043

Is pushing him away just something an amateur would do?

While Ha-gyeom quickly thought of ways to handle the situation, he purely enjoyed the warmth covering half his body. Unlike Baek Seung-woo, Baek Sa’s actions carried a clear sexual desire.

Already having memories built in Baek Sa’s private room, his body heated up easily. Since he was chewing food, kissing wasn’t an option. Swallowing a cough, Ha-gyeom pretended to accept Baek Sa’s gentle bites on his shoulder.

“Why are you doing this while I’m eating? I don’t get it.”

Looking directly into those eyes up close made his heart sink. It was hard to believe that this face was no longer Baek Seung-woo.

“You’re still young, that’s why.”

Was being ten years younger a reason to be treated like a child all the time? Would he understand this bewildering flow when he turned thirty-one, like Baek Sa?

“I still don’t get it.”

Annoyed at being easily swayed, he retorted stubbornly. Baek Sa just laughed softly and licked his already wet neck.

Ha-gyeom finished all the food while practically nestled in Baek Sa’s arms. Chewing and swallowing defiantly, Baek Sa didn’t eat anything himself.

After gulping down water and waiting, Baek Sa pulled Ha-gyeom’s arm to wrap around his neck.

“Wait…!”

In the blink of an eye, he was in Baek Sa’s embrace, his feet off the ground. Ha-gyeom wrapped his legs around Baek Sa’s waist and was carried to the bathroom in just a few steps.

The toothbrush he used last time was still there. Baek Sa even squeezed toothpaste onto it before Ha-gyeom could hesitate.

Ha-gyeom brushed his teeth while pressed close to the sink. Behind him, Baek Sa, a head taller, loomed. It seemed he intended to maintain physical contact at every moment, as Dr. Cha had suggested. The hand on his side never left him.

…Maybe appetite and sexual desire do have a lot in common. Unlike Ha-gyeom, who had just finished eating, Baek Sa looked like he was just getting ready for his meal.

“All done.”

Admitting it belatedly, Ha-gyeom pushed Baek Sa away as he tried to cling to him and left the bathroom. His T-shirt, which had been caught in Baek Sa’s grip, was wrinkled.

His body was hot, and a mild dizziness set in. He sat on the desk and crossed his arms, and Baek Sa approached and grabbed his elbow.

“Dr. Cha said it’s advantageous to know as much as possible about each other. Remember?”

Baek Sa’s face briefly showed irritation at the question. Ha-gyeom didn’t back down. As he looked into Baek Sa’s eyes with determination, Baek Sa gently caressed the curve of his elbow and asked,

“What do you want to know about me?”

He had expected Baek Sa to react sharply, as he had when stopping Tae-seong, but he responded surprisingly calmly. Was it possible that this large and sturdy man was weak to physical affection?

Ha-gyeom was a little curious about the kind of guiding sessions Baek Sa had with the new guide, but he had a more pressing question first.

“You said you lost your memory. Who told you your name was Baek Seung-woo?”

A suspicious look touched Baek Sa’s face. However, the suspicion wasn’t heavy or violent. The prediction that it would be more effective to ask directly rather than slyly was correct.

“I met someone I knew before the invasion.”

Ha-gyeom’s eyes widened. Now that he thought about it, no one here connected Baek Seung-woo with the center. Since he mostly participated in classified missions, it made sense that no one recognized him as a center operative.

However, it was a bit surprising that he reunited with someone he knew from his past in Zone 0. Curious, Ha-gyeom asked sincerely.

“Who is that person?”

“An old colleague of my parents.”

Or perhaps, a friend?

Ha-gyeom thought of Kim Hye-jung. He was one of the few who knew that Baek Seung-woo’s mother was a member of the National Assembly like Kim Hye-jung before the invasion. Both his mother, Kim Hye-jung’s friend, and his father, a businessman, had died in an accident during the invasion.

