AAGULT Ch 55

Chapter 55

 

“Boss…”

“Yeah.”

The voice calling him was horribly hoarse. Yet he understood it as always and responded.

He was holding a fresh cigarette between his lips. His clothes were soaked with the blood Jaeha had vomited, yet it didn’t seem to bother him at all. With one arm, he held Jaeha’s limp body close to keep him from sliding off and patted him gently, as if soothing a child. His other hand was clinking with some object. Turning his eyes with difficulty, Jaeha saw that it was the Esper classification device he had seen before.

“Why…”

“……”

It was such a fundamental question. Why was he doing this to him?

Whether or not Jaeha was beginning to harbor overwhelming, uncontrollable feelings toward the man was beside the point. What exactly did the man want from him?

He couldn’t bring himself to ask such a large question, so he shifted the direction.

“Do you… want to sleep with me?”

He was like family to the man. And he had thought the man felt the same. If that were true… then the man had no right to control his guiding or sex life. Even if he thought maybe the man wanted to treat him like a lover, that didn’t quite fit either. He had wanted to phrase the question more delicately, but what came out was raw and sharp—nakedly direct.

“-Hah.”

The man laughed. Like he had heard something genuinely funny, his breath escaped in a quiet chuckle, and he looked truly amused. Just like the time he’d laughed when the doctor told him about Jaeha’s condition—dimples forming on his cheeks. His defined jaw tensed slightly, standing out.

Jaeha stared blankly. Normally, he might have felt embarrassed for asking such a question. But right now, mentally and physically exhausted, he didn’t have the energy for such emotions.

The man didn’t answer, merely kept chuckling quietly and continued his actions. He dropped a sample of Jaeha’s blood into the Esper classification device and continued patting him gently, like comforting a child.

Beep.

The measuring device’s tone announcing the result tickled his ear. Jaeha wanted to look, but his vision was too blurry with fatigue. He gave up and closed his eyes. He just wanted to sleep a little.

“Jaeha.”

“Yes…”

“Do you remember the first mission I gave you?”

“……”

He tried to stir his dulled mind. It wasn’t hard to recall. After his Esper manifestation, he had been trembling in fear when the man placed a hand on his shoulder and gave his first calm request. How could he forget? His first mission, which had ended in disgrace and shame…

“Black… Dragon Syndicate infiltration…”

“That’s right.”

“……”

He placed the device, now stained with blood, on the table beside the bed. It didn’t look very pleasant. Set next to the tracking device, it felt like they had been deliberately placed there to be seen by someone.

“I’m going to ask you for something similar.”

“……”

“Go to the Association.”

The Association? Why was he bringing that up now? Jaeha blinked blankly, and the man lifted his weakened body from his lap and laid him down on the bed. The soft, cool sheets enveloped him.

“They’ll treat you kindly. Maybe it’ll even suit you better.”

“……”

“But eventually, they’ll discard you.”

It wasn’t a statement full of certainty, nor did it carry bitterness. His tone was slow and flat, as if stating an obvious fact.

“Wait until then. I’ll come to get you.”

“Yes…”

His wrecked body demanded sleep. It didn’t feel like drowsiness—more like he was on the verge of losing consciousness. His whole body felt hot, yet also like it was submerged in ice water. It wasn’t just because of being choked earlier. More than anything, it was the massive dose of drugs he’d taken earlier.

Now separated from the man and touching the bare sheets, a chill seemed to creep in. As he blinked his dry, fatigued eyes, he felt the mattress shift—the boss had stood from the bed.

It’s over now. Whatever it was. For now, I just want to sleep and think with a clear mind after waking. The punishment seemed done. His anger seemed to have cooled. Now… maybe I can face him without fear. After sleeping, I want to have a real conversation with him.

“And Jaeha.”

He shut his eyes. The man’s voice gently brushed against his skin. Footsteps approached. His hand reached Jaeha’s hair, brushing it back softly.

“It’s rare for a father to devour a child-like son, isn’t it?”

