* * *
When he said “Our home”… he probably didn’t mean that house—Taehwan’s place I used to run in and out of constantly when we were kids…
“…Your apartment?”
“Yeah. Our home.”
There’s a subtle emphasis there.
Even though he already told me we’d live together, he’s clearly annoyed that I’m still calling his apartment ‘your place’ instead of ‘our home’.
But that’s not really the point right now.
“Is it okay for me to go there? I mean, I’m being chased, remember? What if I end up causing trouble for your place?”
“We’ll figure that out if it happens. Your safety comes first. It’s way safer than the Bureau. Do you know how many people come in and out of that place every day? Besides, I got permission, so don’t worry about it… tch.”
A buzzing sound cut him off.
His phone was vibrating.
Should he be taking calls while driving?
Isn’t that dangerous?
I glanced between the direction of the ringtone and his profile.
“Want me to answer it?”
“No. We’re almost there.”
Now that he mentioned it, the car had noticeably slowed down.
We’d left the main road.
After turning down an alley, Taehwan pulled up in front of a house and pressed something on a remote.
A metal gate in front of the car started to open.
“Whoaaa.”
So cool.
A private garage.
I’ve only ever seen these in movies.
I thought they only existed overseas.
From the quick glance I got outside, the house looked huge.
So it was true he had a spare room.
Honestly, it looked too big for one person—less lonely, more like… desolate.
While I was still busy gawking and taking it all in, Taehwan finished parking quickly and pulled out his phone with a look of boredom.
— Mr. Im Taehwan! Where are you right now? Are you with Jung Jehee?
Han Jihye’s voice came through the phone shortly after he made a call.
She sounded unusually agitated, practically yelling—so loud it filled the car even though the phone wasn’t on speaker.
Taehwan pulled the phone slightly away from his ear, waiting for her to finish before replying.
“I’m with him, and we’ve arrived somewhere safe. No need to worry.”
— Ah, so you got out of the hospital safely. That’s a relief.
Maybe it was Taehwan’s calm tone, but Jihye’s voice started to settle down too.
Still… this might be a problem.
Or at least strange.
Ever since awakening, my hearing’s gotten so sharp I didn’t even need to try to listen—it was like their whole conversation was being played right in my ear.
Was I even supposed to be hearing this?
I fidgeted uncomfortably until Taehwan glanced over, gave a little chuckle, and nodded at me.
Phew. I guess it’s fine.
— So you’re not coming to the Bureau? We are responding on our end, but the rumors are spreading quickly. I’m afraid it’s going to be difficult to contain everything completely. There are lots of concerns, but the most urgent is that unregistered Awakened might target you. For safety’s sake, the Bureau’s protection would be…
“I chose this place because I judged it to be safer. And I have permission to keep him with me.”
— …Understood. That part’s been confirmed.
“Then what’s the problem?”
— …
I could tell what she wanted to say.
Just like the Hunters who guarded us at the hospital, she was probably uncomfortable with a non-combat-type Awakened taking on this level of protection.
It’s not easy to stay calm in this kind of chaos.
But knowing Taehwan, just the doubt might hurt his pride.
If he didn’t ask for help, it meant he was confident in his ability to handle things.
Still, I tensed up, worried they might start arguing again.
I nervously tugged at his sleeve.
“Taehwan… she’s just worried.”
“I know.”
With the hand not holding the phone, he reached over and pressed down gently on my head.
A silent way of saying, ‘I’ve got this’.
…Yeah. He’s got this.
I should trust him.
After a pause, Jihye spoke again, sounding more composed.
— Mr. Im Taehwan, you care deeply for Jung Jehee’s safety. Director Im Jaewoo knows the Hunters well and is not the kind of man to blur the lines between personal and professional judgment.
“Well, that’s true.”
— So I can trust that Jung Jehee will be safe?
“Yes. You can.”
— If you say that much, then I’ll respect your decision. If you need anything, contact us anytime. We’ll do everything we can to resolve this situation.
“I just hope that after this, no more information leaks from within the Bureau and puts my friend out there before he’s ready.”
