20XX Love Chapter 10.1 - 10. XP

Kim Yikyung blinked his eyes open. He stared at the white ceiling for a moment, blinking again.

‘Where am I……?’

His head was dizzy. Slowly turning his eyes to examine his surroundings, he saw the K814 members lying in beds with sensors attached all over their bodies. Their statuses were displayed on a screen through the attached sensors.

This was the examination room of the Esper Management Center, located at headquarters.

Usually, after completing an operation, the team would have their condition checked in the examination room and then be moved to the intensive care unit or the intensive recovery room. In the intensive care unit, injuries were treated with medical equipment and antidotes were administered to neutralize the toxicity, and in the intensive recovery room, the headquarters’ healing team would heal their injuries or provide guiding.

It depended on the availability of healing Espers or Guides, but everyone preferred the intensive recovery room as it allowed them to return to battle much faster.

‘Ah, the red alarm went off.’

Only then did Kim Yikyung remember. A Bloodhole opened in the city, triggering the red alarm, and all members of K814, who were on standby, were summoned and deployed for the operation.

When K814 arrived, the military was already deployed in the middle of the city, and numerous Esper teams were engaged in fierce battles. Because citizens and Creepions were entangled, field attacks were impossible, so the Espers had no choice but to set up zones and engage in one-on-one targeted attacks.

It was a difficult battle. Many citizens were caught in the crossfire of the supernatural attacks, and many Espers were injured. It was an impossible situation from the start; protecting the panicked citizens from the indiscriminately attacking Creepions while also attacking them was unrealistic. Reality wasn’t a hero movie.

When the number of Creepions pouring out of the Bloodhole in the street littered with bloody corpses became overwhelming, a bombing order was finally issued. It was an expected course of action.

Following the withdrawal order, K814 was also leaving the scene. Just then, Kim Yikyung saw a child running out of an alleyway, fleeing, with a Creepion charging at them.

Kim Yikyung threw a fireball copied from Choi Suhyuk and ran towards them. At that moment, several Creepions sprang out from the alley and attacked Kim Yikyung, biting his neck, face, shoulders, and torso indiscriminately. His glasses flew off and shattered on the ground, and beyond the red blood spurting into the air, he saw Hwang Woohyun and Nam Taeyong running towards him. After confirming that the child had escaped safely, and after burning the heads of several Creepions within reach, Kim Yikyung lost consciousness.

Kim Yikyung hurriedly touched his neck. It was smooth without a single trace. He slightly raised his head and looked down at his body, which was stripped to the waist. His shoulders and body were also clean, without a single wound.

Did Nam Taeyong heal him? My internal condition isn’t good. It feels like it’s full of toxins. Did I not take the antidote?

Ah…… wait. Not the antidote. We have a team Guide. Our Guide. Seungmin.

A-rank Guide Han Seungmin.

Is. Dead.

Our Guide is…….

Jungin. Seo Jungin!

Kim Yikyung abruptly sat up, and Jo Heechan was startled, also sitting up abruptly.

“Hyung, Yikyung Hyung. Are you awake?”

Hearing Jo Heechan’s voice, the other members raised their heads or sat up, looking at Kim Yikyung.

Kim Yikyung looked for Seo Jungin, checking each bed. He couldn’t see him anywhere. Seo Jungin wasn’t in the recovery room.

“What? Where’s Jungin……? Where is Jungin?”

“…….”

No one answered. They just stared at Kim Yikyung with sunken eyes. Suddenly, a sense of anxiety washed over him. No, a sense of urgent anxiety rushed in.

“What’s wrong? Where’s Jungin? Did something happen to Jungin? Is he hurt?”

“Jungin is outside after finishing his checkup. Don’t worry, Hyung.”

Hwang Woohyun spoke calmly. His words eased the rising anxiety, but still, something felt strange. An unusually heavy atmosphere hung over the team. Why were they all looking at him with those eyes? What was this atmosphere? Something was strange.

Habitually trying to push up his glasses, Kim Yikyung touched his empty eye area.

‘My glasses broke. My face was bitten.’

The horrible pain of his cheek being ripped off came back vividly, and Kim Yikyung shuddered. He looked around for his glasses, then stopped. He didn’t need them since he didn’t wear them due to poor eyesight.

Ha…… but what is this? This strange sense of unease.

His memory wasn’t completely back yet. There was something naggingly elusive. Was it because he lost too much blood?

“My neck and face were badly bitten. But they’re clean. My body too. Did you heal me, Taeyong?”

After a moment of silence, Nam Taeyong answered.

“……Yes. I healed that body.”

“That body……?”

At the unsettling answer, Kim Yikyung stared at Nam Taeyong’s face and then looked at each of the members again, one by one. Now that he looked, everyone was seriously injured. Nam Taeyong wouldn’t leave them like that. Unless he was on the verge of transforming himself, Nam Taeyong wouldn’t leave even a scratch on the members’ injuries.

Why didn’t he heal them? Did they accumulate toxins? Why did toxins accumulate?

His own body was the same. It felt like toxins were clinging to every corner of his body like sticky tar.

Why? Jungin is here, so why haven’t I been guided?

Why is this so strange? Why is it so unsettling? Why does it feel like my memories and reality are mixed up?

Kim Yikyung ripped off the sensors attached to his body and got off the bed.

“Where are you going?”

Hwang Woohyun also removed the sensors attached to his body and asked. Kim Yikyung pulled a shirt from the locker and buttoned it up.

“I need to see Jungin.”

Kim Yikyung felt that only seeing Seo Jungin right now would calm this strange anxiety.

“Let’s go together, Hyung.”

The members all got out of their beds. One by one, they took their clothes from the lockers and put them on. All five Espers left the examination room.

Seeing the K814 team rushing out, Dr. Park Eunseon and Assistant Manager Jo Dongui of the Esper Management Department, who were sitting in the control room outside the examination room, were startled and jumped to their feet.

“What? Why did everyone come out? You are still undergoing status checks?”

“We need to see our Guide, Seo Jungin, first.”

“Your toxicity levels are high right now, so you need to be detoxified first. It would be good to be guided by the headquarters healing team, but they’re fully booked…… For now, I think you’ll need to go to the intensive care unit and detoxify with an antidote.”

Kim Yikyung looked down at the doctor with a bewildered face.

“We have our team Guide, Seo Jungin, why would we use an antidote?”

“……Team Leader Kim Yikyung, Seo Jungin’s guiding isn’t sufficient to detoxify K814’s toxicity level, so,”

Kim Yikyung couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

Did this person not know Jungin’s guiding rank?

Unable to grasp the meaning behind Kim Yikyung’s sudden laughter, the doctor frowned, and Assistant Manager Jo Dongui, standing next to him, spoke with a rather serious expression.

