When Yu-geon mentioned he’d come by car instead of his usual motorcycle, I was skeptical until I saw the sleek black sports car waiting in front of the hotel.
“This is yours?”
“Yeah.”
“Where’d you get the money for this?”
The car was a new model from a brand I had admired for a long time. Its aerodynamic, streamlined design made it stand out from the other vehicles. It wasn’t just expensive—it was rare, requiring patience and a long waitlist. Even with an Awakened’s salary, it wasn’t an easy purchase.
“You think I’ve been riding a motorcycle all this time because I couldn’t afford a car?”
Yu-geon scoffed as he slid into the driver’s seat effortlessly. Fair enough—he was a member of the Baek family, after all, one of the wealthiest families in the world.
I reminded myself that an Awakened individual like him would receive a hefty signing bonus upon being assigned to a branch and team, likely enough to buy a car outright.
“When did you even buy this?”
“Not long ago.”
“What made you decide to suddenly get a car?”
As soon as I sat in the passenger seat, I fastened my seatbelt tightly. Questions about the airbags and safety features danced on the tip of my tongue, but I refrained, not wanting to seem overly cautious. Instead, I quietly surveyed the interior.
“You said motorcycles made you nervous because they seemed prone to accidents,” he said in an almost monotone voice.
I froze. It was a callback to an argument we’d had before visiting Emily’s house, where I’d insisted we take separate vehicles, with him on his motorcycle and me in a car.
‘So… he bought this car because of me?’
I stared at him, speechless. He looked momentarily flustered, his face reddening slightly as he hurriedly added, “Well, I figured I’d need a car for other reasons too.”
“Right… You’ve driven before, haven’t you?”
“Yeah.”
Whatever the case, it was a relief for me. Given how often we’d likely be working together in the near future, this was a win.
“If you can’t drive properly, I’ll take the wheel.”
“Go ahead and try,” he teased, confidence gleaming in his eyes as he started the car.
Even though he claimed to have driven before, I was still on edge, watching his every move. Driving often revealed a person’s true temperament, and while Yu-geon usually came across as calm, I’d seen flashes of his temper before.
“Still worried?”
To my surprise, he drove smoothly, his handling deft and controlled. The ride was surprisingly comfortable.
“No… Actually, it’s fine.”
“See? Told you to trust me.”
Truthfully, I was impressed by how composed he seemed behind the wheel.
‘How did he get so good at this so quickly? Did he take private lessons or something?’
Relaxing a bit, my attention shifted to the car itself. The design was impeccable, with features like the 7-inch touchscreen on the passenger side and a minimalist interior that exuded luxury.
Yu-geon must have noticed my wandering eyes because he glanced my way and smirked faintly.
“Han-gyeol mentioned this incident might be connected to the Cremon attacks. What’s that about?”
He was clearly more curious than he let on, even though he’d pretended earlier to know everything.
“When animals encounter a creature or Cremon, they sometimes behave abnormally. The incident today could have been caused by something else, but since I was recently attacked by a Cremon, Han-gyeol suspects a connection.”
“But don’t animals only react like that if the Cremon has transformed? You didn’t unleash your creature form during the show, did you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then was there really a Cremon there? Did you notice anything strange during the performance?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention to that.”
I spoke casually, but his probing questions unsettled me. I hadn’t sensed anything unusual during the performance, but the thought of Marine locking eyes with me before its erratic behavior lingered in the back of my mind.
Still, I had no definitive answers to give him.
At the time, my full attention had been on Marine. The surrounding noise of cheers and excitement was enough to keep me distracted, and I had been consciously pushing aside unnecessary thoughts to focus on enjoying the show.
But Yu-geon’s sudden suggestion to visit Emily startled me.
“Emily? Today? Right now?” I asked in surprise.
His response was calm, as if he’d been considering this from the start.
“Think about it. If Emily is hiding something, it’s possible she didn’t tell you because you weren’t supposed to know. Maybe she has information that could put you in danger.”
Information I’m not supposed to know? Could it be connected to what I learned about antibiotics, or the missing researcher who might be tied to the person who attacked me?
“Han-gyeol wants a location update when we reach the center, so let’s stop by there first before heading out,” I said, more to ground myself than anything else.
“He might keep tracking us even after we report in,” I added thoughtfully.
“Han-gyeol is definitely suspicious about your attack. He’s sharp enough to sense something’s off.”
