* * *
“Thank you, Siwoo. I will.”
Raon answered with genuine sincerity.
At that, the corners of Siwoo’s eyes slightly softened.
He looked like he was either relieved… or maybe a little embarrassed.
Either way, Raon didn’t care.
Everything Siwoo did just seemed adorable to him.
As he gently patted Siwoo’s hand in reassurance, Raon discreetly glanced around.
Being near a gate with vehicle access restricted, the pitch-dark road was only filled with the sound of the cool wind.
If they didn’t head back soon, the guards might notice their absence—but it hadn’t taken as long to threaten Yeongho as he’d expected.
So, maybe a little detour wouldn’t hurt.
“Siwoo.”
“Yes, hyung?”
“Wanna do guiding here before we head back?”
“Here?”
Confusion flickered in Siwoo’s eyes.
Guiding… in the car?
As a virgin, there’s no way he’d ever done something like that before.
Raon found himself licking his lips unconsciously.
There was a certain thrill to doing it in a cramped car.
The sense of confinement had its own addictive allure.
Raon never really liked tight spaces himself, but…
Doing it with Siwoo didn’t seem so bad.
No, he was sure it would feel different from anything he’d experienced before.
Raon was confident in that.
“Yeah. Why not?”
“But…”
Whether it was the unfamiliar setting, or the fact that they were outside—or maybe both—Siwoo looked slightly uneasy as he glanced out the window.
Raon gently patted the back of his hand.
“It’s okay. No one’s coming.”
“Still… it might be uncomfortable for you, hyung…”
“It’s not uncomfortable at all.”
“Ugh…”
As Raon let a bit of guiding energy flow through his hand, Siwoo flinched.
Despite having gone through all kinds of guiding, from light touches to deeper levels, Siwoo still reacted so sensitively and got aroused so easily.
And Raon… loved seeing that.
“It’s late, so once we’re home, you’ll need to sleep right away. That’s why we should just do it here, okay?”
“O-Okay. But… we’re not going all the way.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too cramped here. It’ll be uncomfortable for you…”
“Well, sure.”
Raon gave a slight nod to Siwoo’s still-cautious attitude.
He didn’t plan to take those words at face value anyway.
Once they got started, Siwoo would change his mind.
Thinking lightly of it, Raon pulled Siwoo’s hand toward him.
Their distance vanished in an instant.
Raon placed one hand around Siwoo’s neck and kissed him deeply.
Siwoo, who had gotten more used to kissing by now, wrapped his hand softly around the back of Raon’s head.
“Mmh…”
“Haa…”
Wet, sticky sounds filled the car as their tongues met.
The spacious SUV had plenty of room even for two adult men, but the seats being separated made kissing a bit awkward.
At this rate, doing it in the car wouldn’t have the intended effect.
Frowning slightly, Raon shifted his body.
Just as he pulled his tongue from Siwoo’s parted lips, he got up from the driver’s seat.
“Ugh—Hyung!”
“Haa… What?”
Raon laughed slyly as he climbed over to the passenger side and straddled Siwoo.
Siwoo called out in surprise, but Raon didn’t even blink as he leaned in close.
“Now it really feels like we’re doing it in the car.”
“You’re seriously… haah…”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Raon kissed the annoyed Siwoo again.
Quick, noisy pecks landed on his cheeks and lips, like comforting a sulky child.
Even inside the car, Raon looked too comfortable.
It irritated Siwoo—just who had he done this with before?
The thought of Raon doing this with someone else in this kind of setting made his mind burn with jealousy.
But he swallowed that jealousy down, wrapping an arm tightly around Raon’s waist.
Just the thought of someone else being with Raon like this was unbearable.
But right now, it was him kissing Raon.
That was enough—for now—to hold his emotions back.
Siwoo kissed him deeply, letting out a breathless moan.
“Huu… Hyung…”
“Mmh…”
As their rough kisses continued, their hips pressed against each other.
Neither of them hid their arousal as they embraced even tighter.
They shamelessly rubbed their hardened members together through their clothes.
Siwoo had said they shouldn’t go all the way in the car—but unfortunately for him, Raon had no intention of stopping.
Once things got going, Siwoo wouldn’t be able to resist anyway.
Just as Raon slid his hand downward—
Beep-beep!
“……!”
A loud sound came from Raon’s watch.
He flinched in surprise.
“Yes, it’s me.”
– Where are you right now?
“Ah, um…”
Hearing Seokhyun’s sharp voice, Raon gave a sheepish laugh.
It seemed Seokhyun had noticed their absence.
