It wasn’t because talking seriously with Cha-hyeon felt awkward or uncomfortable. That’s definitely not why he’d come to this conclusion.
Of course, if someone asked whether there wasn’t even a sliver of selfishness involved… well, he couldn’t exactly deny it either.
“Huh…? Now that you mention it, is there really any reason for us to keep pretending we’re a couple?”
Se-min muttered with a sour expression. Thinking it over again, this actually seemed like the most reasonable solution—one that considered both of their situations.
First off, he’d accepted the fact that Cha-hyeon had been his fiancé. But if someone asked whether he wanted to get back together, to fall in love again like before… he honestly didn’t know.
Especially now, with his Favorability deep in the negatives, he couldn’t even remember what it was he used to like about Cha-hyeon. There must’ve been something—some moment that made him fall hard enough to decide to marry a man ten years older than him—but…
Present-day Se-min had no clue what that could’ve been. So this approach actually felt pretty efficient.
Besides, wasn’t Cha-hyeon the one who’d made “not regaining our memories” his top priority? If Se-min ended up falling for him again, then their memories would come back naturally anyway.
Then wouldn’t it be simplest to just not raise his Favorability at all? And the best way to do that was to avoid seeing each other as much as possible.
The more he thought about it, the more this seemed like a solid plan. Cha-hyeon was even ready to burn the item to stop himself from remembering—so in that sense, wasn’t Se-min’s method even more reliable?
Maybe, like Deputy Chief Jeong had said, the reason Cha-hyeon didn’t want to remember was because of some subconscious guilt. Maybe he believed that if only Se-min regained his memories, they’d go back to being in love like before.
But still, Se-min couldn’t shake the thought: Isn’t that basically emotional blackmail? What, so he’s just going to sit there doing nothing and expect me to remember and fall back in love with him?
He wondered how his past self had reacted when he found out Cha-hyeon had lost his memories.
He didn’t know if they’d still been dating at the time, but maybe he’d been understanding. Maybe he’d sympathized with the pain of having someone like family forget you overnight.
Even now, Cha-hyeon didn’t seem to want to regain his memories. So back when Se-min still had his, maybe he’d been the one desperately trying to get things back to normal.
Grumbling under his breath while trying to guess at Cha-hyeon’s intentions, Se-min shook his head.
“No… No, that’s not it.”
He didn’t want to judge Cha-hyeon unfairly. He kept trying to think of more reasons why breaking up really was the most logical conclusion.
Honestly, there was a real chance his Favorability toward Cha-hyeon would never go up again—only drop further. And if that was the case, why even stay together?
Sure, they could end things romantically and go back to being like family, like before. But the problem was, Se-min didn’t remember ever seeing Cha-hyeon as family. Right now, to him, they were basically strangers.
“Hmm…”
Se-min hummed quietly and tilted his head.
Maybe I should’ve asked Deputy Chief Jeong what the salary’s like if I switch from pair guiding to team guiding…
Not that he was planning to break up right this second. But it never hurt to prepare multiple exit strategies. And really—unless someone was completely insane, wasn’t it weirder to just believe you were dating someone and start acting like a couple just because you were told so, despite having zero memories of it?
That said… Se-min was very much aware that he and Cha-hyeon had been in a relationship. So he knew it wouldn’t be right to just abruptly declare, “Hey, this is the most efficient win-win solution, so let’s break up.” That would be too cold.
“Guess I do need to have a proper talk with him.”
Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Se-min took a few more deep breaths before he could finally bring himself to head back into the hospital room.
Of course, that resolve fell apart the moment he stepped inside and saw Cha-hyeon still fiddling obsessively with the Golden Fleece, like some kind of lunatic.
Whatever peaceful mindset he’d had when he decided to come in and negotiate vanished instantly. All he wanted now was to be alone.
“…I saw Deputy Chief Jeong out.”
“Thanks. Good job.”