“I know you’re not happy that you haven’t been assigned a main Guide since Seungmin, but many teams haven’t been assigned main Guides right now. The supply of A-rank Guides is too low compared to the demand.”

Although Kim Yikyung was never the rude type, the corners of his mouth kept creeping upwards.

What were they talking about?

“Assistant Manager, our team is sufficient with Guide Seo Jungin.”

“……What?”

“We requested a main Guide assignment? There must have been some misunderstanding.”

The assistant manager exchanged a truly bewildered look with the doctor. Kim Yikyung continued, still smiling.

“Our team doesn’t need antidotes or anything like that. We don’t need the dedicated healing team Guide either. Where is Guide Seo Jungin?”

“Team Leader Kim Yikyung, your toxicity level is approaching a critical point. Please move to the intensive care unit first.”

“…….”

They weren’t communicating. The conversation wasn’t making sense. Memory and reality were mixed up and flowing together.

Kim Yikyung felt nausea rising and tinnitus setting in.

“Where is Guide Seo Jungin…….”

When Kim Yikyung asked in a low, darkened voice, the assistant manager exchanged glances with Choi Suhyuk and Hwang Woohyun. The doctor calmly spoke to Kim Yikyung again.

“Even if you see Guide Seo Jungin now, his guiding rank is not enough to detoxify your toxicity.”

Kim Yikyung, unlike his usual self, sharply retorted, clearly showing his displeasure.

“It seems like the doctor needs to re-evaluate Guide Seo Jungin’s guiding rank.”

“Yikyung Hyung.”

“Hyung.”

Choi Suhyuk and Jo Heechan simultaneously pulled on Kim Yikyung’s arms. Hwang Woohyun approached the assistant manager and started whispering to him. Kim Yikyung felt the sense of unease again.

Distorted memories. Blurred memories.

What’s wrong? What’s wrong with you all?

You know too. Jungin’s guiding ability. Jungin’s…… Jungin’s guiding…… ability……?

“Hyung, what’s wrong…… Wasn’t the reason our team’s injuries were so bad this time because the toxins weren’t neutralized, so our barriers didn’t work?”

“Hyung…… right now, getting a main Guide assigned as quickly as possible is what’s best for Jungin.”

“Ha…… What are you talking about? Jungin’s guiding…… Jungin’s guiding……”

Kim Yikyung, strangely, couldn’t utter the next words, like a malfunctioning device.

“We all know Jungin Hyung is trying his best, but his guiding efficiency is too low. Honestly, since Seungmin Hyung is gone, it’s just not enough.”

“We can’t just stand by and watch Jungin blame himself and suffer because of that……”

“…….”

Kim Yikyung’s eyes widened, then he looked down at the floor in confusion.

Right. That’s right. Seo Jungin was definitely a C-rank Guide.

When the Black Siren was activated. They were isolated in the Silvertown nursing ward, and their main Guide, Han Seungmin, died…… Right after that, they found the Separator and escaped the space-time trap. Everyone’s toxicity was going rampant and they were on the verge of transforming into monsters, but thankfully, they were guided by the healing team sent from headquarters and barely managed to overcome the crisis.

After that, K814 continued to be deployed on missions, without even having time to grieve over Han Seungmin’s death.

Supplementary Guide Seo Jungin tried his best to support the team, but his C-rank guiding ability was insufficient to cover the fierce battles. Moreover, his guiding didn’t affect Choi Suhyuk, the core offensive power of the team, at all.

The K814 Espers engaged in battles while taking antidotes, and they suffered from frequent injuries and toxic outbursts. And Seo Jungin continued to suffer from guilt and torment. The guilt, self-loathing, and sorrow of not being able to support the team because he was a useless guide.

‘What? Why did I think Jungin’s guiding rank was SS-rank……?’

Kim Yikyung stared blankly at the floor.

“Hyung, let’s go to our team office first.”

“I’ll go get Jungin. Hyung, wait in the team office.”

Jo Heechan and Choi Suhyuk’s words didn’t register. Kim Yikyung kept thinking with his confused mind.

[If we get out of here…… let’s leave together.]

Kim Yikyung suddenly remembered the words he had said. The words he had said. Those words were definitely spoken to Seo Jungin.

When did he say those words? Why did he say them?

[I said goodbye. Sob, he said goodbye to me……]

Seo Jungin’s tearful voice came to mind. Why did his chest ache when he remembered that voice?

[I didn’t want to lose Hyung. Hyung……]

His chest hurt. Why did it hurt so much? Why did he feel this way when he remembered Seo Jungin’s tearful voice?

He didn’t want to lose him.

He didn’t want to lose him.

Kim Yikyung froze where he stood.

He touched his face. His bitten cheek.

His neck. He caressed his neck, where blood had gushed from the severed artery.

His shoulders, chest, and abdomen. He clutched his stomach, which had been indiscriminately ripped open by sharp teeth, spilling his insides.

‘Ah, I…… I……’

Kim Yikyung suddenly darted towards the door as if sprung by a coil.

“Yikyung Hyung!”

“Hyung!”

“Hyuuung!”

The startled members chased after Kim Yikyung.

As soon as Kim Yikyung ran out into the hallway, he ran towards his destination with clarity. It would be there. Everything would be there.

Kim Yikyung quickly ran, got into the elevator, and hurriedly pressed the button for B3. The doors closed just in front of Choi Suhyuk, and the elevator began to descend towards B3.

When the doors opened on B3, the characteristic antiseptic smell and chill of the morgue wafted in. Kim Yikyung looked around, checking his surroundings, and walked further inside. Neat and tidy morgue spaces continued one after another, until finally, a familiar figure came into Kim Yikyung’s view.

“Jungin…….”

Light brown hair gently swayed, and a tear-stained face turned to look at Kim Yikyung. He was clutching a blood-soaked uniform jacket preciously to his chest. His eyes were red from crying, and tears continued to well up and flow, soaking his neckline.

A choked voice barely managed to form sounds.

“Yikyung Hyung……”

And the body lying on the long transport bed in front of Seo Jungin…… was none other than Kim Yikyung.

The body, covered from the waist down with a white sheet, was cleaned of blood but not prepared for burial, so it remained in its gruesome state. Broken teeth and tongue were visible inside the deeply bitten cheek. The severed neck was deeply gouged, exposing the cervical vertebrae and mangled muscles and flesh. Moving down to the bitten and torn shoulders and chest to the ripped-open abdomen, the empty space where the scattered and uncollected organs had been was gaping.

Kim Yikyung’s eyes, looking down at the cold body, grew cold as well.

He remembered. The last moment.

