20XX Love Chapter 7.1 - 7. RELAX

“Hyung. Look over here.”

The moment the members turned their heads, Jo Heechan pressed the button on the retro camera.

Click. Whirrr.

“What are you doing?”

Nam Taeyong looked at him with a mix of pity and exasperation, but Jo Heechan, unfazed, shook the Polaroid camera excitedly and chattered on.

“Have you seen this thing? It’s like a total relic. It was next to the Christmas tree in the first-floor lobby. Looks like they were setting up for some kind of event.”

The date Team K814 was deployed for their mission was December 6th. The hospital ward was decorated with Christmas trees to create a festive atmosphere. In the lobby, there was a giant tree set up for an event where photos could be hung, and that’s where Jo Heechan had picked up the Polaroid camera.

Jo Heechan, waving the developing photo as if he’d seen it done somewhere, looked at the picture as it began to take shape. Nam Taeyong, slouched in an armchair, not even glancing over. Hwang Woohyun, sitting casually on the edge of a bed, looking up. Choi Suhyuk, leaning against the headboard with an expressionless gaze. Kim Yikyung, holding a coffee mug. All of them were captured in a single frame.

“Whoa. It came out better than I thought.”

The small photo, developed with warm, cozy tones, turned out far better than Jo Heechan had expected. He placed the picture on the table, and his gaze suddenly shifted to Seo Jungin.

“Jungin Hyung! Let’s take a picture together!”

Seo Jungin, who had been quietly resting on his bed, was startled when Jo Heechan rushed over and threw an arm around his shoulders. Jo Heechan flipped the camera to selfie mode, leaning in close to make sure both he and Seo Jungin fit in the frame.

“Hyung. You gotta smile.”

When Jo Heechan playfully poked his cheek, Seo Jungin couldn’t help but break into a wide grin, his teeth showing.

Click. Whirrr.

Jo Heechan shook the photo a few times before placing it next to the first one, then grabbed the camera again and darted around the hyungs, snapping pictures at random.

Kim Yikyung, sipping his coffee, brought up an odd topic.

“What would happen if we took this photo and left the ward? Would only the photo paper remain, and the image itself disappear? Or, since we took it in our timeline, would it stay as is?”

“No one cares, so just drink your coffee.”

Nam Taeyong replied in a bored tone, but Kim Yikyung, unbothered, continued.

“If we used photos, we might figure out how the Separator splits and manipulates spacetime.”

Nam Taeyong sighed, pulling wireless earbuds from his holster band and stuffing them into his ears.

Seo Jungin, who had been quietly smiling, suddenly grew curious about the photo Jo Heechan had taken. He stood up from his spot and approached the table. In the photo on the table, he saw himself, brightly smiling, wrapped in Jo Heechan’s playful embrace. The image looked like a carefree moment among college students in their twenties. It didn’t look at all like a group of special strategy team members trapped in a ward, facing the threat of annihilation.

“The photo came out well…”

Seo Jungin traced his finger over his own face in the picture, then over Jo Heechan’s bright, uncreased smile. His finger moved to the photo next to it, touching each face of the K814 members one by one. The cynical Nam Taeyong. The dependable Hwang Woohyun. The pensive Choi Suhyuk. The guiding Kim Yikyung. When had they become so precious to him? When had he come to care for them so much?

My team, so very precious. Missed, longed for, and heartbreaking…

“The photo really came out well.”

Hwang Woohyun approached, casting a shadow as he stood beside him, and picked up the Polaroid of Jo Heechan and Seo Jungin together. He smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling and dimples forming as he lifted the corners of his mouth. Hwang Woohyun couldn’t take his eyes off the photo, speaking in a low, soft voice.

“You look good when you smile. I wish you’d keep smiling like that.”

“Huh? I smile a lot already.”

“No. Not just smiling—smiling brightly like this.”

“…”

Hwang Woohyun’s words caught Seo Jungin off guard, and his face flushed red. He wasn’t sure what Hwang Woohyun meant by it.

“Jungin Hyung! Woohyun Hyung!”

