TS 035

Han Suryeon’s expression suggested he wasn’t a fan of smoking. 

“This is the designated smoking area. Go downstairs if you don’t like it.”

If he’d been a smoker, he would’ve asked for one. Yoon Taehwa, taking another drag of his cigarette, his gaze drifting towards the cityscape, dismissed him casually. 

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” 

Han Suryeon leaned against the railing, his elbow propped on the metal bar, his chin resting on his hand, his body angled towards Yoon Taehwa. It was a relaxed, almost intimate pose. Yoon Taehwa glanced at him before returning his attention to his cigarette, the beauty mark beneath his lip twitching slightly. 

“Was that Guide earlier… the one assigned to Team 1?” 

“Yes.” 

“I thought he was a kindergarten teacher. He treated me like a five-year-old.”

“You often act like one.”

“A rather large five-year-old, wouldn’t you say? Big enough to shock you, Team Leader.”

The unspoken implication made Yoon Taehwa frown. A thought, a sudden suspicion, made him turn towards Han Suryeon.

Ignoring any pretense of asking for permission, he cupped Han Suryeon’s face, turning it from side to side, examining his eyes. Han Suryeon, his gaze lowered, batted his eyelashes playfully.

“I was a very well-behaved patient. Just held his hand.”

His words were sweet, compliant, but the sly glint in his eyes betrayed his true intentions. Yoon Taehwa released his grip, bringing the cigarette back to his lips, taking a drag. He could feel Han Suryeon’s gaze, unwavering, fixed on his mouth. 

While he was accustomed to being the object of Han Suryeon’s blatant scrutiny, it felt… different this time. Perhaps that was why he felt this sudden urge to disrupt it.

He took another drag, holding the smoke in his lungs before turning towards Han Suryeon, exhaling a plume of gray into his face. Knowing the other man’s aversion, it was a deliberate act, a childish attempt to provoke a reaction. 

Han Suryeon didn’t flinch, his expression unreadable. Their gazes locked, a silent battle of wills. 

The stalemate ended with Han Suryeon reaching out. 

“Team Leader.”

He took Yoon Taehwa’s wrist, pulling his hand closer, his lips parting as he leaned in. His tongue, darting out, grazed the tip of the cigarette, the spot where Yoon Taehwa’s teeth had left a mark, before he took it between his lips, pulling it away. Yoon Taehwa’s hand twitched instinctively, his fingers loosening their grip. 

“Who were you talking to on the phone? The one who made you smile?”

Han Suryeon’s eyes, narrowed to slits, were as dark as the night sky, despite the playful smile curving his lips. 

Caught off guard by the unexpected theft, Yoon Taehwa frowned slightly. Had Han Suryeon been eavesdropping? It wasn’t a secret conversation, the caller unimportant, but the fact that he’d managed to approach undetected was… unsettling. Which meant he’d done it deliberately.

“Why do you care?”

His gaze fixed on the cigarette dangling from Han Suryeon’s lips, he reached out, taking it back, bringing it to his mouth, taking a long drag. He barely registered the taste, his mind preoccupied with the fact that he was, essentially, sharing a cigarette with another man.

He exhaled slowly, the smoke curling upwards, dissipating into the night air. 

Han Suryeon was silent. 

He glanced at him, finding him staring, his gaze intense, unwavering. 

Yoon Taehwa, still holding the cigarette between his lips, tilted his head, his voice a low murmur.

“What?”

“I wasn’t expecting this reaction…”

Han Suryeon chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners, his body leaning towards Yoon Taehwa, his voice soft, almost pleading. 

“Don’t I deserve to know?”

“Deserve?”

Yoon Taehwa frowned. Was ‘deserve’ even the right word in this context? He stubbed out the cigarette in the portable ashtray he’d pulled from his pocket, the word replaying in his mind. 

“You stole my first kiss. You’re responsible for me now.” 

His first kiss? Yoon Taehwa’s brow furrowed, his lips twitching in disbelief. Han Suryeon, seeing his reaction, his expression a picture of wounded innocence, doubled down on the absurdity.

