AAGULT Ch 17

Chapter 17

 

Jaeha realized that he was dreaming.

It had actually been quite a while since he’d last had a dream. Ever since becoming an Esper, due to chronic guiding deficiency, he rarely fell into a deep enough sleep to dream.

“Hey, Song Jaeha. Hand that over.”

“N-No…”

The young Song Jaeha in the dream was surrounded by scary older boys, clutching a crinkly bag tightly to his chest. Back then, it had felt terrifying enough to die, but now, seeing it from an objective viewpoint, they were just ten-year-old kids.

Jaeha had grown rapidly during puberty and eventually became a fairly tall adult at 183 cm, but back then he had a frail, skinny frame. Combined with his timid personality, Jaeha was an easy target for bullying. He often had his belongings or food taken away, and sometimes, he was hit.

It was the same this time.

It had been a day when a famous bakery made a large donation. The director, feeling sorry for Jaeha who always got the last pick because he was often robbed or hit, had secretly saved him a donut.

He usually had no strong desire for food and would give it up if asked. He hated getting hit more than not getting to eat something tasty.

But this time, he didn’t want to give it up. It wasn’t so much about wanting the donut as it was not wanting to lose the one thing the director had thoughtfully given him. Like most orphans, Jaeha was especially vulnerable to kindness from adults.

Afraid of losing it, he clutched the crinkling plastic wrapping tightly. He felt like crying out of fear. His nose tingled. But he knew crying would only make the older boys tease and mock him more, so he swallowed hard and tensed his eyes.

There were three of them. They backed him into a wall, giving him no way to run.

“What? You think you’re better than us?”

“Hey, wanna die?”

At that age, they used the word “die” so casually. But to Jaeha, it was terrifying. One of the boys raised a fist. From an adult’s perspective, it was a pretty small, cute fist, but to Jaeha, it was a fearsome weapon threatening his life.

“Eek…!”

As Jaeha held the donut tightly and shut his eyes, a shadow fell over him. In that moment, he regretted not just giving them the donut, and then, regretting that he regretted it, he felt cowardly and a tear slipped out.

Then it happened.

“…You guys.”

Someone spoke bluntly. Both the boys who were about to hit Jaeha and Jaeha himself froze. A shadow now loomed over all of them.

“…”

“…”

The speaker was a young teenager. Jaeha recognized him, as did the boys. He was also from the orphanage, but unlike the others, he had left without being adopted — a rare case. He had manifested as an Esper at eleven and joined the Association three years ago, leaving the orphanage.

“Gasp…”

“…Tch, you’ll see.”

And this boy didn’t get along with the others. Now that he thought about it, wasn’t it the Esper Association that donated the bakery goods? Could he have been the one who arranged it? Though he had been a well-known senior at the orphanage, Jaeha didn’t have any personal connection to him.

Probably scared by the older teenager, the other boys ran off, leaving only Jaeha behind. Of course, Jaeha was still frozen in fear.

“…”

“…”

He didn’t seem like a bad person. But Jaeha couldn’t tell whether the boy had intentionally helped him or if the others just fled because they got nervous. After hesitating for a while, it was Jaeha who finally spoke up.

“…Um, hyung, um, hey…”

“…”

“Do you want to… share the donut?”

“…”

Maybe because this dream was based on Jaeha’s memory, the boy’s face was unclear. Since he no longer remembered the name or the face, it was natural.

He didn’t remember what happened next either. Somehow, despite being shy, he had been excitedly talking with a bright face — he remembered that much, though he didn’t know what kind of magic the older boy had worked to make that happen.

“I want to become an Esper too! You’re so cool, hyung!”

He also remembered the boy’s reply as he held half of the donut.

“It’s not that great.”

“What isn’t?”

“Becoming an Esper.”

Without any further explanation, the boy had popped the tiny half-piece of donut — barely the size of a fingertip — into his mouth.

That was Jaeha’s last and only conversation with the boy whose name and face he no longer remembered.

That scene was the final thing he saw before waking from the dream.

“…”

The emotion he felt upon waking was indescribable.

His body felt unbearably heavy and sore, but his mind was so light it felt like it could float away. But his lower back hurt a lot. His body felt sticky, strange, and limp. Weird. Does sex usually hurt this much? It was his first time, so he had no frame of reference.

“Ugh…”

“You’re awake?”

“…Aiden-ssi?”

“I told you, call me hyung.”

He had been groaning from the soreness and hadn’t realized someone was still lying next to him. The moment he heard that voice, chills ran down his spine. Why… why was he still here? More importantly, what time was it?

