“I’m giving him a moment to rest.”
Choi Jaeheon growled lowly.
“If you go now, he’ll have an even harder time. And I’m warning you—if you harbor any thoughts other than healing, that’s when I’ll really kill you.”
“Then shouldn’t you kill me now?”
“Shut up!”
With those final words, Choi Jaeheon left the room. Vermouth watched his retreating figure and smirked. Today’s treatment was also successful. The stump of his arm was tingling, showing signs it would gradually recover.
‘What a shame.’
If it healed slowly, he could stay attached for much longer. Well, this won’t be the only opportunity to get hurt while protecting Ian.
‘I didn’t think I had such bad taste.’
He found himself intrigued by Ian’s crumbling expression and Choi Jaeheon’s face as he endured the bleeding. This cohabitation seemed like it would be far more entertaining than expected.
“Why aren’t you coming out!”
At Choi Jaeheon’s belated urging, Vermouth also rose from his seat. Ian wouldn’t come out of the bathroom until he left. And so that night passed.
***
Even after morning passed into afternoon, Ian’s bedroom door remained firmly shut. Normally he would have woken up and come out long ago. Even when Choi Jaeheon carefully knocked on the door, no answer came from inside. Finally unable to bear it, when he opened the door, a pillow immediately came flying at him.
Choi Jaeheon obediently took the hit and closed the door again.
“Ian, you still need to eat though. I made side dishes—only the ones you like.”
Again, no answer came.
“Ah.”
Choi Jaeheon rubbed his forehead with his hand. It seemed yesterday’s events had been quite a shock to Ian. Maybe he shouldn’t have done that. But he didn’t want to keep holding back. He wanted to show his true feelings to Ian, who kept turning away from his heart under the excuse of being brothers.
“Hmm.”
Vermouth watched Choi Jaeheon fidgeting anxiously from the side. Then, just as Choi Jaeheon had done, he opened Ian’s bedroom door. This time a desk clock came flying, aimed at Vermouth. He caught it and set it down nearby. Then he went in and picked up Ian, who was curled up like a caterpillar wrapped in his blanket on the bed.
“Let go! Can’t you let go?”
Even when hands emerged from the blanket to pull his hair, Vermouth’s expression remained unchanged.
“No matter what, you must eat.”
“I said I’m fine?”
“If you don’t eat something, how will you have the strength to beat up the annoying person?”
Vermouth stripped the blanket off the struggling Ian and sat him at the dining table. Ian glared at him, thoroughly irritated, but he didn’t budge. He calmly sat beside Ian and picked up the utensils instead. He looked like a foreigner, but his chopstick skills could rival any Korean.
“Say ah.”
Ian ground his teeth.
“There are people in this world who want to eat but can’t. So who was it that said we shouldn’t be picky about food?”
“…Me.”
“Then you should eat, shouldn’t you?”
“You’re really a bad person!”
“I’m aware.”
Even while fuming, Ian began to eat. Perhaps worried he might get indigestion, he chewed thoroughly. Watching this, Choi Jaeheon was seized by an indescribable emotion.
There were five years of Ian’s life he didn’t know about. During that time, Vermouth must have been by Ian’s side watching over him without fail. That fact was so frustrating and irritating he couldn’t stand it.
Ding-dong—
Fortunately, before Choi Jaeheon could do anything, Hong Seoyoon arrived at the house with Yoon Taegyeom at just the right time.
“Hey there, good afternoon! Were you eating?”
“I’ll finish quickly.”
“No, take your time. Take your time.”
Hong Seoyoon said this while sitting on the living room sofa with Yoon Taegyeom.
“Jaeheon, I never knew an apron suited you so well?”
Hong Seoyoon, quick to read the atmosphere, threw out a joke.
“Yoon Taegyeom looks terribly unsuited to an apron though.”
At that, Yoon Taegyeom looked at Hong Seoyoon with an incredulous expression. Even if he wanted to say something about it, Hong Seoyoon was someone who had never cooked at home. Naturally, he had no connection to aprons.
Meanwhile, Choi Jaeheon controlled his emotions. He calmly looked at Ian, who sat at the dining table eating slowly. His cheeks puffed up like a squirrel as he chewed, looking so cute that his heart softened.
Once Ian finished eating, Yoon Taegyeom explained today’s schedule.
“First we’ll go to the Management Bureau for the examination.”
“But I heard Ian’s ability is called divine power? Can it be measured with regular equipment?”
