On the day when things went downhill, Baekyeon was also dispatched.
Chiyoung, as a member of the nursing unit, was packing up his stuff and returned home a day later than Chunran.
On that day, a storm swept through the center.
(This is a metaphor about gong’s fury by the way and not an actual storm.)
Chiyoung came out of the test room with a hopeful expression.
“Uh, where is Colonel Ki?”
It’s been two years since Baek-han rescued Chiyoung. Chiyoung has finally learned how to put on a smile.
He was kidnapped by IAK while living in the orphanage, at an age when he was just starting to learn about the outside world.
Chiyoung spent most of his childhood in places where he received little to no affection.
However, for the past two years, Chiyoung has longed to become Baek-han’s guide.
This is because Ki Baek-han, the commander of the three top units in the center, Chunran, Chukook, and Dongjuk, as well as the team leader of the combat unit Chunran, wanted to make Chiyoung his personal guide.
It was a huge deal.
Chiyoung became a celebrity in the center overnight. Everywhere he went, people welcomed him. Chiyoung had never received such warmth and love before.
Chiyoung said that all he had to do was wait for Baek-han to return home for two years.
He only saw Baek-han’s face when he rescued him, and since then he has only communicated with Baek-han through messages sent indirectly by someone else.
Nonetheless, Baek-han was a caring esper in his own way. He always sent Chiyoung gifts for his birthdays.
The Esper, who was at war a thousand miles away, still always sent the most special gifts. Sometimes it was chocolate in a fancy box, and other times it was a limited-edition fountain pen from a well-known brand in Eastern Europe, where he was fighting.
He sometimes sent women’s underwear, which he thought was just a prank.
And on the day he had been looking forward to, Chiyoung had to face his esper, who was looking at him in disgust.
“You’re a fucking man?”
“… yes?”
“I’m pretty sure the two years of torment by a bastard with the same thing hanging between his legs will also make you die from the hatred. Why didn’t you say anything when you, a man, received women’s underwear as a gift? ” Are you a fucking pervert?”
“What…”
“Hey, researcher. Today’s marking is canceled. Get out. That fucking bastard, Ahn Chiyoung, and you too.”
One of the researchers in the marking department had been dragged out right after the test because Baek-han said he needed to get marked right away. The researcher returned with a white face, as if he were horrified by Baek-han’s psychic waves.
Chiyoung’s facial color was the same. Baek-han’s wavelength is different from that of the espers who were interacting with their guides. It was hostile and sharp instead.
Chiyoung had no idea what was going on and just stood there, dumbfounded. Baek-han frowned as if this were irritating.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
As he approached, Chiyoung sensed a shadow cast over him. Baek-han said it without hiding his sarcasm.
Pa kjrc’a atf asqf bo rwlif Srqfg kbeiv ulnf tlr uelvf.
“P rff. Pa’r cba sbeg ojeia sbe kfgf ybgc klat rbwfatlcu yfakffc sbeg ifur, la’r ws ojeia obg xcbklcu sbe jr j ulgi lc atf olgra qijmf. Memx, sbe ibbx mbcoerfv, jcv sbe’nf uba…….”
“… Jbibcfi…”
“Ktf qjlglcu lr mjcmfifv. Xlnfc atf kjs kf ofia, P klii reqqbga sbe ktfatfg sbe mtbbrf ab ifjnf bg rajs ja atf mfcafg. Gbc’a fzqfma wbgf. P jw j qfgrbc ktb fzqfglfcmfr cbatlcu yea cjerfj ogbw wjif uelvfr.”
He mistook Chiyoung gender. It was absurd, yet for Baek-han, it as sensible.
Because Baekyeon stands 188 cm tall, Chiyoung, who is shorter than him, does not appear tall, even for a woman.
Furthermore, Chiyoung was quiet, and he had a softer voice than most men when he was rescued due to his torn vocal cords caused by abuse by IAK’s Espers during puberty.
His body, which was as thin as a rusted colt, came to the center, ate, and slept well, and he became quite manly.
However, before that, growth was so slow that the uvula did not emerge properly. He was just tall, but he lacked any masculine characteristics.
Nonetheless, there was no reason to believe Chiyoung was a woman.
Only Baek-han mistook Chiyoung for a woman.
Baek-han, who hadn’t even spoken to Chiyoung before he left for the battlefield, assumed that “she” was a girl who hadn’t finished growing.
Because of his thin build, even his flat chest was overlooked.
However, Baek-han believed Chiyoung was a woman because of “her” appearance. That was the main issue.
Baek-han thought Chiyoung was attractive due to “her” appearance. That’s something everyone can agree on.
Chiyoung’s appearance was not particularly attractive in comparison to Baek-han, but he did have a strangely enticing aura, which was all he possessed.
Only Baek-yeon agreed with Baek-han’s words. Baek-han had a negative reaction whenever she thought Chiyoung looked pretty because Baek-han claimed to understand what she was thinking.
Aside from the fact that they were brothers and sisters, all espers wanted to have complete control over the guides.
However, Baek-yeon did not consider Chiyoung a woman.
Baek-yeon, who had worked in a completely different country than Baek-han, had no idea how Baek-han felt about Chiyoung.
They got along well, but they were not close enough as brothers and sisters to discuss each other’s personal lives.
