Guide to Sunny Days - Side story 3.3

“Do-Hae, let’s go inside together.”

Kim San led Gi Do-Hae without hesitation over the threshold of the gate. Then, looking at the adults who had hardened their faces, he said with an incredibly happy expression,

“Aunties and Uncles, this is the Do-Hae I mentioned.”

“……”

The casual touch and the way he introduced Gi Do-Hae so effortlessly.

Despite all the trivial things, Kim San led Gi Do-Hae forward. Yet, the hostility quickly began to dissipate.

Kim San, smiling broadly even in the middle of winter, shone brightly. He had wept over his grandfather as soon as he arrived in his hometown, but from the moment Gi Do-Hae agreed to join him, he had maintained this cheerful expression. This made Gi Do-Hae, who had been scrutinizing Kim San for signs of sadness, feel puzzled.

Thanks to returning to his senses, Gi Do-Hae managed to force a smile.

“Hello.”

“Hmm-hmm. Hello.”

The adults, who had been observing cautiously, exchanged greetings with Kim San and Gi Do-Hae. While their wariness hadn’t completely disappeared, their demeanor had softened significantly compared to earlier.

Kim San led Gi Do-Hae to the front and didn’t hesitate for a moment. Gi Do-Hae, looking at their tightly clasped hands with mixed feelings, realized something.

No matter what happened, Kim San would not easily let go of his hand.

A rare breeze of spring seemed to blow through Gi Do-Hae’s heart.

“Oh, Sani has arrived. Our lovely Sani is here.”

Amidst the commotion in the yard, an elderly voice called out from the porch. An old woman leaning on a cane hurried towards Kim San.

“Grandmother…! How have you been?”

This marked the beginning of another round of commotion in the yard. Everyone, while still glancing at Gi Do-Hae, swarmed Kim San, greeting him. They approached him timidly, stroking his cheeks and head before disappearing, much like a huge flock of penguins.

After the ruckus of greetings subsided, Kim San and Gi Do-Hae were able to escape some of the attention. The villagers, having presumably heard something about Gi Do-Hae, didn’t ask unnecessary questions.

Now, it seemed like a village festival had begun, with groups of people busy bringing out food. They appeared quite accustomed to such events.

“Hye-Min, I’ll carry that!”

Kim San, who had led Gi Do-Hae to a side porch to sit, spoke to Hye-Min, who was coming out with a large basket. Hye-Min looked somewhat displeased.

“Huh? You really don’t have to…”

“It’s okay. I’m strong!”

“……Okay.”

So that’s the reason.

Gi Do-Hae watched with narrowed eyes. From what he had seen on the bed, Kim San didn’t seem to possess above-average strength. Yet, he had made claims about his strength since their first meeting.

The reason behind Kim San’s confidence became clearer.

“Do you have any questions?”

Kim San, now holding the food from the basket, moved away. He spent more time chatting and playing around with the elders than actually placing the food down.

Noticing Gi Do-Hae’s gaze, Hye-Min spoke to him. Her eyes, transparent and daring, were reminiscent of Kim San’s.

“…It seems the source of Sani’s occasional remarks is you.”

“Ah……”

Understanding the remark instantly was also similar. However, the following statement was somewhat unexpected.

“Sani was quite frail when he was younger. He was small and weak.”

“……”

Gi Do-Hae recalled the information he had about Kim San. There was a note mentioning that Kim San was unable to take the early suitability test for a guide due to illness.

“Now he’s fine, and he’s probably stronger than I am… but he’s still not exceptionally strong.”

“I see.”

“But when we were young, we used to roughhouse and fight. I think his grandfather worried he might hurt me, just because he was a boy.”

In the end, it seemed Kim San had firmly believed that he might accidentally hurt a friend, which led to his inflated sense of strength. Hye-Min had refrained from correcting her friend’s pride.

Understanding the background, Gi Do-Hae narrowed his eyes again. He now understood why Kim San often said he recovered quickly from minor illnesses despite being frequently ill.