Kim Yikyung, seeing the spurting arterial blood and his organs being ripped out, knew he was dying. At that moment, he spread his right palm wide and replicated his body. A replica Kim Yikyung, with his cheek torn off, blood pouring from his neck, and guts ripped open, collapsed into Nam Taeyong’s arms. From that moment on, the subject of this memory transferred to the replica Kim Yikyung.

The eyes of the original Kim Yikyung, collapsing on the other side and having his insides devoured by the Creepions without a chance to fight back, had already lost their light. While Nam Taeyong pulled the replicated him back and frantically healed his wounds, Choi Suhyuk and Hwang Woohyun shouted something and burned and scorched the Creepions clinging to the fallen Kim Yikyung.

“So I……”

The replica Kim Yikyung murmured, looking down at the body of the original Kim Yikyung.

“……am a 24-hour version……”

At those words, Seo Jungin’s face crumpled as if the world was collapsing, and he gasped, stumbling backward. He clutched Kim Yikyung’s bloody uniform jacket even tighter.

“Uh, huh, hic, hic.”

The members, who had followed, surrounded the replica Kim Yikyung. Seeing them, Seo Jungin gasped fearfully and retreated further and further back. As if fleeing from their gazes, which were a mixture of resentment, sorrow, and pity. Fleeing, fleeing.

Seo Jungin, his face stained with guilt and terror, continued to back away until he finally reached the cold wall, then slumped down and wept.

“So, sorry…… uh huh, sorry. Uh huh huh……”

“…….”

“I’m sorry…… hic, Yikyung Hyung……”

The replica Kim Yikyung couldn’t say or do anything, just staring at Seo Jungin.

“If…… hic, hic, if only I could guide properly……”

The replica Kim Yikyung recalled the fierce battle scene. Hazy and blurred. The image of Seo Jungin, which he couldn’t recall until now, finally surfaced. The image of Seo Jungin, under Hwang Woohyun’s protection, struggling to guide K814. The image of Seo Jungin agonizing over not being able to provide proper guidance. The image of Seo Jungin bewildered as the team Espers’ toxicity levels rose, their barriers failing, and their attack power drastically decreasing.

The image of Seo Jungin screaming in anguish as Kim Yikyung’s barrier completely collapsed, and he was bitten alive by Creepions, leading to his death.

“Someone like me…… huh, hic, I’d be better off not being on the team, someone like me, hic, huh huh,”

Seo Jungin slid down the wall, crouching on the floor, sobbing and gasping.

Yet, the replica Kim Yikyung couldn’t take any action, just standing there as if frozen. The other members, too, could only hold their heads or turn their backs, bowing their heads and sighing. No one added another word.

Seo Jungin’s expression was as if he was being crushed and suffocated by guilt.

“I…… I, sob, I should have, ah…… I should have died……”

Seo Jungin’s hand was pulling something out of his uniform pocket. The replica Kim Yikyung saw it, but he couldn’t understand the meaning of the action. He couldn’t move, as if his feet were glued to the floor, and just stared at Seo Jungin’s white hand.

“Hic, sob, instead of Yikyung Hyung…… I……”

Seo Jungin brought his tightly clenched hand to his mouth, trembling. The replica Kim Yikyung saw this too, but still couldn’t grasp its meaning. He just stood there, watching, as if someone was holding his ankles.

“Sorry…… everyone…… I’m sorry……”

After apologizing, Seo Jungin abruptly covered his gasping mouth with both hands. And his tearful eyes met the replica Kim Yikyung’s.

“…….”

The replica Kim Yikyung watched, puzzled, as the fear in Seo Jungin’s eyes, looking at him, briefly turned into relief. And he watched as the light quickly faded from those eyes.

“……?”

Seo Jungin’s hands lost their strength and dropped to the floor.

“……Ju, Jungin…….”

A voice finally escaped the replica Kim Yikyung’s lips. But Seo Jungin didn’t answer.

“Jungin. Seo Jungin.”

The replica Kim Yikyung’s feet finally left the floor.

He rushed to Seo Jungin, crouching on the floor, and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. Seo Jungin’s body swayed with the shaking, his head losing strength and lolling forward. Sensing something was wrong, the members all ran over and surrounded them.

“Seo Jungin…… Seo Jungin!”

The replica Kim Yikyung, while holding Seo Jungin in his arms, lifted his chin. Seo Jungin’s light brown eyes, just like his gentle heart, were submerged in tears, his pupils dilated. His face, relieved from guilt, was peaceful, but no breath escaped his slightly parted lips.

Choi Suhyuk hurriedly opened the zipper of Seo Jungin’s uniform front pocket and looked inside. Choi Suhyuk’s eyes, holding the opened case, were instantly filled with despair.

“The capsule is gone.”

The fast-acting neurotoxin capsule that should have been there was gone. It had gone down Seo Jungin’s throat, melted, and paralyzed his lung muscles, causing instant suffocation.

“Move!”

Nam Taeyong snatched Seo Jungin from the replica Kim Yikyung, held him, and quickly pressed his palm against Seo Jungin’s skin to assess his condition.

He felt nothing. Nam Taeyong, who could assess the physical damage and poisoning status of any living being, felt nothing from Seo Jungin. Non-living. An object.

A corpse.

“……He’s dead……”

“Please come down to B3 quickly! Jungin Hyung swallowed the capsule!”

Jo Heechan’s urgent call to the infirmary echoed loudly down the hallway.

“Heal him, save him, you can save him!”

Hwang Woohyun grabbed Nam Taeyong’s arm fiercely and shouted, but he already sensed it was irreversible. The DTX capsule issued to Espers was a paralytic poison with maximized toxicity to minimize pain and induce quick death in situations of inevitable transformation due to toxic overload or unavoidable death. It wasn’t something a healing Esper could do anything about. Nevertheless, Hwang Woohyun cried out in agony.

“Save him! Nam Taeyong, save him!”

The replica Kim Yikyung staggered to his feet. He hadn’t noticed Seo Jungin reaching into his pocket because Seo Jungin was clutching Kim Yikyung’s uniform jacket to his chest. He hadn’t realized Seo Jungin was about to swallow the capsule because he held it concealed in his hand.

No, that wasn’t it. In truth, he had been so shocked by the fact that the real Kim Yikyung was dead and he was just a replica that he was looking at Seo Jungin without seeing him. He was watching Seo Jungin choose death out of overwhelming guilt without really seeing him. He didn’t fail to notice; he didn’t want to notice. He could have stopped him, but he didn’t.

He was alive just a moment ago. Talking and breathing, he was alive.

I could have stopped him. I could have told him it wasn’t his fault. That Kim Yikyung’s death wasn’t his fault. Only I, the Kim Yikyung left behind by Kim Yikyung, could tell him that!

