DPGR 86

“Is it alright if I call you Jiho?”

“Y-Yes… You, you can speak comfortably too…”

“Oh. Then, is it okay if I drop the honorifics?”

“Y-Yes…”

His slightly flushed cheeks looked adorable.

From what they saw online, he was twenty, but the way he shyly averted his gaze made him look like a teenager going through puberty.

“Is Dojin treating you well?”

“Huh? Y-Yes?”

“You know, that Dojin—he’s the youngest in our family, and he was spoiled rotten when he was little. He’s calmed down a bit since becoming an Esper, though.”

“Noona, why are you bringing that up…”

“What, you brat. Just thinking about the mess you made after your Awakening still makes my teeth grind in my sleep.”

“……”

Dojin couldn’t say a word and clammed up.

It was true—after he became an Esper, he had trouble adjusting and caused his family a lot of grief.

When he stayed silent and looked away, Jiho turned to him in surprise.

In Alpha Team, Dojin was the oldest and the Captain—he wasn’t used to being this talked down to.

Seeing this new side of Dojin only piqued Jiho’s curiosity.

“Y-You… were that much of a troublemaker?”

“Of course. He’s only human now thanks to someone. When was it? Oh right, after Esper Kwak Jiheon took him and roughed him up for a few days?”

Kwak Jiheon. Dojin’s mentor, and the one Jiho called “Grandpa.”

Hearing a familiar name, Jiho’s eyes lit up. Dohee found that look adorable and continued speaking.

“Esper Kwak Jiheon took him away for a few days. Hey, Baek Dojin. Isn’t that right?”

“…Yeah. When I entered my first dungeon.”

Dojin reluctantly answered, and Dohee burst out laughing.

Jiho perked up at the mention of “first dungeon.”

‘The first dungeon… wasn’t that the B-rank small dungeon Grandpa said he sent Dojin hyung into alone?’

Strictly speaking, it was more like Kwak Jiheon grabbed Dojin by the scruff and threw him into it.

But for Dojin’s pride, Jiho had chosen to remember it in a more dignified way.

As Jiho was thinking this, the Baek siblings continued their conversation.

“Since we’re on the subject, let me ask—what the heck happened in that dungeon that made your attitude do a full 180 overnight?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You used to be absolutely disgusted with the idea of being an Esper.”

“I did?”

“Don’t pretend you forgot out of embarrassment.”

“No, I just…”

Leaving the siblings’ bickering behind, their mother called out to Jiho.

“Um, Jiho?”

“Y-Yes?”

“You’re twenty now, right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“My, such a young and beautiful child…”

“…??”

“Dojin’s quite a bit older than you, isn’t he? And he’s… been in the military a long time, so he’s a bit stiff, not very flexible.”

“N-No! He’s, um… he’s not that old! And he’s really kind to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

Jiho nodded firmly.

His response brightened the mother’s worry-filled face into one of relief.

“Thank you for saying that. I know this might be a bit much for you to hear, but… Dojin suffered a lot because he couldn’t find a compatible Guide.”

Jiho already knew that.

Actually, not just Jiho—the whole world knew that story.

But just because you know the facts doesn’t mean you can understand what it was like for parents who had to watch their son waste away, powerless to help.

Dojin’s mother, who still carried an air of maturity yet somehow girlishness, was tearing up.

“But then, all of a sudden, he found a perfectly matched Guide and formed a pair… I just really wanted to meet you in person and say thank you.”

“Uh, I…”

“If that rascal Dojin ever gives you trouble, just let me know, alright? I’ll make sure you have my number before you leave.”

“O-Okay…”

“If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me either, okay? Even if it’s food—you can tell me anytime. I may not look it, but I ran a restaurant for years. I know my way around a kitchen.”

As if the tears earlier had never happened, Dojin’s mother let out a cheerful laugh.

Jiho wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or overwhelmed by her sudden emotional shift.

“Is Dojin feeding you properly?”

It was then that a gruff voice broke in.

Dojin’s father, who had been silently staring at Jiho the entire time, finally spoke.

The unexpected question from an unexpected person startled Jiho, making him flinch.

Maybe he took that as a response, but Dojin’s father clicked his tongue with clear disapproval.

