Chapter 42: The Absurdity of Obsession

“My back is killing me as it is. Why would I meet anyone else? I have no intention of doing so.”

Han Do-hoon, who had narrowly avoided a curse, simply grinned, his eyes crinkling in amusement, completely oblivious to Sa-yoon’s feelings. Whatever had put him in such a good mood had completely erased his earlier menacing demeanor.

“That’s a good idea.”

Instead of responding to Han Do-hoon’s cheerful remark, Sa-yoon wrapped himself tightly in the blanket and lay down. An arm naturally snaked around him from behind, pulling him close. A warm body pressed against his back.

Initially, he had rejected this position, finding it stifling. However, Han Do-hoon’s habit of clinging to him every single dawn had become one of the things Sa-yoon had simply given up on.

And now that he was used to it, it even felt somewhat comforting. Sa-yoon closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasant weight.

Before long, his chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm as he breathed in even, deep breaths.

“That’s a relief. There’s only one neck to hang.”

The lighting, which had been gradually dimming, finally switched off completely.

“Hey. Beauty.”

From a distance, a figure with light blond hair was waving, approaching them. Already conspicuous due to his height, the bright hair color made it impossible to ignore him, even if one wished to.

Sa-yoon frowned, watching Levian. He tapped his earlobe with a finger, prompting Levian to activate the translator in his own ear.

“I keep forgetting to turn it on.”

“You could just keep it on while you’re in Korea. You’re only going to be interacting with Koreans anyway.”

Everyone knew that the overseas Esper who came with him completely ignored the other foreign Espers, only ever hitting on Koreans. Sa-yoon couldn’t understand why he bothered turning the translator off.

“I’d like to, but… when I hear translated languages while doing that, it just doesn’t feel right.”

Levian clapped his hands together, making a frankly suggestive gesture. Sa-yoon glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 1 PM.

The translator being off meant he either hadn’t spoken to anyone other than Sa-yoon until 1 PM, or he had been ‘rolling around’ until 1 PM before showing up. Either way, it was none of Sa-yoon’s business.

“I see. Well, then, perhaps you should continue on your way.”

“But my dear beauty, you seem close with Hyden—no, Han Do-hoon. Right?”

He didn’t seem inclined to retreat easily. Levian walked beside Sa-yoon, matching his pace. Sa-yoon recalled that Han Do-hoon’s profile, received upon his return to Korea, had listed an English activity name. ‘Hyden’ must have been the name he’d casually overlooked.

“It’s quite fascinating. I never thought Hyden would adapt to a normal world. Yet, here, he seems quite… human.”

‘A human seeming human’—what kind of expression was that? Sa-yoon turned his head indifferently and continued on his way. Levian walked backward for a good portion of the time, still keeping pace with Sa-yoon.

“By any chance, was Han Do-hoon the battle-hardened veteran who proposed that 3P idea a while ago?”

“……”

“Right, it couldn’t be Hyden. A germaphobe like him would never suggest such a thing. Ah, then who was it? I thought I knew most of the veterans from the front lines.”

Levian chattered on, playing both sides of the conversation. Sa-yoon stopped, having caught an irritating phrase in his monologue. ‘Germaphobe’? That word was utterly incompatible with Han Do-hoon.

“Oh, finally a reaction.”

“I figured if I left you alone, you’d start a whole musical.”

“How’s Hyden doing? Is he still just as boring here? Ignoring people, acting superior, always trying to enforce discipline?”

The more he listened, the stranger it sounded. The Han Do-hoon Levian described felt like a completely different person from the Han Do-hoon Sa-yoon knew. The Han Do-hoon Sa-yoon knew always used extremely polite language and treated others with deference.

He handled demanding schedules without a single complaint. To his team members, he might have seemed strict, but that was only natural for someone in a team leader position. Most importantly, ‘germaphobe’? No. Thinking about it again, it was an absurd statement. Han Do-hoon had gone through how many guides as soon as he arrived at headquarters?

“It seems you two aren’t very close.”

“Huh? No, we are. I’m close with Hyden. I’m probably the only one that eccentric fellow would call a friend, you know?”

It was definitely clear they weren’t close. Han Do-hoon’s somewhat sharp attitude when Levian’s name came up yesterday was proof enough.

“But what’s your relationship with Hyden, Sa-yoon? You seem close, but not just ‘friendly’ close. It’s strange, considering you haven’t known each other long.”

“I can’t tell someone I’m not close with.”

“Hahaha. That’s truly unfair.”

Levian ran a hand through his hair. He rested his chin in his hand, smiling, and stared intently at Sa-yoon. After circling around the topic for a while with eyes full of things to say, he lowered his voice.

