HLSEBT - 41

41. Unofficial Work 1

Yoon Taeha’s gaze shifted as he noticed the ripple in the Net.  

“Here we meet again.”  

Cheon Geonyoung, pretending to be Kwon Heesung, was standing there. Next to him was Woo Joo Han once more.  

Were they trying to act like close friends? Or did he plan to scout him for his own company later?  

Yoon Taeha glanced briefly at the two of them standing side by side, their physical builds and faces enough to bring tears to fans’ eyes—like professional athletes.  

Hong Eunsoo came running up and hid behind Yoon Taeha’s back. Cheon Geonyoung raised an eyebrow, his expression similar to when the elevator had stopped mid-air.  

Out of courtesy, Yoon Taeha asked first.  

“Did you guys get here before us?”  

“We arrived at the same time.”  

Cheon Geonyoung answered politely. Since it was the weekend, casual attire was allowed, and he was dressed in training gear. Coincidentally, his pants were from the same brand and model as hers.  

About half the people in the gym were wearing the same brand of pants. She scanned the area, worried someone might mistakenly think this was some kind of connection between them.  

Woo Joo Han pulled out a shuttlecock from the bag hanging on the pole and handed it to Cheon Geonyoung.  

Was he blatantly trying to take over the court?  

Just as she was about to say something, unwilling to move under the still-hot autumn sun, Woo Joo Han offered an alternative.  

“Why don’t we just play together? There aren’t any courts available anyway.”  

“Doubles?”  

“Isn’t that fine? Singles is boring.”  

Cheon Geonyoung and Woo Joo Han unilaterally decided to push forward with organizing a doubles match. Hong Eunsoo, who didn’t shy away from guidance, eagerly agreed. The only one responding lukewarmly was Yoon Taeha.  

“We’re Espers, though.”  

“You know how to play fair, right?”  

“……”  

“Guess not. Then let’s learn today.”  

Cheon Geonyoung skillfully blocked any escape routes. Hong Eunsoo confessed that while she specialized in intelligence-based abilities and Yoon Taeha in telekinesis, her control wasn’t good enough to sway the outcome of the match.  

Honestly, if I wanted to, fixing matches in this neighborhood would be a piece of cake.  

Unaware of Yoon Taeha’s thoughts, the method for choosing teams was decided.  

“On the count of three, switch either horizontally or vertically.”  

One, two, three! With Hong Eunsoo’s cheerful voice, the teams were split. Cheon Geonyoung and Yoon Taeha were on one team, while Woo Joo Han and Hong Eunsoo were on the other.  

Cheon Geonyoung seemed satisfied with the clean division of teams. Woo Joo Han appeared to have slightly different thoughts, however.  

Yoon Taeha gave Cheon Geonyoung, who had entered her court, a sidelong glance before looking straight ahead.  

Woo Joo Han and Hong Eunsoo were already deciding their respective coverage areas. Known for their wide networks, the two clicked effortlessly.  

“Aren’t we going to set a strategy?”  

While staring blankly at the opposing team, Cheon Geonyoung urged for a plan. Yoon Taeha turned her gaze toward him.  

This guy’s quite shameless, isn’t he?  

Of course, she’d known from the start that he was that kind of person. But today, he seemed even more naturally brazen, almost recklessly so.  

Whether he realized his impression was being recalibrated or not, Cheon Geonyoung enthusiastically said,  

“I want to win. Losing in doubles is even more frustrating.”  

“That’s a new one.”  

“There are people like that.”  

“You really are a unique type…”  

Her lackluster response made Cheon Geonyoung beam like a child in front of Santa Claus.  

He found this situation amusing.  

The way Espers, tired of observing students, still showed up at the gym without fail.  

The way their eyes widened in worry over whether some minor joke might go awry.  

There wasn’t a single dull moment.  

He remembered how hard she had tried to communicate silently through her pretty blinks before the teams were decided. He almost asked if her eyes weren’t hurting.  

“Jeongsungha! Let’s make the team that wins two sets buy snacks from the kiosk!”  

At Hong Eunsoo’s shout, Woo Joo Han nodded. It seemed they had finished conspiring among themselves.  

“Sure.”  

Cheon Geonyoung immediately replied. His answer implied not just snacks but buying the entire kiosk itself—a fact only Yoon Taeha knew.  

“Work hard.”  

“……”  

“If you spend too much, Grandpa will scold you.”  

At the shameless man’s subtle code, Yoon Taeha couldn’t help but burst into laughter.  

After giving her partner’s flushed cheek a quick glance, Cheon Geonyoung got into position with seriousness.  

---

And then, the adults cleanly lost all three sets.  

If you listed their credentials, both could easily handle military operations of considerable difficulty. Not just participate—they were profiles meant to lead from the front.  

But the twenty-year-olds, specialized in the genre of badminton, ultimately wielded the weapon of habit to overpower the adults.  

Yoon Taeha twitched her eyebrows as she watched Cheon Geonyoung keep moving in the same direction repeatedly.  

Was he doing this on purpose? Trying to show off his wealth? But Cheon Geonyoung was equally baffled.  

Even after setting boundaries, whenever the shuttlecock flew over the ambiguous borderline, discord erupted.  

The problem was that they thought too similarly. Instead of hitting the shuttlecock, they ended up scraping each other with their rackets.  

After their defeat, Cheon Geonyoung looked somewhat dejectedly at his now-battered racket. Yoon Taeha awkwardly averted her gaze.  

The victorious youngsters were ecstatic, chattering excitedly.  

“Let’s raid the kiosk!”  

“Doesn’t the kiosk sell frozen tteokbokki? Should we go to Building F and cook it?”  

