Kang Chi-yu couldn’t even lift his head, let alone come up with an excuse.
His mouth went bone dry. With Hyun Tae-oh’s hand still resting against his neck, he was terrified the other might feel the frantic thudding of his heartbeat.
There had been a few close calls before—moments where he nearly gave himself away—but he’d always gotten lucky. And Hyun Tae-oh had always seemed so emotionally detached, to the point where Kang sometimes wondered if the guy even had feelings. So even in situations like this…
No—this time was different. He’d never been this blatantly caught blushing before.
“Want me to help you stop blushing? One kiss, and I bet the shock would drain all the red from your face.”
Before Kang Chi-yu could collect his scattered thoughts, Hyun Tae-oh dropped a bomb of a sentence, turning his face beet red in an instant.
“W-W-W-Wh…”
Completely stunned, Kang Chi-yu could only stammer like a broken parrot. As he stood frozen, Hyun Tae-oh moved even closer, his hand now openly caressing Kang Chi-yu’s neck. Leaning in, he whispered right into his ear.
“I read somewhere that when friends are in a pinch, they kiss.”
Read where? What!? In a pinch for what!?
What kind of nonsense had he been reading to come up with this?!
Kang Chi-yu blinked rapidly, eyes wide in disbelief.
Then, with Hyun Tae-oh’s breath teasing his ear, a jolt of stimulation shot through him. Unable to hold back, Kang Chi-yu let out a sound so unfamiliar even he was startled.
“Hhng!”
Startled by his own reaction, he slapped his hand over his mouth.
What the hell was that?! Just from someone breathing near his ear?!
Now he was terrified of what Hyun Tae-oh might think.
“If you go out like this, the cameras are going to catch everything. You sure you’re okay with that?”
Completely unaware of Kang Chi-yu’s panic, Hyun Tae-oh’s gaze lingered brazenly on his face.
Not through a mirror—just staring straight at him. Under that intense gaze, Kang Chi-yu bit his lip without realizing.
Seriously, what the hell had gotten into him? This was a guy who acted like human contact was toxic, and now he was pressing up against him like it was nothing?
In over twenty years of friendship, they’d never had this kind of physical closeness. It was throwing him off completely.
What the hell had happened to Hyun Tae-oh during the two weeks they were apart?
“So, what are you going to do? Want me to help?”
He asked it like he meant it. Like he’d really kiss him right then and there without hesitation.
“…Don’t joke around. What are you even saying right now?”
“I’m saying it because you turned red all of a sudden. Right in front of me.”
Hyun Tae-oh gave a slight shrug, like this was clearly Kang Chi-yu’s fault.
“T-That’s just a physical reaction! It’s not because of you or anything…!”
“Exactly. Which is why I’m offering to help.”
“Say something that actually makes sense.”
“Why doesn’t it?”
His sharp, sculpted features tilted slightly in confusion, like he genuinely didn’t get it. After two decades of friendship, it was unreal how much he felt like a stranger now.
“With that god-tier germophobia of yours, you’re going to rub lips with someone? You?”
“You’re not just someone. You’re you.”
Kang Chi-yu shot him a look that screamed, I know your neuroses inside out, but the response that came back was absurdly confident.
“That’s still—!”
“When were we ever ‘just someone else’ to each other, Chi-yu?”
Hyun Tae-oh leaned in even closer.
Kang Chi-yu inhaled sharply as an unfamiliar thrill spread through his whole body.
“See? You’re blushing, and now it’s messing with me, too. Tell me—how does any of this feel like we’re just strangers?”
Hyun Tae-oh nudged in closer, his body pressing against Kang Chi-yu’s playfully.
“We’re friends.”
That single word dropped like a stone in Kang Chi-yu’s mind, sending every errant thought plummeting.
His body was still overheating, unsure of what to do, but his mind was suddenly calm—eerily, perfectly calm.
“What kind of friend does this? If I weren’t your only friend, people would think you were nuts and toss you in jail.”
“You’re the one who started acting weird in front of your friend.”
“I told you—it’s just a reflex. Just let it go, alright? Don’t say weird shit like kissing.”
“I only brought it up because if you go out there now, the whole world’s going to see how flustered you are on camera.”
“I’ll deal with it. Mind your own business. Worry about yourself. At least I can cover this up if I try. You, on the other hand…”
Focused entirely on the body pressed up against his, Kang Chi-yu mumbled quietly.
Knock knock.
That’s when the knock came at the door.
[Esper Hyun Tae-oh, Guide Kang Chi-yu. The camera setup is complete. We’d like to go over a few details. Are you ready?]
Hyun Tae-oh clicked his tongue and finally stepped back, putting just a little distance between them.
“Please wait a moment,” he called out toward the door, raising his voice slightly. Then he turned back to Kang Chi-yu.
