Chapter 142

It was chilly.

A Bichon flew and pierced her heart.

Ayoung's eyes rolled from side to side. She had been watching a warm vlog of an animal shelter all day without saying a word since coming to work, but the chill didn't go away. Even the joke she thought would fit the current situation well wasn't appropriate to voice.

"..."

Tick, tidick, tick.

This was the sound of Soram carelessly swiping the touchpad with his fingertips.

"..."

Tadadak, dak, tadak.

This was the sound of Tae-un silently writing the report for the dungeon they had dispatched to the day before. There was no other sound in the space of the harmonious Team 7.

She could be certain. Something had happened between the two yesterday. That something was most likely a fight.

'We all broke the dungeon just fine, so why on earth?!'

Since a big problem had occurred in the dungeon the day before, and there were even injuries, today was likely to be a rare day without dispatches. Because of that, Ayoung had come to work with slight expectations. She had thought they would spend the day playing around, the four of them including Aila, all day long.

"Haa..."

Druk.

Ayoung stood up from her seat. Whatever it was, this was not a matter where she needed to take even the slightest joint responsibility. It's not like she had a chance to stop them when they fought in front of her!

The two people who had been doing their own work with hardened faces also looked up when Ayoung stood.

"I'll be at Team 1."

"..."

"..."

"If you want me to come back, both of you apologize to each other in the group chat and upload a picture of you shaking hands! I won't come back until then!"

Ayoung neatly packed up her things and carried out a team-out, not a run-away. The door of Team 7's office slammed open, leaving the two who couldn't say anything behind.

Ayoung, who had walked briskly down the corridor, entered Team 1.

"I'm here."

"Oh, it's Ayoung."

"Ayoung, what brings you here? Aren't all your team members there today?"

"That's why I came. I think the two of them fought."

"Huh? Jin Soram and Chief Han? Really?"

Ga-eul, who had been waving her hand happily from the team leader's seat, asked back.

"Yeah. I'm sure. The two of them haven't said a word to each other since this morning. Sigh, sigh."

"Oh... That's unusual. So that's why our Ayoung is so upset."

Ga-eul took out a snack set from her desk drawer and approached the sofa. Then she plopped down next to Ayoung, who had taken a seat with a sulky face.

"What did they fight about?"

"I don't know either. They were in a good mood until we parted ways after the dungeon yesterday. Something must have happened in the dormitory."

"Were they both badly hurt? No matter what, they wouldn't have drawn swords."

"Oh, no. It's not like they fought physically, just a big verbal argument?"

"What's that. They're both acting like little kids."

"...Am I supposed to be relieved now that they didn't resort to fistfights?"

"No. Keep complaining. Why are they making our Ayoung uncomfortable? They're grown adults."

"Right! I mean, there was an incident where Soram oppa got separated in the dungeon yesterday. At that time, Tae-un oppa practically demolished the whole building trying to save Soram oppa. I thought they had become really close in Busan, but I don't know why they fought like this overnight."

"Ah, right. Their teamwork during battle has gotten much better than before. They even developed combo techniques utilizing the characteristics of their flight abilities."

"Oh, really?"

That makes me feel a bit left out...

"I don't know! Anyway, I'm not going back until they say they've made up."

"Yeah. That's right. Stay as long as you want. Let's use this opportunity to change teams. How about the harmonious Team 1?"

"But... Unni, you fight with Dan-ah unni sometimes too."

"...That, when you run a team carefully, sometimes there are differences of opinion..."

"Why do I feel like I've been suddenly hit when I was just minding my own business...?"

Kim Dan-ah, the deputy chief sitting in front of Ga-eul's seat on the right, raised her head. Unlike the two's feigned innocence, team members who had experienced being caught in the middle like Ayoung chimed in with "That's right! That's right!"

"Geez, how carefully they run the team... fighting over not organizing cups, fighting while ordering late-night snacks, fighting while making strategies, we don't even count the number of times anymore."

"Ayoung-ah, can we also take refuge in Team 7 when the chief and deputy chief fight?"

"Of course. Let's all run away and leave the parties involved to make up. I also told them I won't come back until they upload a picture of them shaking hands in the group chat."

"As expected of the smartest in the headquarters. Did you hear? Let's flee, we powerless ones."

"Ah, really. We don't fight these days. Why are you doing this in front of the kid?"

It seemed that even among the adults of Team 1, there were more small and large squabbles than expected. Ayoung felt somewhat relieved seeing this. Everyone's like this. It's not a serious matter. Our immature oppas will make up soon too. She thought.

