Chapter 12: A Fateful Ride to the Academy

Seo Doyoo offered a wry smile beneath his mask, observing Yoonwon’s joyful expression. It seemed Yoonwon was still oblivious to the rumors circulating about Seo Doyoo.

Upon returning to headquarters, Yoonwon would inevitably learn the truth. Far from offering such friendly gestures or invitations, he would likely view Seo Doyoo with the same revulsion or fear as others from different departments.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to tell Yoonwon himself, before the growing fondness turned into a sense of betrayal.

However, Seo Doyoo chose silence, wanting to savor the moment. It had been a long time since he’d had such a ‘normal’ conversation with a colleague, especially one from another department.

The weekend concluded, and with the return of a new weekday, Yoonwon nearly suffered a heart attack the moment he opened the door to his association-provided dormitory, confronted by a familiar face.

“Hello, student Lee Yoonwon.”

A sweet, melodious voice drifted into his ears. Yet, Yoonwon found himself utterly frozen. Observing his petrified state, the beautiful man offered a slight smile.

Unable to decide whether to slam the door shut and retreat inside, or to call for backup, Yoonwon stood rigid, staring blankly at Cheongshin, who had appeared right outside his home.

“I’d like to talk for a moment. Do you have time?”

“Ah… talk?”

‘If I say no, he’ll kill me,’ Yoonwon instinctively thought, looking into the green eyes that watched him, despite the smile on Cheongshin’s face. ‘I absolutely have to do as he says.’

Amidst his panic, Yoonwon wondered if his identity as ‘Lee Yoonwon of Kadan Association’s Intelligence Division Team 2’ had been exposed to this ‘criminal.’ Why on earth had Lee Cheongshin come directly to his home? They had no contact at the Academy, making it impossible to shake the thought that his Kadan identity had been compromised.

“Yes. It’ll be a short talk. You’re heading to the Academy anyway, so I’ll give you a ride.”

With that, Cheongshin gestured with his chin.

Glancing behind him, Yoonwon saw a car parked there, rumored to be worth a moving house. He knew Cheongshin, despite being an Academy student, took on commissions from corporations. Still, Yoonwon’s jaw dropped, having never imagined Cheongshin would drive something so extravagant.

“Hm? Student Lee Yoonwon.”

The tone was soft, yet resolute. Yoonwon, though a mage, possessed no combat prowess; his talent lay solely in non-combat magic specialized for information gathering. Against Cheongshin, he had no power to resist.

“Your phone. Don’t touch it.”

Just as Yoonwon was about to call Kadan Headquarters for backup, Cheongshin spoke in a chilling tone. Yoonwon swallowed hard. It was clear his cover as an undercover agent from Kadan had been blown. If he got into that car, he would surely die.

‘Senior. You were right! Honestly, when the higher-ups reported that Senior Doyoo suspected Lee Cheongshin of being a criminal, everyone just thought, ‘What nonsense is this?’ and ignored it, but he really *is* a criminal!’

Shouting inwardly, Yoonwon reluctantly put his phone down.

“Because if you try to contact Senior Doyoo right now, I don’t think I’ll be able to hold back.”

“…Huh?”

Yoonwon blinked. Why was Doyoo’s name being mentioned, instead of Kadan’s?

“Get in.”

As Cheongshin spoke in a clear tone, as if unwilling to repeat himself, Yoonwon climbed into the passenger seat, feeling like a lamb being led to slaughter. Cheongshin immediately got in and started the car.

Cheongshin remained silent for a long while after they set off. Yoonwon worried intensely, fearing he might be dragged to a remote location and secretly buried.

However, as the car gradually turned onto the familiar road leading to the Academy, Yoonwon looked at Cheongshin’s profile in surprise. The car stopped at a traffic light. Only then did Cheongshin speak.

“You watched a movie with Senior Doyoo on Saturday, didn’t you? And you left halfway through.”

“W-were you watching?”

“Do I look like someone with nothing better to do?”

Cheongshin smiled sweetly and looked at Yoonwon. Though his gaze returned to the road, Yoonwon frantically shook his head. He had an intuition that if he’d answered ‘yes,’ Cheongshin would have instantly hardened his expression and shattered his skull the moment he uttered the ‘y’ sound.

“Of course not! It’s widely known, even among freshmen like me, that a capable and brilliant mage like Senior Lee Cheongshin is busy day and night, so I’m well aware, yes.”

“Right, as you said, I’m very busy. So, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make me repeat myself.”

This was Cheongshin’s way of telling him to shut up and answer the questions. Yoonwon squeezed his sweat-dampened hands.

‘Calm down. Answer as Lee Yoonwon, the junior student here.’ Yoonwon murmured, as if brainwashing himself, then bravely replied.

