Ordinary Person A

#5

Even though he had only entered a house that had just been moved into, it felt like he was sharing the daily life of a very secretive person.

Contrary to Oh-yul’s words, the house was very neatly organized. There was hardly any furniture placed, and the soft gray rug on the floor looked so plush it seemed like one’s ankles would sink into it.

The closed bedroom door and the thick black blackout curtains heavily draped over the balcony window were all covered.

Ah, I could never invite Oh-yul to my place.

Despite having the same layout, the interior was so different from his own home that Ho-woo gently touched his slightly flushed ear tips. The clothes strewn about and the dusty floor were too embarrassing to show to others.

“Please sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

Click-

The sound of the door locking behind him was heard. Somehow that sound gave him chills, and Ho-woo reflexively looked up at Oh-yul. Although he wasn’t someone to be wary of, Ho-woo held his breath, feeling somewhat cornered.

Oh-yul approached Ho-woo and gently grasped his stiff wrist. Where their bare skin touched, there was a strange tingling sensation. It was close to the feeling of an arm that had been pressed for a long time.

Ho-woo’s brow furrowed subtly. It wasn’t itchy or painful, but the feeling was strange and subtle.

“Does it hurt?”

“…Pardon?”

It was just a bit tingly, not painful. Ho-woo reflexively answered “No,” then stared at Oh-yul who was holding his wrist. The question, as if he knew the sensation Ho-woo was feeling, made Ho-woo recall the previous evening that he had dismissed as insignificant.

Then too, his fingertips that had touched Oh-yul had tingled. He had thought it was just because his joints were worn out, but it seemed Espers were something special.

“Do Espers have some different kind of energy flowing? Like electricity?”

“……”

It was a question almost at the level of “Do you believe in chi?” However, Ho-woo had nothing else to ask. There was still a strange feeling coming from where Oh-yul was touching his wrist.

“No, it’s not.”

“But you asked if I was in pain.”

Didn’t you ask knowing all about it?

Oh-yul made a strange face at Ho-woo’s questioning gaze. He carefully removed his hand and added as if making an excuse:

“I was asking if my grip on your wrist was painful. After all, there’s quite a difference in strength.”

Ho-woo closely observed Oh-yul’s expression. He still had kind eyes and didn’t seem upset by Ho-woo’s somewhat peculiar question. He was just wearing the same expression Ho-woo had seen before, with a faint smile.

What’s going on?

Ho-woo rubbed his wrist a few times, the tingling sensation having disappeared cleanly once the contact ended. The warm warmth from the large hand remained very faintly on his skin.

After fiddling with his wrist for a while, Ho-woo found Oh-yul in the kitchen, neatly wearing an apron and placing tofu on a pan. He awkwardly approached.

Although he had been told to sit comfortably, watching him prepare dinner for both of them while just sitting felt like a prick to his conscience.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“No.”

Ho-woo, who had naturally expected to be asked to at least set the chopsticks, blinked at the firm response. He quietly sat at the table at the end of the kitchen and followed the back of the large man moving busily with his eyes.

The Esper who had said he might make too much food didn’t take long to bring out just enough food for two people on plates. The pan-fried tofu and neatly arranged side dishes were all things Ho-woo liked. They even had flavor.

Ho-woo put a mouthful of steaming rice in his mouth and a pop-in-the-mouth Vienna sausage, smiling with satisfaction. It felt like he was having such a meal at home for the first time in a very long time. His mood naturally improved.

“It seems we have similar tastes.”

Unlike his build or appearance, the side dishes were mainly sweet things. Ho-woo liked that very much. Somehow, it felt like he had found something in common with this unique neighbor.

“I’m glad you like it.”

Oh-yul smiled slightly, raising the corners of his lips, ignoring the blinking light on the pager on his wrist. However, Ho-woo had eyes too, and in the quiet dining setting, the continuously flashing screen caught his attention. Ho-woo rolled his eyes and carefully called out to the person sitting across from him.

“Um…”

At Ho-woo’s call, Oh-yul, who had been neat even in his eating, only glanced at him. That gaze seemed to ask what was wrong.

“It looks like you have a message.”

Oh-yul casually checked his pager at Ho-woo’s comment. Earlier it was a yellow light, but now a red light was blinking briefly. Oh-yul’s expression twisted unpleasantly when he checked it, but he quickly regained his kind face.

