AAGULT Ch 28

Chapter 28

 

“Welcome!”

“Welcome.”

Just as Harin, who had just returned from taking out the trash, cheerfully greeted the customer, Jaeha quickly followed suit with his own greeting. When he looked up, he saw a man with a rather intimidating appearance striding into the shop.

‘Ah, come to think of it…….’

There was a reservation today. Jaeha quickly lifted the corners of his lips into a polite, socially skilled smile before the man could find any fault. Usually, the unregistered espers who visited this kind of “illegal guiding facility” weren’t the nicest people. They only sought out these places when desperate, as making a reservation cost quite a bit of money. Jaeha understood all too well the pain of guide deprivation they were likely suffering.

“I need to use the bathroom. Can I?”

“Ah, this way, please. The door’s a bit broken……”

Since the man had given the password, Jaeha smiled and led him toward the storage room. He made a few manipulations to open the door and let the man inside.

“Please go into Room 15, sir. You can leave through the back door by turning the lock twice.”

“Yeah.”

The man glanced sideways at Jaeha and responded indifferently before heading down. Once he confirmed the man had gone down, Jaeha pressed a button on the machine located upstairs. It was a safety measure installed in case an esper became violent with the guide—every room except Room 15 was now locked. Surveillance cameras installed throughout the basement were connected to Jaeha’s phone, so he could check on things from there.

“……Ah.”

Now that he thought about it, he had forgotten to read the man’s thoughts. Clicking his tongue at the oversight, Jaeha frowned slightly. Strange. Normally, just a brief glance into someone’s eyes was enough—whether he wanted to hear it or not, their thoughts would flow in.

But that suspicion soon faded from his weary mind, which didn’t want to dwell on anything. He must just be tired. After all, he’d only gotten about two hours of sleep the night before.

He closed the storage room door and returned to the bar. Harin, leaning on the bartender table, spotted him and lightly grumbled.

“We sure have a lot of customers who only seem to want to use the bathroom. What do you think about making them buy a cocktail if they want to use it, Jaeha?”

“Haha……. If it’s urgent, there’s no helping it.”

That is the main service, after all. He swallowed that part of the sentence and offered an awkward smile.

“Pfft…… Well, at least you don’t have to go back and forth twice, Jaeha.”

In reality, the bathroom in the bar was connected to the back door, and the same went for the guiding facility downstairs. It was all a part of the deception, a way to fool ordinary civilians like Harin—and, more importantly, to stay hidden from the Association’s watchful eyes.

Peaceful silence returned to the shop. Jaeha, making sure Harin couldn’t see, raised his phone and opened the app connected to the surveillance cameras. He could see the guide in Room 15 taking the esper’s hand and beginning the session.

Ding.

I might not be reachable for a while. I’ll come find you as soon as I wrap things up, Jaeha.

“…….”

Another message had come. Worried that Harin might notice, Jaeha quickly erased the notification and forced his expression to remain neutral. When he turned his eyes back to the surveillance footage, the esper was quietly receiving guiding without causing any trouble.

Perhaps Harin had noticed that Jaeha was unusually quiet and tired. While diligently sweeping and cleaning the store, he cleared his throat and struck up a conversation.

“Um, Jaeha.”

“Yes?”

“A gate opened near here. Maybe an hour or two ago…… Did you know?”

“……Really?”

Jaeha stopped mid-glance at his phone and looked at Harin in surprise. Ever since the boss had visited, he’d practically been holed up in the shop or his house. No wonder he hadn’t noticed anything happening outside.

“Yeah, they were doing a lot of traffic control and stuff on the way here. Ugh…… I almost came in late.”

Given that it had only been an hour or two ago, it made sense that Jaeha didn’t know yet. And the reason the emergency alert hadn’t gone off was understandable, too.

It took about three hours just to assess a gate’s grade. Simultaneously, they began controlling the surrounding area. Only after the grade was officially determined did the emergency alerts go out to nearby civilians. Then it took another five to six hours to assemble an esper team and dispatch them to subdue the gate.

Even those who weren’t affiliated with the Association but were familiar with disasters and gates would know that routine well.

“…….”

Suddenly, Jaeha felt as though he was sinking into a deep, bottomless pit of anxiety. He furrowed his brow slightly and looked back at his phone. Remembering the deleted notification, he opened the message app again.

