TS 036

‘This is seriously messed up.’

Yoon Taehwa walked through the lobby, ignoring the presence glued to his back.

“Oh, uhm. Hello, Team Leader.”

The reactions of the center staff he encountered fell into one of two categories: startled or accustomed indifference. The common denominator was the wary glances that followed. The former were likely witnessing this spectacle for the first time, while the latter had probably become desensitized from seeing it every single day.

“Hello.”

Unfazed, Yoon Taehwa casually returned their greetings and continued walking.

“You ignored my greeting….”

Han Suryeon, who had been trailing behind him, whined. Although he couldn’t be sure without looking at his face, his voice sounded like he was pouting.

“Would you greet me if I moved to another team?”

At his absurd question that had zero chance of happening, Yoon Taehwa stopped in his tracks. He looked down at the marble floor and sighed before slowly turning around. He was standing so close that he almost bumped into his chest. 

“I swear, I’ll never understand when Han Suryeon became such a pain.”

Yoon Taehwa asked, lightly flicking a finger against him. It wasn’t a harsh push, just a light touch, yet Han Suryeon staggered back a couple of steps. 

“Are you going to keep following me around?”

It had been two weeks since Han Suryeon started trailing after him like a lost puppy. To be precise, it had been like this ever since the incident in the A-rank dungeon. 

He should have known better when he spouted nonsense about courting him or seducing him, but he didn’t think much of it and let it slide. And now, here they were.

He hadn’t expected him to be serious about any of it…

‘…No. This isn’t about seduction either.’ 

What was he playing at? Was his goal to annoy him to death?

“If anyone made me a pain, it’s you, Team Leader.”

Han Suryeon, pouting as if he were actually upset, intertwined his fingers with his. He let him be, curious to see how far he would take it. He took it a step further by pulling him closer with a surprising amount of strength. Yoon Taehwa’s palm met with his soft, fair skin.

“You even put a collar on me.”

It was also a vulnerable spot where the carotid artery passed, allowing him to feel his heartbeat directly. 

‘A collar, huh?’

He recalled the scene at the terrorist attack where he had drawn a line of blood in the shape of a collar. As Han Suryeon’s grip tightened over his hand, the pulse throbbing against his palm intensified.

Yoon Taehwa counted the slow, steady beats as he moved his thumb. It wasn’t difficult to move his thumb freely, considering his fingers were intertwined between his. 

“If I remember correctly…”

His finger, which had been resting on his carotid artery, slowly slid down and stopped near his Adam’s apple. 

“I only put half of it on.” 

He recreated the same gesture from that day with a mocking smile and effortlessly untangled their intertwined fingers.

“When are you going to put the other half on?” 

“I have no intention of putting it on. I’m not interested in raising an Ovcharka^[1].” 

Yoon Taehwa turned away, leaving him with those words. The staff passing through the lobby were all staring in their direction. Having an S-rank Esper’s throat grabbed right in the middle of the lobby, not even on the 34th floor, was probably a tense sight.

‘It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve manhandled an Esper.’

Though, grabbing a teammate by the neck did paint a rather strange picture.

Used to the watchful gazes, Yoon Taehwa continued walking without a care. Getting a cup of coffee shouldn’t be this tiring.

“Ovcharka? They look too bulky… Is that how I look to you, Team Leader?” 

“What else would you prefer? A Laika? I hear even tigers hunt them.”

“Don’t you have a thing for wolfdogs, Team Leader?” 

What was he talking about with wolfdogs? Yoon Taehwa looked at Han Suryeon, who had somehow caught up to walk beside him, his expression questioning. He didn’t particularly have a ‘type’. He liked all animals and never cared about breeds. He never understood people who were obsessed with purebreds or mixed breeds.

“I saw you being affectionate with a certain mutt the other day.”

“Mutt?”

There couldn’t possibly be a dog in the center. As he pondered for a moment, Seo Sichan’s clueless face flashed through his mind. They had worked together with the Seeker Team 1 at the terrorist attack site, so maybe he saw him then.

“I wouldn’t call him that. He’s more of a wolf.”

“Don’t you know you should avoid guys who are like wolves?” 

What nonsense was he spouting now? Too lazy to respond, Yoon Taehwa continued walking with an indifferent expression. His steps finally stopped at the cafeteria tucked away in a corner of the lobby. 

“Ah! Hello, Team Leader.”

“Hello.”

Most of the staff working at the center’s convenience facilities were ordinary people, not Espers. Yoon Taehwa gave a brief nod to the familiar face. 

“The usual Americano today?” 

“Please.” 

“Coming right up. And what would you like, Sir?”

His practiced gaze shifted to Han Suryeon standing behind him.

“It’s nice to finally meet you. Ah! You’re the new recruit everyone’s talking about from Team 1, right?”