***

Meanwhile, the frozen atmosphere continued in the place Ayoung had escaped from. The two still kept their mouths shut tight and didn't even look at each other.

After Ayoung left, Soram gave up even the facade of composure he had been maintaining. Irritation, sullenness, and anger alternated on his face until he finally pushed away his laptop irritably. He slumped face-down on the desk with a thud, but raised his head again before even a minute had passed. The sound of Tae-un's keyboard continued clacking, regardless of the commotion.

"Hey, Han Tae-un."

Tae-un only turned his eyes to look at Soram. That sight made Soram's already boiling insides flare up even more.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"What is there to say?"

"Ha."

Who's the one being prickly now when he's the one who should be? However, Soram's piercing gaze was ignored, and Tae-un silently looked back at the monitor.

Over his appearance, which wouldn't let even a needle through, the image of them confronting each other over the magic stone yesterday overlapped.

In the dressing room where the problematic magic stones were kept, the two glared at each other for a long time. Especially Tae-un, who hugged the magic stones to his chest, was wary of Soram as if he wouldn't return even a single one.

"Kuk...!"

Soram reached out to take back the magic stones. However, Tae-un holding the magic stones became a risk for both sides. Tae-un, with his abilities sealed by the magic stones, became a non-awakened person, and Soram also couldn't properly use his strength against such an opponent. Even with control, Tae-un's back and shoulders hit the closet and wall. However, he didn't show any sign of pain and didn't retreat even a single step, hiding it behind his expressionless face.

"You really. Ha."

He had forgotten that this guy was the hardest rock in the world after spending a few months of soft time. Han Tae-un was a person who had no room for compromise once he concluded something was wrong. Soram knew this better than anyone.

...There's no helping it. Should I just give up all of those and get new ones? From now on, I'll never use them in front of Han Tae-un, and only use them in absolutely critical emergencies.

The reason why the equally stubborn Soram immediately had such thoughts was one: he disliked this awkward atmosphere. The tension flowing in their private space, and glaring at each other instead of enjoying the sweet rest he had expected after clearing a difficult dungeon.

"...Han Tae-un, alright. I..."

Just as he was about to speak first, bending his opinion.

Whoosh.

Tae-un took off his outer jacket and wrapped the magic stones in it at the very moment Soram hesitated. As soon as his blocked ability was released, he gathered white light in his hand. Unlike himself who disliked fighting, this side fully showed the intention to take the magic stones even if it meant fighting.

"...Hey, Han Tae-un..."

Seeing that sight, Soram's strength drained from his body instead.

Bastard.

As he muttered blankly, Tae-un's eyes wavered. Soon, until he disappeared from in front of him, biting his lip tightly, Soram stood in that spot.

After the argument, neither of them came out of their rooms and they went to work separately. That's why the "What is there to say" in response to the question "Don't you have anything to say to me?" just now was the first time Soram had heard Tae-un's voice in hours.

The anger he thought he had barely suppressed all night surged up again.

When he confessed he liked me, kissed me, and followed me all the way to Busan, where was this attitude then, and now he's acting like this.

"..."

Soram glared at him silently for a long time.

This was just an argument. It was a conflict that arose because neither of them wanted to bend their will.

On top of that, for Soram, there was added disappointment that Tae-un had chosen the magic stones over his disappointment, and for Tae-un, probably... added worry and anger about Soram secretly using the dangerous magic stones for months.

They hadn't fought by spewing harsh words as if they would never see each other again, and neither of them had any intention of breaking the connection between their hearts over something like this. It wasn't an issue where they would say let's break up or let's never see each other again. Although they might feel upset for now, it would eventually be resolved one way or another. It was just that level of fight that everyone has. Soram had seen it many times in books and dramas.

However, the meaning of this argument time was different for Soram and Tae-un.

For Soram, the peaceful daily life spent with Tae-un was something he had achieved after desperately wishing and hoping for it. He was the one who felt most wronged that it had been disrupted like this.

Of course, I made some mistakes too, but Han Tae-un also yelled and made mistakes, and he's still acting so petty... ...But is his back that hit yesterday okay? Soram's eyes slowly scanned his figure.

At that moment, Tae-un, who had been looking at the screen without moving, rubbed his face with one hand. A long sigh escaped from behind the hand covering his mouth.

"...Huu."

"?!"

Did he just sigh? Wow, is he showing it? That he's in a bad mood?

Soram, not even thinking about how he had been staring intently until now, turned his head the other way, clearly showing his disbelief.