“Yes. I watched a movie with Senior Doyoo. I found it boring and suggested we leave, and Senior Doyoo also said he found it uninteresting, so we left.”

“What happened next?”

“Senior Doyoo said he wanted to go home, so we walked to the station together and then parted ways.”

Yoonwon was confident that Cheongshin was unaware of the special passage created by Kadan.

The rooms within that passage had a different flow of time than the outside world. Therefore, even if they were being followed, it would seem to their pursuers as if Doyoo and Yoonwon had simply passed through the passage without diverting anywhere, making the duration appear very short.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t add phrases like ‘It’s true, please believe me.’

Yoonwon had learned that such words could often be interpreted as an admission of a lie, so he composed his expression as much as possible and remained silent.

However, as the car restarted and Cheongshin remained silent until they reached the Academy’s main gate, Yoonwon trembled like someone with a dark creature writhing in their stomach, nervously observing Cheongshin.

Cheongshin’s expression was serene. His beautiful face, praised by those around him, simply stared straight ahead.

Cheongshin’s car then stopped in front of the lecture hall building where Yoonwon’s first class was held.

“C-can I get out?”

“Of course. You can get out.”

“Thank you so much for the kind ride!”

Yoonwon swiftly unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for the door.

No, he tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. Cold sweat began to trickle down his neck.

He didn’t dare turn around to face Cheongshin. ‘How long has it been since I joined the Intelligence Division?’ Yoonwon wondered. ‘Am I really going to be murdered like this?’

“Yoonwon.”

“……!”

At the chillingly soft address, Yoonwon turned to Cheongshin with stiff, mechanical movements. Cheongshin was smiling.

Yoonwon thought Cheongshin would now say, ‘I know you’re from the Kadan Association. I didn’t expect you to find me, so I’ll kill you and then hide,’ before slitting his throat.

As if not to disappoint Yoonwon’s expectations, Cheongshin’s smiling expression abruptly hardened as he spoke.

“Try to flirt with Senior Doyoo one more time.”

“…Huh?”

“I know Senior Doyoo is a very charming and lovable person. I also know that to a guy like me, he looks like a tempting presence I’d want to bite, lick, and suck on 24/7, 365 days a year.”

“W-what??”

“But I have no intention of letting other bugs get a taste of Senior Doyoo. So…”

Click.

“If you try to make a move on Senior Doyoo one more time…”

Cheongshin snapped his fingers. Simultaneously, Yoonwon’s vision shifted. Yoonwon blinked blankly, then his jaw dropped as he realized he was suddenly standing beside Cheongshin’s car.

He was by the driver’s side. Through the car window, his eyes met Cheongshin’s. Cheongshin’s lips moved.

‘Then I’ll get angry with you.’

The shape of his lips formed ‘get angry,’ but the feeling Yoonwon received was identical to hearing ‘I’ll kill you.’ Whether Yoonwon remained frozen or not, Cheongshin calmly drove away, leaving the spot.

Once Cheongshin’s car had completely vanished from sight, Yoonwon, barely clinging to his sanity, mumbled blankly.

“Senior Doyoo… I think you’ve completely barked up the wrong tree…”

No matter how much he replayed it, Cheongshin’s gaze and words were undeniably those of someone in love, confronting an unwelcome suitor who dared to flirt with their beloved.

Throughout the weekend, Doyoo’s thoughts were consumed by Cheongshin.

More precisely, it was an investigation to find connections between Cheongshin’s past as a mage and any contact he might have had with criminals.

Transferring the crammed information from his mind onto paper, comparing it, and searching for commonalities was all done at his desk, but it was mentally exhausting.

Moreover, when he finished the work he had started that morning, time had flown by. Doyoo was dismayed to realize he had spent an entire weekend day without eating a single meal or resting. Ultimately, in the early hours of Monday, he had to clutch his empty stomach and fall asleep.

Thus, Doyoo, who had to “commute” – or rather, attend – the Academy, felt utterly miserable.

Of all days, today was when he had to meet Cheongshin early in the morning, aligning with Cheongshin’s schedule. His body, that of an office worker who had toiled through the weekend without rest or food, was no different from a scarecrow’s.

Furthermore, having found only eggs in the refrigerator that morning and filling his stomach with boiled eggs, Doyoo was now having the bizarre experience of seeing the clustered plants on the laboratory windowsill as food.

Scratch, scratch.

Even with his mind dulled by hunger and mental exhaustion, Doyoo’s hands moved steadily.

He mechanically carved out the core of the artifact, where the magic formula would be inscribed, carefully using a tool.

He felt Cheongshin’s gaze on his back, but today, Cheongshin was unusually sullen and silent. Doyoo felt that dealing with him would only lead to exhaustion and fainting, so he ignored him.

Fortunately, when ignored, Cheongshin withdrew his gaze and focused on his own work.