TS 006

After a short interview, Han Suryeon followed Yoon Taehwa out of the director’s office. As he walked ahead by several steps, Yoon Taehwa suddenly turned around and reached out his arm. Without seeking permission, he grabbed the cheek of the person he just met and turned his face to the right, his gaze sharp as he stared directly into his gray eyes.

“You seem more like a demihuman than an Esper.”

Demihumans generally maintained their human form unless extremely agitated. Therefore, except for very young ones, it was difficult to distinguish grown demihumans from ordinary humans. One easy method involved examining their eyes.

The pupils inherited from their animal ancestors reflected light differently depending on the angle. However, this characteristic varied among different species, making it unreliable to solely rely on eye inspection for identification. Nonetheless, about eight out of ten times, one could discern demihumans by their eyes alone.

“Because they’re pretty?”

The corners of his gray eyes narrowed, and the tear duct beneath them twitched slightly. Demihumans often possessed exceptional beauty, so it was a valid question.

‘He’s right. I look more like a demihuman than an Esper because of my appearance.’

Yet, he didn’t expect him to ask such a direct question himself.

Instead of waiting for an answer, Yoon Taehwa withdrew his hand. If Han Suryeon hadn’t grabbed his wrist, he would have simply turned away.

“What kind of demihuman do you think I would be?”

The question was as menacing as his fingers slowly sliding down his wrist. Yoon Taehwa glanced at where he held him before meeting his gaze again.

His query wasn’t aimed at any specific species. It simply occurred to him due to Han Suryeon’s striking appearance reminiscent of demihumans.

‘His height and overall silhouette…’

Although black attire minimized it somewhat, one could easily tell his body was a lethal weapon. The strength with which he gripped his wrist reinforced this impression.

“I’m not really into men grabbing my wrists.” Yoon Taehwa drew out the last word while gently shaking his hand. He had long abandoned formalities, addressing him casually now. Reclaiming his wrist would be as effortless as breathing for him, but he preferred not wasting energy on trivial matters.

“I am curious…”

Han Suryeon obediently released his wrist instead of being stubborn, his eyes closing. The murmured words sounded like self-talk but weren’t since their gazes were intertwined. A slowly moving finger brushed past a faint scar on the back of his hand. Yoon Taehwa alternately stared at the neatly trimmed fingernail and its owner as if showing it off.

The warmth from the wrist brought to mind a day five years ago in Russia.

‘Was it in the Pavilion Hall of the Gosudarstvenmyj Ermitazh^[1]?’

In the hall adorned with elaborate chandeliers, there was an even more magnificent sculpture.

The peacock perched on a tree branch displayed its tail feathers after twelve rotations of the birdcage hanging below it. As the elegant plumage gracefully rose, people’s eyes followed the intricate movements of the golden feathers as if mesmerized by this beautiful creature.

“There was something quite similar to you at the Gosudarstvenmyj Ermitazh.”

Han Suryeon blinked, unsure if he expected his response or not. Yoon Taehwa tilted his head while observing his fluttering eyelashes.

He had casually made the comparison, but it seemed rather fitting. Although he intuitively felt he resembled more of a predator than a bird, both his appearance and aura were undeniably reminiscent of a peacock.

Instead of waiting for his reaction, Yoon Taehwa turned around and started walking away. He couldn’t understand why Han Suryeon despised S-rank Espers, but it wasn’t his concern whether he hated them or not. It was absurd, yet he didn’t feel particularly bothered by it.

‘Discomfort arises only when there is interaction.’

Han Suryeon had never explicitly stated that he considered himself an ordinary person. That assumption had been entirely on him, though admittedly, he hadn’t expected to be wrong.

Espers could hardly be described as having good temperaments. With their highly developed senses and the constant risk of uncontrollable outbursts, it was natural for them to become hypersensitive. Even if they weren’t actively engaged in combat, regular guidance sessions were crucial to help manage their heightened sensory abilities.

Consequently, Espers tended to flaunt their powers excessively. Yoon Taehwa often sneered at such displays, considering them attempts to mask their vulnerabilities. If they had no weaknesses, there would be no need for such posturing.

Perhaps that’s why he had never encountered another Esper like Han Suryeon who feared blood and craved warmth.

‘Well, given how he started talking about meeting a prince on a white horse right off the bat, he must be quite unhinged.’

In any case, since his time with him was limited to just a few days, it wasn’t something worth worrying about.