“I’m famous, huh?”

“Of course! I was wondering when you’d stop by the cafe. You know Center employees don’t have to pay separately, right? What can I get you?”

Leaving him behind after he followed him all the way here would be strange, so Yoon Taehwa observed Han Suryeon as he stood still. What do Russians usually drink? All that came to mind were stereotypical images of burly men drinking vodka like water.

As he was lost in thought, Han Suryeon, who had been scanning the menu board, spoke. 

“I’ll have this, please.” 

“Oh, sure! I’ll have your drinks ready together, Team Leader. The buzzer will go off when it’s ready.” 

Han Suryeon, buzzer in hand, wore an oddly proud expression. Letting out a small sigh, Yoon Taehwa settled down at the most secluded table.

“I came down for a break, but I can’t even catch a break because of you.”

Preparations were underway to turn Pavel’s mind inside out. Although Shin Ae-hi had volunteered, even she needed permission from higher-ups to meddle with someone’s brain. Persuasion was taking time since Monomorium’s whereabouts were classified information.

“Looking at something pretty relieves stress, you know?”

Han Suryeon said cheekily, resting his chin on his hand. His long legs were entangled beneath the small, round table. 

“Too bad. I prefer animals over humans.”

No one could look at that glamorous face and ask, ‘who do you think is pretty?’. However, he had no intention of entertaining his antics, so Yoon Taehwa simply mirrored his pose, fiddling with the buzzer and resting his chin on his hand. 

“Including demihuman Espers?”

His gray eyes narrowed as if to say, ‘since when did you find me pretty?’.

“Hardly.” 

Yoon Taehwa flatly denied it. It was strange to put humans who were born as humans on the same level as animals. If he considered demihumans Espers as a separate species rather than human, he wouldn’t have been able to take down the terrorists so easily. It would’ve felt like killing innocent animals.

‘Humans are just humans.’

He wasn’t the type to believe that all humans should die for the sake of the planet. However, since his line of work constantly put him at odds with humans, it was only natural for him to develop a greater affection for animals.

He didn’t have any pets, but Yoon Taehwa often found himself thinking that animals were better than humans.

“That’s a shame. Didn’t I tell you to avoid guys who are like wolves?”

The buzzer, which had been idly spinning in his hand, abruptly stopped. Yoon Taehwa stopped toying with it and leaned back in his chair. It seemed like he was hung up on Seo Sichan for some reason, but he couldn’t understand why. 

“What are you even talking about?”

At his gesture that clearly meant ‘explain yourself’, Han Suryeon grinned and opened his mouth.

“Don’t pet other pups, okay?”

The word ‘pups’ coming from his bright and beautiful face felt strangely off. 

“It makes me jealous when there are pups who get all dolled up and wait for your touch…”

“More like stripping naked than dressing up.”

“Ah, you prefer them dressed up? I’ll wear pretty clothes next time.”

“What next time?”

“Hmm. I’ll go get that then.”

He didn’t know how to respond to that. 

He really should have choked him earlier. Yoon Taehwa, regretting his inaction, nudged Han Suryeon’s shin with the tip of his shoe. Thud. The table shook.

It must have hurt since he hit his shin with his dress shoe, but Han Suryeon only blinked with wide eyes, as if asking what he was doing.

“Stop following me from now on.”

“Why?”

“You’re a nuisance.”

“Didn’t you say you’d be in charge of me? What if I get into trouble while you’re not looking?” 

“What else? You’ll be deported back to Russia.”

“That’s not…”

The way he picked up the buzzer seemed ominous.

“Wouldn’t it be better to treat me nicely while I’m still in sight…?” 

“I’ll treat you nicely if you act nicely.”

“Okay, then I’ll go get your coffee, Team Leader.”

As if possessed, the buzzer in his hand started to vibrate violently. Han Suryeon got up from his seat, buzzer in hand. Because their legs were tangled under the small table, their knees briefly brushed against each other as he stood up. 

“Honestly…” 

Yoon Taehwa knew why Han Suryeon acted so shamelessly around him. It was because his act, no matter how cutesy or innocent, didn’t look ridiculous on him. It was a unique kind of confidence only those who didn’t need to prove they were predators possessed.

As he watched him walk towards the counter with his chin resting on his hand, Han Suryeon returned with the tray in no time. 

“Here’s your coffee, Team Leader.”

What was with the ingratiating tone, like a wife serving her husband food? He wondered who on earth taught him Korean.

As he reached for his takeout cup, his gaze naturally fell on him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Yoon Taehwa, staring at the drink in his hand, burst into laughter. 

“Because it suits you.”

The contents of the cup swirled as he moved the straw, the white milk turning pink.

It was a strawberry latte, sugary sweet at first glance.