Chapter 146

The effect was excellent. Tae-un immediately made a face as if he had been completely put off.

"Are you treating it like a button? If you keep pressing it like that, it'll break."

"What happens if it breaks?"

"Who knows."

For reasons unknown, even after this absurd conversation, their heads drew closer and their lips met. And once again, their breaths mingled.

***

When they returned to the barracks, there was barely any lunchtime left.

They were young and full of vigor. Fortunately, they added reason and didn't go all the way, but for about 30 minutes, there was... a little something.

Tae-un rubbed the side of his face and slumped into a chair. Soram, who sat down across from him afterward, had his shoulders proudly straightened. As if he had finally accomplished something he had failed at before. And his lips were much fuller.

The untouched meal had already been cleared away. Well, it was a situation where they might assume he wouldn't eat, since he had just left with only the rice sitting there.

"..."

"..."

The reconciliation was as sudden as the start of their unexpected fight.

The silent situation in the barracks was similar to before. But the atmosphere was completely different.

Han Tae-un sat with his arms crossed, his gaze lowered diagonally. His expression wasn't much different from before the reconciliation. But while earlier only his furrowed brow or tightly closed lips had been noticeable, now his twitching cheeks and slightly flushed lips caught the eye.

The heart was truly fickle. How could a person look so different in an instant depending on one's mood.

Soram stretched out his foot and tapped Tae-un's calf with the tip of his shoe.

Flinch.

The reaction came immediately.

"Don't."

"Why?"

"My whole body is sensitive right now."

Tae-un pushed away his foot. The man so large that the chair's backrest was barely visible even turned his body away primly.

Of course, Soram wasn't one to back down at that. His fluttering leg invaded Tae-un's space again, and Soram's toes went to Tae-un, tapping several times with tick, tuk, tak sounds.

"Why are you tormenting me?"

"Because you committed many sins in your past life."

"..."

Tae-un accepted the unreasonableness and just took it, as he always had.

"Chief Jin Soram, Chief Han Tae-un."

"Yes."

"You need to move now."

A little later, a soldier came to fetch them from outside the barracks. Soram followed Tae-un, who stood up first, outside. Tae-un, who he thought had rushed out, was holding the barracks door and waiting for Soram to come out.

"This way, please."

The direction the soldier led was different from when they came here. Instead of towards the platform by the riverside, he guided them to the opposite shore. The river they had seen from a distance earlier now flowed right beside them. The water surface was so wide that it could have been mistaken for the sea if the mountains weren't visible on the other side. It looked about as wide as the widest section of the Han River.

However, if it were the Han River, there would be long roads stretching on both sides of the wide riverbank, buildings behind them, and large bridges crossing the river at regular intervals.

A clear blue sky was added to the image of the Han River that floated over the river. Soon, the memory in his mind drew a black crack in the middle of it. Countless mutants poured out of that huge gap stretching from the high sky to the ground. Roads and buildings split due to the mutants, and bridges fell into the river.

When he closed his eyes tightly and opened them again, the river in the mountains was still flowing peacefully.

There was still plenty of time left.

At least for now.

While he couldn't live like the past few months when he had been intoxicated with the joy of successfully overcoming the 3rd Great Rift and the warmth of his first lover, he could still enjoy a little more peace.

He would definitely survive.

He would overcome the next Great Rift and, during his remaining lifetime, find the cause of the regression and somehow make this life his last one.

As he turned around, the wind ruffling his hair, his view took in Han Tae-un and the green sprouting branches together.

"What?"

Tae-un, feeling his gaze, asked.

"Nothing. There's just a lot to see."

"Do you like the mountains?"

"Hmm... I guess so."

"Shall we come to a place like this for this year's summer vacation?"

"Why?"

"You've seen enough of the sea to be tired of it, right?"

"I suppose..."

Tae-un, who had already decided they would spend their vacation together as a matter of course, looked around. When they returned to Seoul, he would diligently look for vacation spots with mountains. And around summer, he would casually ask again.

That would probably become the best summer vacation of his life.

As they walked on, they soon found themselves on a mountain path. Not long after, a building made of container boxes appeared. It was an old guard post.

"Please enter."

"What exactly are we doing here?"

"You're scheduled to share your impressions of observing the training and have a meeting with the executives."

"Ah, I see."

Well, it was better than being dragged around various facilities and forced to give fake compliments and smiles.

As they entered, four people were handling filming equipment. Three men wearing cap hats or hoodies, and one woman. In front of the camera, as if referencing the Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters' press conference setup, there was a long table with two chairs. Soram entered, waving his hand.

"Hello~"

"Ah, hello."

"Please take care of us."

While exchanging greetings, Soram quickly looked over the filming team. The rugged equipment and lack of professionalism made them seem like they were from the military PR office rather than a broadcasting station.

His thought that it didn't matter either way changed a bit there.

Are they going to keep us here for a long time?

Honestly, this premonition was more ominous than a formal filming team. Although coming here had resulted in a dramatic reconciliation, in this situation, he couldn't help but feel wronged for taking on the annoying task that Ga-eul should have done.

Soram came around the table to the chairs. The two ended up sitting at a similar distance as when they were on the platform earlier, just in a different place.

'...Ah, but is this what it's like when couples fight?'

