# Chapter 122
“Why did you have to touch that?”
Whether he erased the CCTV or not, Lee Hwan had foreseen an unfavorable future from the moment he touched Kang Dongha’s ID card. But this guy didn’t need to add to that risk. Why would he deliberately do something so dangerous?
‘Even though you’re so wary of me.’
Before the regression, Taesung had always quietly helped him. Just like this, without Lee Hwan knowing. When Lee Hwan would notice and casually ask about it, Taesung would pretend not to know in such an obvious way.
Lee Hwan unconsciously smiled and lightly tapped Taesung’s flat forehead. He knew this wasn’t the time for such familiarity, but somehow, with Taesung’s eyes closed and mouth tightly shut, it felt like only the nostalgic image remained, without any hurtful words.
The scratches all over Taesung’s face caught his attention, making Lee Hwan release his hand. Suddenly worried that Taesung might have more injuries elsewhere.
Lee Hwan carefully examined him, not daring to lift his clothes. He checked if there were any bloodstains on the fabric or any tears.
When he rolled up just the sleeve and saw the bruised arm, Lee Hwan felt his head burning with anger. Like all the blood vessels inside had burst, a large area about a hand span wide was stained red.
Taesung was an S-class with solid durability. Ordinary weapons couldn’t leave major scratches on him. This meant someone had attacked him with professional equipment, really trying to kill him.
‘Those bastards.’
Lee Hwan internally spat curses at the surge of emotion.
Well, before the regression, they were the kind who even used and discarded their own brother and son, Kang Dongha. If they abandoned Taesung’s usefulness as their poster Hunter, they could easily attack someone like him.
Lee Hwan searched the house for a first aid kit. After rubbing a medicinal patch onto the bruised area, he held that arm for a moment.
Feeling the distinctive smell of the patch and the warmth against skin, Lee Hwan suddenly recalled the day he injured his side while navigating a gate.
When he pressed his body against a narrow gap to avoid a monster, Lee Hwan found Taesung’s body temperature tearfully warm and cozy. Though he tried not to be conscious of it, Taesung’s eyes staring at him and his breath repeatedly brushing against Lee Hwan had bothered him quite a bit.
Knowing this in his heart, when they were stranded, he deliberately ignored Taesung and left the gate, pretending not to notice.
Because his heart kept stinging. Because he found himself relying on someone who didn’t even remember him.
“Haah…”
This was the Taesung he was meeting after sorting out his feelings. Though he had no intention of showing it, if those eyes opened and looked at him now, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his composure like before.
Lee Hwan forgot his earlier surge of anger and awkwardly raised the corners of his lips again. Then he sat beside the bed, resting his chin on his hand, staring blankly at Taesung.
He could watch him forever. He had observed empty alleyways without noticing time passing; compared to that, looking at Taesung’s sleeping face wasn’t difficult at all.
The peace he hadn’t experienced in a long time took the form of Taesung’s face.
‘…’
As his heart settled, his eyes closed again. He was sitting in a safe house known to no one, finally with Taesung, whom he had constantly worried about.
Now no worry could wake him.
‘I’m so tired…’
Soon, sleep crashed over him like a wave, and Lee Hwan fell into a deep slumber, slumped over the bed without even realizing it.
* * *
He thought he heard the sound of water. His unconscious sensed a presence, gradually shaking his sunken consciousness awake.
Lee Hwan wandered through a hazy dream like fog, letting out a pained “Ungh…” It was unusually difficult to wake up, his entire body feeling like it was melting away.
Nevertheless, his ears remained open, and it was only after faintly hearing the sound of a door opening that his mind slowly returned.
‘…?’
When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the bed with his hands neatly folded, sleeping. The fluffy blanket covered him up to his neck, making him feel like he was in a coffin.
‘Uh…’
Why am I sleeping here? And where is this place?
Lee Hwan blankly rummaged through his foggy mind. Perhaps because he had awakened from such a deep sleep, even the memories from before falling asleep weren’t coming back quickly.
‘Kang Taesung.’
Then suddenly, his senses returned. Lee Hwan’s drowsiness completely vanished as his eyes flew open.
Now he remembered. He had moved the collapsed Taesung to the bed and watched over him, only to fall asleep without realizing it. Why on earth was he lying in the proper position where that guy should be?
“Ugh!”
As he hurriedly got out of bed, his body swayed uncontrollably. Lee Hwan nearly tore the blanket wrapped around his legs before frantically unwinding it and placing it on the bed.
Then, stepping with a thud on unsteady feet, he urgently left the room, only to meet eyes with someone just coming out of the bathroom.
With someone who was showing his torso with faint bruises here and there.
“Ah, uh…”
Lee Hwan stammered like someone who had lost the ability to speak. Instinctively, he lowered his gaze, then startled, quickly raised it again. Seeing Taesung in such an unexpected state right after waking up left him momentarily unable to control his expression.
“Um…”
An awkward feeling enveloped his mind. This was a body he had occasionally seen while fighting together. Even then, he had admired the muscular physique with its defined contours, but his mind hadn’t gone blank like it was doing now.
