Chapter 150: HERO

“Honestly, I don’t know whether we should be raising a toast or sinking into gloom.”

“Right….”

Just as we had desperately hoped, the team members returned without a single injury.

Pulling everyone out except Jaeyul at the very last moment, when they were flying toward ‘X’, had been a truly wise decision.

I hate to say it, but with only the remaining members’ abilities, it would’ve been difficult to deal a fatal blow to ‘X’.

In the end, that plan succeeded.

Despite coming back without any losses, their faces weren’t bright.

“We failed to save Poppy, and seventy percent of the suppression force died, so it’s hard to call this a success….”

The issue with Poppy could be put aside for now.

The real problem was that we’d lost far too many special ability users.

Losing that many top-tier agents, gathered from all over the world, was no small matter.

That was probably why the surviving members of the suppression force looked so grim.

They hadn’t lived because they were better.

They’d lived because they were lucky.

And the seventy percent who died had simply been unlucky today.

“You don’t have to look so down.

Our team did more than enough.

And Poppy is… well, he seems to be doing very well, so there’s no need to worry.”

I spoke in an intentionally brighter tone.

Honestly, if it hadn’t been for our so-called Poppy Rescue Squad, there would have been even more casualties.

The fact that even thirty percent made it back was entirely thanks to them.

There was no reason to hang their heads.

And that bastard Poppy….

Haah.

Maybe it really would’ve been better not to save him.

Who would’ve thought he’d rescue ‘X’ and run off at that exact moment?

Ungrateful little shit.

Do you have any idea how much beef I bought you?

Seriously….

When I see him again, I’ll make him cry for sure.

“And more importantly, the overall 분위기 has completely flipped.

I can’t even count how many times that footage has already aired.”

Turn on the TV and the clash between ‘X’ and the Poppy Rescue Squad played on repeat.

Blocking the Light Bomb with a barrier made from combined abilities.

Delivering the final blow and bringing ‘X’ down.

Ah—and, as always, the last scene ended with a close-up of Jaeyul’s face.

“It’s kind of embarrassing, being on TV all the time….”

Bomyung, what are you even talking about.

You guys were completely hidden behind the barrier—not even a single hair was visible.

And you couldn’t even make a barrier yourself, so you were basically just dead weight.

Just as I was about to bring him back to reality, I heard the door open.

The only person who could be coming in now was Jaeyul.

The moment he returned, my heart started racing.

I should probably wrap things up here quickly.

“Anyway, everyone go rest for now.

Things should stay quiet for a while, so take it easy.”

I stood up first, pretending to be considerate of the team.

But instead of moving, the others just stared at me with looks of pure contempt.

“So this is you telling us to get lost because your lover’s here?”

“Lover, my ass.

They haven’t even confessed yet, so they’re not even dating.”

“Pfft….”

These little shits…!

They’re sharp and sarcastic at exactly the worst moments.

My intention to kick out the riffraff—no, the team members—because Jaeyul had arrived was exposed instantly.

The fact that they knew our situation inside and out was mortifying.

My head felt like it was overheating.

How the hell do they know this much?!

“Really?

Then what are you two?

Don’t tell me it’s like Enzo—ack!”

Park Bomyung was about to say something truly awful.

I was just about to throw something to shut his mouth when it snapped shut on its own.

No—what came out instead was a pained groan.

“What are you, exactly?”

“L-let go, you bastard!

Do you have no respect for your elders—ack, my head’s gonna explode!”

Jaeyul, who had just entered the room, grabbed Bomyung’s head with one hand like a basketball.

Seeing Bomyung’s face turn bright red while being held like that, it clearly hurt.

Still, Jaeyul loosened his grip quickly, as if he never meant to seriously injure him.

Muttering all sorts of insults—calling him more evil than a monster, saying he’d kill comrades over a man—the team filed out of the room.

“Whew, my ears hurt.

Why do they talk so damn much?”

Once we were alone, Jaeyul pulled me in by the arm and hugged me.

Unlike the others, he’d come back a bit late.

Apparently the Support Agency had begged him to spare just thirty minutes of his time.

I didn’t even need to ask what they’d said—it was obvious.

“I’m back, hyung.

I didn’t get hurt at all.

I did good, right?”

…Seriously.

How is the human weapon who punched a massive hole through ‘X’ so damn cute?

