Chapter 44: Refusing The Summons

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Okay.”

Tae-woo answered the call.

A faint human voice filtered through the receiver.

So-won pretended not to care, but secretly strained his ears.

However, cars heading home kept roaring past nearby, and the noise drowned out most of the conversation.

“…..”

Throughout the call, Tae-woo remained silent.

He held the smartphone to his ear without saying a word, then quietly lowered it and looked at So-won.

From the way he hesitated, So-won could already guess what was going on.

“Is it something urgent?”

“…Yes.

I’m sorry.

They say a gate has opened nearby.”

Tae-woo apologized.

If that was the case, then tonight’s dinner plans were automatically canceled.

The excitement that had been bubbling inside So-won sank in an instant.

“No, it’s fine.

It’s not your fault.”

He said that, but he couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Being called in like this was too sudden.

And Tae-woo hadn’t even been back from his last gate for long—he hadn’t properly recovered from the fatigue yet.

What should I do…?

Should I at least give him some guiding before he goes…?

“What’s the gate’s rank?”

So-won asked, clearly worried.

If they had to call Tae-woo out so abruptly, there was a good chance it was dangerous.

He wanted to follow Tae-woo as far as the gate site, but if the rank was high, Tae-woo might insist it was too dangerous and leave him behind.

That thought made So-won uneasy.

“D-rank.”

“…What?”

The moment Tae-woo answered, an incredulous sound slipped out.

“D-rank?”

For a second, So-won thought he’d misheard.

An S-rank Esper—for a mere D-rank gate?

This was manpower waste of the highest order.

Calling Tae-woo in for such a low-tier dungeon, especially when it hadn’t even been a week since his last gate…

So-won’s face creased deeply.

He couldn’t understand it at all.

“Tae-woo, give me that for a second.”

So-won reached toward the smartphone in Tae-woo’s hand.

Without asking a single question, Tae-woo handed it over.

So-won checked the screen.

The call was still connected.

He stared at it for a moment, then—

Click.

He hung up.

“Let’s go.

I’m hungry.”

So-won returned the phone to Tae-woo as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

Even to himself, it felt like a remarkably natural thing to do.

But Tae-woo, staring silently at the disconnected screen, looked momentarily speechless.

Pretending not to notice, So-won stared straight ahead, his heart racing.

I cut it off so boldly… but what if Tae-woo gets angry?

Reflected faintly in the window, So-won’s eyes trembled restlessly.

The more he thought about it, the more uncertain he felt.

Maybe he shouldn’t have done that after all.

What if it had really been important?

What if Tae-woo got disciplined because he failed to respond to the summons—because of him?

He seriously considered telling Tae-woo it was just a joke and urging him to hurry to the gate after all.

But he didn’t want to cancel their very first dinner together over a D-rank gate.

So-won stubbornly pressed his lips together and stayed silent.

“…..”

After staring at the screen for a moment longer, Tae-woo turned his gaze toward So-won in the passenger seat.

So-won was calmly looking out the window as if nothing had happened, but his tense posture and ears subtly perked up made it obvious how much he was worrying about what he’d done.

So-won’s sudden action had genuinely caught Tae-woo off guard.

Looking down at the darkened screen, Tae-woo pondered.

He had never once refused a request from the Association.

When work was assigned, he simply carried it out.

But that was before he met So-won.

Now, Tae-woo’s priorities were clear.

His hesitation didn’t last long.

“…Understood.”

The car pulled smoothly out of the Association grounds, its engine humming softly.

The phone vibrated again in his pocket, but Tae-woo didn’t answer it.

***

The restaurant So-won had reserved wasn’t far from the Association.

Traffic was heavy due to rush hour, but after stopping once or twice at intersections, they reached their destination quickly.

“Tae-woo, wait a second!”

The moment they stepped out of the car, So-won’s urgent voice stopped him.

Tae-woo paused and watched as So-won rummaged through the back seat, then hurried toward him with something in hand.

“It might be a little weird to use this now… but I think you should cover this up.”

What So-won held were a black scarf and a pair of sunglasses.

He showed them hesitantly.

The sunglasses were one thing, but wrapping a scarf around Tae-woo’s neck when the weather wasn’t even cold yet made him feel guilty.

Still, the thick ring around Tae-woo’s neck was one of his most recognizable features.

If it wasn’t hidden, people would notice him right away.