“Well, not much I can do now. Want to sing the national anthem or something?”
His expression was light, even cheerful, as if he bore zero responsibility for the situation and was just genuinely worried about Chi-yu.
Kang Chi-yu had no idea what was going on in this guy’s head.
What the hell did he eat to start acting like this?
He went on and on about being friends, but now he was giving him that look. A look so easy to misread it was almost absurd.
To be fair, it wasn’t like they were used to seeing each other naked or anything. Thanks to Hyun Tae-oh’s lifelong germophobia, they’d never even bathed together as kids. So yeah, this was foreign territory.
He wasn’t the type to make crude jokes, and physical teasing like this just didn’t suit him. At all.
Kang Chi-yu, still dazed by the whole situation, awkwardly averted his eyes from Hyun Tae-oh’s intense gaze.
Why was he looking at him like that? The whole thing felt bizarre. And the more he thought about it, the more it hit him—this had never happened in all their years of knowing each other. It was way too sudden. His head whipped around as he turned to stare at Tae-oh.
Hyun Tae-oh still seemed fixated on Chi-yu’s flushed face, arms crossed, his eyes locked on Chi-yu’s.
That look. That was the problem. That gaze, filled with hunger, like he wanted to devour him.
“Did you eat something weird?” Kang Chi-yu asked, completely serious.
Tae-oh’s eyes slowly lifted, gaze still fixed on him.
His face might’ve looked calm and intellectual, but those eyes were heavy with desire, making Kang Chi-yu’s whole body tense with unease.
The way he was staring at him—like he could pounce at any second—sent a chill down Kang Chi-yu’s spine. He instinctively swallowed hard.
“What?”
“…You’re acting strange today. Doing stuff you never do…”
“Oh. You mean the kissing thing?”
“Well, that too, obviously…”
“You’re the one who acted different first.”
“What did I do…?”
“You ran away from me.”
Tae-oh’s tone was mildly annoyed, his voice edged with disapproval.
“I didn’t run—”
“You sure? You’ve done a lot that says otherwise.”
You moved, changed your number, started avoiding me. If that’s not running away, what is?
Tae-oh’s lips curled slightly with a knowing smirk.
“Anyway, I’ll make sure you pay for all that later. But you’re still red. I’ll head out first—come out when you’ve cooled down a bit.”
With a casual glance, Hyun Tae-oh turned and walked away.
Kang Chi-yu wanted to shout, Worry about yourself, not me! but couldn’t. Tae-oh walked out looking cool and composed, like none of that had even happened.
Still…
What did he mean, “pay later”…?
***
“The cameras will be running 24/7, but you’ll have a chance to review all footage before it goes to editing. So don’t worry—nothing private will be exposed. As clearly outlined in your contract, your personal privacy will be strictly protected.”
The director gestured toward the cameras installed in the living room, guest room, and kitchen as he spoke to Hyun Tae-oh and Kang Chi-yu.
“We’ve also set up the guest room to closely resemble Esper Hyun’s actual bedroom. Any bedroom scenes will be filmed there.”
“Ah, okay.”
Kang Chi-yu nodded reflexively when the director made eye contact, prompting a bright smile and a loud clap.
“Alright, we’re counting on you. From now on, just pretend the cameras and crew aren’t here. Other than attaching the body cams before you enter the Gate, we won’t be bothering you.”
“Got it.”
“Then, we’ll begin.”
No sooner had the director finished speaking than the red lights on the cameras flicked on.
Every camera around them lit up, making it all feel suddenly very real.
“Uh… hmm…”
They were told to act normal, but while Kang Chi-yu had visited Hyun Tae-oh’s house plenty of times, they’d never lived together. He had no idea what to do.
Apparently, neither did Hyun Tae-oh. He just stared at Kang Chi-yu, making no effort to break the awkward silence.
Kang Chi-yu found himself wishing for a sudden emergency dispatch just to escape the moment. Instead, he walked over to the tablet on the living room table.
“You working this afternoon?”
He tapped the screen with his index finger and asked without looking back. Tae-oh sat down beside him, nodding as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Their shoulders touched from how close they were, and Tae-oh casually draped one arm across the back of the sofa.
This wasn’t like him at all. What the hell had happened?
They’d spent hours on this sofa before, but never like this. Never this close. Not once. Seriously—not once.
Kang Chi-yu glanced at him in disbelief, but Hyun Tae-oh didn’t seem bothered at all. His eyes were calmly focused on the tablet in Kang Chi-yu’s hand.
Two weeks apart, and suddenly this? What, did he go through some life-altering moment that cured his germophobia?
Kang Chi-yu’s mouth itched with questions, but with the cameras rolling, all he could do was mouth the words silently.
