# Chapter 198
“Does it bother you that much? Do you still think Jung Iyeon-ssi is a hindrance to Sano-nim?”
At Jonghee’s question, Jongchan scrunched his face with a blank expression. His lips, full of dissatisfaction, mumbled.
“…That’s fine now.”
The two of them were people who had watched Sano more closely than anyone—perhaps even more than Je Sano himself. They immediately noticed that his attitude toward Iyeon was special.
When next to Iyeon, Sano looked like an ordinary person. He wasn’t sharp as if he might cut himself on a knife, nor brutal as if he might kill someone he disliked on the spot, nor sensitive as if his superpower might explode at any moment. He would look at cookbooks with a serious face as if contemplating the fate of humanity, appear holding disposable coffee cups he had never touched before, and go home to sleep when it got late.
No secretary wished for that image to disappear.
“That’s not an issue anymore, but that bastard.”
Jongchan clenched his fist and shouted indignantly.
“That bastard dared to dump our Sano-nim!”
“Ah.”
“Aren’t you angry? What’s wrong with our Sano-nim!”
“Sano-nim certainly doesn’t lack anything.”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
Jonghee clearly remembered Iyeon at the café earlier. The voice that pushed Sano away with a face dripping with lingering attachment, and the expression that immediately turned pale when he thought Sano was in danger. And the eyes that firmly held onto Jonghee with a resolute face.
It was an emotion so vivid it could be grasped.
“Kim Jongchan.”
“Huh?”
“Stop showing how clueless you are and go date someone.”
“What? What are you suddenly talking about? When do I have time for that?”
It was then.
Splash… Bubbles began to form in the middle of the still lake. A vibration that seemed to shake the entire lake followed. Jongchan and Jonghee, who had been chatting while standing rooted by the lakeside and watching the water’s surface, simultaneously stepped back.
The shallow trembling of the ground seemed ominous. It was as if a massive force was causing havoc beneath the surface. Could the Dumugwi be coming up? The two stared intently at the center of the waves. Tension crept into their usually calm faces. Thump, boom… The continuous ominous sounds grew louder until a certain moment.
SPLASH!
The water surface that had been churning wildly as if about to explode soon burst with a tremendous noise.
Water droplets shot up into the air like a fountain, reflecting light and sparkling. Rainbows formed in between.
“Hey, the paper plane! The plane is wet!”
In the center, a white object could be seen breaking through the water surface and soaring into the sky. A voice that sounded like a scream followed.
“Did you expect to drive a paper plane inside a lake and not have it get wet?”
“No, I didn’t think it would burst that quickly! You should’ve let me prepare mentally!”
“That’s a matter of quick reflexes.”
“Oh, really… Huh? Huh? Hey, this is really collapsing!”
With the scream, one wing of the paper plane sagged. As a result, Iyeon’s body, which had been resting his hand on that spot, tilted precariously.
Sano grabbed Iyeon’s arm just as it was about to fall and pulled him. Simultaneously, a mound of earth near where Jongchan and Jonghee were standing rose up, transformed into a long, thin rope-like shape, and headed toward Sano. The earth, refined into several rope-like strands, wrapped around Sano’s body like a safety rope and slowly moved him to the ground. Iyeon, who had instinctively clung to Sano’s torso like a cicada on an old tree, exhaled in relief.
Soon, the two reached Jongchan and Jonghee. As Sano lightly stepped down as if walking on air, Iyeon also cautiously lowered his legs to touch the ground.
“How did it go?”
To Jonghee’s question asked out of courtesy, Iyeon was the one who answered. His brightly smiling face said cheerfully:
“We took care of it.”
Accepting and completing the Level 2 variant Dumugwi elimination mission in just 8 hours.
It was an unquestionable record.
“Oh, right.”
As he dried his wet hair with a towel that Jonghee handed him, water droplets flew in all directions. Perhaps because the weather was chilly, his body quickly cooled. Shivering, Iyeon picked up the clothes he had taken off earlier.
“Record this as if you did it alone.”
Even if they could somehow attribute the Dabalsin to luck, eliminating the Dumugwi together would be suspicious to anyone. The notoriously ferocious Level 2 variant wasn’t easy enough to be handled by a low-ranked hunter, who would be disposed of as easily as fish droppings.
But as if uninterested in Iyeon’s words, Sano said something completely different.
“What are you trying to do now?”
“What do you mean? I need to change clothes. I can’t go home in a swimsuit.”
Sano’s eyes turned cold.
“Outdoors?”