— We’ll take it to heart. …Aside from that, we’re planning to resume Mr. Jung Jehee’s rank evaluation in the next day or two. Once everything’s prepared, we’ll contact you—please come by promptly.
“…Understood.”
That was the end of the call.
Taehwan hung up and then turned toward me, opening the car door.
“Let’s go inside.”
“…Are you sure we don’t need to go to the Bureau?”
“Yeah. No need.”
“I see…”
I wasn’t sure what exactly he was thinking, but Jihye wasn’t wrong.
Taehwan does care about me.
And the Director, who approved all this, probably knows what he’s doing when it comes to Hunters.
Both of them are satisfied with this setup, so there’s no real reason to doubt it further.
I nodded, but then Taehwan paused in the middle of opening my door and just stared at me.
“…Why do you keep asking? Do you actually want to go there?”
“Huh?”
“If you really want to go… I’ll take you. You’ll still be with me, anyway.”
“Mmm… I could*go, sure.”
Honestly, being mistaken for some powerful S-class Awakened is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience for a regular person like me.
Being treated like some high-profile figure under tight Bureau protection… not exactly bad.
But still…
I wrapped my arms around Taehwan’s neck and looked into his eyes. Then, I smiled brightly—so he wouldn’t worry anymore.
“I’m more curious about your place.”
It’s the place he got after becoming an adult, all on his own.
He’d always come to see me at the hospital, my space.
But I had no idea what his everyday life looked like.
He never really talked about himself, and I was never in a position to ask.
But now, things are different. I want to know more about him.
What kind of space he lives in, how he’s decorated it, whether he’s managing the housework okay…
All those little things.
I want to learn more about my friend.
So yeah, it’s okay. I want to stay wherever he feels is safe.
Hearing that, Taehwan smiled back and picked me up.
Still, despite the warm smile, his voice had a grumbling tone.
“Our home, I said.”
“Yeah. Our home.”
I replied quickly, and that finally earned a satisfied expression as he started walking.
…He probably keeps emphasizing our home so I won’t feel awkward about staying there.
Seriously—what a good friend.
After already looking out for me for 13 years, he’s still willing to do even more.
That’s no small thing.
‘I want to grow up soon too.’
Even if I’m not S-class, that’s okay.
I just want to hurry up and finish the grading evaluation, become not just an adult in body, but a real adult—a proper member of society.
Only then can Taehwan feel at ease and live his own life.
If the house looked stylish from the outside, the inside was even more impressive.
The interior was mostly clean white, accented with warm beige and deep brown tones.
Large windows opened out toward a spacious garden.
Maybe because the homeowner was big-bodied, even the hallways, rooms, and doors were generously sized.
And on top of that, the house had multiple levels.
It looked like something straight out of a movie or drama—my eyes went wide in amazement.
“This is incredible…”
“Think you could live here?”
“Of course! It’s not just livable—it feels like I stepped into a movie.”
“Is that so.”
I remember Taehwan’s childhood home being impressive too, but it was an older building, and I’d seen it since I was little, so it didn’t really shock me.
This place, though—it must be newly built.
Everything was upscale and polished.
It felt like I was peeking into a whole new world.
As I looked around, taking it all in, something caught my attention.
“There’s carpeting?”
“Oh, that…”
Did a new trend start while I was in the hospital—carpets instead of floor heating or boilers?
It wasn’t just in certain areas; the entire floor was meticulously carpeted.
Wouldn’t that be inconvenient?
Hard to clean, too.
It didn’t really match the rest of the interior either, which made it even more surprising.
It didn’t seem like something that was there from the start—it felt added on.
But… was there a specific reason why the carpet had to be there?
“You’re going to fall a lot while you practice walking again, right? With carpet, it’ll hurt less when you do.”
“…Huh?”
Why was he talking about me?
Don’t tell me… did he install all this carpet because of me?
I looked at Taehwan’s face in surprise, but he just responded like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Yeah, I had it installed just for that.”
“Wait, why would you go that far…”
“Why not? If it seems necessary, you do it. I mean, this whole house was built so we could live here together. Compared to that, adding carpet is no big deal.”
“…What?”
* * *