“I’m sorry to interrupt the meal, but I think I need to go.”

It would be nice if he could ignore it to the end like he did at first, but the red light was an emergency call for Espers, so Oh-yul stood up.

“Then I should…”

Ho-woo, who had stood up along with the host leaving, had to sit back down with his bottom on the chair due to the hand gently pressing on his shoulder.

“Even if I leave, please finish eating, and you can leave the dishes as they are and go home.”

What? The host is leaving but the guest should finish eating, not clean up, and go home?

Ho-woo became blank for a moment, unable to understand those words. Then, seeing Oh-yul putting on his black coat and pulling back the thick blackout curtains, he suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly tried to stop him.

“Hey! Um, Oh-yul!”

Despite Ho-woo’s urgent call, Oh-yul opened the balcony window without hesitation and leapt outside.

“Whoa!”

Ho-woo, who was so startled he momentarily forgot Oh-yul was an Esper, let out a short scream and went to the balcony where he had leapt from, leaning his upper body out the window.

In just a few seconds, Oh-yul had jumped down from the building and was far away. Ho-woo, who was staring blankly in the direction the man had disappeared, fell into contemplation about whether he should close the window Oh-yul had left wide open and go home, or leave it open.

“…He’ll come back normally, right?”

Thinking that he seemed to commute normally, Ho-woo decided to close the open window for now and pulled the curtain back. The house, which hadn’t felt so awkward when he was with Oh-yul, instantly became an unfamiliar space.

Ho-woo stopped eating there, carefully moved, and tidied up the table.

After washing the dishes as clean as possible and neatly placing them on the shelf, Ho-woo put the egg tarts on the plate in the refrigerator. As even the sound of running water that had been continuing disappeared, he looked around the house that had fallen into perfect silence.

It’s a bit bleak, isn’t it? Though it’s not nice to say.

It seemed to have all the essentials, but it was a house that strangely felt empty. Ho-woo chuckled, thinking he was having all sorts of thoughts, and left Oh-yul’s house.

I wonder if it’s okay not to lock the door?

It was the next-door apartment anyway, and if he sensed any suspicious movement, he could look out. Ho-woo returned to his home, took a shower with hot water, and laid his tired body on the bed.

The soft and cozy bed instantly pulled the tired office worker into sleep.

Ah, I shouldn’t fall asleep now…

Ho-woo, who had been struggling to keep his eyes open somehow, soon fell into sleep with even breaths.

***

Ho-woo rubbed his face against the large hand cupping his cheek. The hand was so warm that it was good for pulling his fading consciousness back into deep sleep. From a very young age, Ho-woo often had this dream at the boundary between reality and dreams.

At first, he was so surprised that he bolted upright, but each time there was no one in front of him. After it repeated a few times, Ho-woo thought this was his dream.

The dream was a very peaceful and comfortable feeling. At first, the hand that was as small as his own grew thicker at the joints and gradually became firmer over time. No matter how much he searched his psyche, he couldn’t think of any particular reason why he would have such a dream.

The dream counterpart who only offered a hand never let him hear their voice.

But it’s just a dream.

Ho-woo let out a long breath. His body was buried deep into the bed, his muscles relaxing so vividly he could feel it. Knowing that he would fall into a deep sleep in just a little while, he raised the corners of his mouth like a satiated beast.

“Ho-woo-ya.”

Ho-woo, who had perfectly prepared to fall deeply asleep again, startled awake at the now familiar voice sweetly tickling his ear.

“…!”

As always, there was no one in the house. Ho-woo, so surprised, pressed firmly on his pounding heart.

The dream that had never uttered a voice for twenty years had changed. No, what was more surprising was the owner of the voice.

Why is Oh-yul’s voice coming out here?!

Although he had only seen him for two days, he had never spoken casually to Ho-woo. His always polite and precise formal speech was extremely courteous.

‘Ho-woo-ya.’

It was an affectionate and loving voice, but strangely anxious and thirsty. An S-grade Esper with a voice as impatient as a child with delicious food in front of them.

Hmm~ It’s a weird dream.

Ho-woo, instantly awake with a clear head, scratched his head and checked the time. It was an awkward early morning hour, too early to go back to sleep. If he fell into a deep sleep now, he might be late, so it seemed he should greet a slightly early morning.