Their little midnight escape had been found out much sooner than expected.
“It was feeling a bit stuffy, so I went for a drive with Siwoo. I’m sorry.”
– I would’ve let you go if you’d just said so. Why disappear without a word?
“Right. I just thought it’d be a short trip, so I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”
Raon made vague excuses, skirting around Seokhyeon’s nagging.
He had purposely kept quiet, intending to erase the whole encounter with Yeongho, but in the end, it was all for nothing.
Raon sighed inwardly.
“Sorryyy. I’ll make sure nothing like this happens again.”
—Fine, just get going already.
“Yep.”
Thankfully, Seokhyeon didn’t press any further.
If he’d sensed something was off and decided to dig into it, he might’ve found out about Raon meeting Yeongho.
But for now, Raon was just relieved to have gotten away with it.
“Ahem, shall we head back then?”
“Yes.”
It was a shame, but Raon figured he wouldn’t be able to do any more guiding in the car.
That disappointed him quite a bit, but on the other hand, Siwoo seemed oddly relieved.
That made Raon pout a little out of pure spite.
The pitch-black car sped down the quiet road in silence.
The next day, the moment he returned to the center, Raon was greeted with some good news.
There had been real progress in Dasom and Jamie’s training.
Dasom had started training at the military medical unit, and her first successful heal had left her beaming with joy.
“Thank you so much, Esper Dasom! I can’t believe even the scar I got when I fell at age seven is completely gone!”
“Hehe.”
The esper who had come in with a leg injury exclaimed in awe, while Dasom laughed shyly beside them.
An S-rank esper’s healing truly was like a miracle cure-all.
“That’s amazing, Esper Dasom.”
“Oh, it’s all thanks to Jay! He taught me so well!”
Dasom spoke with a look of pure trust. Jamie shook his head modestly.
“No, really, it’s all thanks to your natural talent. I didn’t do much at all.”
“Oh, come on, you’re too humble!”
Raon watched the two bicker playfully and finally nodded with a small smile.
“Well done, Esper Dasom.”
“Hehe, thank you!”
“Looks like you’ll be able to enter the Gate without any issues now.”
“Yep! I’m totally ready!”
With her successful healing giving her a new wave of confidence, Dasom pumped her fist enthusiastically.
In contrast, Jamie’s expression darkened for some reason.
“I heard Dasom is the only medical esper on the Special Team. Is that true?”
“Well, yes. Healer espers are extremely rare in Korea.”
“I see…”
Jamie frowned slightly as he looked at Dasom.
He was forcing a smile, but it was clear he was troubled.
Raon, sensing something odd, asked curiously.
“Is something wrong?”
“It’s just… Dasom hasn’t been awakened for very long, and I’m worried. Even for an S-rank, handling that many people on her own won’t be easy.”
“Hm…”
It seemed Jamie had grown quite fond of Dasom over time.
Raon, who was usually sharp about people’s true intentions, couldn’t sense any ulterior motive from him—it seemed genuine.
‘Does he really not have a hidden agenda?’
Unlike Mikhail, who was openly aggressive, Jamie was polite and kind.
But that could just be a front.
It was impossible to know what he was really thinking underneath.
Especially with espers from other countries—you had to be cautious.
“Then Jay, do you want to go in with me?”
“Huh?”
Not just Jamie, even Raon was startled by Dasom’s bright suggestion.
But Dasom herself just smiled innocently.
“I get a little scared going in alone… I think I’d feel better if you came with me, Jay.”
“Oh…”
Jamie reacted unexpectedly.
He glanced over at Raon, the team leader, as if seeking approval.
“Would that really be okay?”
“Hmm…”
To be honest, Raon had only considered sending Mikhail into the next irregular Gate, since he was combat-ready.
But if Jamie could lend a hand too, that wasn’t a bad thing.
The higher the contribution from the allied side, the more likely upper management would complain about sharing gate spoils—but that wasn’t Raon’s problem.
“If Esper Jamie is willing, then I’d appreciate the help.”
“Alright, then I’ll join you.”
“Yay!”
Dasom cheered as Jamie agreed.
Raon simply watched them with a satisfied expression.
‘Well, nothing bad should happen.’
In the previous timeline, Jamie and Mikhail didn’t have any hidden motives.
Back then, the irregular Gate in Korea had to be stopped at all costs, or the entire world would’ve suffered.
They were too desperate to scheme.
But now, with things far more relaxed than before, Raon found himself constantly doubting.
The uneasy feeling still lingered, but Raon tried to reassure himself—it would be okay.
* * *