Choi Suhyuk was kneeling, performing CPR on Seo Jungin with a face full of despair. Jo Heechan rushed in with a defibrillator, and Hwang Woohyun was clutching Nam Taeyong by the collar, sobbing.

He couldn’t believe it. He absolutely couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t accept this surreal reality unfolding before his eyes.

The replica Kim Yikyung looked down at the dead Seo Jungin. As Choi Suhyuk’s hands compressed his chest, tears welled up in Seo Jungin’s unfocused eyes and streamed down his ears.

Why doesn’t any of this feel real to me?

[I really like you, Jungin. I want only you.]

When, at what moment, did I make this heartfelt confession? Jungin?

[Let’s leave…… I only need you…… Let’s go live together by a quiet beach……]

When did this heart-wrenching feeling, like you had become my everything, start?

[Let’s forget all the painful things. Just the two of us……]

The replica Kim Yikyung staggered, gripping the transport bed, and looked down at his own dead face.

How should he define himself, now that the link was severed? Was he Kim Yikyung? Or was he someone else, holding Kim Yikyung’s memories for 24 hours? Or was he just an afterimage of Kim Yikyung?

The replica Kim Yikyung asked the corpse.

“How…… how many hours do I have left?”

‘…….’

The corpse, naturally, didn’t answer.

“Is this…… really real?”

‘…….’

“Is it…… really real that I’m dead?”

‘…….’

“Is it real that Jungin is dead? Tell me if it’s real!”

At that moment, the corpse’s eyes flickered open. The replica Kim Yikyung felt the blood drain from his head, his breath catching in his throat.

‘These are my feelings.’

“……Wh, what?”

‘The feelings you’re feeling. The feelings you feel for Jungin. Those are mine.’

“Ha……”

The replica Kim Yikyung’s eyes began to shake uncontrollably with a chilling sense of déjà vu.

“So…… so…… I understand, so…… what does that even mean……”

The corpse’s clouded corneas stared intently at the replica Kim Yikyung.

“What does it matter who is who, when Jungin is already dead!”

‘Does your chest hurt?’

The replica Kim Yikyung’s chest ached. It ached because Seo Jungin was dead. Even though he was just an afterimage, destined to dissipate in a few hours, his chest ached so much that he wanted to tear it open and rip out his heart.

“It hurts. My chest hurts. The pain Jungin must have felt. The guilt. The fact that he died thinking it was his fault that I died……”

‘Then you shouldn’t disappear so easily either.’

The corpse’s stiff arm stuck out from the transport bed and pointed to the crumpled, bloodstained uniform at Seo Jungin’s feet.

‘It’s in there. My capsule.’

The replica Kim Yikyung looked down at the uniform where the corpse’s straight finger pointed.

It was there. The DTX capsule, inside the case that could only be opened with his fingerprint.

‘Take it out and swallow it. Die the same way Jungin did.’

“…….”

‘As punishment for not stopping Jungin’s death.’

The replica Kim Yikyung walked to where the corpse’s finger pointed and picked up the bloodstained uniform. He took the case out of the pocket, scanned his fingerprint, and the capsule was revealed.

‘Swallow it. Die.’

The replica Kim Yikyung held the blue poison capsule in his hand and stared at it.

I shouldn’t disappear comfortably. Because I let Jungin die in agony. To atone, I must die the same way Jungin chose to die. That way, the dead Kim Yikyung can tell Jungin.

That he liked him. That it was only him. That he really wanted to leave with him. And that now, at least in this place, they are together. Just the two of them, in this peaceful and quiet place.

The replica Kim Yikyung stared at the DTX capsule for a long time.

[I didn’t want to lose Hyung……]

He remembered Seo Jungin’s tearful voice. Finally, as if he had made up his mind, the replica Kim Yikyung dropped the capsule into his mouth and swallowed.

The corpse, with its clouded corneas, looked at the replica Kim Yikyung and smiled faintly.

No, that wasn’t it. His tongue wriggled within his torn cheek, and the corner of his mouth on the undamaged side stretched up to his ear, splitting in a grin.

Goodbye, Kim Yikyung.

The corpse was sitting up. Its severed neck, with only bone remaining, flopped forward, and its stiff arms reached up to support it. At that moment, the replica Kim Yikyung’s face came close to the corpse’s face.

‘……?!’

The replica Kim Yikyung’s strong hands pushed the corpse back down onto the transport bed.

‘……?!’

“Now that I think about it……”

The replica Kim Yikyung’s face, inches from the corpse’s, whispered with a chilling smile.

“……I haven’t heard Jungin’s answer to my confession yet……”

‘You…… didn’t swallow the capsule……?’

“Ah, that? I just pretended to.”

‘……Why?’

The replica Kim Yikyung chuckled.

“I remembered what Jungin said right before I swallowed the capsule. Jungin said he didn’t want to lose me. Considering that, I think he likes me…… but……”

Those words of Seo Jungin, saying he didn’t want to lose him. At those words, he lost his mind and kissed Seo Jungin. As soon as their lips met, Seo Jungin instantly flushed with pleasure and poured out tingling guiding. The thought that Seo Jungin was probably getting wet down there made him unable to resist, so he dragged Seo Jungin behind the bar.

And he sucked his clit, sucked his nipples, sucked his cock.

“Anyway, I sucked everything that could be sucked and fucked everything that could be fucked, and then I confessed again. I thought he would answer me if I made him cum and then confessed while he was wrapped around me.”

The replica Kim Yikyung stroked the gaping cheek of the corpse.

“I almost got an answer, but Nam Taeyong interfered.”

The replica Kim Yikyung now clearly remembered the characteristics of the Separator, which he learned at the Esper Management Center.

The Separator, with its bizarrely bent limbs, was physically weak, but it attacked by trapping people in space-time traps and summoning Creepions. It could summon anything, human or monster, but because everything reset after 24 hours, it couldn’t summon the target itself. Because if it summoned and devoured the target, a time paradox would occur. The Separator hid in a spiderweb-like nest in a cave, spreading a telepathic veil to conceal the nest and manipulating the illusions of anyone who came into contact with it to defend itself. The illusion manipulation was based on the person’s memories, so it wasn’t so much an illusion created by the Separator, but rather a manifestation of the nightmares within their own minds.

In short, Kim Yikyung had finally gotten close to the Separator, activating its illusion manipulation defense, and was therefore experiencing the nightmare hidden within his own mind.

“This is definitely my nightmare.”

Confusion about his identity, gained by replicating his own body. The fear of losing Seo Jungin.

Mixing those two creates this kind of nightmare. A nightmare where Seo Jungin, blaming himself for his insufficient guiding ability, takes his own life, and Kim Yikyung’s consciousness, fractured, follows him.

