WTSG 16

Let’s Go See the Sea (5)

Of course, even considering that Tae Ijae was initially the object his lighthearted crush, he wasn’t sure if he could handle his wavering emotions well. But he didn’t intend to pursue another Esper romantically, nor did he intend to cling to an Esper who clearly didn’t want him, so he thought the chances of their relationship developing were slim

Kang Junwoo smirked and took a sip of his canned beer. The deserted street, lit only by streetlights, felt more pleasant than frightening. Even if a monster suddenly appeared here, he might be startled but not scared, as he had a reliable shield. The marking of a pair was powerful enough that closing his eyes once would bring the other Esper right in front of him. 

Kang Junwoo shook the nearly empty can of beer and turned around. He decided to retrace his steps, buy more beer, and walk along the beach. He tossed the empty beer can into a visible trash bin and looked across the alley. Seeing the sandy beach at the end of the alley, he thought it must be a shortcut. Wanting to capture the open sea more than another beer, he stepped into the alley. The entire street was as bright as midday, so the alley wasn’t too dark either. Walking briskly towards the beach ahead, he took out his phone from his pocket. Come to think of it, he hadn’t taken any pictures yet.

Just as he exited the alley and switched his phone to camera mode—

Ziiiiing.

A rather familiar, unpleasant sound came from the left. Instinctively turning his head, Kang Junwoo’s eyes widened at the gate opening right in front of him. 

“Red Gate!” 

He quickly dialed the center’s emergency number. Calling Tae Ijae would have been faster, but the guy was still recovering from the wound on his back. Besides, letting Tae Ijae handle a Red Gate alone carried the risk of going berserk.

“H001- Zone 03, a Red Gate has appeared. I’ve sent the location. Requesting immediate backup.”

-”Confirmed”.

As soon as he hung up, monsters began to emerge from the gate. “Damn it,” Kang Junwoo cursed under his breath. 

Of all things, it had to be wolf-type monsters. He quickly turned and started to run. Wolf-type monsters attack in packs of five and have an excellent sense of smell, making them terrifyingly adept at detecting human scent. Most monsters are momentarily dazed upon exiting the gate, allowing one to escape their attack range, but beast-type monsters move immediately, leaving no time to hesitate.

Kang Junwoo ran to escape their attack. Tae Ijae would have received his status update already, but he was sleeping, so he figured it would take a while for him to wake up and regain his bearings, making him run as fast as possible. But outrunning wolf-type monsters, which were notoriously fast, was difficult. 

A wolf-type monster leaped at Kang Junwoo, biting his ankle; he fell. His chin and palm scraped against the ground, bleeding, but the pain in his ankle was so intense, he hardly noticed. Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, Kang Junwoo pulled out his self-defense dagger, always kept close at hand. Without hesitation, he plunged the dagger into the forehead of the monster that had bitten him.

* Crack! *

But with four more monsters already closing in and leaping towards him, Kang Junwoo instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.

* Crack, Crack, Crack! *

* Screech! *

In an instant, he heard the staggered cries of what seemed to be four monsters. When he opened his tightly shut eyes, he saw four monsters sprawled around him with sharp yellow spikes embedded in their chests.

“…Tae Ijae Esper…?”

“Sorry.”

Tae Ijae spoke as he attacked the monsters emerging from the gate, his back turned to Kang Junwoo. Kang Junwoo was bewildered, why the immediate apology, when he wasn’t even that late? As soon as Kang Junwoo pulled the dagger from the forehead of the monster that had bitten him and stood up, Tae Ijae reached out with his right hand and wrapped it around Kang Junwoo’s waist.

With just one hand, he swiftly dealt with the monsters going out of the gate while glancing at Kang Junwoo. “Are you okay?”

“…Yes.”

Kang Junwoo nodded absentmindedly, watching the massacre-like battle unfold before his eyes. The power of an SS-class Esper, free from the risk of going berserk, was truly astounding. He handled the monsters as soon as they emerged from the gate, and not a single pack of wolf-type monsters, which moved in groups of five, got close to Kang Junwoo and Tae Ijae; they all fell at the gate’s entrance. Despite the gate’s red color, it almost felt like a Blue Gate, where only C-class monsters appeared.

Kang Junwoo, awkwardly held by Tae Ijae, watched the slaughter and regretted calling for backup. As if confirming his regret, the support team, arriving only after everything was over, were shocked by the mountain of wolf-type monsters piled up where the gate had been.

