cool hand, not yet warmed up, suddenly touched my skin.

“Ah. I’m sorry, hyung.”

“Oh, it’s okay.”

“You don’t seem to have a fever… Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Sa Hae-geon’s worried gaze was directed at me. I wanted to honestly say that nothing was wrong except for my head being complicated because of him, but I held back. There was no need to stir him up unnecessarily.

“Huh? No. It’s nothing. I’m not particularly uncomfortable…”

Just as I was about to shake my head and move on, a question suddenly occurred to me. Other kidnappers would buy medicine if I pretended to be sick, and if I asked to be taken to the hospital, they would refuse, saying they were sorry but couldn’t do that. I wondered how Sa Hae-geon would react.

If I could confirm that Sa Hae-geon wasn’t a special kidnapper in many ways, but just a person no different from other Espers, it seemed like I wouldn’t need to be wary of him anymore and this confusing feeling inside me would also calm down. If he showed the same behavior pattern as the kidnappers so far, it would mean Sa Hae-geon also just saw me as a ‘guide’.

I cautiously started speaking after checking his reaction.

“Well… Actually, I think I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable. I don’t think I’m indigested, but my head is slightly dizzy and my chest feels a bit tight…”

“What?”

Sa Hae-geon’s expression changed immediately at my probing words. He put down the ladle he was holding on the bedside table with a very serious face and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Where does it hurt? Does it hurt a lot? Do you feel like throwing up? Should we go to the hospital?”

Sa Hae-geon’s rapid-fire questions rang in my ears. …Hospital? Did I hear the word hospital correctly? He’s saying he’ll take me to the hospital after kidnapping me? I just stared blankly at Sa Hae-geon. He blinked at my gaze as if wondering what was wrong, then seemed to realize something belatedly and hurriedly corrected himself.

“Ah, I was short-sighted. Going to the hospital might expose you to the media. The Ability Department would try to undermine you somehow if they found out, so that won’t do. Hmm… Or there’s a professor my parents know well, should I bring him here? Which would be more comfortable for you?”

I felt strange for a moment. An Esper who forgot his role as a kidnapper and blurted out about going to the hospital, then hurriedly corrected himself after noticing my gaze. Moreover, the reason he corrected himself was because of me. The more I mulled over these facts, the more complicated my thoughts became, and I couldn’t help but sigh.

“No, it’s not that serious. I think I’ll feel better if I just rest. So you should go and rest too. Stop wandering around like a puppy.”

“Like a… puppy?”

Sa Hae-geon flinched and asked back in a sullen voice at the words I had carelessly blurted out. Maybe because I often overlapped Sa Hae-geon with a large dog in my mind, I unconsciously used a strange expression.

“Oh, no… I mean… I just meant you should go to your room and rest instead of working in the kitchen.”

Sa Hae-geon looked like he wanted to ask more about the origin of the expression “wandering around like a puppy,” but he just pressed his lips together when I pulled the blanket over my head. After that, he checked on my condition and spoke to me several times, and I consistently replied that I was fine. I had only tried to test if Sa Hae-geon was no different from other kidnappers, but I didn’t expect the situation to unfold like this.

“Just go to sleep now. You’re tired too.”

“But still…”

“I said I’m fine. Go on now, okay?”

Sa Hae-geon looked at me with a gaze that seemed unable to let go of his concern, but finally moved his steps as if giving in to my continued urging. He stared at me and my room until he closed the door. After the door closed carefully and I was left alone, I clutched my head and buried myself deep in the blanket.

It seems that when a person’s mind is too complicated, they sometimes don’t think of anything at all. I spent time in a daze with my thoughts stopped, and at some point, I fell asleep.

The next day, my eyes flew open at the noise from outside and the loud chirping of birds. When I turned my head to check the clock on the bedside table, it showed 9:34. I could faintly hear Sa Hae-geon preparing breakfast through the gap in the door. In the atmosphere that felt just like a leisurely weekend morning, I yawned slightly and lay back down, looking up at the ceiling.

