Chapter 71: The Lunatic Who Finally Made It Official

The short silence while waiting for his answer felt like forever.

Should I apologize right now—say I never meant to hurt his pride? Or list more logical reasons why we need to register? I wanted to rip my chest open and show him everything inside.

Haejin grabbed Lee Chae’s wrist and pressed it to his own heart. Imprinted pairs shared emotions— I wanted this smart hamster to feel exactly what I felt.

Just like you think of your family, I want to take responsibility for you as family. I want us bound so tightly—no one, nothing can ever separate us. I don’t want to leave even the tiniest possibility of losing you.

He stared at Lee Chae like a prisoner awaiting verdict.

The light brown eyes shook, lips opened and closed and trembled several times— Finally Lee Chae spoke.

“So… um… damn it.”

He looked up at the sky, then met Haejin’s eyes with resolve.

“I get how you feel. But hyung, I have just as much I want to say and I don’t know how.”

He gently removed Haejin’s hand from his heart… and placed his own palm over Lee Chae’s chest.

Haejin closed his eyes. A flood of emotions crashed in— guilt, gratitude, pity, hesitation, self-loathing… And at the very bottom, something he hadn’t expected: unshakable trust.

His chest swelled so much it hurt.

Haejin’s voice shook.

“The funniest emotion I’m getting from you right now is—”

“…”

Lee Chae’s shoulders flinched. Haejin smiled and continued.

“If you want to take responsibility for me, we absolutely have to register. That way, if anything happens to me, you can step up confidently. Remember how frustrated you were last time when headquarters ignored you?”

Only after feeling Lee Chae’s heart did Haejin finally understand. Lee Chae was just as delicate and deep as he was. How could a guide could have zero desire to depend and only want to protect his esper—he finally got it.

All that talk about dissolution and little brother’s scholarship had been the wrong approach. Of course it hadn’t worked.

“So? Honey, take responsibility for me.”

Lee Chae’s lips curved up despite the serious face.

“…I will.”

A too-mature lover needs an immature esper—perfect match! Haejin crushed him in a hug and kissed his cheek.

“Promise? No take-backs.”

Lee Chae buried his forehead in Haejin’s chest, voice tiny.

“You already saw everything inside me… so why pretend to be all lighthearted? I know you’re saying it to spare my feelings.”

No words. Haejin just stroked his back. Lee Chae sighed shortly and continued.

“Thank you for thinking of Lee-jung… and for telling me registering isn’t charity—it’s me helping you.”

“Thank you for taking responsibility for me. My guide’s the best.”

Lee Chae burst out laughing and finally looked up.

“Let’s register. Once I decide, I don’t back down either.”

He didn’t say from what, but Haejin understood— the judgmental stares over rank difference, the fight against headquarters. When this prickly guy said something, he meant it.

A feisty guide offering to fight together— Haejin felt like he’d gained an army.

Walking to the registry center, the sky felt clearer than ever. The hamster who used to bristle and bite his fingers was now soft and listening— it tickled in the best way.

Haejin walked staring at Lee Chae’s face. Just looking made his breathing rough.

We went to the same school all this time—how did I miss something this cute?

He regretted every wasted day. If he’d noticed sooner, he could’ve touched him so much longer. He wanted to poke those chubby cheeks, kiss those pouting lips—his steps sped up without realizing.

“If you’re tired, walk slower. Why are you panting and rushing?”

“Body’s still weak after the battle. Mind if I put an arm around you?”

Lee Chae’s face hardened. He got overly sensitive whenever the battle was mentioned—cute. Haejin quickly slung an arm over his shoulder. Lee Chae narrowed his eyes.

“Really tired?”

Haejin pretended not to hear and pressed closer. Feeling the weight, Lee Chae squirmed, complaining it was heavy. When Haejin didn’t let go, he swung his arms.

“Stop it. People are watching—do you want to be called a thug and a pervert esper?”

Haejin actually liked the idea of rumors that he was only acted perverted with Jung Lee Chae. Seeing Lee Chae’s breathing get ragged from the contact made an uncontrollable urge rise. He wanted to pin the struggling hamster down and show him what “real pervert” meant.

His eyes changed; thoughts ran wild. He leaned to kiss Lee Chae’s neck— when a pebble flew out of nowhere and hit his right foot.

“Ow, f*ck! Who the hell—!”

He whipped around—Jin-woo stood far away, arms crossed, looking utterly disgusted. Lee Chae startled out of Haejin’s arms. His ears were bright red.

