AAGULT Ch 30

Chapter 30

 

When the nurse, perhaps realizing the name she was about to say belonged to someone famous, lowered her voice to ask, Jaeha dumbly nodded with a clueless face.

“Yes, yes……”

“Go to the 13th floor, room 1305. We were told in advance, so just let the security know and go in. It’s at the end of the hallway.”

“Thank you. Um… is it okay to visit like this? Should I change clothes first? How long is the visitation time?”

He asked a few questions, wondering what he’d do if the guide was in intensive care. He’d heard that if a guide was seriously injured, espers might be restricted from entering or made to wear protective suits to prevent them from unintentionally draining the patient’s energy.

“Ah… It’s alright. He’s not that seriously injured. There’s no specific time restriction from the hospital either.”

Hearing that, he was so relieved that his legs almost gave out. He knew the guide had texted him, so he had to be conscious, but still—he felt deeply reassured hearing from a professional that it wasn’t serious.

He bowed his head quickly in thanks. Now that he’d arrived at the hospital, there was no more need to rush, but somehow, he ran again. The elevator was just about to leave, but perhaps sensing the urgency on his pale face, someone kindly held it open for him, and Jaeha thanked them again.

Upon reaching the 13th floor, his steps naturally slowed.

“Ah… Are you Song Jaeha-ssi?”

“Yes…”

“You may go in.”

The security guard hesitated briefly, but eventually stepped aside. …Was it because his clothes were so shabby that they hesitated to let him in? The mismatched shoes suddenly made him feel self-conscious, and the tips of his ears turned red with embarrassment.

They weren’t just blocking the room but the entire hallway, so he had to walk a little further to reach the room.

He arrived at room 1305 quickly. And he stood in front of the door. After taking a deep breath, he raised his hand to knock.

Jaeha immediately understood why the security guards had hesitated to let him in.

“-If it’s going to be like this, then forget Song Jaeha.”

Thud.

His hand, raised to knock, dropped as soon as his name was mentioned. He gripped the doorknob for support, as if needing to hold onto something. His heart dropped with a loud thump. Goosebumps ran all over his body.

Who was that?

Judging by the voice, it seemed to be someone important. A middle-aged man, and the way he was speaking informally to Aiden, an S-class guide, suggested he might also be someone from the Association.

What was he to Aiden that someone so important would be mentioning his name? Should he just let go and leave now?

“How could you say something like that?”

But what stopped Jaeha from leaving was a gentle voice. That ever-soft, kind voice was now damp with sorrow. It carried a sadness that made the listener instinctively mournful, yet it was calm and filled with a strength that didn’t fear speaking one’s truth—very unlike Jaeha.

“You know I love him, Director…!”

“……!”

The moment he heard those words, Jaeha’s grip on the doorknob tightened involuntarily.

The hospital door was better made than expected, and with just that slight pressure on the knob, it opened smoothly. He hadn’t expected the door to open with such little force, so his body lost balance.

Clunk.

“Ugh…”

The door opened, and the people inside turned to look at him in surprise. With all eyes on him, Jaeha fell into panic. Why, why did his body have to give out at this moment…?

“……”

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence fell. Frozen in place, he could neither enter nor shut the door and leave. All he could do was stand there pale, enduring their gazes.

It was the middle-aged man sitting by the bedside who finally broke the silence. According to Aiden’s earlier words, he was the Director of the Association. Someone an unregistered esper like himself should avoid. And for some reason… he seemed to know who Jaeha was.

“I’ll get going now.”

“……”

He let out deep sighs, looking quite exhausted. Without waiting for a response from Aiden, he began to move, and only when he stood directly in front of Jaeha did the latter come to his senses and step aside to open the door wider for him. He didn’t forget to shift his body as much as possible out of the way.

“You are…”

“……”

It felt like being scolded by a strict school teacher. Frozen in place, all Jaeha could do was watch his expression, and the Director clicked his tongue and sighed again. That pierced Jaeha deeply. He felt so pathetic.

Of course, Jaeha had no idea the Director was actually feeling pity for him.

“Tsks.”

