110.
Even though he was no longer an Esper, Ryu Ho-yeon was already a hero as the one who had saved humanity. It was obvious how much attention would pour in if he were to reappear. Perhaps people would even point fingers at him, laughing at his changed appearance. As an S-class pair, how many times had Lee Han-seo encountered countless strangers who would applaud him to his face, thanking him for saving them, only to spit and call him unlucky behind his back?
So Choi Jae-won’s concerns and wishes weren’t completely incomprehensible. But there was one thing that bothered him…
“I understand what you’re saying. But do you need to hide him even from the people Ho-yeon originally knew? Let’s say me, Jung-hyuk hyung, and Kim Jun-young are one thing. What about the Research Director?”
When it came to like or dislike, the Research Director was closer to dislike for Lee Han-seo. Even if she was his best friend’s parent, he disliked what he disliked. While struggling desperately to save Ryu Ho-yeon… she had sacrificed too many people. She had done so knowing it wasn’t what Ryu Ho-yeon wanted.
Each time a new success was quietly added to the research for his sake, Ryu Ho-yeon would bite his lip with an expression like he was being strangled. As a good son who couldn’t resent his parents, he couldn’t even say out loud that he wanted to die. He was even ashamed of his own death wish.
Still, setting aside all past rights and wrongs…
“You know well what state the Director has been in since Ho-yeon disappeared.”
The Research Director was Ryu Ho-yeon’s parent. Someone who couldn’t even bury their child who had gone ahead, floating emptily like a living skeleton. Perhaps even more desperately than Choi Jae-won, searching more eagerly than him for traces of Ryu Ho-yeon.
“……”
“……”
The secret to why Choi Jae-won caught traces of Ryu Ho-yeon faster than the Research Director was simple. He had a strong background and wealth that allowed him to extend his information network around the world, while the Research Director did not. That was the only difference.
“What are you talking about, hyung? Secrets can leak from anywhere. Of course, fewer people should know.”
Those pitch-black eyes, without a trace of reflection, looked at his cousin with an innocent smile.
“Hey. Are you seriously saying…!”
“Just look at today.”
“……”
“Because you barged in so crudely, another unnecessary person now knows.”
At that moment, from outside the front door came a loud cry from an unwelcome visitor asking if he could just meet Esper Ryu Ho-yeon once. Lee Han-seo knew the name and face of A-class Healing Esper Song Won-young, even if they weren’t particularly close.
“What are the chances that guy won’t go around blabbing that Ryu Ho-yeon is alive…?”
“Ugh…”
“What should we do? From my perspective, it would be easier to just kill him.”
Choi Jae-won’s eyes remained completely dark as he quietly finished speaking. Lee Han-seo, though reluctant to admit it, felt a chill run down his spine at how suspicious that gaze was.
“Of course, I can’t kill you or Park Woo-jun.”
“What?”
“Tsk, even I can’t do that, impossible.”
As Choi Jae-won clicked his tongue, seemingly genuinely disappointed, Lee Han-seo’s fingertips began to tremble.
“You, you…!!”
Not from fear or terror, but from anger at the arrogance that knew no bounds.
“You arrogant bastard! You think words come cheap?! Hey!! What the hell are you saying? Kill who? Huh?”
With eyes rolled back in anger, Lee Han-seo raised his voice as if spitting fire. His shout was so loud that even Song Won-young’s requests, which had been in the background like faint music, suddenly stopped.
His blind fists swung recklessly through the air. Lee Han-seo jumped up and down in fury, unable to grab his cousin’s hair, who was easily several centimeters taller than him. His small fists were surprisingly painful.
“Go ahead, kill me! Try it, you bastard! Huh? Did you think I’d be scared? You crazy bastard talking to your heavenly brother like that!!”
“Ow, wait, just a moment, hyung, Han-seo hyung!”
Choi Jae-won finally backed down. Though many had forgotten since his retirement and his temperament had become somewhat more generous, Lee Han-seo’s nickname during his active days at the Center was… “the mad dog who doesn’t hold back.”
How difficult it must have been for a Guide, not an Esper, to earn such a nickname—his temper must have been exceptionally fierce.
“Don’t, don’t hit me…!!”
But it seems that nickname ends today.
