TGIC Ch 92

Chapter 92

Seeing Vasily’s expression harden, strangely enough, eased my tension.

After facing off with Huai Yan, being confronted by the comparatively familiar Vasily felt almost comforting—hell, even welcome.

The fact that I was actually glad to see him now… That was something I couldn’t deny anymore. Compared to other Espers, I found Vasily easier to be around. Six years together, and apparently, I’d gotten used even to that nasty temper of his.

“I can’t wait six months. Can’t we just take it out now?”

Vasily’s brow furrowed as his gaze fixed on the back of my neck. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes, the kind that said he’d split the skin open and rip the suppression chip out with his bare hands.

Instinctively, I covered the nape of my neck with my hand and took a step back.

My doctor shook his head firmly and brought up two images on the monitor.

“There’s been barely any change since the initial examination. You can think of the suppression chip as having almost integrated with the nerve tissue.”

“…”

“It’s possible your constitution doesn’t respond well to the medication, or that the chip’s heat output has slowed the effectiveness.”

Vasily fell silent at that, and so did I. His words struck a chord.

Even though we’d limited our guiding sessions to four times a week, it was common to either go over the allotted time or cross the set boundaries. Just a few days ago, we’d gotten swept up in the mood and spent the whole night together.

From now on, I resolved to strictly control the scope of guiding—cut unnecessary contact and stick to the bare minimum. That way, the chip would never have time to overheat.

I also needed to tell Vasily to avoid Gate raids as much as possible. My gaze lingered on the image of that tiny chip fused seamlessly with the pale white nerves.

“I’ll look into other options, but please keep coming in weekly as before.”

In the end, neither of us got good news. I’d have to suffer headaches and keep taking that medicine until the chip was removed, while Vasily would be stuck with a high-matching-rate Guide but unable to receive proper guiding.

After getting my injection, I left the lab with my neck throbbing.

We headed down to the parking garage and got into the car. The air inside was heavy from the unpleasant news we’d just heard.

Leaning back in my seat, I watched the road outside. It seemed Vasily intended to head straight home.

I checked the time on my phone—it was an awkward hour, too early for dinner. If we went home now, we’d just have to go out again later to eat, without getting any real rest in between.

Better to kill some time and eat dinner out before heading back.

“Esper Vasily, why don’t we walk around for a while and have dinner before we go back?”

“No porridge today?”

“…I think I’ve had enough.”

Two straight days of nothing but porridge from him had me craving something chewable. Even lunch today had been porridge, and now the sight of it alone made me feel queasy.

“Alright. Then what do you want to do until then?”

“Hm…”

I thought for a moment.

The first idea was a café, but the image of two men—especially Vasily and I—sitting together like that wasn’t exactly appealing.

And with reporters desperate for any scrap of evidence for their dating-rumor articles, there was no way they’d pass up that scene. I could bet on them showing up within ten minutes.

Realizing there was nowhere obvious to go, my eyes landed on a cinema logo hanging on a building’s exterior wall.

A movie, huh?

On a weekday afternoon, there wouldn’t be many people. In the dark of the theater, it’d be harder for anyone to recognize Vasily. We could watch something for two hours and be done just in time for dinner.

“How about a movie? There’s a theater over there.”

“Sure.”

Vasily nodded without hesitation and steered the car into the building’s parking garage.

As expected, the cinema was nearly empty.

The two employees at the ticket counter noticed him and immediately began whispering to each other in hushed urgency. I ignored it—this was about what I’d anticipated.

I led Vasily to the self-service kiosk.

The listings showed one children’s animation, two upbeat romance films, and one foreign action movie.

Vasily… and a romance film? I’d rather be killed twice.

Without hesitation, I tapped the action movie.

But when I went to pick seats, I noticed something strange—we were ten minutes from showtime, yet not a single ticket had been sold.

Was it that bad? Sure, it was a weekday, but this was… extreme.

