Kang Chi-yu suddenly found himself wondering how on earth they planned to edit this interview. He wished Hyun Tae-oh would at least ease up on that expression.
Of course, this current look of Hyun Tae-oh’s was also one of the things that drove viewers wild.
When he furrowed his brows, his eyebrows angled sharply, and oddly enough, just that subtle motion gave his already stunning face an intensely masculine allure. Some obsessive fans had even risked their lives sneaking into combat zones just to capture that expression on camera.
Still, setting that aside, it was astonishing how not a single person present looked annoyed or murmured complaints about Hyun Tae-oh’s blatantly rude behavior.
Even though his attitude was downright bad and every answer he gave dripped with disinterest, not one staff member watching his interview so much as frowned.
Maybe it was because Hyun Tae-oh’s poor character was already infamous, or maybe it was because this special 100th-episode broadcast had so much riding on it that everyone was walking on eggshells to avoid setting him off.
He was one of only three SS-rank Espers in the entire world.
If push came to shove, he was someone who could protect not just the country, but the entire planet.
So even if his behavior was a little rough around the edges, no one in their right mind would dare show open displeasure.
To ordinary people, Ability Users were the ones holding the reins to world peace, and among them, Hyun Tae-oh was the strongest of them all.
“So, this is our final question. You’ve turned down numerous invitations for interviews and appearances before. Why did you agree to take part in this <A Pair is Born> special? Was there a particular reason?”
At the director’s last question, Hyun Tae-oh paused in silence, lost in thought.
Then, with the most serene expression imaginable, he gave an answer no one could quite make sense of.
“To get it back.”
The moment the broadcast aired, that final answer blew up like a firestorm.
Curiosity over what it was that Hyun Tae-oh wanted to “get back” piled up like a mountain. And the audience didn’t figure it out until after A Pair is Born finished airing all of Hyun Tae-oh’s episodes.
***
Hyun Tae-oh’s solo interview ended sooner than expected, and the joint interview with Kang Chi-yu began.
Throughout his solo segment, Hyun Tae-oh had worn a permanently annoyed expression like the whole thing was suffocating, but the moment Kang Chi-yu sat beside him, his face relaxed.
Back to his naturally stoic, emotionless look—which was so subtle that most people wouldn’t have noticed the shift—but the director, who had been carefully watching Hyun Tae-oh’s mood, and the camera director, who had been filming him the whole time, both caught the minute change.
Though it was supposed to be a two-person interview, it was mostly Kang Chi-yu who answered the director’s questions.
Hyun Tae-oh didn’t seem the least bit interested in responding and just blatantly stared at Kang Chi-yu the entire time, so the director gave up expecting any answers from him.
“So, Esper Hyun Tae-oh, are you saying that other than Guide Kang Chi-yu, you don’t have any friends?”
Chi-yu visibly paused at the question, and Tae-oh looked puzzled. But when Chi-yu forced a smile and nodded, saying yes, Tae-oh just let it go like it was nothing.
“Tae-oh’s hated having people around him ever since he was little. At first, he didn’t even want me near him, you know?”
For a moment, Hyun Tae-oh seemed to forget they were in the middle of an interview as he turned to Kang Chi-yu.
“I did?”
“Yeah.”
“No way. Is your memory glitched or something?”
“Ha, no, it’s your memory that’s glitched. You really don’t remember? You wouldn’t let me come over to your place until we were like eleven.”
Kang Chi-yu, too, responded casually in banmal (informal speech), clearly forgetting the interview was still rolling.
The two of them spoke like old friends, their exchange relaxed and candid. The director signaled the camera director to capture the moment, and the camera zoomed in on the unexpectedly warm chemistry between them.
“I came over to your place instead, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but you didn’t even hang out with me. You only played with Dog.”
“There wasn’t any “cat” at your house.”
“Exactly. You just came to pet Dog—you didn’t come to play with me. Do you remember how you used to tell me to piss off if I even tried to talk to you?”
“Well, that’s because… Wait, hold on. You’re the weird one for naming a cat ‘Dog’ in the first place.”
“And you’re not weird for naming the puppy you rescued under a Gate in middle school ‘Cat’?”
As they bickered back and forth, the production team and director couldn’t help but laugh when they realized the cat Chi-yu had raised was named “Dog,” and the dog Hyun Tae-oh had raised was named “Cat.”
The two kept arguing about who was weirder until they noticed the crew chuckling, at which point they both turned toward them. The staff quickly composed their expressions and cleared their throats.
“Anyway, since Tae-oh’s hated being around people since he was a kid, yeah—it’s true I’m his only friend.”
“I see. But recently, there was a bit of a scandal involving you and Guide Min Yu-hyun. There were several photos taken of the two of you together in various places. Would you say there’s something… special between you two?”
At that question, Kang Chi-yu’s face hardened.
He had already read most of the articles about their supposed scandal.
The backgrounds in the photos varied, which meant they’d been seen together in quite a few different locations.
He’d had his doubts even when looking at those scandal photos, but after running into Min Yu-hyun coming out of Hyun Tae-oh’s house, Kang Chi-yu had no choice but to admit it—so it really was true.
