Dirty Sweet Baby Chapter 36

‘My face… is it that swollen…?’

Just how ugly must I look.

‘Mother said I look like a deer.’

…Then again, a child always looks beautiful in a parent’s eyes. This is so embarrassing.

<As pathetic as you are, someone like me is nothing compared to you…>

‘Hah, I messed up…’

Why did I have to let something like that slip out?

‘I shouldn’t have said it. I really shouldn’t have…’

But,

aside from that,

why did Cha Moogyul kiss me this time?

Was it even a kiss? It was too much to be a misunderstanding, our lips definitely touched…

To torment me? To piss me off?

Or did he just do it? Without any particular reason?

How in the world could there be no particular reason…?

It wasn’t even for guiding…

‘Doesn’t that bastard think this kind of thing with me is weird…?’

It should be weird…

It’s supposed to be weird…

Baek Heeheon feels like he’s going to die from how weird it is…

‘Aah…’

I don’t know…

My head hurts so much. It feels like it’s being split open with an axe.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Heeheon submerged himself deep under the bathtub floor. His mind was blank. The heat searing his forehead showed no sign of cooling down. He was languid, dizzy, precarious, and indecisive. As fear, discomfort, confusion, excitement, regret, and resignation—all sorts of emotions—passed their breaking point, he suddenly lost all his strength. It just happened.

After that, Heeheon was sick for three more days straight. He guessed it was probably due to major psychological reasons. After all, he hadn’t been able to sleep comfortably for even a single day while staying in this house. As if catching up on overdue homework, Heeheon recovered his strength by sleeping deeply.

By the time he finally got up feeling refreshed, the rainy season was at its tail end.

The ceaseless downpour stopped, and the weather cleared up. The sound of cicadas crying could be heard against the backdrop of a clear blue sky. Deep blue-green foliage covered the earth like a carpet, and nature blossomed vividly. It was a truly beautiful time of year. So much so that it would have been pleasant enough to just watch the season slowly pass by.

Having recovered, Heeheon returned to his post.

He tried to belatedly take care of minor tasks, including the deployment report, but Cha Moogyul had already finished everything perfectly. He had even maintained Heeheon’s firearm and equipment, and had washed his combat uniform immaculately and hung it in the dressing room.

The good news arrived that the special forces unit that had entered the gate had safely destroyed the core and returned. However, an even more surprising piece of news was waiting for Heeheon.

“This is the latest official video released by the Center. Esper Cha Moogyul’s ability is complex. As you can see, it appears to be an electrical type, but he is also exerting physical force. He is demonstrating two types, electrical power and psychokinesis, at the same time.”

Living room. Watching the screen on the large TV, Heeheon was at a loss for words.

The scene of Cha Moogyul annihilating creatures with his ability during the last emergency deployment was being broadcast in its entirety. It was even a special feature. Panelists appearing as experts were analyzing and explaining Cha Moogyul’s ability, and audience members holding placards were cheering at the top of their lungs.

‘What is this, so publicly…’

He knew that public attention was high and that he was a hot topic, but the sensational popularity was to a degree he couldn’t have imagined.

Then again, the sight of Cha Moogyul unleashing his immense ability with a wet face did have an intensity that was hard to forget.

“A typical esper manifests with a single type of ability, but as expected, an S-rank esper is in a class of his own. Considering the timing of Esper Cha Moogyul’s manifestation, it would not be surprising if he were to use three types of abilities at will in the future.”

The archival footage replayed on a loop.

It was a wondrous sight of Cha Moogyul unleashing his ability, dyeing the night sky pure white, and the blue electricity spreading along the raindrops, piercing through the black creatures in a single breath.

Cha Moogyul, standing aloof in black fatigues, and Baek Heeheon, holding a rifle beside him, were shown in a close-up. A caption appeared below.

「Brigadier General Cha Moogyul, S-Rank Esper」 「Second Lieutenant Baek Heeheon, A-Rank Guide」

“We also can’t fail to mention Esper Cha Moogyul’s dedicated guide, Guide Baek Heeheon. Second Lieutenant Baek Heeheon, an A-rank guide, is a post-manifestor who manifested five years ago, just like Esper Cha Moogyul, and is his brother through their parents’ remarriage.”

Data related to Baek Heeheon was continuously broadcast, filling the TV screen. Along with the results sheet from when Heeheon was first determined to be a manifestor, footage from his training days at the Center, footage of him on duty, and the most recent footage from the deployment where he accurately shot and killed a wolf-type creature with a rifle were played.

Heeheon was dumbfounded.

‘Huh. That’s a video recording from five years ago.’

To think something like that would be broadcast nationwide.

The panelists were smiling fondly and praising Baek Heeheon, and the audience members were cheering and going wild as if they were crazy. The text on a placard captured in a snapshot made his head spin.

「National Hero! We support Baek Heeheon♥」

「♡Thank you♡for being born♡Heeheon♡」

「You protect the country and Noona will protect you」

「Baek Heeheon you are my white rice」

‘White… rice.’