Tae Ijae told the support team leader to handle the aftermath and teleported directly to the hotel. Still held by Tae Ijae’s arm, Kang Junwoo squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden change in environment without any mental preparation. Teleportation was fine, but if he didn’t close his eyes, it left him feeling extremely dizzy. In that fleeting moment, a wave of nausea also washed over him.

Kind Espers usually say “Close your eyes” to give you time to prepare, but Tae Ijae lacked such manners. Despite saying himself that he disliked teleportation because it felt unpleasant, he didn’t seem to consider that others might feel the same way, or perhaps he simply lacked such consideration altogether. Judging by his earlier apology, he didn’t seem entirely inconsiderate, but his kindness was so extreme and contradictory that it left Kang Junwoo confused.

As soon as they entered the room, Tae Ijae sat Kang Junwoo on the sofa and asked about the location of the first aid kit, making him even more perplexed.

“Just tell me where it is, I’ll go get it myself.”

“You’re going to my place just to get the first aid kit?”

“I’m only getting the stuff I used on my back.”

Tae Ijae said, looking at Kang Junwoo’s injured ankle resting on the table.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go to the hospital…?”

“It’s not that bad. This ointment will do.”

He added that it had regenerative effects, his gaze still fixed on Kang Junwoo’s ankle. For some reason, those words felt dismissive, causing Kang Junwoo’s brows to furrow.

“What right does Tae Ijae Esper have to speak lightly about my injury?”

“I didn’t say it was light. Just that it’s not hospital-worthy.”

“That’s speaking lightly.”

In truth, Kang Junwoo hadn’t planned on going to the hospital for such a bite wound. He was the type who wouldn’t cross a hospital’s threshold unless something was severed or broken. The bleeding had already stopped, and even he could see it wasn’t a major wound.

Yet hearing it from Tae Ijae made him feel somewhat frustrating and irritating.

“Do you really want to go to the hospital? You’re an S-class Guide. From basic tests to advanced ones, it’ll take at least half a day. Do you want to spend your free vacation on that?”

“…”

“You got bitten on the ankle, it’s slightly punctured. Sure, it’s a Red Gate, so it’s more severe than C-class monsters. But after all those damn tests, they’ll just end up applying something similar to the regenerative ointment Taejoo Hyung gave you.”

“…”

“Do you still want to go? If you do, I’ll take you right away.”

At Tae Ijae’s question, Kang Junwoo stared intently at his torn ankle. Indeed, with the regenerative ointment Tae Ijae used on his back, applying it twice would likely heal the wound. It seemed better to use the ointment than to endure the hassle of hospital visits and various tests. Yet, he couldn’t quite understand why he felt so dissatisfied. Or perhaps, he felt annoyed.

Kang Junwoo let out a short sigh and ran a hand through his hair. The moment his palm touched his hair, a sharp sting made him flinch involuntarily.

“Tell me where the first aid kit is.”

“…It’s fine. As Tae Ijae Esper said, it’s a minor wound, so I can apply it when I get back.”

Feeling guilty about making him teleport just for some ointment, Kang Junwoo shook his head.

“You said you wanted to see the sea alone. How are you going to walk with that leg? Stop being stubborn and just tell me. It’s not like I won’t go find it if you don’t say.”

“…The left shelf in the room next to the bedroom.”

The moment Kang Junwoo finished speaking, Tae Ijae disappeared. Kang Junwoo blinked, looking at the empty space where Tae Ijae had been, then looked down at his ankle. He considered getting up to wipe the blood but decided against it, fearing that moving his punctured ankle might cause it to bleed again. Since Tae Ijae would be back soon, it seemed best to just stay put.

As expected, Tae Ijae reappeared in less than five minutes. His face was stiff, perhaps indicating that teleportation really did make him feel unwell. He bent down and applied ointment to Kang Junwoo’s ankle resting on the table.

“Does it hurt?”

“A little.”

“It’ll be fine soon.”

Then he squeezed more ointment onto his finger and began applying it to Kang Junwoo’s chin.

“You can apply it without disinfecting first. I called Taejoo Hyung to ask.”

Ah, he probably already knew. Muttering the last part to himself, Tae Ijae continued to apply the ointment to Kang Junwoo’s chin and palms, while Kang Junwoo watched him intently.

“Should I move you to the bed?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Get some rest. You shouldn’t move for at least an hour or two anyway.”

As Tae Ijae turned, asking if he was hungry, Kang Junwoo lifted his head to say no, and his eyes widened.

“Tae, Tae Ijae Esper…!”

His face slowly hardened as he saw the blood spreading across Tae Ijae’s back. 

Tae Ijae looked at Kang Junwoo with confusion, seemingly unaware of the state of his own back, responding to Kang Junwoo’s urgent call.