STJ_20

"Really?"

Doyoung looked at Ijun with a doubtful expression. His expression seemed to ask if Ijun was lying or if it was really okay. Ijun tried to hold back his tears.

He had found out that Doyoung was five years older than him after constantly pestering an HR employee. He didn't want to show himself crying like a child, especially in front of Doyoung.

"I can do it."

"Don't act up. It's okay to do it next time..."

"I want to do it, with Master."

Doyoung's eyebrows furrowed again at the ambiguous tone.

"...Please add a description of the object. That sounds a bit strange."

"Why?"

Looking at the face with Iijun's innocent eyes, Doyoung felt that his brain was not pure for no reason, so he cleared his throat humbly.

"It's nothing."

Iijun pulled Doyoung up with a bright smile on his face, as if to show that he was better now. When Doyoung sat up, Ijun placed his hands on the support with a satisfied expression.

The staff repeated the instructions given earlier. When the beep sounded, the measurement began, and the two were not to remove their hands until the measurement was complete.

Doyoung slowly placed his hand on Iijun's. Iijun's hand was so large that Doyoung's hand felt like it was being eaten. The big hand pushed inward, filling the space between the fingers from the bottom to the top, and clamped the fingers tightly.

Iijun's hands were still cold and shaking slightly. He pretended to be fine, but he was still very nervous.

His appearance, which reminded Doyoung of a puppy shivering on the street in the pouring rain, also aroused his protective instincts.

He was confused as to whether this person was the same Esper who was covered in blood and crazed with killing instinct at the battlefield.

Soon the alarm sounded and the measurement began. A device attached to the chair used artificial stimulation and pressure to bring out Esper's abilities, and like Sa Kangjun, light appeared in Iijun's eyes.

His eyes were reminiscent of a ring eclipse, where the moon could not completely cover the sun, leaving a thin golden ring at the edge.

"Haa..."

"....."

Not even five minutes after they held hands, Sa Iijun let out a soft groan. Even with a more precise expression.

Doyoung turned his face away, trying not to look at Iijun. What kind of sensation was he feeling, making that kind of sound, a sound that could only be made in bed.

Without knowing Doyoung's thoughts, Iijun enjoyed the sensation that flowed through him.

If the guiding he felt so far was limited to dropping water drop by drop on someone who was on the verge of running away, who could barely wet his throat from thirst, then what he felt now was like standing under a soothing downpour.

Like a man suffering from polydipsia*, Iijun ran into the rain and devoured it greedily.

*t/n; extreme thirst condition.

His hands that had been trembling from tension, now began to tremble from a different sensation. Something warm spread from the palms he was holding. His chest, which had been empty, was now filled with all sorts of wonderful things.

"Ah... it's so good..."

"....Close your mouth."

Doyoung spoke through clenched teeth. However, Iijun didn't seem to be listening, he let out a hot breath with a climax-like expression on his face.

"Uhh..."

Sa Iijun tried not to make a sound. But, that deadly 'oh, ah' sound sounded even stranger.

***

When the test was over, Doyoung felt very tired. He felt as if he had just returned from a long day of meeting with many people. He wanted to rush out of the building and rest alone in a quiet place.

Just then, the door opened loudly and a staff member came in.

"Guide-nim, the results are in."

Doyoung tried to get up from his chair, but Iijun didn't let go of his hand. He said to the staff.

"Wait... Wait a moment."

Iijun's hands started shaking again. It seemed as if he was afraid of what the staff would say. Iijun looked at Doyoung with teary eyes, as if he was about to cry. He seemed to be mentally preparing himself.

After a few moments of deep breathing to calm his tension and fear, Iijun tightened his grip on Doyoung's hand even more. Then, with a more stern expression, he turned his gaze to the staff.

"Now tell me."

The staff swallowed and recounted the amazing results. All the while, Iijun's eyes were glued to the staff member's lips as he uttered these words.

"The result is 96.4%."

As soon as those words were spoken, Iijun's hand, which was holding Doyoung's, lost its strength and fell.

He let out a long sigh and bent down, hiding his face in his palms.

Her legs felt limp from the released tension and he couldn't even stand up. Iijun's shoulders seemed to shake slightly. Doyoung asked hesitantly.

"Esper Sa Iijun... Are you crying?"

Iijun didn't lift his head and mumbled softly, barely audible, as if talking to himself.

"Mine...?"

"Yes?"

