Approximal Guide Vol. 5 Chapter 7 - Epilogue

I returned from Iran last month. Kim Moohyuk had gathered evidence overseas that perfectly proved the connection between the Central Department and Accent. Not only that, but the documents he brought also revealed that the Central Department was involved in Colonel Kang Hajung’s death. Kim Moohyuk had volunteered for deployment to secure these documents from Ssuan and the remnants of Accent who had fled abroad. I had been worried sick, thinking he might never return, but it turned out to be a bit unfair.

Thanks to this, it was also proven that Captain Kim, who had called me on the day I died and was later promoted to major, was involved with the Central Department and Accent. If he hadn’t been involved, Colonel Kang Hajung wouldn’t have died. The military, which hadn’t expected my death, was also taken aback, but they had used Moohyuk as they pleased for the five years I was gone, citing the risk of his rampage. So, in the long run, it was beneficial for the Central Department.

All those involved were brought to military trial. The new commander-in-chief wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

The only regret was that Kim Inhak didn’t get the position of commander-in-chief.

‘It’s okay, Sunbae. I’m not crying…’

Kim Inhak, with his red nose, went around drinking for a while and got scolded by Han Byeongeun to stop. Anyway, those minor things weren’t important. These days, I was focused on one thing: imprinting with Kim Moohyuk.

I wanted to set the imprinting date right away, but Kim Moohyuk insisted on starting with rehab due to my health. I told him that the medical staff confirmed that rehab wasn’t necessary for imprinting and that it wouldn’t affect my health, but Kim Moohyuk said that was just the doctors’ opinion.

…So what’s more important than the doctors’ opinion?

General Choi Jihoon of the Central Management Department of the Esper-Guide Special Forces resigned on the 13th, expressing his responsibility and pledging to cooperate fully with all investigations by the military police and military prosecutors.

“Kim Moohyuk, I want to eat tteokbokki.”

“Too much sugar.”

Kim Moohyuk answered indifferently. His skin, tanned from Iran, hadn’t returned to its original color. He was already quite tan, and it suited his thick eyebrows well. I reached out and gently touched the scar above his eyebrow.

The new commander-in-chief, General Ki Baek-yeon, canceled the inauguration ceremony and announced that he would spare no support for the Seoul Gyeonggi Center of the Esper-Guide Special Forces, which suffered significant damage from the recent incident. General Ki also stated through the commander-in-chief’s office this morning that he would focus on eradicating the remnants of Accent.

The road was quiet, perhaps because it was the end of the mission or past rush hour. Kim Moohyuk and I were still hunting down the remnants of Accent.

Ssuan, whom Kim Moohyuk had tried to capture in Africa, had been slipping away and was now attempting to break Ha Seonghan, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment, out of the military prison. Kim Moohyuk said he would go on a business trip next month to capture him. When I asked how he planned to catch someone he hadn’t been able to catch so far, Kim Moohyuk just smirked. So I just nodded, knowing it was my role to support his plans.

In other news, in celebration of Armed Forces Day…

I changed the news channel that had been playing continuously. It was to help Kim Moohyuk focus on driving. He said it didn’t matter much, but I still felt uneasy sometimes treating him like a child. However, I must never say that I treat him like a child. Kim Moohyuk seemed to dislike such remarks.

Last time, I suggested we eat the swim bladder of a croaker, saying he didn’t know how delicious it was because he was young, and I ended up getting chewed out. I tried to calm the dangerous thoughts that arose whenever he teased me. Kim Moohyuk seemed unaware of the desires within me that were as lively as a freshly caught croaker.

“Let’s set the imprinting date.”

“Not yet.”

And so, the cycle of refusals continues.

Lately, I’ve been persistently asking for imprinting. I’m worried about Kim Moohyuk’s imprinting ischemia symptoms and want to comfort the fake traces he left behind when he imprinted on me alone, thinking I was dead. On the flight back from Iran, while everyone was asleep, Kim Moohyuk confessed that he had secretly imprinted on me in the past. He wanted to be connected to me, even if it was just him. Hearing that in my sleep, I couldn’t help but blush. I ended up covering myself with a blanket and kissing my dear Esper several times.

