Chapter 70: Unexpected Confessions and Impending Departures

Standing before his lodging, Sa-yoon brought the card key to the entrance. Instead, a sharp ‘beep’ sounded, and the door remained stubbornly shut.

“Ah.”

Realizing his mistake, Sa-yoon pulled another card key from his pocket. He often carried Han Do-hoon’s lodging key alongside his own, leading to frequent mix-ups.

As he pressed the newly retrieved card against the door lock, a ‘ding-dong’ echoed, and the door swung open. The sensor light flickered on, illuminating the dim interior.

“You’re here?”

“Huh?”

A colossal shadow loomed in the entryway, where light should have been. Han Do-hoon, whose tall frame had obscured the sensor light, reached out and pulled Sa-yoon’s arm.

Before Sa-yoon could even register surprise, Han Do-hoon embraced him fiercely, then tilted his head back and kissed Sa-yoon’s lips. Their high noses brushed, and as Han Do-hoon bit and delved into his mouth, Sa-yoon gasped, unable to catch his breath.

When their lips finally parted, saliva glistened at the corner of his mouth. Han Do-hoon’s touch deepened, his hands gently caressing Sa-yoon’s cheek and pulling him closer by the small of his back.

“I missed you.”

At the profound sincerity in his voice, the lingering resentment Sa-yoon had felt instantly melted away. It was almost absurdly easy, he thought to himself. Perhaps, if Han Do-hoon had been that busy, he simply couldn’t have made contact.

Han Do-hoon’s hands moved impatiently, unbuttoning Sa-yoon’s shirt. He tore it open as if ripping it off, then swiftly reached for Sa-yoon’s trousers. Sa-yoon’s back hit the wall with a thud.

Han Do-hoon’s thighs wedged between Sa-yoon’s splayed legs, providing support for his trembling body.

“Wait, here, in the entryway…”

Despite Sa-yoon’s protestations, Han Do-hoon did not stop. In an instant, Sa-yoon stood naked in the foyer, shivering at the cold sensation against his back. The rising heat within him made the tiles feel even colder.

Sa-yoon awoke to the pale moonlight of dawn. He rubbed his blurry eyes, glancing around his surroundings.

He wasn’t sure why he’d woken at this hour, but his sleep had completely vanished, as if someone had shaken him awake. Sa-yoon started to shift but gave up, relaxing back into position due to Han Do-hoon’s arm draped over him.

Han Do-hoon, who usually stirred and patted him whenever Sa-yoon fidgeted, was still deeply asleep. Had he been that exhausted? Sa-yoon peered at Han Do-hoon’s face, a rare sight.

Perhaps it was the bluish light, but Han Do-hoon seemed thinner than before. It wasn’t as if his body would be so easily worn out just by resolving a major mission.

Han Do-hoon’s long eyelashes cast a deep shadow between the bridge of his nose. He truly possessed a strikingly handsome face, with thick eyebrows and a high nose bridge. The only problem was his unnecessarily strong sense of justice, which made him dive into missions like a moth to a flame.

Sa-yoon still felt a dizzying surge of memory recalling the struggles he’d endured to save this man. He gently pressed the tip of Han Do-hoon’s nose, and the neatly arranged eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Still… it seemed he had made the right choice to save him.

Sa-yoon patted Han Do-hoon’s arm, which showed no sign of waking, and drifted back to sleep.

It was a leisurely afternoon, a rare occurrence. While Sa-yoon always appeared relaxed to others, his definition of a truly relaxed day was different.

Today, Kim Chae-jun was out on assignment. Sa-yoon referred to such days as days of liberation.

No matter how much work Kim Chae-jun handled, it was difficult to feel as free as if there were no tasks at all. Sa-yoon still had to sit, review documents, and check his schedule.

Sa-yoon settled by a sun-drenched window and spread out his specially ordered brunch. Unlike the typical fare of salads, eggs, and toast, Sa-yoon’s brunch was a bit more unique.

The table was laden with 80% meat, a small scattering of vegetables, and a full meal’s worth of dessert.

‘Now, where shall I start, perhaps with the meat?’ He triumphantly picked up his knife to cut into the meat when someone approached from the side. Sa-yoon, unaccustomed to people coming so close, scrutinized the newcomer’s identity.

“It’s been a while, Team Leader Jin Sa-yoon.”

“Oh…”

‘Who is this? I feel like I’ve seen them before, but their name won’t come to me.’

“As expected, you don’t remember me. We met in Busan before.”

It was only at the mention of Busan that Sa-yoon realized. This was the team leader from another team who had approached him just as abruptly then, while Sa-yoon was elegantly enjoying meditation on a wide sandy beach. He remembered the unusual surname but couldn’t recall the rest.

‘Hae… Hae, what was it?’

“I’m Team Leader Hae Wan-woo. My name is a bit difficult, isn’t it?”

