TGIC Ch 41

Chapter 41

Vasily clearly didn’t like my response. But what could I do? I was a working adult now. I couldn’t afford to take time off over something like this.

I left the house with Vasily. But the floor was slippery. When I looked down, I saw that the corridor Vasily had frozen yesterday had melted, flooding the entranceway.

I pressed a hand to my forehead. I had completely forgotten to clean it up afterward.

“…I’ll have to wipe it up when I get back.”

“Don’t worry about it. I did it, so I’ll send someone to take care of it.”

Vasily volunteered softly when I murmured to myself. Since he was offering to handle the hassle, I had no reason to refuse and nodded in agreement.

We got in the car and headed to the nearest emergency room. It was crowded with patients even though it was only Monday morning. After waiting briefly, a doctor approached.

I rolled up my sleeve to show him the frostbitten area, and the doctor gave a casual diagnosis.

“It’s mild frostbite, and since you administered first aid promptly, you’ll recover quickly with proper ointment. I’ll prescribe some topical medication for frostbite. Apply it morning and night.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The consultation ended in an instant.

To be honest, it hadn’t really warranted a trip to the emergency room, but Vasily insisted that a regular clinic wouldn’t do. He said I might suffer aftereffects since it was caused by an Esper’s ability or whatever.

But contrary to Vasily’s concerns, I had never suffered any aftereffects during my time as a Guide. I’d gotten frostbite from time to time, but I was sturdy enough that I’d recover quickly after applying some ointment and getting a good night’s sleep. Still, I couldn’t very well say all that to Vasily, so I had no choice but to follow him to the hospital.

“…”

As I turned around with the prescription in hand, I saw Vasily still watching me from a distance.

“How long do you plan on standing there?”

I had told him to wait in the car since I’d be done quickly, but he insisted on coming along, only to keep his distance and silently stare. It drew unnecessary attention and murmurs from people around us. Given that it was a hospital with many patients, it was starting to feel like a real nuisance, and I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.

Without a word, we returned to the parking lot, and I climbed into the car as if it were routine. I checked the time—it looked like I’d still make it to work on time.

“…How’s the injury?”

“The doctor said it’s mild frostbite and should heal quickly.”

“Sorry. Sometimes I can’t control it.”

Was Vasily… apologizing? That was unexpected. But I already knew that if I touched him when his condition was unstable, I could get frostbite. If anything, it was my fault for being careless despite knowing that.

“It’s fine.”

I gave a brief reply and looked away. It was time to head to the Association.

I barely managed to arrive at the Guide Association just in time for work.

I was getting ready to get out of the car, assuming he’d drop me off at the main entrance like usual, but for some reason, he pulled into the parking lot and actually parked. Why turn off the engine?

Well, maybe he planned to leave the car here and walk to the Esper Association next door. That seemed reasonable, so I didn’t think much of it and opened the door to get out.

“Thank you for the ride. I’ll be off now.”

I turned around and gave a polite farewell, only to hear the familiar sound of leather shoes following close behind me.

…Don’t tell me he’s following me.

No, that can’t be it. Maybe he had business at the Guide Association, or there was a meeting here today.

But he was walking so closely behind me that it was drawing attention from every direction.

Hoping to send him ahead, I deliberately stopped walking. But Vasily stopped at exactly the same time.

Feeling the sudden stillness of his footsteps, I wiped my face in exasperation. Damn it… so he was following me…

“…Esper Vasily.”

“Yes?”

“I’m only asking just in case, but are you currently following me?”

“I am.”

Vasily smiled brightly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I frowned at the sight.

“Why are you following me?”

“Hmm… a field trip?”

“…I fail to see why you, Esper Vasily, would want to observe the duties of a temporary Guide.”

“I was curious about what Guide Kwon Gidam does at work.”

A field trip, seriously? It was obvious he was tagging along just to be a nuisance. Curious, my ass. There’s no way he didn’t know that a temp Guide just sits in a chair all day and performs guiding sessions.

I wanted to kick him out right then and there but barely held back, forcing an awkward smile as I tried to talk him down.

