Side Story 1. Private Rescue (1)

Winter had arrived.

Though the year-end atmosphere hadn't picked up due to the 4th Great Rift incident that broke out just a month ago, the seasons changed without fail. Around the time coats and padded clothes occupied most of the streets, news of the first snow came. After that, the temperature dropped sharply and it fully became winter's domain.

As time passed, citizens gradually let go of their tension and anxiety and returned to daily life. With the big rift resolved and the frequency of rift occurrences quieting down, people put their memories of trembling in fear behind them and prepared to welcome the coming new year.

Outside the windows of the Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters dormitory, snow-covered mountains and buildings with light decorations began to appear. Unlike the splendor outside the window, the two men staying together in one room had no talent for such decorations. Instead, as evidence that they were aware of the change in seasons, the blanket placed on the sofa had been replaced with a thicker one.

Beside Soram, who was wrapped up in it, a phone call was continuing.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. I was discharged. I rest at the dorm every day."

There was a dialect accent mixed in Tae-un's voice. Soram, lying with his head on Tae-un's thigh, looked up and watched the movement of his plump lips.

Han Tae-un, who had completely become a Seoul person, now had the dialect completely disappear from his speech - even when flustered or excited! The only time inflections appeared in his flattened tone was when talking to his parents in his hometown. To hear that now rare accent, Soram had held onto Tae-un, who was about to leave to take the call.

"Yes. Soram is doing well too."

"Soram-i."

When he imitated the pronunciation in a small voice, Tae-un looked down and lightly tapped the tip of his nose.

The Rift HQ was still frantically dealing with the aftermath of the 4th Great Rift incident. While the lights in the offices handling external affairs remained on, the field operations hunters were taking a long rest while managing their injuries.

Team 7 member Ayoung was still staying at her family home after being discharged, and Soram and Tae-un had also returned to the dormitory and were currently receiving outpatient treatment. Fortunately, most of the major wounds had almost healed and most of the casts and bandages had been removed. Perhaps because they had found peace and their minds were at ease, their recovery speed was fast. So it wasn't just a lie to reassure his parents.

"We're going to Jeju Island for the new year."

"Just the two of you?"

"With your aunt's family and uncle's family too."

"Ah. Did you charter a bus?"

"Yeah. Made a reservation through a travel agency via Gyeong-chan."

"Eat lots of delicious food and come back."

"You take good care of yourself."

It was a very plain conversation, as always.

The call ended briefly, not even lasting a minute. Tae-un put down his phone and stroked Soram's hair with the same hand. As the touch tickled his forehead, Soram closed his eyes and a question was conveyed to him.

"It'd be a bit much to go to Guncheon, right?"

"Suddenly? Are we going to rob an empty house?"

"No. Father said to come down and rest."

"Huh...? Where in that conversation was there such a meaning?"

"He said they're going to Jeju Island."

"Yeah..."

"With relatives around."

"I know that much."

"The village will be empty, so he meant to rest comfortably in a quiet place."

"...?"

"I said I'd send some pocket money since I'm grateful, but he refused."

"...?"

Something was created from nothing. Had that been a very warm and harmonious conversation in its own way for an undemonstrative family? 'Where on earth was such meaning...' As Tae-un seemed to understand differently the process of earnestly searching for hidden context, he immediately backed off.

"If it seems difficult, let's not go. I'll just go down briefly for New Year's or something."

"What's diffic..., oh."

Soram realized this wasn't referring to his body condition that hadn't fully recovered yet, or the time it would take to go back and forth to Guncheon.

There was an annex at Tae-un's house in Guncheon. The place that had been strangely familiar from the first visit in this life was where Soram from the previous life had escaped to from repeating lives.

Thus, the annex had become a small hideout for the two who had ended their most painful round. There, they had accepted an eternal farewell. And it took many miracles to face each other again in the current peace.

Just recalling part of the memory made his cheeks sting and stiffen.

But it was a place with as much affection as the sadness of the last moment. It was clearly somewhere he wanted to... visit again someday.

