Thanks to Park Yeon-ho and Jo Ha-eon stepping in and doing their best, the mood had eased considerably by the time they returned home. However, from the moment Lim Haeyul realized that Kim Geon-ung might actually have feelings for him, he couldn’t shake off the awkwardness.
He tried hard not to show it, but perhaps it was too obvious; Kim Geon-ung ended up apologizing, saying there was no need for Haeyul to be so uncomfortable.
Lim Haeyul quickly shook his head and replied that there was nothing for Kim Geon-ung to apologize for. Even so, he couldn’t help but keep seeing Kim Geon-ung and himself overlapping in his mind.
Although he struggled to suppress the restless, fluttering emotions inside him, once a bond had become strained, it was never easy to return to how it was before. In the end, he left the gathering without exchanging a single word with Kim Geon-ung.
The guilt weighed heavily on his heart as he made his way back to the car. His steps were sluggish, every movement drained of strength.
“Lim Haeyul.”
“Ah… Oh? Cha Jae-woo.”
But at the sudden, familiar voice, he instinctively lifted his head that had been drooping so low. There was no mistaking it; standing right there in front of him was Cha Jae-woo.
‘Why is he here?’
The question popped into his mind, but his legs moved faster than his thoughts.
“What brings you here?”
He only managed to ask after closing the distance.
“To pick you up.”
Cha Jae-woo answered simply. It was an unexpected reply.
“Why?”
“Am I not allowed to?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that. It’s just… there’s already a driver, so you really didn’t have to trouble yourself…! But I’m happy you’re here!”
Flustered, Lim Haeyul waved his hands quickly in denial. Cha Jae-woo chuckled softly at his reaction. Haeyul, meanwhile, just stared at him in silence, lips pressed tightly together.
Even though they would’ve met again soon at home, encountering him unexpectedly in such an unanticipated place made it feel even more joyful. At the same time, Haeyul was bewildered—and a little saddened—at how completely and instantly the uneasy feelings inside him had been swept away.
‘If I really understood Kim Geon-ung’s feelings correctly, if he truly does like me, then… isn’t it wrong for me to push his emotions aside so easily like this?’
“You’re not looking too happy. Should I not have come?”
“W-what do you mean? I’m really happy…”
Though the situation with Cha Jae-woo was completely different, the strange sense of familiarity he felt made his heavy heart return to normal almost instantly. The corners of Haeyul’s lips curved up before he even realized it, all because of the lighthearted joke Cha Jae-woo tossed with a smile.
“I really mean it. I’m really happy.”
Cha Jae-woo laughed and opened his arms wide.
Without hesitation, Lim Haeyul threw himself into the embrace, all the uncomfortable thoughts that had been weighing on his mind just moments ago completely forgotten. Even though they were standing on a public street, if there had been anyone nearby, Cha Jae-woo would’ve surely noticed first, so Haeyul didn’t feel the need to worry.
“You have plenty of reasons to be happy.”
“Of course I do! But really, what’s going on? You came just to pick me up?”
“Yeah.”
‘Why though? Maybe… did he miss me in just that short time? Is that why he came to get me himself?’
A bunch of questions sprang up in Haeyul’s mind, but he kept them to himself. Before he could voice anything, Cha Jae-woo spoke first.
“I’ll be staying by your side for a while.”
“Uh… why?”
Haeyul’s voice, which had been bright and buoyant just moments ago, settled into a more cautious tone. Somehow, he sensed the reason might not be as simple as he hoped. Luckily, it didn’t seem like his reaction was too obvious, as Cha Jae-woo continued speaking calmly.
“To make sure the same thing doesn’t happen again.”
It didn’t take long to figure out what he meant. He was talking about the time when Lim Haeyul had been kidnapped.
“It’s dangerous.”
Lim Haeyul nodded quietly within Cha Jae-woo’s embrace. Even though his method of Guiding had been exposed, Jo Gyeong-hoon’s side remained oddly silent. Whatever they were planning, it wouldn’t hurt to stay cautious. Cha Jae-woo must have been thinking the same.
Still, it would have been nice if he had come because he missed him.
‘No, he said he came because he was worried.’
Either way, it was all because Cha Jae-woo cared about him—that was the important part.
Haeyul tried to convince himself of that, but a wry smile still crept onto his face. It was such a strange feeling.
“I’ll try not to go out unless it’s really necessary.”
Cha Jae-woo loosened his arms around him and began walking toward the parked car. Haeyul hurried to follow, raising his voice slightly as he did. After all, having Cha Jae-woo accompany him every time he stepped outside would be a huge hassle. He didn’t want to become a burden.
