Dirty Sweet Baby Chapter 117

Huh…?

Heeheon’s pupils slowly widened.

Only then did he realize there had been a slight misunderstanding between them.

Captain Sung had interpreted Heeheon’s mention of his “last sortie” as his last one as Cha Moogyul’s dedicated guide. Because their ranks didn’t match. He had understood it to mean that Heeheon could no longer go on missions as the guide for an S-rank Esper, and that this mission with Cha Moogyul was his last one in that capacity.

So, in other words, Captain Sung’s proposal was for Baek Heeheon to become the dedicated guide for an A-rank Esper whose rank matched his—himself—and to plan for their next sortie together.

“Captain, that’s.”

Startled, Heeheon tried to answer but stopped.

‘How do I tell him I’m going to remain Cha Moogyul’s dedicated guide?’

There were too many eyes watching.

Imprinting was a top-level secret. He couldn’t speak of it openly in a place like this.

It was also difficult to reveal information about the new project.

But the biggest reason he was at a loss for words was because Heeheon himself had a guilty conscience.

‘How can I say it doesn’t matter that there’s a rank difference with Cha Moogyul? How can I say that he’s planning not to use his abilities and I’m planning not to guide, that it’s fine because we’ll be leaving the field… how can I…’

In front of all these special mission unit members.

In front of them, who were risking their lives on this sortie.

To them, who were born with the fate of having to fight endlessly until the day they died, whether they liked it or not.

‘Do I say it like this? I met a great lover, so I’m getting an exemption from service through connections, and even though I know it’s a privilege and a form of draft evasion, I was ultimately persuaded and agreed?’

Heeheon’s face turned pale.

He wanted to say something, but his lips felt sealed shut, and he couldn’t utter a single word.

He thought he had already sorted out his feelings and made his decision. Now that a conclusion had been reached, all he had to do was act on it.

But…

Hah…

“I, I’m now…”

Heeheon muttered with difficulty, breaking out in a cold sweat.

His trembling voice didn’t feel like his own.

“Office work…”

Even though he tried to answer properly, it was incredibly difficult.

‘Calm down.’

He just had to say that from now on, he would be leaving the field to work an office job. That being a dedicated guide would be difficult. That he was grateful for the offer, but he had to refuse. It should have ended with just that.

There was no need to delve deep and explain the whole story; it was a situation where he had no choice but to move on without explaining for now. So it should have been fine, but it wasn’t as easy as he thought.

Because the heart of the person offering to be his dedicated guide in this place couldn’t have been simple either.

The brief moment it took for his voice to come out felt like an eternity.

It felt like a cog had been misplaced in a machine.

Something had been pushed out of alignment somewhere. He had thought he’d been doing well all this time, but maybe a small cog had been misaligned from the very beginning, and the repercussions had pushed and pushed and pushed until they reached this point.

“Captain Sung Ahwon.”

Finally, a voice as cold as frost cut in. Cha Moogyul, a faint sneer on his lips, called out Captain Sung’s name.

“Are you trying to steal your superior’s dedicated guide right in front of him? That’s not just impolite, it’s utterly rude.”

Even at a glance, the look in Cha Moogyul’s eyes was not ordinary. Upon seeing his sinister gaze, Heeheon just knew he was in big trouble.

“Superior or subordinate aside, I’m aware that interfering with a dedicated guide in front of their dedicated Esper is not tolerated, either by regulation or by unspoken rule…”

“My apologies for that, Brigadier General. I will gladly accept any disciplinary action you see fit. However, no one knows how this mission will turn out, do they? I could be killed in action.”

What was more troubling was the fact that Captain Sung did not back down either.

Now his heart sank. He truly felt he was in big trouble.

“Death is the end. I have to say what I need to say now.”

Coming from Captain Sung, these words sounded even heavier. Cha Moogyul’s gaze left him and turned to Heeheon. He leisurely reached out his hand and straightened the collar of Heeheon’s combat uniform, which had been crumpled by the belt, as he retorted.

“Impulsive and emotional. If you go into the field with that attitude, your mortality rate is bound to be high.”

Oh, for heaven’s sake.

Unable to just watch any longer, Heeheon quickly cut off their conversation.

“Please stop. Right now is the time to focus on the mission above all else.”

Cha Moogyul quoted those words as he affectionately smoothed the wrinkles on Heeheon’s collar.

“That’s right. Lieutenant Baek knows the right answer, but does Captain Sung not? If an Esper gets antsy before a sortie, what else will it lead to but a rampage…”

“Cha Moogyul. Stop it now.”