Jin-woo walked up, clicking his tongue.

“Doing that in broad daylight in the middle of campus? Have some dignity for Legion’s sake.”

“Dignity can go f*ck itself!”

Haejin grabbed Lee Chae’s hand and dragged him inside. Some asshole ruining their sweet moment pissed him off. He ignored Jin-woo’s cursing behind them.

We really ended up here.

Lee Chae looked around the small registry center. Only the sound of keyboards clacking filled the air.

“If you’re nervous, just sign here. I’ll submit it.”

“Uh… okay…”

Realizing there was no more stalling, Lee Chae signed. Haejin practically sprinted to the counter and handed over the papers. All the worrying felt ridiculous—registering an exclusive pair was absurdly easy.

“Guide’s signature received—just leave it here.”

The clerk took the forms with zero emotion, typing so hard the keyboard sounded like it would break. Zero expression on his face.

“Yes, sir!”

Haejin grinned ear-to-ear; the clerk remained stone-faced. The contrast was so stark Lee Chae couldn’t look away from the clerk. Haejin tugged his hand.

“See? Nothing to it.”

“Yeah… but it feels weird.”

“Of course it does. We just stamped ‘he’s mine’—how could I be calm?”

Haejin’s voice was buzzing with excitement as he swung their joined hands. He looked ecstatic, but Lee Chae felt queasy for some reason.

Why do I feel so down?

Because he was still against registering? No.

It was the clerk’s total lack of emotion. Lee Chae stared at him and asked Haejin seriously,

“Hyung. If I hadn’t become your exclusive… I would’ve ended up like that clerk, right?”

The sudden question made Haejin stop walking. He looked around for a place to sit, spotted a bench, and pulled Lee Chae over. They sat side by side. Silence stretched, then Haejin spoke first.

“You still have regrets about becoming a civil servant? because I messed up your dream?”

Lee Chae fiddled with his lips, thinking. Was he really sad about a dream he couldn’t achieve? No—he could say with certainty it wasn’t that. Becoming a civil servant had always been a survival choice, not a passion; the insane effort was just habit.

“You worked hard. Must be a lot of emotions right now.”

Haejin read his face and chuckled low. When he suddenly said mature things like this, Lee Chae’s heart dropped. Then he remembered—ah, this is why I fell for Cha Haejin.

“It’s just… so different from what I imagined. Being a civil servant was my lifelong wish, but that clerk didn’t look happy at all. It feels… strange.”

Haejin nodded slowly like he understood, then placed a hand on Lee Chae’s thigh. Muscles tensed; the spot tingled.

“Well… I think you already know the answer.”

“Hm?”

“You just said it—your future changed. We’ve known each other less than half a year, got crazy close in that time—no, more accurately, I chased you until you were exhausted—and here we are.”

Lee Chae still didn’t follow. He just blinked. Haejin continued.

“You don’t seem to know yourself as well as you think, Jung Lee Chae.”

He lowered Lee Chae’s bitten lip with a fingertip, muttering don’t seduce me with nonsense, then turned serious again.

“Think about it. Jung Lee Chae lives by splitting time into seconds and following plans. A guy like that had his perfect future plan completely ruined by one bastard— and you’re telling me that’s fine? That’s the weird part.”

It was brutally objective—but correct. Before Haejin, Lee Chae had lived with a stopwatch, panicking if he wasted even a minute walking.

“I get that you’re worried. Confused too. Sorry for dragging you without warning.”

Hearing “sorry” made Lee Chae feel worse—he was the one who’d agreed to everything. Haejin smiled softly.

“But look— the future you planned so perfectly? You’re living a completely different one now, and you’re happier than ever. That clerk’s face? That’s what following the ‘perfect plan’ looks like. You dodged that bullet.”

Lee Chae stared at Haejin. The words sank in slowly.

The future he’d clung to so desperately… was never the one he truly wanted.

He’d just been too scared to admit it.

Lee Chae’s eyes welled up again. Haejin panicked.

“Hey—don’t cry—”

“I’m not crying because I’m sad.” He wiped his eyes roughly and stood up.

“Let’s go. I want to finish the registration properly.”

Haejin’s face broke into the biggest smile yet.

“That’s my hamster.”

He jumped up, slung an arm around Lee Chae’s shoulders, and practically dragged him back inside— this time with Lee Chae walking willingly, even pulling Haejin along.

Ten minutes later they walked out, official exclusive pair certificate in hand.

And for the first time all day, Lee Chae was the one grinning ear to ear.