# Chapter 28
“Huh, huff.”
Dojoon rushed through the wide-open door and bent over, breathing heavily. His face was bright red, looking exhausted just from a glance.
“What’s with you? Did you fly here or something?”
Even if he had taken the elevator, he couldn’t have been this fast. Somehow, Dojoon had run up the stairs until he was completely out of breath.
“How did you know I was here?”
“Haa, that, huff.”
“Is it Dorim? Don’t tell me you left her alone?”
“Put up a protective barrier. Haa…”
Jaeha frowned at Dojoon’s breathless answer.
“Hey, you shouldn’t leave her alone no matter what. Go back and take care of Dorim first.”
“Phew, it’s okay. She’s safe.”
Jaeha felt uncomfortable that Dojoon had come looking for him when normally he would have prioritized Dorim. He tried to twist his body to get rid of the hot sticky feeling on his back while also checking Dojoon’s condition. He was reasonably suspicious that people might change when they get superpowers.
“You there, get away from Jaeha.”
Dojoon, his breathing now steady, immediately approached Jaeha and Jiho. His intensity was so strong that Jaeha instinctively raised his hands. Seeing Dojoon pause, Jaeha quickly explained.
“Today must be special. This is Ga… no, Kyun Jiho, a junior from our department. You probably know him.”
“Ah. Gaeho. So? Why is he here?”
Despite Jaeha giving his real name, Dojoon casually mentioned Jiho’s nickname. Jiho, who heard this, playfully rubbed his face against Jaeha’s neck.
“It’s because Jaeha Sunbae seduced me and then abandoned me.”
“What? Who seduced who? Let go of me and back off!”
Jaeha reasonably suspected this guy had lost his mind too. He pounded on Jiho’s arms wrapped around his waist and shoulders, but Jiho didn’t budge.
“Actually, I was worried and came to check on you. With bombs going off here and there today, I wanted to make sure you were okay… and I found another bomb going off right here.”
The explosion hadn’t been that large, but they were close enough that they could have been hurt. If it weren’t for Jiho, they probably wouldn’t have been in such good shape.
Dojoon seemed to realize this too, as his guard against Jiho lowered somewhat. Jaeha’s hand, which had been pounding Jiho, quietly stopped, but he still found the hot body temperature sticking to his entire back unpleasant.
“I’m grateful you saved me, but the gratitude is about to turn into disgust. Please get off me now.”
“Sunbae, your other girlfriends usually give me thank-you kisses.”
“Yeah, great. Go get more from your girlfriends. Why don’t we just shake hands and separate?”
It was a great effort on Jaeha’s part to respond calmly, holding back the curses that wanted to burst out. He leaned forward to get away from Jiho and reached out to Dojoon who was standing in front of him. Dojoon, accustomed to giving and receiving help, tried to grab Jaeha’s arm to pull him up. But instead of letting go, Jiho hugged Jaeha even tighter.
“Jaeha Sunbae, if you keep playing hard to get, I might get serious.”
“Ack! Please! Save those lines for your girlfriend candidates!”
“No matter how much they call you Gaeho, if you flirt with just anyone, you really are a dog.”
Jaeha, with his arm locked with Dojoon’s, was still having trouble breathing because Jiho wouldn’t let go of his waist.
“Kyun Jiho, thanks for helping Jaeha, but how about leaving now?”
“Joo Dojoon Sunbae, you’re not Jaeha Sunbae’s representative, so it’s not great for you to interfere.”
“As you can see, we have difficult things to deal with and need to rest. Would you please let go of that arm?”
“I’ll take good care of him, so Sunbae, why don’t you let go of his hand?”
Jaeha’s fatigue hit extreme levels due to the two people bickering with him in the middle. His energy drained as if his spirit was being sucked out.
“Hey, guys. Why don’t you both let go of me first?”
Although there had been several incidents throughout the day, he felt unusually tired. He wanted to go home and rest quickly, but Kyun Jiho who suddenly appeared was suspiciously clingy, and even Dojoon who was trying to help was excessively in contact with him.
“He needs to let go first.”
“Sunbae should let go first. A potential lover should be closer than a friend.”
“Ah, come on! Let go! I’m dying here!”
Jaeha sincerely snapped at Jiho who had helped him, and then immediately regretted it. Contrary to his worry, Jiho was quick to recognize boundaries. When Jiho’s arms around his waist loosened, Jaeha was pulled towards Dojoon, who had been gripping his arm firmly but gently. In the end, he had merely moved from Jiho’s embrace to Dojoon’s.
Still, Dojoon’s straightforward hold was much more comfortable than Jiho’s clingy, sweet-perfumed rubbing. Perhaps that’s why he felt less tired than when both were holding onto him.
“Jiho, I don’t know how you suddenly appeared…”
“I told you, I came because I missed you, Jaeha Sunbae.”
“Skip the flirty lines. I have a real question about something else.”
Jiho’s eyes sparkled distinctly as he waited for the question. His focused attention actually made it awkward to ask. Even if he asked about the sudden situation where people around him became superpower users who could blow people up, create protective barriers, or fly through the air, would Jiho know the answer?
While Jaeha was just moving his lips trying to choose his question, Jiho spoke first with a relaxed smile.
