Beyond The Control

Chapter 48

Moreover, guides are much safer compared to Espers, and things like physical training are optional rather than mandatory. The importance of their existence goes without saying, but in terms of physical comfort alone, it’s undeniable that being a guide is much easier.

I’m also fully enjoying these benefits. However, perhaps because I spent much longer as an active Esper, I sometimes miss being in the field. Especially today, having just seen team members departing for the field right in front of me, and with my leg fully healed, I strongly felt the desire to participate in a raid.

‘Maybe I should casually mention it to the team leader later.’

If I honestly tell him that I’m itching to get back out there, he might agree. Song Ji-hyeok would probably be happy too, since he could receive guiding every day.

Yes, I should at least try to bring it up.

With this personal resolve, I refocused on the monitor. But less than a minute later, my device chimed with a notification. It was a guiding request from Park Jae-kyung.

I wondered how excitedly she had rolled around this time. While inwardly clicking my tongue, my body immediately rose and headed to the guiding room.

After work, as planned, I headed to the large supermarket near the guild. Perhaps due to it being the usual after-work hours, the parking lot was packed with cars, and the inside of the store was bustling with people doing their shopping.

This scene was entirely expected, but there was one thing I hadn’t anticipated: Song Ji-hyeok walking casually beside me, wearing a black cap pulled low over his face.

[Underground parking lot]

I received Song Ji-hyeok’s text when there were about 5 minutes left until the end of work. I immediately replied:

[I need to stop by the supermarket. I’ll come to your place if you give me the address]

[Why the supermarket?]

[I have some things to buy]

[I can come along]

And just like that, I unexpectedly gained a companion. Although it wasn’t part of the plan, I was grateful for the comfortable car ride. Moreover, as we walked around the supermarket together, I got to see a new side of Song Ji-hyeok.

“Please try a fish cake. It’s buy one get one free if you purchase now.”

As we were walking towards the deep end where the miscellaneous goods section was, an employee doing a food tasting event kindly approached us. It happened to be just the right time when I was feeling hungry, so like a sparrow that can’t pass by a mill, I approached as if mesmerized and picked up a toothpick. I skillfully stabbed half a fish cake and, out of courtesy, offered it to Song Ji-hyeok first.

“Try it.”

Song Ji-hyeok, perhaps feeling hungry himself, took the fish cake without a word. Although it was unexpected that he ate it directly by lowering his head instead of taking the toothpick, I didn’t show any particular surprise.

Then I put one in my mouth too. The first thought that came to mind as I chewed was ‘This is delicious.’ It was nicely browned, and the thick seafood texture made me think it would taste amazing if I fried up a whole bag and ate it with freshly cooked rice.

Just the thought made my mouth water. This is why you shouldn’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. Knowing this, my mouth still said something different. With the added self-justification that I had to eat dinner anyway.

“Should we buy a pack?”

“Do as you like.”

Then I’ll buy it.

I reached out, grabbed the food item, and put it in the cart without hesitation. While joking to the staff that it was really delicious, Song Ji-hyeok and I each tasted one more before moving to the next section.

As expected of a large supermarket, there were several more tasting corners. Boldly skipping the coffee, this time we stopped in front of the dumpling corner. I kindly accepted what the employee offered first and held it out to Song Ji-hyeok, who once again ate it readily like a baby bird.

I tried one too, but this time it was a failure. It was supposedly a new dumpling, but the strong spice flavor didn’t suit my taste at all. I glanced at Song Ji-hyeok, and he didn’t seem to like it either. His honesty, immediately readable from his expression, was nice at times like this.

“Let’s go,” I said quietly, lightly tapping his arm and pushing the cart forward. Song Ji-hyeok quickly caught up and said:

“Aren’t we going to pay?”

“Huh?”

“We didn’t buy the dumplings.”

What’s this, was my guess wrong? I thought his expression showed he didn’t like it.

“If you want to buy them, put them in the cart. But I won’t eat them.”

“I don’t want to eat them either.”

His seemingly irrelevant answer made me raise an eyebrow. Are we talking about the same thing here?

Song Ji-hyeok also gave me a look of incomprehension. Then he elaborated a bit more:

“You and I each ate one, right? Don’t we have to pay for that?”

It was too nonsensical to be a joke, and he didn’t look like he was joking either. For a moment, I was confused, but I managed to catch the context and tried to confirm if my understanding was correct.

“Tastings are free.”

And then another assumption occurred to me.

“Have you never tried food samples at a supermarket before?”

