HG | Chapter 29

The person who appeared with the warning was someone all too familiar. Im Cheonghyeon. Seeing someone who should be at home or the office appear, Hakyung was startled and flinched.

“…F-father?”

He had imagined such a scene once or twice. When Han Hee-gyeom’s gang picked on him, he wished his only ally would appear and take him away.

“I miss you, Father.” It was a wish he couldn’t dare to say out loud, only scribbling it repeatedly in his journal. In reality, he was always anxious about revealing his feelings, enduring and pretending nothing was wrong… but imagination was free.

“Whoa, is that really Im Cheonghyeon the esper?”

“Is that really him?”

“Han Hee-gyeom’s caught now. Serves him right.”

The overly vivid dream made the reactions around him quite realistic. Hakyung found himself deeply immersed in his dream. It was so vivid, and since it was a scene he had longed for, the immersion was incredible.

Hakyung looked up at Han Hee-gyeom, who was holding his shoulder, looking dumbfounded.

‘Yes… that expression.’

He wanted to see that foolish face.

He hated the situation where they would carelessly mention his father’s name and insult him, unable to say anything when the person in question appeared.

Even though it was entirely their fault for insulting his father, Hakyung had long felt it was his fault. Because of his low rank, because he was inadequate. Just existing in this place seemed to bring shame to his father, and he hated himself for it.

At one time, that is.

He still didn’t think much of himself. The time of violence, neglect, and self-loathing was too long. But being able to stay by his father’s side and becoming his lover made everything feel like it was slowly returning to its rightful place.

In any case, this was his dream.

‘…Let’s just enjoy it.’

Hakyung made up his mind. After all, it was his dream, so who could say anything? Just the thought of his father dealing with Han Hee-gyeom made his heart race, suggesting it would be quite an entertaining dream.

His father’s large hand. The hand that gently caressed him now grabbed Han Hee-gyeom’s wrist.

“Aagh!”

“Don’t make such a fuss. It’s bad to bully your friends, Hee-gyeom. And Hakyung, you should be careful with titles at school.”

‘Huh?’

His father’s response was as surprising as his appearance. No, it was strange. He hadn’t expected him to call Han Hee-gyeom ‘Hee-gyeom’ so affectionately, and he was telling him to be careful with titles?

It was as if his father had a different identity here.

Cheonghyeon, who had lightly admonished, then headed to the podium. This action solidified Hakyung’s suspicion.

‘No way, is Father a professor…?’

“Damn…”

At that moment, Han Hee-gyeom muttered faintly. Being close by, Hakyung inadvertently overheard his muttering. Meanwhile, Cheonghyeon had walked more than halfway from the back to the front, but he stopped abruptly, as if he had caught Han Hee-gyeom’s mumbling.

Sss…

The temperature dropped rapidly, and Hakyung could feel it on his skin just from him stopping. Everyone, not just Hakyung, held their breath and watched the situation unfold.

“Han Hee-gyeom.”

The low voice, like a cave, descended to the floor. The room temperature seemed to have dropped to freezing, sticking everything in place.

Step, step.

The moment Cheonghyeon, who had half-turned, seemed to target Han Hee-gyeom, he appeared right in front of Hakyung and grabbed Han Hee-gyeom’s jaw, trying to crush it.

“Ugh…!”

“……!”

Oh shit! Eek! Short screams erupted from all around. Hakyung was more surprised by the fact that he had leaped over the distance in the blink of an eye than by him grabbing Han Hee-gyeom. To Hakyung’s eyes, it seemed as if he had folded space to move.

“Geez…. What should a teacher do with such a rude student? Hm?”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”

“Should I just get rid of your mouth…?”

“Ughhhh!”

He seemed genuinely intent on carrying it out, applying pressure to the skin he held, just enough to press it slightly.

At this point, Hakyung’s evaluation of Han Hee-gyeom seemed to change. Wasn’t he actually quite a foolish guy…?

Han Hee-gyeom was a fairly skilled individual. He was said to be among the top five in Esper A class, which was composed of top students. While he was sure the other gang members were truly lacking in intelligence, Han Hee-gyeom had been clever enough to get away with incidents that should have resulted in punishment more than once. Only the victims were left feeling wronged.

Despite his poor character, he was blessed with talent and intelligence, making Hakyung feel even more helpless against him.

But when you think about it, talent is relative. Han Hee-gyeom had always been surrounded by those inferior to him, so he lived without holding back his insults or paying attention. Even if he muttered quietly, most awakeners with good hearing wouldn’t catch it.

However, Cheonghyeon was an extraordinary being in every aspect. If Han Hee-gyeom’s lips moved and made a sound, it was bound to be caught. Unless he muttered entirely to himself.

“Wow…”

Hakyung inadvertently let out an exclamation. It was impressive how exceptional skill could unintentionally make people look foolish.

