Chapter 72: Unexpected Explanations and Unspoken Desires

As Sa-yoon slowly listened to the explanation, his anger gradually dissipated, replaced by a flush of awkwardness. Upon reflection, it had all been mere speculation. Team Leader Hae Wan-woo had relayed a story based on conjecture, and Sa-yoon had simply believed it without question.

He recalled the time Han Do-hoon had been silently transferred to Busan, and realized he had unnecessarily worked himself into a frenzy. Sa-yoon felt fortunate that he hadn’t confronted Han Do-hoon impulsively, and instead, he took a sip of his drink.

True to Han Do-hoon’s assurance, the sweet alcoholic beverage perfectly suited Sa-yoon’s palate. Unlike the overly sugary cocktail he’d ordered as a temporary measure last time, this one possessed a pleasant tartness, making it incredibly easy to drink.

“Has your anger subsided now?”

“I wasn’t angry. I merely came to ask a question.”

Sa-yoon feigned indifference, averting his gaze. He felt a faint chuckle vibrate from the back of Han Do-hoon’s neck.

“Did you truly think I would depart without a word?”

“Of course not.”

“I have no intention of ending things with you, Sa-yoon. Never.”

Feeling as though his innermost thoughts had been pierced, Sa-yoon retorted with an unwarranted brusqueness. Han Do-hoon simply smiled, lifting his own glass without another word and taking a sip.

“Alright, that’s enough. I think we’ve covered that topic. If it was going to end so quickly, I should have just done it at headquarters.”

He had been needlessly tense, assuming Han Do-hoon had set the mood and brought him to a bar for something serious, but it had concluded with laughable ease.

“There’s another reason I brought you here today. It’s something difficult to discuss at headquarters, after all.”

Han Do-hoon pulled Sa-yoon closer by the waist, drawing him nearer. He lowered his voice, whispering into Sa-yoon’s ear.

“Thank you for that day. I’m very late in expressing my gratitude.”

“Huh?”

Han Do-hoon was referring to the incident within the fire-wrought vortex, where only the two of them had remained.

“……”

Though Sa-yoon had inwardly resented Han Do-hoon for pretending not to know, despite having saved him, he felt strangely embarrassed upon hearing the words of thanks. He hadn’t done it for gratitude. Besides…

“I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for pretending not to know.”

It was truly odd. He had arrived brimming with grievances to confront Han Do-hoon about, filled with combativeness. Yet, a simple explanation had easily appeased him.

He had also believed such a conversation would be impossible to have comfortably. He’d expected any discussion that reminded him of his true identity to be awkward, but now that they were alone, it all seemed to matter so little.

“You could have said that at headquarters too. Why bother coming to a bar and setting a mood?”

“Because there are too many ears there.”

As Han Do-hoon spoke, he bit Sa-yoon’s earlobe. He gently sucked the soft flesh before releasing it. Startled by the sudden attack, Sa-yoon flinched and turned his head.

Even when Sa-yoon glared at him directly, Han Do-hoon merely met his gaze with a sly expression, as if wondering what he had done wrong. This old man acted so brazenly, so lewdly, despite his seemingly innocent face.

“You just thanked me… Is it really okay to treat your benefactor like this?”

“I’m expressing my gratitude physically.”

Han Do-hoon buried his head in Sa-yoon’s side hair, then licked his damp earlobe again. Fearing they might end up in the hotel upstairs if he allowed this to continue, Sa-yoon pushed him away.

“Let’s… let’s finish our conversation while we’re talking like this.”

“Shall we do it in bed?”

It wasn’t that Sa-yoon was unaffected by Han Do-hoon’s suggestive, almost ‘old man’-like teasing. Meeting Han Do-hoon after so long, he still found him undeniably attractive, and his gaze often drifted to the muscles flexing beneath the arm that touched him.

However, this was not the time to be swept away. There were too many unresolved incidents from when Han Do-hoon had gone overseas.

“Wait, ah. What happened after I collapsed? And why did you suddenly go overseas?”

He finally managed to push away Han Do-hoon, who kept licking his ear.

Sa-yoon had a rough idea of how the incident concluded from the reports. But he wanted to hear it directly from Han Do-hoon, not just rely on speculation.

“The person who stopped the rampaging Esper is recorded as you, Sa-yoon. I reported that I rescued you after you collapsed from shock.”

Up to this point, it aligned perfectly with the report. Sa-yoon already knew this story.

“And to coordinate our stories, I needed a little help, which is why I went overseas.”

Since there were no signs of rampage in Sa-yoon, who had supposedly used immense power and collapsed, it was obvious he would be suspected. Even if Jung Hyun-woo carefully managed the records of his condition, it would be difficult to conceal the truth.

Han Do-hoon had gone overseas, specifically to the Alliance Headquarters where his adoptive parents resided, to seek assistance with that matter.

