His body moved faster than he thought. He had clearly been propping his chin to prevent his upper body from swaying from the alcohol, but the moment Raon recognized the person visible in the distance, he shot up from his seat. Then he opened the door leading to the garden and ran without even having time to look for his shoes.
Staggering, Raon snatched the wrist of one person among several people. The feeling of the thick, solid wrist that couldn’t be fully grasped in one hand and the warm body temperature like a hot pack told him who it was without even having to check his face again.
As Jaehwi became one, then two, then one again, Raon squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again.
“You…”
“Kang Raon.”
Only after something was draped over his shoulders did Raon think it was a bit cold. “Put on your shoes first.” Only after hearing the word shoes did he realize he was only wearing socks. While looking up at Jaehwi who was looking down at him, he turned his head at words coming from somewhere else, where Hajun was slightly bending his body and placing shoes in front of his feet.
“Ah, uh.”
Only then did the people around Jaehwi come into view. Raon realized that he was currently drinking with Hajun, was quite drunk, and was embarrassing everyone here including Jaehwi.
In bewilderment, Raon bit his left index finger, let go of Jaehwi’s wrist he had been gripping, and hesitantly stepped back a few steps.
“You said you had dinner plans tonight, so it was here?”
Raon only blinked his large eyes at the sight of Jaehwi bending his upper body to match his eye level and smiling prettily.
“I’m done eating, but if hyung is almost done too, let’s go home together.”
At Jaehwi’s words full of affection, more strength went into his jaw. As if matching their eye levels by bending his upper body wasn’t enough, Jaehwi lowered his body even more and sat in front of him with one knee on the ground. Then he naturally took Raon’s right hand and placed it on his shoulder, and next touched his feet that were only wearing socks.
Making him lift his foot slightly, brushing off the sole with his hand, and putting on his shoes—Jaehwi felt like an illusion to Raon. He smiled at him, spoke to him affectionately, took care of him, and when he always did that, he didn’t know how precious it was…
Feeling the area around his eyes getting hot, Raon couldn’t bring himself to raise his head.
“You know, right? Team Leader Kang Raon of MK Center. The fact that he and I had a very special connection 10 years ago too.”
Jaehwi’s smooth words continued, but nothing entered Raon’s ears.
Though others’ voices mixed between Jaehwi’s voice, Raon only endlessly gazed at the large, rough hands with prominent veins.
After regression, had Jaehwi ever extended his hand to him first? Had he ever smiled at him? An affectionate tone? Held his hand like this…
Like a broken clock, Raon just stayed still like that.
* * *
At the heavily reddened eyes, nose, ears, flushed cheeks, and the thick alcohol scent felt with each exhale, Jaehwi swallowed a sigh inside. Though he was affiliated with MK, it was a position he was forced to attend because he couldn’t ignore contact from NCSC.
Just 10 years. They said if he worked like a dog they’d give him freedom, but as expected, humans couldn’t be trusted. It was better to trust the endlessly changing dungeons instead. At first they said he just needed to come for dungeons with national crisis alerts or higher, but watching those who were pulling tricks to subtly expand that scope was all Jaehwi did today.
How was he doing at the center, did he find a Guide, how effective were the stabilizers? On the surface it seemed like they were asking if he was doing well currently, but if you turned it inside out, in the end they wanted to know about MK Center. Even if it was top secret within the center.
Jaehwi, who was only giving perfunctory answers, noticed Raon entering the restaurant. But he had no intention at all of interfering with his schedule. Even though he knew who was accompanying him.
If he had this stuffy, suffocating world that tried to use him as a pawn on a game board to the end, Raon had his own warm and cozy world. He didn’t eavesdrop on Raon and Hajun’s conversation either. He thought they each just needed to move according to their individual schedules.
That was until he was caught by Raon like this.
“You were doing well back then too, so as expected, contracting with MK was because of Team Leader Kang. I understand Team Leader Kang doesn’t do guiding.”
