* * *
Haebom scrunched his nose and pushed Wonho’s hand away.
“I’m not sick. But… how did I get home? When did your test end? Did everything go well?”
Wonho felt an odd sense of disappointment when Haebom’s soft forehead left his hand.
His brow twitched slightly.
He didn’t like Haebom pushing him away, but… well, it wasn’t like he wouldn’t get another chance to touch him.
“…Yoon Haebom, you walked home. The test went fine. I already told you everything, but you didn’t hear a word, did you?”
Haebom groaned softly.
Sure, he had been lost in thought, but he hadn’t even noticed hearing the test results?
Or walking all the way home?
What he had been thinking about so deeply was the original story.
He had assumed it wasn’t relevant anymore since things had already changed so much.
But no matter how he looked at it, something still didn’t make sense.
Wasn’t Wonho supposed to be in love with Na Hyunjoon, despite the absolute authority of their matching rate?
Then why was Na Hyunjoon acting like… that?
No matter how much he thought about the original novel, he just couldn’t understand it.
Well, it wasn’t like a normal person could understand a lunatic anyway.
“…You’re lost in thought again.”
“Ah, it hurts…! Let go…!”
Wonho’s hand tugging at his cheek made Haebom’s words come out all muffled.
At the sound of pain, Wonho loosened his grip but didn’t remove his hand completely.
He liked the soft, squishy feeling.
It wasn’t hard for Haebom to push Wonho’s hand away once the grip weakened.
Rubbing his now flushed cheek, he glared at Wonho, demanding an explanation.
Walking back home by himself was one thing, but he still needed to hear the test results.
He had been lost in thought for so long that he hadn’t realized how much time had passed, but since Wonho had waited for him, he at least deserved to know.
Looking at Haebom, who was rubbing his cheek and confidently demanding the results, Wonho tried to suppress the smirk threatening to creep up his face.
“Huh? Where are you going? You…!”
Haebom couldn’t hide his surprise when Wonho turned away expressionlessly.
He grabbed the hem of Wonho’s clothes, preventing him from leaving.
But instead of shaking him off, Wonho simply started walking, dragging Haebom along.
Their destination?
The kitchen.
“You’ll hear it while we eat.”
“Okay!”
Haebom had been worried that Wonho wouldn’t tell him anything, but the mention of food immediately made him let go of Wonho’s clothes and head toward the fridge.
Watching his now wrinkled clothes, Wonho felt a strange sense of regret.
He had never been one to dwell on things, even life itself, but this small regret lingered strongly.
“What have you been eating? You….”
Wonho frowned deeply upon seeing that the fridge was still full, just as he had left it before entering the Gate.
Given the convenience of delivery services, there was no need to cook.
It was part of the benefits provided for busy Espers.
There were also cleaning and meal preparation services, but since Wonho didn’t like having strangers in his home, he only had side dishes delivered.
Inside the Gate, there were nutrient capsules that could replace meals, so he never really paid attention to eating properly.
But ever since bringing Haebom into his home and opening his heart, he had made sure the fridge was stocked for him.
Haebom seemed to enjoy eating, yet the fridge remained untouched after several days.
“Huh? I did eat….”
“Eat, my ass. Yoon Haebom, stop wandering around and sit still.”
Caught loitering in front of the fridge, Haebom obediently sat down at Wonho’s command.
Sighing, Wonho quickly set the table and finally shared the test results.
The reason for the test was related to something he had found inside the Gate, just as they had discussed at dawn.
He promised to explain more soon.
Realizing he had been so preoccupied with thoughts about Wonho and their relationship that he had completely forgotten about the Gate, Haebom furrowed his brows.
Noticing this, Wonho reached out and firmly pressed between his brows.
“What were you doing instead of eating? The rice in the cooker is practically dried out. Tch, just eat this for now.”
“Mm….”
Haebom wasn’t sure why he was being scolded, but he quietly nodded and peeled open the instant rice that Wonho had heated.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t eaten; it was just that eating alone in an empty house felt lonely, making it hard to swallow.
Still, he hadn’t completely skipped meals—he had eaten snacks or milk from the convenience store.
But saying that out loud would probably get him scolded again, so he simply scooped a large bite of warm rice into his mouth.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, right? No, that’s impossible. You didn’t receive any guiding.”
His words came out muffled from the food in his mouth, but Wonho understood him perfectly.
He scolded Haebom for talking with his mouth full while placing a cup of water next to him.
In truth, nothing was seriously wrong.
Aside from the strange discovery, the Gate expedition had been relatively uneventful.
Since there were other Espers with them, he hadn’t even needed to use his abilities excessively.
And although Haebom wasn’t aware, he had unconsciously guided Wonho throughout the night.
Of course, the guiding had been minimal since Haebom was unconscious, but even that had affected Wonho intensely.
Not that he could say that out loud.
If Haebom wanted to assume things on his own, so be it.
To be honest, the pain he was experiencing didn’t even compare to what he had endured in the past.
It wasn’t worth worrying about.
“By the way….”
“…What.”
Haebom swallowed his food, hesitated, and glanced at Wonho cautiously.
Seeing his hesitation, Wonho furrowed his brows.
What was he trying so hard to say?
Then, he suddenly remembered Haebom had been with Na Hyunjoon earlier.
Was he about to talk about him?
“Na Hyunjoon….”
“Shit, do you like Na Hyunjoon?”
“Huh? No! What are you even saying?! Na Hyunjoon is a guy! And I’m a guy too!”
The moment Haebom said Na Hyunjoon’s name, Wonho cut him off with an outburst.
Startled by Wonho’s sudden yell, Haebom raised his voice too.
He had no idea why Wonho was jumping to such conclusions, but there was no way in hell he would ever be interested in Na Hyunjoon.
He wasn’t into men!
At Haebom’s words, Wonho scowled.
He had gotten the answer he wanted, but for some reason, he still felt irritated.
“…So if he weren’t a guy, you’d like him?”
“No, of course not! Thinking of Na Hyunjoon as a woman gives me chills….”
Haebom shuddered as if the mere thought disgusted him.
Although Wonho felt even worse, he decided to let it go.
Or at least, he tried. But he couldn’t.
Watching Haebom closely, Wonho noticed his confusion.
“What do you see me as?”
Yes. That was the question Wonho wanted to ask.
If Haebom couldn’t like Na Hyunjoon because he was a man, then what about him?
‘Yoon Haebom, what am I to you?’
He wanted to press him until he got the answer he wanted, but he held back.
Seeing Haebom tilt his head, Wonho clicked his tongue and reached out, setting Haebom’s head straight again.
Haebom didn’t resist, as if it was natural, which only made Wonho frown deeper.
Meanwhile, Haebom was utterly baffled.
First, Wonho asked if he liked Na Hyunjoon, and now he was asking what he saw him as?
What kind of question was that?
* * *