“Ah, the semester’s about to start soon… Maybe I should just take a leave of absence?”
It wasn’t just a passing thought—it actually seemed like a decent idea.
But Cha Jae-woo only chuckled softly and climbed into the car without giving any real answer. Haeyul got into the passenger seat, buckling his seatbelt before asking again.
“I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a break for a semester. If I keep going to school, it’ll just make things more complicated for you…”
“You don’t have to go that far.”
Cha Jae-woo immediately shook his head. Though Haeyul had expected that reaction when Cha Jae-woo didn’t answer earlier, he still felt that taking a leave would be for the best.
Even if Cha Jae-woo said it was fine, he didn’t feel fine. Maybe after everything was resolved—but honestly, he didn’t even know exactly what Cha Jae-woo needed to resolve.
‘What do I even know about any of this?’
All he ever did was Guide. Whenever something serious happened, Cha Jae-woo was the one handling it. As a result, Haeyul knew next to nothing.
At best, he could guess that Jo Gyeong-hoon was no better than Jang Gijun. Most likely, Jo Gyeong-hoon had helped hide Guides who matched well with Cha Jae-woo, making sure his condition never fully stabilized.
Given that he’d gone so far as to kidnap Haeyul for experimentation, and had turned deathly pale and fled the room when Jang Gijun’s name came up, Haeyul figured his hunch was probably right.
So maybe what Cha Jae-woo needed to “resolve” was to ensure that Jo Gyeong-hoon would be punished by the law, just like Jang Gijun? And until then, Haeyul simply had to be careful?
‘Well… that’s probably close enough, but I can’t say for sure.’
Whenever he looked at Cha Jae-woo, he always got the sense that he was planning something much bigger.
“I really am okay, you know. I just don’t want to cause you more trouble.”
No matter what, Haeyul was ready to cooperate with Cha Jae-woo in any way. By now, he didn’t even expect Cha Jae-woo to explain everything to him anymore. He just figured it was enough not to be a burden—whether or not he understood what was going on.
“Have you forgotten the contract we made?”
But all those thoughts flew out the window when Cha Jae-woo spoke while driving. Haeyul blinked and closed his mouth.
“You said you didn’t want your life disrupted because of your Guiding work.”
“…Ah.”
Cha Jae-woo kindly added an explanation. Frankly, it was a kindness Haeyul didn’t need.
Cha Jae-woo always had this weird way of being “kind” about the strangest things.
‘A contract, huh.’
It had been ages since Haeyul had even thought about it. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d checked his bank account. Whether the contract money and monthly payments were still coming in or not, he hadn’t cared for a long while.
Because by now, he wasn’t Guiding Cha Jae-woo because of a contract—he was doing it entirely for Cha Jae-woo’s well-being.
The fact that there had once been a contract between them felt bizarre now. And the fact that Cha Jae-woo still remembered it—even stranger.
At this point, after they’d become lovers, after Haeyul had confessed his feelings, wasn’t all of that meaningless? Even without a contract, Haeyul would stay by Cha Jae-woo’s side. Surely, Cha Jae-woo knew that too.
“…Right.”
So many thoughts swirled in his head, but he couldn’t bring himself to say any of them. He didn’t have the courage to voice the small, bitter feelings welling up inside.
It was just… hearing about the contract again made their relationship feel like it had been reduced to nothing more than a business arrangement.
He quickly shook his head, trying to drive out those foolish thoughts.
“What are you doing?”
Maybe noticing something odd, Cha Jae-woo frowned and asked, his face looking almost incredulous.
Haeyul scratched his cheek awkwardly and gave a clumsy smile, his lips moving as if to make some excuse.
“No, it’s just—”
“Lim Haeyul. Hold on tight to something.”
But he never got the chance to finish. Cha Jae-woo’s voice and expression suddenly hardened in an instant.
Without even knowing why, Haeyul instinctively grabbed his seatbelt tight and shifted his gaze toward the front, where Cha Jae-woo was staring.
His eyes widened in shock.
A blinding flash of light was hurtling straight toward their car.
Screeeeeech—!
A deafening noise tore through the air as the car veered sharply to the left. A tremendous bang followed, and the entire vehicle shook. No—it wasn’t just the car. The ground itself was trembling.
Behind them, a building collapsed with a thunderous crash.
“Ha.”
Cha Jae-woo let out a breathless, almost disbelieving chuckle, having barely managed to dodge the attack.
Lim Haeyul squeezed his eyes shut tightly, swallowing hard. Another massive attack was already on its way.
