This S-Class Esper is Not an Obsessive Maniac

19.

Ah. It’s a dream.

‘…’

Ryu Ho-yeon quickly realized it was a dream upon seeing the surreal scene before him. This dream, where he was alone in a vast, empty background with no visible beginning or end, wasn’t a good dream, but it wasn’t exactly a bad one either. This unidentifiable dream visited Ho-yeon occasionally, just when he thought he had forgotten about it.

He simply stared blankly at some unknown place, unable to resist or even muster the will to fight against the gravity heavily pressing down on his entire body. He wasn’t sure if it was empty space or not. The only thing existing in this dream space (if it could be called a “space”) was himself alone.

When he first started having this dream, he didn’t realize it was a dream and tried all sorts of things to escape, but nothing ever worked. He’d wake up eventually anyway. Unlike other dreams, the flow of time felt terribly realistic, which made it a bit boring, but an end would always come.

Come to think of it, this might be the first time he’s had this dream since his Guide entered the Center. In this pitch darkness, like the end of the world, or perhaps its beginning, or even its destruction, Ho-yeon suddenly remembered. When he came to his senses, he realized someone had become much closer to him.

Regardless of what that person might think, Choi Jae-won was truly the first person with whom Ho-yeon had developed such a deep connection so quickly. Even with Lee Han-seo in his younger days, before Han-seo officially entered the Center, they only saw each other for three or four days a month, so it took a full year before they could really say they had become close friends.

Choi Jae-won liked Ho-yeon too much. Even Ho-yeon himself thought so. He wondered how someone could like another person so attentively and affectionately, even though there was no chance of reciprocation.

In Ho-yeon’s opinion, he wasn’t the type of person capable of loving others that much. In fact, that’s why he had suggested setting up a blind date, hoping Jae-won would quickly move on and find another lover, but he didn’t expect Jae-won to dislike the idea so much. He had hidden his dislike so well that Ho-yeon didn’t even know Jae-won had been hurt by it until Han-seo discreetly told him later. It was like proof once again. Indeed, Ho-yeon lacked talent in deep emotional exchanges with others.

Usually, when thrown into this dream, he felt endlessly lost and empty, but today, perhaps because he had something to think about, he didn’t feel as hollow inside. As he watched quietly, even the dark space seemed like bathwater with his frequently used bath salts. He thought he caught a whiff of a sweet and sour scent, though it might have been his imagination.

‘Hm…? A sweet and sour scent…?’

It was strange. In this dream where he could barely see and all senses except sight were frozen numb, there was clearly a sweet and sour scent wafting around his nose, even though it shouldn’t be possible just from thinking about it. Once he became aware of it, it became even stronger.

Just as Ho-yeon was unconsciously sniffing and trying to stretch his neck forward-

“Ah, hyung. Are you awake?”

Choi Jae-won’s voice rang in his ears like an early alarm. Ho-yeon snapped awake.

“…Jae-won?”

“Sorry, was I noisy?”

“What are you doing there?”

Choi Jae-won, who had been lingering near the half-open door, sheepishly extended his hidden hand. It held a glass bottle with what looked like a brand logo engraved on it, with long, thin sticks poking out.

“It’s a diffuser. It’s from the same line as the bath salts you often use, so I was just going to leave it here… Did I wake you?”

Even Santa, who secretly leaves gifts by the bedside, wouldn’t be as careful as him, yet he apologizes first, asking if he woke Ho-yeon up. His personality seems problematic for being too gentle.

Aren’t cousins supposed to be quite close family? If he had even half of Lee Han-seo’s temperament, it would be more convenient for living in this world. Ho-yeon, falling into a fine misconception, shook his head, unnecessarily worrying about something he didn’t need to. In any case, thanks to Jae-won, he woke up early from a dream that, while not a nightmare, wasn’t particularly welcome.

“No, it’s fine. I should get up. What time is it now?”

“Ah, it’s eleven thirty.”

