Chapter 4 : Hold On Tight

“Did you forget your mom and my mom are best friends?

How much do you think they talked about?

They talked about everything.”

“You must have heard a lot about me too.”

After confirming no one else was around, Jihan started walking towards the shop exit.

Before leaving, he didn’t forget to firmly grab Sekyeom’s hand.

And through their touching palms, he unwillingly learned about Sekyeom’s condition, something he hadn’t wanted to know.

F*ck.

Jihan shuddered, swallowing the curse inwardly.

A brief scan revealed Sekyeom’s energy was such a mess he didn’t even want to touch it.

Like sharp thorns tangled up like a fine thread?

More importantly, the sheer magnitude of it was beyond imagination, which was also a problem.

Indeed, he was an S-rank.

For Jihan, a B-rank, the energy was so immense and rough that he didn’t dare attempt Guiding.

Sekyeom’s condition was so chaotic that Jihan suspected his small, precious Guiding would barely be enough to calm the raging energy.

And even if he wanted to provide Guiding, it required the premise that their matching rate exceeded 50%.

Sekyeom, noticing Jihan reading his energy, considered pulling his hand away but followed quietly instead.

He was partly worried Jihan might attempt Guiding, but the desire not to let go of his hand was stronger.

“Ah, I’ve heard a few things too.
Are you still getting along well with your Esper?”

“…What?”

Thinking ‘What kind of bullsh*t is this?’, Jihan turned his head as they were leaving the shop.

He was the one treated like a nuisance, shuffling between support teams because no paired Esper had appeared for him.

But suddenly being asked if he was getting along well with his Esper?

And even with ‘still’.

Jihan frowned unconsciously.

But just as he was about to open his mouth to ask, ‘Who is my Esper?’, Thump!
A strong vibration occurred.

From the impact, shattered window glass rained down on the heads of the two who were just stepping out of the shop.

“Ack!”

Startled, Jihan raised his arms to cover his face and head.

However, even after a while, he felt no pain.

Peeking from under his arms, Jihan slowly lowered his hands.

“Wow…!”

A short gasp escaped Jihan as he tilted his head back.

Because the glass fragments that had rained down were hanging suspended in the air above him, sparkling like crystals on a mobile.

The only person currently capable of such a feat was Sekyeom.

Jihan looked back at Sekyeom, who had used his ability without even a slight gesture.

He had tilted his head slightly, silently gazing at the glass fragments floating in the air as if time had stopped.

Although his activities had been sparse lately, presumably due to Guiding deficiency, Jihan could still catch news of Sekyeom through occasional TV appearances, commercials, and magazine photoshoots.

It would have been a waste to let that handsome face, stunning enough to make one momentarily dazed, go unseen.

Even now, standing crookedly with his chin tilted up, Sekyeom looked as cool as a model in a photoshoot.

For such a guy to also be exceptionally talented.

Sekyeom spoke first, breaking the silence of Jihan, who was once again struck speechless by the unfairness of the world.

Right before speaking, he blatantly glanced at Jihan’s free hand.

“Are you really going with me?”

“Yeah.”

“No regrets?”

“Regrets? What regrets?
Now that I know your energy is tangled up like this sh*t, do you think I’d be comfortable letting you go alone?”

Jihan grabbed Sekyeom’s hand again, squeezing it firmly as if to say, ‘Don’t even dream of going alone.’

It was also meant to tell him to snap out of it after seeing his condition.

Jihan spoke seriously to Sekyeom, who looked somewhat dazed.

“I know I’ll probably just be a hindrance if I follow.

But let’s go together for now.

Matching rate or whatever, if we hold out doing something, guild support will come, right?

I’ll back off immediately then.”

Sekyeom just looked at Jihan without a word.

Jihan was worried about Sekyeom, who was currently considered more dangerous than the monster.

Even though his anger hadn’t subsided, he couldn’t send Sekyeom into danger alone, so he had decided to go with him.

Gazing intently at the face revealing that kind and affectionate heart, Sekyeom eventually lowered his head deeply and let out an empty laugh.

In that moment, Sekyeom’s imposing aura weakened.

Not just his aura, but also the bluff he had been putting up, pretending to be fine, crumbled.

“…Then I won’t hold back my conscience anymore either?”

“What are you talking about?”

What kind of nonsense was that in this serious situation?

As Jihan shot him a glare that said ‘stop talking crazy,’ Sekyeom smiled coolly and pulled the hand he was holding.

It was quite a bold move for someone who had been flinching at the mere touch just moments ago.

“Hold on tight.”

“Huh?

Uh-huh?”

