AAGULT Ch 20

Chapter 20

 

As he chewed on his lip, the man reached out and held his hand. Jaeha flinched in surprise.

“Ai-Aiden hyung… Th-that hand, I-I’m an Esper too.”

“It’s okay, Jaeha.”

“……”

Aiden-ssi was too kind. What had I even done to earn such trust…?

Using the excuse that Aiden was wearing gloves, Jaeha didn’t pull his hand away. He simply gave a small nod to the group of Espers behind them, who looked puzzled, then timidly glared at the one who had grabbed Aiden aggressively before moving his feet.

He didn’t even know where they were going, but he just followed wherever Aiden led. Aiden-ssi must have a plan. After all, he was the one who asked to meet…

For some reason, it felt a bit urgent, but Jaeha, still drowning in gloom and guilt, didn’t notice. He only realized it while walking down the street.

Could it be, the reason Aiden-ssi believes in me is…

‘Shall I guide you?’

When he first offered to guide him…

‘I’m… just an F-rank Esper, so I don’t need such an excessive guiding.’

Was it because he had rejected Aiden’s guiding? Had he unknowingly passed some test of his? If so, how much hurt had Aiden gone through to be like this?

Jaeha indulged in a brief daydream. Then, glancing at their joined hands, he looked at Aiden. Aiden, looking back at him with curiosity, soon smiled warmly.

He’d said he disliked people clinging to him for guiding, and that’s why he trusted Jaeha—but in the end, Jaeha was also someone who had formed a relationship with him just to seek his guiding.

Jaeha started to hate himself.

And so, without knowing what Aiden was really thinking, he let himself be led along.

‘Damn, he’s too cute. Is there somewhere less visible…?’

Meekly…

‘I wonder if he’s done a blowjob before.’

Probably…

Meanwhile, Hyungjun stood beside his team leader, staring at the backs of the two as they walked away with an incredulous expression.

“I… I feel like I just got used in a love triangle or something.”

“Hmm, I’d say the same.”

“……I had no idea Guide Ye Aiden was like that.”

People kept saying he was kind and gentle, but as for tenderness…

“What a damn snake…”

He mumbled with a hollow laugh, but strangely enough, he didn’t feel all that bad. Was it because Aiden’s guiding was absurdly effective? Or was it the way that ordinary person, Jaeha, glared at him and Aiden calmed him with a radial guiding to hold him back? Or was it…

Far ahead, Aiden, who was walking with that ordinary person, suddenly looked back. His eyes met Hyungjun’s in an instant.

Aiden grinned slyly. Being able to use such a pure-looking face like that was a talent in itself. His eyelids slightly curved, the soft fold of his double eyelids curled, and the dark irises beneath them sparkled without a hint of light. While hiding it from the ordinary person beside him, he discreetly raised his index finger to his lips, clearly mouthing, “Shut up,” and Hyungjun felt a wave of injustice wash over him.

That sense of unfairness melted away like snow 30 minutes later, with an anonymous text.

I’ll guide you again next time, so keep your mouth shut.

Having received the promise of another session with the elusive S-rank Guide, Hyungjun frantically replied.

ㅇㅋ

Sure! Wishing you a beautiful love life!

Well, what did it matter to him if an S-rank Guide seduced some civilian? All that mattered was getting what he wanted.

With that, Hyungjun cheerfully hummed as he left work. The handsome and pitiful civilian was long forgotten from his mind.

“Jaeha, you were probably the type of kid who would follow anyone offering candy, huh?”

“N-No, I wasn’t.”

“You were. You followed me all the way here.”

“……”

“You’re so obedient, what should I do with you…”

Well, that’s because it’s you, Aiden-ssi…

And besides, it was right when Jaeha was drowning in guilt over pretending to be harmless to exploit his guiding that Aiden had said those words, so he looked at him with a gaze that almost said, ‘Who’s worrying about who right now…?’

Of course, that wasn’t exactly the kind of thought someone being led into a dark alley should be having, but Aiden-ssi was just too kind, delicate, and good to suspect. Besides, wasn’t he the one who had been terrified of Espers earlier, even crying?

“Let’s see…”

Aiden-ssi, who had been watching Jaeha as if assessing him, suddenly burst into a cheerful laugh. The way he looked at him was like an adult humoring a child stubbornly insisting he was all grown up—it was slightly frustrating. But before he could complain, Aiden reached out and cupped his cheek. His warmth was gentle.

