AAGULT Ch 62

Chapter 62

“No, it’s not like that!”

His reply came out forcefully. Mingyeol, who had somehow ended up pressed against the wall, let out a startled gasp before hurriedly covering his mouth again. Jaeha had no idea how he’d ended up exposing this melodramatic love triangle in front of someone he’d just met, but some things had to be said.

“We—we’re not dating! And it was just guiding!”

“You promised to only receive guiding from me…”

“Wait, I—that’s…”

Yes, he had heard such a request. Aiden had shyly asked it during their Christmas Eve date, and Jaeha had neither confirmed nor denied it. But considering he had accepted Aiden’s kiss, it wasn’t strange that Aiden interpreted it as tacit approval.

“And besides, you totally wrecked me. You’re just going to use me and toss me away without even dating me?”

“Uh…”

You were the one who wrecked me, not the other way around…

Momentarily speechless, Jaeha sat frozen while Mingyeol, sensing the tension, muttered that he’d come back later and bolted from the room in a panic. Jaeha could easily imagine the image of himself now burned into that guy’s mind.

He didn’t hate Aiden. How could he? The one at fault here was the Association President. He’d said Aiden had volunteered as his guide and then rejected him. Jaeha had assumed Aiden had agreed to that arrangement. Besides, hadn’t Aiden said he’d be busy for a while? He’d never imagined they’d see each other again the very next day.

“Sniff… hic…”

“D-don’t cry. Could you come here? I’m kind of… chained up…”

“Okay…”

What Jaeha didn’t know was that Aiden already knew everything. That he’d volunteered to be Jaeha’s guide and was turned away by the President. That he’d just come back from raging at the man because of it.

He’d known. But when he actually saw it with his own eyes, jealousy boiled over, and he acted petty, nasty, and shameless just to get Jaeha’s attention.

The Association President, who took the brunt of Aiden’s tantrum without reason, could curse out the lovesick fools behind their backs all he wanted, but Aiden, sniffling, still came faithfully to Jaeha’s side. He even dropped to his knees before him.

“Please don’t cry…”

Seeing him like this, Jaeha’s heart naturally ached. He hadn’t noticed it at first, focused as he was on Aiden’s tears, but the item in Aiden’s hand made his chest twist even more. It was a teal scarf—the one Aiden had bought for him. Had he brought it after Jaeha was arrested…? Had he come all this way despite being busy, just to give it to him? His imagination began to run wild.

He had unintentionally made someone he loved cry, so of course he had to comfort him. Hesitantly, he reached out and gently cupped Aiden’s delicate face, wiping away his tears with his thumb. He was careful not to press too hard, afraid the calluses on his thumb might scratch Aiden’s soft skin.

Aiden leaned his face into Jaeha’s palm. Even while sniffling, he eyed the cuff around Jaeha’s wrist, his expression full of displeasure.

“I told them not to put this on you…”

“Oh, well… I was arrested. You and the President said it was fine, but… I thought it might feel threatening to the support guide who came today, so I asked for it myself.”

It felt strange, looking down at Aiden for once. He gently swept his fingers through Aiden’s hair, trying to soothe him. Aiden leaned in more boldly, wrapping his arms tightly around Jaeha’s waist and resting his head against his lap. The pressure and slight weight on his thighs and lower stomach tickled.

“…Aiden? Are you crying?”

His face was completely buried, so Jaeha couldn’t see his expression. He gently patted Aiden’s head and asked cautiously, but there was no reply. He felt a bit relieved, though, because Aiden didn’t seem to be crying more. There was a faint trace of amusement in his voice.

“Aiden. Could you show me your face?”

“No…”

“Why not?”

The voice that came back was more whiny than tearful. It really did feel like they were a couple now… though Jaeha had no intention of actually becoming his partner. He knew better than anyone what his place was.

While absentmindedly stroking Aiden’s hair, he suddenly heard a stuffy nasal tone caused by blocked airways.

“I got ugly from crying…”

“No way.”