For these reasons, I wanted to proceed with the imprinting for Kim Moohyuk’s sake. Of course, I had my own desires, but it was ultimately for him. …Besides, imprinting allows Esper-Guide couples to get high-interest savings accounts and separate accommodations. We already live together, but moving into a newlywed home would feel different, wouldn’t it? Kim Moohyuk even found my bank balance, so we had enough to furnish our home. I planned to set up a home theater in one of the rooms. Lately, browsing electronics has been my joy. The thought of getting married late in life made me feel ecstatic.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Thinking about eating tteokbokki after putting you to bed.”

Kim Moohyuk chuckled at that. I took his hand briefly during a traffic light stop and then let go. He intertwined his fingers with mine, and I wondered about his ring size. I’ve been trying to find the right moment to measure it, but he never gives me a chance. It seems I can’t assert my seniority in any way.

But Kim Moohyuk, unaware of my thoughts, simply said, “If you really want tteokbokki, I’ll make it with rice cakes.” I shook my head. Tteokbokki is better with wheat cakes, and what I wanted wasn’t tteokbokki but Kim Moohyuk.

The drive home was smooth. I looked at my Esper with a happy heart. He smiled back at me. It felt like a happiness that took too long to achieve, but I decided to think positively. I was just happy these days.

“Doesn’t Hajung dislike you smoking?”

Kim Moohyuk chuckled and slapped the other person’s cheek with his palm. It was just a palm, but it made a sound like a punch. The lit cigarette between his fingers sizzled against the cheek, but Moohyuk didn’t care.

“No, he loves it, says it’s sexy.”

Of course, that was a lie. That heartless person still thought of me as a child and clicked his tongue whenever he saw me smoking. But since he didn’t tell me to quit, it felt like he was soft only towards me in a strange way, and I didn’t mind. I brought the cigarette back to my lips. Moohyuk’s cheek hollowed deeply as he sucked on the cigarette.

“Is Hajung’s health still the same?”

Ha Seonghan’s lips were cracked from the slap. I answered casually instead of scolding him for his ridiculous concern. After all, I was the perfect victor over Ha Seonghan.

“Yes. His lungs are weaker these days. It upsets me.”

My pronunciation was unclear because I was smoking. Moohyuk, looking sympathetic, took the cigarette from his lips with his fingers. Smoke escaped from his mouth. He scratched the scar above his eyebrow with his thumb.

“I’m going to kiss and hug the person I’ve longed for and even imprint, but I’m getting more anxious every day. If he finds out how I feel, Instructor will definitely run away. He has a history. Sunbae is a good example.”

He spoke as if consulting a close friend, then laughed as if he couldn’t be happier thinking about his lover. His laughter was refreshing. Like someone who had overcome all obstacles.

Poisonous malice flowed from Ha Seonghan’s eyes. Kim Moohyuk looked down at him with narrowed eyes, then slapped his cheek a few more times with the cigarette still in his mouth. The sound echoed again.

With blood dripping from his mouth, Ha Seonghan shook his dizzy head a few times and said,

“…You should be grateful. I’m the one who saved you from dying.”

“I was grateful, so I only slapped you twice instead of three times. Are you upset? Want me to slap you again? Is that your preference, Sunbae?”

Ha Seonghan spat on the floor. Kim Moohyuk shrugged and said,

“Why do you feel wronged?”

“…”

“I’m asking because I don’t know. You have no reason to feel wronged. That person never cared about you. Even now, he doesn’t think about visiting you.”

Kim Moohyuk chuckled.

‘Moohyuk, I know it sounds strange, but… that guy was like family to me before… I want to visit him. What do you think?’

Kim Moohyuk patted Hajung’s back and said, “He got put in solitary for beating up another prisoner. It’s happened a lot, so he’ll be there for a while. I’ll let you know when he gets out.” It wasn’t wrong. Kim Moohyuk sometimes put Ha Seonghan in solitary and beat him up when he was bored. But this month is the last. Finally, Ssuan has been caught.

