“Please make it so that bastard can never get an erection for the rest of his life. And expose everything he did to me—every last detail. For all the pain he caused me… at least let me let go of my resentment that way.”
Though a smile lingered on his face, his voice was icy cold. His heart had always trembled helplessly whenever he stood in front of Kang Min.
But now, it was quiet. Maybe it had been so long since he had a body that he’d simply forgotten the feeling of a beating heart.
Whatever the reason, Lee Haru felt that he could finally, truly let go of his lingering attachment to Kang Min.
The last thing he saw was Kim Min-hyeok staring at him with a twisted expression, like he was about to cry.
Min-hyeok…
He was such a gentle man. Even after being dragged into this unfamiliar, cruel world and suffering because of him, he still looked at him with nothing but pity and compassion.
As if he, too, sensed the parting that was about to come.
“Take care. Be happier than anyone else—for both our sakes.”
He meant it. He wished that Kim Min-hyeok and Yu Je-hyun would never end up like him and Kang Min, missing each other endlessly. He hoped they would grow old together, their hair turning white, as a truly happy couple.
A sensation unlike death settled over his body. Unlike when he had first entered this vessel, now it felt like he was being pulled somewhere else.
He saw Kim Min-hyeok’s eyes go wide with shock. As Haru’s soul departed, Kim Min-hyeok was drawn into the now-vacant body.
“…Huh.”
Now in Haru’s form, he blinked, dazed, staring at the vanishing soul—clearly unfamiliar with the sight of a disembodied spirit.
Tears clung to his wide eyes, then streamed down his cheeks. It wasn’t as lonely as he had feared—not with someone who truly recognized his end and mourned it from the heart.
Goodbye.
He offered the farewell—words that couldn’t be heard—and Kim Min-hyeok, startled, reached out toward him. But his hand passed right through.
A bright light poured down from behind. Instinctively, he knew: that was where he was meant to go.
Maybe this time, he really would be able to forget everything and start a new life. Or maybe, despite his hope, nothing would be waiting at the end.
Either way, he wasn’t afraid. After all the pain of this life, he felt sure he could handle whatever came next.
“Haru!”
Now in Haru’s body, Kim Min-hyeok called out desperately to the vanishing soul—but it had already disappeared completely.
“Lee Haru, what the hell are you talking about?”
Yu Je-hyun grabbed Haru’s arm. Watching him reach out into the empty air while calling his own name had made him seem dangerously unwell.
Haru bit his lip hard, unable to say anything for a long moment. Yu Je-hyun pulled the trembling man into his arms.
Tears soaked into his collarbone, hot and heavy. Kang Min just stood there, silently watching the two.
***
“Stop groaning like a dog that needs to take a shit. If you’ve got something to say, then say it. Whatever it is, I’m ready to hear it.”
Yu Je-hyun gave Haru, who kept sneaking glances at him, a kind smile as serene as a Buddha.
The two of them were alone in a private hospital room. After the events at Baeksong University had finally come to a close, Hong Seong-jun had been dragged to Association Headquarters by Kang Min.
Once all his crimes came to light, Hong Seong-jun was imprisoned in a facility meant for only the most dangerous Ability Users.
As an S-rank Esper, his body had been restrained with numerous sealing artifacts designed to suppress his power.
He was sentenced to a term so long he would never leave alive. The trial was public, and the courtroom had been packed. The moment the judge’s gavel fell, a wave of jeers and curses poured down on him.
Kang Min’s blood still lay dormant within him, preventing escape even without the sealing artifacts.
Kang Min had deliberately left the damage to Hong Seong-jun’s groin—where Haru had stomped him—untreated. As a result, the man’s cell echoed day and night with agonized moans.
“Kang Min, you son of a bitch…!”
Next came the Association President. Kang Min kept his promise to Zero.
Using the power of his family, he acted swiftly before the President could stop him. On live television, he exposed the crimes committed by the President and the other first-generation Ability Users, broadcasting them across the nation in real-time.
The President tried to shut down the broadcasts once he realized what was happening, but by then, the footage had already gone viral across Korea—and the world—through social media.
Public opinion was brutal. The moment the once-untouchable President showed weakness, people tore him apart without hesitation.
Victims like Zero, who had been suffering in silence for years, stepped forward and raised their voices. The one leading their movement was an elderly man with one arm.
Eventually, the Association President, the Esper Center Director, and the Guide Center Director were all imprisoned alongside Hong Seong-jun.
Countless others who had participated in experiments on first-generation Ability Users were also dragged into court so frequently that the courthouse steps were worn down.
Just like that, a massive hole was torn into South Korea’s power structure.
The world took notice. The fact that even S-rank Ability Users were being punished for their crimes drew global attention. But some feared it would weaken South Korea’s national strength.
Because of that, Yu Je-hyun and Kang Min had to work even harder than before. Especially Yu Je-hyun, who had once only been tasked with dungeon clearing, but now also had to shoulder administrative responsibilities.
As a result, he barely got more than two hours of sleep a day just to make time to visit Lee Haru in the hospital.
There were so many things they needed to talk about. He had to confirm whether what he suspected was really true.
But Lee Haru still couldn’t bring himself to say it. Every time Yu Je-hyun visited, he’d glance over as if there was something important he wanted to share, but then he’d talk about ordinary things like nothing was on his mind.
It stung to think that he still hadn’t earned Haru’s full trust—but he held back. If he pushed too hard, Haru might retreat just as quickly as he’d found the courage to speak. But today, Yu Je-hyun was determined to hear whatever Haru had to say.
“Back at Baeksong University…”
“Yeah?”
After fidgeting with his fingers for a long time, Haru finally opened his mouth. Yu Je-hyun clenched his fists to stop himself from cheering aloud.
