Chapter 23: Unexpected Confessions and Bitter Truths

The two arrived at a bar comprised of private rooms. Seeing their rain-soaked clothes, they felt a pang of awkwardness. Fortunately, a perceptive waiter immediately offered them thick towels before leading them to a secluded room.

“You somehow know places like this,” Sa-yoon remarked.

He draped a large towel around his entire body, then slumped onto a chair. He could feel the plush towel slowly growing damp against his skin.

Sa-yoon quickly scanned the menu, his brow furrowing at the unfamiliar names of the various spirits. As someone who rarely indulged, the only alcohol he recognized were soju, beer, and perhaps one or two well-known whiskeys.

“I don’t know any of these,” he declared. “Just give me the most expensive one by the bottle. That’s probably the tastiest.”

“I’ll have what I always have, please,” Han Do-hoon requested.

Once the waiter had taken their orders and departed, Sa-yoon finally took in his surroundings. The room boasted excellent soundproofing, and a subtle, pleasant fragrance permeated the air.

“It seems you frequent places like this.”

“I come here sometimes.”

After only a brief wait, their drinks and a selection of simple appetizers were served. Sa-yoon watched the neatly arranged dishes, ranging from exotic cheeses to fresh fruits, before filling his glass to the brim. He then promptly downed the entire contents in a single gulp.

“Ugh. My throat burns. I have no idea what’s so good about this.”

To Sa-yoon, who had never enjoyed alcohol, it was merely a stinging, bitter liquid. As an Esper, his body couldn’t even get drunk, rendering the beverage utterly pointless.

“Someone might cry if you say that,” Han Do-hoon commented. “The drink you just had, Sa-yoon, is quite a rare one.”

“It seems you quite like alcohol.”

Instead of responding, Han Do-hoon lifted his own glass. Unlike Sa-yoon, who had ordered by the bottle, he swirled a neat shot, inhaled its aroma, then carefully took small, appreciative sips. Though he, too, was immune to intoxication, Han Do-hoon appeared to genuinely savor the experience of the liquor.

“That’s surprising,” Sa-yoon admitted. “I didn’t think you’d enjoy this kind of entertainment.”

“It’s a habit I developed before my Esper abilities manifested.”

“…How old were you when they manifested?”

“Fourteen.”

Sa-yoon raised an eyebrow at Han Do-hoon’s answer, which sharply contrasted with his outwardly refined image. Then again, how could anyone truly judge a person based solely on their appearance? If that were the case, Sa-yoon himself embodied the greatest disparity between his reality and his exterior. Beneath his impeccably neat facade, festering secrets brimmed like pus.

Sa-yoon sat blankly, clutching only the liquor bottle. The dim lighting and low music had a way of making one feel subdued.

“Do you know how old I was when I went to the battlefield, Sa-yoon?”

“No idea.”

Sa-yoon, who held not an ounce of interest in others’ stories, replied instantly. Han Do-hoon offered a faint smile and then revealed his answer.

“Nineteen. I’ve been on the battlefield ever since. My father wanted it that way.”

At the mention of ‘father,’ Sa-yoon’s gaze sharpened on Han Do-hoon. To send one’s child to the battlefield and wish for them to remain there indefinitely—such a man was as cruel as Sa-yoon’s own biological father.

Come to think of it, he knew nothing about Han Do-hoon’s family. Sa-yoon’s own backing was already notorious: the inhuman Jin Jung-woo. Surely Han Do-hoon’s parents must also be Korean, yet there were no rumors or whispers about them. Recalling how the butler had been wary of Han Do-hoon earlier, it became clear that Han Do-hoon must also be entangled in some complex power dynamics.

Han Do-hoon looked at Sa-yoon and spoke. “The current Commander-in-Chief is my adoptive father. Fewer than ten people know this. Now, you, Sa-yoon, will be added to that number.”

Sa-yoon closed his gaping mouth, stunned by a secret far grander than he’d ever anticipated. The current Commander-in-Chief of the International Esper Federation was a German man of Korean-German descent. He had worked extensively in the field, rising to the highest position through his merits in preventing countless terror attacks. And such a highly esteemed individual was Han Do-hoon’s adoptive father.

“…Are you sure you should be telling me this?”

Sa-yoon stared at Han Do-hoon, his mouth agape, having been about to take a bite of cheese.

This was entirely new information. Not only Sa-yoon but also Jin Jung-woo must be unaware of it. Even Jin Jung-woo’s right-hand man, the butler, only knew Han Do-hoon as someone connected to the opposing faction.

If a conniving individual like Jin Jung-woo had known this beforehand, he would have pressured Sa-yoon relentlessly to get close to Han Do-hoon.

Seeing Sa-yoon merely blink, Han Do-hoon picked up his glass again.

“This is classified, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It is classified.”

Han Do-hoon took a mouthful of the liquor, rolled it on his tongue to savor it, then swallowed.

“It’s irrelevant to us anyway, isn’t it? And I don’t imagine you’d tell anyone else, Sa-yoon.”

“…That’s true.”