The moment Seo Jungin and Hwang Woohyun turned at Jo Heechan’s call, the camera clicked. Seo Jungin hurriedly ducked his head, his face red as a beet, but the photo was already printing out.

“Ugh… My face is all red, isn’t it in the picture?”

Seo Jungin glanced at Jo Heechan shaking the photo and mumbled in a small voice.

“I need to use the bathroom…”

As Seo Jungin headed toward the bathroom, Hwang Woohyun, watching his retreating figure, turned at the sound of the flapping photo.

“Hey, Heechan. Why do you keep shaking the photos?”

“I saw it somewhere. They shook them like this.”

“That was back in the day. Shaking them like that can smudge the picture.”

Hwang Woohyun took the photo from Jo Heechan’s hand. The image was slowly developing, revealing Hwang Woohyun and Seo Jungin. Hwang Woohyun smiled softly as the picture became clearer, then pulled a capsule case from his uniform pocket. He carefully tucked the photo inside the case and stared at it for a long while.

Nam Taeyong glanced at Seo Jungin heading to the bathroom, tossing a rubber ball used by rehab patients against the wall like a baseball, catching it as it bounced back. Shadows lingered under his eyes. Kim Yikyung, standing nearby, also had a dark expression. The two exchanged a meaningful look.

[Jungin’s body—has all the Fragment been purged?]

[Well… something’s off…]

[What? Is some still left? Or did Choi Suhyuk feed him more?]

[The Fragment’s gone… but it feels like Jungin’s ability has changed.]

[Changed how…?]

[His Guide ability feels mixed with an Esper ability.]

It was a conversation shared only between the two, kept secret from the others. They didn’t know yet how this change in Seo Jungin’s body would manifest, so they chose not to tell the other members. Besides, if Seo Jungin found out, he would surely be terrified.

Meanwhile, Seo Jungin entered the bathroom, stripped off his clothes, and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

The figure in the mirror was undoubtedly himself, yet it felt strangely unfamiliar.

Too much had happened since they were trapped in the ward. Was that why? Was that why he felt so strange?

Seo Jungin placed a hand on his lower abdomen. The burning heat was gone. His body felt light and refreshed. Yet something about his body felt different. What had changed?

Eight hours earlier, in the observation ward.

Guided by Seo Jungin’s gentle lead, the desperate obsession of Choi Suhyuk and Hwang Woohyun stabilized, and the dizzying, heated time was filled with both intensity and peace. Penetrated and filled from both sides, Seo Jungin poured boundless, impartial affection onto both men, even as every ounce of fluid in his body was released. Choi Suhyuk and Hwang Woohyun, along with Seo Jungin, experienced countless releases and climaxes over hours.

It was strange. None of the three could be said to have lost their reason or control. Seo Jungin locked eyes with them, entwined tongues with them, caressed them. Choi Suhyuk, free from restraints and sedatives, didn’t lose his mind or go berserk. Hwang Woohyun cherished Seo Jungin tenderly while simultaneously penetrating alongside Choi Suhyuk without pause.

Outside the ward, they could never have felt such emotions or harbored such desires. They wouldn’t have accepted or demanded it.

When the moment of ultimate climax arrived, Seo Jungin poured a guiding force into Choi Suhyuk and Hwang Woohyun, blazing like fire and striking like lightning. Then he lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes again, he was on a bed in the first-floor outpatient clinic. The moment he woke, memories of the observation ward flooded his mind like a sudden downpour. The hours spent passionately entwined with two men, releasing everything there was to release. Vividly.

[Come here, both of you. It’s okay to do it together. Both of you can do it.]

He remembered his own words. How could he have said such a thing? It was so strange. So strange.

But at that moment, it had felt necessary. It had felt right. How could it have?

“Jungin, you’re awake? Are you okay?”

Hwang Woohyun’s low voice, filled with concern, accompanied his worried face as he leaned in.

“Uh, W-Woohyun…”

Seo Jungin pulled the blanket up to cover his burning face.

“You were sleeping so long… we couldn’t wake you, so we were really worried.”

Hwang Woohyun’s gentle voice reassured Seo Jungin, putting him at ease.