A twinge of unease flitted through me, but even so, I would rather watch a dull action flick than sit through a romance with Vasily. I completed the purchase.

As the tickets printed, I felt a prickling gaze. Turning my head, I spotted the staff staring at us from afar, eyes glittering.

“The staff have been watching you this whole time—why don’t you greet them and grab some drinks while you’re at it?”

“If Guide Kwon Gidam insists.”

With that, he went willingly to buy drinks. I watched his back as he walked unhurriedly toward the counter before letting my eyes wander around the cinema.

I hadn’t been to a movie theater since coming of age. Back then, training for survival—and possibly being dragged off to a Gate at any moment—had been more important than something as frivolous as watching films.

As Vasily’s Guide, I’d lived completely removed from anything resembling cultural life. Even with my memories of the future, I didn’t know what movies would be released or what songs would trend.

Maybe that’s why reliving these days in the past never felt boring… everything was fresh and intriguing.

It felt, for the first time, like getting back a normal life. The life I’d thought would be nothing but Gate raids, restored only after dying once—like someone who had designed my fate had realized their mistake and hit the reset button.

Soon, Vasily returned holding drinks—and, to my surprise, a large tub of popcorn I hadn’t asked for.

“You like popcorn?”

“Not particularly, but the staff recommended the ‘couple combo’.”

Ah. So he’d bought it purely to tease me.

Following his gaze, I spotted the employees watching us like satisfied matchmakers. I sighed. Because of the dating rumors, the entire country misunderstood our relationship.

Until I removed the suppression chip and publicly corrected the matching rate, I wouldn’t be free of this. And no one would believe me if I denied we were lovers, so I didn’t even have the energy to explain.

Six months…

The doctor’s words still echoed in my mind as I took a piece of popcorn. Sweet caramel flavor blossomed on my tongue.

“Enjoy the movie!”

We handed over our tickets and entered the screening room under the warm, overly-hopeful gaze of the staff.

Like the rest of the theater, it was empty. All the seats were folded up, and a cheerful commercial jingle filled the silence through the speakers.

No one else entered, even as the start time approached. It really was going to be just the two of us.

Draining my drink, I asked,

“Do you like watching movies?”

“Hard to say—it’s been so long since I last watched one.”

I nodded. Maybe that was why the film industry was dying—when reality was more cinematic than anything on-screen, especially for people raiding Gates every day.

In the dark, spacious room, the two of us sat waiting quietly for the film to start.

But… wasn’t this kind of like a date?

Normally, I wouldn’t care if it was just the two of us, but suddenly I felt oddly conscious—hyperaware of his large hand on the armrest and the faint trace of cool air from him beside me. Clearly, those dating rumors had messed with my head.

Thankfully, the movie began soon, and the stray thoughts faded. I forced myself to focus.

…Why are they fighting so badly?

The action scenes were so clumsy I almost wanted to step into the screen and fight in the protagonist’s place.

As I thought that, the hero was suddenly stabbed by a thrown dagger from the right and went down.

Six years of living and fighting alongside monsters in Gates must have raised my standards—normal action scenes felt frustrating now. Vasily likely felt it even more; to an S-class Esper, struggling this much against mere humans must have been incomprehensible.

Glancing at him, I found his face expressionless, eyes fixed on the screen. Whenever the light from the film flared, his sharp features stood out even more.

You know… his face is more interesting than this movie.

The lead actor was handsome enough, but next to Vasily he looked ordinary. This only reinforced my theory that Vasily should’ve been an actor—then even the dullest films would sweep festival awards on the strength of his presence alone.

In the middle of studying his face, I suddenly saw the corners of his mouth tilt in a faint smile. Did something funny happen on-screen?

I started to turn and check, but then his lips moved almost imperceptibly, and a quiet voice reached me.

“You’re staring holes in me.”

“…Just glanced, that’s all.”

Feigning composure, I turned my eyes back to the screen—just in time to see the male lead, who moments ago was covered in battlefield grime, now locked in a passionate kiss with the heroine.