Chapter 71: Blurred Lines and Unspoken Departures

The person he had held close all night, their skin pressed together until morning, was reportedly being assigned a mission elsewhere. Sa-yoon had heard this news not from them directly, but from someone else.

The first time, it had merely been a short trip to Busan. It made sense that the director would possess information others didn’t, so Sa-yoon had let it slide.

However, this time, the news of Han Do-hoon’s complete departure from the country came from another person entirely—a team leader Sa-yoon wasn’t even close with. While it was true Sa-yoon hadn’t checked the guidelines himself, shouldn’t Han Do-hoon have told him before anyone else?

“……”

Upon reflection, perhaps Han Do-hoon didn’t feel the need to tell him about his impending departure. They were still bound by a contractual relationship, and if Sa-yoon tried to understand it that way, it simply… didn’t make sense. Sa-yoon rose from his seat.

“It seems I’ve finished eating, so I’ll be leaving now.”

“What? There’s still so much food left…”

“I heard many interesting things today. Well, keep up the good work. Oh, and please eat this.”

Without a hint of reluctance, Sa-yoon tossed the remaining dishes to Hae Wan-woo and departed.

Sa-yoon’s heart churned with a complex mix of emotions as he made his way to Han Do-hoon’s office. Their relationship had been established through a contract from the very beginning, with clear terms.

It explicitly stated that their connection was merely physical, and that private feelings or personal lives should not be intertwined. This was a mantra Sa-yoon had repeated to himself countless times, engraving it into his heart.

Yet, much had changed between then and now.

Private feelings were intangible; even if emotions seemed to develop, they remained unacknowledged unless spoken aloud. However, Han Do-hoon and Sa-yoon had already shared too much to truly separate their personal lives.

They had exchanged Han Do-hoon’s past and Sa-yoon’s secrets—things no one else could ever know. Despite this deep intimacy, as their parting loomed, there had been no hint, no word of warning.

Sa-yoon knew that if he were to be told now, ‘Do I really need to inform a contractual partner about such things?’ he would be genuinely furious.

He tried to calmly assess whether the surge of betrayal swelling within him was justified or merely a wave of emotion. The answer eluded him.

It was a situation difficult to define, much like their convoluted beginning.

But one thing was clear: if Han Do-hoon was leaving the country, and if their relationship was truly ending, then it was only right for him to state it explicitly.

Han Do-hoon’s office drew closer. Sa-yoon resolved to speak with him face-to-face. As he approached the door with a determined stride, it suddenly swung open.

“Oh?”

“I wondered who was approaching with such vigor. Why, it’s our beautiful Sa-yoon.”

The person emerging from Han Do-hoon’s office was Levian.

Blocking the doorway, Levian smiled brightly at Sa-yoon. A handsome blond young man smiling might normally be dazzling, but Sa-yoon froze at the sight of him.

This was the true identity of the Irregular Hunter, Levian, whom Sa-yoon would have simply remembered as a capricious and unusual Esper had Han Do-hoon not enlightened him.

“What brings you here?”

“Indeed, Levian, what brings you here?”

“Oh, I just came to hang out with a friend for a bit. I told you, didn’t I? I’m close with Han Do-hoon.”

Hae Wan-woo’s testimony, coupled with their easygoing demeanor, clearly indicated their relationship was far from ordinary. Even if it wasn’t friendship, they certainly shared something significant.

Sa-yoon narrowed his eyes, peering past Levian’s shoulder into the office, his wariness stemming not from their relationship but from Levian himself. He caught a glimpse of Han Do-hoon’s uniform.

“If you two still have things to discuss, I can come back later.”

“No, not at all. I was just about to leave.”

Levian stepped back, yielding the path to Sa-yoon.

“Hayden. Don’t forget, keep my words in mind.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“See how rude he is? Well, I’ll be off then. I hope you’ll visit my study next time.”

Han Do-hoon, seated, frowned as he watched Levian.

“Levian.”

“Oh dear. How menacing. Alright, I’m going.”

With both hands raised, Levian scuttled down the corridor. It was the first time his swaying blond hair struck Sa-yoon as frivolous. Once Sa-yoon and Han Do-hoon were alone, Han Do-hoon’s frown eased, and he greeted Sa-yoon warmly.

“Please, come in. My apologies for the delay in greeting you, Levian was here.”

He naturally took Sa-yoon’s waist and guided him toward the sofa. Han Do-hoon then seated Sa-yoon in the spot he had just vacated, taking Levian’s former seat himself.

It had been a long time since Sa-yoon had directly encountered Levian.

Sa-yoon had seen Levian when he brought in an Irregular, but Levian hadn’t seen him. Levian’s last remembered encounter with Sa-yoon was when he had pestered Sa-yoon to meet him separately, suspicious of his relationship with Han Do-hoon.

