* * *

‘No way… Baek Gunho is an S-rank. There’s no way someone as sturdy as him could get hurt in a mere bomb attack.’

But even Uncle, who was A-rank and specialized in body reinforcement, died in a suicide bombing.

Unforeseen accidents could happen anytime.

No, wait, that wasn’t real—Uncle’s death never actually happened.

But still…

The overlapping thoughts made my head throb.

Forcing myself to believe it was a lie, I scoured SNS and awakener-related communities.

On SNS, I found a video someone had filmed.

The moment I hit play, piercing screams and shaky footage filled the screen.

What was immediately visible were someone’s hands and the wreckage of a collapsed building.

Amid the chaotic movements, as the person holding the camera dodged the police, a man drenched in blood being carried away was clearly caught in a corner of the video.

It felt like being struck on the head with a hammer.

In a daze, I played the video again. It was brief, but there was no mistaking it—that was Baek Gunho.

By the time I blankly stared at my phone, the lunch break was over.

I set the phone down and glanced at today’s workload.

My mind was a mess.

The letters on the screen refused to register properly.

There was no way I could focus on work in this state.

Baek Gunho might be bleeding out, dying somewhere, and here I was…

“Heewon, are you okay?”

The team leader, Mr. Joo, called out to me from the side.

I turned toward the voice, and his eyes widened in shock.

“Goodness, look at all that cold sweat. Are you really okay?”

“Are you sure you’re not feeling unwell?”

Even Mr. Choi, seated nearby, looked at me with genuine concern.

“Heewon, if you’re not feeling well, just take the afternoon off and go home.”

“…Can I really?”

“Of course. How could you possibly work like this? You look like even sitting up is a struggle.”

At the team leader’s kind words, I nodded.

“Will you be okay going home on your own?”

“Yes, I’m fine… I’ll manage.”

I forced myself to stand upright, bowed slightly to my worried coworkers, and hurried out of the company to hail a taxi.

There wasn’t much need to deliberate about the destination.

Since the incident was in Seoul, he must’ve been taken to an awakener-exclusive hospital.

“Sir, are you okay?”

“Ah… Yes, I’m fine… fine.”

The driver, seeing my clearly disheveled face, asked with concern.

Not to mention, the fact I was heading to a hospital probably didn’t help.

“I’ll get you there quickly, so try not to worry too much. Things will be alright.”

I covered my face, silently praying that he was right.

The suddenness of the news was driving me mad.

The car arrived at the hospital as quickly as the driver had promised, though every second felt like an eternity.

Judging by the crowd of reporters swarming outside, I’d found the right place.

Still, navigating through the throng to get inside wasn’t going to be easy.

I paced around, searching for an entry point.

But with the area under heavy control, it didn’t seem like they’d just let anyone through.

Should I look for another way in?

Or maybe contact someone—Jung Eunji, or even Uncle?

Given the unexpected attack, Uncle was likely responding to the situation and might already be here…

Just then, someone grabbed my arm.

Startled, I instinctively tried to shake them off, but the firm grip didn’t let go.

“What are you doing here?”

The calm voice belonged to none other than Baek Gunho.

“…”

Unable to form words, I turned to face him.

Though his face was partially obscured by a cap and mask, it was unmistakably Baek Gunho.

Glancing briefly at the reporters, he started pulling me away.

I followed, too stunned to resist.

“H-how… You were hurt—”

“As you can see, I’m fine.”

“But the video, the blood…”

“Oh, I did get a cut on my head… Nothing serious. A bit of potion, and it’s as good as new.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah.”

There were no signs of injury in his casual stride, but my heart refused to calm down.

“Then why… The articles—they all said you were critically injured, being carried off on a stretcher…”

“Well, since it came to this, I thought I’d fake being more hurt than I was. Take a break from dungeon raids and use the time to investigate a few things.”

“…”

“But hey, why didn’t you check your phone?”

“My phone?”

“I tried calling since I figured you’d freak out, but you ignored everything.”

I pulled out my phone.

Missed calls and unread messages filled the screen.

Of course, today of all days, I’d muted it to avoid spam calls and completely forgotten.

“Were you worried?”

His teasing question made something inside me snap.

