Chapter 111

Soram came down the stairs as if collapsing, thud, thud. Even after seeing the eye level that he had to slightly raise his head to meet when standing in front of him, he still hadn't fully processed it.

"Why, how, are you here?"

"I got on the next car and came."

"..."

As soon as he heard the explanation with a very clear cause and effect, the strength that had instantly drained returned. The rapidly boiling energy made his fists clench tightly.

"Hey! What are you going to do if you come here! You're currently outside your jurisdiction!"

"I'll write a statement."

Han Tae-un said in his characteristic blunt face and voice that seemed like he could live without any law.

"Lend me the one you wrote when you came to Guncheon as a reference."

Soram's face contorted. It felt like he had become a fool, coming all the way here, not just wiping his tears with a handkerchief, but also being sentimental like the protagonist of a tragic story. Because it meant that Han Tae-un had been in the car right next to him the whole time.

"Get on. Go back to Seoul quickly."

Soram pushed Tae-un's shoulders towards the train. However, Tae-un only slightly budged with his upper body, but his feet remained stuck to the ground and didn't move. Even when Soram put more strength into it, he didn't budge like a rock.

"I said go!"

As Soram's loud voice burst out, Tae-un's eyes widened a little. Soram bit down hard on both of his molars. If the turmoil of his heart that had been seeking him until now was a tsunami, this was a storm. He had barely calmed the sea raging with lingering attachments, but in an instant, it made the surface churn again.

Why are you doing this, Han Tae-un? Why on earth...?

"Even if I get on that again, it won't go to Seoul."

In the end, tears welled up in his eyes. Soram turned around to hide his face and grabbed Tae-un's wrist. Tae-un didn't resist the steps going up to the upper level of the station on the escalator.

"There will be a train to Seoul right away. Take that and go."

"..."

"Even I didn't cause an accident of secretly coming to Busan in my first year. You didn't turn off your pager, so your location is all exposed now. These days, when rifts open frequently, a standby order would have been issued, so this is worthy of the guard floor. You should be tied up like I was in the past."

His mouth moved incoherently, not knowing what he was saying. Even while moving to send Tae-un back right away, the doubt he felt was a certain joy that raised its head at the fact that Tae-un had followed him all the way here.

The arms of the two people formed a wide obtuse angle. Unlike Soram, who was trying to walk briskly with force, Tae-un tapped Soram's hand holding his wrist and followed very slowly behind him.

"The last time I was in Busan was in high school, and the station has changed a lot too."

"..."

"Where do you stay? I'm tired, so let's get some sleep. We both stayed up all night."

"..."

"You take the morning off too. Let's eat after waking up from sleep. I'm sure you have a list of the best gukbap (a Korean dish made by putting cooked rice into hot soup or boiling rice in soup) restaurants."

"What kind of crazy nonsense are you spouting!"

Soram felt as if something was fading from the palm of his hand gripping Tae-un's wrist. Han Tae-un's principles collapsed once again. The cause was, once again, himself and the emotions Tae-un harbored towards him.

"What are you thinking?"

"I told you before. From now on, I'll do what I want."

Tae-un bent the back of his hand and grabbed the hand that had been pulling his wrist in reverse.

"You do what you want. Whether you sleep all day, suddenly go to Busan, or appear while being chased by soldiers. But I'm not going to take just one or two steps or wait anymore either."

"Han Tae-un..."

"I like you, and I do find you pretty, but you can't believe it."

Tae-un separated Soram's fingers and intertwined their hands as if seeping through the gaps.

"But, do you really hate that I came?"

***

The lights came on in the blue tin-roofed guest house. At a time that was too late to even start the morning, the owner of the room returned home with an uninvited guest.

"Ah, right. I left the boiler on before I left."

The inside of the room, where the heating had been turned on in anticipation of returning in five or six hours, was not just warm but stuffy. The yellow linoleum floor was heated enough to feel the warmth even through the socks. Tae-un, who looked around the cozy room, opened his lips.

"What kind of place have you been staying in...?"

"I like this house. The owner couple is also very kind."

"...It has a charm."

However, the expression that had ended with a short sigh even after seeing the old wardrobe, the short table, and the faint rainwater stains on the wall finally twitched and contorted at the bedding that was a harmony of fluorescent green and purple. There was a concern on his face, wondering if his taste was... even though he only sought out gukbap and soup. Still, being in a position where he had forcibly followed him all the way here, he didn't express his dissatisfaction out loud.

The sky had already completely lost its dark hue, and Tae-un's attendance at work today was already a lost cause. Soram was witnessing that extraordinary deviation in real-time. In fact, he still thought, 'Does this make sense? Could it be a realistic dream I'm having while lying on the train?'