After that, Levian’s calls, which had seemed poised to track Sa-yoon down at any moment, ceased. There had been no further talk of meeting. Han Do-hoon had promised to handle it, and it seemed he had managed to resolve things somehow.

“Speaking of which, that unruly man has truly quieted down.”

“We resolved it through discussion.”

“Simply through discussion?”

“With some appropriate actions mixed in.”

Han Do-hoon replied with a smile. Sa-yoon suspected those ‘appropriate actions’ involved a far-from-simple physical confrontation. It suddenly occurred to Sa-yoon that he didn’t know Levian’s abilities.

It must have been written next to his S-rank Esper profile, but he’d only skimmed it when guiding Levian, so he couldn’t recall. Even if they were both S-rank Espers, was Han Do-hoon truly stronger?

‘Ah, that’s right.’

Sa-yoon, whose thoughts had momentarily drifted, shook his head to regain focus. The unexpected encounter with Levian had momentarily distracted him.

Sa-yoon was here to confront Han Do-hoon. As he recalled his predicament, the emotions he had briefly forgotten flared up like fire. He had many questions for Han Do-hoon.

Was the speculation about him going abroad accurate? If so, why hadn’t Sa-yoon been informed first? And what would become of their relationship?

Han Do-hoon, as usual, was smiling calmly and acting kindly, as if nothing out of the ordinary was about to happen. Now was the time for a different conversation.

The boundaries of their contract had blurred long ago, becoming as meaningless as a newspaper plastered to the pavement by rain.

“Mr. Han Do-hoon. Do you have anything you want to tell me?”

Sa-yoon decided to give Han Do-hoon one more chance. His eyes gleamed with resolve as he glared at Han Do-hoon. Tell him now, he urged silently. Tell him when he would be going abroad and how they would define their future.

Sa-yoon mentally prepared himself, deciding that if Han Do-hoon claimed they’d missed their chance to talk during their last enjoyable encounter, he would generously understand and move past it cleanly.

Han Do-hoon, who had been staring intently at Sa-yoon, now devoid of his usual smile, glanced at his watch. Without a word, he checked his device and rose.

“It’s almost quitting time.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Mr. Sa-yoon. Would you care to visit that place we went to before, one more time?”

Instead of an answer to his question, a different proposition was offered. Han Do-hoon smiled enigmatically and helped Sa-yoon to his feet. Bewildered, Sa-yoon moved as Han Do-hoon led him.

Han Do-hoon casually logged his outing schedule on his device, then looked at Sa-yoon and smiled.

“Let’s have a drink. This time, I’ll recommend a beverage more to your taste, Mr. Sa-yoon.”

This wasn’t what Sa-yoon had expected, but despite the unexpected turn of events, when his eyes met Han Do-hoon’s, he found himself nodding in a daze.

Sa-yoon wasn’t sure how things had ended up like this. He descended a flight of stairs, following the dim lights in a dark corridor. Before, he had been too flustered, simply following Han Do-hoon without noticing, but this place was clearly a high-end establishment, evident from its clean design and expensive materials.

While it wasn’t as ostentatious as the members-only club he’d infiltrated to catch a criminal, it felt meticulously designed, down to every carpet.

As they were led to a private room by a waiter, Han Do-hoon expertly ordered drinks. This time, he ordered for Sa-yoon as well, then settled into the seat right beside him.

Han Do-hoon’s dark hair reflected the light, his eyes momentarily captivated by the shimmering highlights that danced with every movement. Sa-yoon snapped out of his trance and asked, “But why did we suddenly come here?”

“As you said, Mr. Sa-yoon, we have things to discuss. It felt improper to do so on an empty stomach.”

Han Do-hoon took the tray from the waiter and personally placed it before Sa-yoon. After requesting the waiter to keep others away, he returned to Sa-yoon’s side.

The warmth of his body pressed subtly against Sa-yoon was intense.

“You came to see me today because of the guidelines, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

Sa-yoon nodded. He appreciated Han Do-hoon’s directness. By now, Sa-yoon’s patience was nearing its limit from following him to the bar.

He wanted nothing more than to discuss it quickly and resolve the matter. If Han Do-hoon spouted any nonsense, Sa-yoon was determined to mercilessly discard him. He steeled his resolve.

“Nothing has been decided yet. I intended to tell you once the timing was set, but it seems I’ve caused you unnecessary worry.”

Han Do-hoon began calmly. He explained that they had decided to actively respond to Rain according to the guidelines, and he was currently only on standby. Levian, who had been active on the battlefield with him, had already received his official orders.

Han Do-hoon continued, explaining that since he often received missions with Levian, the entire Team 1 was packing their bags just in case. However, nothing had been definitively decided yet.

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