TS 041

Yoon Taehwa narrowed his brows. It seemed he had been spouting nonsense. He gripped Han Suryeon’s cheeks with his free hand and his eyes sharpened.

“You’re not drunk, are you?”

“No, I’m nooot…”

His pronunciation slurred as the soft skin was squashed from the force applied to his cheeks. With a dubious expression, Yoon Taehwa pried away the arm wrapped around his waist. He slipped out of the passenger seat before the detached arm could creep back up again.

“If you don’t get out, I’m leaving you.”

It was as he unhesitatingly reached for the keypad connected to the garage. The sound of the door opening with biometric recognition was drowned out by a heavy thud. Yoon Taehwa reflexively turned around. Han Suryeon, who seemed to have missed a step while trying to get out of the passenger seat, collapsed below.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped him. Wouldn’t it be fine to just leave him here? He was an Esper, and the garage door was closed, so he wouldn’t freeze to death.

But Yoon Taehwa was not so out of his mind as to abandon someone he had brought all the way to his home in the garage.

“…You’re a piece of work, seriously.”

In the end, he ruffled his hair in annoyance and turned back.

Han Suryeon was lying on his side with his eyes closed. For someone who had collapsed on a cement floor, he looked excessively peaceful. His long, lowered eyelashes and the breath flowing from his slightly parted lips didn’t seem like those of a drunk person at all.

When he nudged him with the tip of his foot, his body limply fell over.

“Han Suryeon.”

Yoon Taehwa sat down in front of him and poked his cheek. Han Suryeon, seemingly feeling the touch, nudged his head against it. The man, who had been staring blankly at the sight, let out a low sigh and slipped his arms under his shoulders and knees. He could have given him a piggyback, but it was faster to carry a limp person than to piggyback them.

“Of all the… in my life.”

It was the first time he had ever carried a man in a princess carry. Espers had twice the physical strength of ordinary people, so it wasn’t difficult to hold a body bigger than his own, but it was an unfamiliar weight.

Yoon Taehwa walked with the same stride as usual, holding a strapping adult man in his arms.

“Uungh…”

The moment they entered the house, Han Suryeon let out a pained sound and rubbed his head against his shoulder. A different colored head of hair was all tousled over the black coat.

Why did I bring this thing home? A cynical laugh slipped through his lips. Truly, he was baffled by his own choice.

His sensitive hearing picked up the quiet sound of water. Han Suryeon slowly lifted his eyelids. The first thing that came into view was the high ceiling. A lamp of a simple design was lighting up the room.

His eyes, rolling to the side, were clearer than ever.

‘The living room.’

The man, having confirmed that he was lying on the living room sofa, lazily sat up. His leisurely movements seemed far from those of a drunk person.

“The Team Leader seems to be showering…”

He hadn’t had high hopes, but he hadn’t expected to get into Yoon Taehwa’s house so easily.

‘I thought he’d dump me at a hotel or the Center.’

That would have been fun in its own way. Whether it was a hotel or the Center, he had planned to pull all sorts of tricks to prevent him from leaving him alone.

Han Suryeon, sitting on the sofa, stroked the nape of his neck and began to survey the space he had set foot in for the first time. Slightly curly hair wound around his fingers.

“Maybe it’s because it’s a detached house…”

It’s quiet.

The living room was, in a word, silent. The sound of water, which seemed to be on the verge of stopping, was merely a byproduct caught by the sharp senses of an Esper; the air that settled in the spacious area was one of utter silence.

Han Suryeon slowly turned his head. The living room didn’t have the slightest smell of a person living there. A black TV was mounted on the wall like a solid sculpture, and the only other furniture in sight was a black marble-textured cabinet set against the monotone walls. The sofa he was sitting on was also black.

When he moved, the leather sofa made a faint noise. Reminded of the leather gloves Yoon Taehwa used, Han Suryeon idly fiddled with his own neck.

‘It suits him, though.’

It was a static, quiet space, with not a speck of superfluity.

When he stepped down to the floor, he felt a plush rug. It was also a monochrome color, tinged with bluish-gray. The low table in front of it was not supporting anything, making it feel like a mere ornament.

“I’d probably get scolded if I get caught wandering around.”

Han Suryeon muttered to himself, but he stepped forward without hesitation. It seemed that common sense, which dictated that he should ask for the owner’s permission to look around the house, was not on his mind.

The first place he headed was the kitchen connected to the living room. Not only were there no cooking utensils, but there was not even a trace of water.

Considering the daily routine of an Esper, especially a team leader belonging to the government, it was a given. Since he spent most of his day at the Center to the point where working overtime was the norm, there was no way he would be cooking anything at home.

‘What are his food preferences?’

He had never seen him be a picky eater. Seeing as he went to a strange restaurant made of a tent just today, it didn’t seem like he was particular about anything.