There had never been a day when Aiden looked ugly, and there never would be. Jaeha replied with more certainty than usual, and Aiden, uncharacteristically, didn’t answer right away. After a brief silence, he spoke cautiously.

“…You’re going to read my thoughts. I’m thinking some really childish things right now.”

“Ah…”

It was unexpected, yet it made perfect sense. Reading someone’s thoughts without permission was uncomfortable and invasive.

“I’m F-rank now, so unless I really push, I can’t read people very well anymore.”

“…”

The bitterness lingered. Still, Jaeha smiled faintly, now curious about what Aiden had been thinking.

“…What were you thinking?”

“…”

Aiden was silent for a moment. Then he slowly lifted his head.

Though his eyes were slightly swollen, it didn’t diminish his beauty. If anything, the way his wet lashes reflected the fluorescent light made his expression even more wistful. His obsidian eyes met Jaeha’s gaze directly, without fear. His delicate features beneath his tousled bangs stood out sharply even under the harsh hospital lighting. It was like a single delicate winter flower blooming in his eyes.

Jaeha found himself, once again, struck by Aiden’s looks. Aiden then softly kissed his hand. The guiding, which Jaeha had always feared, was beginning to seep in again, and he instinctively clenched his hand.

“I was jealous.”

“…”

“I wanted to be the one holding your hand. The only one kissing you, hugging you, seeing you…”

“We—we didn’t kiss. Or hug…”

Jaeha rushed to explain. Aiden let out a soft, breezy laugh.

“I know. But I was still jealous.”

“…”

“I want to be the only one guiding you…”

“That’s…”

It was impossible. Jaeha was currently F-rank. Aiden was the only S-rank in Korea.

The doctor had said there was a good chance his rank would recover, but Jaeha was doubtful. He had rarely liked his own ability, and because he’d gone so long without guiding, he had more painful memories of suffering from his wave patterns than positive ones from using his powers.

‘If you make it back to A-rank, I’ll try to arrange for you to form an exclusive pair with Guide Aiden.’

If he could recover to A-rank, then maybe he wouldn’t tarnish Aiden’s reputation. He might even stand beside him, equal, and enter the relationship Aiden wanted.

But… but…

What about the boss?

If he just did as the boss instructed, everything would be fine. But now that he was out in the open, wavering like this filled him with guilt. Every time Aiden made his heart flutter, he feared he was betraying the boss. And when he thought about all the days the boss had protected, rescued, and cared for him, he felt endlessly selfish.

Sensing, as if by instinct, that Jaeha was spiraling again, Aiden spoke up.

“Jaeha. About the Christmas date we missed.”

“…Yes?”

“Want to go now?”

“Now?”

Aiden gently picked up the soft teal scarf he’d placed on the bed earlier and wrapped it around Jaeha’s neck. For a moment, it felt like time had rewound. The scarf held traces of Aiden’s touch—guiding energy—and because the hospital room was slightly cooler than Jaeha preferred, the scarf felt especially warm.

“I got permission from the hospital. There’s a rooftop garden—it’s quite pretty.”

“…”

“Of course, if it’s too hard for you to walk, we can postpone it.”

Christmas. He never expected the promise they missed would return like this. Jaeha shook his head. Though he’d only recently woken from a coma, with help from IV drips, he was slowly regaining strength. He hadn’t lost that much muscle.

“No, I want to go now. But, um…”

He smiled sheepishly and wiggled his cuffed wrist. The clinking sound of metal on metal rang out. Aiden, suddenly realizing, chuckled and stood up.

“Just wait a minute. I’ll ask for the key and bring it right away.”

“Okay.”

Watching Aiden’s back as he left the room, Jaeha came to a conclusion.

Right. Coming to the Association wasn’t his decision. The boss must’ve had a greater purpose in sending him here. There wasn’t much he could do anyway, and since there’d been no word from the boss, there was no point in dwelling on it anymore.

Having convinced himself of this, Jaeha lightly shuffled his feet against the floor, a pleasant tremor tingling through him. He didn’t even notice the slight lift of the corners of his lips.

It didn’t take him long to realize—

What he was feeling was excitement.