What does that mean.

‘Rice… does it mean something good?’

In any case, it seemed like a compliment based on the context. Heeheon watched the TV with a dumbfounded look. He had no idea what kind of producer planned such a special feature. And what was Musan Group doing, not blocking something like this? Did Cha Moogyul agree to it? Was he okay with this? He couldn’t understand it at all.

Click.

Just then, the TV turned off. The screen he had been absorbed in went black. Startled, Heeheon turned around to see Cha Moogyul putting down the TV remote. In his other hand was a glass of whiskey on the rocks.

Cha Moogyul walked over leisurely and sat down next to him on the sofa.

Heeheon glanced at him and asked uneasily.

“…Another celebratory toast?”

Cha Moogyul simply took a sip of the golden alcohol without answering. Heeheon asked again.

“A broadcast like that couldn’t have aired without your permission. It’s part of that project or whatever plan, right?”

“So what.”

“No, I mean, what are you trying to do by making such a huge scene. You even dragged me into it…”

To be honest, it seemed only natural for Cha Moogyul to be treated as a national hero. He was a being worthy of adoration. But for Baek Heeheon to ride on his coattails and gain popularity was, frankly, burdensome.

It was a perfect case of a fox borrowing a tiger’s prestige.

‘I’m starting to get worried, too…’

Heeheon stared at him, deep in thought. He had sensed for a while that the way things were going was unusual, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized this was no ordinary matter.

Musan Group, the leader of the business world. The Ministry of National Defense, which held powerful real authority in the political world. And on top of that, the Center, a one-of-a-kind military facility.

Financial power, governmental authority, and military power.

‘And now even the support of the people…’

What was Cha Moogyul trying to achieve by seizing all of that for himself? Was he planning to overthrow the state or something? At such a young age, just how high up did he plan to climb?

“Hoo…”

Cha Moogyul downed the whiskey in one go. His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and the large ice cube left in the empty glass clinked.

Placing the glass on the sofa table, he turned his head and stared at Heeheon. The gaze boring down on him was deep and intense. He slowly blinked, the corners of his lips curving up. For some reason, he seemed to be in a particularly good mood today.

“White rice.”

“What?”

“You do resemble it. Polished rice.”

“…”

He let out a low laugh and leaned his body deep into the back of the sofa. The sofa sank in with his large frame. Heeheon silently swallowed a dry gulp.

“That aside, from now on, I’ll do as you wish, hyung.”

As Baek Heeheon wished…

What did he mean?

Heeheon cautiously observed Cha Moogyul with questioning eyes. He was the same as usual, except that he seemed to be in a slightly better mood.

His black hair was pleasantly disheveled, and his eyes were sharp. He was dressed in a loosely tied gray robe, and a manifestor’s identification tag hung between his pectoral muscles.

“Guiding. Let’s do it in the designated guiding room, wearing the proper attire. Rest assured, I’ll strictly follow the rules and won’t do anything that crosses the line. I’m also planning to undergo repeated training to control my impulses.”

“…So suddenly?”

Frankly, it was hard to believe.

For Cha Moogyul to obediently follow Heeheon’s wishes, for such a Cha Moogyul to exist on this planet, it didn’t make sense. Perhaps even this was an extension of some kind of torment, or a trap. Heeheon’s brow furrowed slightly. At his suspicious reaction, Cha Moogyul added curtly, as if he had expected it.

“You said you wanted to be upstanding. As a guide.”

“…”

That’s right. He wanted that.

He didn’t want to fall for Cha Moogyul and cast away even the self he had built as a manifestor.

“Then let’s do that. I’ll receive guiding as an esper.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you swear it?”

“You’re so suspicious… I said I would.”

“…”

Heeheon held his breath in silence. There were far too many obstacles in his heart for him to readily accept his proposal. However, it was also an offer that Heeheon had no reason to refuse. He felt like he shouldn’t.

This was probably the last chance given to Heeheon.

The last chance to restore the honor as a guide that he had so miserably tarnished with his own hands.

He didn’t know on what whim Cha Moogyul had made this decision, but Heeheon had no complaints. Come to think of it, it was rather fortunate. To have a chance to correct his mistakes. To be able to turn things back before it was too late. The thought of finding his proper place, even now, brought him a sense of honest relief.

‘What a relief…’

Relieved, Heeheon gave a small nod.

“Okay… let’s do that. From now on, I’ll also approach guiding seriously.”

The moment he said that, a quiet realization resonated in his chest.

Perhaps Baek Heeheon had truly, finally, found his place.

“I am a guide, so as a guide, I will help you, an esper.”

He had finally made the resolution to become Cha Moogyul’s guide and guide him with all his heart and soul. That was the path Heeheon had to choose as a guide, and the second life he must not get wrong. He had failed as his brother, but as a guide, he could still avoid failure.