Han Suryeon found the refrigerator. It was built-in and also black, so it didn’t even look like a refrigerator to the naked eye. When he opened the door, there were a few bottles of mineral water and a couple of packs of salad.

‘I guess I’ll use this as an excuse if he asks why I’m wandering around.’

His hand, which took out a bottle of water, was unhesitant.

Han Suryeon unscrewed the cap, drank about half of the water, and then closed the refrigerator door. He had gone to the trouble of pretending to be drunk to get this far, and it would be a shame to be found out so easily. He had planned to return to the sofa before Yoon Taehwa finished his shower, but just in case, it was better to prepare an excuse in advance.

Having roughly finished looking around the kitchen, he contemplated whether to enter the hallway or go out to the living room, and chose the former. It was obvious that Yoon Taehwa wouldn’t grant his request to be shown around, so he planned to scurry around like a rat while he was in the bathroom.

‘This way seems to be the guest room.’

Since he had moved in the opposite direction from where the sound of water was coming from, he thought it might be the guest room.

Han Suryeon opened the doors one by one. As expected, it was a guest room. The only flaw was that it was empty and seemed unsuitable for receiving guests.

‘If I ask him to let me sleep over, will I get kicked out?’

The safest thing to do was to pretend not to know and lie on the sofa with his eyes closed.

“He’s more soft-hearted than I thought, anyway…”

A low laugh leaked out from between his slowly parting lips. Even the act of bringing him inside the house instead of leaving him collapsed in the garage was proof of that. He had deliberately fallen, knowing that he wouldn’t pretend not to have seen him, but he had never imagined he would be held in his arms like that.

“I guess I’ll have to pretend to be weak often from now on.”

Thanks to that, he was able to rub his head and act cute like a cat.

The light mutterings popped up like a song. It was at the same time the last door opened. Contrary to his expectation that it would be empty, the room showed signs of being used by someone.

“..…”

His gaze, which had been scanning the inside, narrowed.

This doesn’t seem like the Team Leader’s taste.

The room was clean. As if the entire house was decorated in monochrome, the walls and ceiling were all shades of gray, but strangely, it didn’t feel like Yoon Taehwa. That bothered him even more.

Han Suryeon, as if he had thrown all manners to the dogs, strode into the room. It was only after he entered that he noticed the desk. A white laptop and papers were scattered about on the black solid wood desk.

Thump. The hand that was casually flipping through the papers was dry as could be.

『Who could it be.』

He couldn’t think of anyone. It was extremely rare for an Esper living alone to let someone into their house.

No one knew the dangers of going rampant better than the Espers themselves. That was why Espers preferred detached houses on large plots of land. It was because they could at least reduce the damage when they suddenly went rampant.

There were not a few Espers who installed bomb shelters. Han Suryeon was no exception, and Kasatka was also using the entire basement of the guild building as a bomb shelter.

He couldn’t conclude that Yoon Taehwa lived in a large detached house for the same reason, but in any case, to leave such a trace meant that they were close. A lover or…

『…A Guide.』

A chilling voice seeped out from between his red lips.

Han Suryeon rolled his eyes and scanned the room again. The bed was neatly made, but the coat hanging on the desk chair was clearly a man’s.

‘I’ve never seen him receive Guiding, though.’

He had never even seen him receive Guiding from his dedicated Guide, Lee Woojin.

‘If they’re close, the matching rate wouldn’t be too bad, so why haven’t I seen it?’

Han Suryeon was well aware of the fact that Yoon Taehwa was an Esper like him. He was not unaware that the act he had performed on him in the dungeon had nothing to do with Guiding, but was an Esper’s ability.

Yoon Taehwa was also an Esper who needed to receive Guiding.

Who has he been receiving it from until now?

To say he had a Paired Guide, he had never seen them meet at the Center. An S-class’ Pair would be at least an A-class, and an A-class Guide would definitely be registered at the Center.

『Our Team Leader acted as if he’s never dated a man…』

There were many Espers who viewed dating and Guiding as separate things.

『It’s been a while since I’ve felt this shitty.』

It wasn’t because of Yoon Taehwa. It was because of his Guide, who was so lacking in presence that it was surprising he hadn’t noticed him until now.

I shouldn’t kill him, right? The moment he harbored that dangerous thought, his sensitive nerves picked up a faint noise. It was the sound of a lock turning.

As soon as he recognized the noise, Han Suryeon left the room. It wouldn’t be Yoon Taehwa; it was definitely the owner of this room. He intended to check his face first.

By the time he had killed his presence and reached the living room, the entrance light turned on and someone stepped inside.

“Uh…”

Seeing the flustered face, Han Suryeon smirked, pulling up one side of his lips.

“…Who are you?”

Gentle eyes, which bore no resemblance to Yoon Taehwa’s, were looking up at him, blinking. Unlike his calmly composed smile, his mind was on the verge of boiling over with jealousy.