Chapter 43: A Brother’s Warning

“What I wanted to tell Sa-yoon, ultimately, was a warning. Don’t get close to Hayden. He was acting strangely around Sa-yoon, almost as if he were falling in love…”

–Is something happening outside?

A voice echoed from inside the door Sa-yoon stood before. Levian’s voice, having escalated with his surging emotions, was the cause. The door, Sa-yoon’s destination, led to the medical office where Dr. Jung Hyun-woo worked.

“I guess we’ll have to talk later.”

Levian, his voice now calm once more, spoke. “I got too excited. Let’s have a calm conversation another time. It won’t take that long.”

“……”

Sa-yoon pressed a hand to his head. A strong sense of déjà vu washed over him. First, a suggestion of a threesome upon their first meeting, then a request to make time for a conversation.

Though the reasons differed, the sequence felt eerily similar, as if stamped from the same mold. In fact, Levian was worse than Han Do-hoon had been when they first met. Was he not spouting nonsense, even adding strange talk of love?

Moreover, ‘appearing to be in love’ was a phrase that could never apply to Han Do-hoon and Sa-yoon. Levian’s reaction was clearly due to his ignorance of the contract between them.

“Alright. I’ll contact you when my schedule clears up.”

“Your heart is as beautiful as your face, Sa-yoon.”

“……”

Regret for agreeing swelled in his throat. Sa-yoon pressed his lips together, ignoring Levian. He decided it would be easier to meet quickly and clear up the misunderstanding once and for all.

After explaining the situation to Han Do-hoon, he resolved to firmly deny any romantic involvement with Levian.

“You should go in now. I have some errands to run myself.”

Sa-yoon left Levian standing by the door and opened the medical office door to Dr. Jung Hyun-woo’s room.

Inside the medical office, Jung Hyun-woo sat with a frown, having heard the commotion outside. His expression was one of clear displeasure.

“What’s going on? It was quite noisy out there.”

“It was nothing significant.”

Sa-yoon settled into the examination chair opposite Jung Hyun-woo. He could sense Levian’s receding presence outside. Jung Hyun-woo quietly opened a medical record.

Even as he did so, an unyielding irritation lingered on his face. Knowing that Jung Hyun-woo wasn’t one to get so angry over mere chatter, Sa-yoon cautiously observed him.

Jung Hyun-woo, in turn, stared back with a knowing gaze, as if expecting something from Sa-yoon.

“Did something bad happen, Doctor? Did I do something wrong?”

The medical record snapped shut with a decisive sound. Jung Hyun-woo took a deep breath, then tossed the chart onto the desk with a heavy sigh.

“You did something wrong. A very big wrong. When were you planning to tell me about your relationship with Han Do-hoon?”

“Ah…”

Sa-yoon, who kept no secrets from Jung Hyun-woo, unlike with others, found himself at a loss. Jung Hyun-woo knew everything, from Sa-yoon’s status as a multi-esper to his family circumstances.

Still, the story of Han Do-hoon was difficult to confide. It was far too embarrassing to tell an older brother figure he had been close to since childhood. Sa-yoon averted his gaze, his face etched with discomfort.

“How much do you know?”

“All I’ve heard is the rumor that you’ve been spending a lot of time with Han Do-hoon lately. Others seem to only know that much, but I’m not ‘others,’ am I?”

“Hmm…”

“When did it start? Surely, that wasn’t why you saved him before, was it?”

It was Jung Hyun-woo who had cleaned up the aftermath when Sa-yoon had guided Han Do-hoon through physical contact. He had cleaned and tended to Sa-yoon’s disheveled body.

When Jung Hyun-woo asked if he and Han Do-hoon had been ‘like that’ since then, Sa-yoon waved his hands in denial. It was an utterly ridiculous misunderstanding.

“Of course not. Absolutely not back then.”

“So, it’s true now, then.”

“Ah!”

This had been Jung Hyun-woo’s plan all along. From the moment he entered, Sa-yoon had fallen into the trap Jung Hyun-woo had meticulously laid. His mistake was assuming, due to Jung Hyun-woo’s angry face, that he already knew everything.

Sa-yoon’s crestfallen expression slowly morphed into one of apprehension. “If I say it’s not true now, will you pretend not to know?”

“Life isn’t that easy, my boy.”

“Ugh.”

“I’m the one who should be sighing, not you. So, tell me. How did things come to be this way?”

Since he had been exposed anyway, Sa-yoon slumped his shoulders and recounted the story. He explained why Han Do-hoon wanted a relationship with him, what benefits Sa-yoon could gain from it, and their current status.

As Jung Hyun-woo listened slowly, his expression subtly shifted. It twisted into a strange grimace, as if he had just heard the romantic history of a blood relative he never wished to know.

“According to you, then, the two of you are in a business relationship, correct?”