“Temporary guiding work just involves sitting down all day, which would be boring for you, Esper Vasily. It’d only be a waste of time… Aren’t you busy?”

“Fortunately, I’m free today. And don’t worry—Guide Kwon Gidam has never been boring to me.”

With no sign of backing down, Vasily and I stared each other down. I checked the time again. Though we’d left home early, the hospital visit had taken up most of it—it was almost 9 o’clock. If I didn’t tag in for work and head to the guiding room soon, I’d be late…

Damn it…

In the end, I had no choice but to head to the office with Vasily still trailing behind me.

The moment I opened the office door, all eyes turned toward me. The presence of his shining silver hair was just too much. People murmured as they looked at Vasily, then flinched when they noticed my half-dead expression.

I quickly sat down and prepared for temporary guiding. To avoid disturbing my coworkers, I gathered the necessary documents in a hurry and immediately moved to the guiding room.

“Haa…”

As soon as I sat down in the guiding room chair, a deep sigh escaped me.

I was already completely exhausted—and it was only 9 a.m.? I fell into despair, unable to accept reality.

A narrow, quiet space. For some reason, the already small guiding room felt even more suffocating today—and that was probably because of Vasily, who was sitting inside.

He was perched calmly on the cot, glancing around the room as if he were here for the first time, despite having visited many times before.

Just having Vasily in the room was stressful enough, but the bloodstain spread across his chest made the atmosphere feel even more grim.

Soon, the first Esper was scheduled to arrive. Would things go smoothly? I cast a worried glance toward the door, stealing a quick look at Vasily sitting in the corner.

Click.

The door opened, and the Esper entered. But the moment they spotted Vasily from the threshold, they froze in place.

“…”

“You may come in.”

I wanted to say that they could ignore the person behind me, but Vasily’s piercing presence at my back made it impossible to speak.

In the end, the Esper hesitated, then quietly backed out and closed the door behind them. They never returned…

“Is the guiding session already over?”

“…Obviously not.”

I couldn’t even think of how to respond and simply closed my mouth.

And so began a morning shift that was a complete disaster. Every Esper who entered turned right back around the moment they saw Vasily. After the third repeat of that process, the morning was essentially over.

I hadn’t done anything, but I was already exhausted.

I trudged out of the guiding room, and Vasily cheerfully followed with light steps.

I turned my head slightly and asked him in a low voice,

“Are you not bored?”

“No. Just watching your expressions is entertaining.”

…So he was enjoying this.

For all three hours of the morning guiding session, Vasily hadn’t looked bored in the slightest—not even a single yawn. I was hoping I could gently coax him away if he seemed the least bit uninterested, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen.

I turned a corner in that state—and locked eyes with Jo Wooyeon.

“Ah, Gidam-ssi. Lunch—”

Jo Wooyeon’s voice trailed off. He must’ve noticed Vasily following behind me, because his lips slowly shut.

“I’ll be eating alone today…”

“Alright…”

Seeing my haggard face, Jo Wooyeon seemed to grasp the situation immediately and let me go without another word.

I exited the Association building, but the sound of footsteps continued behind me. Without turning around, I asked,

“Are you planning to have lunch with me too?”

“Yes. What do you want to eat?”

Vasily answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I let out a heavy sigh and began contemplating lunch options.

Going far was too much hassle… but taking Vasily to the cafeteria? Obviously out of the question. Just the thought of eating lunch with Vasily was enough to kill my appetite.

“Then let’s just grab a sandwich or something simple.”

Since delivery would take too long during the lunch rush, I decided to head out and buy it in person. We could just take it to Vasily’s private room and eat there. With that thought, I started walking toward the crosswalk—only to realize everyone passing by was staring in our direction.

Clicking my tongue at the attention we were getting, I spoke.

“Esper Vasily, could you please try to be less conspicuous?”

“Hmm… that’s a hard request.”

Yeah, of course it was. He was tall, silver-haired, a foreigner—and handsome on top of that. Not to mention, there wasn’t a single person in Korea who didn’t know who Vasily was.