Furthermore, Chiyoung’s hair was very long when they met.
IAK’s hideout was in the mountains, so it made no sense to travel all the way down for a haircut.
Chiyoung, on the other hand, never cut his long, messy ponytail because he didn’t care.
Unsurprisingly, Baek-han, who was quite old with a strong masculine aura, was born into a military family and grew up as a soldier. He had only ever seen boys with short hair and mistook Chiyoung’s long hair for that of a woman. In fact, Chiyoung’s hair is long enough to cover his neck.
Even with all of that, no matter how attractive Chiyoung was, Baek-han should never mistake him for a woman due to his size.
The same was true for Chiyoung; he also misunderstood. Baek-han controlled himself and did not take a single step.
To Baek-han, everything about Chiyoung was just a misunderstanding, and now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, all that remains is not to make Chiyoung his guide.
Chiyoung was stunned by Baek-han’s words. He found it difficult to believe what Baek-han was saying while his shoulders were held.
At the time, Chiyoung emitted a guide wavelength. A wave was so powerful that Baek-han, who was holding Ahn Chiyoung’s shoulder, felt it clearly.
“What the hell, are you out of your mind?!”
Baek-han couldn’t take his hands off Chiyoung. His esper wave produced from his anger had already become inseparably linked to Chiyoung’s.
If he removes his wave now, a spark will form, resulting in a small explosion. So Baek-han, who had seen countless espers and guides killed by blood vessel bursts, could only curse bitterly.
The impact grew more severe. However, Chiyoung’s face remained blank, and the guide wave that emanated from him was something he had only recently witnessed, ever since the esper Baek-han entered his life.
It felt like swimming, with Chiyoung’s entire body immersed in clear, pure water. The guide wave radiated. It moved up his spine, tingling each spinal nerve one by one.
It was difficult “for him to stand still in that situation. It wasn’t because he was aroused; rather, satisfaction runs down all the nerves in his body, stimulating them.
“You, fuck……, stop it.”
“Huh… … .”
Before the words were finished, the waves became entangled once more. An exhilarating sensation ran down to Chiyoung’s palms.
It was a sensation that was dozens of times more intense than the exhilaration felt even during sex.
Chiyoung was about to close his eyes and collapse. Baek-han had no choice but to take the child into his arms and embrace him.
If he lets go here, the consequences for both of them will be severe. Baek-han could lose both of his arms, and Chiyoung’s brain could explode, leaving him brain-dead.
Baek-han cursed again. Despite the fact that it was his first time experiencing it, he felt like he knew what it was.
Marking.
Chiyoung marked Baek-han with his wave, without using drugs or sex.
And it has been five years since that day.
Ki Baek-han has always despised his guide, Ahn Chiyoung.
* * *
In the past five years, Qi Ying has been through a lot.
“Are you a shell of a person who you don’t even know much about?”
Chiyoung wasn’t the type of person to be grumpy, but because his rank was F and he was a candy shell, reacting to such words was painful.
There is one thing Chiyoung discovered after his marking.
Ki Baek-han resents male guides ever since he was kidnapped by one who was targeting his sister, Ki Baek-yeon, when he was very young.
Both of his parents were esper generals, so even after kidnapping him, he couldn’t starve him to death for fear of repercussions, so the kidnapper grabbed Baek-han, who protested, and forced Beak Han to receive his guiding.
After that, Baek-han didn’t particularly dislike male guides; rather, he just couldn’t stand his guide being male.
His twin, Baek-yeon, was unaware of this fact.
Baek-han’s pride made him extremely hesitant to reveal anything that could be his weakness.
There had been several incidents of assault involving male guides, but Baek-yeon just brushed them aside as Baek-han’s eccentricities.
In reality, Ki Baek-han was simply an unpredictable idiot.
That is why Chiyoung’s gender has not been mentioned for two years.
Those around Baek-han were aware that Chiyoung was a man, but they simply assumed that Chiyoung was an exception. They never imagined Baek-han would misunderstand. Their matching rate was good enough to make it acceptable.
Before Baek-han realized something was wrong, he had been deployed overseas for a long time.
So, even though Esper Ki Baek-han despises having male guides, Ahn Chiyoung is an unusual case—a guide who was promised to be paired and even marked by Ki Baek-han.
Chiyoung’s value, which had unexpectedly risen so high, plummeted the moment Baek-han began to despise him.
Only then did Chiyoung realize that his wings were made of wax.
“Huh? What are you? Just a shell? Huh?”
Is this what happened to the human who flew with wax wings and faced the sun’s wrath? (*)
The man must have died a horrific death. Despite the fact that the situation remains the same, Ahn Chiyoung must continue to live.
* * *
(The novel doesn’t specify where this part is so I will base it off the manwha adaptation; this part is at the public guide clinic after the marking incident.)
“I’ll measure your blood pressure. Stand still” Chiyoung said
“You’re him, ‘the candy shell’, right?” An esper came into the public guide room and said
“Aren’t you here to get guide?”
“Oh, so you are a cold one, huh?” Are all of the services here like this?”
‘He is crazy. How could he get here like this?’ Ji Young thought.
(*): The wax wings are presumably referencing to The Myth of Daedalus and Icarus.
