# Chapter 49
## 16. One-sided Reunion
Jaeha, tightly held in Haeil’s arms, was disoriented.
The murmuring of people and the river wind brushing his cheek reminded him they were outside, not indoors. This situation was completely different from the guiding he had done after preparing himself without external interruption. It was embarrassing and awkward, and he felt some discomfort as guiding occurred through the contact with Haeil’s cheek and the hands wrapped around his waist. Jaeha felt troubled, having come to hold Haeil’s hand because he looked tired, only to be suddenly embraced and brought close to the ground.
“Haa… Jaeha.”
Haeil, who was always respectful, now desperately tried to increase the contact area between them. Whenever Haeil’s desperation touched Jaeha’s cheek and ear, he felt like dying of embarrassment at the thought that this scene was being broadcast live.
“Ugh, Gilma hyung. Please loosen your grip a little.”
“Yes, Jaeha. Whew… I’ll do that.”
Despite his answer, Haeil didn’t release his arms from around Jaeha. As if wanting direct skin contact, his hands slipped inside Jaeha’s oversized sweatshirt and embraced him even more tightly.
“Ugh, I really can’t breathe!”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Oh come on, watch your hands!”
Even to Jiho, Haeil was embracing Jaeha too strongly. Thankfully Jaeha was wearing loose clothes, otherwise they might have created a scandalous scene in front of everyone.
Having just experienced guiding through Jaeha, Jiho could guess Haeil’s condition. His instincts were overriding his reason, preventing him from letting go of Jaeha. Rather than letting them become a spectacle in front of everyone, Jiho thought it better to move both of them to the Association building and reached out his hand.
“Senior and you there, instead of doing this here, let’s go to the dormitory. I can’t go inside, but I can take you to the entrance.”
“Wait a moment.”
Jaeha immediately rejected as Jiho was about to act. Jiho withdrew his hand in confusion. Relieved, Jaeha asked Haeil while still struggling to breathe:
“Gilma hyung, where is Jaeyoon?”
Haeil’s desperate embrace suddenly stopped. His reason seemed to instantly return from its temporary flight during guiding, and even his eyes became clearer.
“He should have come out with me… I need to go back in.”
Jiho could see Haeil’s mana waves were rough, but he let go of Jaeha and stood up. Seeing Jaeha’s worried expression, Haeil managed a reassuring smile despite sweating from exhaustion.
“Don’t worry, Jaeha.”
Jaeha felt a sensation so intense it stung his fingertips during the brief moment he took Haeil’s extended hand to stand up.
Though not as bad as Jiho who had been on the verge of going berserk, Haeil was in a serious state. Jaeha was certain he had already used a lot of power and needed guiding.
Just last night, Jaeha had embraced Jiho and slept soundly. He would need to perform guiding many more times in the future. Above all, the exhausted Haeil was the one most likely to bring Jaeyoon out from inside the gate right now.
Seeing Jaeha’s serious face, Haeil lightly patted his shoulder.
“I’ll bring Mr. Seo Jaeyoon out.”
There was no time to ask about the situation inside. However, this was the first time Jaeha had seen Haeil struggling so much, and his brother was still inside the gate. Without hesitation, Jaeha grabbed Haeil’s shoulder.
“Jaeha?”
“Gilma hyung, I’ll make this quick.”
Despite needing to go inside quickly for Jaeyoon’s sake, Haeil couldn’t push away Jaeha who was holding him. Seeing Jaeha approach with a solemn face, Haeil couldn’t move. While Jiho wanted to stop Jaeha’s sudden action and was looking at them with a desperate expression, he noticed a shadow moving inside the gate.
“Huh? Something’s coming out from inside.”
“Fortunately, you made it out just in time.”
Haeil and Jiho reacted first, and following their gaze, Jaeha turned his head belatedly.
Jaeyoon, standing in front of the gate, was surprised to see Jaeha with Haeil.
“Hyung?”
His voice was full of questions, as if wondering why his brother was there, but there was no fatigue in Jaeyoon’s voice.
Unlike Haeil who had collapsed from using all his strength, Jaeyoon walked out of the gate looking fine, though his clothes were in complete disarray. Jaeha’s eyes wavered at the unexpected exposure of his brother.
“You… why are your clothes like that?”
“Clothes? Oh, they got torn while I was defending until the gate closed.”
As Jaeyoon said, the gate behind him was closing. Though the scene was worth looking at, Jaeha’s eyes were fixed on Jaeyoon.
With the front of his uniform properly torn, Jaeyoon’s angular abs were fully exposed. Since his own ordinary body had almost no prominent muscles, Jaeha unconsciously showed his displeasure with narrowed eyes.
Click. Click.
