Hajin and Suhyeon turned their heads simultaneously.
The owner of the voice was a man leaning his upper body against the railing of the platform.
He was waving his hand playfully, a face Suhyeon felt he had seen in passing at a Gate site once before.
The man, strangely familiar, caught Suhyeon’s eye and grinned.
“The Guide wants to save the monster, and for the Association to find a reason to let it live, we need that unknown ability of the Guide. Isn’t that a win-win?”
“Are you saying you’re okay with a Guide stepping into the field?”
The one who retorted was Yihan, who had been biting his nails.
Yihan also glared at Suhyeon with a fierce gaze before snapping his head toward the man.
“Well, I saw the data from that last Gate accident. After measuring it, they said it was a pretty strong Gate. But he closed it, didn’t he? Taking that into account, honestly, you can’t view him as an ordinary Guide. Besides, we’d be confirming safety before going in.”
“That’s exactly why sending an S-rank Guide to a place that could be even slightly dangerous is—”
The man, presumably an Esper, fluttered his hand dismissively.
“I’m saying this only applies if he wants to save the monster. Isn’t it a fair proposal? But Guide-nim, if you want to save that monster, I recommend it. The powerful Team 1 Leader over there might not know, but things have been rough for us ordinary Espers lately. If you’re an asset to our combat power, I’m all for it.”
The glares the two men directed at the smirking man were moving past fierce and into murderous territory.
Since the reason for their reaction was easy enough to guess, Suhyeon remained silent, staring at the fluffball rolling in his hands.
The woman and the man were essentially saying that if Suhyeon went to the field, he would be treated like an Esper.
Naturally, being in front of a Gate or a monster is dangerous.
He wanted to save the fluffball, but if he followed the woman’s words, Suhyeon’s daily life would be thrown into upheaval once again.
Even if they attached Espers to him, the phrase “just in case” existed for a reason.
Following the Gate accident, the Shin Seojun incident, and everything up until now, this choice felt like a climax to his crumbling routine.
The fatigue he had briefly forgotten came rushing back. But even so, would he give up the fluffball?
Suhyeon realized his heart clearly.
He hated danger, but he couldn’t let go of the fluffball.
And in a way, it might not be a bad thing.
If he truly had the power to handle Gates and monsters—if it was strong enough to stand at the front lines—then while saving the fluffball, he would also learn how to protect himself.
Having the power to protect himself meant that if something like the kidnapping ever happened again, he wouldn’t have to suffer helplessly.
Recalling that nightmare he never wanted to experience again, the proposal began to seem quite acceptable.
“Say that again.”
“Hm? Did you not hear me properly?”
While Suhyeon was lost in thought, the nerve-wracking standoff between Hajin, Yihan, and the nameless Esper continued.
“Stop.”
As the atmosphere began to sharpen, the woman watching the situation raised her hand to restrain the three.
Hajin and Yihan didn’t even pretend to listen, but the man obeyed her and shrugged.
Having calmed the three men, the woman turned her head to look at Suhyeon.
“Guide Chae Suhyeon, can you make a decision immediately?”
Suhyeon raised his head.
He had already decided.
A light shimmered in his light brown eyes.
After a brief silence, he opened his lips.
“…A—”
“No.”
But before a fully formed word could slip past Suhyeon’s lips, Hajin cut him off sharply and answered coldly.
His voice sounded like it was laced with pure rage.
Suhyeon looked up.
Hajin didn’t even spare a glance for Suhyeon, keeping his eyes fixed on the woman.
Seen from the side, Hajin’s face was frozen in a fierce mask.
“Is this how you treat a high-ranking Guide who barely returned safely just yesterday? By forcing a difficult decision on him immediately?”
Suhyeon flinched.
The content of the words was the same fierce protection as always, but his voice was excessively low.
The voice, rasping as if scraping against his vocal cords, showed that he was on the verge of exploding.
“No, we understand that this is difficult. However, the monster is undeniably dangerous. Guide Chae Suhyeon, I’m sorry, but we would like you to prove today, alongside the Espers, that you can control the monster. If that is proven, we will give you time to decide. We will arrange a location with the Espers and notify you by this afternoon.”
Even with a snarling Hajin and Yihan in front of her, the woman remained rational and logical to the end.
Proof that he could handle the monster.
