AAGULT Ch 33

Chapter 33

 

Is this how guides usually are? Episode 033

–What is going on here. Song Jae-ha is a C-rank?

“They say so.”

Aiden, lying in his hospital bed, answered the phone with indifference. He had just finished the esper examination 30 minutes ago, biting his lip as if in frustration, collecting the blood that came out while pretending to feel sorry, and submitting that for the test. Judging by the speed at which the Association President called right after returning, it was clear he was paying close attention to the situation.

–Then was the report wrong…?

Aiden also recalled the report that suggested Song Jae-ha might be an A-rank, and possibly even a latent S-rank if guided properly, and began to calculate. His quick and cunning mind was already leading him to some conclusions, but it wasn’t the right time or situation to speak them aloud, so of course he didn’t share his suspicions with the Association President. Instead, he asked,

“Have the ampoule analysis results come in yet?”

–Not yet.

“Hmmm.”

–Do you know something?

“There’s no way I would.”

Aiden replied sweetly, feigning innocence. But the Association President, who knew him well, seemed to sense he was hiding something. It was unfortunate. Though he didn’t regret it, he did think it would’ve been better if he had chosen a better time to take off his mask in front of this old man.

–Tsk… I’ll send a healing esper to you, so return to the Association. We’ll have a meeting afterward.

“I’m sick. I’d like to rest a little longer.”

–…Wasn’t that ‘act’ over already?

“Haha.”

In truth, Aiden only had minor injuries. His arm was broken and he had internal injuries, but he was such a rare figure that he could order around the only healing esper in the country. So, he could’ve healed quickly without needing hospitalization, and there was no real reason to stay injured like this.

The Association President, recalling the play he was inadvertently dragged into, asked again in disbelief, to which Aiden only responded with a kind smile. Of course, to the Association President, even that smile seemed deeply meaningful. Still, knowing Aiden was sincere enough in this mission to not avoid injury, he asked seriously whether Aiden planned to extract more from Song Jae-ha.

–Are you going to dig more?

“Not really.”

–Then?

“I haven’t had sex in the hospital yet. I was going to invite him tomorrow.”

–……

Aiden smiled shyly, enjoying the pain emanating from the silence.

–No, no, wait, do you… You know Esper Jeong is out on assignment, right? You can’t do ‘that work.’ It’s best not to see Song Jae-ha for at least a week. What if you get read?

The Association President desperately tried to stop Aiden, mentioning the esper who had been steadily helping him separate his consciousness and thoughts in hopes of guiding Aiden. But Aiden replied as if the suggestion was ridiculous.

“Do you think I’d be thinking about work during sex?”

–……

“If anything, it would be the other way around.”

Having learned the completely useless TMI that the country’s only S-rank guide doesn’t think about work during sex, the Association President simply gave up on thinking. And then just hung up the phone altogether. Before it cut off, he thought he heard a refreshing laugh. He wanted to scrub his ears clean.

 

“Welcome.”

As soon as he somehow finished tidying up the bar and opened it again, customers walked in. He was glad he had managed to clean the place up, even if clumsily. Thanks to that, he didn’t get any sleep, but he was filled with the hope that he might get more than five hours of rest tonight, so his mood wasn’t bad.

“This is my first time here…”

“Ah, what should I drink? The June Bug I had last time was really good…”

“Really? Then I’ll have a Blue Hawaii.”

“Sure.”

Two women in their twenties, who looked like friends, came in and sat down. Fortunately, there had been no reservations today, so it was certain they were ordinary civilians. In a relatively good mood, he pulled out melon liqueur, Malibu coconut rum, and sweet & sour mix. For the Blue Hawaii, he also took out pineapple juice, blue curaçao, and rum. When he skillfully shaved the ice, he heard a light cheer.

“Wow, can I take a photo?”

“Of course. Ah, just don’t get my face in it.”

It wasn’t a joke—there was always a chance the photo or video might end up on a wanted poster someday. He broke out in a cold sweat inside, but outwardly wore the calm face of a social professional. Luckily, the customers took it as a joke and laughed, snapping shots of Jae-ha’s flashy movements.

“How did we not know about this place? Owner, can I post this on social media?”

“Haha, you haven’t even tasted it yet.”

Finally, he topped the Blue Hawaii with a neatly placed lemon slice and set it down in front of the customer. She set down her phone, smiled brightly, and took a sip.

“It obviously tastes good. I’m definitely coming here often. Right?”

“Wow. This is amazing, sir.”

“Thanks.”