“Don’t you know? The princess, awakened from her curse, needs to be rescued by her prince.” 

Another princess reference.

For the first time, Yoon Taehwa regretted that ‘poisoned apple’ remark. It was too late to take it back. He had no choice but to play along. 

“These days, princesses are independent. They don’t need rescuing.” 

“Ah, so you want me to work for a living? Fine. I’ll be a good housewife, I’ll even bring home the bacon. Anything to please my chaebol Team Leader.”

Yoon Taehwa stared at him, speechless. Where had he even learned the term ‘housewife’? He was starting to wonder what went on in that head of his. 

He was the leader of a powerful guild. He couldn’t be stupid. So, what was his game? 

“Why do you always talk to me like that, Suryeon?”

He turned, facing Han Suryeon fully, leaning against the railing, his gaze sweeping over him, taking in every detail. Han Suryeon blinked, his eyes wide, innocent. It was a calculated performance, but effective nonetheless. 

“Why do you keep misunderstanding me, Team Leader?” 

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you know what happens between a princess and a prince?”

Yoon Taehwa thought about the fairytales he’d vaguely remembered from his childhood. While modern interpretations often offered more progressive narratives, the core themes remained the same: good versus evil, a journey, and, inevitably, love.

Love? Yoon Taehwa scoffed. ‘He can’t be serious.’

“You want me to slay a dragon? Is that it?”

It was a lofty goal, for both of them.

They’d joined forces to take down the Ants, so it wasn’t entirely inaccurate. But their motivations were far from noble. He was fulfilling his duties as an Esper, and Han Suryeon was driven by revenge, not by some grand sense of justice.

“Perhaps it’s because I’m an Esper… Are you pretending not to understand, or are you just… oblivious?” 

“I’m pretending. So stop talking about it.”

“How can you reject a princess’s advances?” 

“I just did.” 

Yoon Taehwa replied flatly, pulling out another cigarette. He didn’t know Han Suryeon well, but he knew enough to recognize that this… banter, this playful provocation, wouldn’t end anytime soon. The man, despite feigning obedience, always managed to get his point across. 

“So you do realize I’m pursuing you.”

As expected.

Yoon Taehwa ignored him, flicking his lighter, taking a drag of his cigarette. He glanced at Han Suryeon, finding him watching, his head tilted, a playful smile curving his lips.

“Will you give in if I seduce you?”

“No.”

Yoon Taehwa, anticipating a headache, placed the cigarette between his lips. 

“I’m not a Guide. What I did in the dungeon… that wasn’t Guiding.”

“I know. Who’d be stupid enough to mistake that for Guiding?” 

“Thought you were. What exactly are you planning to do by seducing another Esper?” 

The question, casually delivered, drew a smile from Han Suryeon. A sense of foreboding washed over Yoon Taehwa. He frowned, taking another drag of his cigarette, his gaze fixed on the other man. 

He needed the nicotine, if only to steel himself for whatever absurdity Han Suryeon was about to unleash. 

“Nothing, really.” 

The ominous response made Yoon Taehwa turn, cigarette still in hand. 

“Except…”

Han Suryeon leaned in, his hand cupping Yoon Taehwa’s cheek, tilting his head up, his lips parting. Yoon Taehwa’s eyes widened as a tongue, warm and insistent, invaded his mouth, stealing the smoke from his lungs before retreating. 

“Cough! Ugh… I don’t understand why you smoke this stuff.”

Han Suryeon coughed delicately, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. His eyes were watery, as if the smoke had irritated them. Yoon Taehwa stared at him, speechless. He was the one who had just stolen a mouthful of smoke, and yet…

“Han Suryeon, you’re unbelievable.” 

Instead of punching him, which would have been a perfectly reasonable reaction, all he could do was laugh, a sound that was both exasperated and strangely… delighted. The cigarette in his hand trembled slightly. 

It was the first time anyone had ever kissed him without his consent.