* * *
“It’s only been a few days, but why does it feel like forever?”
Jin Seyoung greeted him with a bright smile the moment the door opened.
She waved both hands, revealing a carrier with coffee and a cake box—probably picked up on the way from a café.
“Oh! You didn’t have to bring anything…! Come on in. It’s good to see you, Team Leader.”
“Thanks for inviting me.”
“Haha, well, it’s not even my place. I won’t get scolded by Wonho, right? For inviting the team leader on my own…”
At Jin Seyoung’s words of thanks, Haebom rolled his eyes.
It’s not like he invited just anyone—it was Jin Seyoung.
Wonho probably wouldn’t get mad about that… right?
But still, the unease crept in.
Seeing his conflicted expression, Jin Seyoung reassured him with confidence that there was no way Wonho would get upset.
It felt a bit embarrassing, like Jin Seyoung knew everything about Wonho’s feelings.
Like their whole romantic situation was out in the open for the world to see.
Then again, Jin Seyoung had been managing Wonho closely—of course he’d know.
Haebom stepped aside so Jin Seyoung could come in, closing the door behind them.
It wasn’t his house, but letting someone else into the space he shared with Wonho felt strange.
Still, thinking about how people probably came in and out to check on his condition and administer IVs when he was collapsed… it made sense.
While Jin Seyoung was familiar with Wonho’s home, she hadn’t come inside since Haebom moved in, so the atmosphere felt awkward for her too.
Still, she put on an awkward smile and stepped in naturally.
“You look better. I actually came by when you were passed out, and I saw you at the guide office too. But I was still worried. Wonho insisted I let you rest and strictly told me not to contact you. I couldn’t even reach out. So, thank you for contacting me first.”
“Ah…”
Now it made sense why Jin Seyoung hadn’t reached out.
He hadn’t thought that Wonho would have blocked it behind the scenes.
He’d just assumed she hadn’t contacted him because she was busy helping restore the damaged lab building and dealing with the aftermath.
“Well, part of it is that I’ve been busy. You can rebuild broken buildings, but the data that was lost can’t be recovered. Luckily, we had backups.”
Haebom felt embarrassed.
His face always gave away what he was thinking—it was a real problem.
No wonder Wonho acted however he pleased, even without Haebom confessing anything yet.
“You must be tired. I could’ve just left you alone…”
“No, it’s fine. I kind of ran away just to see you, Haebom. When else would I get a break like this? I brought cake for us to eat together.”
“Thank you. I actually prepared something too. Just a second.”
“Sure, take your time.”
As Jin Seyoung opened the box of cake slices, Haebom jumped up from the sofa.
He headed to the kitchen and brought out the fruits he had prepped earlier.
They were always stocked in the fridge for his health.
He washed and peeled a variety of fruits, arranged them as nicely as he could on a plate, and brought them out to the living room.
He had also planned to serve tea but that wasn’t necessary since she had brought coffee.
“Huh? There’s fruit in this house? Did Wonho buy it? For you?”
Haebom gave an awkward smile and nodded.
Jin Seyoung shook her head, saying she’d never seen Wonho eat fruit since she met him.
Love really changes people, she sighed.
Haebom felt his neck flush with heat and let out a soft groan.
He had to change the subject fast.
“Uh, I actually wanted to continue what we were talking about earlier. There were things left unanswered, and I had questions too.”
“Sure. Last time, I asked if you wanted to go back, right?”
Watching Haebom desperately try to change the topic, Jin Seyoung let out a quiet laugh.
That was the reason she came anyway, so she decided to go along with it.
Once the topic shifted, some color seemed to return to Haebom’s face.
“I want to stay. I want to be by Wonho’s side, help him if I can, and just… be with him. Honestly, I don’t really know about duty as a Guide or anything like that. I just don’t want him to suffer.”
“You’ll be okay? Honestly, I’m someone who really, really hopes you stay. Probably the second person after Wonho who wants that the most… But it’s not just a different region or country—we’re talking about a different dimension.”
Jin Seyoung knew how unfair her question was.
From the very moment she met Haebom, she never had any intention of sending him back.
She’d shoved a contract in his face before even thinking it through.
She knew she didn’t really have the right to ask—but she had to.
She was worried he might regret it later, even if he was sure now.
“Maybe I will regret it. Maybe I’ll look back and regret this choice again and again. There’s always risk in life, but the danger here… it’s on a different scale than in the world I came from.”
Haebom understood her concern.
He had technically died because of Wonho, had seen monsters with his own eyes, faced rampaging espers and felt his life truly threatened.
If he stayed here, there might be even worse dangers ahead.
Sure, the world he came from had traffic accidents and crime—but the frequency had to be much lower than the threats in this one.
“How much do you think Wonho knows?”
Haebom didn’t think Wonho was completely clueless, but he probably didn’t know everything either.
Haebom was waiting for the right time to be honest with him, and knowing how much Wonho already knew mattered.
“Wonho knew from the start that you appeared from inside the gate. He also knows now that the center fabricated your identity.”
“Ah…”
He knew more than expected.
And yet, Wonho had never asked him about any of it.
Maybe at first, it was because he didn’t care.
But now, after saying he liked Haebom, it was probably because he was waiting for Haebom to open up first.
Wonho was more thoughtful than he seemed at a glance.
Thinking back to how aggressive he had been in the beginning, Haebom had expected him to grab him by the collar and demand answers.
Jin Seyoung, seeing Haebom deep in thought, spoke gently.
“Wonho’s been a bit busy lately, right?”
Pulled from his thoughts by her voice, Haebom blinked and nodded.
He was an S-class Esper, so being busy made sense—but thinking about it, he hadn’t been this busy before.
That changed after he confessed his feelings to Haebom.
“I heard he’s planning to enter every gate in the country. There’s a theory that the passageways inside the gates might be related to how you appeared. Since you came from another dimension, there’s a chance those passages connect to it too. But no one knows for sure yet. I figured you’d want to be the one to tell him.”
It was only after discovering a gate passageway that hinted at another dimension that Wonho learned Haebom didn’t officially exist in this world.
After that, he seemed deep in thought.
Now, as he went around entering gate after gate across the country, the reason was clear.
He was afraid Haebom might disappear—just as suddenly as he had appeared.
It was clear that he wanted to prove there was no connection.
* * *
