“I pushed to bring it in quickly.”

Though he spoke casually, Ju-eon knew Myung-hwon had spent considerable time racking his brains to implement the matching system.

“It’s fascinating that it considers not just rank but compatibility too.”

Now he finally understood why his efficiency exceeded Lee Ho-yun’s, who had been an S-class guide, despite the rank difference between him and Myung-hwon.

“So check our matching rate and join quickly. I don’t have anyone to guide me.”

“Why? Didn’t you recruit Lee Ji-woo too?”

Kang No-hun, Seo Yun-jin, and Lee Ji-woo from Attack Team 1 had all left the Agency to follow Yeo Myung-hwon. Though both were A-class, the skill gap between Ji-woo, who had remained active, and himself would be enormous.

“I work better with you.”

“What if our matching rate turns out to be low despite all that confidence?”

When Ju-eon jokingly said this in a light voice, Myung-hwon’s face instantly hardened.

“It won’t be low. Objectively speaking, no guide suits me better than you.”

His heart fluttered at the serious response to his casual joke.

“Alright. Let’s talk after we get the results. Let me know when we can get them.”

“Today.”

“Today?”

Myung-hwon had clearly made an impulsive decision just now. After speaking, he nodded, firming his resolve.

“Yes. Don’t even joke about gaining experience elsewhere.”

“……”

He hadn’t realized Myung-hwon felt so concerned about this. After all, Ju-eon would always return to Myung-hwon’s side.

Myung-hwon, who had been leaning on Ju-eon’s shoulder, turned his head and gently bit the area between Ju-eon’s neck and shoulder. He seemed to be marking his territory.

“Ah…!”

When Ju-eon let out a low moan, Myung-hwon finally lifted his head, looking satisfied.

“I don’t want to see you guiding some other b*stard.”

“…I understand.”

Ju-eon dismissed it as mere jealousy, but those words contained fragments of truth. If Ju-eon were to guide another esper in front of him… just imagining it sparked murderous intent. But Ju-eon didn’t need to know that. Myung-hwon suppressed his dark thoughts and blinked slowly.

“Ju-eon.”

“Hm?”

“Reassure me.”

Myung-hwon preemptively spoke before Ju-eon could get angry about the bite. Ju-eon touched around his neck where Myung-hwon had bitten and moistened his lower lip.

“I just said I wouldn’t do it.”

“I’m still anxious.”

Even though he knew Myung-hwon openly tried to seduce him, he couldn’t help but give in. This was a side of himself Myung-hwon showed only to Ju-eon. Strangely, that fact gave him an odd sense of superiority. It definitely differed from before.

Ju-eon stroked Myung-hwon’s hair. Feeling the soft strands between his fingers, Ju-eon whispered. Myung-hwon hadn’t shown such trivial emotions before, but now he expressed even small feelings and revealed his possessiveness.

“Hmm?”

Myung-hwon blinked slowly, openly displaying a pitiful expression. Ju-eon hurriedly turned his head away. His nape felt hot. Attacking with beauty was truly unfair.

“…I have to go. We’re already at the hospital. You got hurt because of me.”

“If you want to show sincerity, you could send someone else.”

“……”

Myung-hwon frowned at Ju-eon’s silence. Realizing his tactics wouldn’t work anymore, Myung-hwon backed off, visibly disappointed.

“Fine. But I’ll wait for you.”

“You’re busy. Go take care of your work.”

The thought of whether he should light the fuse here briefly crossed his mind, but that moment was short.

Ju-eon cupped Myung-hwon’s cheeks with both hands. With just the two of them in the car, the air instantly heated up from their close gazes alone.

Ju-eon squeezed his eyes shut and puckered his lips.

Smooch.

The kiss was so brief it barely deserved the name. After all they had done, he still felt strangely shy about initiating a kiss.

“Don’t wait for nothing, just go ahead!”

Slam.

Ju-eon escaped by opening the door and rushing out. The window lowered, and Myung-hwon asked in a voice dripping with lingering attachment.

“Can’t I come in with you?”

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

“……”

“You have work in the morning, don’t you? The team leader specifically told me to make sure you go.”

“…What?”

Myung-hwon’s expression instantly contorted. He hadn’t intended to mention the team leader, but he had no choice because otherwise, Myung-hwon would probably wait until he came out.

“Don’t think about saying anything to the team leader. Think about how he even contacted me.”

With these final words, Ju-eon hurried into the hospital without looking back.

**

Upon entering the hospital, his flushed cheeks cooled rapidly.

After confirming the room number at reception, he went upstairs. The higher he went, the fewer people there were, making the air feel even colder.

Ju-eon could never like these all-white corridors or the subtle smell of medicine. Looking back at his memories, he had many unpleasant experiences with hospitals.

Being diagnosed with a terminal illness, getting caught in an explosion, leaving behind a lover who had been critically injured after taking an attack meant for him.

