Declaration Of Extra Strike - Chapter 22

“What is it?”

“It’s a medicine you took before, a supplement that helps increase mana. It’s made by a famous potion maker named Kang Eui-jin.”

“Kang Eui-jin made this?”

“Yeah. If you eat this, Guiding will come easier for you. And since you have to do lots of Guiding in the future…”

I silently laughed inside. Kang Eui-jin made this? I can’t help but accept it then.

I received medicine from Ye Seong-woo that I had never made before.

“Thank you.”

When I smiled at him, Ye Seong-woo also laughed, as if he were relaxed.

I climbed the stairs, thinking about what the meaning of the sticky gaze on my back could be.

When I came back to the room and opened the medicine, the contents were the same as before. I poured them all into the toilet with an expressionless face.

***

Han Seo-jin didn’t come back to his room until late at night. When I opened my eyes because my face was itchy while sleeping, I met Han Seo-jin, who was poking at my cheek. It was shameless to wake up the sleeping person and stare at him without changing his expression.

“What………are you…touching me.”

“I’m back.”

“I have eyes, too.”

I was still sleepy, so I rubbed my face on the pillow. I frowned when I heard a similar sound of laughter. Annoyed by the hands that were making advances, even if I showed off my annoyance, I eventually opened my eyes.

He didn’t seem to sleep right away, so I gave up sleeping and asked in a raspy voice.

“What did you do today?”

“What about you, hyung?”

“Well, this and that……. I asked you first, punk.”

I asked perversely about my annoyance at waking me up. Han Seo-jin smiled quietly and answered.

“Me, too. This and that.”

“Then go to bed now. I’m going to sleep too.”

I closed my eyes and roughly tapped on the side, but Han Seo-jin showed no signs of laying down. Instead, his cool fingers wrapped around my wrist, which was tapping on the side.

“Guide me today.”

I opened my eyes again at his unusual appearance and looked at Han Seo-jin.

“When did I ever not do it?”

“You’re not good at Guiding.”

“So what?”

Han Seo-jin’s hand, which went down on his wrist, put his fingers in my hand and held it firmly. Han Seo-jin smirked when I flinched my hand due to instinctive rejection.

“Why are you so nervous when I touch your hands?”

“Sh—it, what kind of physical contact is it between men?”

“Then what is it?”

“This is Guiding. Brat, Guiding.”

When I answered in a bewildered manner, Han Seo-jin nodded slowly as he lowered his eyes.

“Right, it’s not physical affection; it’s just Guiding. Between us.”

The faint smile that stuck around his mouth felt quite ominous.

‘What’s wrong with him today? It’s as if he’s drunk.’

Did he drink after all? When I was about to ask, Han Seo-jin leaned over and said,

“Then please guide me. Properly.”

As soon as the words were uttered, the Guiding was sucked in through the clasped hands at a tremendous speed.

“Heuk!!”

Even in the state of lying down, convulsions occurred to the extent that my body bounced off loudly. Han Seo-jin pulled me close and hugged me tightly.

Not feeling the shock of men hugging each other, I lost control and had to hold onto the firm arms.

“Ooooh! Shit….Yahhh!!!”

“Sigh…”

I shouted at Han Seo-jin shoving away from his arms. However, Han Seo-jin, who hugged me tightly as if I were a lifeline, did not let go at all. Fortunately, Han Seo-jin’s strength was weaker than when he pulled out from my Guiding on the first day, so he was unlikely to die.

I was able to grasp the situation only after I had no choice but to stop resisting and entrust myself completely to Han Seo-jin. This bastard was forcing me to take the Guding now.

The moment I strained my body, wanting to escape by hitting Seo-jin Han, I felt Han Seo-jin’s hand on my shoulder shaking uncontrollably.

“Yah.”

“…”

“Han Seo-jin. Are you oka一 Keuk!”

Han Seo-jin only breathed heavily. After enduring a series of curses, he had no choice but to stop holding out and relax his body. In his mind, there were a million and twenty three [1] useless thoughts.

‘See you tomorrow, you son of a bitch…….’

***

I turned to the other side, ignoring Han Seo-jin, who was sitting next to me. Han Seo-jin, biting his lip, reached out his hand but couldn’t bear to touch mine and withdrew again.

“I’m sorry.”

As expected, Han Seo-jin was lacking in Guiding. It was not difficult to guess that I was able to endure it because I adjusted accordingly, even in a dangerous situation.

But that was it.

“Go away.”

“Hyung, I’m sorry.”

Han Seo-jin sighed deeply when Joo Ho-hyun covered his head with the blanket as if he would not listen any more.

“Are you feeling any pain? I’ll call the doctor. You might have been hurt.”

“…….”

“Ho-hyun hyung.”

“I don’t need it.”

It was true that no doctor was needed.

Of course, having all my mana sucked in and nearly passing out was a damn memory that I never want to experience again. I don’t know if it was because Han Seo-jin controlled himself, but I was fine when I woke up.