Cha-hyeon looked up at him with a warm, crinkly-eyed smile. It would’ve looked gentle under normal circumstances, but after watching him behave like a maniac for so long, all Se-min saw was a madman’s grin.
Haha…
Yeah, Se-min definitely wanted to be alone. As he stepped into the room, he tried to remember if there’d been a patient name listed on the door.
He hadn’t noticed anything out of place, so it probably hadn’t been labeled. Makes sense—this was a VIP suite. Security would be a big deal.
Coming to that conclusion on his own, Se-min cautiously asked,
“Um… Hyung, are we sharing this room? Or do I have my own? Just wondering.”
He tried to make it sound like a casual question—We’re both in hospital clothes, so I figured I’d ask—but then caught himself.
Why am I being so damn careful about everything I say?
That alone showed how different things were from when his Favorability was still in the positives. Clearly, the dip into the negatives was starting to affect his thoughts.
–1
Current Favorability: –15%
Right on cue, the Favorability window updated, revealing a fresh new number that read his mood like a book. Se-min glanced briefly at the faint blue display.
“Yeah, we’re sharing. You weren’t waking up, so they just added a bed to my room. I didn’t feel comfortable letting them put you somewhere else.”
As he spoke, the long shadows from his lashes fell across his cheek. He looked darker somehow—like he was reliving the fear and unease from that time.
Seeing that raw anxiety on Cha-hyeon’s face, Se-min found himself suddenly realizing—Damn, he must’ve really been scared.
+7
Current Favorability: –8%
The sudden jump in Favorability caught Se-min off guard. He coughed, flustered. Earlier, just pouring him a soda had bumped it up—and now it had climbed again just from seeing him look worried.
Am I seriously this easy…?
Feeling disturbed by parts of himself he hadn’t noticed before, Se-min steeled his resolve. So this is why Deputy Chief Jeong told me not to go easy on him…
Whether it was the sheer intimidating force of an S-Class Esper, or that stupidly handsome face that looked like it belonged to a god, Se-min was going soft—no, mushy—for reasons that completely contradicted each other.
Eyes wide and full of determination, Se-min took a bold step forward. Right. Worst-case scenario, he still had that “reasonable conclusion” tucked away in his back pocket.
It felt like having a joker card—a final move that could flip the whole game. That thought gave him a bit more courage. Sitting down at the negotiation table again, Se-min said,
“Hyung, I don’t think destroying the item right now is a good idea.”
His voice was more forceful than usual, but the moment he saw Cha-hyeon’s brows arch slightly in confusion, he hesitated.
Maybe he’d jumped into this a little too suddenly. But it was already late, and he knew exactly what he wanted to say. No point dancing around it. Might as well be direct.
“First, can you put that thing down? …And hear me out too.”
For a second, Se-min worried he’d annoyed Cha-hyeon enough to make him burn the Golden Fleece on the spot. The man was an S-Class Esper. He could destroy everything in the room faster than Se-min could blink.
He’d even gone as far as asking earlier what would happen if the item got destroyed by accident. Gulping dryly, he swallowed hard.
But contrary to his fears, Cha-hyeon quietly set the shimmering fleece aside. The tension in Se-min’s shoulders eased, and he let out a soft breath.
“Are you still thinking of destroying it?”
“Not sure.”
Now empty-handed, Cha-hyeon slowly folded his arms. Se-min could tell—he was still considering it. And the only thing stopping him was probably Deputy Chief Jeong’s warning.
“That said… for now, I do agree it’s inefficient. Like the Deputy Chief said, it makes more sense to wait until your Favorability’s nearly maxed out before making any decisions.”
He said it like he fully believed Se-min’s Favorability would hit 100% eventually.
That baseless confidence made Se-min glance off to the side.
–2
Current Favorability: –10%
“…What’s your Favorability at now?”
Seeing Se-min’s eyes twitch, Cha-hyeon asked quickly.
Se-min answered without hesitation.
“Negative ten.”
“…Still holding steady, huh.”
No, actually. It fucking dropped again.