“What time… what time is it…?”

His voice came out hoarse and rough. It sounded like he was still half-asleep.

“It’s 1 PM.”

“Wh… what?”

That couldn’t be right. What time was it now? He remembered going to bed with Aiden early in the evening and… doing that thing. They had only done it once, so at most he should’ve slept two or three hours. It couldn’t have been a whole night.

“You were sleeping so well.”

“…But I have insomnia…”

“Liar.”

Aiden teased him with a playful tone, much more familiar than the night before, which made Jaeha feel strange.

He must’ve slept so well that his eyes were all swollen. He couldn’t even open them properly, and as he muttered a half-asleep response, Aiden began to poke his cheek playfully. He seemed bored. Unlike Jaeha, he wasn’t groggy at all — he must’ve been awake for a while. He could’ve at least woken him up…

If it was already 1 PM, it was time to prepare for opening the shop. Not to mention he hadn’t properly closed the shop last night, so there was a ton to do.

Jaeha forced himself to sit up.

“Ugh…”

But his whole body ached, and he groaned. No, his body felt really weird.

Physically, he was definitely in pain. It felt like he’d run a marathon — unfamiliar muscles were sore and he couldn’t gather his strength properly.

And yet… his body felt amazing.

His head didn’t hurt, and even if it did, his senses were sharp all the way to his fingertips. The waves that used to tear through him from within had quieted. Everything was so calm and still, it felt like he’d gone back to before his Esper awakening. He hadn’t realized it while starving, but now that he was full, he could finally see the world clearly.

“You should rest a little longer.”

“I-I need to… get ready for work…”

Realizing that made everything feel surreal, like he was still walking in a dream.

Because he was too happy. He was barely able to answer because he could assess his own situation objectively. It felt like the moment right before doing it. He was dazed by the unexpectedly powerful guiding, but also felt fear.

Guiding was something he shouldn’t receive.

Receiving guiding was dangerous…

He had to muster all his strength to avoid choosing the easiest and most dangerous option — lying back down beside Aiden to bask in that comfort. Hesitating, Jaeha finally managed to get out of bed. He threw on some clothes. Behind him, he heard Aiden whine a little.

“Too bad…”

“Haha… I’ll see you next time.”

“Shall we?”

He forced a cheerful tone. He didn’t look back, but heard the bed creak as Aiden presumably got up as well. Aiden approached.

“…”

Jaeha was fumbling with his buttons, but knowing Aiden was behind him made it harder to do properly. After a few tries, Aiden rested his chin lightly on Jaeha’s shoulder. The soft hair brushing against his neck made him tense up slightly.

“Give me your number.”

“…Ah, my number.”

Aiden rubbed his face lightly against him like he was being cute. Maybe amused by Jaeha’s flinching, he chuckled softly.

Jaeha hesitated as he took the phone Aiden offered. He was careful not to touch Aiden’s hand.

He shouldn’t give him his number…

One reckless act was enough. Just yesterday, he’d stupidly suggested they continue this relationship, thinking Aiden’s guiding was nothing serious.

He stared at the blank screen.

“…”

As he zoned out looking at the phone, Aiden, still resting his chin on Jaeha’s shoulder, gently wrapped his arms around him. The hug wasn’t even tight, but the feel of those strong arms made him feel trapped, and Jaeha startled, hurriedly typing in his number.

“Thanks.”

A kiss landed on his cheek and Jaeha flinched again. C-Crazy… He rolled his eyes toward Aiden. Their eyes met. Aiden smiled with curved eyes. A kind, pretty, neat-looking beautiful man… But for some reason, he looked like a sly fox smirking.

[I’m happy…]

Reading his pure thoughts made Jaeha feel guilty for thinking that.

Yeah, how could an Esper refuse a guide’s request… Jaeha comforted himself that way as he handed the phone back.

“I’ll call you when I have time.”

“Okay~.”

Nothing much happened after that. Aiden said he had work too, so they got dressed together. Jaeha walked him out into the alley where the winter sunlight poured in with a bluish hue. He sniffled from the cold, and suddenly recalled that old conversation in the dream.

‘It’s not that great.’

‘What isn’t?’

‘Becoming an Esper.’

Why had that conversation suddenly come to mind?

Jaeha ignored his aching shoulder and scratched his neck. Something felt off.

It was the same feeling he had when he first followed his boss — the one who had paid off his debt — into his office building. Unsettling, strange, but oddly pleasant…

“Weird…”

It felt like he had fallen into a trap.