Chapter 28

“Why don’t you eat breakfast? Are you on a diet?”

“No. I don’t feel like eating breakfast.”

Haon tilted his head at Cha Yugeon’s question. Upon hearing Cha Yugeon’s words, Haon thought that others might perceive him as managing his diet.

However, Haon had never really tried dieting.

He wasn’t particularly fond of food, and as long as he didn’t feel sick or anything, his weight stayed within a healthy range. Therefore, there was no need for him to manage his diet for the purpose of losing or gaining weight.

“I noticed you’re not much of an eater in the afternoon either.”

“That’s just how I am. I don’t really enjoy eating much.”

“Tsk…”

Cha Yugeon clicked his tongue as if he didn’t like something. Although Haon found Cha Yugeon’s reaction surprising, it wasn’t like he had said something to irritate him, so Haon didn’t say anything in response.

“So, what do you like?”

“What I like?”

“Yes…”

Haon pondered for a moment in response to the unexpected question. What he liked… what he liked. Nothing came to mind. If it were Siyun, he would have immediately said ‘alcohol,’ but Haon only drank occasionally to keep up with Siyun’s pace, not because he liked it.

He didn’t play games or watch sports either. While he did regular physical training, it wasn’t because he enjoyed it, but rather to avoid causing trouble for others at work.

“Well… I can’t think of anything in particular.”

“Hmm.”

That’s the answer he came up with after much deliberation.

Cha Yugeon looked bewildered at his answer. No matter how much Haon thought about it, Haon couldn’t think of anything he truly liked.

“What? You didn’t do anything for fun?”

“I just live, why? Do I have to do something fun just to live?”

Haon prickly retorted to Cha Yugeon’s question. Yet, at the same time, he wondered if it was really possible that he had nothing he liked.

“Then, what do you dislike?”

“Huh?”

“There must be things you dislike.”

“There are plenty.”

Haon nodded. If there was something he disliked, it would be Cha Yugeon, who had been irritating him until recently. However, he wasn’t childish enough to say that outright.

“Having to stay in sweaty clothes after exercising because I can’t shower right away.”

“Oh, I agree. That’s really annoying.”

Cha Yugeon nodded in response to Haon’s straightforward answer. It was a rare moment when their opinions aligned.

“And what else? You said there are plenty of things you dislike.”

“Getting calls that wake me up when I’m sleeping.”

“Agreed. That’s the worst. And what else?”

Cha Yugeon didn’t seem to mind playing along with Haon’s remarks. Haon felt unexpectedly excited about their conversation. He had wondered if talking with Cha Yugeon would be enjoyable, and surprisingly, he found himself eager to respond.

“Monsters that spit out sticky slime. It takes forever to wash it off when it gets on your body.”

“Oh, I agree. Those slime octopus things, you know? Their slime is so sticky. Even after you wash it off, it still feels slimy.”

“I know. I went out on a mission back then.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. There were probably many missions where we went out together. Since I wasn’t in the combat team, I was usually at the back, so our paths didn’t cross, and we didn’t know each other.”

Haon’s words surprised Cha Yugeon, who responded as if amazed. Come to think of it, Haon had been like that too. This was their first time discussing missions, but they had likely been on more than a hundred missions together. Their time at the Center had been long, and they had been on many missions.

“Were you there when we fought the giant squid in Dokdo?”

“Yeah. I almost died because I had to make three battleships invisible at the same time.”

At that time, Haon was still an A-class esper. His ability to make three battleships invisible at once had been useful. Thinking back on it now, he felt a bit bitter. Although he was now fulfilling his role as a guide, he missed the time when he was an esper.

“Were you there when we exterminated the ogre horde on the Hwangridan-gil in Gyeongju?”

“Yeah. We not only had to protect our team, but we also had to protect the cultural relics. I made the royal tombs and observatories nearby invisible. Then, I was bedridden for three days.”

“And when the werewolf horde appeared on Mt. Halla?”

“Yeah, that time, a rookie esper made a mistake and caused chaos.”

“Oh, right. …We really did go to a lot of missions together.”

“That’s true.”

“…Why didn’t I know back then?”

“Know what?”

“That we could get along like this.”

“Well, I didn’t know either.”

It was true. Haon had never imagined he would become Cha Yugeon’s guide or that they would sit together and have a meal like this. But even if he had known, would anything have changed?

“But I’m not included?”

“On what?”

Haon tilted his head at Cha Yugeon’s words. In response, Cha Yugeon stretched his lips into a wide smile. Haon had always found his smirk irritating, but now, it didn’t bother him at all.

“In terms of things you dislike.”

“…Ah.”

Haon had been debating whether to say that Cha Yugeon was the first thing that came to his mind. Then, he silently looked at Cha Yugeon.

“I thought you’d mention me first when it comes to things you dislike.”

“To be honest, I’ve considered it, but it’s not like I dislike the person sitting in front of me enough to mention them.”

“Wow, that’s progress.”

Haon had expected Cha Yugeon to be offended to his words, but the guy responded with a rather playful tone. He didn’t seem upset at all. Naturally, they continued their conversation, and even when Haon mentioned disliking him, Cha Yugeon responded casually, which made him seem like a genuinely nice person.

He was truly an unpredictable guy.

“Then let’s just go on like this.”

“…Okay.”

Haon was genuinely moved by those words. He knew he wouldn’t start liking Cha Yugeon right away, but gradually feeling less dislike and discomfort sounded achievable. With a lighter heart, he nodded, and Cha Yugeon chuckled before speaking slowly.

“Maybe, eventually…”

“…What do you mean?”

“If you keep feeling less dislike towards me… Someday, you might start liking me.”

Haon froze at Cha Yugeon’s words, which he had never imagined would come from him. As he stared dumbfoundedly at him, Cha Yugeon seemed to have expected this reaction.

“I’m not saying it’ll change immediately. Just saying it might happen.”

“…Yeah. You might be right.”

Haon reluctantly agreed with Cha Yugeon’s words. He hadn’t imagined this moment in the past. Yet, it had happened, and his perspective on him had changed slightly.

So perhaps, even liking him… might be possible. Or maybe not.

“The coffee must have gone cold.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

As Cha Yugeon had said, the coffee had cooled to a comfortable temperature. Haon slowly sipped the coffee. It gave him a strange feeling, perhaps it was because of the coffee. It was an inexplicable feeling, one he couldn’t quite explain, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

So, unintentionally, Haon finished his meal sitting opposite Cha Yugeon. While Cha Yugeon had made a gesture of reconciliation, it didn’t mean that Haon suddenly liked him. However, perhaps their relationship with each other might improve, even if only a little.

Whether that would turn out to be a poison, a remedy, or both, he couldn’t yet tell.

“What now?”

“I’m going to train.”

“Training? Like physical or combat?”

“Physical.”

Once again, Cha Yugeon asked, and Haon answered straightforwardly. Cha Yugeon nodded briefly at the response, then looked at Haon. There was something strange in his gaze, making Haon’s ears feel warm for some reason.

“When should we train?”

“Huh?”

Surprised by the question, Haon asked, and Cha Yugeon tilted his head slightly before speaking again. His lips moved as if in slow motion, and Haon blinked in surprise. Then Cha Yugeon’s voice rang steadily in his ears.

“The training we should do together.”