“Why? You were the one who always warned and cautioned that if an Esper rampages, everyone around gets caught up in it. Can’t you even give Captain Sung a warning?”

“I said stop. Please. …I’m sorry, Captain. I’m grateful and honored by your offer to be your dedicated guide, but it is difficult for me to accept.”

How wonderful it would have been if the conversation had ended smoothly with that.

But Captain Sung was not one to be trifled with. He knelt on one knee in front of Heeheon’s designated seat, lowering himself to meet his eye level. Heeheon’s eyes widened.

“Is the reason you’re refusing to be my dedicated guide because I confessed to you, by any chance?”

“…”

“I thought it would break my heart if you misunderstood. It’s not because I have ulterior motives. I truly hold your guiding in high regard, Lieutenant Baek Heeheon.”

“…”

“I felt that I had to say at least this much so I would have no regrets.”

Thump. At that moment, the aircraft shook.

Not in a metaphorical sense, but literally.

It was their turn for takeoff; the open door closed, and the rotor began to spin. The sound grew louder and louder, becoming so noisy it seemed to swallow all the surrounding chatter.

The transport helicopter was taking off.

“…”

“…”

The gazes exchanged were murderous.

Even standing on thin ice, or in the middle of a battlefield with bullets raining down, it wouldn’t have been as precarious as this. Amidst the suffocating tension, Captain Sung stood up and returned to his assigned seat.

The aircraft gradually lifted off.

Cha Moogyul said nothing.

He only took Heeheon’s hand, and their hands, both clad in combat gloves, overlapped. Even though they were wearing gloves, his grip was so strong that Heeheon’s palm ached.

It wouldn’t have been strange if the bones in his hand were crushed while being held like this.

The aircraft slowly descended, and the landing point grew closer. Dust from around the airfield swirled up, and the engine noise gradually subsided. The rapidly spinning rotor also slowed down as the helicopter’s door opened.

This was the 3rd Residential District.

The agents disembarked swiftly and found their respective units. According to the information transmitted to their goggles, it seemed the search unit was still tracking the α-creature’s coordinates. They had to wait until it was found.

Heeheon tried to let go of Cha Moogyul’s hand to unbuckle his belt. However, he wouldn’t let go. Left with no choice, Heeheon undid the seatbelt with just one hand.

“Follow me.”

The moment he tried to stand, Cha Moogyul pulled Heeheon along and got off the helicopter. His stride, as he walked ahead, was rougher and faster than usual.

“Alright. Let go of my hand. Everyone’s watching.”

“So what.”

“Where are we going?”

He did not let go of his hand until the very end, dragging Heeheon behind a building on the outskirts of the airfield.

They entered a narrow gap between buildings, which led to a space like a secluded back alley blocked by a wire fence. Upon reaching the dead end, he pushed Heeheon into a corner. The wire fence shook as it hit his back, making a clanging sound.

Cha Moogyul braced his arm next to Heeheon’s face and gripped the wire mesh. As if he were gripping that instead of Heeheon’s hand.

“Hyung.”

He snarled, inches from Heeheon’s face.

“I’ll at least ask for your opinion. How about you go back?”

Heeheon asked back.

“Go back?”

“Return first. Go back home and wait.”

“Are you kidding me?”

As he muttered resentfully, Cha Moogyul let out a long, deep sigh and rested his forehead on Heeheon’s shoulder, burying his head.

“Hoo, fine… Then I’ll have to remove that guy from the sortie list.”

What, what?

Heeheon pushed away the clinging Cha Moogyul and questioned him. His expression contorted, and a furrow naturally formed between his brows.

“What are you talking about? Captain Sung, by your own authority?”

“What else should I do?”

Cha Moogyul lowered his eyes and wrapped his arms around the waist of Heeheon, who was pushing him away, pulling him into a hug so tight it felt like he would crush him. His breath hitting Heeheon’s ear was noticeably ragged, and the tone of his sharp-edged whisper was considerably harsh.

“If we go on this sortie as things are, even I’m not sure what I might do. Will you be okay with whatever unfortunate incident might occur during combat? Would you prefer that?”

“What…?”

“Espers are so troublesome. With a single flick of my finger, I could shatter that bastard’s core. With a slight failure to control my abilities, I could rampage.”

Having bound Heeheon so tightly he couldn’t move an inch, he spewed out a livid fury. He was so angry that it far surpassed the extent Heeheon had anticipated.

“If I happen to lose my mind in the field, are you confident you can handle the aftermath?”