“No, it’s just us here, what do you mean ‘outdoors’…”
“You selectively spout shameless things.”
Why is he talking as if I’m some kind of pervert?
“Do you want new clothes too? It’s heavy and uncomfortable to wear wet clothes.”
“Go shower first.”
“Of course I’ll shower. But it’ll take a long time…”
The conversation ended there. Sano abruptly grabbed Iyeon’s waist. Huh? With a dumbfounded sound, Iyeon followed like a paper doll. Just as Iyeon opened his mouth to protest, Sano made a timely gesture with his eyes.
“Get rid of that.”
“Ah.”
Where Sano had directed his gaze was the wall and ceiling blocking the lake. Come to think of it, it was dawn time-wise, but this place was as bright as day. Iyeon, half-suspended, deactivated his ability. The glowing membrane that had densely covered the sky slowly scattered into white sand. Sano seemed to be returning the ground to its original state as well, as the wall could be seen gradually sinking into the lake with a sound of mild earthquakes.
The lake quickly returned to its original appearance. The cloudy sky had cleared at some point, revealing a bright moon and stars densely embedded.
“Take care on your way back.”
Jonghee and Jongchan lowered their heads perceptively. Sano hardly acknowledged their greeting as he pulled Iyeon close. Soon, the ground beneath him sank.
Though roughly wiped with a towel, his body was still damp. But being huddled together, they were reasonably warm. Well, moving through the ground meant other people couldn’t see them anyway. So instead of trying to put on the clothes he was holding, Iyeon pressed his body closer to Sano.
If he said anything, Iyeon would say it’s because he’s cold. While watching cautiously with an excuse ready, Sano didn’t say anything special. Encouraged by this, Iyeon cautiously opened his mouth.
“Hey, you know.”
Instead of answering, Sano looked at Iyeon. Feeling a bit embarrassed under his direct gaze, Iyeon cleared his throat.
“So, are we, are we dating now?”
Saying such a ticklish word out loud made his face automatically heat up, but he still wanted confirmation. Come to think of it, Je Sano hadn’t actually said he liked him… If after all this commotion he suddenly said something like “I just thought of you as my savior” or “it was a kiss of gratitude,” Iyeon wouldn’t let it go. He clenched his fist with a solemn resolve.
Sano continued to stare at Iyeon, who was gradually turning red from his neck up, and then at some point lowered his head. His face naturally tilted at an angle and descended, and his tongue parted between his lips to dig into the soft mucous membrane. Their skin, still moist, brushed against each other.
After a brief kiss, a series of pecking kisses followed like a bird. Finally, after gently biting Iyeon’s lower lip, Sano pulled back slightly and whispered right in front of his nose.
“The place by your side is mine.”
The sensation of the low voice directly reaching his ear was strange. Warm breath touched the corner of his mouth. Iyeon froze, barely able to breathe deeply.
“It won’t be fun if you mess around.”
It was a voice that felt somehow dangerous yet playful. The smooth, handsome face approached again. Their thin skin rubbed together. A bit flustered, Iyeon blurted out the first thing that came to mind as his lips slightly parted.
“Hey, you… really like kissing.”
Sano whispered with a look of disdain.
“If you don’t like it, then don’t look at me like that.”
“No, it’s not that I don’t like it, huh?”
Taking advantage of Iyeon’s pause as he reflexively replied, Sano this time sealed their lips completely. Iyeon deliberately ignored his reddening cheeks and met the tongue that was pushing between his parted lips.
They arrived home soon. Or was it soon? He hadn’t even noticed time passing. He finally understood why people in dramas and movies would kiss at the slightest opportunity. The sensation of entwining tongues with someone you like was insanely good.
Standing at the front door, Iyeon glanced back at Sano who was standing firmly behind him. Sano, showing no trace whatsoever of their passionate kissing just moments ago, coldly said:
“What.”
That one-syllable response contained a great deal of meaning. His determination to enter that house, using force if necessary, was evident.
To think there would come a day when such a completely rude tone would seem cute. Iyeon unconsciously pressed down his rising corners of his mouth.
“…You know you’re in charge of dinner today, right?”
Beep. The door opened with a cheerful sound.
“I’m starving. I missed dinner. Make something delicious.”
“You’ve been running around without eating properly.”
“Hey, you didn’t eat either.”
“I’m all grown up.”
“…I’m grown up too, you know?”
“Barely that.”
“What do you mean barely!”
Their bickering voices gradually faded away. The front door closed softly as if it had never been opened.
