Just one little comment was enough to set the department lounge buzzing again.
“If he called them that, then they’re definitely not older.”
“Same age, maybe younger?”
“Ugh, but Seo Jae-ha’s so old, the pool doesn’t narrow down at all.”
“Hey, Kim Min-ho. Shut it.”
“Ah, sorry! Twenty-six-year-old sunbae Lee Cheong-hee!”
“You wanna die?”
The chatter went on, but Jae-ha was lost in his own thoughts. To Hae-hyun, he was just like a trusted older brother. If Jae-ha suggested hanging out at the festival, Hae-hyun would happily agree. But Jae-ha had no such intention. Another one-sided fling? No, thanks.
No, but seriously—why did it have to be one-sided? Didn’t Ju Hae-hyun like him too? Maybe not enough to call it dating, sure, but hadn’t they gone far past just being friends? Was it really something to deny so fiercely? The injustice stung, and before he could stop himself, it slipped right out of his mouth.
“Am I really that bad as boyfriend material?”
His voice wasn’t loud, but like always, people never ignored him.
Silence fell. Wide-eyed students avoided looking at him, glancing instead at each other with uneasy expressions.
“Wow… even for Jae-ha hyung, that’s a bit much.”
“Isn’t that basically a vibe check?”
While most of the juniors teased him mercilessly, Min-ho offered a different take.
“No, but there’s a difference between looking good together and actually dating.”
“True. He might not be great boyfriend material. Like… maybe too dense or something.”
“Dense? Jae-ha oppa? No way. He’s ridiculously sharp. Don’t you see? He’s so popular, but not a single weird rumor has ever stuck to him.”
Well… maybe that had more to do with his species perks than anything else. The thought crossed his mind as Min-hee joined in.
“Exactly. Honestly, I think Jae-ha oppa would be great at dating. He feels more like an older guy.”
“And what does that make the rest of us?”
Twenty-four-year-old Min-hee slowly scanned the group of twenty-five-year-old guys sitting next to her—Jae-ha and his classmates—before replying.
“I don’t know… sometimes you guys feel more like little brothers.”
“Oh-ho, Kim Min-hee, you’ve gotten bold.”
“Excuse me? I’m the student council president. Speak with respect.”
“President, may your noble body remain safe and well?”
“Where the hell do you even pick up lines like that?”
Their mock-serious banter burst into laughter. Amid the lighter mood, Cheong-hee shook her head.
“Still, if my boyfriend were as popular as Jae-ha, I’d be exhausted. Constantly on guard, I’d probably lose my mind.”
“Yeah, I’d agree with that.”
“Same here. If Jae-ha hyung were my boyfriend… it’d be way too hard.”
Jeong-seok blurted it out, only to be pinched by Ji-woo.
“Hey, Han Jeong-seok. Why are you imagining that?”
“What? I was just going along with the conversation…”
Flustered, he stammered while everyone else let out exaggerated sighs.
“Ha… so it’s not just the girls.”
“He charms people regardless of gender… terrifying.”
“Ugh, come on, hyungs…”
Only when Jeong-seok looked utterly miserable did the teasing stop. No one seemed to take Jae-ha’s question seriously, and honestly, he hadn’t expected them to.
Still, judging by their reactions, it wasn’t like he was a bad option. If he’d laid it on that thick, shouldn’t Hae-hyun have taken the bait? Images of all the sly little things he’d done—back when he thought Hae-hyun and he were flirting—flashed through his head.
Damn it, why respond in ways that make people misunderstand? If he’d just been a little more straightforward, Jae-ha would never have gotten the wrong idea. Even thinking about it now left a bitter taste. In the end, didn’t this just mean he was completely off from Hae-hyun’s type? His mood sank instantly. Just as he swallowed down the frustration, his phone went off—ringing and vibrating loudly. Subtlety clearly wasn’t an option.
“I’m heading out. See you all later.”
“Already?”
“Next time, drink with us for real!”
“Sure.”