But then, unexpectedly, Hyun Tae-oh flatly denied it with a sharp, resolute expression.
“Not at all.”
Everyone, including Kang Chi-yu and the production crew, stared at him in stunned silence.
“Not at all…? So, you’re saying the scandal is completely unfounded…?”
“Unfounded? It’s absurd and annoying. I’d really appreciate it if people stopped trying to link us.”
Kang Chi-yu blinked rapidly.
Even if he tried to rationalize it as a calculated move to protect Min Yu-hyun—whether they were casually seeing each other or already in a relationship—the cold finality in Hyun Tae-oh’s voice was undeniable. It was brutally decisive, to the point of being almost ruthless.
He couldn’t help but worry whether Min Yu-hyun might be hurt by that.
Which begged the question—who exactly was he worried about here?
***
After the interview ended, Kang Chi-yu entered a temporary Pair contract with Hyun Tae-oh to film the <A Pair is Born> segment, and now stood in front of the mirror, staring curiously at the contract mark on his neck.
It was his first time entering a Pair contract, and the faint initial “H”—for Hyun Tae-oh—etched near his neck stirred up a whirlwind of emotions.
They say when you enter a Pair contract, it feels like you belong to the other person for the duration of the agreement. Maybe that’s true after all.
Chi-yu gently rubbed the small “H” mark on the left side of his neck, fingertips brushing over it. Since it was only a temporary Pair, the mark wasn’t that visible—which made him feel a little disappointed for some reason.
“What are you doing?”
A few moments later, the door opened, and Hyun Tae-oh walked in.
Since filming began under the Pair contract, most of the crew had cleared out, leaving only the main and assistant camera directors in the house. They were busy rigging up cameras in every room—except the ones Tae-oh had declared off-limits: the dressing room, bathroom, and bedroom.
“Ah, just about to change.”
Chi-yu turned his body awkwardly, and through the mirror, Tae-oh’s gaze drifted to the left side of his neck.
Chi-yu, too, looked at Tae-oh’s neck through the reflection—where, just barely visible on the left side, was a “K.”
The sight sent an odd tingle down his abdomen.
“Mark.”
Hyun Tae-oh reached out and touched the side of Chi-yu’s neck. The sudden contact made Chi-yu flinch.
But instead of pulling away, Tae-oh stepped in even closer, closing the distance until his firm thigh brushed against Chi-yu’s waist.
“Are things set up outside? With all these cameras around, living here must be a pain, huh?”
His heart felt like it was about to explode out of his chest. Chi-yu scrambled to say something—anything—to break the tension.
“They didn’t put any in the bathroom or bedroom.”
His voice came out strangely hoarse, sending a chill up his spine.
“That’s my initial.”
Hyun Tae-oh murmured as he kept gently touching the mark on Chi-yu’s neck.
Chi-yu swallowed hard, every nerve in his body on high alert.
“Because… we Paired.”
“Is it this faint because it’s only a temporary Pair?”
“Ah… probably? Even permanent Pairs vary in intensity depending on the contract length, right?”
Chi-yu forced an awkward laugh.
As Hyun Tae-oh’s fingers continued to trace the mark on his neck, Chi-yu could feel the blood rushing straight to his head.
‘I seriously need to get a grip before I become some pervert who gets off on a friend touching him.’
Honestly, with the way Hyun Tae-oh was stroking his neck like that—who wouldn’t feel something?
Tae-oh, utterly clueless about Chi-yu’s current state, was absentmindedly playing with the temporary Pair mark, mesmerized by it.
Really, to be reacting like this in front of someone this innocent—Chi-yu felt like he deserved to be called a degenerate.
And then, out of nowhere—
“Let’s just become real Pairs.”
Hyun Tae-oh dropped a bombshell in a calm, steady voice.
“…What?”
“I kinda like how my initial looks on your neck. Don’t you?”
He tilted his chin and pointed to his own neck.
“My body’s got your initial, and it looks pretty damn good, don’t you think?”
“…….”
“Can’t believe I didn’t realize this sooner. If I had, I would’ve done it a long time ago.”
A strange thrill crept across Hyun Tae-oh’s cool, handsome features.
Chi-yu didn’t know why, but the look in his eyes was the kind you’d see in a predator staring down its prey. Like he wouldn’t hesitate to devour him whole.
Kang Chi-yu blinked, overwhelmed by a foreign sense of unease he’d never felt before.
“D-Don’t joke like that. Why would you go through all that trouble to Pair with a B-rank Guide?”
“Hm…”
“Cut the crap and get out. The directors out there are probably wondering what the hell’s taking us so long.”
“…You sure you’re okay?”
Through the mirror, Hyun Tae-oh looked him dead in the eye.
“Huh? Okay with what?”
Chi-yu tilted his head, confused—and then followed Hyun Tae-oh’s gaze downward.
To his pants.
“Your face is about to explode.”
Hyun Tae-oh’s voice—low, deep, and spine-chilling—rattled in his ears.
