Chapter 50: The Lunatic Who Polished His Supercar for the First Official Date

And that judgment turned out to be perfectly accurate. Haejin followed Lee Chae’s plan far more faithfully than anyone had imagined. It got to the point where Jin-woo—who’d grown up with him—seriously suggested dragging Haejin to a mental hospital.

During the day, Haejin threw himself into classes and training. At night, he even attended headquarters meetings he used to despise.

Lee Chae felt proud watching him. It was his plan, but he never dreamed Haejin would obey this diligently. At the same time, a little fear crept in.

What if he actually succeeds?

Haejin already knew the course material inside out—just a bit of studying and 4.0+ would be easy. And if he kept being this obedient to headquarters, the evaluation score would skyrocket too.

If Cha Haejin really brought home perfect grades and a 9+ evaluation… Then the next stage became the problem.

Will we actually do it? I said no imprinting, so… everything up to that point…?

The harder Haejin worked on the life he’d once neglected, the prouder Lee Chae felt—and the more anxious.

On top of that, Lee Chae was shocked to discover he was actually pretty good at this “romance” thing he’d dismissed as a waste of time.

The strange sensation from their first contact guiding, the feelings born from everything that followed—they kept growing larger with every passing day.

Walking home from his debris-cleanup part-time job, his heart raced at the thought that Haejin might be waiting.

But today, instead of Haejin leaning against the usual wall across the street, Jae-hyung and Yong-yong were sharing a single ice cream cone, taking turns licking it.

Two huge guys shamelessly sharing one ice cream… ugh.

Lee Chae sighed, but the corners of his mouth refused to stay down as he walked over.

“Look at you two lovebirds.”

“It’s not like that! It’s really not, collateral!”

“Not what?”

“Whatever that ‘lovebird’ thing is—it’s not that.”

“Sharing one ice cream definitely makes you lovebirds.”

“Damn it! Jae-hyung gave it to me!”

Jae-hyung gazed at the truth-spouting dragon with honey-dripping eyes.

“Yeah, everything our Yong-yong says is right. We’re not lovebirds. So what are we?”

“We’re in the ‘some’ stage! Meat-sharing buddies!”

“Aww, so smart.”

The moment Yong-yong answered, Jae-hyung shoved the ice cream into his mouth. The clueless dragon grinned wide and happily accepted. Every time Yong-yong took a bite, Jae-hyung wiped his lips “because they’re messy,” repeating the cycle. Lee Chae watched and suddenly asked,

“Where’s Haejin hyung?”

“Oh, hyung’s studying in the library right now. So I came instead.”

“You don’t study, Jae-hyung-ssi?”

“Huh? You know we don’t need to. Credits are already maxed. Hyung’s done too, but he’s forcing himself because of sister-in-law.”

He willingly went to the library…

It felt good, yet Lee Chae was also a little disappointed Haejin wasn’t here today. Missing him after just one day—really?

“Let’s go. Gotta escort sister-in-law home and walk Yong-yong.”

“…Could you please stop with the ‘sister-in-law’ thing?”

“Sorry, I can’t help it. If I call you Lee Chae-ssi and Haejin hyung finds out, he’ll kill me…”

Lee Chae sighed and nodded. When he said let’s catch the bus, Jae-hyung casually wrapped an arm around his waist. Yong-yong naturally linked arms with Jae-hyung.

“You’re getting good at this.”

“Of course! You think I’m stupid? I’m not an idiot. I remember everything after one time!”

“Ugh… guess we’re buying meat.”

“Yes!”

Ah. So that’s how he trained him.

Watching them made Lee Chae think of Haejin constantly. Jae-hyung using meat to tame Yong-yong, himself using skinship to turn Haejin into a model esper—what was the difference?

The two walked ahead. Every time Jae-hyung patted Yong-yong’s head, the dragon scratched it saying it tickled, yet never let go of the arm.

Walking the path he always took with Haejin beside a different couple made Lee Chae miss him even more.

Still… I can’t disturb someone studying.

He walked briskly. Finals would be over soon anyway!

Time passed faithfully, and the day after finals ended arrived.

