Lee Han-seo was acting strange today.
“Han-seo~”
“……”
“Baby, Han-seo, Lee Han-seo!”
“……”
Who the hell was he even talking to right now? They were in the middle of watching a movie on the laptop—the same one Han-seo had sworn they’d watch together ever since the teaser dropped.
When it finally hit theaters, Han-seo had been out on a mission, then stuck recovering and getting Guided. They’d missed their chance. By the time he was free, the movie had already left theaters, and stepping outside the Esper Affairs Center was out of the question. So the moment it dropped on an OTT site, they’d promised—no matter what—they’d watch it together.
But from the start, Han-seo hadn’t been able to focus. Even now, during the climax, his eyes were glazed over, staring into space like he was inspecting invisible dust. He didn’t even seem to hear his name being called.
He wasn’t watching the movie. He wasn’t paying attention to Woo-jun. What the hell was going on today? Was it guilt? Had he somehow found out about that not-so-innocent little scheme? Just to be safe, Woo-jun gave up on the movie completely and focused all his attention on Han-seo, sitting right next to him. He kept a sharp eye on his every expression.
Smooch.
He shut off the screen—no point in keeping it on when no one was watching—and planted a kiss on Han-seo’s cheek, but there was no reaction.
“……”
“Mmm…?”
His soft, warm cheek felt nice, so Woo-jun stamped a few more kisses like sealing a letter—but still nothing. Not a blink, not a flinch. His mood started to sour. What, were kisses nothing to him now? The first time he’d kissed Han-seo, the man’s whole face had lit up like a tomato. He’d been so flustered he couldn’t even function.
Sure, they’d been together for years now, and kisses had become casual—but still. This? Not even noticing? That stung. Even if he didn’t react like the first time, not noticing at all? That was just cold.
Smooch.
Smooch smooch.
Smoooooch.
Frustrated and stubborn, Woo-jun pulled Han-seo onto his lap and just went for it—kissing wherever he could reach: cheeks, nose, whatever was close enough. At that point, he didn’t care where his lips landed.
“Hey. Cut it out. You’re being annoying.”
“……!!”
Finally, a reaction. He didn’t even care that it was a scolding—just seeing Han-seo respond made him grin like an idiot, and he kissed him even more enthusiastically.
“I said stop. You’re being loud.”
“Mmm.”
“And don’t try acting cute either.”
“Tch……”
You’ve changed, Lee Han-seo. Back then, all it took was him puffing out his cheeks and Han-seo would lose his mind—”God, my sweet potato is the cutest thing alive!” Now? He was calm. Distant. Unbothered. Okay, this coldness was kind of cute in its own way, but… could it be… just maybe… was Han-seo… falling out of love with him?
“I’ve just got something on my mind, so stop digging. And don’t go doing weird stuff again because your imagination ran wild. I’m warning you.”
“Yessir, yessir.”
Right. If Han-seo said so, then that’s how it was. His clever, thoughtful Han-seo must have his reasons. Woo-jun liked to think he was a pretty agreeable boyfriend—unless something was really non-negotiable. So he nodded quickly. Sure, he was a little hurt, but Han-seo wasn’t the type to lie to get out of things.
Even when he’d dumped a friend of ten years for Woo-jun—after barely knowing him a month—he hadn’t made excuses. He’d just taken the heat and owned it. Woo-jun might not have trusted himself back then, but he’d trusted Han-seo completely.
“Still… can’t you tell me what’s wrong? You’ve been like this for hours. I’m seriously worried.”
“Mmm… it’s just…”
Since Han-seo was sitting on his lap, for once his face was higher than Woo-jun’s. He looked down through half-lidded eyes. His large monolid eyes gave him a stubborn, steely vibe. Come to think of it, Woo-jun hadn’t kissed near his eyes yet. He tilted his head and puckered up toward him.
“Mwuhp—?”
Han-seo’s palm landed right on his face, blocking him cold. Not that he minded—it was still Han-seo’s hand, after all. Unfazed, Woo-jun grinned and kissed the center of his palm like it was the cutest thing ever. Han-seo winced and shook his hand out like he’d just touched something gross.
“Forget it. You really don’t need to know.”
Han-seo had clearly decided he couldn’t be trusted to take this seriously. Fair. He probably did look more interested in fooling around than listening. Woo-jun’s eyebrows drooped in exaggerated disappointment, silently begging him to notice how sad he was. Han-seo cupped his face with both hands like he was kneading clay and squished it without a hint of mercy.
