* * *

In the end, the food was gone before the alcohol was even opened.

With more needed, the inevitable dispute began—typical of Special Team A’s pointless bickering.

“Just order delivery! Why bother going out for ingredients?”

“We don’t need to go shopping. Prepping won’t take long.”

“But you still have to prep! Why can’t we enjoy the civilization we work so hard to protect?”

“Do you plan on feeding Heewoon spicy delivery food so soon after his recovery?”

“I’m fine with delivery food…”

“Hyung, you should sit this one out…”

“Ah, okay, I’ll stay out of it…”

Junseong and Eunsoo were strongly opposed to delivery, but Rex refused to back down, even against the 2-to-1 odds.

His determination was something to behold.

“If the problem with delivery food is the spice and salt, I’ll solve it. Let’s just order something milder,” Elliot said, stepping in and using his connections to resolve the argument.

Finally, peace returned, and we moved on to more casual conversations.

Talk ranged from everyday topics to politics and updates on the Bureau’s internal affairs, but most of the discussion revolved around the past five years.

It was clear they wanted to help me reintegrate into society after my return. I felt nothing but gratitude.

As the meal wound down and the alcohol began to flow, I hesitated before calling everyone’s attention.

“I have something to say. It might sound… a bit absurd.”

This was the main reason I’d organized this gathering.

After wetting my lips with water, I lifted my head, meeting the gazes of those I cherished, and spoke with courage.

“I’m not actually ‘Yang Heewoon.’”

During the half-year I’d spent in Polwel and the brief time I returned to Korea, I had debated whether to say these words.

If I was going to keep living, instead of being terminally ill, I thought I should reveal my identity to those close to me.

But the fact that I knew the future had held me back.

Even though I trusted them not to misuse the information, the moment I spoke, I would lose control over my secret.

In the end, the situation had changed, rendering my worries moot.

I no longer had the upper hand in this world—this was the world after ‘The Genius Guide’s Melancholy’ had concluded.

There was no longer a reason to hide.

“Hyung, what do you mean?”

“Oh, well, Eunsoo, the person you remember as ‘me’ has always been ‘me.’ But…”

The other three knew the real Yang Heewoon.

I’d heard countless comments about how different I’d become.

Now, they looked at me with confusion, trying to pinpoint when the change occurred.

I laid it all out.

Not just the fact that I was a transmigrator, but also about the ‘book.’

I wanted to confess the deception I had committed and apologize sincerely.

I told them about who I truly was, how I felt about them, why I left, and my speculations about what had happened to the real Yang Heewoon.

It was an outlandish story.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if they dismissed it as the ramblings of someone who had miraculously returned from death.

But to my surprise, they listened with serious expressions.

“So… this world is inside a ‘romance novel,’ you said?”

“Whose romance, exactly?”

“Wow, I can only imagine terrible possibilities.”

Though their questions seemed skeptical, all three Espers kept glancing at Eunsoo, as if they already had a suspect in mind.

It made sense—Espers and Guides had unique relationships.

I nodded, confirming their suspicions.

“Unbelievable.”

Eunsoo, who had remained silent the entire time as if the topic had nothing to do with him, finally muttered a single, intense word.

His expression was… terrifying.

Not only Eunsoo but the other Espers also looked equally grim.

…No one needed to know the novel was rated 19+ and contained explicit scenes.

I hadn’t planned to say it anyway, but now I’d be doubly careful not to let it slip.

“We’re definitely not in that kind of relationship.”

“While you were gone, we got closer, but it’s not like that.”

“I know.”

Now, I understood. Even after I’d ‘died’ and five years had passed, the four of them had not entered the relationships described in The Genius Guide’s Melancholy.

I had been foolish.

“…I wanted to apologize for judging you all based on my biases.”

Maybe it was unnecessary.

This world I lived in had already diverged completely from The Genius Guide’s Melancholy.

Perhaps they didn’t need to know.

But just as they had cared for me sincerely, I wanted to stand before them with my true self.

Even if revealing the truth was an act of selfishness, I believed it would strengthen and preserve our bond.

“Back during the ‘Miracle of Early Summer,’ I couldn’t imagine someone like you doing something so audacious. But now it makes sense.”

“Indeed. It feels like a weight has been lifted.”

“If we hadn’t found him, it might have remained a mystery forever. Wow, that’s something I never would’ve imagined.”

“Thank you for trusting us enough to tell us. Junseong, you’re not planning to report this to the Bureau, are you?”

“I won’t.”

“But shouldn’t we investigate this further? There’s no guarantee such a unique situation only happened to Heewoon.”

“Hyung, does Polwel know about you?”

“Well, a little? I didn’t mention the book, though… As for the rest…”

“Then you don’t need to worry. It’s been five years. If they were going to investigate, they would’ve done it already. If the Bureau ever tries to take you away, I’ll knock them all down and fly you out of there.”

“I said I won’t report it! They wouldn’t believe me anyway. It’s not like I know more about the future to gain anything from it.”

“Oh? So if there was something to gain, you’d have reported it?”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”

It seemed my worries had been unfounded.

The four of us were the same as always, bickering over trivial things, moving on to the next issue, and starting over again.

Until I felt my tension melt away, and I laughed out loud. Kindly, as always.

“Right. Then how should we treat you from now on?”

“Just treat me the same as always. As ‘Yang Heewoon.’”

“So we’ll just keep calling you Heewoon, right?”

I nodded.

Even though I had revealed my “past life,” my existence as Yang Heewoon wouldn’t change.

I had no intention of returning to “myself.”

My life ended in my past life, and while I had taken Heewoon’s body, I didn’t want to erase his name or legacy from the world.

My peculiar “origin” continued to serve as a conversation topic during drinks for a while, though the discussions never grew too intense.

As time passed, the focus naturally shifted to other subjects.

‘They’re all such good people.’

I knew they must be curious.

They probably wanted to dig deeper, to interrogate me with more fervor.

Yet, they chose to treat this revelation like any other topic, not wanting to burden me further after such a big confession.

After all, we’d continue to stay together.

They must have believed there’d be plenty of opportunities to satisfy their curiosity later.

That trust helped them hold back now.

Most of all, Eunsoo’s warm face, as he reached under the table to clasp my hand reassuringly, was so endearing and dependable that I couldn’t help but smile happily.

---

Over the past five years, Eunsoo had received various gifts, including rare and extraordinarily expensive liquors, along with the drinks Eliot had belatedly ordered tonight.

Although we sipped each one out of curiosity, we weren’t easily affected by alcohol.

Still, the number of opened bottles quickly piled up, and the sips added up to empty bottles in no time.

Normally, by now, the espers, Eunsoo, or even I would’ve stopped the drinking spree.

But tonight, having made a significant announcement, I was allowed to indulge without much scolding.

They wanted to lighten the load on my mind.

Who knew when I’d get another chance like this?

I decided to enjoy it as much as I could… and the result was predictable.

“Heewoon’s finally out cold.”

“Well, considering how much he drank…”

“Maybe we should’ve stopped him earlier…”

“There’s nothing we could’ve done. Letting him drink tonight was for the best. A little indulgence when you’re happy doesn’t hurt.”

I had tried to pace myself with food and water to stay coherent, but eventually, my body slumped against the table.

My consciousness wavered in and out.

I didn’t want to fall asleep yet… I forced my eyes open, only to see Rex’s autumn-sky-colored eyes staring at me.

“You’re burning up. Heewoon, want to step out for some fresh air with me?”

“Mmm…”

His voice calling my name helped me come to my senses.

Fresh air.

With Rex.

Air…

* * *