* * *
“No, it’s probably nothing.”
Raon quickly shook his head.
Ever since the system disappeared and he started living more freely, he found himself thinking about things he normally wouldn’t.
Brushing off the thoughts, Raon continued walking.
That’s when he noticed a familiar figure approaching.
“Siwoo.”
“Hyung, where were you?”
“I went to see the Director. Got a check-up too.”
“Oh—was everything okay?”
“Yeah, all clear.”
Raon forced a smile.
He didn’t want to say anything that might make Siwoo uneasy.
Thankfully, Siwoo didn’t seem to notice anything off.
Feeling relieved, Raon went on.
“Oh, and the Director mentioned earlier—some Espers from the European Union will be visiting soon.”
“Why?”
“I’ll send you the details later. One of them’s an A-rank Healer, and the other… well, you know him too. The Healer’s coming to assist Dasom.”
“I see.”
Siwoo’s pretty face twisted into a slight frown, as if he immediately knew who it was.
He and Mikhail never really got along.
“I’ll be greeting them and giving them a tour of the center in place of Team Leader Seo Dojin. You should come too.”
“Okay.”
There’d be guards present on the day, and if Mikhail had any sense, he wouldn’t start anything in a foreign country—but still, you never knew.
Raon felt more at ease having Siwoo by his side.
He reached out and took Siwoo’s hand.
The warmth of the hand, larger and more solid than his own, gave him a sense of reassurance.
He hadn’t taken it with the intention of guiding, but the moment their hands touched, a gentle warmth spread through him.
“Oh, and it looks like our new place will be ready soon. The Director said it can’t be too far from the center, so they’ll find somewhere nearby. Is that okay?”
“…Yeah.”
Siwoo nodded slowly, his face still pale.
But the tips of his ears were burning red.
He still got embarrassed over things like this.
“Pack your stuff in advance. I want us ready to move in right away.”
“Don’t have much to pack.”
“Really?”
Raon chuckled and lifted his free hand, gently caressing Siwoo’s cheek, which was beginning to turn red.
Before, Siwoo would freeze up whenever Raon touched his face like this.
But now, he just accepted the gesture naturally.
In fact, he tilted his head slightly, nuzzling into Raon’s palm.
Seeing that made something stir inside Raon.
“Maybe we should stop by the guiding room for a quick session…”
It was already late, so heading back to the training center a bit later wouldn’t hurt.
With that sly thought, Raon gently traced Siwoo’s lower lip with his thumb.
“Ah, Team Leader! There you are!”
“…!”
Just then, a voice called out.
Raon turned to see Juwon walking toward them, waving his hand.
Raon’s brow twitched.
“You were taking a while, so I came to find you—and here you are. You’re heading back to the training center now, right?”
“…Mm.”
Raon forced a smile, clearly annoyed by the perfectly timed interruption.
Taehyuk, sensing something was off, elbowed Juwon in the side.
But the damage was already done.
“Right. Training. Let’s get to it.”
“Ah—haha, Team Leader, actually…”
Only then did Juwon notice that Raon wasn’t alone.
He awkwardly scratched his cheek. Raon walked over to him, slowly.
“I’ll make sure you sweat buckets. Let’s go, Guide Juwon.”
“Gasp—Team Leader…”
And just like that, Juwon was dragged off by Raon.
With a sigh, Taehyuk followed the two.
“Hmm, not bad.”
Raon looked around the spacious apartment and commented offhandedly.
This was the new place where he and Siwoo would be living together.
Their housing had been arranged surprisingly fast.
It was clear the center—or maybe the military—had already been planning for it.
If Raon hadn’t brought it up first, the military probably would’ve officially requested it soon anyway.
“With Seo Dojin out of commission, every S-rank Esper must be precious right now.”
They were clearly preparing for the next irregular gate.
Since Raon, as Siwoo’s paired guide, would be living with him and focusing on guiding, their synergy would likely improve—which was something the military would gladly celebrate.
“What do you think, Siwoo? Like it?”
“Yeah.”
Siwoo, standing beside him, responded in a flat tone.
Remembering how sparse and bare Siwoo’s old dorm had been, Raon gave a wry smile.
Siwoo probably didn’t care where he lived.
To him, a home was just a place to sleep.
“Take a good look around. This is our place now, so you should check it out properly.”
“I’m fine with anything.”
When Raon asked with his arms crossed, Siwoo stiffened slightly.
Amused by how tense he looked, Raon chuckled.
The apartment was definitely spacious.