As my foggy mind gradually cleared, yesterday’s events began to fill my thoughts again. The sensation of my heart sinking at Sa Hae-geon’s words about going to the hospital was still vividly present. Following yesterday, today too, I had to helplessly realize that Sa Hae-geon was showing behavior very different from other kidnappers.

So what should I do from now on? Will this be something that can be handled just by maintaining my sanity? Even now that I’ve fully realized that Sa Hae-geon is different from others in many ways, and that he has quite adorable aspects to the point where I voice expressions in my head?

‘…But well, nothing’s going to change right away, right?’

Surprisingly, I didn’t have any particular thoughts. Some might say I’m being complacent and carefree, but I really didn’t have any special thoughts. It’s ironic considering how much I was wracking my brain with worry yesterday. When I thought about it calmly, that’s how it was.

There’s nothing immediately harmful to me, and I quite like the life here, so is there any need to be anxious with pessimistic thoughts? Life is about going with the flow anyway.

“What’s so difficult about it? I just need to bear with it. No, honestly, there’s nothing to bear.”

I’ve reached the point where I can calmly think of other things even when I see incomprehensible eccentricities. Anyway, I just need to conduct myself well. It’s not like Sa Hae-geon feeling strange is something new.

Moreover, Sa Hae-geon is a young and naive Esper who hasn’t received guiding for long, and it’s natural for him to become attached to the first guide who gave him a sense of stability. Of course, I don’t know why he chose to kidnap me out of all the many guides, when he doesn’t even know about Jorongi. As for the pieces of emotion coming over from Sa Hae-geon, I just need to digest them well without him knowing.

If there’s ever a chance to meet him again after this confinement ends, I’ll casually reveal the emotions I’ve peeked at then.

Thinking like this made me feel much better, and I felt the will to leave the bed. However, I felt guilty for testing such an innocent guy yesterday, so I couldn’t step out confidently. As I was sneaking towards the kitchen while checking for Sa Hae-geon’s presence, I immediately encountered a stone pot filled with milky seolleongtang (ox bone soup).

“…”

Was all that rustling and wandering around last night to make this seolleongtang? Looking closely at the table, there were neatly arranged colorful kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and baechu kimchi (cabbage kimchi), as well as beef ribs and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables). Sa Hae-geon always filled the breakfast table abundantly, sometimes to the point where I thought it was excessive. Today’s table also gave me that impression.

“What’s all this…?”

Perhaps hearing my voice mumbling in bewilderment, Sa Hae-geon, who was scooping rice, turned around and greeted me.

“You’re awake? How are you feeling?”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

“I think you keep getting sick and tired because of me. It must have been hard guiding me, right?”

“No, well… not to that extent.”

Despite my lukewarm response, Sa Hae-geon put down the rice bowl on the table undeterred and said with a satisfied look:

“I prepared seolleongtang thinking it would be good for replenishing your energy. It’s hot, so eat slowly.”

I had nothing else to say. Even if Sa Hae-geon’s actions now were like giving medicine after causing illness, I didn’t want to criticize him for the breakfast being too much when he had prepared food for me since last night. I quietly sat at the table and looked around at the food Sa Hae-geon had prepared.

Seeing the steaming food made my mouth water. I picked up the spoon and carefully scooped some seolleongtang broth. After blowing on the hot broth and taking a sip, a mild, clean, and deep flavor lingered on my tongue. It was a somewhat familiar taste.

“Is it okay?”

“…Yeah. It’s delicious.”

“I hope the seolleongtang I made helps you.”

“Mm-hmm. I think it will help.”

I couldn’t help but nod with all my heart. The seolleongtang Sa Hae-geon made was perfectly suited to my taste, almost excessively so. To the point where it felt like he had brought the exact taste from my favorite restaurant. I kept expressing admiration as I mixed rice into the seolleongtang and ate it.

‘Could I ever forget this culinary skill? It suits my taste so perfectly…’

It seems unlikely, after all.