Despite it not being a particularly difficult name, Hae Wan-woo smiled amiably and sat next to Sa-yoon. Sa-yoon had noticed it before; he was quite a congenial person.

While many people had hovered around Sa-yoon, eager to become friends, this type was new. However, being ‘amiable’ was one thing; it was quite another to be ‘comfortable’ for Sa-yoon.

“I saw before that you seemed close with Team Leader Han Do-hoon. Back then, I was so surprised I think I ran away without properly greeting you.”

“We just get along well. I need to eat now, so…”

“You’re truly amazing. Levian was the only one who could even converse with Team Leader Han Do-hoon. As expected, it’s Team Leader Sa-yoon.”

Sa-yoon, who was growing annoyed and about to dismiss Hae Wan-woo, reacted to the name Levian. Indeed, he recalled this person had also been to the battlefield briefly. He was someone who knew aspects of Han Do-hoon and Levian that Sa-yoon did not.

Sa-yoon set down his utensils and adjusted his posture. While many had been to the battlefield once or twice, few were as congenial and willing to spill everything to Sa-yoon. This was a good opportunity.

“Those two were truly brutal on the battlefield. It’s because the situation there is quite unique…”

“I’ve heard about the general atmosphere there. From Han Do-hoon.”

“He told you *that*? Wow, really…”

Hae Wan-woo, mouth agape in awe, gazed at Sa-yoon with respectful eyes. It made Sa-yoon wonder just how Han Do-hoon behaved outside of this setting. In the headquarters, he acted as if he had no strong preferences.

“When Levian and Team Leader Han Do-hoon stood together on the battlefield, no one dared approach them. It’s a place where there’s no risk of murder, after all. Especially Levian… he’s quiet here, but on the battlefield, he was the type to openly shove anyone he disliked into the emergency room.”

“He does seem a bit peculiar.”

Even when he first arrived at the Korean headquarters, he tried to pick a fight on their first meeting. It was obvious how someone with such a combative personality would have acted on the battlefield.

“But Team Leader Han Do-hoon was even scarier.”

“Han Do-hoon was?”

Hae Wan-woo nodded, his gesture imbued with a solemn gravity.

“Levian, at least, treated people he liked well. As you know, he has his peculiar quirks and is quite capricious. But Team Leader Han Do-hoon was consistently…”

“Isn’t a capricious person harder to deal with?”

“He was consistently difficult and terrifying. He kept everyone at a distance, and his boundaries were clear. Even team members or long-time acquaintances were no exception. If you crossed the line even ambiguously, he showed no mercy. Levian sent people to the emergency room, but that person…”

Hae Wan-woo shivered once. Judging by his furrowed brows and serious expression as he recalled the time, it seemed truly frightening. However, there wasn’t as much useful information as Sa-yoon had hoped.

He had wanted information like whether this person knew Levian was an Irregular Hunter, or if there were other rumors. Instead, Hae Wan-woo merely repeated stories about how terrifying and formidable the two of them were.

Sa-yoon, who had set aside his time to listen to stories about Han Do-hoon and Levian, was slowly growing bored.

“Perhaps the nature of the battlefield just made him seem a bit stiff. He’s not like that at headquarters.”

“Isn’t that just because Team Leader Sa-yoon is such a good person?”

This was a type of compliment Sa-yoon had never heard before. Even Kim Chae-jun, who proclaimed himself Sa-yoon’s devotee, had once yelled at Sa-yoon, asking how he could be so heartless.

“It was hard to approach you at first, but you seem softer than I thought. You even talked to me, even though I just showed up unannounced.”

‘That was to hear information about Han Do-hoon and Levian.’ Sa-yoon felt an unexpected awkwardness at the positive assessment he hadn’t sought. Unable to find a reply, he merely scratched his head, and Hae Wan-woo mirrored him with an awkward smile.

“Actually, I didn’t come here to say all this today. I just came to console you, thinking you might be upset because Team Leader Han Do-hoon and Team Leader Sa-yoon seemed close. But you seem to be doing better than I expected.”

“Upset?”

“Team Leader Han Do-hoon is leaving the country soon, isn’t he?”

Sa-yoon’s hand, which had been about to resume eating, froze. The fork, impaled in a sausage, remained stuck in the dish.

“What?”

“Didn’t the Federation issue a directive recently? Saying they’d take active measures regarding Air Rain?”

He recalled Kim Chae-jun mentioning such a directive. Of course, he’d said he would check it but hadn’t even opened it yet, so he was unaware of its contents.

“What does that have to do with Han Do-hoon?”

“Team Leader Han Do-hoon was with the Federation when the directive came down, and they said they’d move a large-scale force to actively respond. Plus, I hear the First Team members are packing their bags again. It’s obvious which team that large-scale force belongs to.”

It was so obvious, yet Sa-yoon was the only one who hadn’t known. It was a moment eerily tinged with déjà vu. It had been the same when he went down to Busan before.

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