“Haha. Jungin’s guiding ability being insufficient. His rank becomes SS-rank with mucosal guiding.”

The replica Kim Yikyung held the DTX capsule he was holding up to the corpse’s eyes.

“How high do you think my toxicity level is, after I fucked every hole I could find?”

The capsule in his hand disappeared into the gaping cheek where the tongue was visible. As the corpse twitched, the replica Kim Yikyung covered its torn cheek and mouth with his hand.

“I’m so clean, it feels like I just awakened as an Esper. Want to see?”

The replica Kim Yikyung summoned the fire ability he copied from Choi Suhyuk to the hand covering the corpse’s cheek and mouth.

‘Mmmmph!’

Flames erupted from the corpse’s eyes, nose, mouth, every opening, and a horrifying scream, like a knife stabbing into the brain, echoed.

“Kyaaaack!”

At that moment, the scenery of the morgue vanished. The entire VIP room peeled off like a shell, about to collapse on top of him. Kim Yikyung hurriedly ducked, covering his head with both hands.

Crash!

Debris rained down with a loud noise, but it wasn’t a real phenomenon. It was all an illusion, a hallucination.

“What! What broke?! Yikyung Hyung, did you do something with the hammer?”

“Yikyung Hyung just seemed to touch the mirror with the hammer……”

“Fuck, I think something just shattered, or is it just a feeling? Huh?”

“Jungin, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine!”

Jo Heechan, Choi Suhyuk, Nam Taeyong, Hwang Woohyun, and then even Seo Jungin’s voice. Kim Yikyung’s eyes shot open.

The illusion manipulation was broken. Kim Yikyung was back in reality, the emergency escape hammer still firmly gripped in his hand. A considerable amount of time had passed in the nightmare Kim Yikyung experienced, but no time had passed in reality. In other words, from the members’ perspective, the moment Kim Yikyung touched the mirror with the hammer, the space shattered in a visual hallucination.

“What, is there a hole here now?”

“The wall mirror is gone.”

The dark hole in the wall that Jo Heechan and Hwang Woohyun were examining had been hidden by the telepathic veil in the form of a wall mirror. Right after Kim Yikyung rolled around with the two replica Kim Yikyungs and Seo Jungin, and Nam Taeyong intervened to interrupt, he suddenly noticed the wall mirror.

With ornate decorative carvings, a console was placed below the mirror, a thoughtful touch for those entering and exiting the VIP room to quickly adjust their appearance. The wall mirrors, so natural that they were barely noticeable, were located on either side of the entrance.

One of them. The wall mirror that everyone looked at following Nam Taeyong’s gaze evoked an unsettling dissonance. None of the K814 team members were reflected in the mirror’s surface. One mirror reflected the interior of the room and the people normally, while the other mirror reflected the room but not the people.

In the chilling silence, everyone exchanged glances as they looked at the mirror. This dissonance was clearly a clue to escaping the trap that was the VIP room.

Kim Yikyung slowly reached out to the mirror, but Hwang Woohyun stopped him.

“Touching it with your hand seems dangerous.”

At those words, Jo Heechan brought the emergency escape hammer mounted on the wall. Again, under everyone’s gaze, Kim Yikyung took the hammer and slowly approached the mirror. And the very moment the hammer touched the spotless mirror surface, reflecting only the fixed image of the VIP room, Kim Yikyung’s nightmare began.

The Separator’s illusion manipulation had so intensely triggered the darkness within his mind that Kim Yikyung almost took his own life. What would happen if he died in the nightmare? Would he wake up? That would be the case if it were a dream. But what if it wasn’t a dream, but a severing of the connection within his mind, the consciousness that defined him as Kim Yikyung? His body in reality would live, but he would become a vegetable, his mind non-functional.

Kim Yikyung shuddered, realizing how terrifying the Separator’s illusion manipulation was as a mental attack. Since the Separator wasn’t a common Creepion, and Kim Yikyung didn’t know the details of the illusion manipulation or how to counter it, he could only conclude that he escaped with his innate intuition and senses.

Perhaps it was thanks to his feelings for Seo Jungin.

“Suhyuk, check if the isolation is broken.”

Choi Suhyuk quickly opened the door and checked outside. The furrow in his brow deepened, and his eyes turned cold. He opened the door wide so the other members could see, and instead of pitch-black darkness, the original hallway appeared. The isolation was broken.

But outside the window of the room, the darkness remained. While the isolation of the VIP room was broken, the isolation of the entire ward wasn’t. A shadow fell over Kim Yikyung’s eyes.

‘We escaped the trap within the trap, but we’re still in a trap.’

Hwang Woohyun turned on the light on his watch and illuminated the cave.

“……Hyung…… Look at this.”

The inside of the cave was covered in spiderwebs, and in the deepest corner, a cocoon-like nest made of silken threads was built. Looking closely, he could see a grotesque creature huddled inside the cocoon nest. A Creepion that looked like a spider with its bizarrely bent limbs.

“It’s a Separator.”

Jo Heechan murmured, holding his breath. It was the space-time splitting Creepion ‘Separator’, which he had only seen in video footage.

“It’s so small……”

Choi Suhyuk, who had approached, joined them. The Separator the members were observing wasn’t the size of an adult male, as was commonly known, but the size of a small child. Its entire body was covered in glistening, moist fluids. The Separator, reflecting the light with its large, black eyes, huddled further into the corner.

“Should we just shoot it?”

Nam Taeyong pointed a positron gun at it, but Hwang Woohyun immediately pressed his hand down, stopping him.

“Wait. We don’t know much about Separators. We don’t know what will happen if we act rashly.”

“Besides, it’s much stronger than we thought. I’ve never heard of them being able to summon Bloodholes.”

At Choi Suhyuk’s words, Kim Yikyung elegantly spread his long fingers.

“I’ll replicate it.”

“The Separator’s ability……?”

“Yes. If I replicate its ability, we can break the ward’s isolation.”

To replicate an ability, he needed direct contact with the target. Kim Yikyung’s hand slowly reached towards the Separator in the cave.

“Ugh…… Hyung, be careful……”

Jo Heechan flinched, as if just watching Kim Yikyung’s hand approach the disgusting creature gave him goosebumps. The moment Kim Yikyung’s fingertips lightly brushed against its thin ankle, the Separator flinched and curled up further inside.

“Eugh!”

Jo Heechan shuddered at the quick, insect-like movement. Kim Yikyung looked slightly surprised and reached out again.

‘This…… isn’t the Separator’s main body. Is that why it’s small?’

The Separator, completely cornered, had nowhere else to run. Finally, Kim Yikyung’s hand touched its ankle. Smooth, mucus-covered skin. A temperature lower than a human’s.