If it were just a normal cocktail bar, it would be one thing, but this one was open so customers could easily talk with the bartender, so Jae-ha chatted with them casually until they finished their drinks and left. It was nice being able to train his social skills this way.

They were university students in their early twenties, one majoring in physics and the other in philosophy. They had come for drinks to ease the stress of worrying about jobs. One of them had recently awakened as an E-rank esper, making things even more complicated.

Unlike Jae-ha, they were very sociable and expressed their regret when they heard the bar would be closing soon.

He got a call from one of the guides he managed, so he quickly answered and missed what kind of post those customers uploaded…

A stylish and cozy bar in XX-dong

–[photo]

–[photo]

It was my first time at a modern bar like this, so I was nervous, but the bartender was super kind and explained everything in a way that made it easy to enjoy! He even shared the history of Blue Hawaii and a simple home recipe for cocktails, haha.

Honestly can’t believe this place has no customersㅠ I heard a gate opened nearby recently—maybe that’s why? Oh right, the bartender is seriously tall and handsomeㅜㅜ!!! At first, he looked a bit sharp and intimidating, but when he smiled, total puppy vibes… Honestly thought he was a model or an esper, lol.

He said there’d be a discount soon because they’re closing—highly recommend!!!

In other words, it meant he was screwed.

“Uh, Mr. Jung-won… I’m sorry. I just got the notice today too… But starting late next month, at a new place…”

Well, anyway, that was for later.

Because of the bomb dropped by Manager Kang, he had to send messages to all 15 employees, one by one. One by one, they began contacting him, asking what was going on and what would happen now. In the position of having to check their wages, accounts, and equipment while closing the bar, Jae-ha felt like he’d been struck by lightning.

“Of course, I’ll pay your wages. Even if I have to use my own money. Please just rest up until the end of next month. I’ll talk to Manager Kang…”

Especially since the number of customers had increased over the past few days, he had to delay meeting Aiden by several days beyond their planned time to handle the bar’s closure and explain and plead with the guides. It really couldn’t be helped.

 

“I thought you’d forgotten about me, Jae-ha.”

“No way!”

“Really?”

“O-of course…”

Wait, this is weird. How did things end up like this? The posture was familiar, but he never expected to be in it in front of him, not the bar owner. Aiden wasn’t someone he wanted to kneel and beg in front of, nor was he scary enough to make him do so…

As Aiden reached out his hand, Jae-ha unconsciously followed it and placed his cheek gently on it. It was soft. Feeling guilty, he looked up at Aiden as if gauging his mood. He had no choice but to look up—because he was kneeling at Aiden’s bedside.

To be honest, he hadn’t intended to kneel. When he entered the hospital room, Aiden burst into tears the moment he saw him, and in his flustered attempt to comfort him, he had ended up kneeling of his own accord. It was strange and bizarre. It reminded him of that fable about the wind and the sun trying to make the traveler take off his cloak.

Jae-ha hesitated, wondering whether he should reach out and wipe away the tears clinging to Aiden’s lashes. He remembered, belatedly, that espers weren’t supposed to touch guides first if they could help it. The reason was the possibility of reverse guiding or the guide being afraid of the esper.

“Then please, comfort me.”

But the man, brushing aside Jae-ha’s hesitation, pulled away the hand that had been stroking his cheek and now rested his face on Jae-ha’s hand, whining like a child. With his eyes half-lidded, as if asking to be wiped, Jae-ha hesitantly dabbed the tears from Aiden’s eyes. Worried that the small calluses on his hand might hurt Aiden’s soft and delicate skin, he instinctively held his breath. If he applied just a bit more pressure, he might’ve trembled, but not wanting to look pathetic, he somehow managed to control his strength.

“…How should I comfort you?”

“Hmm…”

Still with tears on his face, Aiden smiled faintly and pretended to think. Then, grabbing Jae-ha’s hand still hanging in the air, he kissed the palm with a ticklish touch. Perhaps aware that Jae-ha was reluctant to guide, there wasn’t any guiding in the touch, but because he was such a high-level guide, even light contact made a faint energy creep in. As sensation returned to his tingling fingertips, Jae-ha’s hand flinched slightly.

“I was so happy in that alleyway last time.”

“…”

Alley? Alleyway… There was only one vivid image that came to mind when he heard “alleyway,” and Jae-ha’s face turned pale.

“That was a joke… right?”

Even as he asked, he felt certain it wasn’t a joke, and for some reason, he wanted to cry. He did love Aiden, but the man was a pervert…