“You mentioned ‘Pavlin,’ right?” Han Suryeon, who had been silently pondering the term “Ermita Group,” caught up to him and asked.

“Pavlin?”

“The peacock.”

He hadn’t expected him to understand so quickly.

“Your expression suggests you’re wondering how I knew…”

Yoon Taehwa didn’t bother denying it. Although the gold-covered peacock was one of the most iconic pieces in the Ermita Museum’s collection, he had doubted anyone would associate him with it.

“Well, it’s definitely the most eye-catching piece there.” The response sounded quite shameless. Yoon Taehwa couldn’t help but chuckle at Han Suryeon’s lack of humility; this was his first encounter with someone so unabashed.

“Oh? So you’re confident about your looks then?”

“If others keep staring at me like this, I’d be foolish not to realize how pretty I am……”

As they reached the center of the facility, even more eyes turned their way. It seemed perfectly timed.

Yoon Taehwa let out another forced laugh. He felt as if he’d been saddled with a beautiful oddball.

“So, you came to Korea because of the ants?”

Yoon Taehwa entered his office and immediately got down to business. It had taken him some time earlier to give him a brief tour of the Center. However, as he was accompanied by the captain of Russia’s largest guild, it only took a few days to complete. He couldn’t fathom why he needed to personally introduce another country’s Esper to their Center, but since it was the director’s order, he had no choice but to comply.

“Team Leader.”

Han Suryeon addressed Yoon Taehwa respectfully instead of responding directly. When Taehwa glanced at him, he tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

“Why have you suddenly dropped formalities?”

Formalities? The corners of Yoon Taehwa’s mouth twitched. Despite knowing his fluency in Korean from their initial meeting, he hadn’t realized he could distinguish between formal and informal speech.

“I’m both your team leader and older than you. It doesn’t matter if you were some kind of commander in Russia or not. You’re the one who requested this collaboration.”

“Oh, I see.” His response was surprisingly agreeable.

In truth, Yoon Taehwa wasn’t rude enough to speak casually upon first meeting someone. However, he made exceptions when it came to work-related matters. If Han Suryeon had entered Korea through official channels requesting cooperation, he would have treated him with proper courtesy as a partner. But he’d arrived under unusual circumstances.

‘He’s younger than I thought…’

Han Suryeon appeared more youthful than expected. He hadn’t recognized him at first glance because there was hardly any information available about him. While it was natural for guild members’ fame to grow as their guild’s rank increased, that didn’t mean all details about them were publicly shared.

In fact, as hunters ranked higher and their position within the guild rose, it was common for them to become more anonymous due to the increasing number of covert missions they undertook. This trend was especially prevalent in countries where competition among guilds was fierce.

Within Kasatka, only the guild master, vice guild master, several key personnel, and regular guild members were publicly known. Almost nothing about half the elite team, including Han Suryeon, had been made public.

‘Why expose him here? There must be plenty of other well-known hunters.’

The rogue hunter who fled to Korea must have been extremely important. Yoon Taehwa inspected his smiling counterpart with a blank expression. Despite his innocent demeanor, he could tell he wasn’t someone to be trusted.

‘There has to be a reason why such a young person is leading this squad.’

It wasn’t as if he had secured his position simply because of his lineage.

“You want me to be polite with you? Well, this isn’t Russia.” Director Shin had ordered him to keep an eye on him for now by placing him on his team, so it was best to establish hierarchy from the start. Yoon Taehwa leaned forward slowly toward Han Suryeon while still partially leaning against his desk. He used to lead the Russian hunters belonging to their largest guild, and underestimating him could easily backfire.

“If you have any issues, speak up now.”

Han Suryeon blinked at the unexpected question before cautiously following suit and bending down slowly. Unlike Yoon Taehwa, who remained standing, he was seated, causing his pale cheeks to squish onto his neatly folded arms resting on the table. It made him look like a small mammal bowing in submission to a predator.

“I have no complaints.” His gray eyes curved softly. “You used honorifics when we first met… I thought we got close, Team Leader, since you dropped them so casually.”

“Too bad. I’m not friendly towards other Espers.”

“Yeah, our team leader is only kind to ordinary people.”

At the word ‘our,’ Yoon Taehwa’s brows twitched subtly. It seemed inappropriate given their relationship wasn’t that intimate, yet Han Suryeon didn’t hesitate in his choice of words.

Despite bowing lower, his gaze remained fixed on him intently. Then, his red lips parted slightly.

“That’s a shame…” The prolonged tone sounded suspiciously suggestive.