But no matter how he looked at it, the one with a complicated heart was himself, while Tae-un was nonchalantly rubbing the wall and saying things like, "There's a bit of a draft."

The room was low enough in height that if Tae-un stretched his arm up slightly, he could touch the ceiling. With such a person inside, the space felt cramped.

Letting someone else into a space where he had been alone was always awkward. The strange feeling he occasionally felt when Tae-un was in his dormitory room came to him now as well. The familiar picture was being stirred up roughly, but it was just unfamiliar, not unpleasant. After all, it was a picture he disliked anyway…

Tae-un, who had quickly looked around the small room, turned his head and met eyes with Soram, who had been watching him. Tae-un lightly tilted his head and approached Soram. And he pulled him by the back of his neck.

The moment Tae-un's body temperature touched his lips and he had no will at all to resist by putting strength into his body, it became clearer.

He had lost.

It was a complete defeat. Therefore, Soram, who had been quietly standing and letting Tae-un do as he pleased, raised both hands and hugged his back.

When he put a little strength into his hands, Tae-un, who had closed his eyes, half-opened them. But Soram closed his eyes as if running away. It was because admitting defeat and declaring surrender were different.

The relationship that he thought had come from feelings of guilt, irritation, and sympathy ended up like this.

"Mmm..."

The tongue deeply rummaged through his mouth. It made him think of the silly thought that he had a talent for trespassing. Just like its owner, the thick tongue took the lead and made Soram's timid tongue also come out and mix together in the same way.

The kiss was deep in concentration, but both of them were in a languid state, and thanks to the tranquil place, it felt plain. After their lips briefly parted for the last time, the two wet lips pressed together once more and then separated.

'...He's so fucking handsome.'

The thought that he had only fleetingly considered until now boldly came to the forefront, perhaps triggered by acknowledging his feelings. It was perhaps a natural impression when looking at his face with slightly deeper shadows from staying up all night at this distance. Then he realized that his face was still close because he hadn't let go of his waist.

But instead of letting go, he firmly squeezed his hands. His heart raced.

'Is this... perhaps, dating?'

Even though the order was a bit off, they freely entered each other's space, kissed, and had sex, and Han Tae-un had confessed his feelings several times, and Soram also belatedly became aware of his heart, making it mutual. He had never experienced it, but it seemed to be dating. His face grew hot.

Even though he wondered if it was okay to do this, if this was the time to be doing this…

Fuck it, even when he wasn't dating, Han Tae-un died anyway, and he couldn't save the world. Looking ahead, Tae-un was smiling with a strange sense of victory at the hand that wouldn't let go of him. Ha, really…

"I don't care what happens to me. Whether I get scolded to death by Director-nim for being absent without notice or get disciplined."

"Let's see what happens. When you return, Ayoung will really become the team leader."

"..."

When Ayoung's name was mentioned, his head, which had been lost in a daze of emotions, finally woke up a bit. Soram let out a sharp sigh.

"Seriously, what were you thinking when you followed me?"

"Actually, I was only going to go as far as Suwon or Asan and mess around."

The areas classified as Gyeonggi-do were under the jurisdiction of the headquarters hunters.

"But when I saw your back, I somehow didn't want to let you go alone."

Instead of the hand that had fallen from his waist, Tae-un reached out and placed his hand on Soram's head, reconnecting the two of them.

"I'm glad I followed my impulse."

"What do you mean glad...?"

"Don't nag. You don't listen to my nagging either."

Tae-un, who had ruffled his hair once, turned his head towards the blanket spread on the floor. In the place where Soram slept, in addition to the two pillows placed on top of the mat, there were other pillows and bunched-up blankets piled up like a fence, leaving only a space for a person to lie down in the middle. It was in the shape of a fluffy nest.

"Is this a habit? You did this in Seoul too."

"I just find it comfortable. It's stable, isn't it?"

Tae-un took off his outer clothes and socks and placed them at the foot of the bedding. While bending his body, he pulled back the blanket piled up against the wall and flopped down on the prepared spot.

"Then let's sleep for a bit for now."

"What?"

"I'm sleepy. Right now, I'll fall asleep as soon as my head touches too."

The mat couldn't fully accommodate Tae-un's height, and his ankles stuck out. Tae-un, who had even pulled the purple blanket he had been looking at disapprovingly earlier and covered himself fully, opened his eyes and said, "Ah."

"Don't pounce on me this time. I can't get it up."

"Hey. I can't get pounded anymore either."

"Yeah. Let's sleep innocently."