Only then did Iijun raise his head. As Doyoung had expected, tears welled up in his eyes.

"Master, it's mine now... right?"

Doyoung was silent. As if he couldn't control his emotions, Iijun lowered his head again and stared at the ground.

“Fuck, it's 96.4%!"

His shouting voice shocked not only Doyoung, but also the staff standing beside him.

"Sa Kangjun is 96.1% and I am 96.4%...!" 

Doyoung couldn't understand why Iijun was so emotional. Iijun kept repeating the same words like a mantra in his sleep, saying that Doyoung was his.

Mumbling like a mantra and almost tearing his hair, he looked like a madman.

"Esper Sa Iijun? Are you all right?"

"Only I can have you..."

Doyoung began to worry.

At the end of Doyoung's line of sight, he saw a soldier carefully entering through the open door. He glanced at Iijun and cautiously motioned for Doyoung to come out.

When Doyoung started to speak, the soldier immediately placed his index finger over his lips. It was as if he wanted to take the prey without waking the sleeping beast.

Doyoung was reluctant to leave Iijun under such circumstances, but he followed the orders and walked out. As soon as Doyoung and the staff left, the door to the test room was shut tightly, as if they had been waiting.

In front of Doyoung, Haesu stood with a meaningful expression on her face. The slight smile on her lips showed genuine satisfaction.

"Congratulations, Chief Joo Doyoung."

Doyoung doubted if it was something to be grateful for. It was difficult for him to judge the situation correctly. His mind was still on Ijun, who was left alone behind the closed door of the test room.

"Is it okay to leave him alone like this?"

"Is he still a child to you? I thought you would thank me for getting Chief Joo out of there."

“Me?”

“If Sa Iijun loses control and forcibly imprints you like a madman, no one here or even in this whole building would be able to stop him."

"It can't come to that."

Haesu shook her head as if he didn't know anything.

"How about we leave this place first? To a quiet place."

Doyoung nodded and followed Haesu. Only when they had left the building completely, she began to speak.

"Good matching test results can be dangerous. Esper's often go crazy because of it. And Sa Iijun is even more likely to do just that."

"Esper Sa Iijun?"

"He's starving. For 15 years. And now it's as if a juicy, tempting piece of meat has been thrown to him, just so he can taste it."

Seeing Doyoung's face, which didn't understand the metaphor, Haesu continued.

"Iijun is a very complicated case. Ever since he was a child."

Haesu patted the empty seat next to her on the bench under the banyan tree. Doyoung sat down beside her without refusing. The statue of Sa Geonho could be seen in the distance.

"He has been a difficult child since he first came here after his ability manifested. The guiding never worked with him. No matter how strong the Guides was, it only reached 1% or 2%. The child cried out in pain, but the guiding was unsuccessful. Well, all these yams of mine have grown since then."

"......." 

"Even now, when he returns from missions, dozens of Guides are attached to him. But lo and behold, their guiding index is only a single digit. In fact, it's not even a Guide, it's just an attempt to keep them from going on a rampage. They are not enough."

"......"

"How could he not go crazy when he met a Guide with a 96.4% match rate?"

"So it is."

"The result will be like this."

Haesu continued to laugh, as if the more she thought about it, the funnier the situation became.

"This is how UEFC became the underdog. We are here, and Chief Joo is here."

She raised both of her hands to different heights, with Doyoung on the higher side.

"You are the one who will load the bullets of our main cannon, so we should treat you well. Should I also do my best?”

Doyoung smiled faintly at Haesu's words, unable to tell if they were sincere or sarcastic, but he felt an overwhelming sense of discomfort in her words.

This feeling had been gnawing at Doyoung's nerves ever since he heard the staff's reaction when Iijun said he was sick.

She and everyone else here didn't seem to think of Iijun as a human being.

Feeling a stabbing discomfort in his temples, Doyoung realized that he not only cared for Iijun, but also felt a strange responsibility for him.

The thought of Iijun carrying such a heavy burden compared to ordinary people, yet smiling innocently without realizing what he was carrying, somehow made Doyoung feel sad.

However, he kept telling himself to be careful because he didn't need to have such feelings. No one in this world has to take responsibility for others and should not be forced to do so.

After parting ways with Haesu, Doyoung returned to the test room. Over the next few days, he performed tests on all of the scheduled Esper.

However, no one's highest match rate exceeded 70%.

–

TL: Muji

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