“So the brat’s been starving you, huh? Bringing home a kid who’s all skin and bones…”

That’s not true! Just this morning, he made me eat a full bowl of rice, plus fruit and rice cakes for dessert!

Jiho wanted to say that, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Dojin’s father looked so intimidating he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Thankfully, seeing Jiho’s face redden and his eyes tear up, Dojin’s sister cut in and tried to comfort him.

“Guide Jiho, what’s wrong? Father, what did you say to Guide Jiho?”

In truth, Dojin had been listening to the whole conversation with his enhanced Esper hearing.

He had just pretended not to, to avoid disrupting the flow.

But he didn’t stop there—he immediately picked Jiho up and sat him on his own lap.

It was a subconscious, habitual action.

“What the—are you saying you brought home this tiny little kid and didn’t feed him?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yeah, you little punk! Just look at that kid! There’s nothing but bones on him!”

“Hic!”

His father’s voice grew louder. It was just his usual blunt tone combined with a naturally booming voice, but—

‘He… he’s angry…!’

To Jiho, he looked absolutely furious.

And the stern voice of this adult man was more than enough to trigger Jiho’s trauma.

‘Scary…!’

But before Jiho could react—

“Granpaah! Hyunie told you, don’t be scaryyy!”

“You… you were scared?”

“Yes! Grandpa just now went, ‘You little punk!’”

“No, no. Grandpa didn’t say ‘you little punk.’”

“But Hyunie heard you say it like that!”

Sitting on Dohee’s lap watching PingXpong, Hyunie pouted and turned to Jiho.

“Right, oppa?”

“Ahem, ahem. Uh… did I scare you? I, uh… I was in the military a long time, so… I definitely didn’t say ‘you little punk,’ and I wasn’t mad either…”

“If you do something wrong, you have to say sorry. That’s what my red group teacher said.”

“…Right. Jiho, was it?”

“Y-yes!”

“I’m sorry for startling you.”

“No, no… it’s okay…”

Jiho frantically shook his head. Hyunie lightly tapped his knee.

“Oppa.”

“Hm?”

“Play with Hyunie.”

“Uh…?”

“Hyunie wants to play princess.”

Once again, the mood flipped—this time in a lighter, more cheerful direction.

Dojin let out a soft breath of relief when he saw Jiho’s complexion had improved, then helped him to his feet.

“If you’re okay with it, would you play with Hyunie for a bit?”

It seemed like their mom had said everything she wanted to say, and Jiho clearly wasn’t comfortable sitting with the adults, so Dojin figured it was time to send him off.

“Oppa! Come with me! Let’s play princess!”

“O-okay…!”

Thankfully, Hyunie’s outgoing nature meant that shy Jiho didn’t seem to have any trouble being around the child.

Dojin watched as Jiho, dragged by the sleeve, was pulled into a small room by Hyunie. Then he finally let out the sigh he’d been holding.

“I already explained a bit over the phone, but… Guide Jiho’s been through a lot of bad experiences. Please just be a little gentler with him, Dad.”

“Hmph.”

At Dojin’s request, his father cleared his throat and looked away. Their mother covered her mouth, looking worried.

“Oh no… So the rumors are true?”

“Rumors?”

“On the internet, they say that child is… one of the victims of those illegal facilities.”

Dojin’s brow twitched. He had some idea that such rumors were going around.

But for even his not-so-internet-savvy parents to have heard—it surprised him.

‘They even seem to know what kind of place those facilities were…’

His expression darkened.

He hoped not, but he couldn’t help but worry that his parents—ordinary people and not young anymore—might look at Jiho with prejudice.

But it turned out that worry was unfounded.

“That poor kid… Oh dear. So pitiful.”

“Hey now. Don’t go pitying a child who’s doing fine now.”

“Still, I can’t help it.”

“Jeez…”

Even though he said that, Dojin’s father seemed just as sympathetic toward Jiho.

Dohee narrowed her eyes and gave her brother a warning.

“You better be good to him. Got it?”

“……”

Dojin had been about to say ‘I already am,’ but closed his mouth.

Because he wasn’t sure.

No matter how hard he tried, he didn’t know if Jiho actually felt that way.

“…I’ll do better. Always.”

So all Dojin could do was mumble those words like a vow.

That from now on, and forever, he’d devote himself to Jiho.

That more than just doing his best, he’d give Jiho everything—so he could truly feel it.