The entire top floor was a single residence—reminding Raon of the penthouse he lived in during his past life.
It wasn’t chosen for luxury, though; more likely for security reasons.
There were guards stationed on the floors below, and every part of the home was secured.
Even if a gate were to appear nearby, the building was reinforced to prevent collapse.
A home for just an Esper wouldn’t have needed this level of protection.
But since Raon, a guide, would also be staying here, the country had clearly pulled some strings.
Raon looked around, satisfied.
“Check this out—huge kitchen, right? Could fit ten chefs in here.”
“I’ll be the one cooking anyway.”
“No need to go through all that trouble. We can just call someone in.”
“I don’t want other people coming here.”
“Oh, really?”
Siwoo’s sudden sharpness reminded Raon of a territorial animal.
He hadn’t cared when people entered his old dorm.
‘Is it because it’s a place we’ll live together?’
Raon chuckled to himself and spoke again.
“Come to think of it, I’m hungry. Want to eat something?”
“What do you feel like?”
“They say you’re supposed to eat black bean noodles on moving day.”
“Hmm… jjajangmyeon…”
It must have been his first time trying to make it—Siwoo looked clearly unsure.
Raon couldn’t hold back a laugh at his flustered expression.
“Haha, forget it. We can just order in or eat something else.”
“No, I want to try making it.”
“You really don’t have to.”
Raon tried to dissuade him, but Siwoo’s eyes were already burning with determination.
In the end, Raon gave up.
“If it’s too hard, stop, okay?”
“It’s fine. You go unpack and take a shower first.”
“Alright.”
Watching Siwoo insist with such seriousness, Raon turned away with an affectionate look.
The fact that he wanted to cook something difficult just for them made Raon proud.
‘Even if he messes up, I won’t tease him.’
With that thought, Raon entered his room.
“Hmm. I really don’t have much stuff either.”
He’d called Siwoo’s room barren, but his own situation wasn’t much different.
At the center, it was hard to keep personal belongings—the rules for bringing things in were strict.
He’d never been particularly materialistic, so the standard-issue items provided by the center were enough.
But now that he had a seemingly normal home, it made his heart feel a little… complicated.
“Maybe I should take some pictures.”
Raon, raising his hand, brushed over the empty wall and murmured to himself.
He could hang a painting or some decorations here, but for some reason, he wanted to take a photo.
That way, he could look at it for a long time.
“Hah, look at me, getting all soft and sentimental.”
A photo, seriously?
Raon let out a bitter laugh.
This comfort he felt now was nothing but an illusion—something that would vanish like a mirage soon enough.
With a sigh, Raon pulled items from a box and placed them around the room.
He had secretly gotten rid of most of the real Han Raon’s belongings through the system, since he couldn’t stand the sight of them—so there wasn’t much to unpack.
After quickly finishing the unpacking, he headed into the bathroom connected to his room.
The center had taken care of all the moving arrangements, and yet he still felt oddly worn out.
“Phew…”
After showering, Raon made his way to the kitchen.
He was fully expecting to find Siwoo sulking after messing up the cooking.
Then he’d offer some mild comfort and suggest ordering jajangmyeon instead.
That actually sounded easier—and better.
With that quiet thought, he walked on.
“…Hm?”
But instead of a disaster, a rich, nutty smell filled the living room.
Raon frowned at the sweet scent that felt oddly familiar.
Did he really… cook jajangmyeon?
Not the three-minute instant kind?
Raon quickly picked up his pace.
Then he spotted Siwoo with his back turned, shaking a wok.
“You…”
“Oh, hyung, you’re back? It’s almost done.”
“No, wait—are you…”
“I was watching a tutorial on YouTube, so it took a little longer.”
Siwoo glanced back and said it calmly.
But Raon couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
The thought of jajangmyeon was already gone from his mind—he was too shocked by something else.
His eyes slowly swept over the apron Siwoo was wearing.
It was pink overall, with frilly trim that felt way too much.
It clearly didn’t match Siwoo’s broad frame—yet, weirdly, it didn’t look off at all.
That threw Raon off more than anything.
“…What are you wearing?”
“This?”
Only then did Siwoo seem to notice the apron, glancing down.
He stepped away from the wok and looked at Raon, unsure.
“Does it look weird?”
“…Hmm.”
The problem was that it didn’t look weird.
Maybe it was Siwoo’s face—it just made everything he wore look like it belonged on him.
Raon nodded, accepting it with a strange sense of defeat.
* * *