“Can you get up?”

“Huh? Y-Yeah.”

As Seo Jungin tried to sit up, Hwang Woohyun quickly supported his back and held his arm. The warmth of Hwang Woohyun’s touch felt so kind that Seo Jungin lowered his flushed face.

“Are you feeling okay? You pushed yourself too hard.”

“Huh? I-I’m f-fine…”

Despite Hwang Woohyun’s concern, Seo Jungin’s body felt lighter than ever. Not only that, but the searing heat that had been coursing through him was completely gone.

Surprised by his refreshed condition, Seo Jungin tentatively touched his body, then peeked under the blanket. He was dressed in clean, comfortable patient clothes.

“Did I… get cleaned up?”

Now that he thought about it, there was no discomfort, and his body felt clean inside and out. Instinctively, his hand moved to his backside.

“There was definitely… I mean, all that fluid inside me…”

“I cleaned you up myself. I thought you’d feel gross. And, uh, the back too… I took care of it. Sorry. I was worried you’d have stomach pain while sleeping.”

Hwang Woohyun had cleaned him and even removed the fluids inside. With his fingers.

Seo Jungin felt a sudden wave of embarrassment and shame. Even though he’d taken in far more and reveled in it. Even though he’d cried out in pleasure while being filled from both sides.

Swish.

The curtain was abruptly pulled back. It was Nam Taeyong, sitting on the bed next to him.

“Don’t get all emotional, Seo Jungin. Your insides were a mess. I healed you.”

Hwang Woohyun’s head drooped, unable to argue with Nam Taeyong’s words. Seo Jungin, still flushed, kept touching his body. That was why he felt so light and in such good condition. While he was asleep, Nam Taeyong had carefully and meticulously healed him.

“Thanks, Taeyong.”

Seo Jungin didn’t forget to express his gratitude to Nam Taeyong. He thought to himself that, despite appearances, Nam Taeyong might be kinder than he seemed. Even though he always grumbled, he never let even the smallest injury on a team member go untreated.

“Thanks to you, I’m in great shape. Really, thank you.”

“Yeah. You better be grateful.”

At that moment, Jo Heechan approached Seo Jungin with a bottle of water.

“Hyung, want some water?”

“Huh? Oh, thanks, Heechan.”

Seo Jungin took the cold water bottle from Jo Heechan but, instead of drinking, pressed it against his heated cheeks.

“Your red face is cute.”

Jo Heechan, unaware that his inner thoughts had slipped out, grinned as he looked at Seo Jungin’s flushed face.

“Um…”

“Yeah, Hyung?”

“Don’t stare at me like that. And you’re too close.”

“Really? Is this far enough?”

“Still too close.”

“How about this?”

“…”

Jo Heechan’s cheeky grin as he scooted back little by little was both absurd and amusing. Hwang Woohyun, a large figure, was perched on the edge of the bed, while Nam Taeyong, playing with a rubber ball, sat on the bed next to them. Kim Yikyung stood nearby, and Jo Heechan was practically glued to Seo Jungin. The area around Seo Jungin was practically bustling.

In the midst of it all, Choi Suhyuk arrived with a tray of food and set it on a folding table by the bed.

“Jungin, you need to eat.”

Seo Jungin, his face still red, glanced around at the crowd of men surrounding him.

“Okay… Thanks… I’ll eat now, so you guys go eat too.”

“We already ate. You’re the only one who needs to.”

“Eat a lot. You got nutrient shots, but you must be exhausted from guiding.”

“If it’s hard to eat, want me to feed you?”

“Hyung, if you’re bored, want me to eat with you?”

Swoosh.

The sound of water pouring from the sink snapped Seo Jungin out of his thoughts.

He’d come to the bathroom to hide his burning face, but now the heat from his face had spread to his lower abdomen.

Seo Jungin looked at his reflection in the mirror. No matter how he looked at it, his flushed face was that of someone in love. It felt like he’d fallen in love with every single one of the Espers he’d been so intimately entwined with.

That would explain it. The strange feeling inside him.

“Could it be… I’ve fallen for these guys?”