Dana frowned, her gaze slowly settling on him.
It wasn’t as if no one ever mocked her to her face, but Jintae was usually more respectful than this.
If he weren’t, she wouldn’t have exchanged a single word with him, regardless of their being in the same training group.
It was May, practical training week at Ideia University.
The exercise was designed to teach students how to respond to Gates and demon beasts.
The awakened beings and their teams would patrol the Gate site, while the medical team provided support from the rear.
Jintae was a fourth-year medical student on the medical team.
There was a reason Dana considered him her senior, even though they were in different departments.
She recalled their first meeting.
“Mr.
Jintae Kim, please sign the attendance sheet,” she’d said.’
“What’s with the formalities?
Call me oppa.”
“I’ll call you sunbae.”
“But oppa sounds better!”
“Mr.
Jintae Kim.”
“……”
She set down the chart she’d been using and spoke calmly.
“Are you trying to pick a fight?”
At her quiet stare, the sharp edge of his expression softened.
“…No.
Sorry.
I was just on edge.
I’ll put out the cigarette, too.”
Jintae Kim, a man with the face of a cattle thief and a beard that ran from chin to sideburns, was shameless enough to want to be called ‘oppa,’ but it was moments like this that made him bearable.
Sighing, he stubbed out his cigarette in a paper coffee cup and ran a hand through his messy, magpie-nest hair.
He looked deeply troubled.
Dana picked up her chart and pencil again, her eyes on the Guiding device.
“Did you and Saeron Kim have a fight?” she asked, her gaze fixed forward.
The new device was Guiding a little faster than the old one, though not by a significant margin.
Jintae’s eyes, which had been drifting aimlessly, snapped to hers.
For someone who usually joked around, it was a surprisingly strong reaction.
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“I don’t like to meddle, but don’t you think you should give up?
She was stuck to Doha’s side all day.”
“You’re right.
I was wondering why you were suddenly meddling in my affairs.”
Dana fell silent.
Sensing a weakness, Jintae chuckled.
“Be honest.
You hate seeing it too, don’t you?
You don’t like Saeron being next to him.”
“Why would I dislike Doha’s precious Guide?” she said, pursing her lips.
Jintae knew she was lying.
“Hmph.
You’re a terrible liar,” he scoffed, his voice turning bitter.
“It’s the same for me.
What can I do?
Saeron says she’s crazy about the guy.
I’ve known her for over ten years, and I’ve never seen her so smitten.
A cold person like you wouldn’t understand.” He muttered the words like a lament, clutching his chest dramatically.
Dana knew exactly how he felt, but she didn’t let it show.
“My heart is breaking!” he declared, then turned his playful jab toward her.
“What about you?
I hear you’ve known Doha for a long time, too.
Are the rumors true?
That you’re his secret lover?”
“How can a dog date its owner?”
Her voice was utterly devoid of emotion, but Jintae groaned as if he’d crossed a line.
“Right, sorry about that.
A slip of the tongue.
Like you said, I’m just on edge worrying about those two.” He glanced at her nervously, then scowled.
“Who does that Doha think he is, some kind of king with a harem?”
“He’s not quite at that level.”
“Is this really the time for a comment like that?” Jintae gave her an incredulous look before muttering seriously, “Then is he just juggling them both?”
Dana shot him a pathetic look.
He turned away, embarrassed, and instinctively reached for a cigarette.
Catching her glare, he protested, “Hey, just one!
The smoke will stick to you.”
“Tsk.
I bet you’d let Doha get away with it.”
“Are you and Doha the same?”
Jintae had no comeback.
“Besides, Doha oppa doesn’t smoke.”
It was a simple statement, but Jintae’s face went blank.
“What’s the difference between him and me?
I’m a popular guy.
Sure, he’s an Esper, but still.
Damn it, maybe I should just join a Task Force.”
“Have you no shame?”
“You’re really mean.”
He was about to say more, but a commotion from outside cut him off.
“A huge ice spear just shot out and sliced the demon beast in two!
Wow, Doha was so cool.”
The teams that had been dispatched to the front lines had returned.
Jintae glanced toward the entrance.
“I’m going to get some sleep.
You can handle the rest, right?”
“I was already handling it,” she answered.
“Right.
Thanks.”
