# Chapter 95
Junwoo’s laboratory was located about 20 minutes by motorcycle from the temporary lodgings. In the past, before monsters appeared, it had been near Sokcho Beach, accessible to anyone. After monsters began emerging from the sea, everything except military facilities was evacuated, but Junwoo’s laboratory fortunately avoided relocation orders due to the single advantage of being situated on elevated ground away from the beach.
Having contacted him beforehand, Dohyuk and Junseo were guided into the inner laboratory as soon as they gave their names upon arrival. Soon, Junwoo appeared wearing a pristine white coat, looking no different than when they had last parted.
“You’ve come to visit quite soon! Junseo too.”
“Yes, Doctor. Have you been well?”
“Ahaha. It hasn’t even been a week and you’re already asking how I’ve been? Be honest. Was it me you wanted to see, or was it the cat?”
When Dohyuk smiled slightly at Junwoo’s playful question, Junseo twisted the corner of his mouth. He spoke with a sulky expression, not even giving Dohyuk time to respond.
“Obviously the cat.”
“Junseo, what happened to your lips again? Why are they torn?”
At Junwoo’s question, Dohyuk held his breath. Junwoo narrowed his brow as he looked at Junseo’s torn lip corner. The wound was glistening because Dohyuk had applied ointment to it.
“Just the dry weather, and it was bigger than expected.”
“Junseo!”
When Dohyuk cried out like it was a scream, Junseo burst into laughter. Only Junwoo looked at Junseo with concern, his expression showing he had no idea what was going on.
“What are you talking about? My little brother grew up well, though he can be a bit strange sometimes, but please look after him kindly.”
“Ah… Yes. Of course, he’s plenty cute…”
Reflexively answering the incredibly gentle voice, Dohyuk paused and closed his mouth. Silence fell as the long eyes before him curved docilely. It wasn’t just Junwoo. Both brothers were like that. No matter how much they bickered, in both personality and appearance, they looked like twins to Dohyuk’s eyes. Facing the gaze full of mischief, Dohyuk deliberately narrowed his brow and put on a composed expression. Pretending nothing had happened.
Watching Dohyuk like that, Junwoo opened his lips, the corners turned sharply upward. Dohyuk’s nape turned red at the voice as full of mischief as his expression.
“It’s sad for those who aren’t cute. Anyway, the cat is in another room now. As you know, since its constitution is a bit… special, we can’t let it roam in general spaces. I don’t want my precious laboratory to become a wasteland.”
The cat was likely in a specially designed space identical to where dungeon cores were stored. This was necessary to prevent the nuclear energy the cat unconsciously emitted from leaking. If they couldn’t block it, monsters enticed by the energy would tear through dimensional gaps and appear at Junwoo’s laboratory as well.
As Dohyuk nodded, Junseo handed something to Junwoo. It was an object now familiar even to Dohyuk’s eyes.
“This needs charging, so I brought it. It’s been a year already, but it still feels terrible to use.”
“Hasn’t the ability conversion speed gotten much faster?”
Junwoo took the Glock and moved his long fingers. The action of unfolding the gun, which looked like something a child might play with, was so elegant that Dohyuk unconsciously followed the movement with his eyes. While he was staring for a long time, thinking that those snow-white hands, like Junseo’s, would suit a pink hue just as well, his view was suddenly blocked.
Startled, Dohyuk raised his head to find Junseo blinking prettily right in front of him, as if he knew nothing. Wondering what kind of prank this was, he tilted his head and then raised his hand to gently stroke Junseo’s hair. Only then did Junseo’s expression turn satisfied as he answered Junwoo, still half-blocking Dohyuk’s view.
“It feels about 15% faster?”
“18%, to be exact. But I’m glad you feel it’s similar.”
“The speed doesn’t need to be adjusted any further. The charged energy is sufficient too. Two shots are enough. I don’t need three shots at once. But the backlash during energy conversion is too severe.”
“Well, converting a Guide’s ability into physical force isn’t that simple. There’s bound to be some backlash. I’ll consider it, though.”
The content of their casually exchanged conversation was at an astonishing level. Curious about what Junwoo was examining, Dohyuk rested his chin on Junseo’s shoulder as he stood blocking his view. The stiff shoulder flinched upward for just a brief moment. Dohyuk, as if soothing Junseo, said, “Was that ticklish? Sorry,” and patted him again before asking Junwoo what he was curious about.
“Is this weapon going to be commercialized? Esper Ji Sangjun said it was for self-defense, but it seemed effective against monsters too.”