He remembered Kim San had struggled with a cold shortly after arriving in the city, even though it was the hot summer.

Gi Do-Hae slowly gathered his thoughts and decided that he would never believe Kim San’s claims of being fine in the future.

***

As dinner progressed, the atmosphere became more like a festival than a mere meal. In the midst of all the commotion, Gi Do-Hae quietly remained in his seat, barely noticeable.

Kim San, concerned, came to check on him several times, but Gi Do-Hae only shook his head. Although it was still bothersome that people were treating Kim San like their own child, it was quite something to see Kim San smiling and moving around without a care in the world.

At first, people kept glancing at Gi Do-Hae, but they gradually seemed to forget about him and acted more comfortably. This change was likely aided by the makgeolli that accompanied the meal.

However, makgeolli had its own side effects.

“Wow, so it really is Esper Gi Do-Hae. I’m the guy who lives in the house below Sani’s.”

A slightly drunk middle-aged man with a flushed face approached Gi Do-Hae. Perhaps the alcohol had lowered his guard, as his approach was rather bold.

From the introduction, Gi Do-Hae recognized him as the person from the house below, someone Kim San had occasionally mentioned.

“I heard from Hye-Min, but I didn’t actually think you’d come.”

Despite the sarcastic tone, Gi Do-Hae simply smiled quietly. The familiarity Kim San had shown when talking about this man lingered in his mind.

Mr. Kim took a seat next to Gi Do-Hae and even set down the jug of makgeolli he had brought. Gi Do-Hae thought about leaving, but then Mr. Kim started sharing intriguing bits of information.

“So, even though the old man always said Sani would become a guide, I never thought he’d actually pass.”

Until the guide aptitude test, no one could predict if someone would become a guide. Unless a passing esper somehow found out through direct contact.

Pushing aside the irritation of such a baseless assumption, Gi Do-Hae responded naturally.

“Did his grandfather know that Sani would become a guide?”

“Yeah, he said that Sani’s mother mentioned it. I wonder if there’s some way guides can sense that.”

But what followed was unexpected.

There was no such ability for guides to recognize each other. Not even an esper with the power to detect guides existed. To know if someone was a guide, an esper had to make physical contact and sense the guiding aura.

So it was quite strange that Kim San’s mother, who had passed away when Kim San was still an infant, would make such a statement.

“That’s why they made such a fuss trying to delay the guide test.”

Suddenly, Gi Do-Hae remembered the time Kim San had found the drug in Gi Do-Hyeon’s underground lab. Kim San had described sensing something like a guiding aura there.

Perhaps it was a trait or ability inherited from his mother.

“There’s no such method. Maybe there was some misunderstanding.”

Gi Do-Hae deliberately smiled and dismissed Mr. Kim’s claim. It was clear that referring to being born as a guide as passing a test was a misconception. In a place not like the city, people might have limited knowledge about espers and guides. It would seem credible if he asserted it firmly.

“Right? I thought so too. Of course, Sani did achieve it, but it was probably just because he didn’t want to go to the city.”

Mr. Kim chuckled and grinned at Gi Do-Hae’s calm reaction. Although he had temporarily patched things up, Gi Do-Hae thought it was crucial to ensure that this information didn’t leak.

He had also warned Kim San to never mention how he had found the drug, as someone might want to exploit his ability or condition.

Gi Do-Hae was also concerned about Kim San’s guiding ability. While it was common for guides to have a keen perception of espers’ conditions, Kim San’s expressions sometimes indicated an unusually detailed sensitivity.

Gi Do-Hae felt the need to learn more about Kim San’s potentially unique traits.

“Even so, it seems like the old man’s efforts to raise Sani like a precious treasure weren’t entirely in vain…”

Mr. Kim continued to ramble on about things that weren’t particularly interesting. His curiosity about Gi Do-Hae had brought him here.

Though it was quite tedious, Gi Do-Hae remained silent and listened. The occasional insights about Kim San were not unpleasant to hear.

“I’ve heard that the grandfather held Sani in very high regard.”