Yoon Palsik smacked Kwon Dajung hard across the back again and again.
“You really are fucking insane! There are things you can say and things you absolutely can’t!”
Palsik had been beside Gyujin from the very beginning of all this. He had watched him struggle for long enough that he naturally knew every detail of Yoon Gyujin’s worries, right down to why he had them.
Yoon Gyujin had always had a weakness for anything young and vulnerable. If not for the practical problems involved, he almost certainly would have chosen to have the baby. Gyujin had always dreamed of having a family, and even setting that aside, he was softhearted. Now that he was carrying a baby inside his own body, it had been easy enough to predict that he would struggle to give it up. That was precisely why Palsik had pushed Gyujin so much harder toward terminating the pregnancy.
And could Kwon Dajung really have failed to understand how Yoon Gyujin felt?
Kwon Dajung, who knew Yoon Gyujin better than anyone?
“Even if you weren’t ready for this, how could you say something like that to his face? For fuck’s sake, the reason Gyujin was planning to terminate the pregnancy in the first place was because of you! He was trying to shoulder everything himself because he didn’t want to become a burden to you, and what did you do? You—goddammit! Are you even human?”
The more Palsik talked, the angrier he became.
His blows grew heavier with emotion as he kept smacking Dajung across the back. SS-rank or not, a bastard who had failed to become a decent human being needed some sense beaten into him.
Besides, Palsik cared about Yoon Gyujin more than he feared Kwon Dajung.
“You miserable little bastard! You hopeless idiot!”
Dajung silently endured Palsik’s abuse.
He did not bother making excuses, nor did he seem to have anything to say.
That only made Palsik even more furious.
“You’re driving me fucking insane! There are things you don’t say in front of someone carrying a baby! And he’s already hurt—why the hell would you bring that up in front of him? Why?!”
Every time Palsik struck him, Dajung’s body swayed limply with the impact.
After being knocked back and forth like that for quite some time, Dajung finally whispered as if exhaling a sigh.
“...Yoon Gyujin can’t be put in danger. He’s already in enough danger as it is, and if anyone finds out he’s pregnant too... No. Forget it. I’m just a fucking piece of garbage. That’s all.”
Dajung stopped midway through his explanation and bit his lip.
There was some unfathomable anguish in his eyes, which had gone strangely unfocused in a way utterly unlike him.
But he kept his mouth shut to the very end.
Instead of an excuse or an explanation, what followed sounded more like a declaration.
“I just don’t like Yoon Gyujin being pregnant. As long as I have Yoon Gyujin, I’m fine. I don’t need anything else.”
“Good grief....”
Palsik could barely make sense of what he was saying, let alone understand it.
So the baby would be terminated, Dajung felt bad about that, but even so, he still really did not want Gyujin to have it?
“No matter how much fucking garbage you’ve pulled everywhere else, I thought at least you treated Gyujin well. But apparently I was wrong. If you couldn’t persuade him, then you should’ve at least explained yourself well enough that he could understand. Or if you couldn’t even do that, you could’ve shown him the bare minimum of sincerity. Gyujin’s always indulged you, so maybe you’ve started thinking you’re still some little kid, but you’re an adult now. Which means that if you can’t act responsibly toward anyone else, then at the very least you ought to act responsibly toward Yoon Gyujin.”
Under Palsik’s sharp, deliberate criticism, Dajung looked away.
At least the bastard knows he did something wrong.
Palsik forcibly swallowed another sigh.
Nothing in life ever went exactly the way you wanted it to, but wasn’t this taking things a little too far?
“I never thought I’d actually say this to you... but if this is how you’re going to treat him, then just let Gyujin go. He’s far too good for you.”
***
Gyujin shifted beneath the blankets.
His hazy, half-asleep mind slowly began to clear.
“What time is it...?”
He blinked sleepily.
Even after that, he spent quite a while squirming around in bed before finally poking his head out from under the covers.
No matter how he looked at it, the sunlight pouring through the window was closer to midday than morning.
Startled, Gyujin threw off the blanket and shot upright.
“I’m late—! ...No, I’m not. Right. I took leave.”
Gyujin nodded with a blank expression.
Then he collapsed back onto the bed and blinked at the ceiling.
Right.
As of yesterday—or, more accurately, as of today—Gyujin was free.
The moment he had been discharged from the hospital, he had taken medical leave from the Center.
His injuries had not fully healed yet, and more importantly, the Center was still in chaos because of the fire. Palsik had strongly urged him to rest, saying there was no way they could put an injured man to work under circumstances like these.
When Gyujin worried about the Espers of Team 1, Palsik had flatly told him not to worry about those bastards at all.
By that point, Gyujin had run out of arguments.
He had no choice but to trust that they could handle themselves.
Still moving sluggishly, Gyujin turned his head and checked the clock hanging on the wall.
It had just passed ten thirty in the morning.
Everyone else would be hard at work by now.
“I wonder if they’re doing okay....”
Palsik had told him not to worry, and Gyujin himself wanted to avoid thinking about it if he could.
But emotions were rarely that cooperative.
Especially since every member of Team 1 had looked utterly miserable the last time he saw them.
They had been so uncharacteristically subdued that Gyujin had ended up feeling awkward around them instead.
