Although he regretted speaking up almost instantly, staying quiet would have killed him from sheer sleep deprivation.
Even now, his heavy eyelids kept drooping, only to snap open again in panic at the cry that scraped against his eardrums—repeating in a torturous loop.
He had no idea how many times that cycle repeated before sunlight finally streamed in through the window. The warm rays brushing his face were such a relief he nearly cried.
“…Finally, it stopped.”
The weeping that had tormented Lee Haru all night had gradually faded with the dawn. Now, no matter how hard he strained to listen, there was only silence.
His fingertips trembled slightly as he rubbed his face dry. His eyes were so dry it hurt just to blink. After staying wound up all night, his stomach had joined in, loudly protesting its emptiness.
“Hey, Lee Haru.”
“AAAHH!”
He had just pulled himself together and was about to wash up. But before he could move, the door flew open and Haru collapsed back onto the bed, clutching his head in dismay.
“What’s this? Full of energy so early in the morning?”
The intruder who entered without knocking was Yu Je-hyun. Judging by the wild mess of his hair, he had only just woken up himself.
“Would it kill you to knock…”
His heart pounded wildly. At this rate, he was not just going to die from lack of sleep—he was going to develop heart disease too.
“I knew you were already awake. I can sense stuff like that from a hundred meters away.”
The blunt reply, tossed out like it was nothing, made Haru grit his teeth. The words What if I had been jerking off? rose to the tip of his tongue, but he bit them back. Yu Je-hyun was not someone you could reason with.
“So, what brings you barging in at the crack of dawn? It is not time for Guiding yet.”
He had tried to lower Je-hyun’s Rampage Risk Index to 20, but Je-hyun had refused to let go of his hand, pushing Haru beyond his limit. Haru glanced at Je-hyun’s wrist, but from where he stood, he could only make out the edge of the watch.
“I came to ask what’s for breakfast.”
“…What?”
“I want to eat home-cooked food. Yours.”
He said it boldly, not the slightest bit embarrassed. He sounded like someone showing up to collect a pre-ordered meal. Anyone else would have been annoyed—but Haru simply nodded without complaint.
“I have not decided on the menu yet. Is there something you want?”
Je-hyun’s expression grew surprisingly serious at that. Watching him frown as if faced with the most difficult question in the world, Haru stretched out his stiff limbs. His whole body felt sore, but just having Je-hyun here, in the space where he had been trembling alone in fear, was strangely comforting.
“Kimchi stew.”
“We had that already.”
“Yeah. But I want it again.”
After all that dramatic thinking, the dish he named was kimchi stew. Just picturing the spicy stew first thing in the morning made Haru’s mouth water instinctively.
“Then I will try making it with tuna this time.”
“Oh? You can change it up too?”
“Of course. It is also great with a ton of ham in it.”
“Make that version for me tomorrow, then.”
“Alright. I will wash up and get breakfast started right away.”
“Cool.”
As if his business was done, Je-hyun turned on his heel and left. Haru, headed for the bathroom with clothes in hand, suddenly had a gleam of determination in his eyes.
If I play this right… I might be able to strike a deal.
***
“What the hell are you trying to pull here?”
“I told you. Just promise to do me one favor, and I will hand it over right away.”
“…Ha.”
Je-hyun scowled at the dish that had been brought right up to his face, only to be snatched away again just as quickly. He had been seriously considering grabbing the whole pot and eating straight from it. But because Haru had gone out of his way to cook for him, he had waited patiently until he was told to eat. Now, though, Haru’s behavior was driving him up the wall.
“Hey. You know what’s the pettiest thing in the world? Messing around with food. If you didn’t want me to eat, you should have said so earlier. You looked all happy about making kimchi stew, and now you pull this?”
Any intention he had of getting along with Haru was rapidly evaporating. Remembering how he had basically sold his soul to kimchi stew and marched into Haru’s room at the break of dawn made even his earlobes burn with embarrassment.
It was obvious what kind of favor Haru was going to ask. Acting innocent again with that fake sweet face—it was definitely going to be another plea for sex Guiding.
Just holding hands? No one at the Association would believe that story if they heard it.
His fingers twitched at the sight of Haru’s smiling face. If he stayed here any longer, he was bound to end up with another double nosebleed like last time. Je-hyun set down his spoon and stood up. The chair clattered noisily to the floor behind him. As he strode out of the dining room without a second thought, Haru hurriedly began rattling off his request.