After receiving Tae-woo’s tacit permission, So-won stood on his toes and awkwardly wrapped the scarf around his neck.

He tried to drape it lightly over the ring so it wouldn’t stand out, but the thick fabric—completely out of season—was impossible to disguise.

Once the sunglasses were added, an extremely suspicious-looking man stood in front of him.

Even So-won thought it looked strange, and he let out an embarrassed smile.

The restaurant was housed in a large building designed like a modern hanok.

As they entered, a staff member waiting at the entrance greeted them politely.

“Are you Mr. Lee So-won?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll show you inside.”

Despite Tae-woo’s appearance, the staff member remained perfectly professional.

It was impressive service, to say the least.

As they walked down the hallway, So-won discreetly checked people’s reactions.

No one panicked, so it seemed they hadn’t recognized Tae-woo after all.

If they knew it was Tae-woo, they’d be shocked.

Feeling oddly proud, So-won turned his head toward Tae-woo—then immediately looked away again, flustered by the sight of what he’d turned him into.

“Please wait a moment.

We’ll prepare your meal shortly.”

The staff member led them to the private room So-won had reserved and left.

Only after the door closed quietly did So-won speak.

“I already chose the menu.

Is that okay?”

“Yes.

That’s fine.”

“It’s usually course-style… but I thought it might be uncomfortable with people coming and going, so I asked them to bring everything out at once.”

Which meant Tae-woo would have to stay dressed like that until the food arrived.

So-won looked at him apologetically.

Tae-woo said it didn’t matter, but as So-won hesitated before responding, he felt oddly relieved there was no mirror in the room.

“This place is nice, right?

I came here once before—it was good.”

So-won glanced around.

Though located in the heart of the city, it was quiet and secluded.

Soft gayageum music drifted faintly through the air, making it especially popular as a date spot for couples.

Though it was an indoor private room, a large window opened toward the garden, keeping it from feeling cramped.

The sound of a stream outside was peaceful.

Because So-won had asked them to time the dishes to the reservation, the food arrived right away.

Plates were set down one by one, and by the time the serving was finished, the table was filled with beautifully presented dishes.

He’d chosen the most expensive option without much thought, but now it looked like far more food than he’d expected.

Still, the sight of thick, square-cut beef with delicate marbling made his mouth water instantly.

“Oh—right.”

Only after the staff had left and he’d been distracted by the food did So-won remember Tae-woo’s situation.

He stood up and carefully unwound the black scarf from Tae-woo’s neck, apologizing softly.

“I’m sorry.

It must’ve been uncomfortable…”

“It’s fine.”

When he gently removed the sunglasses as well, Tae-woo’s face came into view.

Perhaps because he was backlit by the lighting, the veins around his eyes looked more like deep shadows than anything else.

I hope all of that disappears someday.

It made So-won feel sorry—for Tae-woo, who had to hide his face just to go out, and for himself as well.

Pretending everything was fine, So-won returned to his seat and began eating.

For him, it was his first time dining out in years.

And his first meal with Tae-woo.

They’d nearly stumbled before it even began, but he was glad they’d made it here safely.

The food was delicious—just like he remembered from eight years ago.

Not in a bad way, but in a good one.

Conversation was scarce during the meal.

Tae-woo wasn’t very talkative, and So-won wasn’t particularly chatty either.

When So-won occasionally exclaimed, “This is good,” or “Oh, this one’s good too,” Tae-woo responded quietly.

So-won’s chopsticks moved busily, and after some time, the plates began to empty.

He was starting to feel full.

As he tilted his water cup, So-won’s gaze drifted to Tae-woo sitting across from him.

Ever since the veins on his face had begun to fade, Tae-woo had started to look different to him.

His expressionless face could still seem frightening at times, but So-won often found himself imagining what he’d look like without those veins at all.

He discreetly lifted his phone.

He looks good on camera, too.

Tae-woo’s appearance came through the screen without distortion.

So-won admired him once more: hair dark as ink, eyes holding deep shadows, a stoic, ascetic-looking face, sharply shadowed eyes that could seem intimidating—yet softened gently whenever they turned toward him.

Who would ever think this man was an Esper people called a monster?

So-won focused and pressed the shutter.

Click.

The sound rang out, jarringly loud in the quiet atmosphere.

To So-won’s ears, it felt as thunderous as if it were tearing the sky apart.

Quite literally…

a bolt from a clear sky.