Suhyeon didn’t even know how to make the fluffball giant yet, but he nodded anyway.
He couldn’t refuse.
“Then, we shall adjourn. Guide Chae Suhyeon, thank you very much for coming today. Once again, I apologize for failing to prevent the threat to your safety.”
As soon as the woman finished speaking, the people on the platform stood up in a swarm.
It was hard to believe how quiet it had been moments ago as the room suddenly filled with the noise of murmuring voices.
“…”
Suhyeon watched the people leave blankly before turning his head at the sound of a conversation. Yihan was saying something to Hajin.
His face heavily contorted, Yihan soon turned his gaze to Suhyeon.
Yihan, who had looked like he would give Suhyeon the world ever since the Gate, had a frozen expression today.
“Chae Suhyeon, I’ll see you later.”
His tone was like a warning to “just wait and see.”
Suhyeon trembled slightly at the cold words, and for a moment, Yihan’s expression looked ready to crumble before it froze over again.
After staring intensely at Suhyeon, Yihan turned and hurried toward the exit.
In an instant, only Hajin, Suhyeon, and the fluffball remained in the space.
Since Hajin seemed thoroughly angry, Suhyeon looked up with rare hesitation.
Hajin didn’t even look at him, keeping his eyes only on the door.
“Ah, Team Leader!”
Only after Lee Jeonghyeon entered did Hajin turn without a word and stride toward Suhyeon.
“Hajin…”
Suhyeon called him faintly, but Hajin didn’t even answer.
A chill he had never seen before had settled over Hajin’s face.
The unfamiliar expression made it seem like he might treat Suhyeon roughly at any moment, yet the hands lifting him from the chair were gentle.
“…!”
Without warning, Hajin bent his waist and slid his arms behind Suhyeon’s knees, scooping him up.
“Kyu-u?”
From Suhyeon’s lap, the fluffball tumbled and rolled across the floor.
Hajin glared at it with a look that said he wanted to kill it.
He looked as if he wanted to kick it away right then and there.
At that fierce aura, Suhyeon hurriedly grabbed Hajin’s sleeve.
But contrary to his fears, Hajin slowly leaned down again and picked the fluffball up.
“Kyu-u!”
Back in Suhyeon’s arms, the fluffball chirped happily, oblivious to everything.
“We will… move now.”
Lee Jeonghyeon, who had seemed fine when he first saw Hajin, realized the atmosphere was precarious and cautiously grabbed Hajin to initiate the teleport.
With a flash of white light, they were instantly back home.
Hajin didn’t put Suhyeon down, heading straight for the bedroom.
As if he refused to handle Suhyeon roughly no matter how angry he was, Hajin lowered him onto the bed slowly.
Then, he took a few steps back.
Suhyeon looked up at him.
Bright sunlight poured through the window, illuminating Hajin.
Normally, Suhyeon would have stared at that handsome face as if enchanted, but Hajin was looking at him with a face that was far too cold.
Suhyeon hesitated, his lips parting slightly.
“…Hajin—”
“Chae Suhyeon.”
But just as before, Hajin cut him off mercilessly.
His voice was cold as it uttered his name.
‘Suhyeon-ssi, Suhyeon-ah.’
Because Hajin had always called him with such affection and warmth, the voice stripped of all heat sounded even more frigid.
Blue eyes looked down at him frostily.
Even at their first meeting, his face hadn’t been this cold.
“You were going to say yes earlier, weren’t you?”
“…”
Stabbed by the truth, Suhyeon kept his mouth shut.
“Chae Suhyeon. Answer me.”
Suhyeon trembled.
Aside from when they were in the heat of intimacy, Hajin had never dropped honorifics so completely.
A voice dripping with rage called out to him.
Suhyeon bit his lip before lowering his gaze.
Reading the answer in that small gesture, Hajin let out a sharp sigh.
“…I’m sorry.”
Suhyeon stared at Hajin’s feet for a long time before offering a hesitant apology.
He thought he knew why Hajin was angry—it was a matter of his safety.
He hadn’t taken it lightly, but it was true he had been about to answer without considering that side much.
“You’re sorry?”
But Hajin seemed even angrier at the apology.
The voice asking back was razor-sharp.
“Suhyeon-ah, you’re sorry? Then are you going to hand that thing over to the Association and forget about it?”