“Ho-yeon? What are you…”
Lee Han-seo, who had been swinging his fists wildly while spitting fire, stopped in confusion, blinking his eyes. Ryu Ho-yeon, whose ears had perked up at Lee Han-seo’s shouting, had sprung out from the bedroom and stood in front of him, blocking his way.
“Jae-won hyung didn’t do anything wrong. So, please don’t be angry… And don’t hit him.”
With a back even smaller than Lee Han-seo’s, despite no longer being an Esper, he firmly hid Choi Jae-won behind him. As if he could protect Choi Jae-won himself.
Though he knew it wasn’t the right situation, Choi Jae-won’s heart swelled uncontrollably. He was overcome with gratitude and emotion.
“Ho-yeon…”
“Jae-won hyung…”
The two were so immersed in their own feelings that they forgot anyone else was present, lost in their own world.
At that moment, the form of address that had been pricking at Lee Han-seo’s awareness finally registered. He had been hearing it, but with so many things to worry about, he hadn’t properly recognized it.
“Hey. Choi Jae-won.”
“Yes…?”
“What nonsense is this now? Who is it? What hyung?”
“Ah, hyung, that’s…”
“Why is Ryu Ho-yeon, who is five years older than you, calling you ‘Jae-won hyung’?”
“Well…”
“You, you complete con artist!!”
When Lee Han-seo’s voice exploded again, even Ryu Ho-yeon couldn’t stop him. (In fact, Ryu Ho-yeon himself was getting secretly tired of calling Choi Jae-won “hyung” but had no way of showing it, which made it even worse.)
“Honey! Calm down!”
The one trying to stop Lee Han-seo was, of course, Park Woo-jun, who had kicked open the front door.
“There, there, Han-seo. We don’t bite people, honey. Calm down, calm down!”
“Hey, let go! I said let go!!”
Such a dog-like—no, puppy-like adorable lover. Park Woo-jun thought to himself while trying to embrace those fierce hands.
* * *
“Hah… Esper-nim…”
The end of his sigh was filled with hearts, as if by mistake. It was Song Won-young’s voice, who had been allowed to stay on the island like an extra mouth to feed until Choi Jae-won decided what to do with him.
“Where are you looking? Aren’t you concentrating?”
“Ah, it’s not even a serious wound, why are you making such a fuss?”
Surprisingly, his voice was indifferent. Even more surprising considering that until just a few days ago, he had been grinding his teeth, desperately wanting to make Choi Jae-won his pair.
“Hey, Esper Song Won-young.”
“Yes, yes, Guide-nim.”
It wasn’t that Choi Jae-won had suddenly realized Song Won-young’s importance or developed absurd feelings about wanting the attention of someone who had somewhat one-sidedly liked him.
“How… even just lying there, he has such style… ah, so cute…”
The problem was that Song Won-young was sending heart emojis and staring blankly at Ryu Ho-yeon.
Song Won-young was carelessly treating the light scratches on Choi Jae-won’s hands and forearms that had been inflicted by Lee Han-seo, all while unable to take his eyes off Ryu Ho-yeon.
Song Won-young’s obsession with Choi Jae-won was actually an obsession with “the Guide who had been Ryu Ho-yeon’s pair.” After learning that the scarred ordinary person he had knocked down and hadn’t even apologized to was actually Ryu Ho-yeon, his attitude changed completely.
‘Esper-nim, you may not remember, but actually, when I was young… you saved me once. My younger sister and I got caught in a dungeon, and I hadn’t awakened as an Esper yet—even if I had, I wasn’t combat personnel, so I thought we would just die. But like magic, you appeared with a “ta-da” and saved us in an instant. You were so cool.’
Song Won-young would often recite, in a dreamy tone, anecdotes about Ryu Ho-yeon that only he remembered, several times a day.
“Ho-yeon, Ho-yeon! Let’s take the boat out and go fishing! Woo-jun says he’ll slice the sashimi if we catch fish!”
“Honey, Han-seo. You should wear a jacket before going out. The sea breeze is quite chilly.”
“Oh my! Then I want to go too!”
“……”
When had his simple and comfortable island, once home to just him and Ryu Ho-yeon, become so lively? Choi Jae-won’s head was throbbing.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