As Han Do-hoon said, the power struggles of those above them were irrelevant to Espers. Sa-yoon certainly felt no loyalty that would compel him to share this information with Jin Jung-woo.

“But why are you telling me all this?”

“Because I thought you might answer me then, Sa-yoon.”

Han Do-hoon set his glass down and asked, “Why were you walking in the rain, getting completely soaked?”

Sa-yoon let out a bitter laugh at the question that struck right at the heart of the matter. He really shouldn’t have been drinking such unsuitable alcohol; his already churning stomach felt even more distressed.

“Sometimes people just do things, you know? Like wanting to rebel occasionally. Just say my adolescence came late.”

Han Do-hoon’s gaze deepened at the evasive answer. It felt piercing, almost scorching.

“I believe I was quite honest with you.”

“…I didn’t mean *that* honest, though.”

Sa-yoon simply wanted a casual conversation over drinks. But to reveal a secret of birth—no, adoption? Sa-yoon was utterly bewildered by this unwanted information.

“Hmm…”

Sa-yoon again swallowed the unpalatable drink. Although it wasn’t his intention, Han Do-hoon had laid bare his secret. Even if Sa-yoon couldn’t divulge his own affairs to the same extent, it felt right to answer Han Do-hoon’s question to some degree.

Sa-yoon slumped his shoulders and let out a long breath.

“To put it simply, I’ve ended up involved in politics because of my family, and I’m not particularly fond of it. It’s just a typical rebellion everyone my age goes through. Does that answer your question enough?”

In response to Sa-yoon’s explanation, Han Do-hoon merely sipped the freshly poured liquor. It was difficult to tell if he was satisfied or not. Sa-yoon, having no intention of sharing anything further, also tipped the bottle. As the alcohol touched his tongue, his brows instinctively furrowed.

“If it really doesn’t suit your taste, would you prefer a sweet drink?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Your expression is a mess.”

Sa-yoon cupped his cheeks with both hands. To be told his “once-in-a-lifetime beauty” was a mess? His pride simply wouldn’t allow it. He looked at his reflection in the glass, smoothing out his crumpled brow and refining the curve of his lips.

“My handsome face was a mess.”

“You’re still handsome now.”

“Thanks for the empty compliment.”

It was hard to accept a compliment from someone who was already so handsome himself. Even if he hated to admit it, the word “handsome” suited Han Do-hoon more.

“You must get those kinds of compliments a lot too, right? ‘Handsome,’ ‘cool,’ things like that.”

“I’ve never heard them.”

Sa-yoon tilted his head at the unexpected response. Did the people around him have no eyes? No, that couldn’t be right. When Han Do-hoon first arrived at headquarters, Sa-yoon had heard countless remarks like ‘He’s cool,’ ‘So manly,’ ‘He’s handsome’ from those around them. Perhaps Han Do-hoon was simply indifferent to such things, or he’d heard them and forgotten.

Sa-yoon took another sip of the alcohol, now diluted by melted ice. He took a tiny mouthful, then stuffed his mouth full of cheese-topped fries. Only then did the taste of the liquor finally dull.

“Ugh, it’s exhausting doing things I usually don’t.”

He had walked in the rain, stopped Han Do-hoon whom he usually avoided, and drank bitter alcohol he’d never touched before. All of these were firsts for Sa-yoon.

“Today, I just feel… off. Honestly, stopping you was just a whim of mine. I didn’t expect you to actually go along with it like this.”

It was comical, really. Han Do-hoon was someone he found uncomfortable to face, someone he usually wanted to escape from quickly. Yet here they were, facing each other and even drinking together. ‘The great Jin Sa-yoon must truly be quite troubled,’ he thought, leaning back against the sofa.

“You’re going to great lengths to humor my whims.”

“I don’t mind.”

Han Do-hoon spoke in a dry, uninflected voice. There was not an ounce of warmth or affection in his tone, yet his words were surprisingly gentle.

“You may have forgotten, but I am currently in a position where I need to make a good impression on you, Sa-yoon.”

“Right, Han Do-hoon, you *did* want to get closer to me. Well, um…”

“You don’t need to feel pressured.”

“That’s true. Just because we had a few drinks together doesn’t mean I have to accept your proposal, Han Do-hoon.”

Sa-yoon once again filled his glass to the brim, gazing as if mesmerized at the shimmering yellow liquid. He wouldn’t get drunk, yet he felt a strange sense of intoxication. The events unfolding around him seemed comically absurd. Han Do-hoon, whom Jin Jung-woo considered a thorn in his side. And Han Do-hoon, who was trying to approach Sa-yoon.

“Just in case, I’m asking: you’re not approaching me because you have feelings for me, are you, Han Do-hoon? Like, those ticklish emotions of liking someone or wanting to possess them?”

“Is that what you’re hoping for?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“That’s a relief.”

Han Do-hoon was thoroughly interested in Sa-yoon’s body. A strong body that even an S-rank Esper could wield without harm. A partner who wouldn’t break, no matter how much he was handled. Sa-yoon was simply the suitable person for that.