“……”

The Director adjusted his suit jacket and left the room. Just like that, there were now only two people in the space—or rather, Jaeha was awkwardly half in and half out of the room, so it was just the two of them.

Jaeha was too scared to decide whether to go in or not. Considering how he’d been sleepless, waiting for his message, he should have gone in to check on him properly and apologize first. But as an esper, Jaeha was also more sensitive than a regular person, and he could vaguely sense things unconsciously. The trap laid before him. The serpent lying in wait within this hospital room.

“Jaeha…”

“……”

Of course, Jaeha tossed aside all those instincts, ignoring even the intense signals from his ancestors. Anyone would, upon hearing such a trembling, fragile voice.

“Aiden… Aiden.”

“What I just said, I, -Hkk!”

From Aiden’s point of view, he must’ve been flustered by his unintended confession. Jaeha could understand the feeling. Perhaps fearing that Jaeha would turn away, Aiden hurriedly tried to get up. But the movement must have irritated his injuries, and his face contorted in pain as he collapsed to the side of the bed. The IV stand toppled with a loud crash.

“Aiden!”

Jaeha, still unsure whether to run or hide, made his decision when he saw Aiden falling. He rushed into the room and caught him as he fell to the floor in pain.

His body felt cold overall. His arm was in a cast, and having spent months inside the gate, he was slightly thinner than Jaeha remembered. Still, he was slightly bigger than Jaeha, so Jaeha had to almost cradle him to support his weight. Then Aiden clung tightly to him with surprising strength.

Thump, thump, thump.

Jaeha could feel his heartbeat clearly through the loose hospital gown. He pressed his face against Jaeha’s neck and rubbed it gently. His body trembled slightly, as if crying. No—perhaps Jaeha was the one trembling.

“I missed you…”

He looked so pitiful that Jaeha felt a sudden surge of emotion. Just like when Aiden had been beaten up by an unregistered esper in the alley—though he didn’t mean it, he ended up scolding him.

“Why… why did you go into that gate?”

“……”

“If you’re S-class, you can at least refuse once in a while… it’s so dangerous…”

Aiden was probably right and Jaeha was wrong. He had entered the gate as a guide to ensure citizens’ safety and to support espers far more capable than Jaeha. Even so, Jaeha wished Aiden had been a little more selfish.

Since Aiden had his face buried in Jaeha’s shoulder, he couldn’t see his expression. But Aiden responded with a voice tinged with tears and a faint smile.

“I volunteered… to go in.”

Jaeha should be getting him off this cold floor and back onto the bed. That crashing sound should have brought someone. The dislodged IV needed to be reinserted. But amidst the spinning worry and confusion, Aiden’s words stuck with him.

“…Why?”

He couldn’t help but ask. Aiden, who had been holding him tightly, slowly—very slowly—leaned back. Even with tears all over his face, he somehow looked composed. His eyelashes were wet and glistened under the sunlight. He slowly lifted his gaze to meet Jaeha’s eyes.

Jaeha couldn’t read his thoughts. It was proof that Aiden wasn’t thinking ahead or filtering his words—he was speaking purely from the heart.

“That gate…”

“……”

“That gate was near the bar where you work. I found out. I was scared you’d be in danger…”

With a sheepish smile on a tear-streaked face,

With a face slightly swollen from crying and cheeks sweetly flushed,

With the look of someone worried about the man who had cut off contact without a word,

“Ah…”

Jaeha finally, undeniably—had to admit it.

That not falling in love with him here and now was close to impossible.

He wanted to cry.

“Please, be careful…”

The nurse, doomed to write a fall report, screamed when she found Aiden collapsed on the floor and brought a doctor.

Jaeha awkwardly sat in the chair beside the bed, watching them reinsert the IV. Aiden’s pale arm was revealed. Blood had spurted from the spot where the needle had come loose when he fell, and his arm was bloodstained. As he watched them carefully wipe it and reinsert the needle, Aiden glanced at him with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Please get some rest. And… this guest…”

“I’ll stay a bit longer.”

We still have too much left to say.

Even though Jaeha hadn’t said he would stay, the man smiled gently as he answered.