The moment Song Youngju saw Gyujin, he had dropped to his knees as though he had committed some unforgivable crime.
Choi Sunwoo had ground his teeth and sworn he would get revenge.
Beside him, Moon Guk had simply stood there silently while tears streamed down his face.
And Kwon Dajung....
“Don’t think about him.”
Gyujin murmured calmly to himself.
Thinking about that kid now would only ruin his mood, so what was the point of dwelling on him?
It did not feel as though he would be able to fall back asleep anyway, so Gyujin sat up properly.
He started to stretch without thinking, only for pain to throb through his side.
He immediately froze.
After glancing down at the bandages wrapped around his side, Gyujin scratched his head.
“Where did I put the painkillers...?”
There was no point putting it off, so Gyujin left the bedroom.
As he headed toward the kitchen, he glanced toward the living room.
Given the time of day, there was no sign of anyone else in the apartment.
Staring at the empty living room naturally brought Kwon Dajung’s face to mind.
He could at least tell me when he leaves for work....
“I said don’t think about him.”
Gyujin quickly shook his head.
He roughly smoothed down his messy hair and headed into the kitchen.
After taking a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he looked around.
Did I leave the medicine bag on the dining table?
Tucking the water bottle under his arm, he trudged toward the table.
Just then, a ringtone sounded from the bedroom.
Gyujin hesitated for a moment before turning back.
He decided he would check the call first and look for the medicine afterward.
He picked up the phone from beside the bed and checked the caller.
When he saw Song Youngju’s name, he answered.
“Yeah, Youngju.”
— Team Leader! Good morning!
Youngju’s bright voice rang cheerfully through the speaker.
Gyujin balanced the phone against his shoulder and opened the water bottle. His footsteps sounded lightly as he padded back toward the kitchen.
“Yeah. Good morning.”
— Everything okay? Did you sleep well?
“Yeah. I actually overslept and only woke up a little while ago. Why? Did something happen?”
— Nope! I was just curious, so I called! We’re out in the field right now!
A heavy explosion boomed in the background immediately after his enthusiastic answer.
Startled, Gyujin adjusted his grip on the phone.
Perhaps because of the noise, Youngju raised his voice.
— Sorry! It’s kind of loud, right? This place is a complete disaster right now! How are you feeling, Team Leader?! Kwon Dajung’s taking good care of you, right?!
More booming sounds followed, mixed with screams and angry shouting.
It sounded chaotic, yet Youngju himself remained infuriatingly cheerful.
Gyujin narrowed his eyes and sat down on one of the dining chairs.
“I’m fine... but why Dajung? Isn’t he there with you?”
— No! It’s just me and Guk here right now! Sunwoo went to help out at the Guide Center! Kwon Dajung didn’t show up and didn’t tell anyone anything! So obviously I figured he was taking care of you!
Another series of heavy impacts came through the phone.
Wondering whether Youngju was actually in the middle of combat, Gyujin asked cautiously,
“Youngju, are you sure you can be talking right now? You’re not in the middle of a fight, are you?”
— Oh, how did you know?! Right now we’re—whoa! That was close! Anyway, Guk and I are doing an amazing job out here!
As though taking a personal call while working were something to brag about, Youngju continued proudly.
Gyujin silently pressed a hand to his forehead.
“No, Youngju. You shouldn’t be able to take a phone call while you’re working. Unless it’s urgent, call me again after you’re finished. And be careful.”
— Team Leader, wait—!
Ignoring whatever Youngju was trying to add, Gyujin quickly ended the call.
He sighed deeply.
“Where did I go wrong...?”
Was it a failure of education after all? Did I really need to explicitly tell them they shouldn’t make phone calls while working, especially in the middle of combat? Should I be glad I finally told him now, or should I be scolding them for needing basic common sense spoon-fed to them one thing at a time?
As if answering Gyujin’s dilemma, a message arrived almost immediately.
Gyujin checked the sender and tapped the screen.
[Youngju: IT IS urgent! Once we pull out of the field, we have to take Kwon Dajung to the Esper Bureau! You don’t know where he is either, Team Leader?]
The moment Gyujin saw Kwon Dajung’s name, anxiety crept back in.
He had assumed Dajung had gone to work, but apparently he had not gone to the office at all.
He had not told Gyujin where he was going either.
And now Kwon Dajung had disappeared without even telling his teammates....
“Where did he go without telling anyone this time...?”
Is this some new form of protest?
The thought bothered Gyujin even more because he and Dajung had been locked in a cold war for the entire time Gyujin was hospitalized.
Gyujin bounced one foot anxiously.
After hesitating, he unlocked his phone.
First he tried calling Kwon Dajung.
No answer.
He sent a message, then tried calling again.
Still nothing.
Gyujin could not tell whether Dajung was deliberately ignoring him or simply in a situation where he could not answer.
He stared intently at the phone screen for several moments before moving his fingers again.
I haven’t needed to use this in a while....
After hesitating, he opened an app he had installed long ago.
[Keep Your Child Safe with Kids Sharing! Check Your Child’s Location!]
The pop-up disappeared, and Kwon Dajung’s current location appeared on the map in real time.
He was not nearly as far away as Gyujin had expected.
Gyujin zoomed in on the map, trying to pinpoint the location, then tilted his head.
“Huh? Why did he go there...?”