As the students filed in, Dana stopped a passing physical education major.
“Where’s Doha?”
The man glanced at her and answered dismissively, “Don’t know.
He didn’t come back with us.”
She tried calling him, but the phone just rang.
‘He seemed off this morning.’ Doha’s insomnia was always obvious when he hadn’t slept.
His body temperature ran low, and on those nights, he would use people as personal heaters, clinging to them for warmth.
At the main estate, that role had usually been hers.
Dana scanned the room again.
Come to think of it, Saeron was missing, too.
“It’s so beautiful when Doha uses his powers.
I could watch him all day.
He’s on a completely different level.”
“It would’ve been nice if Mujin had come.
When else do we get to see Espers up close?”
“He’s not in good health.
Probably resting in his dorm.”
“Hey, he just doesn’t have a Guide.
It’s not like he’s weak.”
‘So noisy.’ The old building was quickly filled with chatter.
Dana kept her eyes glued to the Guiding device, its progress still agonizingly slow.
The longer Doha was gone, the more her nerves frayed.
‘Ding!’
The microwave went off, and the savory smell of popcorn filled the air.
“Let’s eat first.”
“I’m starving.”
“Get the sodas out!”
In an instant, it was snack time.
Students who had been writing logs, resting, or organizing supplies all flocked toward the scent of popcorn.
All except Dana.
No one invited her to join them, not that she expected them to.
Her stomach made an unwelcome noise.
She hadn’t eaten anything all day besides a boiled egg for breakfast.
The smell of cheap, MSG-laden popcorn tickled her nose, making her stomach churn.
She blankly wondered if there was anything in the refrigerator.
Then, she overheard a group of girls talking.
“So, what were you saying about Mujin and Doha?”
“You’re the only one who doesn’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Mujin doesn’t have a Guide.”
“So?”
“So Doha is going to be the leader of the next generation of Espers.
An Esper without a Guide can’t live long.”
“I don’t get it.
There must be foreign Guides.
Not a single one is compatible with him?”
“This is Mujin we’re talking about.
An A-rank Esper from BM Group.
They must have searched everywhere.
The number of people taking the Guide test skyrocketed a while back because of him.”
There was a moment of quiet.
“Uh, well, yeah, that was me,” one student admitted.
“But it worked out, since I found out I was a Guide.
Even if I’m not compatible with Mujin or Doha.”
Several others looked embarrassed.
One sheepishly raised a hand.
“Ahem, I actually took the test once, too.”
“Me too…”
Awkward laughter rippled through the group.
“Anyway, he probably won’t live long,” the first student continued.
“I heard he can’t even think straight without those cigarettes he’s always smoking.
The whole reason the school is trying to improve the Guiding devices is because of him.”
All eyes turned to the device Dana was monitoring.
Then, inevitably, they turned to her.
The gazes passed over her with the same indifference one might give a streetlight before quickly retreating.
Her concentration shattered, Dana sighed.
‘I should go upstairs,’ she decided, and stood.
“Ask her for the details,” a mocking voice stopped her cold.
“Who, Dana Lee?”
“Yeah.
You all know she’s Doha’s servant.”
Noticing her aggressive tone, the others exchanged uneasy glances.
“I’ve heard that rumor…”
“It’s true.
Hey, Dana.
Are you going to run and tell Doha what we just said?”
Dana stopped and looked at the speaker.
The face was familiar.
‘Where have I seen her?
Ah, with Saeron.’
“Well?
Are you?”
Dana frowned, then tapped her temple with her index finger as if struggling to remember.
“What was your name again?”
The girl’s face flushed crimson.
She was probably somewhat well-known, being close to a prominent Guide like Saeron Kim.
Feeling snubbed, she shot Dana a vicious glare.
A tense silence fell.
“Why is she wearing a medical student’s lab coat?” someone whispered.
Dana glanced down.
The weather had been erratic lately, and when she’d been shivering, Jintae had given her his spare coat.
She’d meant to take it off before everyone returned but had forgotten.
“Hey, don’t get cocky just because Doha pays you a little attention,” the girl sneered.
“You’re just a Contaminant.”
Dana’s hand, which had been reaching for the coat’s lapel, froze.
She stared at Saeron Kim’s friend with an unflinching gaze.