Of course, that wasn't a near-term plan. So he had been putting off thinking about it... While Soram could take his time, Tae-un, whose family home it was, had to go down without fail when holidays came. He had forgotten about that.

Soram counted the dates. With the year-end, there were barely a few weeks left until New Year's.

"..."

Thinking of Tae-un facing the annex alone with memories from the past life wasn't very pleasant.

"No. I want to go."

Soram quickly added the reason before Tae-un could say anything frustrating.

"We can't even go out properly around the HQ with VTubers and onlookers. It'd be good to go and rest comfortably as your parents suggested."

That was the reason the destination was decided.

The roads were jammed as much as during holidays. This was because the snow that fell a day late after Christmas had frozen the ground, and cars were lined up heading to the coast to see the first sunrise of the new year a few days later.

Among the cars inching forward was a black car carrying the two of them.

The car owner had purchased a mid-size SUV with monthly salaries saved up in his mid-20s. The one filling the driver's seat had a build that no one would dare pick a fight with even if he just rolled down the window, but contrary to his appearance, he sat properly and drove faithfully observing all signals.

Unlike someone in the passenger seat with a very poor posture.

"I'm bored."

"Sleep more."

"Don't want to. Tell me an interesting story."

"...There's a rest stop in 10 minutes."

"Aaah! Han Tae-un, you're really no fun at all."

Two legs flailed mercilessly. Though lighter than the driver, the car shook as a full-grown man thrashed about.

No matter what tantrums he threw, there was nothing the driver could do. He just glanced at the passenger seat and lightly grasped the white back of his hand.

"..."

Soram stopped flailing not because Tae-un held his hand, but because he tired himself out. And he sighed imperceptibly.

Though trying hard to act nonchalant, there was no way he could be unbothered about going to that annex. What kind of reaction he would show, and what Han Tae-un would think. How the memories permeating that place's bedroom, kitchen, storage room, yard, living room would approach him...

The tension increased steeply as the remaining distance decreased, and Soram realized that his current whining and excessive behaviors were things that popped out trying to hide the tension. Because the defense mechanism of not being able to completely open up even beside the person he loved still remained.

Before his increasingly rapid pulse could be detected, Soram pulled his hand out of Tae-un's grasp.

"Why. Keep holding it."

Tae-un reached out his hand to the passenger seat. Soram turned his head away sharply.

"Don't want to. Why hold hands when we're not even dating?"

"Ah."

That's right. Strictly speaking, the two were currently broken up. Han Tae-un had been dumped by Jin Soram. Tae-un, who had committed a sin too great to hold onto, had to accept the breakup.

However, this breakup was a somewhat special breakup. Because Tae-un had declared to Soram the moment he was dumped.

"Didn't you say you'd confess to me again? Why aren't you doing it?"

"I was in the hospital for a while. I didn't want to confess with bandages on..."

Hmm, Tae-un rubbed the back of his neck with the hand Soram had rejected. Shyness seeped through the gesture.

"Now that it's come to this, I want to do it properly."

"Properly?"

"When I said I liked you, and when we became a couple, it was all vague. This time I want to make it memorable."

"...When are you going to do it?"

"Can you give me a little more time? I'm working hard preparing so I won't be rejected twice."

"Hmph..."

Though he wasn't sure how well that boring personality would do no matter how much he prepared, he was willing to wait a little if that was the case. Tae-un suddenly smiled.

"But you said you're getting married. There was even an article."

"Unlike someone, I keep my promises. Since I ended up living until I die in this life, I should get married, of course."

There was a time when he was preparing for the 4th Great Rift in despair. At that time, he promised that if they were ultimately defeated and went to the next life, they would go together, and if a miracle happened and they stayed in this life, he would give the rest of his life to Tae-un.

Thus, Soram clearly summarized this situation of preparing for marriage while broken up.

"If you succeed in confessing, it'll be a love marriage, and if you fail, it'll be a political marriage."