“Vermouth was measured, so it should work.”
Although the equipment couldn’t withstand it and broke, it did work. Still, since Ian was a healer, the equipment should hold up. Thinking this, the four of them headed to the Management Bureau together.
“You didn’t all have to come.”
“My precious younger brother is getting his ability measured—how could I not be here?”
Hong Seoyoon said cheerfully. If he hadn’t been there, the car would have been crushed under an awkward atmosphere. At least having someone who kept chattering made it bearable.
Ian let the conversation flow in one ear and out the other as he gazed out the window. Last night’s events came to mind, making it impossible to look his hyung in the face directly. Choi Jaeheon was also accommodating Ian’s feelings. The most composed person among them was probably Vermouth. Even in Lancia, he was known for marching to the beat of his own drum.
“We’ve arrived.”
[Republic of Korea Awakener Management Bureau Headquarters]
Yoon Sora greeted them in the lobby.
“You’re here?”
After greeting them politely, she immediately guided the group to the measurement room. Normally, measurements at headquarters required reservations, but today was an exception.
A researcher who had been waiting was already in the measurement room. He brought Ian to the measurement device.
“Place your hand and let your power flow comfortably.”
Ian took a deep breath. Though his ability was praised as that of a Saint in another world, what rank would it be on Earth? It would be troublesome if it came out too high. There were no S-rank healers in Korea. Since they were rare even when searching abroad, if S-rank appeared, it would become bothersome in many ways.
Ian placed his hand on the device. The device that had been still at first gradually began to tremble faintly at some point. Simultaneously, the numbers and graphs on the screen connected to the device rose endlessly.
“Oh, ohhh?”
Shouldn’t he take his hand off now? Ian subtly rolled his eyes. However, no words came from the researcher. Now the device was shaking like crazy.
“Stop!”
Choi Jaeheon and Vermouth approached and pulled Ian away from the device. Only then did the device stop shaking.
“S-rank.”
The researcher muttered blankly.
“S-rank! An S-rank healer!”
At his exclamation, the expressions of everyone in the measurement room changed.
“I kind of thought so.”
At Hong Seoyoon’s murmur, Yoon Taegyeom asked.
“What did you think?”
“If Ian isn’t an S-rank healer, then who would be?”
He felt this way even more having already experienced it. While they exchanged trivial conversation, warning beeps began sounding from the measurement device that had been sitting quietly.
Bang!
Along with that, black smoke rose up with a hiss.
“Ah, ahhh! The machine again!”
Following Vermouth, Ian had also destroyed the device. Watching this, Ian gaped blankly.
“Do I have to pay for that?”
“No, who would make Korea’s first S-rank healer pay for the machine?”
Yoon Taegyeom answered calmly.
“What you should worry about is something else.”
“What?”
“You’ll find out soon.”
And just as he said, Ian soon understood what Yoon Taegyeom meant.
***
The Republic of Korea’s first S-rank healer was born!
That news spread to the major guilds even before the Management Bureau could announce it. To snatch up talent faster than anyone else, most guilds planted people in the Management Bureau. Yoon Taegyeom knew this fact, but left it alone since he sometimes fed them false information to use them.
“I should have cut them all out if I knew this would happen.”
Yoon Taegyeom sighed. As soon as Ian’s existence became known, guild masters and scout leaders from each guild rushed to the Management Bureau.
“No way, they’re doing this even knowing he’s Choi Jaeheon’s brother?”
Hong Seoyoon said with an expression of disbelief.
“Not all siblings in the world get along well. He’s an S-rank healer. It’s worth hoping for even a small probability.”
“Well, that’s true, but. Jaeheon.”
Hong Seoyoon patted Choi Jaeheon’s shoulder.
“You’re going to have a rough time.”
Before they could even get Ian out of the Management Bureau, people came flooding in. To borrow Hong Seoyoon’s words, scary fast.
“Hello! I’m Lee Seowoo, the scout team leader from Saseong Guild.”
“Wait, Lee Seowoo. Aren’t you going home? Just how long have you been at the Management Bureau?”
Yoon Taegyeom looked at him as if dumbfounded.
“Haha, I’m always here. The Management Bureau feels like my home now.”
Leaving Hong Seoyoon behind as he spoke, Lee Seowoo slipped a business card to Ian, who Choi Jaeheon had been hiding behind him. He didn’t care at all that someone with a scary expression stood right in front of him.