His voice as he hugged me tightly.

His warmth.

His scent.

All of it felt overwhelmingly welcome.

I’d never imagined he’d come back without a scratch.

“You worked hard.

And I’m really glad you didn’t get hurt.”

I patted his back as if praising him.

How could I not?

He’d shown overwhelming power against ‘X’ himself.

No one—not even me—had ever pushed ‘X’ that far.

He’d dealt damage so severe it was questionable whether recovery was even possible.

And then there was his quick thinking—combining everyone’s abilities on the fly to create a barrier and close the distance.

A flawless battle, without a single mistake.

I kept holding him like that, finally releasing all the anxiety that had piled up in my chest all day.

Only then did it hit me that I’d probably been holding onto a tired man for too long.

He must’ve needed rest.

I was about to suggest we talk after he washed up and relaxed—

when Jaeyul spoke first.

“Can we continue what we were doing earlier?”

“…Earlier?

What?”

What was he talking about all of a sudden?

Earlier…?

What were we doing…?

Ah.

A memory surfaced.

Before the deployment…

We were kissing, weren’t we…?

Jaeyul’s hand, wrapped around my back, began moving slowly up and down along my spine.

Of course.

He’s at that age where desire’s boiling over—purely spiritual love wouldn’t be enough.

Still, I didn’t expect him to cling to me the moment he got back.

…Well, it’s not like I hate it.

I just hadn’t thought about it yet.

With worry and anxiety gone, something darker slipped in to take their place.

This kind of development didn’t sound bad either.

A… passionate reunion, maybe.

“…People are walking around outside.

The team might come back….”

Just like I’d resolved earlier when Jaeyul ran off mid-kiss, this time I was going to do it properly.

I tightened my grip around his waist, rose onto my toes, and lifted my chin.

I’d gone this far—now all he had to do was meet me halfway.

Of course I was nervous.

For some reason, I was more tense now than when I’d been watching Jaeyul fight ‘X’.

Yes.

This wasn’t anything strange.

It was just pure praise.

Praise for Jaeyul coming back safely, without a scratch.

“Ah… right.

I keep forgetting whenever there’s an opening.”

“Huh…?”

No matter how much I leaned in, our lips didn’t touch.

I opened my eyes.

“I like you so much that my thoughts keep drifting.

But that’s not the reason I like you.”

“No, Jaeyul, that’s not—”

“It’s okay.

You don’t have to force yourself for my sake.

When I saw how stiff your face was, I snapped back to my senses.

So you don’t need to try.

I’m fine just holding you like this.”

No!

Absolutely not!

My face wasn’t stiff because I didn’t want it—it was because I was nervous.

And I don’t want to just hug.

And ‘that kind of reason’ should obviously count as a reason to like someone!

“That’s not it.”

“Then…?”

Why is someone this smart so bad at reading the room?

I grabbed Jaeyul’s face with both hands and pulled him toward me hard.

He stumbled forward, clearly caught off guard.

Watch closely.

This hyung can be very bold.

“You talk too much.”

I pressed my lips to his.

No—given how badly I misjudged my strength, it was more like a collision.

Still, we landed where we were supposed to, so it worked out.

Jaeyul froze with his lips tense, like he never saw this coming.

For all his strength, he could be surprisingly innocent.

Like calming a startled kid, I gently traced my tongue over his lips.

Only then did his tightly closed mouth begin to open.

“Hyung, mmph!”

Jaeyul tried to speak, but I filled the gap completely with my lips.

I didn’t want to hear anything right now.

If he opened his mouth, he’d just say something that made my head hurt again.

And honestly, the warmth and softness inside his mouth felt too good to stop.

Even as the kiss deepened, my throat kept going dry.

Our saliva was already thoroughly mixed, yet something still felt lacking.

The moment I realized what it was, my body lifted into the air.

My back hit the hard floor, and a shadow fell over my face.

“I’m holding back this hard, and you jump me like that?

That’s just cruel.”

When our lips finally parted, heated breaths spilled out.

Our breathing was as loud and frantic as our racing hearts.

“You keep misunderstanding things.

Wh-who said I didn’t want it….”

Stopping the kiss helped my reason return, little by little.

That only made me regret what I’d just said.

What if I looked like some lunatic blinded by lust to pure-hearted Jaeyul?

“What exactly am I misunderstanding?”

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