“That’s right. It’s a completely professional arrangement.”

Jung Hyun-woo swallowed the words that wanted to retort that professional relationships don’t typically involve sharing a bed. From his perspective, the situation was developing strangely.

At first glance, it might seem mutually beneficial, but ultimately, Sa-yoon, with his significant vulnerabilities, was bound to suffer losses. The risks Sa-yoon bore were immense, whereas Han Do-hoon had nothing to lose.

Moreover, Sa-yoon, unaware of this imbalance, had lowered his guard and even slept in Han Do-hoon’s quarters. When that detail emerged, Jung Hyun-woo’s brow furrowed instinctively.

“How on earth did you manage not to get caught?”

“Because I thoroughly scan my surroundings before I move. It’s my specialty, after all.”

For Sa-yoon, who could manipulate space, infiltration was child’s play. He could scan all life within several kilometers of a periphery, so there was no way he would be detected.

“Such a thing to boast about, truly. So, has he never said anything about the ring?”

“No, he hasn’t. He doesn’t seem particularly interested either.”

Jung Hyun-woo crossed his arms, tapping his bicep with a finger. “That’s fortunate. If he ever shows curiosity about the ring, you must terminate the contract immediately and distance yourself from him.”

“……”

“I know you’re content with your current arrangement. But your life is the most important thing. You shouldn’t gamble with it.”

“I understand.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s words were undeniably correct, no matter how many times Sa-yoon considered them. They were so right that Sa-yoon himself couldn’t understand why he hadn’t answered immediately. Was it truly such a dangerous contract?

“Anyway, it’s a relief that it’s just a contract. I was worried about what would happen if you had genuinely fallen for that guy.”

Sa-yoon, who was setting up the medical equipment on his own, let out a hollow laugh. Genuine feelings? That was absurd. Continue a relationship because he genuinely liked Han Do-hoon?

“That’s impossible. I’m not a child… I’m well aware of my current situation.”

The words ‘A person who knows their situation wouldn’t make such a dangerous gamble’ rose to Jung Hyun-woo’s throat, then receded. He admitted that Sa-yoon might gain some short-term benefits from the relationship.

However, it was far too excessive now. It would clearly be much more advantageous for Sa-yoon to maintain a careful distance and balance between his biological father and Han Do-hoon, yet Sa-yoon had already leaned entirely to one side. What’s more, Sa-yoon himself seemed oblivious to it.

Jung Hyun-woo pushed up his glasses, a sense of foreboding settling over him. “A person’s heart doesn’t operate so logically. Be careful.”

Jung Hyun-woo looked at Sa-yoon with concern. Sa-yoon was one of the top S-class espers in Korea. There probably weren’t many people stronger than Sa-yoon in the entire world. Yet, in Jung Hyun-woo’s eyes, Sa-yoon seemed like an unstable child.

“When people get entangled, variables arise. Especially when you form such… intimate relationships, there’s no telling how things will unfold.”

“I’m not so childish as to fall in love just because we’ve slept together a few times.”

“I know you handle yourself well. But you’ve never truly loved anyone before, have you?”

Sa-yoon, who had been listening quietly, snapped his head up. It was because of the word ‘love,’ which felt so out of place. It was an unexpectedly romantic word, an emotion he thought he would never be involved with in his life.

“Oh, come on. What kind of talk is this, all of a sudden?”

“It’s not? You’ve never dated anyone, have you? What’s dating? You’ve never even liked anyone, have you?”

“I like a lot of people. Like you, hyung, and Myeong-ah, too…”

Jung Hyun-woo sighed. “That’s not love. Affection and love are different. Even if you don’t have feelings for Han Do-hoon now, meeting him often and spending time together can make feelings blossom. That’s just how humans are.”

Sa-yoon’s face crumpled miserably as he shook his head from side to side. Why was his hyung saying such uncharacteristic things today? It was so embarrassing he wanted to run away immediately.

Sa-yoon hastily changed the subject. “Oh, right. I came to see you a while ago, but you were out. It must have been about a week ago. Where did you go, Doctor?”

He hadn’t told Jung Hyun-woo, but he had come by once or twice more after that. Each time, the medical office had been empty.

“Ah, that’s right.”

Jung Hyun-woo opened the chart again and turned on the computer. Sa-yoon sat upright and waited, thinking that this uncomfortable conversation was finally coming to an end.

“I was going to tell you once things were settled. But it seems I’ll be away from the office often in the future.”

“Why? You, Professor?”

Sa-yoon had been puzzled when Jung Hyun-woo, who rarely took leave and had years of vacation time accumulated, was absent. As Sa-yoon questioned him, Jung Hyun-woo spoke with difficulty.

“Actually, the government has been testing a system for a long time. It’s an utterly preposterous story, but they seem to have already entered the execution phase behind the scenes. I want to investigate that system.”