Chapter 8
Jaehwi is here? He had so much to say to him. Though he wasn’t sure what he’d say first when they met, his heart suddenly began racing wildly. As soon as the IV needle was removed, Raon hurriedly got off the bed. He felt Jay drape a cardigan over his shoulders as he headed out, but he had no time to stop for such things.
“The management team is currently drafting Nox’s contract, and since we can’t do pre-contract ability measurements, we’ve just opened a training room as he requested. We’ve also provided temporary dormitory housing at the center.”
Raon, who had entered the elevator with Hyukjin following behind, tapped his thigh with his fingertips and moistened his dry lips with the tip of his tongue.
“How long was I out?”
“It’s been twenty-three hours and eighteen minutes since you fainted.”
“My parents?”
“You’re worried about that after causing an issue that could become an international incident? If something had happened to you there, do you think it would end with just a few people losing their jobs here?”
The elevator seemed unusually slow today, making Raon feel anxious. Maybe he should have run down the stairs instead? Hyukjin’s words didn’t properly register in Raon’s ears as he stared at the elevator display panel. His steps toward the training room gradually quickened.
Employees’ eyes widened as they watched Raon quickly pass through the corridor, wearing only treatment center clothes with a loose cardigan thrown over them. He’d never shown even the slightest disheveled appearance before. It was no secret that he was a member of the MK Group family, and Raon didn’t try to hide it.
At twenty-six, he’d risen to the position of management team leader at a young age, always dressed head to toe in luxury brands and accompanied by his secretary, Jay. He always spoke with slightly lowered eyes and a soft voice that somehow sounded like commands, but employees never questioned his words.
At first, they’d secretly dismissed him as someone who got the position through connections, but in his third year at the company, he’d firmly secured his position with his unrivaled skills.
If not for Jay, employees who saw his disheveled hair might not have recognized him—this man who didn’t even open doors with his own hands.
Raon entered the underground X training room, which could only be used by A-class Espers and above, and stopped in front of a large window. The space, larger than a soccer field, was filled with a light fog-like substance that obscured visibility.
“Team A and Nox are currently training.”
“When will it end?”
Raon glanced at the clock on the wall after hearing from the employee monitoring the training.
“It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes.”
“Why?”
“Teams have been entering in order from Team D, and they haven’t been able to last more than ten minutes on average. But since it’s Team A, it might take a little longer…”
The employee’s report to Raon was abruptly cut off by a loud crash. The light fog-like substance that had filled the training room until just moments ago disappeared, gradually revealing what was inside. The first thing visible was the back of a black-clothed man standing with his back to the window.
“Holy shit…”
A curse escaped Hyukjin’s lips as he stood next to Raon. Despite all the training that had taken place, there had never been any problems with the facilities until now. But at this moment, fine cracks began spreading across the glass right in front of them. As if to prove that something extraordinary had happened inside, Team A Espers could be seen sprawled on the floor at the opposite end.
Guides who had been waiting outside rushed in.
So much for taking ten minutes… Raon couldn’t help but laugh cynically at the statement that no team from D until now had lasted more than ten minutes. Who’s testing whom? The foolish center staff thought they were testing his capabilities, but all this time, Jaehwi had been playing with them.
Raon wrapped his arms around his upper body and slowly stroked his forearm. His heart began to beat faster, as if he’d just run a hundred meters. He inhaled slowly to calm his racing heart. The person who had been showing only his back to Raon slowly moved.
Despite the commotion as guides entered and checked the Espers’ conditions, such noise only lingered at the edges of Raon’s awareness without fully registering.
The black figure was now facing Raon. Every moment seemed to unfold incredibly slowly. Raon’s head gradually tilted back to see the face of the person approaching him.
Raon blinked slowly. Black hair and thick eyebrows. Distinct facial features. A high nose and angular jaw. Raon’s eyes, which had been directed at the firmly closed lips, finally met the eyes staring at him.
Darkness. Large, black eyes full of darkness that seemed to allow no light—they reflected Raon’s surprised, dumbfounded face.
His pale face, swollen from continuously receiving fluids while lying in bed, was visible in those eyes.
“Are you alright?”
Raon stared into his eyes, forgetting even to blink. He heard a low voice in his ears but couldn’t understand what was being said.