‘This is a sub-body.’

Kim Yikyung could grasp the Separator’s ability through the point of contact.

‘To create another trap within the space-time trap, it needs to create a sub-body and send it out, like a dispatch.’

The Separator’s main body, which isolated the entire ward, was somewhere else, and it had dispatched this sub-body to create another space-time trap within the ward.

Kim Yikyung was inwardly impressed. He had dealt with many X-Creepions (special type Creepions) before. Creepions were generally mindless killers with an uncontrollable appetite for humans, but X-Creepions were sometimes found disguised in forms indistinguishable from humans, or even as intelligent beings with surprisingly high intelligence.

However, this was the first time he had encountered a Creepion with such high intelligence and ability. A Creepion that strategically set traps like this, driving them into a corner like a hunter driving prey……

Kim Yikyung gripped the Separator’s ankle tightly. He felt it wriggling, as if trying to pull its ankle free from his hand. The moment he used his ability to replicate its power.

“Huuuh!”

Kim Yikyung’s eyes turned completely black and shiny, just like the Separator’s.

“Heut, euuuh……!”

Kim Yikyung’s consciousness separated from his body and was violently pulled away from the present, as if being sucked into a black hole. At the same time, as if watching his hand from beyond the event horizon, his body felt infinitely far away from his hand.

Finally, even Kim Yikyung’s vision began to stretch and distort. In his stretching vision, he saw countless cracks in space-time. Cracks splitting, opening, and closing within infinite time. They passed by too quickly for his eyes to register, yet also agonizingly slow. He felt like he was flying, running, crawling, and standing still, all at once. He felt like he could understand everything, yet understand nothing at all. It was as if a terrifying wheel of knowledge was spinning, weaving the screams of chaos, pain, and disorder into a thread of self.

Just when everything was being sucked in, stretched thin beyond return, and he felt like he was about to lose himself, there was a fleeting sensation that drew his breath, stole his vision, and awakened his consciousness. A long crack in space, shining with golden light. The dazzling light leaking from the crack was pulling Kim Yikyung in.

Pulled into the crack, which transformed into a hole, Kim Yikyung could glimpse two people in two spaces facing each other. One was enveloped in golden light, and the other was covered in black blood.

Ah. The two people.

‘Jungin……!’

The two people facing each other were two Seo Jungins. One Seo Jungin was shining with brilliant, overflowing golden power, and the other was covered in black blood and ashes, drowning in despair.

The golden Seo Jungin, enveloped in wondrous power, looked like a transcendental being. On the other hand, the Seo Jungin trapped in the mire of despair, seemingly having lost everything, looked as good as dead, even though he was alive.

Kim Yikyung wanted to embrace his slumped shoulders. He wanted to kiss his lifeless eyes. He wanted to whisper words of comfort in his ear. But Kim Yikyung couldn’t reach him. He could only watch the two, unable to reach them with his hands, lips, or words.

Just when the agony of watching became unbearable, when he wanted to stop watching altogether, the two Seo Jungins called each other’s names and reached out to each other. The Seo Jungin who had everything and the Seo Jungin who had lost everything gently embraced and rubbed their cheeks together.

A brilliant golden light enveloped the two Seo Jungins, and only then did Kim Yikyung realize. That the same golden light was flowing through his entire body. That this light had led him here, pulling him from the black void.

The light was a trace left by Seo Jungin. A trace that only an Esper who received Seo Jungin’s golden guiding could possess.

‘Ah…… Jungin……’

The time the two Seo Jungins embraced felt both eternally long and fleetingly short. Kim Yikyung wanted to see what would happen next. But he couldn’t see the next moment, and felt his being rapidly returning to his physical body in reality.

As soon as he was pulled back into his body, the same horrifying scream, like a knife stabbing into his brain, echoed.

“Kyaaaack!”

Thud.

Kim Yikyung, covered in black blood and fluids, was flung backward and tumbled to the floor.

“Hyung! Are you alright?!”

“Yikyung Hyung! Are you okay?”

“Ugh, what is this……!”

The startled members shone their lights into the cave, which was now splattered with black blood and fluids. Inside, there was only a grotesque mess of mangled bones, with black blood and flesh oozing out.

💘

After carefully checking outside the room, Kim Yikyung beckoned inside, and the members, armed, took their positions and stepped out into the hallway. Kim Yikyung led the way, and Nam Taeyong covered the rear.

Since the VIP room was a space-time trap, now that they had escaped and the isolation was broken, they didn’t know the current state of the entire ward. If 24 hours had passed since the Bloodhole battle, everything would have reset, but if not, Creepions could pour out of the main hall at any moment.

Kim Yikyung had broken free from the illusion manipulation, the isolation of the VIP room had been lifted, and they had finally found the Separator, but it was only a sub-body. Kim Yikyung tried to replicate the sub-body’s ability to break the ward’s isolation, but the sub-body exploded before he could replicate it. They didn’t know whether it was a self-destruction controlled by the main body or a defense mechanism of the sub-body.

Although he couldn’t replicate the space-time splitting ability, the discovery of the sub-body provided them with various pieces of information about dealing with the Separator.

First, the Separator could create traps within traps by splitting space-time even after the initial split. However, to do so, it needed to place a sub-body within the separated space-time. Therefore, the main body or a sub-body of the Separator must be hiding within the allocated separated space.

Second, the Separator spread a kind of telepathic veil at the entrance to hide its nest. In other words, it copied the surrounding objects and background and projected them onto the observer, and since it could control the five senses of anyone who came into contact with it, it could create visual and tactile illusions. Since it copied the surrounding scenery, if they focused on finding identical objects, they could discover the Separator’s nest hidden behind them.

Third, if the entrance barrier was broken, the Separator would attempt a mental attack by manipulating the illusions of the person who made contact. Because this wasn’t an illusion created by the Separator but a nightmare stemming from the person’s primal fears, the person caught in the illusion manipulation had to discover the dissonance within the nightmare themselves to wake up.

Based on this information, the K814 team decided to search the ward again. They would look for identical scenes, like twins. Backgrounds so natural that they were easily overlooked. Yet, once discovered, they would evoke a chilling sense of dissonance.

“It’s clean. It’s been reset.”

Kim Yikyung, after confirming that the lobby and central hall were cleanly restored, quickly gave orders to change their formation. Even if the 24-hour reset time remained unchanged, the Separator’s cooldown for summoning Creepions was completely reset. Therefore, it was too risky to search separately by floor, as they had done before.

Instead, they decided to search in pairs on the same floor and then gather in the center to move to a different floor together.

“Signal with your watch if you find anything unusual. If the bone conduction alarm goes off, immediately move to the designated call team.”

