# Chapter 30
“I just happened to spot Hajin hyung while passing by! It’s fate between us—Ack! Are you crazy? Why did you hit me?”
“Because you’re annoying.”
Even Baek Jaan, who rarely agreed with Han Seungho on anything, nodded in agreement this time.
Amid the commotion surrounding him, Hajin revised the thought he’d had a few hours earlier.
‘Next time, I’ll call Han Jiwoo-ssi.’
Taking these three along seemed several times more uncomfortable than spending awkward time with Han Jiwoo.
* * *
Upon returning to the dormitory, Hajin immediately shut himself in his room.
Thanks to Cha Jinwoo’s threat to change teams by any means necessary if anyone entered Hajin’s room without permission, at least when he was in his room, it was truly Hajin’s private time.
‘Come to think of it, is Jinwoo-ssi’s mission not finished yet?’
Perhaps because they were similar in age, Hajin felt most comfortable with Cha Jinwoo. And he was the only one who could somewhat control the Espers who couldn’t be restrained, like children who had just started running.
With him absent for several days, Hajin missed him terribly.
The next morning, Hajin went down to the living room after waking up.
“Are you up, hyung?”
“Yes… But where are you going?”
Having woken up thirsty, Hajin had come downstairs still looking disheveled, only to encounter Baek Jaan already dressed in his Esper uniform at the crack of dawn.
Unlike his cheerful greeting, Baek Jaan replied with a gloomy expression.
“I have to go on a mission…”
“So early in the morning. Take care.”
At Hajin’s words of comfort, Baek Jaan drooped his shoulders even more and approached him.
“Can’t you give me a hug for encouragement?”
Hajin hesitated briefly. Giving a hug wasn’t difficult, but could it really stop at just a hug?
His hesitation was short-lived, as Baek Jaan, as if unwilling to give him time to think, said with a pitiful expression, “If not, I understand,” and began to withdraw.
“I wanted to receive Guiding and your encouragement before going on a mission that might take days… But I must still make you uncomfortable. I understand.”
Hearing him say all that made Hajin feel guilty for his momentary hesitation.
“N-no. A hug isn’t a big deal. Come here.”
Not having washed up was also one of the reasons he’d hesitated, but thinking that they wouldn’t be kissing anyway, so what did it matter, Hajin approached Baek Jaan, contradicting his own invitation by entering the other’s embrace first.
Baek Jaan held Hajin tightly and buried his face in his exposed nape, which was visible due to his comfortable clothing.
Hajin flinched, worrying about any odor, but Baek Jaan found it even more appealing.
Just the scent of Hajin’s skin was enough to give him goosebumps all over his body.
“Haah…”
So it was inevitable that such a sigh escaped him. He wondered how, as time passed, rather than becoming familiar, this feeling became freshly enjoyable.
It was frightening, in a sense, to imagine how much more he might come to like Hajin after a month or a year.
Hajin briefly tolerated Baek Jaan’s face buried in his nape, rubbing his lips and nose against it—though thankfully not making kissy sounds—and began Guiding.
In this state, Guiding might only fuel his excitement, but he couldn’t just embrace and then separate from someone who had clung to him claiming to need Guiding.
“Haah… This feels so good.”
Hajin’s hand touched Baek Jaan’s exposed nape. As Guiding spread from that point, Baek Jaan exhaled deeply and tightened his arms around Hajin.
Eventually, his solid thigh pushed between Hajin’s relatively slender ones.
With their bodies nearly becoming one, Hajin tried to push against his shoulders, but Baek Jaan whined “Just a little more, just a little more,” refusing to let go.
“Ngh, then maybe we should se-mm… separate a bit?”
With hot breath on his neck and a thigh between his legs constantly stimulating a sensitive area, Hajin was so embarrassed he wanted to hide somewhere.
What saved him was Han Seungho, dressed similarly.
“You bastard!”
Seeing the two pressed together, Han Seungho charged over with blazing eyes and enormous strength to separate Baek Jaan.
In truth, Baek Jaan was strong enough to resist, but fearing Hajin might get hurt, he allowed himself to be pulled away.
After throwing Baek Jaan far away, Han Seungho looked at Hajin with dissatisfied eyes.
“You always do Baek Jaan first…”
Hajin felt wronged. If someone asked, was he supposed to refuse? He was the Guide assigned to Alpha Team, after all. Perhaps because they were the same age, Han Seungho seemed to feel a lot of competitive spirit.
Hajin sighed as he watched Han Seungho, who was pouting dramatically but still constantly examining him with his eyes.
“Are you going on a mission too, Han Seungho-ssi?”
“Yeah. This damn Association never lets people rest.”