He left the lounge and headed for the stairs. From the other end of the call came the faint sound of wind, as if the person had dialed him right after arriving on campus.
– Sunbae, where are you?
“I just left the lounge. I’ll head outside.”
– You went back there after all that?
“I wanted to check on Yoon-taek. He seemed to remember some of it.”
– Probably because we didn’t put him under a sleep spell. Don’t worry—nobody will believe him anyway.
The way he predicted everything so precisely, like he’d seen it firsthand, made it clear this wasn’t his first time dealing with this kind of thing. Jae-ha silently offered a blessing to all the Cassandras over the years who’d insisted they’d seen ghosts, then pushed through the glass door.
– Wait, Sunbae. Can’t you stay inside a bit longer?
“Why?”
He lifted his head as he asked—and there was Hae-hyun, right in front of him, phone still in hand.
And next to him, waving cheerfully, was Hae-ryeong.
“Hi, Jae-ha. Long time no see?”
“Hello.”
A completely unexpected encounter. Hae-ryeong strode up and hooked her arm through his. Caught off guard, Jae-ha let himself be pulled along.
“You’re as cute as ever. You said you hadn’t eaten yet, right? I’ll treat you to something good.”
“Why would you eat with noona?”
Hae-hyun rushed over and shoved her away, nearly wrenching Jae-ha’s arm off in the process.
“You should go. I need to talk to Jae-ha alone.”
When Hae-ryeong waved him off like a fly, Hae-hyun’s brows furrowed sharply, his face twisted with irritation.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Then sit quietly. Or do you want to keep picking a fight?”
Just like that, Hae-ryeong had him subdued. Then she turned to Jae-ha with a bright smile.
“Shall we?”
And so the pair became a trio as they walked toward the main gate. Forcing himself between the two, Hae-hyun blocked every attempt at conversation. The first thing he did was check Jae-ha’s hands.
“Are your hands okay?”
“Oh? What happened to his hands?”
“None of your business.”
Hae-ryeong smacked him on the head for that cold reply. Seriously, hitting the kid like that… Jae-ha’s eyes narrowed, but he let it go.
“They’re fine.”
He glanced at his own hands. He’d scraped them raw clawing at the lounge floor to avoid being dragged off by the candle ghost—fingertips torn, swollen, and bleeding. Hae-hyun had noticed when they got back and insisted on wrapping them in bandages.
Now, two days later, the wounds had mostly healed, leaving only faint marks. Jae-ha flexed his fingers.
“Remember how fast my forehead healed last time? I recover quickly.”
“I know.”
Who even answered like that? Caught off guard, Jae-ha hesitated. Then Hae-hyun added, a little sulky:
“Because you’re a Cheonrok, sunbae.”
The healing ability of the Cheonrok’s hands didn’t work on others, but for himself, it applied perfectly. He was practically a living healing totem.
“…Right.”
Jae-ha nodded reluctantly. That damned Cheonrok. His mood dipped again.
“As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters.”
Even as he said that, Hae-hyun pulled his hand closer, checking each finger with care. That casual tenderness lodged itself in Jae-ha’s chest until he finally turned his head away.
Lunch ended up being pho. The new restaurant a little ways off campus was big and spotless.
Knowing exactly what topic Hae-ryeong had in mind, Jae-ha chose a corner table by the window. When she tried to sit beside him, Hae-hyun pushed her aside and slid in first.
“It’s lunchtime on a weekday. Don’t you have work?”
As Hae-hyun set the chopsticks and poured water, Jae-ha asked the question. Hae-ryeong shrugged as she accepted the utensils.
“The Guardian Agency starts in the evening. Normally I’d be asleep right now… but it seemed better to meet you now than show up at dawn.”
Fair enough. Considering the hours Hae-hyun used to sneak home, probably three or four in the morning, this was definitely better.
“Did you find out anything about the candle?”
“Unfortunately… not good news.”
The very day she’d retrieved the candle, Hae-ryeong had sent it to the Guardian Agency for analysis. They’d combed through every database at their disposal, and the result had come back: Unknown.
