The morning sunlight pierced through the old glass door of Jangchun Health Clinic. In the air where dust floated hazily, Igyeol opened the sliding door to his room and stumbled out. Just as he was about to scratch his disheveled hair and let out a long yawn, Igyeol’s movements froze in an instant.
The narrow two-person sofa placed in a corner of the shop. Sung Yohan was sitting there with his legs crossed. Wearing a spotless neat shirt and tie, elegantly flipping through a tablet in one hand—the sight clashed terribly with this shabby clinic.
‘…He didn’t leave.’
Last night. The sensation of pouring out high-concentration Holy Power in that cramped room came to mind. The distant sense of liberation that came along with pain as if his skin was burning up. And the hot breath that touched his nape.
As that vivid memory struck his mind, Igyeol unconsciously swallowed dry saliva and turned his eyes away. Normally he would have picked a fight asking what he was doing posing around from morning, but right now his mouth wouldn’t open.
“Did you sleep well?”
Without taking his gaze off the tablet, Sung Yohan asked in a very calm and gentle voice. As if nothing had happened last night, it was such an ordinary morning greeting.
“…Whether I slept well or not.”
Igyeol’s answer was curt, but the end of his voice came out slightly cracked. As if he noticed the confusion hidden in that brief answer, Sung Yohan’s lips rose almost imperceptibly before immediately finding their place again. He didn’t bother to point out the awkwardness.
Silence.
Only the sound of the herbal medicine boiler bubbling filled the quiet clinic interior.
Unable to endure that awkward air, Igyeol turned his body toward the stairs going up to the second floor.
“…Come up when the food is ready.”
At Igyeol’s words tossed out with his back turned,
“Yes.”
Sung Yohan’s answer returned without delay. Igyeol cleared his throat and went up to the second floor. He felt Sung Yohan’s gaze following from behind but didn’t turn back.
He went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. He put a frying pan on and cracked eggs to make rolled omelets. When he placed miso stew on the table, Hyungil came out of his room yawning. Yeongwon followed as if now accustomed, but perhaps sensing his hesitation, Hyungil said,
“Hey, aren’t you eating? This hyung is a rolled omelet master. If you don’t eat, I’ll eat it all.”
Hyungil, dressed in his school uniform, sat in front of the table and picked up chopsticks as he spoke to Yeongwon. Until yesterday, Yeongwon had been hiding behind Igyeol with his guard completely up, but at Hyungil’s easygoing attitude, he hesitantly took a seat in a corner of the table.
“…I’ll eat too.”
“Then eat this first. You need sweets in the morning to get your brain working.”
Hyungil took out a chocolate bar from his pocket and slid it in front of Yeongwon. Yeongwon glanced at Igyeol cautiously before carefully picking up the chocolate bar. His tense shoulders visibly relaxed a bit.
“…Do you have more snacks?”
“Of course. Hyung will raid the school store, so let’s eat together after school.”
Hyungil answered with a grin.
Igyeol, who had been sneaking glances at that scene from the kitchen, let a small laugh slip at the corner of his mouth. Though they didn’t share a drop of blood, somehow they seemed like real younger brothers and one corner of his heart felt warm and fuzzy. The warmth of when Grandma Oksoon took him in was now continuing through Igyeol to Hyungil, and to Yeongwon.
‘The feeling of family growing. Not bad.’
Even Sung Yohan came up and the four of them sat at the table. Hyungil glanced at Sung Yohan while eating. Igyeol stopped eating and glared at Hyungil. Just eat your food quietly. Hyungil grinned and spoke to Sung Yohan.
“Yohan-nim, did you sleep well? Hyung’s room is really cramped, right?”
“I slept well. The cramped space is fine.”
“Hyung’s room is dirty, right? It smells too, doesn’t it?”
“Kim Hyungil.”
“No… rather-“
“Ah, why are you only scolding me!”
“Just eat. Chew thoroughly and eat everything.”
“I’m gonna chew super thoroughly, okay? I’m totally gonna chew super thoroughly, okay?!”
“Yeah, chew super thoroughly!”
When Igyeol snatched the last rolled omelet that Hyungil was trying to steal with his chopsticks and put it on Yeongwon’s rice bowl, Hyungil huffed and chewed his rice demonstratively in front of Igyeol. Igyeol raised his eyebrows with an “oh ho~”. At that sight, Yeongwon burst into a small laugh. Sung Yohan also chuckled and picked up his utensils. Hyungil crunched on bachelor radish kimchi, bursting with resentment. I want to talk with the rank 1 hyung-ah too!!
The breakfast where Hyungil’s sorrows exploded ended like that.
After the meal, Igyeol sat at the counter and sorted the dried medicinal herbs.
Bzzt- Bzzt-
The watch on his wrist vibrated. It was a Huntranet schedule notification.
