TS 027

Kim Hye-na’s jaw dropped, her eyes wide with disbelief. A few days ago, it had been a grotesquely bruised face. Today, it was Han Suryeon’s torso, tightly bound in bandages. 

“I heard a rumor that one of Team 1’s Espers was seriously injured. Don’t tell me it was you, leader?”

“Hardly.” 

Han Suryeon chuckled, nonchalantly rotating his shoulders a couple of times, the movement emphasizing the smooth, unblemished muscles beneath his skin. 

“Then why the bandages?”

“Seems our Team Leader has a soft spot for injured people.”

“…Are you seriously implying that you’re faking it?”

Kim Hye-na clicked her tongue, exasperated. Han Suryeon’s penchant for theatrics was well-documented, but his blatant manipulation always managed to grate on her nerves.

“I had no choice. If I’d come back unscathed, he would have been suspicious.” 

“You deliberately injured yourself?” 

“Partially. I didn’t anticipate the bomb, though.” 

“Well, I’m glad you’re not seriously hurt. The Vice Guild Master would have a fit. I don’t understand how she missed this. She usually has a sixth sense for these things.”

“She’s been… distracted.”

“The Guild Master?” 

Han Suryeon simply smiled, his silence speaking volumes. Kim Hye-na frowned. The woman they both served was ruthless, single-minded in her pursuit of their goals. What could have possibly distracted her to this extent? 

“Anyway, we confirmed it. The bomb was one of ours.” 

“You traced it back?” 

“Yep.”

It was a given that Pavel wouldn’t have left empty-handed. A desperate man, a traitor, would have grabbed whatever he could, anything he thought might give him an advantage. 

‘Little did he know it would be his downfall.’

The memory of the explosion played out in Han Suryeon’s mind. 

He’d been distracted, his attention focused on Yoon Taehwa. The moment he’d spotted the tiny bomb, dislodged from Pavel’s clothing, instinct had taken over, propelling him towards Yoon Taehwa. It had been less of a calculated move and more of a desperate lunge. 

If not for Yoon Taehwa, he could have reacted sooner. By the time he’d shoved the other man to the ground, shielding him with his own body, the bomb had already detonated. 

The chaos that ensued had worked in his favor. Yoon Taehwa had been unconscious, his perceptive gaze thankfully extinguished. 

‘Things would have been much messier if he’d been awake.’

If those sharp black eyes had been watching, he wouldn’t have been able to fully utilize his abilities.

He flexed his hand, staring down at his palm, the same hand that had pushed against Yoon Taehwa’s shoulder, forcing him down. 

“Very few people know about that bomb, let alone how to use it…”

“Perhaps Pavel bragged about it?  Never occurred to him that he’d end up on the receiving end, I suppose.”

“He’s not that stupid. He would have kept it as leverage, a bargaining chip.” 

Kim Hye-na nodded, unsurprised. 

“I anticipated that. I’ve already requested a list of everyone who’s been briefed on the Acorn project. So, what’s the plan, Leader?”

“The plan?” 

“I thought you’d confront Pavel directly. I assumed that’s why you tracked down that other guy, the one you killed, to confirm his location.” 

“I never intended to meet him alone.” 

Han Suryeon shrugged, picking up his discarded shirt, his tone casual. 

“I wanted to… surprise him. Imagine his face when he sees me walk in with the Center’s top dog.” 

“…You’re such a sadist.” 

“Besides, it was a calculated risk. If we had handled it internally, there’s no telling what Pavel might have done. Though I didn’t expect him to steal a prototype bomb and end up in a coma.”

“They say he’s in a coma. We need to confirm if he was actually the one who killed Nikita. You know how we deal with traitors.”

Kim Hye-na adjusted her glasses, her expression grim. 

“Relax. The Center has an S-rank telepath. There’s no need for us to get our hands dirty. They’ll extract whatever information we need. All we have to do is cooperate, for now. I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to have my assistance.” 

“So, you’re staying in Korea?  I’ll include that in my report. The team will be pleased. They’ve been wondering about your delayed return.” 

“Tell them to enjoy it while it lasts.”

Han Suryeon’s smile was genuine this time, a rare occurrence. Kim Hye-na stared at him, a thought striking her.

“Why were you smiling earlier?”

“Earlier?” 

“When I walked in.”

Han Suryeon’s lips curved upwards, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“The Team Leader told me to go eat a poisoned apple.” 

“What?” 

“I was talking about Sleeping Beauty, and he countered with Snow White…”

“Seriously? Two grown men talking about fairytales? Are you five years old?”