“What would Team Leader Kang need to do guiding for? He’s currently leading the center well. Since he takes care of and treats me well even now through our childhood friendship, I’m just grateful.”
“Where would there be a place to persecute the great Nox?”
Jaehwi only answered with a smile to the platoon leader’s words, who was like a thousand-year-old wily snake.
“Then. I’ll go whenever there’s a call.”
“You don’t know how reassuring it is to have you. Thanks to you, our country is this safe…”
After the NCSC people who spouted flattering words left, there was no emotion in Jaehwi’s eyes looking at the remaining person.
“We meet again. We met in Raon’s office before, right? The person who came with that cute animal.”
Jaehwi didn’t refuse to clasp the hand of the person offering a handshake first.
“Hello. I’m Esper Min Jaehwi.”
“Being with Raon, I get to actually meet the famous Nox. I’m sorry for not recognizing you then. Since you always wear a black mask… Thank you for always protecting us so we can live safely and comfortably.”
At Hajun’s flattering words following NCSC, Jaehwi’s lips rose crookedly.
“Not at all. I’m just using the abilities given to me for precious people.”
Giving a perfunctory answer just as much as the perfunctory praise, he savored the movement of the small hand squirming in his hand.
Seeing Raon this drunk was the second time. The first time, he couldn’t suppress his emotions and ended up stealing a kiss. But today… in his wavering emotions, Jaehwi couldn’t readily move.
Should he hand over Raon, hazy and dazed in drunkenness, to Hajun as is and leave what happened now as just a light happening? Or should he take him? So in the end, Jaehwi passed that decision onto Raon.
If the hand he released didn’t come back, he would turn around like this. But if he grabbed him once more…
Simultaneously with the thought, Jaehwi tried to let go of Raon’s hand. But as if knowing his thoughts, Raon’s fingers dug between his fingers. Since his head was lowered, he couldn’t examine Raon’s expression, but at Raon’s energy felt from their touching palms, Jaehwi swept the inside of his cheek with his tongue.
“It seems I’ve ended up interrupting you two’s time. My party already left, do you have more to discuss with hyung?”
Jaehwi tried to settle the standoff continuing over Raon. Raon managed himself well. He knew he rarely drank this much, and besides, his body wasn’t even fully healed yet. Even if Raon drank, he could have stopped him or done something before he got this drunk, yet leaving him alone—he couldn’t not know Hajun’s intentions.
“He had such high tension more than usual because something was so good today, and ended up getting drunk like this. What conversation would I have with drunk Raon? I should take him home now.”
His tension was high? Well.
Jaehwi let go of Raon’s hand and touched the collar of Raon’s clothes that Hajun had draped over his shoulders.
“Hyung, we should go home. Put your clothes on properly too.”
“Hm? Home?”
After properly putting clothes on Raon, who tilted his head diagonally and languidly stretched out a few words, Jaehwi left alone Raon who reached out to touch his cheek.
“I’ll take Raon hyung. Because I have to take Bbobbo to hyung’s house today too.”
Jaehwi buttoned up even the jacket, but at Raon’s action of murmuring ‘cold’ and pressing his forehead to his chest, he slightly turned his head to look at Hajun.
Though there was energy felt for a fleeting moment, Hajun with a gentle smile said to do as he pleased. Did he want to show a relaxed appearance? For that, Jaehwi couldn’t miss the finely trembling corners of his lips and unstable heartbeat.
“Then, take care.”
There was no hesitation in Jaehwi’s gesture as he turned away from Hajun. When he lifted up the staggering Raon, Bbobbo, who had been playing somewhere, appeared. Bbobbo, who would normally chatter away saying “ppippi, ppobbo,” obediently landed on Jaehwi’s shoulder.
No matter how immature and willful Bbobbo was, he wasn’t shameless enough to wake up Raon who was yawning small while being held in Jaehwi’s arms and trying to fall asleep with his face buried in Jaehwi’s chest.
