DPGR 120

The next day, Dojin and Jiho visited the Center for the first time in a while.

They held hands or walked shoulder to shoulder as usual, but a subtle new atmosphere lingered between them, something quietly different from before.

Both Dojin and Jiho sensed the change, though neither said it aloud.

They simply savored the mood and the looming regret of their soon-to-come parting.

“Captain Baek, Guide Jiho.”

Just as the two stepped into the Esper wing of the building, a familiar voice called out from behind, stopping them in their tracks.

“……!”

Jiho, naturally timid, flinched as if he’d been caught doing something wrong and turned around in surprise.

When he saw who had called him, a gentle smile curled at the corners of his lips.

“Guide Geonwoo, Guide Sena!”

Not only did Jiho call out their names, he even took a step toward them.

Dojin glanced down with slight displeasure at his now-empty hand.

He hadn’t been holding Jiho’s hand since birth, but it somehow felt like a part of his body had been taken away.

“Just arriving?”

At Geonwoo’s question, Dojin flexed his empty hand once before answering.

“Yes. We’re a little late. Where are the other team members?”

“Probably in the basement here. Getting their artifacts issued.”

“Then I’d better hurry.”

Only then did Jiho turn to look at him.

Even though they had expected this parting, Jiho’s pale face was full of reluctance and sadness.

“You’re going now?”

“Yes. I have to.”

Though he said he was leaving right away, Dojin’s feet didn’t move. Instead, he took Jiho’s left hand and held it tightly.

He stroked Jiho’s soft, uncalloused hand, subtly feeling for the ring finger.

“I’ll wrap it up quickly and come back. Make sure to eat, and be careful not to get hurt.”

“You’re the one who should be careful. You’re going into a dungeon.”

Jiho pouted as he mumbled, and Dojin chuckled softly.

“Yes. I’ll be careful too.”

Even after that, they continued exchanging words, dragging out their farewell.

But they couldn’t linger in the lobby forever.

“See you later, then.”

Dojin finally ended it. He gently ruffled Jiho’s hair one last time and turned away.

Jiho stood there, glum, silently watching Dojin’s back as he walked away.

Sena, watching Jiho sulk, muttered with a sigh.

“What kind of seminar is this that they’re calling in even pair guides?”

Geonwoo gave a small laugh. He recognized that Sena was pretending to be annoyed while trying to cheer Jiho up.

Sure enough, Jiho nodded in agreement, looking like he really did sympathize.

“R-Really. This is my first time. Pair guides usually don’t have to attend seminars…”

“I heard it’s a new guiding method. Haven’t you heard anything about it?”

“M-Me? No… You haven’t either, Guide Sena?”

“If I had, why would I be asking you?”

Sena snorted with a mock huff and turned away. Then she passed the question off to Geonwoo, who had been watching from a step back.

“Guide Geonwoo probably knows something.”

“Me?”

“You like looking up research papers and stuff. Like a pervert.”

“Pervert? Can’t you just say I have intellectual curiosity?”

“Ugh. Whatever.”

Sena, who had nothing to do with studying, grimaced like she couldn’t understand him at all. Geonwoo’s smile deepened.

“Well, I have a guess.”

“A guess? What is it?”

Sena blinked wide-eyed, not expecting him to actually say yes. Jiho, too, momentarily forgot about Dojin and looked at Geonwoo, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Geonwoo shrugged under their hopeful gazes.

“A while ago in Southeast Asia, a B-rank guide successfully performed something called ‘Radiant Guiding.’”

“Radiant… guiding?”

“It’s a new method of guiding without physical contact—basically dissolving guiding into the air.”

“Ew. You can guide without touching?”

“Of course the efficiency’s lower. But it’s a novel attempt.”

As Geonwoo explained, he briefly furrowed his brow.

It did seem like today’s seminar was going to be about radiant guiding.

“Doesn’t seem all that necessary.”

Jiho couldn’t understand why the higher-ups were bothering to introduce a guiding method with such low efficiency.

“Anyway, Guide Jiho. Have you eaten?”

Geonwoo easily brushed past the topic and changed the subject.

Startled out of his thoughts about radiant guiding, Jiho quickly nodded.

“Y-Yes! I-I had breakfast…”

“What about a post-meal snack?”

Geonwoo raised an eyebrow and pulled something up on his phone, a gift card for a bakery café near the Center that they’d visited a few times.

“Want to go grab some bread? The captain’s office is empty right now, we can have dessert and monitor articles there.”