“Junseo, you used it on monsters? Hmm, commercialization is the ultimate goal, but it’ll be difficult. Unless someone is as sensitive to energy flow as Junseo, they can’t use it. I’ve tested it on other high-ranking Guides too, but so far no one has understood how to use it properly.”
“I see.”
Dohyuk lowered his eyes, seeming a little disappointed. A weapon that converts a Guide’s ability into physical force—if something like that were commercialized, the rights of Guides would be considerably elevated. While Dohyuk was thinking this, Junseo playfully wrapped his arms around Dohyuk’s waist and blocked his view once more.
“Shall we go see our cat now? That’s why we came here, right? To see the cat.”
“…? Sure. …But why do you keep blocking my view, Junseo? The doctor is here too.”
Dohyuk whispered to Junseo, but the answer came from elsewhere.
“Indeed. It’s so childish and cute.”
As if having heard the whisper, Junwoo was smiling subtly. Despite the smile being full of mischief, it was surprisingly dignified, perhaps due to his delicate, Art Nouveau-like face.
Dohyuk responded with a “Pardon?” but no one gave him a proper answer. Junwoo had simply spoken to his brother who was behaving like a child. His expression was gentle, as if coaxing a child.
Dohyuk suddenly had a thought. He seemed to understand why Junseo could be so innocent and cute despite his age. Had Junseo always lived with such care and love from his family? He hoped so. That kind of treatment suited Junseo.
“Junseo, no matter how much you dislike your older brother, now that you’re here, we should do the examination first, right?”
Lost in other thoughts, Dohyuk belatedly realized the meaning of what Junwoo had said and momentarily stopped moving. Examination?
“I will.”
Because of Junseo’s reluctant tone, Dohyuk’s expression instantly darkened. Of course, from what Dohyuk had seen so far, Junwoo didn’t seem like someone who would harm Junseo. But the word “examination” gave him a strong feeling of aversion. Dohyuk’s raised eyebrow was an automatic, reflexive action, despite knowing he was being particularly sensitive.
“Examination?”
Perhaps sensing that Dohyuk’s voice had become lower than usual, Junwoo explained in more detail.
“Junseo has a special constitution, so he needs regular examinations. The Guide care at headquarters is somewhat lacking too. …Hmm. Junseo, I’ll go into the examination room first and set up the equipment. It’ll take about 10 minutes.”
Seeing no sign of Dohyuk’s dark expression easing, Junwoo whispered quietly to Junseo, “He seems to have only experienced strange examinations elsewhere; make sure to explain that I’m absolutely not that kind of person,” before heading to the examination room first.
Junwoo’s prediction was right. Despite Junwoo’s assurance, Dohyuk, still not at all relieved, anxiously tried to persuade Junseo. It was the honest expression he had only shown in the dungeon.
“Do you really have to do it? The travel time was long today too. You’re obviously tired, so we should first check if your condition is suitable for an examination…”
Junseo knew the Dohyuk who had been dazed, soaked in drugs. He also knew why Dohyuk couldn’t help but react so sensitively to the word “examination.” The snow-white anger he had felt then was still as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. Despite being a reaction derived from an incredibly unpleasant reason, his feelings were strange. It was always like this. Like a prism creating a rainbow, even unpleasant things became quite nice words through Dohyuk. His ear tickled as if tracing a favorite word with his fingertip.
“…Travel time. Are you talking about the 20 minutes we spent on the motorcycle?”
“The road was a bit rough. And are you perhaps not feeling well? Surely you don’t have an incurable disease or anything…?”
A strange smile, at odds with Dohyuk’s serious words, briefly flashed across Junseo’s lips. He had a feeling that if left alone, Dohyuk might write a heartbreaking novel. Though it was his habit to pretend to be fragile and greedily seek even sympathy, whenever Dohyuk genuinely treated him like a delicate sapling like this, Junseo felt sweetness from the root of his tongue.
With Dohyuk’s kind gaze full of concern examining his condition, Junseo lightly nuzzled his cheek against Dohyuk’s nape. An indefinable feeling fluttered like a butterfly in his chest. Conflicting emotions—not wanting to make him wear such an anxious expression, yet wanting him to worry about him until death—simmered childishly, as Junwoo had described. What remained after these emotions boiled for a while was an inexplicable satisfaction. He wanted to make Dohyuk worry exaggeratedly even over trivial matters. He would restrain himself. There were enough other ways to torment him. Junseo moistened his lips with his tongue.