Even a well-hidden tail gets stepped on eventually. And Han-seo wasn’t clueless—he had enough time in the field to sense when something wasn’t right, no matter how calm it looked on the surface.
“Hnnngh……”
It was clear now—something was going on with his sweet potato, and he had no idea what.
Even after all the warnings, someone out there clearly had the guts to make another move on Park Woo-jun. Some bold bastard thought they could steal him away again. How do I crush them so thoroughly that people talk about it for weeks? That was the only thing on Han-seo’s mind lately.
Sure, the newly updated combat simulator was no joke. But Park Woo-jun’s recent levels of Guiding drain? Definitely not normal. Still, Han-seo might’ve let that slide.
Until this morning.
He’d just been about to put away some off-season coats when he stumbled across something—Woo-jun’s combat uniform, shredded beyond repair.
Now, torn-up combat suits weren’t unusual. Woo-jun went through gear all the time. But this one… this one was different.
It was the very first uniform Han-seo had ever customized for him. Woo-jun had worn it to death, patching it again and again until Han-seo practically begged him to retire it. As far as he knew, it had been untouched for over a year.
And now it was in tatters?
Apparently, Woo-jun had tried to avoid suspicion by leaving marks on his newer uniforms instead—but that plan had totally backfired.
“Wait! The movie—when did you turn it off?”
“……A while ago?”
“Ugh, you’re the worst! I was really into it!”
As if. He’d mentally checked out ten minutes in, and now he was acting like he’d been glued to the screen the whole time. Woo-jun rolled his eyes. Han-seo had only just noticed the video was no longer playing.
“Sorry… I should’ve asked first.”
Even though he knew Han-seo was just looking for a reason to pick a fight, Woo-jun lowered his head with a quick, sheepish apology.
Unbelievable.
Of course he didn’t say anything. That soft, obedient look on his face? That was exactly why he’d gone along with everything those higher-ups ordered without once pushing back.
Han-seo silently huffed through his nose. Completely unaware that the “culprit” he’d been searching for was sitting right in front of him, batting innocent eyes.
“Nope. That’s it. You’ve fallen out of love with me. We’re sleeping separately starting tonight.”
“Huh? W-Wait, no! I don’t want that!”
“Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do if I say no?”
“Hey! Lee Han-seo!”
The way Han-seo smirked, it was obvious he was messing with him, but Woo-jun still reacted like he’d just been slapped.
“Wow. Did you just raise your voice at me? You, Park Woo-jun, yelling at me?”
“N-No, baby… that’s not what I—ugh…”
Sob, sob… Han-seo’s so mean…
Neither of them had the faintest idea what the other was really thinking. But inside, Woo-jun was already burning up—just like a roasted sweet potato.
***
Han-seo’s mysterious “cold spell” (which, honestly, only existed in Woo-jun’s head) didn’t blow over easily.
Mostly because Woo-jun—clueless as ever—kept running off to “clear dungeons” like his tail hadn’t already been stepped on.
To make matters worse, his powers were recovering quickly, and the difficulty of the dungeons he got assigned to kept climbing. Han-seo, meanwhile, was camped out at the Esper Affairs Center like a watchdog, combing through every dungeon clearance report for evidence of mismanagement.
As Woo-jun’s pair Guide, he could track his condition at any time. If he wanted proof that Woo-jun had entered a dungeon, it was just a matter of looking.
Woo-jun’s official combat exemption ended tomorrow.
Han-seo planned to enjoy the rest of their vacation in peace. Then, on the very first day of deployment, he’d drop all this gathered evidence like a bomb and use it to squeeze out more leave.
He’d heard the high-rank Espers—Kim Joon-young included—were being worked to death in Woo-jun’s absence. But honestly? He didn’t feel the slightest bit sorry.
So what if they suffer a few weeks? His Esper had been run ragged for years without a break. Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of Han-seo’s grand plan to protect his sweet potato field with metaphorical pesticides and herbicides, Woo-jun remained blissfully in the dark.
“Ugh, thank god. Just one more day of this madness. I’m getting too old for this—my body’s falling apart. I can take a few days off after you’re back, right?”
“Of course. Thanks for everything, sunbae.”
Park Woo-jun beamed like a grinning mutt, happily nodding to his senior, who was already whining in advance about needing a break—as if he were just planning a casual vacation with his Guide.