When I reached my mind, I remembered Han Seo-jin, who was shaking and struggling yesterday and eventually had no choice but to pull up the blanket. I immediately met Han Seo-jin’s eyes as if I had been looking at him since earlier.

“Hyung.”

“What happened to you that you lack so much Guiding? Have you not received Guiding before?”

Han Seo-jin, who closed his mouth tightly, opened his mouth a long time later.

“It’s my mistake. I couldn’t manage the Guiding because I was forced to come back quickly.”

“……did you perhaps have work? Even though the other team members were resting yesterday?”

“I do a lot of personal work at the center.”

“Like what?”

“…Interrogation.”

The more he spoke, the more we got in a strange situation.

If it’s interrogation… then Han Seo-jin is from the mental world [2] In case you forgot, Han Seo-jin has the mental ability of reading people’s memories through skin contact.[//x-tooltip]. And interrogation…….

My mouth grew open. Han Seo-jin said as if he was making excuses for what i interpreted as.

“Yesterday, there were a lot (of people).”

“Who? The ones you read memories from?”

“……I don’t just read it.”

So what else is there?

However, feeling a little uneasy, I looked at Han Seo-jin and asked him insinuatingly.

“You can’t read mine, right?”

“……what are you thinking, now?”

“Huh? Why are you avoiding me all of a sudden? You can’t read them, right? Don’t lie and tell me.”

Han Seo-jin, who smirked, nodded lightly.

“I can’t read it.”

“That’s all right then.”

I waved my hand roughly and looked back at Han Seo-jin.

“You…”

“What?”

“Are you okay now? I wouldn’t have been able to guide you properly because my numbers were low.”

Han Seo-jin, who opened his eyes wide to my question, murmured, lowering his eyes.

“Yes, I’m fine. I don’t feel much of a guiding spirit from hyung, but then why did you agree to it yesterday…….”

“I’d rather swear, dude.”

Han Seo-jin, who was tapping my knee with his finger, asked as if he couldn’t stand it.

“Then your anger was relieved, right?”

He nodded condescendingly at the childish question

“Well, I’m letting it slide because you seem to be reflecting on yourself.”

Han Seo-jin began to prepare to go out, saying that he worked enough to lack Guiding yesterday and that he should go out again today.

“Are you going out again today?”

“Yes. I will be busy for a while.”

“Hm, I see…….”

Han Seo-jin, who just nodded, suddenly stopped and looked back at me.

“You can’t.”

“What?”

“Whatever you’re thinking now, don’t do it.”

I blinked at the sudden remarks, and when I finally understood what he was saying, there was a startling exclamation.

“Wow, you punk! What do you mean……!”

I threw the pillow next to me. Han Seo-jin, who easily received it with one hand, opened his mouth.

“You don’t have any plans other than getting training today, do you? I’ll call the driver when I go…….”

“I don’t need it. I’m going to go out in advance and meet someone.”

Han Seo-jin, who was in the process of wearing an outer garment, hesitated and looked back.

“Who?”

“Yes, my friend. I’m going to play with him so you don’t need to pay attention.”

I glazed over the details, but Han Seo-jin walked back to the bed, having no intention of passing over the details.

“Friends who? What sort of job do they do? You don’t even have your memories back, so who is the one that you know very well?”

“The center researcher. You saw him last time. The person who gave me a ride.”

“He wouldn’t have time to hang out with hyung in the production field. Especially these days.”

Han Seo-jin, who frowned, murmured suspiciously.

As Han Seo-jin said, when they couldn’t make a guiding potion, they would hear that an emergency sounded throughout the department. However, I, who had already spoken to Yeon Seung-yeon in preparation for such a day, replied as if nothing had happened.

“He has a low position and he’s still a new employee, so he doesn’t do much. Call me if you suspect me. Do you want my number?”

Han Seo-jin eventually took a step back when I spoke proudly, even though he hadn’t discarded the doubts from his eyes.

Han Seo-jin, who approached the uniform hanging on one side, rummaged through the outer pocket and threw something at me. I grabbed the flying object at once and checked it. It was a red cell phone.

“Oh! Cell phone! Is it mine?”

“If you call me, I will pick up.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

I liked it because it was much cooler than the previous one.

After Han Seo-jin left, I started preparing to leave after idling around for a bit.

There wasn’t much time. This was because, starting today, we decided to produce a potion that can be touched without skills, which is the basis of Yeon Seung-yeon and the foundation. It was because I thought that if I got used to the potion production process, the locked skill would return.

The moment I was about to leave the front door after finishing preparations, the same eerie feeling I felt yesterday passed through my neck.

‘This is…!’

When I turned around, Shin Yeon-hyung stood as expected.

“Hello!”

1. The phase comes from a Korean meme that originated from the 1990s. ‘One million twenty-one! One million twenty-two!’ is a battery-shaped mascot from a company called Energizer that sold batteries at the time. In Korea, it was called “Million Dolls,” and in order to create an advertisement that feels strong and long-lasting, to revive the feeling that batteries last long, one million twenty-one, one million twenty-two!