“What do you think Ssuan will say?”

“……”

“I told him not to take the fall alone. I said the boss already confessed everything.”

When Kim Moohyuk gestured towards Ha Seonghan as if implying he was the boss, Ha Seonghan’s face hardened instantly. He trembled all over before finally speaking.

“…Let me see him one last time.”

Kim Moohyuk chuckled and extinguished his cigarette on Ha Seonghan’s forehead. Ha Seonghan didn’t even blink.

“No, Sunbae. You let your guard down and lost him. I won’t make that mistake.”

It was the truth. Kim Moohyuk had waited and waited for many years and finally got Kang Hajung. The promise to cherish him was etched into his bones. Even the last deployment was a desperate measure for Kang Hajung, who tried to run away. He was just grateful that Hajung followed him and even confessed his love. Moohyuk was so excited that he forgot where he was. He had to be careful not to think too much about Kang Hajung outside, fearing he might wear out his precious person.

Instead, he lit a new cigarette and placed it in Ha Seonghan’s mouth.

“I’ll attend your funeral. He would want to take care of your funeral. I’ll finally see our Instructor’s face behind the screen.”

Kim Moohyuk waved his hand with a smile. It was a goodbye gesture.

“Anyway, I owe you a lot. Thank you.”

Kim Moohyuk patted Ha Seonghan’s shoulder. Ha Seonghan glared at him through the rising smoke. Moohyuk just smiled. He had been smiling a lot lately. He had restrained himself for half a year to break the strange habit of throwing himself to save others. He had endured countless times the urge to scold Hajung for never doing such reckless things again. And recently, Moohyuk finally received the reward for his patience. Greedy Kim Moohyuk wanted Hajung to think only of him, just as he had desperately sought him out.

“…He’s surprisingly affectionate. I don’t think he realizes it.”

“……”

“That’s a habit you instilled in him, Sunbae.”

Ha Seonghan finally realized why Kim Moohyuk had come to tell him about his execution date. He laughed.

“Ha, haha… You bastard…”

“Swear all you want. It’s the least you can do.”

Kim Moohyuk turned around. The heavy iron door closed with a thud. Ha Seonghan hung his head low.

“Aaagh, aaagh—!”

Blood tears flowed from his burst blood vessels. The door remained closed and never opened again. Kim Moohyuk walked out of the bunker that blocked Esper wavelengths and got into the elevator.

“Hello.”

The guard at the Esper-only prison recognized Moohyuk and saluted. Moohyuk returned the salute with proper etiquette. Then he looked at himself in the mirror on the side and adjusted his hair. Feeling a gaze, he looked to the side and saw the guard staring at him in a daze before snapping out of it and flattering him.

“You look great even without looking in the mirror.”

“…It’s because I’m newlywed. I want to look good.”

Moohyuk smiled and answered, then adjusted his hair again. A small vibration came from his jacket pocket. He took out his phone and swiped the screen to see the awaited message.

From then until the elevator, which was on the 30th basement floor, reached the ground floor, Kim Moohyuk stared intently at the display. When the elevator arrived on the first floor with a ding, he nodded to the guard and immediately made a call.

“…When did you leave?”

A deep voice came from the receiver. Moohyuk chuckled and answered.

“Just now. I had to handle some paperwork. I’m coming now. What do you want to eat?”

“…Ra…”

“Not ramen.”

The grumbling about why he asked if he wasn’t going to listen made Moohyuk feel good. He crumpled the cigarette pack full of cigarettes and threw it in the trash. He planned to quit smoking starting today. It was for Hajung, whose lung function hadn’t fully recovered. He brushed off his clothes to remove any traces from the underground.

“…Just come quickly…”

It felt like the person on the other end was saying exactly what he wanted to hear. Moohyuk smiled deeply and nodded, even though the other person couldn’t see it.

“I’ll be there soon.”

Promising to return to his guide, Moohyuk smiled. The weather outside was sunny. His steps were light.

It was a Sunday, not long before their imprinting ceremony.