Hwang Woohyun and Jo Heechan cast ability barriers on the members. A faint electric current crackled over the thin, icy barrier.

“Choi Suhyuk, Jo Heechan.”

At Kim Yikyung’s hand signal, the two nodded slightly and headed towards the first-floor main hall where the Bloodhole had opened.

“Hwang Woohyun, Seo Jungin.”

The two were assigned to the first-floor offices. Hwang Woohyun put his arm around Seo Jungin’s back as they walked together.

Kim Yikyung watched Hwang Woohyun and Seo Jungin disappear beyond the lobby and then turned to the remaining person.

“Nam Taeyong.”

“Why are we always paired together? Do you like me?”

Kim Yikyung chuckled dryly without answering, and Nam Taeyong chuckled and continued.

“I fucking hate you too.”

Kim Yikyung and Nam Taeyong decided to check the four waiting rooms (multi-bed rooms) on the first floor.

Thus, the six members of the K814 team, in three pairs, began their search for the clue to escape the ward, a clue they had barely managed to obtain.

💘

Hwang Woohyun and Seo Jungin cautiously made their way through the lobby and down the hallway, carefully observing their surroundings. Since restrooms and utility rooms within the area were also part of the search, the two moved quickly but thoroughly, looking for identical or dissonant objects.

Having found nothing unusual, they continued on and finally arrived at their destination, the office. They carefully pushed open the frosted glass door and cautiously entered.

― Our troubles will be out of sight……. Have yourself a merry little Christmas…….

“……?”

It was a Christmas carol. With a large Christmas tree set up in the corner by the window, and Frank Sinatra’s classic voice filling the room, the office was completely immersed in a Christmas mood.

The staff had immediately evacuated the office when the evacuation order was issued, leaving everything as it was. Moreover, since the same day kept repeating within the ward, this office had been playing Christmas carols every day.

Seo Jungin suddenly checked his watch. How many days had it been since they were trapped in the ward……?

It was December 6th when the Obsidian Hole opened nearby and the Black Siren was activated. Following the emergency response guidelines, evacuation orders were issued for each building, and the assembled Esper teams were assigned areas to search for special type Creepions.

K814 was assigned to this Silvertown, and as soon as they started searching the nursing ward, they were separated in space-time by the Separator. While December 6th kept repeating within the ward, time continued to flow for K814.

It was the 18th day since they were trapped in the ward.

“December 24th……”

It was Christmas Eve.

Seo Jungin was slightly surprised, then lost in thought for a moment, captivated by the Christmas tree. He had seen Christmas tree decorations in various places, like the central lobby and the dining hall, but he hadn’t been in the right frame of mind to appreciate them.

Of course, it wasn’t that he should be getting sentimental now, but perhaps it was because he was listening to a familiar and beloved Christmas carol. The sight of the classic light bulbs twinkling softened Seo Jungin’s heart.

Seo Jungin loved Christmas. Having grown up in an orphanage, Christmas was a special day for him because it was a day overflowing with heartwarming gifts from all walks of life.

However, it wasn’t simply because he received many gifts that Seo Jungin loved Christmas. The national orphanage had ample support, well-designed learning programs, and various welfare programs, so there was nothing lacking in his upbringing.

Nevertheless, Seo Jungin always felt an unfulfilled loneliness. An emptiness that material abundance couldn’t fill. For Seo Jungin, who had never experienced being fully loved, the overflowing emotions of Christmas were imprinted deep within his heart, repeating every year.

People crowding the orphanage, constantly handing out gifts. People smiling brightly. Unending smiles. Warm hands stroking his hair, holding his hand, embracing him. Their warm body heat. Their warmth.

The exciting, tingling moments of joy and the time spent waiting for people. He always waited. Seo Jungin always looked forward to Christmas.

It was a sad imprint. Even knowing the reason why he loved Christmas, he still loved Christmas. It was deeply engraved in his head, body, and heart, and he always waited for winter.

Donated red colas piled up like a mountain next to the large Christmas tree, and colorful light bulbs twinkled, spinning as if dancing.

When Seo Jungin saw the gift boxes with colorful wrapping paper and name tags piling up in front of him, his empty heart felt full, just for that day, and he became immensely happy.

“Jungin.”

“…….”

“Seo Jungin.”

“……Yes?”

Seo Jungin looked up at Hwang Woohyun’s call as if waking from a dream. Hwang Woohyun’s blue eyes looked down at him softly from beneath his slightly wavy blond hair.

“When we get out of here…… can I come over to your place again this Christmas?”

“Huh? Ah……”

Seo Jungin looked at Hwang Woohyun with surprised eyes, then blushed and lowered his head at his gentle gaze.

Last Christmas Eve. Shortly after Seo Jungin was assigned to K814 as their Guide, Christmas arrived, and the members received a long vacation that lasted until New Year’s. Everyone revealed their plans and scattered.

Choi Suhyuk and Kim Yikyung said they would spend the holidays with their families. Both came from wealthy families and received a lot of support from their homes even while working as Espers, so they usually visited their families during important events or holidays.

Jo Heechan begged Han Seungmin to spend Christmas with him, but when Han Seungmin went home to spend time with his family, Jo Heechan changed his plans to drinking heavily with his friends and quickly disappeared.

Nam Taeyong left without saying anything, and they didn’t think much of it.

Only Hwang Woohyun and Seo Jungin remained in the team’s office at headquarters. Hwang Woohyun looked at Seo Jungin kindly and spoke.

[I’m planning to relax at home and watch movies, what about you, Jungin?]

[Huh? Me?]

Seo Jungin blushed, startled. Hwang Woohyun always spoke kindly to him, even though he was still adjusting and mostly just listened to everyone’s conversations without actively participating. He was very grateful for Hwang Woohyun’s consideration and care.

[I’m just…… going to relax at home too.]

[No plans to meet friends…… go on a date…… or spend time with your family?]

[……Um…….]

Seo Jungin blinked, his eyes hidden behind his thick bangs, and for some reason, blurted out to Hwang Woohyun.

[I…… grew up in an orphanage…… I don’t have a family.]

[Ah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.]

When Hwang Woohyun apologized, visibly flustered, Seo Jungin waved his hands, his face even redder.

[Ah, ah, no, no, you don’t have to apologize. It’s okay. It’s just, that’s how it is. I just told you because you asked.]

[I’m sorry…… I was just wondering if you had any plans……]

Hwang Woohyun’s face was filled with genuine remorse.

[Yeah. Well. I was thinking of buying a bottle of wine. Since it’s Christmas……?]

Seo Jungin, flustered and red-faced, stammered his reply. And they talked a little more, but he couldn’t quite remember, and the next thing he knew, he was back home with a bottle of wine.

