HLSEBT - 78

She absentmindedly turned her head to check her partner’s expression.

Her eyes met Cheon Geon-young’s as he unzipped his swimsuit by a third and wiped off the water. Through the gap, his firm chest was visible.

Why is he so exposed?

It wasn’t the kind of thought she should have in a swimming pool. She tried hard not to seem aware of his body.

Slowly turning her gaze away was part of that effort.

“Why?”

Cheon Geon-young briefly asked, as if nothing were wrong. She couldn’t bring herself to ask why he was exposing bare skin in the pool.

“Thanks earlier. I’d forgotten about turning the lever.”

“Boring.”

The man beside her wasn’t exactly “exposed”—just unzipped by a third.

Probably, the pressure on his shoulders and back was worse than others’. Right. He could unzip a little. After all, this was a swimming pool…

Yoon Tae-ha processed the situation faster than when she had dived again to save him.

But when the rest of the zipper came down, she lost a bit of her composure.

She brought the closed water bottle to her lips, pretending to drink.

“...”

Pressing her lips against the hard plastic, she lowered the bottle without actually drinking.

In the meantime, Cheon Geon-young seemed to have removed his swimsuit top. She could tell everything just from the sounds. Her overly sharp hearing felt disadvantageous at this moment.

Once he finished tidying up, Cheon Geon-young asked,

“Wasn’t the pool water a bit cold today?”

“Really? I... I didn’t notice.”

Ignoring her flushed cheeks, she trailed off.

Meanwhile, the number of teams finishing their training gradually increased.

As time passed, finally, the second team successfully escaped together as partners.

It was Woo Joo-han’s team.

Woo Joo-han slowly swam while gripping the nape of his female partner’s neck. The breathing apparatus was with his partner.

He must have fully yielded it to her instead of taking turns.

That guy is useful after all.

She observed Woo Joo-han sharply with a scout’s eye.

“That’s the purpose of the training.”

Having finished drying off his bare body, Cheon Geon-young spoke in a slightly blunt tone.

“Purpose?”

“One uses it, and the other comes out. If both tried to use it, more interference would’ve occurred.”

“Is that so?”

The instructors happily floated on their backs while waiting for the trainees.

“If both try to use it, sometimes the breathing apparatus gets blocked.”

“What?”

“The one we used today wasn’t adjustable like that.”

“It’s designed for only one to survive.”

He calmly said so, showing no fear.

“It’s a process of learning how to choose.”

It was different from what Yoon Tae-ha had learned.

Back in the North, her education emphasized doing everything, as much as possible.

You can do it.

That’s what Professor Yoon often said, watching his granddaughter drenched in tears and sweat. Her grandfather couldn’t bear it when she said she couldn’t do something.

She splashed the water pooling at the bottom of the pool. It was as if she wanted to step on the water and rise.

“Handing it to you was the best choice.”

“Now that I think about it, it seems so.”

Stopping the splashing, she nodded as if agreeing.

The sky remained gloomy. The autumn rain grew heavier.

The wind and rain were blocked by the thick pool walls. Only the swirling raindrops hinted at the wind’s strength.

Cheon Geon-young observed the raindrops on the ceiling as if counting them. Is that fun? She followed his gaze but only ended up with a stiff neck. No fun there.

She started looking at the students in the pool again.

One instructor was fiercely warning a guide who had kicked their partner and emerged alone.

Watching this, Yoon Tae-ha quietly said,

“I didn’t know it would be this hard not using my ability.”

“That hard?”

“There are options. Temptations linger right in front of me.”

“What temptations?”

“Like… pushing the pool water upward…”

The set piece, filled with water, emerged from the surface, spewing water like a waterfall. As she heard the sound emphasizing the force and weight of the liquid, she spread her pale hands.

Stretching her fingers lightly, as if warming up.

Cheon Geon-young’s expression alternated between interest and puzzlement.

“Can you move liquids? You’re not an esper who controls water, right?”

“The better my condition, the more I can handle.”

After glancing at the students on the opposite side, he whispered,

“If it weren’t for you saying it, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

“You can trust non-disclosed information.”

Cheon Geon-young looked like he wanted to point out an error.

Did I say something wrong?

Yoon Tae-ha pondered but found no issue with her previous statement. Wanting agreement, she asked,

“Isn’t that right?”

“You can trust it.”

With a faint smile, Yoon Tae-ha continued speaking.

Cheon Geon-young listened silently, tilting his head. His pupils reflected the gray overcast sky.

“If my condition is excellent, I can push water upward.”

“Did you train like that in the aquarium?”

“All high-level telekinetics go through such training. It’s not exactly a secret.”

She spoke while gazing at the blue-tinted pool. Water lapped and overflowed toward them, tickling her toes before retreating—transparent.

“Is the principle similar?”

“Similar. There’s no difference between lifting a pen and moving water. Just additional focus is required.”

“That’s the most important part.”

Yoon Tae-ha widened her eyes.

“You just sounded exactly like our researcher.”

“Really?”

“People who win first place must share some understanding.”

“That sounds like a common saying.”

“Does it?”

The foot that had kicked the instructor to save him now splashed the pooled water at the bottom. The firm line of Cheon Geon-young’s mouth softened slightly.

“How is it different from espers who control water?”

She answered with her most earnest voice,

“I can’t summon water out of thin air. I can’t extinguish fires or wet dry land. Things like that are impossible.”