“Want to curse again?”

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Han Hee-gyeom desperately shook his head. His eyes were bloodshot by now. Cheonghyeon smiled brightly, not like someone who was about to crush a sturdy young man.

“Promise?”

“Ugh!”

Cough, cough! As soon as Cheonghyeon let go, Han Hee-gyeom collapsed to the floor, coughing as if he would vomit his insides. His once composed face was flushed red. He had been lifted just enough that his feet didn’t touch the ground for a moment, so the pressure must have been intense.

Cheonghyeon turned back and winked at Hakyung. Hakyung instinctively clutched his chest.

Thump, thump….

His heart pounded fiercely, and he knew.

That was ‘Dad.’

The wink just now was from Hakyung’s lover. Realizing this, he covered his nose and mouth with the back of his hand. What expression should he make at a time like this? It seemed too late to pretend nothing was wrong.

‘Just don’t blush.’

Suddenly, he understood the feelings of those in secret relationships. It must feel exactly like this for campus couples or those secretly dating at work.

An instinctive warning blared not to let anyone know, but it wasn’t easy to hide. It was like his body wouldn’t cooperate.

Fortunately, the scene of Han Hee-gyeom being reprimanded was so shocking that most students were still caught up in the aftermath. Some even turned their heads to the wall.

Just now, a classmate almost died. At the hands of another esper, no less.

It was enough to be considered shocking. Of course, the person directly involved would feel it the most.

Hakyung glanced at Han Hee-gyeom. He looked incredibly frustrated. He couldn’t express his anger out loud, nor could he grit his teeth, so he just trembled with clenched fists.

That sight was truly….

‘Satisfying.’

Would he be called crazy if he said it was exhilarating?

Honestly, Hakyung thought it would be fine if Han Hee-gyeom turned to dust here. The dream father… or rather, Cheonghyeon not dealing with Han Hee-gyeom immediately might have been a reflection of his subconscious not wanting to dirty Cheonghyeon’s hands with someone like Han Hee-gyeom.

“Attention, please.”

Leaving the storm behind, Cheonghyeon climbed the podium as if nothing had happened. His already tall stature combined with the podium’s height made him tower like a tall structure. A tower overlooking everything.

The students’ gazes focused on him. Hakyung also sent an intense gaze towards ‘Dad.’ Now, everyone was focused on one place, so he relaxed his gaze a bit.

“I’m Im Cheonghyeon, taking over the class for today. As you were informed, Professor Seo has been assigned as support personnel for a new dungeon and will be absent for a while. Esper and guide professors will take turns teaching, and the professor in charge will be decided on the day of the class. Now, please gather with your partners.”

‘Ah, I knew it.’

His guess that he might be a professor was right. It was a peculiar dream.

‘I wished for Father to come to school, but I never wished for him to be a professor.’

Dreams often reflect the subconscious, don’t they? The unexpected development left him puzzled.

That aside, being able to be at school with his father. Hakyung waited eagerly for what he would say. It was the first time he was this excited during class.

“Um, Professor… the partners changed every time.”

“Hmm, is that so? Then sit with the person you thought matched best with you during previous guidings.”

Hakyung remained seated. The dream, which unnecessarily reflected reality well, touched on his painful spots without fail.

Except for Hakyung, about twenty students moved to find their partners. Some argued over who was better, while others, like Han Hee-gyeom, who seemed annoyed by everything, just watched.

The important thing was that Hakyung was left isolated, like a buoy floating far out at sea.

‘There’s no such thing as a well-matched partner….’

If the previous professor had given such instructions, he would have resigned himself to waiting until he was paired with the last remaining person. His guiding skills weren’t something that could be improved with effort, so he would have consoled himself that it was the natural course.

But the person on the podium was none other than his father, ‘Im Cheonghyeon,’ so Hakyung secretly hoped. That he might finally succeed in guiding during class.

Then, Hakyung noticed something strange. Students who had perfectly good guiding partners were sitting apart, pretending they didn’t have partners. They were all guides.

The reason for their odd behavior soon became clear.

“Im Hakyung, come forward.”

“…Me? M-me?”

“Yes, Im Hakyung will be the assistant for today’s practice.”

A few students sighed in disappointment.

“Ah, Im Hakyung. I had a feeling it would be him.”

“Well, that’s it.”

Some quick-witted students seemed to have anticipated that Cheonghyeon would choose an assistant and had been waiting for his choice. Hakyung, on the other hand, was dumbfounded and pointed at himself in surprise.

It didn’t seem like a joke, so he hesitantly climbed the podium and stood beside him, seeing the eyes of those watching them below.

From those who looked at him disapprovingly to those who only had eyes for Cheonghyeon.