“I wasn’t bitten by a spider, nor exposed to radiation. My mother isn’t an alien either. Also…”
“Not that. You saw the black cracks too, right?”
“So you saw them too, Sunbae.”
“I did. I was thinking those might be related to the superpowers you guys developed.”
“I think so too. We really do understand each other.”
“Oh, is that so? Dojoon here probably thinks the same, so it’s a love triangle.”
When Jaeha tried to include Dojoon, who was trying to stay out of it, Jiho unexpectedly accepted it readily.
“Aha. Getting between childhood friend couples is quite stimulating.”
“What the f…”
The casual remark Jaeha had thrown at the constantly flirting Jiho came back like a bomb.
Jaeha’s mental state instantly collapsed after giving a penny and receiving a pound. In contrast, Jiho nodded lightly with dimples showing as he smiled.
“Interesting. I’ve never seen a girlfriend two-timing before. Having my first boyfriend brings new experiences, which is fun.”
“…I was wrong, so please stop.”
“Stop? Sunbae, are you ghosting me now?”
“Seriously, what nonsense are you talking about?!”
Despite Jaeha’s disgusted reaction, Jiho steadfastly maintained his position.
“Well, you captured my stomach with your cooking skills. I’m completely fallen for the food you brought me.”
“If that’s the case, I’ve fed him a lot too!”
“Sunbae, you’re such a player… We really do match well.”
“Argh! No, we don’t!”
Jaeha felt like he was going crazy at Jiho’s shameless attitude that absolutely wouldn’t back down.
“Jaeha, I think you’re giving too much to everyone.”
Jaeha was genuinely dumbfounded by Dojoon’s serious response.
He wondered why Dojoon would say such a thing now when he hadn’t said anything when Jaeha was giving food to Youngwoo. Besides, Dojoon had received the most food.
“Sunbae, would you like to come to my house now? I’ll prepare the ingredients.”
“As expected from Gaeho, you’re obsessed with food.”
“No, Dojoon, you’re not the type to mock people with nicknames. Why are you acting like this today?”
There had been many difficult things today. Maybe that’s why Dojoon was showing such a sharp reaction. Youngwoo suddenly appearing and throwing bombs, while Dojoon was struggling to protect him and Dorim. When Jaeha’s thoughts reached this point, he suddenly realized Dorim’s absence again.
“Oh no, Dorim!”
“Ah.”
“How can you leave her alone and talk nonsense, you thoughtless Oppa!”
When Jaeha, held by Dojoon, pounded his head against Dojoon’s shoulders and chest, Dojoon also seemed flustered and tried to move.
“Let go, let me go.”
Clearly Dojoon wasn’t in his right mind either, as he tried to move while still holding onto Jaeha, causing their steps to tangle. Now that Jaeha looked, Dojoon’s legs seemed a bit weak too. It showed he had overexerted himself running up a dozen floors at once.
As Jaeha was about to pass through the rooftop door, he blinked when he felt someone gently grabbing his arm. With just that, the scenery changed and they arrived at the first floor. It was as if they had just come up from the first floor to the rooftop a moment ago.
Jaeha was about to ask if this was Jiho’s ability when he spotted Dorim crouching in a corner of the first floor, dozing off. After confirming Jaeha was heading toward Dorim, Dojoon removed the protective barrier he had placed around his sister.
“Dorim, come here.”
“Mmm… Oppa?”
The way Jaeha took care of Dorim and held her looked like affectionate siblings. With their similar gentle appearance, they looked more like siblings than Dojoon and Dorim did.
“Sorry for leaving you alone.”
“Mm… sleepy.”
“Yes, keep sleeping. Oppa will take you home.”
While Jaeha was adoring the half-awake Dorim, he was puzzled to hear sirens. He wasn’t the only one who heard it.
Police cars and large vehicles rushed to the apartment entrance. It looked like a repeat of what had happened around Youngwoo earlier.
For a moment Jaeha was afraid that someone might have developed the power to turn back time, but fortunately, Youngwoo was nowhere to be seen. Instead, people in protective suits and police approached the three of them while scanning the surroundings.
The police, who had appeared threatening, softened their voices when they saw the young adults who looked like college students and a small child who couldn’t overcome sleepiness and was yawning.
“There’s been a bomb threat report, so there will be a brief inspection. We ask for your cooperation.”
The three were confused, but Dojoon seemed to realize something and spoke first.
“Do you dispatch separately for criminal arrest and investigation?”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
“What? It’s exactly what I said. The people who came earlier only made an arrest.”
Seeing Jaeha’s puzzled face and Dojoon’s serious expression, the police officer became urgent.
“Who came earlier and arrested someone? If you witnessed anything, please explain in more detail.”
At the police officer’s reaction, as if they knew nothing about Youngwoo’s detention, Jaeha and Dojoon’s faces turned pale.
“Um… is the investigation more urgent than the fact that our senior was arrested?”
To Jaeha’s casual question, asked because he wanted to take Dorim home, the police officer had a serious look.
“I don’t know who this senior you mentioned is, but we’re currently talking with you as the first witnesses after our arrival.”
Then who were the people who took Youngwoo away earlier?
They became anxious about whether those people were real police at all.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
