Chapter 49: Until You Come Back

So-won quickly gathered his things and came out of the private room with Tae-woo.

Calling it “luggage” was generous—aside from his smartphone, there was nothing else.

“Tae-woo, are you heading to the rooftop?”

Standing in front of the elevator, So-won recalled the mention of a helicopter and asked.

“Yes.”

“Then go up first.

You need to leave as soon as possible.”

Before even waiting for a response, So-won pressed the elevator button.

The elevator, slowly rising from underground, stopped at the first floor and began to blink.

Thanks to that, they were granted a little more time before parting.

So-won stole a glance at Tae-woo.

If he went to this gate, Tae-woo’s condition wouldn’t be good when he came back.

Even though his waves had stabilized a lot, that was only temporary.

If he overused his abilities, things would surely worsen again.

If I tell him not to go… would he say okay?

So-won hated seeing Tae-woo in pain.

He didn’t want to send him off.

The thought that he wished Tae-woo wouldn’t go kept circling in his mind.

But he knew it was selfish.

If Tae-woo didn’t go, many people could be hurt.

And Tae-woo himself would be put in an awkward position if asked.

He might even be disappointed by such a childish request.

So-won pushed his worries aside and decided to send him off with a smile.

In the past, Tae-woo’s condition after returning from a gate had been terrible—but now things were different.

So-won guided him every single day, and Tae-woo had improved so much that the veins on his face had gradually faded.

Even if his condition worsened, once he came home and received guiding, it would settle down quickly.

“Will you be able to get home on your own?”

Tae-woo asked.

“Yes.

Don’t worry.

I’m not a kid who can’t get home alone.”

So-won forced a smile as he answered.

He didn’t like going home alone.

He wanted to return together, chatting about trivial things like always.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say that out loud.

Tae-woo offered him the keys, telling him to take his car, but So-won refused—worried that Tae-woo would have nothing to drive back in when he returned.

Just then, the elevator arrived, and the doors slowly opened with a soft ding.

“I’ll be going now.

Please get home safely.”

After giving a small bow, Tae-woo stepped into the elevator.

“Tae-woo!”

At So-won’s call, Tae-woo stopped and turned around.

Seizing the moment, So-won hurried forward and stole a kiss.

He pressed their soft lips together briefly before pulling away.

It wasn’t nearly enough, but he hoped it would help, even just a little—an impulsive act driven by that thought.

Still, he didn’t regret it.

“You— you can go now.”

Though it wasn’t his first time, embarrassment flooded him, and he lowered his head.

Every time he guided Tae-woo, he felt shy and awkward, unable to stop his face from burning red.

With his ears flushed bright red, So-won avoided Tae-woo’s gaze and gently pushed him into the elevator.

Fortunately, Tae-woo didn’t resist and moved as So-won guided him.

As the elevator doors closed, the already quiet hallway grew even quieter.

Left standing alone, So-won looked toward the direction of Tae-woo’s private room and hesitated for a moment.

I don’t want to go home alone…

Should I wait in his room until the gate closes?

Tae-woo’s private room had a bed and a place to wash up, so staying a night wouldn’t be uncomfortable.

But remembering that the gate Tae-woo headed to was an A-rank, So-won quickly abandoned the thought.

An A-rank gate would take at least a full day before closing.

It would be better to wait at home.

With that, So-won headed out of the Association.

“Is it raining…?”

The weather was gloomy.

Hearing a sound like rain falling, he looked up—only to see a helicopter approaching from afar.

People briefly glanced at the sky at the noisy whup-whup-whup, then quickly lost interest and continued on their way.

Only So-won stood there silently, watching.

The helicopter disappeared onto the Association rooftop for a moment, then reemerged.

Tae-woo must be on that.

The helicopter became a tiny dot, fading farther and farther away.

So-won stared at the sky until the sound completely vanished.

The surroundings fell quiet, yet his ears still rang.

***

After debating whether to take a taxi or a bus, So-won boarded a bus.

Feeling as though people were already recognizing him, he nervously covered his face.

Maybe I should start wearing a hat.

Even knowing it was probably just his imagination, he entertained those silly thoughts as he made his way home alone.

The house felt unfamiliar in its silence—he was used to returning with Tae-woo.

Without even changing clothes, So-won lay blankly on the sofa.

Wanting to look up information about the gate Tae-woo had gone to, he turned on the TV and switched to the news channel.

He also powered on the smartphone he’d kept off.

“Ah—right.”