At that moment, shutter sounds poured in from a distance. Finally snapping back to reality, Jaeha stood in front of Jaeyoon, spreading his arms wide to cover his brother’s appearance as much as possible. With so many onlookers, disappointed sounds came from everywhere.
“Ah, don’t take pictures.”
“Hyung, it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. Hey, why are you all looking at my brother like that? What about his right to his own image!”
Jaeha couldn’t believe that everyone’s attention was focused on them. Was a man’s exposed torso really worth that much attention? Feeling eerily uneasy, Jaeha protected his brother even more desperately.
* * *
But the gaze that made Jaeha feel uneasy wasn’t actually directed at Jaeyoon, but at him.
Lee Youngwoo, who had been kidnapped by villains disguised as police, was focused on not missing any of Jaeha’s movements after seeing him for the first time in a long while.
“Jaeha is still the same.”
Longing and delight made Youngwoo smile.
Though frustrated at not being able to approach him, he took in the sight of Jaeha.
“I want to meet Jaeha…”
If not for that incident, he would have been by Jaeha’s side.
On the day of the great change, Youngwoo went to find Jaeha without any awareness that he had put him in danger. From the beginning, he had no intention of hurting Jaeha. He had only dropped bombs around to weaken the protective barrier between Jaeha and himself. However, Youngwoo didn’t know that the bombs would naturally explode as they got farther away from him.
“Your clothes look big on you. How cute.”
Youngwoo continued talking to himself as if speaking to Jaeha.
“I want to hold your hand, Jaeha.”
He knew Jaeha was safe through the quick information network of the villain organization, but bringing him over was difficult.
Although Youngwoo was technically kidnapped, they were surprisingly respectful. They expressed outrage that Daesung had been controlling those who awakened years ago through force. They were proud, declaring that a world ruled by ordinary people without power was wrong, and if having power and ruling the world made them villains, they would call themselves villains. Youngwoo sympathized with their ideology to some extent. He regretted losing Jaeha despite gaining power in his hands.
In exchange for staying with the organization, Youngwoo wanted Jaeha. He wanted to see that gentle face that had looked at him with concern.
They were quick to bring news that Jaeha was staying at the Esper dormitory instead of home, but they said it would take time as it was a place villains couldn’t easily enter. After more than two weeks, he still couldn’t meet Jaeha.
Youngwoo was getting irritated with the villain organization’s incompetence in bringing Jaeha to him. They called themselves villains, but they were too cautious to take any action, which was frustrating.
Noticing Youngwoo’s dissatisfaction, the villain leader introduced him to their base. The facilities they owned were impressive even to Youngwoo, who had little interest in wealth.
They had transformed an entire island into a base and even gave Youngwoo a small island to experiment with his power. There, he could conduct various experiments.
The essence of Youngwoo’s ability was x-ray vision and penetration.
He could examine the nature of rifts with his x-ray vision and hold their cores in his hand like bombs using his penetration ability.
Gates that hadn’t yet formed doors were visible to Youngwoo. By taking the visible cores in his hand and combining them or infusing them with power, he could open or close gates.
The organization was ecstatic, but Youngwoo wasn’t particularly interested in the fact that he could open or close gates with his own hands. Because it was clear – the simple principle was that adding power to a core that was still lacking strength would open it.
Having lost interest in using his ability, Youngwoo couldn’t wait any longer. He moved to meet Jaeha directly. Although he was under surveillance, no one stopped him from going out.
Thanks to a portal ability user, he easily moved from the island to the area around the Han River. There he discovered a gate existing in mid-air. Curious about this huge gate that he hadn’t seen on the island, Youngwoo considered it a light diversion before heading to Jaeha.
With the help of a surveillance officer who had perception-reduction abilities, he easily approached the gate and saw two cores. He played with them. When he combined another core he had with the still faint core, its color changed quickly.
He watched how the two cores interacted. While watching, Jaeha’s brother and the Association’s representative Esper entered the gate. Even just seeing Jaeha’s family instead of Jaeha himself made him happy and glad. Youngwoo found his own emotions both unfamiliar and amusing.
Watching the gate should have been boring, but it was entirely enjoyable. After a while, one core disappeared, and not long after, the remaining core vanished too. Then the Association’s representative Esper shot out. While watching without much interest in the exhausted-looking man’s condition, expecting Jaeha’s brother to come out next, suddenly Jaeha appeared from thin air.
“Jaeha.”
At that single word, the surveillance officer quickly grabbed Youngwoo. Youngwoo had no intention of stepping forward in front of so many people anyway. He had no particular reaction watching the Association’s representative Esper embracing Jaeha. Then Jaeha’s brother burst out from inside the gate. His clothes were torn, and seeing this, Jaeha jumped up and blocked the view. Jaeha always tried to protect people in trouble. That’s what he liked about Jaeha.
“I’ll come to get you soon, Jaeha.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
