“Looks like you two had a pretty serious talk.”
“Yeah, you could say that. A deep conversation… about what’s next for us.”
Rion replied with an awkward laugh. Jin-ha, shifting his gaze between Rion and Yu-won, wore a look full of curiosity and amusement.
“You said you’d never trust him again.”
“This is really the last time. No, wait—scratch that. I’m the hyung and the sunbae here. I can’t just give up like that.”
Rion looked over at Yu-won, who was currently surrounded by the others. Whether he really meant what he said about making an effort, Yu-won was surprisingly receptive, patiently responding to the nonsense being thrown at him.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. We really just talked for a bit. More importantly, you can stop speaking so formally.”
“Huh? Wh-what?”
“I’m the youngest here, and I’m your junior too, so I think it’d be easier for you to talk to me more casually.”
Yu-won’s words left the team visibly stunned. They turned to Rion, then back to Yu-won, faces a mix of disbelief and confusion.
The most dramatic reaction came from Joo-chan. Eyes wide like something horrible had happened, he practically shouted,
“Rion-sunbae! You didn’t bully Yu-won or anything, right?!”
“Hey, hey. The way you say that makes it sound like Yu-won’s some kind of victim.”
Luckily, Seo-ha, who hadn’t lost all reason, jabbed Joo-chan in the side, warning him to cut it out. Joo-chan, realizing he was going overboard, quickly dialed it back.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant… It just caught me off guard, hearing him say something like that out of nowhere…”
“It’s fine. It’s true that I hadn’t really paid attention to stuff like that before.”
“Exactly. He’s trying to get along better now, so what’s the point of making him feel awkward? Honestly, you’d think Yu-won used to torment us or something. It’s not like we weren’t already on decent terms—we just hadn’t dropped the formalities.”
Tae-hwan chuckled as he lightened the mood. Looking oddly pleased with himself, he gave Rion a big thumbs-up.
While everyone else was focused on chatting with Yu-won, Jin-ha—who was standing right next to Rion—caught that little moment and watched it unfold.
Ah… so that’s what happened.
He seemed to piece it together pretty quickly. With a knowing grin, Jin-ha commented,
“Well, it’s good if you guys are getting along. Though… I guess it’s a bit boring now.”
“What’s boring?”
“There are some things that are just fun to watch. But never mind—doesn’t seem like anyone’s figured it out yet… so maybe it’ll be fun in a different way.”
Rion tilted his head, clearly confused by the cryptic remark. He looked like he wanted an explanation, but Jin-ha had no intention of spoiling his amusement just yet.
“Se—cret.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t piss me off.”
“Wait, wait! Don’t you think this is kinda low?”
“Alright, enough. Even if your matching Guide is right next to you, conserve your energy, will you?”
As Rion, irritated by Jin-ha’s teasing, tried to flip him in the air with his ability, Hyeon-seo stepped in to scold him, and Rion reluctantly set Jin-ha back on the ground.
“Let’s treat tonight as our final break. Remember—once we’re within range, anything could happen. Don’t forget that.”
Hyeon-seo calmed the room with her composed voice. Just as she said, the team had studied hard and received intensive briefings about foreign S-rank Gates before entering this one.
“Everyone needs to keep themselves safe. Don’t let your guard down for even a second. Stay alert, got it?”
“Yes.”
“Got it!”
Hyeon-seo’s expression turned even more serious.
“Guides especially—we’ll do our best to protect you, but in a place like this, things can change in an instant. There might be moments where it’s hard to grasp the situation right away.”
The mood grew heavy. In normal Gates, at least one Esper would stay behind to protect the Guides at all times. But that rule didn’t apply in S-rank Gates.
Every individual’s combat power was crucial. This time, they simply couldn’t afford to leave anyone behind.
“Here. Take this.”
Hyeon-seo handed each Guide a piece of metal she had shaped with her ability. They had trained for emergencies, but holding the object in their hands made it feel painfully real.
“I’d love to say don’t be scared, but… I think we all should be afraid this time. But if we can endure this, we’ll be able to save lives. So hang in there—just a little longer—and give it your all.”
“Yes.”
“Yeah!”
The team responded one by one, their voices full of resolve.
Good. I’m glad we got that talk out of the way before things got serious.