The moment he did, messages that had piled up while the phone was off came flooding in.

Remembering his critically low battery, So-won hurriedly plugged in the charger.

He checked briefly to see if there were any messages from his parents, then searched for information about the gate Tae-woo had gone to.

All that came up was that it was an A-rank–estimated gate opened near Seoul, on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.

It seemed not much time had passed since the gate opened.

He searched further, but there wasn’t much information yet.

After a moment’s hesitation, So-won tapped on the screen.

[Taewoo, please contact me once you come out of the gate.]

He sent the message, but no reply came.

Had Tae-woo already arrived?

Or was he too busy preparing for combat to check his phone?

[At 11 a.m. today, at the Esper Association—]

While glancing at his phone, hoping for a reply, the news conveniently switched to footage from the Association briefing.

So-won’s attention shifted to the TV.

The scene showed So-won shaking hands after Tae-woo.

His nervousness was obvious, but it wasn’t unbearable to look at.

Satisfied that he didn’t look strange, he was about to let it pass—when the next scene aired.

It showed Tae-woo carrying So-won in his arms as they exited the hall.

Broadcast in full.

So-won froze.

“That’s on the news?!”

The Association staff had said only the handshake would briefly appear, hadn’t they?

The anchor’s commentary made it even worse.

[Esper Kang Tae-woo proudly exits while displaying his close relationship with his guide—]

Beep—

That was as far as So-won could take it.

He turned off the TV, then powered down his phone as well.

Tae-woo might contact him, but it would take at least a day for the gate to close.

It should be fine to keep it off for one day.

“Maybe I should rest a bit…”

Rising unsteadily, So-won headed to his room.

***

Two days passed.

On the evening of the day Tae-woo left, news reported that the area around the gate had been secured and that they were entering the interior.

It was also reported that Choi Si-hyeok arrived midway and went inside.

Soon after, the gate’s rank was confirmed—A-rank, just as expected.

Thankfully, there were stabilizers.

Because of them, So-won was able to sleep even without Tae-woo.

Though he woke up each time with a splitting headache, he didn’t have nightmares.

It was far better than forcing himself to stay awake all night like before.

Every morning, So-won checked for messages from Tae-woo the moment he woke up, then wandered through the house to see if Tae-woo had returned overnight—only then starting his day.

“Guess not yet…”

Sitting on the sofa, So-won stared down at his silent phone.

Up until yesterday, messages from people he used to know had been pouring in like madness, but after ignoring them all, they were finally tapering off.

He had turned off silent mode long ago so he wouldn’t miss Tae-woo’s call—but still, nothing came.

Leaving the news on, So-won kept checking for updates about the gate.

This A-rank gate was the highest-grade gate to open in Korea in two years.

Because of that, the news continuously covered it—its characteristics, analysis of monsters that escaped outside the gate, and the Espers dispatched there.

Seeing that Choi Si-hyeok had also joined the operation, it seemed to be a large-scale mission.

Then, sometime after lunch, a breaking news alert appeared.

The gate had been fully cleared and was closing stably.

So-won let out a long sigh of relief.

“So Tae-woo will be coming home soon…” he murmured, turning his head—only to see the absolute mess around him.

“Gasp—”

Jumping to his feet, So-won hurriedly looked around.

Perhaps because he’d spent most of his time in the living room, the table in front of the TV was a disaster.

Snack crumbs and wrappers were scattered everywhere, and pillows and blankets lay strewn across the sofa.

If he called a cleaning service, they’d come right away—but even then, there wouldn’t be enough time to clean a house that looked like it had been hit by a bomb before Tae-woo returned.

So-won opened the windows first to air the place out.

Then he dug out a vacuum cleaner he didn’t even remember owning and cleaned thoroughly.

After that, he headed upstairs to Tae-woo’s room.

At least here, his conscience had kept him from making a mess.

Tae-woo’s bed was far more comfortable than his own, so he’d only lain there occasionally.

So-won straightened the rumpled blankets, made it look as though no one had entered, and quietly left the room.

“…Is he still busy?”

Even after finishing all the cleaning, there was still no contact from Tae-woo.

Thinking he might be busy with post-gate cleanup, So-won refrained from calling and waited patiently.

Before long, a cheerful ringtone rang out.

So-won immediately picked up his phone and checked the name.

An unfamiliar number.

What…

Disappointed, he was about to hang up—then remembered that a call he’d ignored before had turned out to be from an Association staff member.

After a brief hesitation, So-won answered.

–“Guide Lee So-won?”