# Chapter 24
She’d installed all sorts of useless functions with cutting-edge technology. Iyeon grumbled as he roughly placed the stick on the table, when suddenly the feather part detached from the string and flew up. The feather, spinning like a propeller, gently flew to its destination: Iyeon’s clothes.
“…What is this?”
The feather fragment that lightly stuck to Iyeon’s loose hoodie wouldn’t come off easily even after vigorous shaking. D.S was looking at Iyeon’s tablet screen, though it wasn’t clear when she had picked it up.
“A location tracker. I’ve linked it to your tablet, so you can check it with this. If you manipulate it like this…”
As D.S moved her hand to operate the screen, the feather transformed into a very small, round chip.
“You can make it smaller and hide it.”
D.S looked at him triumphantly. It was ridiculous how she was expecting praise after creating such a terrible weapon.
“Who am I supposed to stick this on?”
“It might run away, you know.”
“If lasers are shooting out of a toy, do you think it will stay still?”
The problem wasn’t about playing with it, but rather hoping it wouldn’t recognize them as enemies. He’d forgotten that engineers were the type of people who were desperate to incorporate new technology no matter what. Iyeon, being highly cautious, put the fishing rod back on the table and approached D.S.
“Let’s set that aside for now. Is the tablet okay?”
“That’s just a broken screen. It’s quick to fix.”
The shattered screen had been fixed, and from watching her operate it, it seemed to be working fine. That’s a relief. I should take better care of it now. Just as Iyeon was happily reaching out to receive the tablet…
“This is a service.”
Zing. Along with a familiar sound wave, a red light shot out from the rear camera part of the tablet. D.S lightly moved her wrist, and the empty cans on the table that the laser touched were precisely cut in half with a scraping sound. She was a sharpshooter if there ever was one.
“…Why is there a laser coming out from there too?”
“Cool, isn’t it?”
Cool my ass…
“Why did you put lasers on every single thing? Are you selling lasers?”
“I ordered the wrong number of parts. Let me know if you need lasers anytime.”
Who would dare to ask?
“What about the communicator? I asked you to make a communicator too.”
“Ah, that.”
D.S tapped the tablet screen. There was a beeping sound, and the tablet, which had been as large as Iyeon’s face, condensed and transformed into a small communicator that could be worn on the ear.
“…Huh?”
“I made it sync with your goggles too. Hyegang will know how to use it.”
“Wait, wait a minute.”
“Hey. Try it on.”
At D.S’s call, Sano, who had approached unnoticed, promptly hooked the former tablet-turned-communicator over his ear. It was a natural movement that gave Iyeon no time to say anything. After fiddling with it a few times to adjust its position, Sano muttered quietly.
“Not bad.”
No, my tablet… Iyeon’s face darkened as he realized he was about to unwillingly surrender his new tablet to Je Sano.
“The price is around this much.”
D.S took out a calculator from her back pocket, tapped some buttons, and handed it to Iyeon. Iyeon asked with an “Uh.”
“What about the goggles?”
She had attached all sorts of aggressive functions to the toy and tablet, so the goggles must have become almost like a secret agent’s weapon. Since the goggles were an actual combat tool, that was actually good. Iyeon, holding onto his last hope, picked up the goggles that were neatly placed on the table and examined them from various angles. D.S suddenly asked.
“How are you going to pay?”
“Of course, by card…”
He’d paid for dinner with his card for this moment. However, Iyeon’s confident voice as he pulled out the shining Je Sano card rapidly faded when he faced D.S’s stern expression.
“I only accept cash.”
Is this even legal when your cousin works for the government?
“The goggles are still the same. I figured your budget wouldn’t be enough anyway.”
Thanks to the toy and tablet plastered with all kinds of cutting-edge equipment, the work price was astronomical. Even with a discount for looking after Mirae, Iyeon’s finances were instantly ruined after payment. He even had to put some on credit. He looked pitifully at Sano, but a man without a card wouldn’t have cash either.
“Can I get a cash receipt?”
“No.”
You tax evader, I’ll report you to the tax office someday.
His mental state rapidly deteriorated. Iyeon, his soul stripped bare, sluggishly swept the toy and goggles into his bag. Beside him, D.S threw out an empty promise that she would upgrade the goggles once he paid off his debt. As if he’d believe that.
“I’m going.”
“Wait.”