“Raon hyung.”
Raon’s plump, red lips parted slightly. His slowly blinking eyes closed tightly.
For a moment, everything seemed to stop. He straightened his tilted head and covered his face with both hands. This is crazy.
“Raon-ah.”
The boy who hadn’t even reached his shoulders had somehow become an adult a full hand span taller than him. His voice, which had been high-pitched before it changed, had transformed completely. My little child has changed so much.
“Don’t speak informally to me.”
A voice so quiet it was barely audible came from Raon, who had finally broken eye contact and lowered his head. Jaehwi was a full six years younger than him. Even when they first met, he’d called Raon by his name without honorifics, and now he’d done it again the moment Raon let his guard down.
“Are you really okay? In the dungeon, I…”
Jaehwi, the corners of his mouth slightly raised despite Raon’s curt tone, spoke again. He wanted to reach out and touch Raon but couldn’t bring himself to do so. The person before him seemed like he might vanish like an illusion.
“You. Are you really the Hwi I know?”
“Yes.”
As Jaehwi calmly answered, his eyes were examining Raon’s body, which wasn’t looking at him. When Raon’s head wouldn’t turn toward him even after waiting, Jaehwi’s hand moved. His fingertips touched Raon’s wrist, which was covering his face.
Jaehwi’s tanned hand wrapped around Raon’s pale wrist, and as he slowly pulled it down, Raon’s lowered head gradually lifted to look at Jaehwi.
At that moment, everyone in the space had their eyes fixed on Nox and Raon. Unbelievable things were happening one after another, even to those witnessing it with their own eyes.
Today, Raon was continuously showing astonishing behavior. Not only had he appeared disheveled, but he was also allowing Nox’s touch when he was usually extremely averse to anyone entering within a certain distance, as if he had some form of germaphobia.
“Kang Raon.”
Hyukjin, who had regained his senses first among them, cautiously spoke up. It would be ideal not to show any situation or behavior that could lead to misunderstandings before strange rumors could spread.
Nox was someone whose every move became a topic of conversation. And Raon was, at least within MK Center, one of the most famous people. Even though the few people who knew that Raon had urgently flown to America to meet Nox had been silenced, there are no eternal secrets in this world.
“Ah…”
Only after hearing Hyukjin did Raon quickly step back to distance himself from Jaehwi. His hand slipped out of Jaehwi’s grip on his wrist. But immediately after, he reached out first and took Jaehwi’s hand, pulling him forward.
If Hyukjin hadn’t called his name, Raon might have remained trapped in that strange moment. In a space where time and reality seemed crushed together, it was Hyukjin’s voice that pulled him back. First, he needed to take Jaehwi to his office, away from people’s eyes. He had so many questions about how he’d been living all this time and whether he really intended to contract with MK.
“Jay. Does this situation look normal to you right now?”
Hyukjin looked at Jay, who was as surprised as he was, while watching the elevator doors close after Nox and Raon had hurriedly left the training room. The great Kang Raon had pressed the elevator button with his own hand. You know his hair is sticking up in the back, right? And he’s wearing treatment room slippers, not his favorite loafers. On top of that, he was holding Nox’s hand tightly. Not just holding it. Why were their fingers interlaced?
Jaehwi looked at the small pale hand gripping his own tightly. Shifting his gaze, he looked at the person standing beside him. In his mind, Raon had always been such a large presence. The chest that had embraced him was broad, and the hand that had stroked his body was big. He’d always had to tilt his head back to see Raon’s face.
When he would tilt his head back to look, Raon would look down at him with a gentle smile and stroke his head.
Now he had to lower his head to see him. But when Raon lowered his head, Jaehwi couldn’t see the face he wanted to see.
Ten years had truly changed so many things.
But his voice remained unchanged. The gentle, slow way of speaking and the quiet whispers were still the same. When Jaehwi tightened his grip on their clasped hands, Raon looked at him. He was even more beautiful than in his memories. His eyes widened, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.
“Are you really Min Jaehwi?”
Raon kept asking, unable to believe it.
“Yes.”
“That little kid has grown this much?”
As Raon’s hand approached his head, seemingly wanting to stroke it, Jaehwi lowered his head to allow it.