“……”

The man let out a quiet chuckle. From the sound of it, Jaeha’s question—“Do you want to sleep with me?”—must have struck him as especially audacious.

Jaeha forced his eyes open. His eyelids felt as heavy as lead. He had already used up all his voice, and now his throat was so hoarse he couldn’t speak. His lips moved slightly, and his eyes met the man’s, who was standing above him with the fluorescent light behind him. He looked quite pleased.

“But then…”

“……”

A hand covered his eyes, as if telling him to sleep. Jaeha remembered the man’s hand being warm, yet now it felt cool—likely a sign he was running a fever.

“…I guess we’re not exactly ordinary, either of us.”

“……”

That was the last thing he heard. Jaeha’s body could no longer function enough to hear the rest of his words. In an instant—like someone had flipped his power switch—his consciousness vanished. Whether he had passed out or fallen asleep, he didn’t know.

After that, Jaeha remained unconscious for what felt like a long, long time. He vaguely recalled strange sounds at his ear.

“This is Esper Kim Jihwan, stationed at Seoul B-3. I’ve found someone believed to be Song Jaeha!”

—Move him! Report to the Guiding Association immediately!

“Yes!”

But all of that was just meaningless noise disturbing his sleep. Jaeha, groaning faintly, had no idea he’d wake to a new world. He simply sank into deeper sleep.

Beep, beep, beep.

A faint machine sound rang. Jaeha, half asleep and debating whether to sleep more, finally blinked open his dry, heavy eyes.

Beep, beep, beep.

Something seemed to be covering his face. He rolled his eyes to check and saw what looked like an oxygen mask.

…An oxygen mask? Wait, where was I last…?

“Jaeha-ssi, are you awake?”

“……”

A familiar voice. Finally, Jaeha slowly—very slowly—began to grasp reality. The beeping sound was from the patient monitor. He was wearing an oxygen mask. This was a hospital. And the one who just spoke to him was…

“You must still be very tired.”

“……”

“Your body’s probably hard to move because of the side effects. We’re trying to detox you, but… they said you’ll need lots of rest. Your body’s in total disarray.”

“……”

“Sleep a bit more, Jaeha-ssi.”

A hand reached out and gently covered his eyes. Whether from fever or winter’s chill, that hand felt incredibly cool. The guiding energy it carried was so evident that Jaeha instinctively whined softly and tilted his head closer to it. The man chuckled quietly.

“You’ve got to wake up and go on a date with me.”

We’re not even dating…

His lips moved silently like a goldfish, but no words came out.

How could someone like me possibly date someone like Mr. Eden…?

Still, no sound came no matter how much strength he gathered in his throat, so he gave up and shut his eyes. The man said “Good,” and stroked Jaeha’s head, praising him.

That praise made him feel so happy that the muscles in his face relaxed slightly, and his whole body felt peaceful.

Even though he’d slept a lot, Jaeha drifted back into a deep slumber.

“It was mostly a success.”

The Association Director flipped through a report and sighed as he began speaking, apparently aware of who had just entered his office.

The man, carrying with him the scent of the cold winter wind, showed no reaction. He simply strode in and threw himself onto the long sofa in the office. He slung his long legs over the armrest and used a cushion as a pillow—completely at odds with the disciplined image he usually projected.

Watching the contrast to his usual exemplary mask, the Association Director continued.

“We hit Baek Beomwoo’s base decently well. He seemed to expect an invasion, so much of it was already cleaned out. We didn’t get as much intel as we wanted, but we still got something.”

“……”

“He’ll probably stay quiet for a while. We should also lay low and assess the situation for now… Are you listening?”

Normally he would at least pretend to pay attention, but now he lay there with his eyes closed and one leg twitching. The Director frowned and spoke sharply. The man suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“Have you seen Song Jaeha?”

“……”

That man again. The Director had to struggle not to scowl, seeing how utterly obsessed he was with that man, even ignoring work for him.