“Did you perhaps tell anyone else about me…?”

“No. I asked them to clean up the mess I made. You won’t suffer any harm, Sa-yoon.”

“Phew…”

Sa-yoon let out a sigh of relief at Han Do-hoon’s clear answer. Even though he trusted Han Do-hoon to handle things well, he couldn’t help his sensitive heart from fluttering with anxiety.

Han Do-hoon meticulously answered Sa-yoon’s questions.

“While my overseas deployment was for that reason, I actually heard new information while I was there. The new directives were issued because of it.”

This time, truly intending to hide nothing from Sa-yoon, Han Do-hoon systematically explained the events at headquarters.

“The terror attack wasn’t confined to Daejeon. Simultaneously, similar-scale terror attacks erupted in cities near the front lines.”

“In other places too?”

Until now, Air Rain had never carried out two simultaneous terror attacks. No, this was the first time they had launched consecutive attacks in a single country. It was an unprecedented pattern.

“Are you certain the organization behind the attacks is Air Rain?”

“Fragments of the uniforms Air Rain typically wears were discovered at the sites.”

Air Rain. Those were the same bastards who vehemently denied causing terror attacks. They had asserted their innocence so strongly in front of Sa-yoon, and now evidence had surfaced. If they were going to lie, they should have done it convincingly. They already seemed clumsy, truly careless individuals.

“Furthermore, there were witnesses who saw Kang Tae-han, Air Rain’s field commander.”

“Kang Tae-han? That man with the scar on his face?”

“That’s right.”

That man was the one Sa-yoon had encountered in Daejeon. Sa-yoon pondered. Should he tell Han Do-hoon now that he had met Air Rain? Han Do-hoon wouldn’t suspect Sa-yoon of intentionally withholding information. So…

‘Huh? Something feels off.’

Sa-yoon looked directly at Han Do-hoon.

“When did that overseas terror attack happen?”

“It occurred almost simultaneously with the one in Daejeon. We suspect it was a diversionary tactic.”

“Simultaneously?”

Question marks floated in Sa-yoon’s mind. At that time, Kang Tae-han had been in Korea. Sa-yoon had personally grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into a wall, so it hadn’t been an illusion.

“You’re saying Kang Tae-han was overseas when the terror attack happened in Daejeon?”

Han Do-hoon nodded. This was strange. No matter how far one could teleport, there were limits. If inter-country travel were that easy, S-class Espers wouldn’t bother flying on planes.

Spatial movement was, at best, a few hundred meters. Yet, he was active around a front line tens of thousands of kilometers away at a similar time? Geographically, the situation made no sense.

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. I just thought it seemed like a highly sought-after individual was moving around quite diligently.”

Sa-yoon changed the subject. To explain his doubts to Han Do-hoon now, Sa-yoon would have to confess to meeting the field commander in Daejeon. And if he mentioned Kang Tae-han being spotted in both locations, Sa-yoon’s carefully managed situation would likely become difficult.

“So, what are your thoughts on this, Sa-yoon?”

“Eh? What did you say?”

Lost in thought for a moment, he had missed Han Do-hoon’s words.

“What did you say?”

“If, by chance, I return to the front lines, would you be willing to come with me?”

“Oh… I haven’t thought about that.”

The front lines had never once factored into Sa-yoon’s future plans. His biggest weakness was the primary reason. Although the danger would lessen if he went with Han Do-hoon, who now knew his secret, the location itself held no appeal.

“Hmm…”

Han Do-hoon stroked his chin, casting his eyes downwards. After a moment of quiet contemplation, he tightened his grip on Sa-yoon’s arm and pulled him into an embrace.

It was a sight of two not-so-small bodies hugging each other. Even knowing this, Sa-yoon felt no urge to pull away. He reciprocated Han Do-hoon’s embrace.

“I’ll visit often.”

“Pfft.”

Sa-yoon burst into laughter despite the serious situation. Han Do-hoon, who declared he would never break up with him yet gave up after only one suggestion, was truly something else.

The distance between the front lines and Korea was immense. Especially for an S-class Esper, crossing borders involved such complex procedures, so why would he claim he would visit often?

At this point, Sa-yoon wanted to accommodate Han Do-hoon, but it wasn’t such a simple matter.

“I’ll visit sometimes too.”

This time, Han Do-hoon’s shoulders trembled. They both knew it was an impossible notion. Han Do-hoon at least had the justification of being affiliated with Korean headquarters, but there was absolutely no way for Sa-yoon to visit the front lines as if on a trip.

Ultimately, they were in a situation where neither could compromise, and they couldn’t be together.

“It seems faster to just deal with Air Rain quickly and return.”

“I’d recommend that approach too. Go sweep them away and come back.”