I might not be reachable for a while. I’ll come find you as soon as I wrap things up, Jaeha.

“…….”

No way. Aiden is an S-class guide, and gates that require S-class guides don’t open that frequently. Even if he did enter a dangerous gate, he’s not someone who would get hurt easily.

Still not replying to the message, Jaeha shut the app in an attempt to put it out of his mind.

At that time, Jaeha didn’t know. He had no idea how much he would fret, watching the news repeatedly report that a dungeon initially estimated to be only C+ class had been officially declared A-class; that emergency alerts and evacuation orders would be issued in the area; that the shop would be temporarily closed—and that the only S-class guide, Ye Aiden, would be deployed there.

A week had passed since then.

—It’s been a week since S-class guide Ye Aiden of the Korean Guide Association was dispatched to the gate that manifested in XX district, and controversy is growing as the clearing process remains unusually delayed. Reporter Lee Sohyun, what are your thoughts?

—Yes, this is reporter Lee Sohyun. A few days ago, the 15th A-class gate in Korean history appeared in a small alleyway.

“…….”

Watching the news on his phone, Jaeha chewed the inside of his cheek. His legs trembled with anxiety. It had been three days since the last message. Aiden had said he’d gone inside.

Time flowed differently inside and outside of gates. Each gate had its own variance, but if a week had passed here, two or three months might have already passed inside. Even though A-class gates were rare and difficult, when a team composed of S-class and A-class espers entered, it usually took just one or two days—three at most. But this time, it had already been a week.

“I shouldn’t have done that……”

Jaeha’s insides were burning with each passing day. Time felt unbearably fast, yet excruciatingly slow at the same time.

It had been a week since the shop was temporarily closed per the manager’s instructions and he had holed himself up at home. In total, Jaeha had barely slept nine hours over the entire week. Normally, he spent New Year’s quietly at home, but this year, he didn’t even remember how it had passed. More than guide deprivation or the side effects of suppressants, what crushed him now was guilt and anxiety.

“…….”

I shouldn’t have avoided him. Avoidance had always been his old habit, his biggest flaw. Even though that person had wanted to face him, he’d ended up running away. Now, Aiden was likely dancing on the edge of life and death inside the gate. Then again, even if he hadn’t avoided him, would the result have changed? He was such a pathetic person……

Just a few days of isolation had made Jaeha miserably depressed and full of self-loathing.

With a slightly trembling hand, he reached for an ampoule. Then he gulped down the nauseating liquid.

“Ugh……”

Even though he hadn’t met Aiden again, the intervals between doses hadn’t grown any longer. It was a symptom of guide deprivation.

“Sigh……”

Jaeha knew full well that this self-destructive behavior meant nothing in the end.

But right now, even more than his own side effects and suffering, the worry for Aiden consumed him. He wished desperately for Aiden’s safety, even if it meant he would never receive guiding again. He didn’t care if Aiden yelled at him or hit him—he just wanted to confirm that he was safe. When was the last time he had felt emotions this intense?

He had avoided meeting Aiden to prevent having improper feelings. But only after Aiden disappeared did he realize he already had those feelings all along—and had only been denying them by avoiding him.

He missed Aiden so much. Even though they had only known each other for two months.

Everything had flowed strangely, as if orchestrated, making Jaeha fall in love with him.

“…….”

His nose stung. He wanted to cry, but felt he didn’t deserve to.

Maybe it was because they stood on opposite sides. Romeo and Juliet might not have fallen into such a sudden, passionate love had they not belonged to hostile factions. As an orphaned criminal from the lowest of the low, maybe he’d mistaken his admiration for someone in such a high place as something deeper. Maybe the thrill of risking getting caught by the boss had made his feelings for Aiden more intense—a sort of suspension bridge effect……

Aiden might have only sought him out because of a unique sexual preference…… He knew crying over this alone only made him look even more pathetic.

“Ah, shit……”

Jaeha wiped away the tears that had unknowingly streamed down his cheeks. Even without looking in the mirror, he could feel the slight puffiness around his eyes. No one would notice or care even if he broke down like this.

Thinking it would be better to just turn off his phone and try to sleep more, he reached to power it down.

No—he was about to.

We have breaking news.

“……!”

The moment he heard the anchor’s urgent voice, Jaeha’s eyes flew wide open.