I had been terrified, and now he was mocking me?

“Of course I was…”

“You know my abilities.”

“But the articles… Everything said you were in critical condition. I thought—”

I should’ve felt relief by now, but instead, my voice trembled uncontrollably.

I’d been tense the entire time, and now, as the tension released, tears spilled like a broken dam.

“Crying again?”

“Shut up…”

He didn’t have to point it out. Watching me for a moment, Baek Gunho tightened his grip on my hand.

“…Come here.”

Baek Gunho led me away, his hand holding mine firmly.

I wiped at my tears as I followed, but they wouldn’t stop flowing.

In the parking lot, he opened the door of an unfamiliar car and pushed me into the back seat.

After making sure I was seated, he climbed in as well.

The door slammed shut, and as soon as it did, he yanked off his mask.

“Heewon.”

His voice was low, almost a whisper, as he leaned over me.

His hands cradled my tear-streaked face, his thumbs gently brushing against the corners of my eyes.

Then, out of nowhere, he lowered his head and kissed me.

“Mm…”

I hadn’t expected this. Not in this situation. Not now.

As he pulled back, Baek Gunho gazed at me, the same intense look he’d had that day when I’d been tormented until sundown.

“Did you know?”

“Know what…”

“You look fucking hot when you cry.”

The timing was so absurd that it left me frozen.

What about crying was supposed to be attractive?

I had always thought Baek Gunho was the last person to say something like that.

Where had he even learned such nonsense?

“Your tears stopped.”

They had, of course.

How could they not?

Before I could recover from my shock, Baek Gunho leaned in again and kissed me.

This time, I didn’t resist.

When his tongue slipped in, I didn’t push it away.

Our tongues entwined and parted repeatedly, his soft touch leaving me dazed.

The sensation of him brushing against the inside of my mouth made my already scattered thoughts even hazier.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled away.

Gasping for air, I realized that if I’d been a normal person, I might’ve actually passed out.

Baek Gunho looked at my flushed face with a mischievous grin.

“You liked it, huh?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Even as I denied it, there was no hiding my body’s reactions.

Baek Gunho chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek.

The affectionate gesture sent my heart racing in a completely different way.

“Should we just date?” he asked.

In that moment, I faltered.

Baek Gunho had precisely targeted my moment of weakness.

‘He’s so good to me anyway, what’s the harm? If it’s Baek Gunho, he’ll take care of everything, right?’

I barely suppressed the part of me trying to rationalize it.

“…No.”

“You’re not budging, huh? I could treat you well.”

His low whisper, unusually gentle, felt dangerous.

Baek Gunho leaned in again, attempting to press his lips to mine.

I turned my head away, avoiding him.

“If I told you I don’t see you as just a friend anymore, would you believe me?”

Baek Gunho murmured.

What did he mean by that?

When I looked at him with confused eyes, he smirked.

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. I want you. I want to date you.”

“…Bullshit.”

“Don’t believe me?”

I nodded.

To Baek Gunho, I had always been just a friend.

It was hard to believe his feelings could have shifted into something romantic in such a short time, especially since Baek Gunho wasn’t the type to be fickle. I glared at him.

“Stop saying things like that.”

“Like what?”

“Stuff about dating or whatever.”

“Why?”

“I already told you, I don’t want to date you. I like being just friends with you.”

“Well, I don’t want to be just friends.”

“Knock it off. I’m trying so hard to give up, but why do you keep messing with my feelings?”

Just because I liked Baek Gunho didn’t mean he had the right to shake me up like this. It felt unfair.

Baek Gunho stared at me as I stood there, looking on the verge of tears, and then he kissed me again.

The kiss was sweet, almost coaxing.

It made me want to cry for a completely different reason than before.

When he finally pulled back, Baek Gunho gazed down at me as though he were admiring his handiwork, then smiled in satisfaction.

“Good. Keep letting me shake you up.”

“…”

“Lately, I’ve been thinking… Half of what I did to protect you was probably obsession. You were too young to realize it, but maybe I’ve been looking at you differently for much longer than you think.”

What was he even saying?

It was such utter nonsense that I had no response.

Yet my heart wouldn’t stop racing at words that somehow felt like a confession.

* * *