“I really didn’t want to say this, but you know, Sa-yoon, don’t you? That he hates suppressors. Hyden and I, there’s nothing we don’t know about each other.”

“……”

This was true. It was something only someone truly close to Han Do-hoon would know, and Sa-yoon looked at Levian anew.

“Phew. Now you believe me a bit. This is something only a few people on the front lines know.”

“Are you sure you should be telling me something like that?”

“It’s a relief you already knew, Sa-yoon. I hesitated, wondering how you’d react if you heard it for the first time, but I told you anyway.”

“I’m hearing it for the first time.”

“It’s too late now.”

Even if he felt wronged, was it okay to reveal someone else’s secret so carelessly? Sa-yoon’s gaze shifted from disbelief to suspicion. He believed Levian had a connection with Han Do-hoon, but he certainly wasn’t someone to get close to.

“What is it you want to say, insisting so much on how close you two are?”

“What else? I have something to tell you, Sa-yoon. It seems you’re by Hyden’s side without knowing enough about him.”

“I know plenty.”

“In my opinion, you absolutely don’t. I’ll stake my rank on it.”

Sa-yoon picked at his ear, unimpressed by the mention of rank. ‘You’re not the only S-rank,’ he thought. ‘I’m an S-rank too.’

Levian’s tone made it sound as if he was asking if Sa-yoon truly knew Han Do-hoon. Watching Levian so persistently talk about Han Do-hoon, a hypothesis popped into Sa-yoon’s mind.

‘Oh, don’t tell me that guy got rejected by Han Do-hoon?’

Given the current situation, it seemed plausible. Levian only targeted Espers, so he might have been interested in Han Do-hoon. That would also explain Han Do-hoon’s attitude yesterday when he mentioned Levian’s ‘type’ was Sa-yoon. Why would Han Do-hoon bother memorizing someone else’s preferences? He must have found out because Levian was annoyingly persistent.

Speaking of which, his type being Han Do-hoon and Sa-yoon? They didn’t have many commonalities. Perhaps the closest similarity was that they were both tall and in good physical condition. Now that he thought about it, most of the domestic Espers Levian had ‘worked on’ also had good physiques. It seemed Levian was the type who cared about bodies.

“Han Do-hoon was putting on quite an act in front of you, Sa-yoon. I never knew he could smile like that. It was so cringe-worthy to watch. Back on the front lines, seeing him smile was always a major emergency.”

Levian began to chatter excitedly: what happened to anyone who dared to pick a fight with Han Do-hoon, and how he and Levian had joyfully turned the battlefield upside down, running wild like madmen. The stories were incredible, even as Sa-yoon listened.

“See? That guy isn’t sane.”

“I’ll decide that for myself.”

While Levian was excitedly chattering, Sa-yoon reached his destination and stopped in front of a closed door. He turned to face the now-silent Levian.

The more he listened to Levian’s stories, the more certain he became. Levian’s actions were remarkably easy to decipher. First, he was interested in Sa-yoon and made advances. Then, seeing Sa-yoon seemed close to Han Do-hoon, his attitude changed. If he was now backbiting and trying to sow discord between them, the reason was obvious.

He still had feelings for Han Do-hoon. His dispatch to Korea might even have been influenced by personal motives.

Coming all the way to the other side of the world—his devotion was commendable, Sa-yoon admitted, but this was something he definitely needed to tell Levian.

“Don’t be so persistent with someone who’s not interested. Levian, you’re a perfectly wonderful person, and there are plenty of other Espers around who like you, aren’t there?”

“Huh?”

Levian’s jaw dropped. Foreigners certainly had great reactions.

“So, stop obsessing over Han Do-hoon, and stop trying to compete with me…”

“My goodness. What did I just hear?”

Levian’s eyes widened to a size Sa-yoon had never seen before, and he glared at him. His arms, which had been flailing in disbelief, dropped limply, and he wore a bewildered expression.

“Me, like Hyden? That monster? How on earth could you even think that? Truly, this is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

His voice was incredibly loud. Sa-yoon covered one ear as the sound echoed down the empty corridor.

“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Sa-yoon, you’re truly cruel. You could have just said you don’t like me. Do you know that what I just heard is the most preposterous reason for rejection I’ve ever encountered?”

“……”

Sa-yoon rolled his eyes at the genuine tone of injustice. If this was an act, he should be an actor, not an Esper.

“It’s not?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“I see…”

Overwhelmed by Levian’s furious outburst, Sa-yoon could only nod. Then why was he coming to him and constantly badmouthing Han Do-hoon? And why had Han Do-hoon pretended not to know Levian?