Not content with just holding his hand, Sekyeom wrapped an arm firmly around Jihan’s waist and suddenly started running at incredible speed.

Startled, Jihan hugged Sekyeom’s broad shoulders tightly and squeezed his eyes shut.

In that instant, his feet left the ground, and his body shot up into the air.

“You crazy b*stard!

At least give some warning…!”

“Sorry.

Forgot to mention it.”

Jihan’s eyes narrowed sharply at the response, laced with laughter and devoid of any actual apology.

He realized from the tone that Sekyeom had deliberately startled him as a prank.

“You’re laughing?

Is it funny?

Is me being startled funny?”

When Jihan grabbed Sekyeom’s collar with the hand that had been around his shoulder and pressed him, Sekyeom let out a soft chuckle.

However, the sight of the monster from the air stopped their playful banter.

“Whoa… it’s huge.”

“Yeah.
It’s quite big, isn’t it?”

Pooo?

Below them was a massive pink lump, about the size of a two-story building.

Round in shape, making it impossible to tell its hands from its feet, it looked slightly grotesque yet somewhat cute.

“What is that?”

“Its form resembles a slime… but seeing as it’s not melting its surroundings with acidic substances, I don’t think it’s a slime.”

Jihan’s expression turned anxious at the somewhat vague explanation.

Effectively experiencing his first field situation, his mind kept drifting in and out.

“You’ve never seen something like that before either?”

“Nope.”

Even Sekyeom, who had been an Esper for 8 years, had never seen this monster before.

Panicked, Jihan shook the hand gripping Sekyeom’s collar violently, venting misplaced anger.

“How can you be so calm seeing it for the first time!”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be calm?”

“It makes me feel like I trusted you and got betrayed!”

“Then you can just keep trusting me.”

“Aargh, fine, you’re so great.
If you’re so great, then hurry up and deal with that thing.
You’re an S-rank!”

Sekyeom’s head bobbed vigorously as Jihan shook him.

That’s how much Jihan’s panic bordered on fear.

Jihan wanted to hear Sekyeom say he could take care of it quickly.

However, the words Sekyeom uttered were enough to disappoint him.

“What are you talking about after reading my energy just now?

In my current state, I can barely muster the power of a B-rank.”

“Proud of that, are you!

Then you should have just put up with those damn side effects and lived quietly receiving Guiding!”

At the shout of the completely panicked Jihan, Sekyeom cocked an eyebrow crookedly.

Honestly, it was something he’d heard dozens of times, so he could have endured it and let it pass, but since the person saying it was Jihan,

he couldn’t.

Perhaps because of that, his replying voice was also blunt.

“Just put up with it?

Easy for you to say since it’s not your problem.

Do you even know about Guiding side effects?

Do you know how f*cking awful they are?”

“I’m not even an Esper, how would I know?”

“Ha, right.

Must be nice being a Guide!”

“Yeah, it’s f*cking great!”

“Ah, right!

I’m f*cking envious too!”

Po?

Popo?

The conversation, which had somehow reached a strange conclusion, stopped.

Because the pink lump, which had been silently watching Sekyeom and Jihan appear before it, tilted its head cutely, showing interest.

The creature, with its round pink body, white belly, round eyes, and a small, beak-like mouth, didn’t look threatening at all when tilting its

head.

However, the moment that ‘popo’ sound was directed at them, chills ran down both their spines.

Po!
Pooo!

Pooo!

“Uwaaah, what’s wrong with it!”

“How should I know.”

The monster Jihan pointed at suddenly started wriggling its body.

Feeling threatened by the sight of its round belly jiggling up and down, Jihan abruptly hugged Sekyeom’s neck.

Equally startled, Sekyeom also held Jihan firmly by the waist and the back of his head to protect him.

Popo!
Popopo!

White smoke started pouring out of the monster’s body as it began jumping in place as if excited.

At the same time, its light pink body gradually reddened until it turned completely bright red.

The cute ‘popo’ sound also deepened stickily.

The low, sunken voice making metallic sounds was rough, as if its throat had been scraped with sandpaper.

“Woah, ho- hot!”

As the monster jumped in place, the smoke enveloping its body spread out.

And as the smoke got closer, intense heat could be felt along with it.

Terrified by this, Jihan pressed himself against Sekyeom, wrapping his legs around his waist.

Supporting the body clinging to him with all its might, Sekyeom, who had flinched awkwardly, soon opened his mouth playfully.

“Looks like it got mad because we were talking without it.”

“Hey, come on!

Can’t you be serious?”

“If being serious helps in this situation, I’ll do that.”