“Age is irrelevant when it comes to fairytales. Don’t be so narrow-minded.”

Knowing Han Suryeon’s tendency for absurd tangents, Kim Hye-na simply shook her head, turning to leave. Then, she stopped, a thought occurring to her.

“What about Guiding? You used your ability to contain the blast. That must have taken a toll on you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure you can handle it?” 

“I’ll be fine, as long as I don’t have to clear an S-rank dungeon.” 

His flippant dismissal of a potentially life-threatening situation was unnerving. 

“Leader, and I say this as someone older than you, please get yourself some guiding.” 

Han Suryeon simply smiled, his silence a clear refusal. 

“Why are you so against it?”

“When a man…”

His eyes, gleaming with an almost predatory intensity, belied his charming smile.

“…sets his sights on something, he doesn’t let anything stand in his way.” 

***

Yoon Taehwa chuckled the moment he entered his room. Han Suryeon was sitting on his bed, munching on a bright red apple. A perfect, almost cartoonishly beautiful specimen, a Red Delicious. 

His lips, a shade of crimson that seemed to match the apple’s skin, parted slightly as he took a bite. A flash of pink, his tongue darting out to catch a stray drop of juice.

Han Suryeon, his beauty enhanced by an almost ethereal fragility, a side effect of his injuries, looked surprisingly… seductive as he savored the apple. 

Their eyes met, and Han Suryeon, as if on cue, smiled, his grey eyes crinkling at the corners. 

‘He’s mocking me with the apple, isn’t he?’ 

Yoon Taehwa thought, approaching the bed, his gaze lingering on the fruit. 

“I didn’t know you liked apples.”

“You told me to go eat a poisoned one.”

Han Suryeon held up the apple, a sly smile playing on his lips. 

“Just hoping you’d give me mouth-to-mouth if I choked.”

He batted his eyelashes, the gesture exaggerated, almost comical. 

Instead of laughing, Yoon Taehwa’s lips twitched, a flicker of amusement betraying his annoyance. Taking the apple from Han Suryeon, he took a large bite, the sweet juice exploding in his mouth. 

“It’s not poisoned.”

He mirrored Han Suryeon’s smile, his gaze meeting the other man’s. Han Suryeon blinked, his lashes fluttering before settling on the apple, his eyes following the imprint of Yoon Taehwa’s teeth. 

“That was an indirect kiss…”

His lips, glistening with apple juice, parted as he delivered another nonsensical statement.

“Now you’re responsible for me.”

“That’s going to be a problem. I didn’t even touch the side you bit.” 

Yoon Taehwa settled down on the opposite side of the bed. The absurd apple conversation was over. It was time to discuss the situation.

“Hmm…” 

Han Suryeon hummed thoughtfully, his fingers toying with the apple. 

“What about this?  Is this an indirect kiss?” 

He deliberately took a bite from the exact spot Yoon Taehwa had, the gesture blatant, almost provocative. Yoon Taehwa, instead of reprimanding him, simply rested his chin on his hand, his gaze challenging. 

“You’re acting more like the Evil Queen than Snow White.” 

“Is that your type? Sexy over innocent?”

“Why do you care?”

“Just trying to figure out how to… milk you dry.”

Yoon Taehwa frowned, trying to decipher Han Suryeon’s constant innuendos. While Espers pairing with members of the same sex wasn’t unusual, Yoon Taehwa wasn’t a Guide.

‘He knows that… It’s just mindless chatter.’ 

He dismissed it as a bad habit, a leftover from interactions with his own Guide. Pushing the thought aside, he steered the conversation back to their mission.

“About Pavel… We’re taking over.”

“Thought he was in a coma.” 

“An S-rank telepath will be accessing his memories.”

Han Suryeon took another bite of his apple. The contrast between the red fruit and his pale skin was striking. 

“They’ll be extracting everything we need. You know they can even access the hippocampus.”

“He could die.”

The sound of crunching, the apple yielding between his teeth, was crisp, almost refreshing. 

“I didn’t come here to grant him a quick and painless death. I’m here for revenge.”

Yoon Taehwa hadn’t expected Han Suryeon to readily agree. Shifting, he leaned back against the headboard.

“Besides, he’s not exactly your type, is he? In a coma like that. You prefer them… a little more… lively.”

“I enjoy variety…  Who knows, perhaps you’re into rough stuff as well, Team Leader.” 

“Want me to choke you again?”

Han Suryeon’s eyes widened before crinkling into a delighted smile. 

“God, I hope so.” 

His lips, stained with apple juice, were the color of blood.