“Rabokki.”  

“Obviously. And we’ll add caviar inside.”  

Woo Joo Han and Hong Eunsoo, burning with the ambition to create an extravagant dish at the kiosk, headed that way first. They listed rare ingredients unlikely to be sold there, playing a word chain game with their names.  

The defeated adults followed slowly behind. Once they were far enough that their conversation wouldn’t be overheard, Yoon Taeha spoke up.  

“This is a problem.”  

“Reflection time? You should’ve done that during the break earlier.”  

“It’s a problem that we’re this mismatched. We need to feel a sense of crisis.”  

“Should we make a wrong-answer notebook or something?”  

Cheon Geonyoung pretended to write something in the air.  

“How do we explain this to the kids…”  

“They’re kids with over ten years of badminton experience. Practicing even an hour a day adds up. Somehow, they’ve mastered badminton.”  

“You said losing in doubles is even more frustrating, right?”

“We lost so pathetically, I’m not even mad.”

Woo Joo Han and Hong Eunsoo entered the kiosk, which was stocked to the level of a small mart, and filled their baskets to the brim.

Before Yoon Taeha could even tap her student e-wallet on the terminal, Cheon Geonyoung had already purchased enough items to stock an entire household. A significant amount was charged with just one scan of the barcode.

Hong Eunsoo let out an honest exclamation.

“Wow. Kwon Heesung sure is generous. Want to be my friend?”

In truth, the two victors had planned to feign exaggerated complaints about the losers buying too much, intending to let them off lightly. But Cheon Geonyoung had rushed through the checkout process far too quickly.

The four of them headed toward F Hall, the shared space for Guides and Espers, their heavy bags swinging as they walked.

A pleasant buzz of moderate chaos rippled around them.

Yoon Taeha allowed herself a moment of complacency, thinking that it was Saturday after all—she deserved a little rest.

She had spent the entire day listening intently to others’ conversations and patrolling at night. Pushing herself too hard in the first week to finish tasks quickly hadn’t helped either.

---

The four of them moved into the cooking area and began sorting through the chaotic pile of ingredients, picking out what they could prepare immediately. Since they’d agreed to finish everything by dinner, the menu expanded.

Woo Joo Han approached Hong Eunsoo, who was muttering recipes like someone who had sold their soul to tteokbokki. Naturally, the adults were left to handle the other dishes.

After spotting the kids chattering and starting their cooking from afar, Yoon Taeha picked up a fan.

“Do you cook often?”

Cheon Geonyoung, who had approached with ingredients in hand, asked. The cooking area was empty except for the four of them.

“Just the basics. I manage to make edible food, so don’t worry too much...”

Yoon Taeha, holding a spatula to season the rice, froze like someone who had hit the pause button when she noticed the man next to her neatly tying on an apron.

“...An apron?”

“It’s basic etiquette.”

How many students in this cooking area actually followed the basics? At moments like this, it was clear that Cheon Geonyoung had undergone rigorous habit training at his military academy. He probably folded his towels into perfect bricks too.

Thinking she might check that later, Yoon Taeha commented,

“You’re surprisingly meticulous.”

“I brought one for you too.”

Cheon Geonyoung held out an apron patterned with round animal faces that looked like steamed buns. His own apron was a sleek, sophisticated striped design that could have come straight out of a kitchen decor magazine. She immediately protested.

“Why is yours stylish while mine looks like this?”

“This one’s cleaner.”

There was a faint stain on his apron that she hadn’t noticed before. This one did indeed look brand new.

With a slightly sour expression, Yoon Taeha picked up the clean but overly cute apron. As she reached for a can opener, Cheon Geonyoung made a suggestion upon seeing it.

“Want to switch?”

“You’re really going to wear this? It’s for 7-year-olds.”

“What difference does it make?”

He seemed the type to care a lot about these things...

Before she could voice her stereotype-laden thoughts, Cheon Geonyoung took off his apron. He placed the blue apron around her neck, then turned her stiff body around and gave her a choice.

“Should I tie the ribbon loosely or tightly?”

“Loosely. Make it easy to untie.”

“Got it.”

After finishing the ribbon, Cheon Geonyoung surveyed Yoon Taeha with a gentle gaze. With her hair neatly tied back and the apron on, she now looked quite skilled, like a seasoned chef.

Picking up the remaining apron, he began tying it around his waist. Though she knew she was staring too obviously, Yoon Taeha couldn’t look away.

After smoothing out every wrinkle, he said,

“Why are you staring?”

“Nothing. Just... nothing.”

“Does it not suit me?”

“...”

“There’s no way it doesn’t suit me.”

His pale face showed no trace of embarrassment. If anything, the dimples on his cheeks seemed deeper than any sense of shame.

Is this man still acting? Or is this just his personality? And now he’s speaking informally too. Does that mean the awkward phase is over?

She felt confused distinguishing between Kwon Heesung and Cheon Geonyoung. Cheon Geonyoung went to the communal fridge to gather ingredients, saying he would prepare rolled omelets.

The tips of the man’s ears were redder than usual as he turned away.

It didn’t seem like he was acting. If he’s faking even the red ears, maybe he should consider a career change.

Unaware of the smile spreading across her lips, she picked up a knife.

While he prepared the rolled omelets, Yoon Taeha diligently worked on the fillings for the rice balls.

Savory stir-fried kimchi, rich tuna mayo, and soy sauce-marinated minced beef.

After washing her hands briefly, she returned to find Cheon Geonyoung had already cleared the dishes she’d left piled up and was waiting for her.

“Gloves.”

He handed her cooking gloves as if assisting a surgeon. Once both were equipped, they silently began shaping the rice balls into bite-sized portions.