‘It’s natural since I’ve experienced things most people don’t face even once in their lifetime, and I’ve gone through them repeatedly.’

Still, he hoped that today’s final memory wouldn’t be bad. Ju-eon stood in front of the door with a tense face.

“Phew…”

He sighed, forcibly relaxing his stiff shoulders.

If it weren’t for their last encounter, he actually had no intention of meeting him again. He didn’t want to fan the flames of a burning house when he couldn’t respond to those feelings. He didn’t want to give false hope.

It was Ju-eon’s own way of being considerate. But despite that, the reason he came here was because he wanted to confirm that he was okay.

Yun-jae had said it wasn’t his fault, but if it weren’t for him, Yun-jae wouldn’t have been hurt. Guilt welled up in his heart again, sloshing around.

Knock knock.

After taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, and a weak voice came from inside.

“Noona. I want to rest now.”

The end of his voice was stretched out with fatigue.

“……”

It was a powerless, clearly annoyed voice he had never heard before. For a moment, he thought he had found the wrong room.

“I don’t need anything, so please let me be alone.”

But having spent years together, he could quickly recognize that despite the different tone, it was Yun-jae’s voice.

He must have thought it was his sister trying to enter the room. Ju-eon hesitated briefly, remembering what Yun-jae had told him in the car, but soon asked in an awkward voice.

“…Should I come back later?”

“Woo Ju-eon?”

“Yes.”

Crash. There was a sound of hurried movement and something being dropped simultaneously from inside.

“Sorry. I thought you were my sister. No, how did you… why are you here?”

“I can come back later if you’re busy. I must have come at a bad time.”

As Ju-eon awkwardly suggested coming back another time, the door opened urgently.

Slide.

“No. Come in.”

Messy hair, and beneath it, a haggard face that he couldn’t bring himself to look at directly, so he lowered his gaze.

An awkward silence flowed between them. Thinking they were no longer on terms for casual greetings, Ju-eon spoke first.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. The vital spots were missed, so they say I just need to stay in the hospital for a few more days.”

“That’s good.”

Though he had already heard this, hearing it directly from Yun-jae made him feel much more at ease.

“I’ll pay the hospital bills.”

Pause.

Yun-jae’s gaze, which had been looking out the window, landed on Ju-eon. Ju-eon’s Adam’s apple bobbed at the faint resentment mixed in that gaze.

“…Did you come here to talk about that? It’s fine.”

The air between them became tense. Yun-jae seemed unwilling to talk further, but Ju-eon insisted.

“Let me pay for it.”

Because this was all that remained to be said between us. At Ju-eon’s firm words, Yun-jae’s hands gripping the bed sheet tightened. He seemed to have a lot to say, but he swallowed it all, and what came out was utterly disheartening.

“…So this is all we have left to talk about.”

Yun-jae’s face contorted, seemingly just realizing this truth himself. The hand that wiped his dry face trembled faintly. Ju-eon gathered his thoughts for a moment. He had thought about this many times and had pondered long to prove that this conclusion didn’t come from emotion.

“I won’t come again.”

Maybe it would have been easier on his heart if he had said the nice-sounding words about remaining friends. But that wouldn’t do. They needed to move forward. Pretending otherwise when he couldn’t even forgive himself would be deceptive, and to Yun-jae, he was nothing but the embodiment of regret.

“…Ah…”

“Let’s just greet each other if we happen to run into each other.”

Ju-eon forced a smile. Even if it wasn’t special, even if it was something strangers could do, greetings were all that remained between them. Ju-eon’s expression blurred.

He didn’t want to show this expression to Myung-hwon. Ju-eon owed Yun-jae a great debt, but Myung-hwon didn’t. Myung-hwon wouldn’t understand how he viewed Yun-jae.

He couldn’t hold Yun-jae in his heart, but they had still spent time together. During the time Myung-hwon suffered alone after losing him, they were together. He hoped Myung-hwon wouldn’t be hurt by seeing them, who shared a time that Myung-hwon didn’t know.

“Right. Let’s at least greet each other…”

He also didn’t want to show Yun-jae the image of him with Myung-hwon. He felt sorry for distancing himself from Yun-jae for such reasons, but it was unavoidable.

“Yes.”

‘If a time comes when I can forgive you, you can forget me, and we can view our time together from a distance, then I might be able to see Yun-jae comfortably. Though I don’t know when that time will come.’

Slide.

“Yun-jae. Don’t just get IV fluids, you should eat meals now… Oh. I didn’t know you had a visitor.”

The woman who had been talking as she opened the door paused when she saw Ju-eon. That must be Yun-jae’s sister. Though her features were thinner and showed traces of time, she resembled Yun-jae quite a bit.

‘Ah. That person is…’

And behind her, he saw a small child holding onto her skirt. The slightly upturned eyes reminded him of someone he knew.