As he was leaving the workshop glumly, D.S quietly called out. What now? When Iyeon turned around with a tired face, D.S asked with some distance.
“Did she enjoy it?”
It was easy to figure out the subject of the question despite her pretended indifference.
“Yes.”
Iyeon hitched up his bag and answered nonchalantly.
“But she would have enjoyed it more if she went with her mom.”
# 3. Everyone Has Their Own Sun in Their Heart
“Hmm…”
The surroundings were strangely cold. Iyeon, half-asleep, tossed and turned, burrowing into the blanket. Soon, something warm touched him.
He reached out and embraced it, and something soft yet smooth wound around his arm. Only after pulling it fully into his arms did he warm up a bit, and Iyeon contentedly rubbed his cheek against the warm heat.
But was there such a thing in our house?
He snapped awake. His vision cleared to reveal a flesh color. Although it was much thicker than Iyeon’s, it was nonetheless a person’s forearm.
His eyes wavered aimlessly as he confirmed that he had slept tightly attached to someone else’s waist. Iyeon slowly raised his head. Sano, who had lent his waist from the headboard of the bed, was looking at him.
“You slept well.”
After saying that, Sano lowered his head. The handsome face drew closer to Iyeon, and the soft lips…
“Gasp.”
Iyeon opened his eyes. He could see the ceiling, bright with morning sunlight.
His hands, positioned properly, were neatly resting on his own stomach. Mungchi had somehow climbed up and was sleeping next to Iyeon’s waist.
‘What a strange dream…’
Goosebumps covered his arms. Iyeon frowned, blinking his eyes to dispel the lingering remnants of the dream. As he got up from the bed and casually looked to the side, the culprit was sleeping peacefully.
The sharp eyes were softly relaxed, and the chest, breathing evenly, rose and fell slightly. It was a deep sleep that didn’t care whether someone beside him was having a nightmare or not.
After merging beds with Je Sano as a penalty for shopping poorly, the two had been sleeping together continuously. Occasionally, Mungchi would climb up and find a spot too. Surprisingly, Sano didn’t mind whatever got on the bed as long as his own spot was secured. Well, if he were sensitive, he wouldn’t have thought of sleeping in the same bed as Iyeon.
The bed was as big as a field, and since neither Iyeon nor Sano had particularly bad sleeping habits, even though they slept together, their bodies never touched. There was an unspoken territory for each of them. Until now, neither of them had ever, even in their sleep, invaded that zone.
So this is because of that incident.
Even after several days, it wouldn’t leave his mind. Je Sano’s lips to m-m-me… Iyeon’s eyes squeezed shut as his thoughts reached that point. By now, he was on the verge of feeling angry at himself for constantly thinking about such things.
It’s all because I suggested participating in that event. No, but a half-price discount is tempting, isn’t it? They’re giving a half-price discount. That was unavoidable. Iyeon, who was still rationalizing even in this situation, let out a small sigh.
‘It was just a meaningless happening.’
Iyeon knew this as well.
But what could he do about the fact that it still bothered him?
Since that incident, there were occasional moments when he’d feel awkward despite living normally. He found himself glancing at Sano without any reason. He hesitated before responding to everyday conversations. When Sano stared at him, his neck would tense up for some unknown reason. It wasn’t obvious on the surface, but like a hangnail under a fingernail, a faint interest wouldn’t fade away.
He’ll disappear once he’s done with his business anyway.
Iyeon, who had been habitually scanning Sano’s sleeping face, startled at his own thoughts and hurriedly got up. Not again, not again. Shuddering, Iyeon left the room and forced himself to take a morning walk, something out of character for him, to erase his worries. Click. At the faint sound of the door, Mungchi’s ears perked up, but soon drooped again.
The early morning air was chilly. Even though it was a park near home, it was Iyeon’s first time visiting. That was because he had lived a life largely devoid of exercise.
This is nice once in a while. Iyeon took a deep breath as he moved forward. The dawn breeze felt quite good. As he was strolling along a path lushly landscaped with tall trees and boxwood, he spotted a person in the distance. That person must be out for a walk too. There were really many diligent people in the world.
As Iyeon pleasantly thought about this and looked over, a subtle sense of discomfort arose. The movement seemed a bit off. Rather than walking, it looked more like staggering…
Are they sick? Iyeon furrowed his brows to see more clearly. But soon there was no need for that.
The figure seemed to take a few steps forward, then collapsed right there.