“When I changed partway through… did you really feel it?”
“Yeah. You were completely different.”
“…Really?”
“Even if I was tumbling from 100 meters away, I’d still know—it wasn’t you.”
Yu Je-hyun spoke without the slightest tremor in his voice. His conviction had only grown stronger with time.
“…I’m not Lee Haru.”
And yet, when Haru finally revealed the truth, something twisted inside him. He’d suspected it all along, but now that it was said aloud, the reality hit a little harder.
Because if he wasn’t Haru… then who was he? Yu Je-hyun hadn’t the faintest idea.
“That doesn’t matter. I didn’t fall for you because you were Lee Haru. I liked you because you’re you. Whoever you are, that doesn’t change how I feel.”
But in this moment, Yu Je-hyun knew exactly what Haru needed to hear. And as he spoke, the shadow on Haru’s face began to fade.
“So if you were worried I’d change how I feel… don’t be. As long as you don’t leave me, I have no reason to leave you.”
He gently took Haru’s hand. Haru responded with a firm squeeze.
Yu Je-hyun didn’t need to say more. The steady gaze he fixed on Haru said everything.
Haru had always known he would need to tell him the truth someday. There had been plenty of chances—but he’d let them pass, too afraid to speak.
If he didn’t say it now, he might never get the chance again. And even after learning he wasn’t Haru, Yu Je-hyun had said it didn’t matter.
“My real name is Kim Min-hyeok. I lived in a world without Ability Users or monsters… and I died there. In a car accident.”
Yu Je-hyun’s grip tightened. When Haru looked up at him in surprise, he gave a small, sheepish smile.
“I figured it must’ve hurt. It wasn’t just a fender bender, was it? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.”
The warmth in his voice nearly undid him. He could’ve been laughed off as delusional—but instead, Yu Je-hyun had believed him instantly. Haru’s eyes welled up.
“…I probably died there.”
Even if his body was still hooked up to life support, only the shell remained. His soul was here.
“And… my real face is pretty different from this one.”
As he said it, he couldn’t help glancing at Yu Je-hyun again. Yu Je-hyun narrowed his eyes, studying him from top to bottom.
“How different? I can’t even picture it.”
Haru hesitated, unsure how to explain. The best way would’ve been to show him a photo, but that was impossible now.
It had been a long time since he’d even visualized his own face.
“I looked more masculine. My skin was darker, my eyelids were almost monolid, my build was taller, stronger… My arms and thighs were bulkier than this body’s.”
As he described himself from memory, Yu Je-hyun tilted his head, thoughtful. Haru swallowed nervously.
Maybe he should’ve added something like “I was still good-looking, though.” He wasn’t as beautiful as this body, but no one had ever called him ugly.
Suddenly, Yu Je-hyun reached out. The gentle warmth that brushed his crown made Haru blink.
“I bet you’d still look cute to me. Your voice, your expressions, the way you talk—those wouldn’t change.”
Haru’s ears turned bright red. He felt like his whole body was heating up.
“What should I call you?”
“You really… believe everything I’ve said?”
“I do. What, you think I’ve never been lied to before?”
Yu Je-hyun lightly pinched Haru’s cheek. Haru rubbed the spot, staring up at him.
There was no hesitation in Yu Je-hyun’s eyes. Haru tugged the hand he was holding a little closer.
It was a weak pull, but Yu Je-hyun let himself be drawn in without resistance. As their faces came closer, Haru shut his eyes without hesitation.
Soft lips pressed gently against his. When Haru slipped his tongue forward, Yu Je-hyun welcomed it without hesitation. At first, his tongue moved carefully—but soon, it responded with growing intensity.
As their tongues moved together, Haru gripped Yu Je-hyun’s shoulders. Yu Je-hyun took Haru’s wrist and placed it around his neck.
Haru wrapped his arms around him—and the space between their lips disappeared.
He could breathe through his nose now. Even so, there were moments where the lack of air made him pull back slightly.
But every time he did, Yu Je-hyun followed, catching every last breath with lips that refused to part.
Their kiss grew slick with shared warmth. When Haru’s lips began to feel swollen from the heat, Yu Je-hyun finally pulled away.
Haa… Haru exhaled shakily. Yu Je-hyun pressed kisses to his flushed cheeks, each one loud and tender.
“Whatever you want, I’ll do it. If you want me to call you by your real name, I will. If not, I’ll keep calling you Lee Haru.”
He still remembered the moment he realized Haru had changed. Even now, he was sure—if Haru appeared in his original body, he’d recognize him instantly.
At those words, Haru hesitated. Since that day, no matter how many times he called the body’s original owner, there had been no answer.
Even rubbing the ring until it gleamed made no difference. He was really gone.
His last words echoed in Haru’s mind—the wish for Haru to be happy, even for his share.
“…Please call me Lee Haru.”
“Alright. Haru.”
“…”
Hearing his name spoken so warmly—without the surname, without hesitation—made his already hot cheeks burn even more.
Embarrassed, he turned away—but warm hands cupped his face.
Their gazes tangled at close range. His stomach flipped. The kiss had left his tongue tingling, and saliva quickly pooled beneath it.
When a low sound escaped his throat, Yu Je-hyun playfully bumped their noses together and smiled.
That dazzling grin, with his long eyes creased in joy, made Haru’s heart race wildly.
“Thank you for coming into my life. For feeling the same way I do. For telling me the truth, even when it was hard.”
The man who once stared at him with eyes full of hostility now looked at him like he was the sweetest thing in the world.
The change was so stark that Haru closed his eyes again. This time, Yu Je-hyun leaned in first.
The warmth that brushed his lips was sweet enough to melt his expression.
Just as the original owner had wished—an unending happy ending was unfolding before his eyes.
[End of Main Story]