[D-1. Please report for Hunter Association magical wave re-inspection]
Igyeol’s expression instantly hardened as he checked the notification window. The 48-hour deadline he barely got deferred with Gi Taeyeon and Sung Yohan’s help. That end was tomorrow.
If he stood in front of the Association’s precision measurement device, demonic energy would be detected without filter because of the Fragment of Beelzebub embedded in his body. Then the disguise of being a C-rank gathering hunter would be over, and it would only be a matter of time before his identity as an ‘Apostle’ who didn’t return and died would be discovered. It would be walking right into the trap Baekya had dug.
It was when Igyeol was glaring at his watch, biting his lips.
“It’s tomorrow.”
Sung Yohan, who had approached at some point, suddenly spoke as he sat in the chair in front of the counter. A tablet was still in his hand, but his gaze was directed precisely at Igyeol.
“I know.”
Igyeol replied, trying to act indifferent, not taking his eyes off the medicinal herbs.
“There’s a method.”
At Sung Yohan’s firm voice, Igyeol’s hand stopped.
“What is it?”
“I’ll suppress your demonic energy in front of the measuring device. I’ll cover your wave pattern with my Holy Power. The machine reads the strongest energy as top priority.”
“…That works?”
Igyeol looked at Sung Yohan with suspicious eyes.
“I’ve never tried it. I’ve never used Holy Power to hide someone else’s energy.”
Sung Yohan shrugged nonchalantly and continued.
“But if it’s contact like last night… I’ll be able to hide your demonic energy sufficiently under my energy. I’m confident.”
As soon as the words “last night” came out, Igyeol reflexively cleared his throat and averted his gaze. It felt like subtle heat was rising to his face.
“So, what are you saying we should do?”
“Just hold my hand right before the measurement. So my Holy Power can flow through your bloodstream. That alone is enough.”
“In the Association investigation room where everyone’s watching?”
Igyeol asked as if flabbergasted. Two grown men, moreover the rank 1 guild leader and an unknown C-rank hunter, standing in front of the machine tightly holding hands in the investigation room. Just imagining it sent chills down his spine.
“A wrist is fine. If we naturally pretend to support each other, we won’t be suspected.”
Sung Yohan answered calmly as if the gazes of others didn’t matter at all.
“…Haa.”
Igyeol let out a deep sigh and pressed his forehead.
“Since I got involved with a crazy bastard, I only have to do crazy things.”
“Just trust me.”
“Trust what, when you said you’ve never tried it.”
“If you hold onto me, it’ll work.”
There was confidence in Sung Yohan’s voice. Baseless confidence. But why was it that, strangely, just a little bit, just slightly, it was reassuring? Igyeol clicked his tongue.
“Ha- fine. Then tomorrow. If it fails, I’m the one who dies, you know that?”
“It won’t fail.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“If it fails, I’ll break the measuring device.”
“…Really crazy bastard.”
***
Afternoon. Igyeol headed to Miyang-dong market to buy dinner ingredients, also to ease his frustrated insides.
But the neighborhood atmosphere was unusual today. As soon as he entered the market entrance, the gazes of the neighborhood grandmas gathered in front of the vegetable shop all turned to Igyeol at once.
“Oh my, that’s him, that one.”
“Goodness, with such a decent-looking face… so that’s why Jangchun grandma was so worried?”
“But they say the man he brought is so handsome?”
The murmuring sounds struck his ears. Igyeol’s steps stopped abruptly.
Why is an ominous feeling never wrong? He suddenly remembered what Sung Yohan had mentioned in passing. That there was a grandma who witnessed him sleeping with his fingers interlaced with Sung Yohan on the sofa… Damn it all. That grandma was Grandma Chunja.
Igyeol strode toward Grandma Chunja, who was sitting on the bench at the sesame oil shop drinking instant coffee, struggling to hide his very flustered face.
“Ha… Grandma Chunja. Your knee… is it okay?”
“Oh, Igyeol? Knee? It hurts~?”
“I-is that so? Then come to the clinic?”
“I’ll go later. Not going now.”
“Why, why?”
“Ah, there’s just something.”
“…Grandma, you’re not going around telling strange… stories, are you? About me or…”
Igyeol looked at the distant mountains and tapped the floor with his toes. At that ambiguous behavior, Grandma Chunja opened her eyes narrowly and looked Igyeol up and down. It was a look that said “look at this guy.”
“Why? Is there something bothering you?”
“N-no, what would be bothering me! Where else is there such a clean person without gossip like me! Grandma knows too!”
“Know what! I don’t know? I don’t know who Boss Moon is holding hands with and sleeping at dawn.”
“…Grandma Chunja, what did you just say?”
“Huh? What did I say?”
“I think you just said something strange?”
When Igyeol protested with wide eyes, Grandma Chunja widened her eyes and put down her paper cup.