Most of the classmates, whether they had ever spoken ill of Cheonghyeon or not, looked at him with admiration. Even the gang that had picked on Hakyung was no different. They were clearly wary, fearing they might get caught like Han Hee-gyeom.

‘This man… is my esper.’

Hakyung felt pride from the gang’s attitude and jealousy from the sly guides’ actions.

Yes, jealousy.

Their faces clearly showed the desire to guide Im Cheonghyeon. They coveted Hakyung’s esper.

Cheonghyeon paused for a moment before continuing.

“Since it seems everyone has found a partner, let me explain the reason. I asked you to choose your partners because, in real situations, you need to find an esper with whom your wavelength matches well, or a guide with whom guiding was stable, and guide them yourself.”

Such deep meaning. It was a theory they all knew in their heads but hadn’t practiced.

‘Father, as a professor, seems to teach thoroughly based on practical experience.’

Hakyung listened to Cheonghyeon’s explanation like a puppy admiring its proud owner.

“Our students don’t yet know how to give and receive guiding stably, so the first step is to identify your average guiding score while guiding the same partner. If we consider complete recovery as 100 points, think about how many points your partner’s recovery score is out of 100 after guiding. For example, if it’s 70 points, consider whether you can consistently provide 70 points of stable guiding. Conversely, espers should gauge how quickly this guide can recover them, what score the guiding is, and at roughly what score they feel they can return to the battlefield.”

Cheonghyeon’s instructions were very specific. It was the opposite of the previous professor’s class policy, which encouraged experiencing as many partners as possible by changing partners each time.

Hakyung fidgeted his fingers behind his back. The content was so useful that he wanted to take notes.

“Now, enter the booths with your partners and begin guiding.”

The classmates who had paired off dispersed into the numerous booths. Even Han Hee-gyeom glanced at Hakyung before disappearing.

Now, only Cheonghyeon and Hakyung remained on the podium. Hakyung suddenly became acutely aware of Cheonghyeon’s presence. Father, dad… Since he had never called him anything other than those two titles, he wondered if he should use a new title, making him even more nervous.

“Why is our son so nervous today?”

Cheonghyeon leaned down and whispered in Hakyung’s ear. Goosebumps rose where his breath touched. His voice was particularly deep and sweet. The warm breath and heavy scent of cologne stimulated all his senses.

“S-surprised…”

“Were you very surprised? I hid it on purpose. To see our Hakyung’s surprised face.”

It wasn’t just the deep voice. His long fingers brushed against Hakyung’s neck, wrapping around the back. He toyed with his son’s neck, just like he had at the dining table before. With a sexual implication only they understood.

“……”

Hakyung lowered his head. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand. Covering his mouth had become a habit by now. Otherwise, he might unconsciously let out a moan.

“By the way, was it here that Han Hee-gyeom grabbed you?”

Cheonghyeon finally furrowed his brow and grabbed Hakyung’s shoulder. The palm touching his skin was hot. The fine hairs on his body stood on end, and a tingling sensation shot through his scalp.

“Ugh…”

“Oh dear.”

Cheonghyeon leisurely caught Hakyung, whose legs nearly gave out.

‘This is bad…!’

Even though the booths were opaque, you could see the podium just by opening the door. The booths were arranged in a square, radiating from the podium, so the podium was visible from any booth.

Hakyung had nearly collapsed from his father’s touch in such a place.

Even in the dream, they seemed to be ‘lovers.’

“How strange…. Why does it feel like it’s the first time having sex at school?”

“What?”

W-what…?!

‘Im Hakyung, what kind of dream is this…!’

Hakyung helplessly screamed at his subconscious. S-sex at school. Just a moment ago, he thought it was a dream about guiding, but it seemed that was a trap to deceive himself!

“Hmm. This is new. We haven’t been able to do it lately because you’ve been busy, so should I disinfect the places they touched?”

“G-guiding, p-practice…”

His voice trembled involuntarily. Cheonghyeon pulled Hakyung to lean on the podium and covered his back. Boldly sucking on his nape, he squeezed one of Hakyung’s buttocks hard under the podium.

“Hup…!”

That area was particularly plump, a round, full buttock. The man pressed his middle finger between them and laughed like a mischievous rascal.

“This is guiding, isn’t it?”

“……!”

“Hakyung’s dad has never used a machine, you know.”

Crash! A bolt of realization struck Hakyung’s mind.

That’s right. Just as Hakyung had never guided, Cheonghyeon hadn’t received any notable guiding before Hakyung appeared. So to him, guiding was synonymous with contact with Hakyung.

“You said… practice assistant.”

Hakyung desperately thought of a reason. A reason not to cause trouble here.

Oh, that. Cheonghyeon casually muttered. Then he lowered his voice ominously.

“Since it’s practice, you should be by my side even more. So was my pretty son planning to trot off and raise some other bastard’s cock?”