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What kind of answer, he says. If someone confesses their feelings, it’s only polite to give them a response—even if that response is rejection.

Ha-gyeom knew this in theory, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer easily. It was understandable; he had no experience with relationships, and the person in front of him was the only one he had ever loved.

“Shin Ha-gyeom.”

Had his earlier plea—to be treated like before, at least in this room—somehow gotten through? Baek Sa called his name softly. The familiar yet strangely unfamiliar tone made Ha-gyeom unconsciously wet his dry lips.

“Ha-gyeom. How do you want me to answer?”

In a world like this, in these circumstances, and in this kind of relationship, a “response” to his feelings would inevitably feel out of place. Words like let’s date, the kind of thing you’d say to someone your age, couldn’t capture the enormity of his feelings. It didn’t suit Baek Sa, nor did it fit this place.

“Well….”

Now that Baek Sa had asked, Ha-gyeom’s thoughts grew tangled. He didn’t know. He was utterly clueless about these matters, unable to envision even the next step for himself and Baek Sa.

Tick-tock. The ticking of the clock’s second hand seemed to press him for an answer, adding to the unbearable torment inside. His desire to have Baek Sa was so overwhelming it felt like agony, yet he couldn’t bring himself to voice that tangled web of feelings, let alone ask for resolution.

After all, Baek Sa had no obligation to take care of his personal emotions.

“Not every answer has to be spoken out loud,” Baek Sa said, running his hand along the curve of his throat.

“You already sucked me dry and even let me take you last night. Isn’t that enough?”

The bluntness of his words and the rush of memories from the previous night left Ha-gyeom’s eyes trembling uncontrollably. He could still vividly recall Baek Sa’s flushed face, the veins standing out on his forehead, and the defiant gaze he had cast at him. Just remembering it made Ha-gyeom’s heart race wildly, but he couldn’t quite understand how that could be considered a response to his feelings.

Baek Sa—no, Baek Seung-woo, hyung—was that how he always answered things? Or was it just how men, adults, handled things?

“It’s not that it’s not enough. Everything with you is good, hyung, but….”

When Ha-gyeom answered honestly, Baek Sa rubbed his hand gently, his touch at odds with his sharp gaze. The subtle pressure of his thumb tracing the contours of Ha-gyeom’s bones felt oddly sensual. Ha-gyeom’s entire focus was drawn to that touch, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away from Baek Sa’s unwavering gaze.

As he tried to conceal his impatience, the time they spent silently assessing each other stretched longer. Baek Sa’s gaze traveled slowly, taking in Ha-gyeom’s eyes, nose, lips, and neck without hesitation. Ha-gyeom, struggling with the heat building inside him, licked his dry lips as he thought about Baek Sa’s throat—how narrow it had seemed compared to his now-broad frame.

“How did we even end up doing something like that?” Baek Sa murmured.

Baek Sa was the first to break the endless passage of time. While there was no way to peer into his thoughts, simply meeting his distinctively dark eyes was enough for Ha-gyeom to see a reflection of the turmoil matching his own.

The vague term “something like that” carried layers of meaning. Until their reunion here, they had been as close as brothers. Had they never met again, Baek Sa would have remained just that to Ha-gyeom—a savior to be repaid, a protector, a brother.

“It wouldn’t make much sense to blame you for growing up so beautifully,” Baek Sa said.

“……”

“And what’s done is done. There’s no way to undo it.”

Though his words carried a faint trace of self-mockery, the languid, suggestive glint in his slowly blinking eyes made it clear that guilt was not something he truly felt.

It was hard for Ha-gyeom to reconcile this with the Baek Sa he had once revered as sacred. The man who now touched him without hesitation felt like a different person. Yet the moment Ha-gyeom pushed deep into Baek Sa’s throat, he instinctively knew—this was a place Baek Sa had never allowed anyone else to reach.

‘Why can’t I… no, why can’t we do this?’

The question Baek Sa had asked on the rooftop lingered deeply in Ha-gyeom’s mind. It was proof, as clear as anything, that Baek Sa knew just as well as Ha-gyeom that they could do anything they wanted. Ha-gyeom, too, had believed Baek Sa’s memory loss meant there was no need for restraint and had responded to his every action without hesitation. He had used guiding as an excuse to entwine their bodies and had rebelled against him in ways he never would have dared with Baek Seung-woo.

‘Looking back, it wasn’t just him. It was because he was him that it mattered,’ Ha-gyeom thought. He had willingly left the past behind and followed Baek Sa’s lead, so the fault wasn’t entirely on Baek Sa alone.

“Still, we don’t regret it, do we?” Ha-gyeom asked.

“No, I don’t regret it,” Baek Sa replied.

‘Even if sometimes it feels like I’m going insane from the confusion,’ Ha-gyeom admitted silently.

“I don’t regret it either,” Ha-gyeom said, his voice clearer than ever.

Baek Sa didn’t add anything, but Ha-gyeom could sense the unmistakable desire in his eyes. That gaze, which he had seen countless times before, gave Ha-gyeom the courage to hold on to hope.

As Baek Sa had said, words weren’t the only way to give an answer. For the first time, Ha-gyeom realized that a look, the air between them, or an extended silence could also serve as a response.