The thought made him angry again. Alpha Team had always been the busiest, but since Hajin had been assigned as their Guide, it seemed like they were deliberately being overworked, which was infuriating.
There was barely enough time to spend with Hajin as it was, and now he had to go on another mission without properly enjoying that time.
And on top of that, seeing Baek Jaan clinging to Hajin and breathing heavily—his mood plummeted to rock bottom.
Looking at Han Seungho, whose feelings were clearly written all over his face without needing to be spoken, Hajin spread his arms like a parent indulging a child. The gesture meant “come here for a hug.”
Understanding the meaning perfectly, Han Seungho, who had been cursing Baek Jaan just moments before, embraced Hajin as if he wanted to absorb him into his body.
“Ugh. Take it easy…”
Feeling like he was caught between rocks, Hajin groaned in discomfort, causing Han Seungho to startle and loosen his grip.
“Whew…”
Hearing Hajin’s relieved breathing, Han Seungho, to satisfy his own desire, held him close and repeatedly kissed his cheek where their faces touched.
“I haven’t washed up yet. Please stop.”
But these Espers tended to go deaf when involved with Hajin.
“It’s fine.”
‘I’m not fine with it.’
He considered forcing him off, but then thought Han Seungho, already upset about Baek Jaan, might sulk about being discriminated against, which would be even more troublesome.
Besides, knowing they wouldn’t see each other for days, he felt somewhat indulgent.
True to his character of living life like water mixing with water, or alcohol with alcohol, never bothered by physical contact, Hajin had somehow grown somewhat accustomed to their affectionate advances.
After tolerating it for a while, just as Baek Jaan’s expression began to crumple with discontent, Hajin performed Guiding and slipped out of Han Seungho’s arms the moment they weakened.
“Both of you take care and come back safely.”
At those words, Han Seungho hesitated briefly before breaking into a smile.
“It’s my first time being seen off by someone. It feels pretty good. I’ll get this done quickly and come back.”
As he said, when it was just Alpha Team, no one ever said goodbye to each other.
In part because their assigned missions overflowed and schedules didn’t match, but also because they didn’t feel the need for affectionate farewells.
But this first send-off was quite nice. Probably because it was from Hajin.
“I’ll be back, hyung.”
Baek Jaan, not to be outdone, also bid Hajin farewell.
After finally seeing off the two who competed over even small things, Hajin remembered his original purpose.
“I’m thirsty.”
Having woken up an hour earlier than usual, Hajin had planned to drink water and go back to sleep, but after seeing off Han Seungho and Baek Jaan, his sleepiness had completely vanished.
“Might as well eat an early breakfast.”
Opening the refrigerator door revealed a variety of side dishes. Because Alpha Team didn’t spend much time at home, the quantity of each dish wasn’t large despite the variety, but with only Hajin and Lee Doyoon remaining in the house, it was enough.
After preparing rice and a simple soup, his usual wake-up time arrived. Having finished preparations with everything ready to move to the dining table, Hajin headed to Lee Doyoon’s room to wake him.
Knock knock.
“Lee Doyoon-ssi. Let’s have breakfast.”
However, there was no sound from inside the room. Unable to tell whether it was due to good soundproofing or if he hadn’t woken up yet, Hajin knocked once more, and the door opened.
Lee Doyoon, who seemed to have just woken up, appeared with his eyes barely open.
But his clothes were nowhere to be seen—he was wearing pants properly, but his upper body was completely exposed, clearly revealing solid muscles.
Unlike his face, which always looked so young, his body had many scars, and his muscles were deeply defined, making him seem somewhat unfamiliar.
“Hwaaahm. Did you say breakfast…?”
Usually a heavy sleeper, Lee Doyoon was the type who had to sleep as much as he wanted, even if it meant skipping breakfast.
It wasn’t always like that, but since going on missions often meant not sleeping for days, he’d developed a compensatory psychology of sleeping as much as possible when he could.
So normally, Lee Doyoon would have cursed whoever came to wake him, regardless of breakfast or anything else, but because it was Hajin who woke him personally, he just yawned widely without showing the slightest hint of anger.
“Hmm? Why are you looking at me like… Ah.”
Following Hajin’s gaze, Lee Doyoon inwardly rejoiced. Already treated like a child because of his age, he couldn’t hide his rising smile at finally having an opportunity to appeal to Hajin.
“Pervert. Why are you staring so intently?”
“Ah… I apologize. You have a good physique.”
“Huh? Uh… thank you.”
This wasn’t right! According to Lee Doyoon’s imagination, Hajin should have been more embarrassed and conscious of him at this point. But what was this dry response? Was he really just complimenting his muscles?
However, trying anything more would only result in being treated like a child again.
Lee Doyoon finally left the room with his lips jutting out in a pout.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