The last time he checked before going to bed was around five or six, so he had slept for over five hours. Seeing that Ho-yeon seemed to be fully waking up, Jae-won entered the room completely. He placed the diffuser he was holding on the desk and strode to the bedside. Perhaps because his legs were long, it took just three steps from the door to the bed.

Jae-won first wrapped a thick blanket around Ho-yeon’s shoulders as he sat up, then immediately opened the window wide to circulate the air that had been trapped all night. After that, he turned right back and began neatly folding and clearing away the various printouts and thick technical books scattered on the bedside table, his movements exceptionally thorough and quick.

“What would you like for your meal? Can you eat now? Or a little later?”

“…”

“Hyung?”

“…”

“Ho-yeon hyung?”

Although he often ignored people, he wasn’t the type to completely disregard a question without answering, but strangely, there was no response. Jae-won, who had just finished arranging the books back on the shelf in order, quickly turned around to check on Ho-yeon’s condition.

“Ah, really…”

Really too cute. His mouth involuntarily opened wide. Although he said he would get up, he must not have fully woken up. Ho-yeon was nodding off, wrapped in the fluffy blanket Jae-won had given him. As if deliberately staged, he looked adorable hugging a pillow that was a bright, refreshing yellow color.

The lazy morning sunlight approaching noon had a particularly gentle slope, and this leisurely light touched Ho-yeon’s flowing hair, breaking into bright sparkles. His unusually thin and light-colored hair sometimes looked blonde under the yellow sunlight.

Jae-won quickly took out his mobile phone, muting the sound, and continuously captured this precious scene. Living in the same house, he had countless photos saved like this. He was especially lovable in the moments just after waking up in the morning, and particularly cute when engrossed in watching a favorite work with his mouth agape.

Ho-yeon knew that Jae-won took his photos like this without permission but didn’t say anything about it. He just casually said, “Keep them to yourself.” Jae-won was satisfied. He never intended to show them to others anyway.

“Hyung, wake up.”

“Hwaaaaah… Mm…”

Only after taking photos to his heart’s content from various angles did Jae-won wake up the nodding Ho-yeon. Ho-yeon barely nodded his head while yawning so wide it seemed his mouth might tear.

“Looks like you didn’t sleep much, want to sleep more?”

“No. I’m getting up. I need to return some materials to the archive today… The due date is today.”

Hmm, so that’s why he was busy poring over materials so late last night. He had been curious, and this explanation made sense.

Ho-yeon’s method of dealing with monsters in dungeons mainly involved materializing long-range weapons like firearms, and his materialization ability depended on how well he understood the object he wanted to create, determining whether he could materialize it and the strength and intensity of the materialized object.

So, Ho-yeon occasionally borrowed various technical books and the latest papers on weapons from the Center’s archive and studied them, cramming the information into his head. He had mentioned getting tired of firing single shots with a sniper rifle and wanting to create a machine gun that could fire continuously, so it seemed he had been studying materials related to that this time.

While Ho-yeon was at the archive, Jae-won also had a place to visit. The timing was just right.

The two of them, who were in charge of all A-rank dungeons across the country, had only one day off per week, totaling four days a month. Even that was often skipped when the frequency of dungeon generation increased. Today was their first day off in exactly two weeks.

Ho-yeon, who loved his own room, or more precisely his bed, more than any luxurious resort in the world, never left the dormitory unless he was going to the workshop to meet Kim Jun-young or Lee Han-seo’s pair. Jae-won, who had business at the research lab, didn’t want to leave when Ho-yeon was in the dormitory, so he also stayed cooped up at home. Because of this, he had been dragging on for over a month after urgently calling someone in.

“I’ll prepare the meal. Come out when you’re fully awake.”

The egg omelet prepared for the late breakfast and early lunch showed a perfect curve for once. Ho-yeon seemed to like it too, as he held out his empty plate asking for more. Jae-won even found himself humming as he put on his sneakers and headed out. It truly was a perfect day off.