When Lee Hwan bit his lip almost habitually, Taesung’s previously indifferent gaze suddenly hardened between his brows.
Taesung’s lips twitched momentarily, followed by silence as if he was choosing his words. Meanwhile, Lee Hwan deliberately gathered his gaze and fixed his eyes upward as he asked after him.
“Are you alright?”
“Now that you’re awake, I have something to discuss.”
Like a joke, their voices flowed simultaneously. The sound of their voices abruptly ceased, and silence fell again. Perhaps conscious of each other’s words, Taesung glanced at the bruise marks remaining on his body, while Lee Hwan briefly looked back at the room where he had been lying.
When their eyes met again, they both opened their mouths at the same time once more.
“Let’s talk in the living room…”
“This much is…”
Again, their voices faded away. After timing overlapped twice, neither was eager to speak first.
Lee Hwan examined Taesung’s face and raised his eyebrows, making an expression suggesting he should speak first. Only then did Taesung look down at the clothes in his hand and mutter in a voice mixed with a sigh.
“…Food. Let’s have a meal first.”
What food? Despite thinking this, Lee Hwan felt a faint pain in his empty stomach at those words. Breakfast with Taesung. Though there was a mountain of things to discuss, it wasn’t a bad choice. Lee Hwan silently nodded.
Breakfast was extremely simple. A soup made by pouring hot water, with more vegetable pieces than expected, and some unknown bread from a can were placed on the table in turn.
After washing his face to the sound of running water for a long time, Lee Hwan hesitantly sat at the table. Taesung indifferently moved the food and sat at a distance from Lee Hwan.
‘The side seat across from me…’
Why did he choose such an ambiguous position? Lee Hwan made a sullen face. Perhaps he didn’t want to face him?
‘Well, this was originally our relationship anyway.’
Maybe that spot just looked particularly comfortable, but Lee Hwan couldn’t help making such a negative assumption.
While he was alone with his thoughts and concerns, Taesung had gradually drawn closer in his heart. He had repeatedly overlapped the image from before the regression.
But now, facing him directly after so long, Taesung had become a stranger again.
Lee Hwan was internally disappointed, wondering what he had expected, but he finally composed himself and decided to focus on the significance that Taesung was safe.
Moreover, the guy who used to glare at him strangely or beat him up whenever they met had now prepared a simple meal for him. This was enough. It was tremendous progress.
And so, a suffocatingly quiet meal began. The occasional clinking of tableware echoed. Until then, the atmosphere between them was merely awkward rather than tense enough to break into a cold sweat.
However, when the bread was half-eaten, for whatever reason, Taesung passed Lee Hwan a portion of jam, and the atmosphere froze. As soon as his hand approached, Lee Hwan flinched and tried to pull back before stopping himself.
He even unconsciously half-raised his arm under the table. When Lee Hwan’s shoulder moved abruptly, Taesung’s face hardened, growing cold.
‘…Why the serious face.’
He had reason to be upset. He had merely offered food, only to have the other person avoid him like seeing a ghost.
Still, Lee Hwan grumbled inwardly. It was because the guy had hit him so many times in the past that he’d naturally prepared in advance—how could he control his unconscious defense?
As Lee Hwan awkwardly took a big bite of bread and chewed, Taesung’s gaze settled on his bulging cheek.
‘Is he going to hit me?’
Knowing it wouldn’t happen, Lee Hwan still felt as if his jaw was throbbing with pain. Only after being hit by him did Lee Hwan realize how much that fist could hurt, making his head ring.
It was a strange thing. He had waited for Taesung all this time, but now that he appeared and sat before him, the bread he was about to swallow suddenly caught in his throat, and his heart kept pounding endlessly.
‘…This is damn uncomfortable.’
He became conscious of every single expression on Taesung’s face. He reacted sensitively to small movements and found himself scanning wherever Taesung’s gaze landed.
‘…It’s different from before.’
What had he expected? A faint, vague feeling of disappointment arose.
The problem must be that despite claiming to have sorted out his feelings, he had continually thought about the times when they had been on good terms. With the situation being so different, the emotions he felt were naturally different too.
Lee Hwan smiled bitterly and put down his spoon. He realized he had expected too much, even though their journey wasn’t over yet.
‘I really don’t know how to be satisfied.’
Lee Hwan clicked his tongue at himself.
As he had anxiously hoped, Taesung had arrived at the safe house with the drug. Taesung had also come down without major injury and met him, and all that remained for Lee Hwan was to make contact with Praxis.
Though he had inevitably experienced minor misfortunes, the overall picture was precariously tilted in his favor. So he needed to be satisfied with small things and move forward slowly. Just as he had to be grateful for one regression that lost Taesung, despite his goal being nothing less than the world itself.
‘In any case, I’ve reached my primary objective. Now what I need to focus on isn’t Kang Taesung, but world peace again.’
As he deliberately emptied his mind, resignation came easier than expected. Lee Hwan pushed the remaining bread into his mouth and scooped up soup, disciplining his repeatedly softening heart.
Seeing the jam left untouched on the table until the end, Taesung seemed visibly displeased.
Lee Hwan deliberately avoided looking at his face and was the first to rise from his seat.