Rion nodded to himself. He had a really good feeling this time. At the very least, he felt like he could get through the next stretch without letting things with Yu-won stress him out.
But, as always… Rion’s gut instinct wasn’t particularly reliable.
***
“Thanks.”
Yu-won really did seem like a completely different person. Sure, he’d always gotten along with the others—his cold attitude was usually reserved just for Rion—but today, his politeness was off the charts.
“It’s nothing. Really.”
With a gentle smile, Yu-won handed Seo-ha a beautifully cut piece of fruit. His naturally handsome face paired with that soft expression… It sparkled enough to make anyone fall for him.
“…They say when someone suddenly changes, it means they’re about to die.”
“Maybe we’re the ones who are gonna die. We’ll be in range by tomorrow, right? Maybe… he’s just being nice before we all die.”
“Could you not say terrifying stuff like that…?”
Min-hyeon shivered, clearly creeped out just by the thought. Given how jumpy he already was, this wasn’t something he could take as a joke.
“Do you want some too, noona? I thought I saw you eyeing it earlier.”
“Oh? Uh… yeah, thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
Seo-ha’s heart gave a tiny flutter at Yu-won’s soft tone. Blushing slightly, she accepted the fruit.
I always thought he was good-looking, but now he’s being nice too… he’s seriously perfect…
“If you want more, just say so. Leader said we should rest and eat well tonight.”
Yu-won smiled as he spoke—like an oasis in the middle of a desert. They say a beautiful face can make you forget exhaustion.
Seo-ha found herself grinning unconsciously while staring at Yu-won. Then a sharp comment from behind snapped her out of it.
“Careful. Your cheeks are about to split from smiling so hard.”
“W-what kind of nonsense is that?”
Joo-chan, who had clearly been watching in annoyance, jumped in to stir the pot. Seo-ha waved her hands in denial, flustered.
“Come on, it’s obvious. That dazed look on your face—so you do like young, handsome guys.”
“That’s not it, and even if it were, what’s it to you?”
“Still, I am your oppa. Don’t act like—”
“Then act like one. Thanks for the fruit, Yu-won. Don’t give any to this guy. What’s so cute about him, hmph.”
Turning away with a huff, Seo-ha lightly kicked Joo-chan in the shin. And while his comment wasn’t completely unfounded…
“His smile’s got serious destructive power.”
“You’re saying weird stuff again…”
Yu-won, famous for rarely showing any emotion, was smiling and chatting with everyone. It was a welcome change—but undeniably awkward.
Actually, it might be more than awkward. It might be a problem.
“They say people are more likely to fall in love when they feel like their life is in danger.”
“That’s not it. It’s just that after seeing your face every day, looking at someone actually good-looking is a bit of a shock to the system.”
“Still, it’s nice to see. That face is already gorgeous, and now he’s smiling so sweetly too? What’s not to like?”
“And he’s so kind. Sure, he’s always helped us out, but there used to be a wall. Today, he’s the one starting conversations, comforting us, saying thanks…”
Yu-won’s change became the talk of the team within just a few hours. In this boring, uneventful S-rank Gate, it was the most interesting thing to happen.
“I like it. I mean, I went from being ‘sunbae-nim’ to ‘noona’—kind of makes me feel proud.”
“He even calls me ‘hyung’ now. Makes me feel like we’re really close.”
“Even if he’s younger, his vibe made it hard to talk casually before. But maybe we were the ones projecting our own assumptions onto him.”
“Yeah. After spending time together, you realize… he’s just a super shy twenty-year-old guy.”
It was almost shocking how fast public opinion changed in just a few hours. Even Rion hadn’t seen that coming.
If I’d known one conversation would make this much difference… maybe we should’ve talked sooner, instead of fighting all the time.
It wasn’t their first conversation, of course, but today’s approach had been different. It finally felt like he’d found the right answer.
But… buried under the satisfaction was an odd, lingering discomfort.
“Yu-won, you eat too. This bastard Joo-chan’s a human torch—he’s amazing at grilling meat.”
“Thank you.”
“Good, right?”
“Yes, it’s delicious. You could honestly switch careers.”
“No way! We’ve got an Esper shortage right now.”
Yu-won sat among them, laughing naturally, fitting in perfectly.
But watching that smile—one he’d thought only he got to see—become something everyone got to enjoy, and in less than a day…
Rion couldn’t say it felt all that good.
