Chapter 124: The Misunderstanding

He reached me much faster than I could move to cover Song Jihan’s mouth.

“Hey, keep it down—”

“Hahaha, surprised? Look at your face, it’s totally pale.”

I was about to tell him to shut up, but Jihan, like he’d flipped into a manic episode, talked nonstop without listening to anyone else.

He even laughed loudly while roughly ruffling my hair.

My whole head shook under his clumsy hands.

“You two seem pretty close?”

The one who finally stopped Jihan was Jaeyul’s voice.

Even at a glance, it was loaded with displeasure.

Before the misunderstanding got any worse, I had to speak up first.

“No!”

“Of course we are.”

…Ah.

Should I just knock this bastard out first?

Why does he act like he’ll die if he doesn’t run his mouth for five seconds?

“What? We’re not close? Hey… that hurts.

You’re the one who asked me to be friends first.

I came all the way to Seoul to keep my promise to you, and now you’re acting like this?

Is this because I couldn’t have dinner with you last time?”

When did I ever make a promise with you?!

You were the one who said you’d be back soon and ran off!

And we didn’t even talk about dinner when we met at the center—why are you making it sound like I begged you to eat with me?

“Hah. Guess there’s no need for introductions.

You already know each other very well.”

Jaeyul turned away without even properly looking at me.

This is a misunderstanding.

A very clear misunderstanding.

If you only listened to Jihan, it’d sound like I flirted with him the whole time I was in Busan, made some secret promise with him, and dragged him into our team.

I wanted to explain myself right away, but there were too many eyes on us.

And if I argued with Jihan, it’d only make us look even closer.

Was Song Jihan always this clueless?

I don’t remember him being like this before….

“Song Jihan has officially been assigned to our team.

There will be no additional members.”

While I was spacing out, the discussion shifted to the team’s future strength.

I’ll deal with Jihan later—I need to listen to this first.

Only one new member….

“No additional members…?

That’s strange.

Even when we had seven people, manpower was tight.

Now that three are gone, won’t it be rough with just one replacement?

Even if he’s S-rank.”

Eden looked genuinely concerned.

He’s the type who calculates carefully and prefers stability, so the low headcount must be bothering him.

Four people really is an extremely small number for gate operations.

“But he’s S-rank.

That’s on a completely different level from A or B.”

As expected, when it comes to combat, simple-minded Bomyung makes a sharper call than Eden.

I agree with him too.

I don’t know how well Jihan will sync with the team, but as long as there are no major issues, a small elite squad could actually fight more cleanly and efficiently.

Jihan has exceptional combat talent—he easily covers the role of more than one person.

As his former team leader, I know that better than anyone.

“We don’t really have a choice.

Two SS-ranks, one S-rank, one A-rank, one B-rank.

Upper management won’t like us getting any stronger than this.

Even now, we could wipe out one or two average centers without much trouble.

One proven member is better than several unverified ones.”

Even if I’d been given the choice, I would’ve picked Jihan.

Inside a gate, mobility is limited—moving fast with a small elite team is far more effective.

Especially with an S-rank wind-type esper, you can assassinate enemies before they even react, while also providing massive buffs to the team.

“Of course, we’ll have to see whether it was the right choice.”

“Yes. Please look forward to it.”

“Don’t get your hopes up.

I’m not the type to 기대 anything easily.”

…What the hell.

It felt like sparks were flying between Jaeyul and Jihan.

Like two predators facing off before a fight to the death.

Not just their words—the silent way they stared at each other was intense.

Did something happen between them…?

“We’re heading out to the field starting tomorrow, so check your equipment properly.”

It seems I wasn’t the only one who felt the tension.

The others quietly returned to their seats without saying much.

“Hey, let’s go grab some coffee.”

My kind but hopelessly oblivious friend poked my side, completely excited.

Yeah.

I’ve got things to say anyway, and it’s probably best to step outside and avoid Jaeyul while he’s clearly irritated.

“Sure—”

“Jin Sehyun, stay back for a moment.”

Looks like everything today is determined to go against my wishes.

I told Jihan we’d talk later and followed Jaeyul into the guiding room first.

This must be what it feels like to be dragged to a slaughterhouse.

Maybe I should just quit today….

“Weren’t you not close?

Just acquaintances who recognize each other?”

The moment the door closed, Jaeyul spoke.

He was sitting on the desk, arms crossed, clearly ready to interrogate me.

“H-He’s the weird one!

We only saw each other for a few days—calling that close would be a stretch….”

Sorry, Jihan.

I need to survive first, okay?

Just be the clueless idiot for now.

“Oh, so you asked someone you’re not even close to—someone you only met for a few days—to be friends?”

“……”

“And you even lied to me to help him join our team?

I had no idea our hyung was such a warm-hearted person.”

It sounded absurd, but none of what Jaeyul said was actually false.

I did ask to be friends.

And I did talk up Jihan’s strengths because I thought it’d be good if he joined our team.

But… am I really that heartless normally?

“Jaeyul, it’s not like what you’re thinking.

It’s just… complicated to explain.”

“So it’s not that you can’t explain it?”

“……”

This is bad.

He’s right—I really can’t explain it.

I can’t tell him about my previous life, and even if I did, he wouldn’t believe me.

And I shouldn’t lie again just to escape this situation.

I don’t want to make this mess any worse.

“Forget it.

I figured as much.

I didn’t expect an excuse anyway.”

Jaeyul uncrossed his arms and walked past me toward the door, like there was nothing more to discuss.

I can’t let this end with misunderstandings piled this high.

Absolutely not.

“The truth is, I knew Song Jihan from before.”

“…What?

So you didn’t meet him for the first time in Busan?”

“When you and I were separated, Jihan once saved my life.

But he’s saved so many people that he didn’t remember me.

He’s my lifesaver, so I was happy to see him—and grateful.

That’s why I suggested being friends.”

I spoke without thinking, but thankfully, it came out as a decent explanation.

At least I didn’t lie to Jaeyul.

All of that happened in my previous life—but it’s still true.

“That’s all?”

He seemed calmer than before, but he still didn’t fully trust me.

But this part, at least, I could say without hesitation.

“Of course.

You were unreachable and inside a gate—what else would I be thinking about?”

I was happy to see Jihan again, but more than 80% of my thoughts back then were about Jaeyul.

That’s the truth, no exaggeration, no omissions.

“…You were really only thinking about me?”

“…Huh?

…Of course.

Why would I lie to you?”

I answered, but somehow the point felt like it drifted.

What I meant was that I didn’t have the emotional space to get close to Jihan in Busan.

Still, it seems Jaeyul completely accepted my explanation.

The icy presence from moments ago vanished, replaced by the Jaeyul I knew.

He stepped closer and gently took my hand.

“…Sorry.

I got angry without listening to you.

You’d never do something like that.”

…Huh?

Something like what?

“I misunderstood you, when all you were doing was thinking about me.”

I don’t really know what he means.

But… the misunderstanding is cleared now, right…?

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