“Got it. And?”

“Existing water can be moved with force. That’s where skill differences come in.”

She observed others as she spoke.

“Should I show you a little?”

“Now?”

“Anyway, they look busy over there.”

True to her words, the students appeared far more distressed than during individual escape training.

The intimacy built during shared classes was fracturing everywhere. Thunder roared in the sky, perfectly timed.

“I’ll just show you how to gather it. There’s nowhere else to demonstrate this except in a pool.”

She signaled him to come closer.

Cheon Geon-young complied. His broad back and large towel combined to easily hide Yoon Tae-ha.

“The first thing I practiced was gathering water enough to fill an ice tray.”

With a rather gentle voice, she extended her hand toward the overflowing pool water. Drawn by her pale, neat fingers, the pooled water rose like a budding volcano about to erupt.

Her voice was secretive, like a wizard’s incantation.

“Focus is key.”

Then, the transparent liquid merged into one mass, floating gently. Cheon Geon-young slowly raised his head.

“It looks like a soap bubble.”

Staring at the droplet reflecting the pool’s blue tiles and the gloomy sky, Cheon Geon-young murmured.

Yoon Tae-ha turned to look at him. He was engrossed, like a child seeing a soap bubble for the first time.

“Beautiful.”

A small whisper accompanied a sudden flash as lightning illuminated the pool. Before the white light could get trapped in the droplet, her ability dissipated.

She murmured with a slightly surprised face,

“It dispersed. Because of the lightning.”

Cheon Geon-young watched the remnants of what had vanished without a trace with a hint of regret.

“I’ll show you again next time.”

She promised, looking at the spot where the droplet had fallen.

________________________________________

After class ended, the students moved with their respective partners under umbrellas. Arriving at the main gate with her hair freshly dried and fluttering softly, Yoon Tae-ha stood beside the waiting Cheon Geon-young.

Noticing her presence, Cheon Geon-young said,

“It’s autumn rain.”

“When it stops, it’ll get colder.”

“What do you think of rainy weather? Do you dislike it?”

“Not particularly. But I like how it cleans the ground.”

He nodded lightly and opened the long umbrella. She stepped underneath.

Each building entrance at Shelter had plenty of umbrellas prepared, so they used those.

On the way back to the classroom, they encountered about seven couples of varying ages running through the rain without umbrellas.

There must be plenty of umbrellas in each building…

Yoon Tae-ha shook her head inwardly.

“Are you jealous?”

Cheon Geon-young briefly asked. A pair of kids holding hands had just run past, splashing water onto their uniforms, shouting, “Race to the dorms!”

The kids who wanted to compete were tightly holding hands as they ran.

At least one of them didn’t seem likely to lose.

“Where’s anything worth envying around here…”

He glanced at a pair of kids around seven years old. Yoon Tae-ha stated the obvious.

“They’re kids.”

“So?”

“They might be happy getting soaked in the rain.”

“And us?”

She held the umbrella handle with an uneasy expression. The corners of Cheon Geon-young’s lips curled up enticingly.

“You hate this kind of thing.”

“I haven’t done anything.”

“I want to see your eyes. Right now, you look like you’re dying to throw away this umbrella.”

His fingers intertwined with hers barely gripping the umbrella handle.

The air was cool. His fingers provided just the right amount of coolness for her warm hands. Her wandering fingers were caught by his.

Soon, his eyes crinkled beautifully, and his dimples reappeared.

“It’s working. Guiding.”

“...”

“Just now, right?”

Hiding things really is difficult.

She bit her lip and nodded. The chronic headache she always carried seemed to have washed away with the rainwater.

“Twice now.”

His voice was like a boy confessing to Santa, asking for a gift after doing many good deeds.

“Congratulations.”

“Congratulate me too.”

She looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“For what?”

“We need to live long.”

Her fingers, trying to wriggle free, were caught again. Yoon Tae-ha frowned slightly.

“Do we really have to hold this together? Or can I carry it alone?”

“I learned that burdens are meant to be shared.”

“This is just an umbrella.”

“Start small.”

The woman sighed deeply, and the same shampoo scent wafted from her. Cheon Geon-young lowered the umbrella slightly, but she pushed it back up forcefully.

“I’m not that small. You… you’re the tall one.”

“To celebrate guiding, what should we eat tonight?”

“Will you take care of me every time?”

“Last time, you ran off. Into the water.”

“…I panicked then.”

“According to the clause I remember, espers aren’t supposed to leave after receiving guiding like that…”

Yoon Tae-ha admitted defeat and replied,

“It’s not recommended.”

Transparent raindrops continuously dripped from the umbrella.

“We need to repair this road.”

The path ahead was entirely submerged. The fallen raindrops formed shallow streams in the low areas.

Looking at the flowing water, Yoon Tae-ha suggested,

“There’s no one around. Should we teleport to that building over there?”

“No.”

Her suggestion was immediately rejected. The man who dismissed her suggestion spoke firmly,

“We can walk.”

“But my feet will get wet.”

“They’re already wet. We’ll wash them anyway.”

“You like rainy days, huh?”

Cheon Geon-young didn’t respond but pulled the handle firmly. Both of them, needing to appear like graduating students, wore slippers and went barefoot.

There was no avoiding it.

Boldly, they splashed through the puddles.