“It is nothing complicated. Just eat and come down to the basement with me!”
“…What?”
Je-hyun was storming off, silently vowing never to deal with Lee Haru again, when a truly absurd line sliced into his eardrums.
“Not sex Guiding—wait, what?”
“Sex Guiding? I told you, I only do hand-holding Guiding now. I am not the type to contradict myself.”
At Je-hyun’s blunt response, Haru recoiled in disgust. Just the memory of Hong Seong-jun lunging at him, belt already undone, made his skin crawl.
“First, just give me the stew.”
“Here.”
Apparently, it was not the request Je-hyun had been expecting. He quickly righted the chair he had knocked over and sat back down. The irritation that had been simmering vanished the instant Haru’s odd proposal registered. The thought of a peaceful meal was enough to lift the tension from his expression, even curling his lips into a relaxed smile.
“I cooked the rice with beans today.”
Huge beans, each easily ten times the size of a rice grain, were generously scattered throughout the bowl. He did not particularly like beans, but with a steaming pot of stew on the table, it hardly mattered. Haru carried over his own rice bowl and the stew pot, settling across from Je-hyun.
With each scoop of the spoon, hefty mounds of rice disappeared into Je-hyun’s mouth. Haru had only set out some seaweed as a side, thinking they would keep things light for breakfast, but Je-hyun dug in enthusiastically. It was the kind of sight that made cooking feel worthwhile.
“So, why the basement? There is nothing down there.”
Halfway through the meal, Je-hyun finally asked. The pork-stuffed version of the stew had been good, but this tuna-based one had an especially savory depth that lingered on his tongue. He had no idea what Haru had put in it, but the flavors hit his taste buds with such precision that it melted away the last of his bad mood.
“There is just something I want to check. Will you come with me?”
“Sure. That is hardly a big ask.”
It was not like Haru was asking for sex Guiding or a date. It was literally just a short trip up and down the stairs.
“Thanks for saying yes. Would you like more rice? And stew?”
“Yeah.”
His eyes lit up at the sight of the refilled bowl, piled high with rice and stew, like a kid handed a bag of snacks. The two of them only got up once the rice cooker and stew pot had been thoroughly emptied.
“There really is nothing down there?”
“As far as I know. I think we just shoved all the junk we did not want to deal with down there when we moved in.”
It had already been a year since the Espers moved into this mansion. Which meant it had been just as long since anyone last set foot in the basement.
“Why do you keep pushing me forward?”
“You never know what might be down there. I cannot do much beyond Guiding, but you, Yu Je-hyun, are an S-Class Esper. I figured you would be fine.”
At some point, Haru had slipped behind him and was now nudging his back. Je-hyun glanced over his shoulder and gave a dry laugh. For just a moment, as he looked down at Haru’s upturned face, the word innocent came to mind. A laughable word—completely incompatible with someone like Lee Haru.
“I am still human, you know.”
“…Then let us go down side by side.”
At that, Haru shuffled forward and came to stand beside him, looking slightly sheepish. Je-hyun had decided to let it slide. All thanks to the kimchi stew. Whatever Haru was so afraid of, that deathly pale face of his did earn a sliver of sympathy—just a sliver.
“Fine. Just stay behind me.”
“Thank you.”
As soon as Je-hyun motioned him into position, the blood rushed back to Haru’s face, chasing away the ghostly pallor. It was such a dramatic shift, Je-hyun briefly wondered why Haru had spent so long walking around with that gloomy look in the first place. Shaking the thought away, Je-hyun stepped onto the stairs. The farther they descended, the darker it got—even though it was still broad daylight.
As he turned at the landing and stepped down again, a burst of light flared behind him.
“Phone flashlight. It is pitch black down here.”
When Je-hyun looked back in confusion, Haru tilted his head and held up his phone, the flashlight glowing in his right hand. After awakening as an S-Class Esper, Je-hyun had never needed help seeing in the dark—he had completely forgotten about flashlights. Still, it did make things easier. The steps below were now clearly visible.
He started descending two steps at a time. Behind him came the hurried scuffle of footsteps trying to keep up.
“Who locked this? This thing was not here before.”
But when they finally reached the basement door, an unexpected obstacle presented itself. A heavy padlock—one that Je-hyun had absolutely no memory of—was now clamped over the door latch.
“G-g-g-gh-gh-ghost…”
“Oh, shut up with that nonsense.”