“No. This is my first time in a place like this.”

Even though I knew it wasn’t the case, I almost asked, ‘Did you come from some remote mountain village?’ My mind became complicated in an instant. I wondered if it had something to do with his family background that Jung Seok-hoon, Song Ji-hyeok’s cousin, had mentioned before.

“Do I look pathetic?”

“No. It’s understandable.”

I answered casually, careful not to hurt his feelings. But as I said it, I found myself agreeing that it really could be understandable. What’s common and taken for granted by some might not be so for others.

“Then are all those things over there free too?”

Song Ji-hyeok pointed to other tasting stations. Maybe because it was dinner time, there seemed to be many events combining tasting and promotion today.

“Yeah. You can try one or two without buying.”

“What if you eat more than that?”

“Then you become a nuisance. Were you planning to eat a bunch?”

“…You said it was free.”

Wow, he really was thinking of doing that.

It was both ridiculous and funny. The thought of an S-class Esper with an estimated annual salary in the billions being labeled a nuisance for clearing out free samples at a supermarket – you couldn’t write a better joke.

Meanwhile, Song Ji-hyeok stretched his neck to look all the way to the next section. He then walked over decisively and stood in front of the bakery corner, gesturing for me to come. As I approached pushing the cart, he was already eagerly tasting the bread samples.

“Here, try this.”

Before I could say I’d eat it myself, a piece of bread was suddenly approaching my mouth. As I reflexively accepted it, it melted in my mouth, making me wonder what it was made of.

“Let’s buy this too.”

He put two large roll cakes or something similar into the cart. After that, Song Ji-hyeok didn’t miss a single tasting corner. He even managed to find places without staff that weren’t very noticeable, always stopping to taste one of each. Using his exceptionally keen eyesight for this – he really knows his stuff.

Thanks to this, the shopping experience turned out completely different from what I had expected. When I first thought of going to the supermarket, I had planned to buy only necessities like underwear and toiletries, and some simple food for dinner tonight. But by the time we had gone around the store once and lined up at the checkout, the cart I was pushing was full of all kinds of food.

Beep- Beep-

With each scanned barcode, the total amount to be paid rose frighteningly. As I watched the numbers on the POS machine easily surpass 100,000 won and climb rapidly towards 200,000 won, my hands started to tremble.

In truth, I don’t often come to such large supermarkets, and I certainly never buy this many items at once. This amount of food seemed enough for a family home party, with leftovers to spare.

The crowning glory was the pack of Korean beef. Damn, when did he put that in? I looked at Song Ji-hyeok in surprise, but his gaze was fixed on the items on the checkout counter, not on me.

Maybe it was my imagination, but seeing his eyes slightly glinting with what seemed like madness, I made a firm resolution, albeit belatedly. I should never come to the supermarket with Song Ji-hyeok again.

“That’ll be 280,850 won.”

“Ah, yes.”

I was about to take out my wallet while putting the scanned items back into the cart, but Song Ji-hyeok was one step ahead.

“Here you go.”

The card he held out went into the terminal. After getting the card back, he put it in his wallet and then looked at me.

“Shall we go?”

“Huh? Oh…”

As the next person’s items were piling up, we finished putting the rest in the cart and moved away.

“I’ll pay you back half when we get home.”

“No need.”

“There are quite a few of my things too.”

“Yeah. I saw you carefully considering those 10,000 won for two pairs of underwear.”

You could have pretended not to see that…

“You said you didn’t have money. I have plenty, so don’t bother with splitting it or anything.”

I know you have a lot of money. But listen…

“When did I tell you I didn’t have money?”

“You did.”

“When?”

“When we were drinking before. Don’t you remember?”

“Uh…”

“They say alcoholic dementia is scary, so be careful. Anyway, I’m hungry, let’s go quickly.”

His habit of earning curses even when doing something nice hasn’t changed, but now it just seemed cute. I quickly grabbed one of the shopping bags Song Ji-hyeok was holding in both hands, belatedly trying to save face.

“Next time, I’ll pay. Thanks to you, I’ve got some breathing room now too.”

I still have the habit of saving for the future, but I definitely feel more at ease mentally.

“If you say so.”

As we came out of the supermarket, it had already gotten quite dark outside. After loading the luggage into the car trunk, Song Ji-hyeok pressed the close button. As I was watching this from a step away, suddenly someone spoke to me from the side.

“Excuse me…”

When I turned my head, there was a female student in school uniform and a woman presumed to be the student’s mother standing there.