Next to him, Sena licked her lips and chattered about strawberry tarts and chocolate muffins. When Jiho hesitated, Geonwoo gently pressed down on Sena’s head to quiet her.

In the meantime, Jiho glanced in the direction Dojin had gone, then nodded.

“Okay.”

The bakery was popular, and things usually sold out fast, but since it was still early morning, the selection should be good.

Since they were going anyway, Jiho planned to buy extra for Dojin, the team members, and even Heendungi.

“Shall we go, then?”

“Yes.”

Just a little while ago he’d been flustered with a red face, now Jiho’s complexion had returned to normal, even carrying a small smile.

As he followed Geonwoo, he felt a buzz in his pocket and his eyes lit up.

He pulled out the phone Dojin had recently bought him, a message had arrived from Dojin.

It was filled with affectionate nagging: telling him not to go around alone, to make sure he ate, to take care of himself.

At the end was a bear emoji that didn’t suit Dojin at all.

“…Heh.”

Jiho was already starting to miss him.

The three of them returned to the Center after buying bread from the bakery.

Jiho’s arms were full of paper bags, warm and smelling of butter.

“It’s already 10:24.”

Geonwoo commented offhandedly as they passed the lobby of the Esper wing and saw the wall clock.

Sena, sipping her drink from the bakery, let out a nasal hum.

“Yeah. Wasn’t dungeon entry at 10:30?”

“Mhm.”

Their conversation stayed light as they entered the elevator and arrived at the floor with the team leader’s office.

Jiho, who had been absorbed in the warmth of the bread, finally noticed something strange.

“Uh… But doesn’t the Center seem kind of quiet today?”

The lobby, the elevator, everywhere.

Normally they’d see Espers coming and going constantly, but there was hardly a trace of them.

The few people they’d run into had all been administrative staff.

Noticing Jiho’s confusion, Sena and Geonwoo answered casually.

“Everyone’s busy. There’ve been a lot of dungeons.”

“Right. They’re probably all running around nonstop.”

“There’ve been that many dungeons?”

“……?”

“What, you didn’t know?”

Sena’s question made Jiho blink in confusion.

Apparently, a lot had been going on outside while he and Dojin were wrapped up in each other, enjoying their time off.

So that’s why the Alpha Team’s going on a raid even during vacation…

Jiho had simply assumed the dungeon’s rank was high, based on what Dojin told him.

Then maybe the dungeon Dojin went into really isn’t that dangerous, like he said…

It seemed likely that Alpha and Beta Teams were sent just because they were available, not because the dungeon was high-risk.

Just as Jiho reached that conclusion, a couple of Beta Team Espers walked down the far end of the hallway.

“Uh…?”

“Guide Jiho? What—oh, you mean those Espers who just passed by?”

“Yes. But weren’t they from Beta Team? Didn’t you say they were going into the dungeon with Dojin-hyung today…?”

Jiho tilted his head in confusion. Geonwoo and Sena exchanged glances, then carefully asked,

“Have you been living under a rock or something?”

“Sena.”

“Did Team Leader Baek lock you up or something? Should I report him?”

“Oh, please.”

Geonwoo sighed before explaining.

“There’s a specific artifact required for this dungeon raid, but apparently the Center didn’t have enough. So only about half of Beta Team joined the operation.”

“Ah…”

“…He really didn’t explain anything to you? I mean, at the very least, he should’ve told you about the dungeon.”

Geonwoo murmured, looking a bit taken aback. But Jiho was even more shocked.

Now that he thought about it, Dojin had only given vague, roundabout answers when asked about the dungeon.

It was Jiho’s first time having to assess a dungeon’s details on his own, so he hadn’t pressed him.

Something… feels off.

Dojin would have known.

He would’ve known exactly what information a pair guide needed to hear.

Yet he’d brushed over it vaguely, that was suspicious. Like he was hiding something.

Trying to suppress the chill creeping up his spine, Jiho asked Geonwoo and Sena,

“The dungeon today… What kind of dungeon is it, exactly?”

Jiho looked completely unaware, which made the other two glance at each other with growing concern.

After a brief hesitation, Geonwoo finally replied.

“Um… it’s an A-rank extra-large dungeon that appeared in Jeju Island…”

“Jeju… Island…?”

Thump—

The bag of bread in Jiho’s arms slipped and hit the floor helplessly.

At the same time, Jiho’s complexion went deathly pale.