It wasn’t unusual for a captain to track their team members for management purposes. However, since Han-gyeol was our captain, he didn’t have to worry about anyone monitoring him.
He’d already tracked Yu-geon’s location when he left the capsule in a rampage-risk state and showed up at my dorm. If Han-gyeol was hyper-focused on my safety, it was likely he’d keep checking my location after we reported in.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a way around it. Trust me,” Yu-geon said with a playful smirk that hinted his method might not be entirely conventional.
We checked into the center and reported our arrival to Han-gyeol before meeting up again, leaving our smartwatches behind in our dorms.
“You want me to go through there?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s… really narrow.”
Yu-geon had brought me to a rundown section of the park, where a shabby wire fence had a small, round opening near the ground.
“It looks small because of the leaves covering it, but it’s bigger than it seems,” he said, brushing away the foliage to reveal a hole large enough for someone to crawl through.
“Other guides sneak out through here all the time. You didn’t know?”
“…”
Of course I didn’t know. I didn’t have any close guide friends who would share secrets like this, and most Espers wouldn’t bring it up either.
Though I had a close relationship with the Baek brothers, sneaking out like this would definitely cross a line with Han-gyeol.
“You could use your powers to fly over it,” I said skeptically, imagining him effortlessly hovering over the fence.
“There are drones patrolling the sky. It’s this or nothing.”
The thought of crawling on dirt made me hesitate. I hated getting my clothes dirty.
“I’ll go first and help you from the other side,” he said, sliding through the opening effortlessly and holding out a hand for me on the other side.
Sighing, I followed, cautiously crawling on my knees. As I moved forward, my hair caught on the wire, and I had to untangle it with one hand. Brushing past more leaves, I reached out for his hand.
Just as I was about to make it through, my hand slipped on the damp ground, and I slid forward.
“Ah—!”
My hand flailed for balance, landing on something solid. As I looked up, I realized it was Yu-geon’s chest.
Our faces were suddenly close, and the earthy smell of dirt and grass mingled with his faintly sweet scent, creating an oddly comforting aroma. His warm brown eyes scanned my face intently.
“…You’ve got dirt on your face.”
The awkward tension grew as I swallowed dryly, feeling his thumb lightly swipe at my cheek.
“There’s more.”
He smirked, his voice teasing as he rubbed a larger area of my cheek with his hand—one that was even dirtier than my face.
“Hey!” I protested, swatting his hand away and wiping my cheek with the back of my hand.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, his tone suddenly serious.
“No,” I muttered.
Effortlessly, he lifted me to my feet, brushing dirt off my knees and elbows before wiping his hands on the jacket he’d laid on the ground. Then, with a practiced motion, he tucked stray strands of my hair behind my ear.
“Let’s go,” he said, taking my hand firmly.
His hand was so warm that I became acutely aware of how cold mine must have felt in comparison.
When had he become so natural with physical contact? Perhaps it was because of the past—our fights, the guiding sessions, and the accidental moments of intimacy like that kiss or the time he bit me. It had all blurred the boundaries.
It’s just holding hands. Nothing strange about it. Colleagues can do this much, I told myself, trying to justify the moment.
But the issue wasn’t the touch itself—it was the way I was starting to feel about it.
Before, I felt nothing when Yu-geon touched me. Whether he held my hand, kissed me, or hugged me, I saw it as just part of the job. But now…
“Wait.”
Lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed that he’d stopped abruptly. He pulled me close, bending low as his eyes followed something overhead.
A patrolling drone whirred above us, its sound cutting through the silence.
Pressed against him, I became hyper-aware of his steady heartbeat, the warmth radiating from his body, and the intoxicating scent that was uniquely his.
I swallowed hard, clutching the fabric of his jacket tightly.
“It’s gone,” he said after the drone moved out of range.
He straightened up but kept a hand on me as we walked. His grip was gentle yet secure, like he was guiding an injured person.
Normally, such excessive care would have irritated me, but instead, it felt… natural. Like he was supposed to treat me this way, and I was supposed to accept it.
A strange thought crossed my mind: the blood coursing through his veins should be mine and mine alone.
I had fed recently and wasn’t thirsty, but the idea of being close to him, of pressing my lips against the places where his pulse was strongest, overwhelmed me.
It wasn’t hunger—it was something far more unsettling.