Left alone in the chaos, Baek Seung-woo was taken in by Kim Hye-jung. This was a story Ha-gyeom had heard directly from Baek Seung-woo. Meeting him when he was nineteen, Ha-gyeom didn’t know all the details but knew more than others at the center.

“If it was before the invasion, weren’t you young too?”

“I was seventeen, so I must have remembered their face somewhat.”

“What did your parents do?”

“They were members of the National Assembly. You were probably too young to know who they were.”

Everything Baek Sa said was true. Lost in thought, Ha-gyeom looked up with sharp eyes, and Baek Sa reached out and stroked his cheek. He seemed intent on continuing what he had started during their meal.

“Then who is this old colleague of your parents?”

As the question deepened, Baek Sa, who had been speaking freely about his personal matters, closed his mouth with a subtle look.

Instead of an answer, his broad chest came closer. As he hugged him and rubbed his lips against his neck, Ha-gyeom felt an overwhelming ticklish sensation.

However, Ha-gyeom didn’t push away the large, burdensome back. A smart person can multitask. If physical contact was necessary for energy control, it was better to accept it to get the answers he wanted.

Just as he resolved himself, Baek Sa’s sharp question cut through his thoughts.

“Why did you go to the left section?”

“……!”

So he knew.

Simultaneously, Baek Sa’s loose grip tightened. The leisurely strength now felt threatening. Ha-gyeom clutched Baek Sa’s T-shirt and took a deep breath.

“A kid who was serving got hurt, so I went to help….”

Even though he moved stealthily, he didn’t do anything particularly suspicious. If Baek Sa knew he visited there, he likely knew more. He had planned for the possibility of being followed or caught, knowing there were CCTV cameras.

Ha-gyeom gripped the T-shirt tighter to hide his trembling. Baek Sa asked again.

“Is that really all?”

Ha-gyeom nodded from within his embrace. He momentarily forgot that Baek Sa was not a part of the center.

After a long, silent pressure, Baek Sa slowly released him. He lifted Ha-gyeom lightly and placed him on the desk, crumpling the documents beneath him.

As Baek Sa stepped closer, their foreheads touched and their noses brushed. His questioning tone contrasted with his calm demeanor and eyes that almost felt tender. Ha-gyeom looked into those eyes and Baek Sa spoke in a softened voice.

“It’s fine to be curious about me.”

“……”

“But don’t concern yourself with anything else. No matter what you find out, you won’t be able to change anything.”

The feeling of powerlessness hit him suddenly. Those words applied to both Baek Sa and Baek Seung-woo.

Despite his previous confident demeanor, Ha-gyeom couldn’t respond easily. His trembling eyes mirrored his uncertainty. Facing Baek Sa’s unreadable, calm gaze evoked an even greater fear.

But if he was going to crumble easily, he wouldn’t have obediently followed Kim Hye-jung’s orders. He needed the guts to find reasons to topple the corrupt leaders and rescue Baek Seung-woo to escape this place.

“What if I don’t want to?”

When Ha-gyeom defied him, Baek Sa’s eyebrows twitched. Tearing his gaze away, he muttered a curse.

“How hard was it to find a guide like you?”

Though loaded with meaning, Ha-gyeom could only reply with one thing.

“It’s not my fault you have a rare match for a guide.”

Despite his words, Ha-gyeom was in the same boat. Unlike Esper Baek Sa, his life wasn’t immediately threatened, but he couldn’t properly use his abilities without him either.

“Moreover, you’re the one who suffers more without each other. Even if you avoid rampaging, if you can’t properly use your energy, you’ll get frustrated and irritable, like this morning.”

It might be unpleasant to hear, but it was true. Ha-gyeom finished his words despite the coldness in Baek Sa’s eyes making him flinch.

As he squirmed like a slippery fish, Baek Sa’s hand gripped his neck as if placing a collar. The pressure on his throat made his heart pound. Ha-gyeom licked his lips calmly and placed his hands on Baek Sa’s chest.

“So, the person who told you your name, is it a leader? Like Representative Kim?”