[Ha……]

Seo Jungin took off his shoes and crossed the dark living room. The apartment provided by the government. Since he was a C-rank Guide, he received a small designated apartment near headquarters, but since he had lived in a small studio before becoming a Guide, this felt luxurious, and he was grateful.

He placed the wine bottle on the table and leaned back comfortably on the sofa, relaxing his body that had been tense all day.

[…….]

After staring out the dark window for a moment, Seo Jungin turned on the lights of his small Christmas tree and used an app to play a classic Frank Sinatra carol.

The red, blue, yellow, and green lights blinked alternately, reflecting on the window, and the slow, lyrical jazz melody enveloped the living room.

Seo Jungin thought of Hwang Woohyun’s blue eyes. Regret washed over him as he remembered what he had said to Hwang Woohyun.

Why did he say those things? That he grew up in an orphanage, that he didn’t have a family……

He had sensed that Hwang Woohyun was particularly considerate and caring towards him. Perhaps he wanted to act spoiled, taking advantage of his kindness. Perhaps his heart had softened because it was Christmas……

Seo Jungin shook his head, sinking deeper into regret. He felt a deep sense of self-loathing for saying unnecessary things to a teammate he had only known for a month.

Just then, the ringing of the phone startled him, and Seo Jungin checked the caller ID on his wristwatch.

[……?!]

Seo Jungin’s eyes widened in surprise. He involuntarily stood up from the sofa and checked his watch again.

It was Hwang Woohyun.

What? What? Why was he calling? They weren’t close enough to call each other privately. And it didn’t seem like a work-related call either.

Seo Jungin fidgeted, unable to sit or stand still, anxiously fiddling with his watch before finally answering the call.

[Hello……?]

[Jungin, it’s Woohyun.]

He already knew that.

[Oh? Yeah. Why, why? Why did you call?]

[I wanted to apologize for my slip of the tongue earlier…… and I bought a bottle of wine……]

[Huh? Wine?]

Seo Jungin looked at the supermarket wine on the table, which he couldn’t remember buying.

[I thought I’d drop it off if you’re okay with it. I’m in front of your apartment right now.]

Seo Jungin, genuinely flustered, rushed to the window and looked outside. He lived on the third floor, so he could see clearly if anyone was outside, but he only saw parked cars, no one he could identify as Hwang Woohyun.

[How did you know where I live?]

Even as he asked, he knew it was a stupid question. The apartments provided to C-rank Guides were in designated areas near headquarters, so any Esper would know.

[I know you live in the official residences, but I don’t know your apartment number. Tell me your number, and I’ll just drop this off and go.]

[Ah, it’s really okay…… why did you buy that?]

[……I just bought it because I felt bad. I like wine. You said you were going to buy wine, so I thought you might like it too.]

He didn’t know much about wine.

He usually drank beer when he wanted to get a little tipsy, but he had thought of creating a Christmas mood.

[You like wine, right?]

[That…… that…….]

Seo Jungin, who had just picked a random wine with a pretty label design from the Christmas specials, felt even more at a loss for words with Hwang Woohyun.

[What’s your building and apartment number?]

[That, that’s…….]

[I’ll be there soon. I’ll just drop this off.]

[Then…… Building 1308, Apartment 305.]

[Ah, I see it. I’ll be right there.]

As soon as the call ended, Seo Jungin stared blankly out the window, then startled, he looked around his apartment. Even though there was only basic furniture, no decorations, and nothing to clean, Seo Jungin quickly tidied up the two rooms and the living room.

Knock, knock, knock.

Soon, he heard a knock on the door. Did he knock instead of ringing the bell because it was late? Seo Jungin approached the door, his heart pounding.

Click.

He opened the door, and a handsome man with wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes, broad shoulders, and a tall, slender build, smiled and held out a bottle of wine. There was even a ribbon tied around the neck of the bottle.

[Vega Sicilia Unico. Are you okay with Spanish wine?]

I don’t know anything about wine……

[This one has an elegant aroma and a rich flavor. It goes well with blue cheese, so I bought some cheese too.]

In Hwang Woohyun’s other hand, he held a plastic bag with cheese.

[…….]

Seo Jungin, speechless, looked down at the wine bottle and plastic bag in Hwang Woohyun’s hands.

[……You should take it……]

[……?]

[I’m giving it to you……]

As if suddenly realizing, Seo Jungin hurriedly took the wine bottle and plastic bag from Hwang Woohyun’s hands. Hwang Woohyun’s eyes crinkled softly, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

[Jungin.]

[Yeah.]

[Merry Christmas.]

Ah…… blond hair, blue eyes. The voice flowing from his gently smiling lips was like a sweet carol. Seo Jungin stared blankly at Hwang Woohyun’s face, then stammered.

[Do you…… want to drink it together?]

[…….]

Hwang Woohyun’s blue eyes sparkled like jewels.

Why did he suddenly say that? Strangely, he always acted like this around Hwang Woohyun. From the beginning. He always tried not to be a burden to others, but with Hwang Woohyun, he found himself leaning on him, confiding in him, and relying on him.

When he looked into those blue eyes, he felt at ease, reassured, and like he could say anything. As if he was being mesmerized by his eyes.

What happened next? The sofa Hwang Woohyun sat on seemed smaller, and the living room felt full. But somehow, Seo Jungin felt very excited. Leaning comfortably on the living room sofa, with jazzy carols playing lyrically, the two drank wine and chatted about various things.

Rich blackberries, dried flower aromas, and oak-aged sandalwood scents. Creamy tannins. A finish of cigars and fresh leather. Intoxicated by the taste and aroma of the wine he savored while listening to Hwang Woohyun’s explanations, the whole world felt like Christmas.

The reason he loved Christmas, which he confessed under the influence of alcohol. The many places he said he wanted to visit someday, his heart softening. Mountains, oceans, fields, lakes reflecting shimmering light.

Was it those things that made Hwang Woohyun’s face soften even more?

“Huh? Jungin. Shall we…… drink wine together again, like last year?”

Hwang Woohyun’s low, gentle voice reached Seo Jungin’s ears as he reminisced about last Christmas.

He had always liked Hwang Woohyun. He liked how Hwang Woohyun’s gaze often landed on him, and how his large hands touched him with gentle consideration. He felt like he could show Hwang Woohyun all the sides of himself that he couldn’t show others. Did Hwang Woohyun know that he felt closer and more intimate with him than with the other members?

Seo Jungin’s eyes traced the lines of Hwang Woohyun’s thick eyebrows, his deep-set eyes, his beautiful, clear blue irises, his high nose bridge, and his well-defined, full lips.

Those lips kissed him, and the tongue hidden within those lips licked his mouth hot. He whispered in his ear with gasping breaths.