“This is usually called a wall slam. Do you feel fluttery?”

“A wall slam?”

“Guess not. I’ll have to think of something better.”

Now that he thought about it, the position they were in was a bit strange. He was pressed against a wall, looking up at Aiden, practically trapped between the wall and Aiden. It was the kind of pose that would make any bystander blush in secondhand embarrassment. Though the alley was dark and barely lit, he nervously darted his eyes to the side in case someone passed by, but Aiden opened his mouth, drawing his attention back.

“What kind of candy did you like as a kid?”

“Me?”

As Aiden bent his thumb to press against Jaeha’s lips, his pronunciation came out muffled. The pressure wasn’t just on his lips—it was slowly inching into his mouth, which naturally made him wary.

“……”

He instinctively knew. Even if he wasn’t that smart, he could tell the atmosphere was getting strangely erotic. This wasn’t some room where they casually got physical like before—this was outside.

If he gave the wrong answer now, it was over…

Something wholesome. Anything wholesome. Definitely avoid stick-shaped sweets.

“D-Donuts…”

“Really?”

That was the first thing that came to mind. Soft pastries that occasionally came in as donations to the orphanage. The headmistress’s rough hand had once quietly slipped him one, maybe out of pity for always having his taken by the older boys…

He genuinely brought up the safest, softest treat he could remember, hoping Aiden would understand the sentiment. He was certain he’d given the most harmless answer possible, so maybe he was slightly relieved.

“I liked the ones with cream inside.”

But clearly, he had expected too much…

“Huh?”

This wasn’t going how he thought…

The moment their eyes met, what Jaeha saw was himself. Not his reflection, but himself as imagined in Aiden’s mind. That is… himself from a few days ago. More specifically, himself just after their encounter at the hotel. His buttocks, slick with Aiden’s white semen between them… No, Jaeha shut his eyes tight. He didn’t want to see his own rear end with his own eyes. His face burned hot with embarrassment. Then, Aiden let out a low chuckle.

“Do you hate it that much?”

The voice had a hint of playfulness, which was a relief. If it had been hurt, the guilt might’ve crushed him.

“N-No, it’s not that I hate it…”

To begin with, it wasn’t Aiden clinging to him—it was the other way around. Still, such an irrational indulgence was too much. No matter how crazy one might act, having sex outside was beyond reason. What if they got caught? And unlike himself, Aiden was a public figure—what if there were rumors? This was the kind of situation you’d only see in strange, dirty comics. It wasn’t right for Aiden either.

“Um, should we go to a hotel? Like… right now?”

This was the best proposal he could muster. Even though he was the one who had asked to be partners, he always felt guilty because Aiden was the one who initiated things. Still, he never thought he’d be the one to say the word “hotel.”

He slowly opened the eyes he’d kept tightly shut. Aiden was blinking at him, looking stunned.

“…Aiden-ssi?”

“Ah.”

He finally burst out laughing. He looked at him like someone watching a puppy do a cute trick. Tilting his head playfully, he rested it on Jaeha’s shoulder. Though Aiden was taller, Jaeha wasn’t short, so he didn’t have to bend down much.

“I was trying to make you flustered, but now I’m the one getting fluttery…”

“Ah…”

“Sorry for leaning on you. I guess I relaxed too much… I was really scared earlier. I didn’t even get to thank you properly…”

“As an Esper, it’s only natu—…”

He couldn’t finish the sentence, because the man who had roughed up Aiden earlier was also an Esper.

His stomach turned. The fact that even an S-rank Guide—one of the few in the world—could be so easily ignored and belittled by an Esper was heartbreaking. Just his presence alone, his mere breath, helped dampen the psychic waves of Espers. He was so valuable…

“So, um…”

“Yes?”

“I really want to go to a hotel…”

“Yes…”

As his voice took on a cuter tone, a new anxiety started to rise again. And in this moment, where his sense of duty and guilt as an Esper had been thoroughly stimulated, Jaeha somehow had a feeling he knew exactly what Aiden was about to say next.

“But I can’t go right now.”

“…Why not?”

It wasn’t arrogance, but Jaeha had truly believed Aiden wouldn’t refuse. That’s why the rejection was a bit shocking.

“Because I’m hard right now.”

“……”

“From how turned on I am.”

Though it wouldn’t last long.

Suddenly, Jaeha felt dizzy and shut his eyes tightly again.