They had clearly made up earlier in a frenzy, but being in a similar situation to during the cold war brought back creeping memories of feeling angry at that time. Earlier, sitting side by side like this, he hadn't even looked at him.

"Then, please wait a moment."

He knew this was extremely irrational and an unfair emotion towards Han Tae-un, but.

Somehow, somehow he felt very wronged.

However, grumbling based on this feeling after already making up would be even stranger.

Tae-un didn't come straight to the chair but approached slowly, looking around the container box. Just as he came to the side and was about to sit down, Soram's foot pushed the chair sideways. The chair that went tok touched slid away with a 1st-grade's strength.

Although he hadn't hoped for him to fall by sitting in mid-air, Tae-un noticed the chair sliding away before even bending his thighs. Then he emotionlessly returned the chair to its original position and sat down stoically.

I knew he'd do that, no fun at all.

Thud.

"Huh?"

Soram's chair suddenly slid sideways as he was grumbling inwardly. The problem was that Soram, sitting on it, was pulled in the opposite direction. Tae-un, sitting in his seat, hadn't moved a finger. Instead, white light was pooled at the fingertips of his crossed arms.

How cowardly of him!

Tung!

Keeek.

Unable to avoid the unexpected attack, he had to take a strong step to regain balance. And before his upper body could lurch forward, an arm from the side supported his chest.

Soram, barely regaining his balance, stood in an awkward posture and then sheepishly moved the chair back to its place, receiving the gazes of everyone inside.

Damn it...

When he glared to the side, Tae-un's mouth moved as if to say, "You did it first." The one fortunate thing was that the chair seemed to be made of sturdy hardwood with thick joints. He thought these places usually had folding chairs, didn't they? But anyway, it was fortunate that nothing was broken.

At that moment, the soldier who had guided them here approached.

"Is there a problem?"

"No. Sorry. We were just fooling around a bit."

"Fooling around."

His eyes narrowed, and his gaze changed to be slightly disdainful. Tsk. Though he pretended to hide it, the sound of clicking his tongue was clearly audible. He gestured to the seats.

"Please sit down properly."

Ah, right. They said there was dissatisfaction with hunters. He hadn't noticed on the way here because there was no chance to face them directly, but for witnessing a simple prank, the gaze looking at them was excessively harsh. Well, the lower-ranking soldiers who had undergone the training were probably more irritated than the higher-ups.

'But understanding that and lashing out at me are two different things.'

As he was about to open his mouth with this rational judgment.

"You're quite strict even though we haven't started yet."

The voice came from Tae-un, not Soram, first. The soldier stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"It seems we were supposed to start right after lunch time, but aren't you pointing out the delayed schedule or the people who haven't arrived yet?"

Tae-un gestured with his chin at the disorderly interior that hadn't even started, just as the soldier had done earlier. In other words, it meant, is it only our fault for playing around a bit out of boredom while waiting for preparations?

"...I'll bring them shortly. Please wait a moment."

The soldier went outside. His footsteps on the floor conveyed his displeasure. And Soram, who was about to fully unleash his temper, had his role stolen.

"Han Tae-un, what's gotten into you? I thought you'd just sit there blankly no matter what they said."

Tae-un looked at Soram for a moment and then sat back in a proper posture.

"I guess I'm becoming more like you."

"That's probably not a good thing."

A slight smile rose on Soram's face, but it wasn't enough to dissolve the hardened atmosphere inside the guard post. Meanwhile, a staff member awkwardly fiddled with the equipment.

"Then, we'll do a test."

The camera light came on. The image of the two sitting side by side was captured in the angle.

There might have been more staff waiting outside, as several were talking near the door. Soon, one person each approached Soram and Tae-un.

"We'll help you two with the microphone equipment."

"Okay. What should we say when the camera turns on?"

"Pardon?"

"This is an institutional interview, right? Isn't there something we absolutely need to say?"

"Well... Not particularly..."

"I see...?"

"Ah, no. Well, just speak honestly, say if it's good or if it's not so good."

"Alright."

Well, if that's the case. Still, he didn't intend to behave badly and would wrap things up nicely.

In fact, if it had been his mood an hour ago, he might have been very uncooperative, thinking 'it's not my business,' but now he was in a fairly good mood. Thanks to Han Tae-un stepping in, he had just shaken off the urge to pick a fight in his head.

He also wanted to finish quickly and return to Seoul.

Ah, he should tell Ayoung they made up too. She had suffered unnecessarily because of their fight. He should buy her something delicious when they go to work tomorrow. Maybe he and Tae-un would have to take turns appeasing her for a while.

The microphone was somewhat cold. The wire brushed his nape and was fixed to his collar, then passed through his jacket to be tied at his waist. Tae-un underwent the same process.

The staff member in front of Tae-un seemed to be new, clearly nervous. But even with slightly shaking hands, they couldn't take their eyes off the area around Tae-un's face.

Han Tae-un was handsome, after all.

Unnecessarily handsome.

Noticing Soram's gaze, Tae-un mouthed, "What now...?"

"We're all set."

"Th-this side too."

The staff who had fitted Soram and Tae-un with microphones called out. They must be about to start now.

He hoped it would end quickly.

As soon as he harbored that wish, with a pak sound, all the lights in the room went out.