Chapter 63: Dawn In Vancouver

Vancouver, Canada—sixteen hours behind Korea—was still in the pale early dawn as the sun had only just begun to rise.

The moment So-won stepped out of the plane, a blast of cold air swept over him.

The morning chill bit sharply into his skin.

So-won shuddered.

It was far colder than Korea.

If Korea was in autumn, then this place was already winter.

His body, unable to adjust to the sudden drop in temperature, trembled as if it had malfunctioned.

He had packed some thick clothes, but there was no way he could open his suitcase in the middle of the runway and start rummaging through it.

Pulling his thin cardigan tightly around himself, So-won instinctively pressed closer to Tae-woo’s side.

The larger body blocking the wind made things slightly more bearable.

Once they were on the ground, two people who had been waiting nearby approached them.

So-won immediately recognized them as the guides assigned to him and Tae-woo.

“Hello, Esper Kang Tae-woo, Guide Lee So-won.

Welcome to Canada.”

Grasping the hand extended with a bright smile, So-won asked uncertainly,

“You’re… Korean, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.

As a rule, personnel dispatched overseas are assigned coordinators from the same country.”

So-won’s face visibly brightened.

That meant he didn’t have to worry about struggling with a foreign language.

The man introducing himself as their guide looked to be around So-won’s age, and with his friendly expression and warm demeanor, So-won felt his tension gradually melt away.

The two coordinators introduced themselves as an A-rank Esper–Guide pair.

Neither of them seemed particularly startled by Tae-woo’s appearance.

Perhaps they might have reacted differently if his veins had been more pronounced elsewhere, but now that only his face was visible, nothing seemed out of place.

As soon as they stepped outside, a sleek, expensive-looking car bearing the Canadian Association’s logo caught So-won’s eye.

“Is there anywhere you’d like to stop by before heading to the accommodations?”

“Hmm… I don’t really have anywhere.

What about you, Tae-woo?”

“No.”

“Then we’ll head straight to the area where the gate has opened.”

So-won nodded and got into the car.

The interior was warm.

As the cold that had stiffened his body slowly faded, So-won felt himself relax as well.

While they drove toward the accommodations, the assigned guide explained the schedule.

The only event that day was a strategy meeting in the evening.

Even that required only Tae-woo’s attendance, meaning So-won’s schedule was practically empty.

After finishing the explanation, the guide said they must be tired from the long journey and suggested they rest during the drive.

With that, silence settled over the car.

So-won shifted restlessly in his seat.

He’d already been sitting the entire flight, and now sitting through another long drive made his body feel stiff and sore.

Even the foreign scenery passing by outside the window failed to spark much interest.

As time went on, all he could think about was arriving quickly and loosening his aching body.

“We should be arriving soon.”

After hours of nearly identical scenery—endless trees—those welcome words finally came.

So-won, whose hips had started to throb, perked up and looked outside eagerly.

But all he could see was dense forest stretching on and on.

“There’s an accommodation in a place like this?”

“Yes.

Unlike Korea, in countries with vast land like Canada, gates often open in remote areas.

That’s why we use mobile temporary accommodations.

Ah—there it is.”

Following where the guide pointed, So-won spotted something emerging between the tall trees.

Soon, a wide, flattened clearing carved out of the mountainside appeared, along with a large building.

With its clean exterior, it looked less like a temporary facility and more like a hotel.

Snow-capped peaks rose in the distance behind it, making the place feel like something straight out of a movie.

After unloading their luggage, So-won glanced around.

Others who had arrived earlier were strolling about nearby in relaxed clothing.

“Are all the people here assigned to this gate?”

“Everyone except a few staff members, yes.”

Despite the looming S-rank gate, everyone looked cheerful, more like ordinary tourists than combatants.

Surprised by the atmosphere—so different from Korea—So-won followed them inside.

Foreign languages filled the air from every direction, making his body tense up instinctively.

Until they reached their floor, So-won stayed close behind Tae-woo, lips tightly sealed.

Only after seeing that their floor was completely empty did he finally relax his rigid posture.

There were a few other rooms along the corridor, but they were spaced far apart.

“We’ll be heading out now.

We’ll come back before the strategy meeting begins, so please rest comfortably until then.”

“Thank you.”

After exchanging contact information, they parted ways in front of the room.

So-won held the key card they’d received in the lobby up to the door.

Beep.