Haejin was brimming with confidence. Official grades would take time, but no professor could find fault with his perfect exams.

He hadn’t even had time to see Lee Chae’s face outside of study orders—let alone a date.

So today, he was going to play with Lee Chae. For all his hard work. And to show the study-only Jung Lee Chae how fun the world could be.

He polished the poor supercar that had been gathering dust in the garage until it gleamed like new. Then bullied Jae-hyung into picking the coolest date outfit and changed into it.

Riding the shining supercar to pick up Lee Chae, the sky was blue and the wind refreshing.

“Even the heavens are moved by my devotion.”

11 a.m.—Lee Chae’s last exam should have just ended. Haejin parked in front of Building D and struck the coolest pose possible while waiting.

Should I have brought flowers for our first real date?

While regretting that, an unpleasant voice rang out.

“Isn’t that Cha Haejin?”

“He was quiet for a while, now he’s back with the supercar. Annoying, but… eye candy.”

“Don’t drool. He’s taken.”

As always, passing guides talked shit. Haejin endured it thinking of the date ahead.

Act like a normal person. Be mature.

Those were today’s missions.

He was rehearsing what to say when he spotted Lee Chae far away—emerging from the building, stopping dead upon seeing him.

“…Hoo.”

Even from a distance, Haejin swore he could hear that sigh. He hadn’t expected a smile the second they locked eyes, but a sigh was harsh.

Haejin grinned wider and waved high. Lee Chae glanced around, noticed people staring, and ran over to yank Haejin’s hand down.

“I told you I hate attention. And didn’t we agree no supercar? People are already whispering about you—mmph.”

Haejin immediately covered his mouth. He knew exactly what came next and how long the lecture would be. He couldn’t waste a single second of this precious date on nagging.

“Chae-ya, I held back a lot to listen to you. You admit that, right?”

Lee Chae’s eyes went round behind the hand; he nodded.

“Then just today, let me do whatever I want. I’m warning you in advance—it’s not a skinship demand, so don’t worry.”

Another nod.

“I’m taking my hand off, so no talking—just get in the car, okay?”

Haejin cautiously removed his hand. Miraculously, no yelling, no further nagging.

This was what he loved about Lee Chae. Iron walls that nothing could pierce—yet the moment you spoke sincerely, he listened sincerely. All because Jung Lee Chae was kinder, softer, and more compassionate than any other guide.

Feeling satisfied, Haejin opened the passenger door. He was in such a rush to get to the driver’s seat that he banged his shin on the front bumper. It hurt like hell, but he couldn’t stop smiling.

“You really are a complete lunatic.”

Muttering that, he settled into the driver’s seat. Like a gentlemanly esper, he reached for Lee Chae’s seatbelt first— Lee Chae grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

“Hyung, this is too much. Doing the seatbelt for me is…”

“We agreed today I do whatever I want. As long as it’s not skinship, right?”

Lee Chae sighed and let go. Haejin slowly pulled the belt down. Lee Chae leaned back trying not to touch, which was adorable—so Haejin deliberately pressed his arm against Lee Chae’s chest. Even the slightest graze radiated heat.

Lee Chae let out a hot breath. Early summer sweat weather—before they even started driving, the air inside was scorching.

“Open-top or windows down?”

“Hot. Turn on the AC.”

Haejin pressed the button; the soft-top gently closed. The wide-open world disappeared, leaving only the two of them in a sealed space. Even with the AC on, the heat refused to drop.

Awkward silence stretched on.

“Hyung, we should go.”

“Oh, right… yeah.”

Haejin engraved the character for “patience” on his heart and stepped on the accelerator. The car purred coolly and shot out of campus.

The roads still bore scars of battles, but finals were over, the stereo blasted a fast beat that matched his heartbeat, and Jung Lee Chae sat right beside him—everything was perfect.

Every time he stole a glance while driving, Lee Chae would be smiling pleasantly until their eyes met—then instantly wipe the smile off. Even that was cute.

After a long drive, scenery rare in the city began to appear. When was the last time he saw this many green trees? Feeling great, Haejin pushed the speed higher and higher.