‘If he wanted to reject me, he wouldn’t be looking at me like this, with eyes burning with heat,’ Ha-gyeom thought, heart pounding.

“You asked me why we can’t do this, hyung,” he said softly, meeting Baek Sa’s gaze.

“That’s right,” Baek Sa replied.

“Then doesn’t that mean…,” Ha-gyeom hesitated, “we can do anything and become anything, whatever kind of relationship we want?”

Gathering his courage, he asked. Baek Sa paused for a moment, letting the silence stretch unbearably long, as though time had slowed to a crawl. For a brief second, a flicker of confusion seemed to pass through his gaze, but he quickly regained his composure. Ha-gyeom kept his eyes locked on Baek Sa’s dark, steady gaze, waiting for an answer.

Before long, Baek Sa’s lips parted softly.

“Yes. And at this point, I don’t even want to deny it.”

His blunt reply felt like time itself had stopped. It was the permission Ha-gyeom had longed for but never dared to expect.

“……”

Ha-gyeom felt a faint shiver run through him as he realized he no longer had to suppress his feelings for Baek Sa. He couldn’t begin to describe how nervous and terrified he’d been when he confessed his feelings while under the influence of alcohol. The tension, the fear of rejection—it had gripped him tightly even as he tried to provoke Baek Sa with uncharacteristic boldness.

But now, finally.

To hide his trembling, Ha-gyeom slowly averted his gaze from Baek Sa’s strikingly handsome eyes that seemed unwilling to let him go. His racing heart and the redness creeping up his neck were impossible to conceal, but for the first time, he wondered if showing his vulnerability to Baek Sa was really something to be embarrassed about.

“With things like this, how could we even think about being partners? Not a chance,” Baek Sa said, breaking the silence once again. He rubbed his earlobe absentmindedly, and Ha-gyeom quickly noticed that the skin there was as flushed as his own.

Feeling a strange mix of emotions, Ha-gyeom hurried to gather his thoughts and cling to his self-control.

“Just because I like you, hyung, doesn’t mean I’m going to turn into some lovesick fool. If that’s hard for you to believe, I’ll wait until you trust me. So please, consider me seriously as your mission partner.”

As Ha-gyeom bit down on his lower lip, he saw Baek Sa silently mouth a single word—love. Watching him do so only deepened the weight of Ha-gyeom’s feelings. Overwhelmed, he tried to pull his hand free from Baek Sa’s grasp, but Baek Sa’s grip only tightened. Adding more pressure to the hold, Baek Sa asked.

“Can you promise me that you won’t drive yourself to the edge of a cliff because of me?”

Ha-gyeom didn’t want to make that promise. But he obediently nodded anyway.

“Are you sure you can set aside your personal feelings and sense of duty for the sake of the mission?”

His sense of duty to protect Baek Sa? That, he could never abandon. But if the mission was what mattered most to Baek Sa, then Ha-gyeom was more than willing to obey his orders.

“I’m sure.”

Suppressing the emotions that had gripped him so tightly, Ha-gyeom managed to answer with a composed, almost detached expression. At his response, Baek Sa finally let go of his hand, and once again, the air around them shifted in an instant. The redness that had stained Baek Sa’s ears faded back to their natural pale hue, and the longing in his gaze disappeared, replaced by the impassive indifference that suited him in this place.

He had swiftly hidden the traces of Baek Seung-woo, slipping back into the role of Baek Sa. His intentions were clear.

Even though Ha-gyeom’s heart still pounded as if it might burst out of his chest, he tucked his reddened hand under the table and met Baek Sa’s gaze with steady resolve. Now that Baek Sa had given his permission, Ha-gyeom knew he had to match him. If he wanted to become a fitting partner for someone as skilled in pretense and deception as Baek Sa, he too would have to learn to conceal his emotions and adapt to the role.

No matter what he and Baek Sa did or what their relationship became, the mission here had to continue. That much hadn’t changed.

So, like he used to do long ago, when he’d imitate Baek Sa almost instinctively, Ha-gyeom carefully suppressed even the pleasant anticipation bubbling within him. Hiding the red flush lingering on his face was no small task, but as he gave it enough time, the heat gradually began to fade.

Though it might have been invisible to others, Ha-gyeom could clearly sense the subtle tension hanging between them—a current he’d never felt before their reunion in this place. Even he, inexperienced as he was, knew such an atmosphere couldn’t exist between mere siblings.

Even now, facing Baek Sa’s uniquely alluring presence after the night they had shared, Ha-gyeom managed to keep his personal feelings buried. It was a feat that felt almost dignified.

“I’m ready now, so tell me,” Ha-gyeom said firmly.

“……”

“Tell me what the mission is—the one you’ve been carrying out here, even going so far as to deceive me.”

He had to know now, so he asked boldly. Baek Sa didn’t avoid the question but instead asked in return:

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes,” Ha-gyeom replied without hesitation. “More than anything….”

Baek Sa inhaled briefly, and Ha-gyeom caught the subtle tension in him. Then came an unexpected answer.

“Start by asking yourself why I infiltrated the very place where I saved you. That’s where it begins.”