With a light electronic sound, the door opened.

Checking the inside of the room, So-won found himself exclaiming in awe once again—just like when he’d boarded the private jet.

This is a temporary accommodation?

Tae-woo might be an S-rank Esper dispatched overseas, but even so, this was on a completely different level from the guide waiting rooms back in Korea.

A spacious living room greeted them first.

Beyond the large window stretched a forest dense with trees, laid out beneath them.

So-won paused by the window for a moment, taking in the view.

He’d heard there was a small walking trail and a lake nearby, but they weren’t visible from here.

A door on one side led to the bedroom.

Exhausted from the long journey, So-won imagined a cozy bed and opened the door with eager anticipation.

But the instant he saw inside, he froze.

“Rose petals…?”

White sheets were completely covered in petals.

No—looking closer, they formed the shape of a heart.

Bright red roses greeted him cheerfully, arranged with care.

As if that weren’t enough, a sweet fragrance drifted through the open doorway.

Was this supposed to be a honeymoon instead of an overseas deployment…?

So-won panicked.

It was clearly an event the Canadian Association had prepared with great enthusiasm to welcome a precious S-rank Esper.

But he and Tae-woo weren’t close enough for this kind of embarrassment-inducing setup to feel romantic.

If they stayed trapped in a room like this, the awkwardness might grow so deep he’d end up digging through the floor straight to the other side of Canada.

So-won’s mind raced.

Should I mess it up before Tae-woo sees it?

The petals would scatter everywhere, but that still felt less mortifying.

He rushed to the bed and grabbed the edge of the blanket.

Just as he braced himself to fling it—

“…Lee So-won?”

Tae-woo’s voice rang out.

So-won jerked his head up.

Tae-woo’s face appeared through the half-open doorway.

After briefly meeting So-won’s eyes, Tae-woo’s gaze shifted to the vivid red petals on the bed.

“…..”

A short silence followed.

Heat flooded So-won’s face, until it turned as red as the roses themselves.

Slowly, he released the blanket.

Now that he’d been caught, he didn’t want to make things even stranger by scattering petals everywhere.

Without a word, So-won backed out and quietly closed the bedroom door, hiding it from view.

The back of his neck, exposed as he bowed his head, was still flushed bright red.

“Um… Tae-woo, aren’t you hungry?”

It was obvious he was desperately changing the subject, but Tae-woo simply nodded calmly.

Together, they left the room and headed toward the dining area.

They could have ordered room service, but So-won felt like he’d keep glancing toward the bedroom otherwise, unable to shake the awkwardness.

And after sitting for so long on the plane and in the car, walking around a bit didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Everyone they passed in the corridor was dressed casually, as if they were on vacation.

With the soft, relaxed atmosphere all around, So-won felt like an oblivious tourist intruding on a honeymoon.

No matter how hard he tried not to think about it, seeing people openly acting intimate in broad daylight inevitably brought the rose-covered bed back to mind.

Shuffling along awkwardly, So-won suddenly spotted someone approaching from the opposite direction and found his gaze stolen away.

She was a striking blonde beauty.

Honestly… even from a distance, she was stunning.

The fact that she was here meant she was either an Esper or a Guide.

So-won stared blankly at her.

Back when he’d first heard he’d awakened as an A-rank Guide, he’d imagined being matched with an Esper like that and had gotten his hopes up.

It wasn’t uncommon for matched pairs to end up suspiciously close—often turning into couples.

But reality had given him the exact opposite: a man, and not just any man, but Tae-woo—the one the entire nation feared.

“Ah.”

Perhaps she’d felt his stare, because she met his eyes, smiled, and started walking toward him.

Flustered, So-won shot a glance at Tae-woo.

What if she’s actually approaching Tae-woo, not me?

With his veins faded, Tae-woo was handsome even by another man’s standards.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and well-built—nothing like So-won.

If it weren’t for the veins and his intimidating expression, Tae-woo would probably be just as popular with women as Shi-hyeok.

“Hi, honey.”

…Honey?

As if mocking that assumption, So-won stared at the pale hand extended toward him in utter confusion.

Her fingers were slender and smooth, completely free of calluses.

When he lifted his gaze slightly from her hand, their eyes met.

She smiled softly at him.

“Me?”

So-won was so flustered that it took him a moment to realize—he’d answered in Korean, a language she probably didn’t even understand.

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