Chapter 28

“I’m not hiding anything. I just don’t owe you an explanation.”

“So it is Kim Si-on.”

“…….”

Just looking at the displeased expression on Seo Ji-hyuk’s face was enough to irritate Kang Yu-han.

Was he really getting mad just because he was in contact with Kim Si-on?

Did he still hold a grudge over their failed matching?

The more he thought about it, the more it pissed him off.

If that was what Seo Ji-hyuk was upset about, then there was no reason to keep it a secret.

“Yeah. It’s Guide Kim Si-on.”

“Hah. I knew it.”

“This has nothing to do with you.”

“Nothing to do with me? So you’re telling me to stay out of it?”

“That’s right. I’m going to meet Kim Si-on now.”

“What?”

For the first time, Seo Ji-hyuk’s face twisted into a full-on scowl.

Kang Yu-han didn’t want to look at him any longer.

So he shouldered past him and walked away.

At the same time, his communicator kept buzzing.

Kim Si-on had completely filled the message limit.

Not just one message—by the time he finished reading the first, a new one had already arrived.

It was practically a long-form letter.

But the messages all said the same thing:

Major-nim, I want to see you.
What are you doing right now?
When are we going on our date?

Basically, Kim Si-on wanted to meet immediately.

Kang Yu-han sighed.

He had been putting off their date for weeks, using work as an excuse.

Part of him had even hoped Kim Si-on would forget about it entirely.

But that was a foolish thought.

Kim Si-on had already made it clear—he liked Kang Yu-han.

And someone who liked you wouldn’t just forget a date so easily.

He glanced back at Seo Ji-hyuk.

His brows were furrowed deep, his entire expression dark.

Clearly, he was not happy that Kim Si-on was contacting him.

Well, tough luck.

Technically, Kim Si-on was supposed to be Seo Ji-hyuk’s partner.

That had been the original plan.

Kang Yu-han exhaled a small breath, barely audible.

He wasn’t sure if it was exhaustion or something else entirely.

But if he was being honest—

He wasn’t feeling guilty about Seo Ji-hyuk.

He was jealous.

Seo Ji-hyuk got this annoyed just over a few exchanged messages.

So what if Kang Yu-han took it a step further?

Would it piss him off even more?

If he couldn’t have Seo Ji-hyuk, then he at least wanted to get under his skin.

It was childish. Petty. Spiteful.

But he didn’t care.

He would rather be hated than completely ignored.

Where are you? Let’s meet now.

Kang Yu-han sent the message without hesitation.

Almost instantly, Kim Si-on replied.

B3 level! I’ll come to you!

No. I’ll come up.

He could not let Kim Si-on and Seo Ji-hyuk cross paths.

Without a proper goodbye, he turned on his heel and strode toward the elevator.

Seo Ji-hyuk’s burning gaze followed him all the way.

But Kang Yu-han ignored it.

* * *

“This is amazing.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes! A date with Major-nim—it feels like a dream.”

Kim Si-on gestured dramatically, as if he wanted to physically show Kang Yu-han just how happy he was.

Kang Yu-han let out a faint, dry chuckle and took a sip of his coffee.

It was still lukewarm and bitter.

“And what about you, Major-nim?”

When Kang Yu-han didn’t respond right away, Kim Si-on leaned in closer.

His face was too close.

Instinctively, Kang Yu-han leaned back.

Kim Si-on’s expression darkened in disapproval.

“Do you not like me?”

His tone was too direct.

Blunt enough to be unsettling.

Kang Yu-han wasn’t used to this kind of conversation.

He had spent his entire life hiding himself—staying in the shadows, never showing too much, never wanting too much.

He had never truly liked or disliked anything.

He had simply accepted whatever was given to him as his share in life.

But Kim Si-on was different.

From what he’d heard, before the world turned into this mess, Kim Si-on had been the wealthy son of a well-known family.

Not every Esper or Guide in the Center had tragic pasts like Kang Yu-han or Seo Ji-hyuk.

Some had simply taken the job because it offered stable employment in a collapsing world.

For them, the Center was just another workplace.

People like Seo Ji-hyuk and himself—people with no other place to go—were the exception.

Of course, Kang Yu-han wasn’t the type to talk about his past.

He had never felt the need to.

After all, joining the Center hadn’t even been his choice.

He had a feeling Seo Ji-hyuk might have felt the same way.

The words Seo Ji-hyuk had said during the Shin Kyung-jae case still lingered in his mind.

If things had been different, Seo Ji-hyuk would have become a professional baseball player.

It wasn’t hard to imagine—

Seo Ji-hyuk in a uniform, standing on the pitcher’s mound.

“…Major-nim!”

“Ah, sorry.”

He had been thinking about Seo Ji-hyuk again.

It had been happening a lot lately.

Realizing his mistake, he quickly apologized.

Regardless of what he thought about Kim Si-on, it was rude to zone out in front of him like this.

Kim Si-on’s expression had turned sour.

“…You really don’t like me, do you?”

His voice carried an unmistakable sadness.

Panicked, Kang Yu-han quickly responded.

“That’s not true.”

Instantly, Kim Si-on’s face lit up.

The gloom from just moments ago vanished without a trace.

Kang Yu-han was genuinely surprised.

Maybe Kim Si-on was simpler than he had thought.

“Then that means you do like me, right?”

“…How does that follow?”

“Haha, I’m just joking! Major-nim, you’re seriously funny.”

“…Me?”

It was the first time in his life someone had said that to him.

Kang Yu-han had always considered himself rigid and uninteresting.

How else could he explain the fact that he had spent years sharing a room with the person he loved, yet barely managed to hold a conversation with him?

The only things he ever talked about with Seo Ji-hyuk were work-related.

Mission details. Logistics. Orders.

That was it.

In that sense, he envied Kim Si-on.

Kim Si-on could express himself so openly.

He never hesitated to show how he felt—whether it was joy, sadness, or affection.

He was the complete opposite of Kang Yu-han.

Would things have been different if he had been even a little more honest?

If he had been capable of showing his emotions as freely as Kim Si-on?

No matter what he thought about—

It always led back to Seo Ji-hyuk.

For the second time today, Kang Yu-han let out a deep sigh.

* * *

After finishing their coffee in the break room, the two headed to Cafeteria B.

Kang Yu-han hesitated before asking again.

“Are you sure this is enough?”

“Yeah, this is fine.”

As far as dates went, this didn’t feel like much of one.

In fact, it felt so ordinary that even Kang Yu-han was starting to feel awkward.

But Kim Si-on didn’t seem to mind.

To him, the place and atmosphere didn’t matter—just being with Kang Yu-han was enough.

And that was what made Kang Yu-han uncomfortable.

The cafeteria menu was the same as always.

A couple of preserved protein and carbohydrate options, dry biscuits packed with calories, and a bowl of soup with unidentifiable ingredients.

Even that was bland.

Salt had become a rare commodity lately, and it seemed that shortage had reached the cafeteria as well.

Kim Si-on barely touched his food.

If the rumors were true, a meal like this would be unbearable for someone who had grown up as a pampered rich kid.

Not that Kang Yu-han cared.

He didn’t push him to eat.

He simply shoveled food into his mouth mechanically, treating it as nothing more than fuel.

“You eat well.”

“I eat to survive.”

Kang Yu-han didn’t bother analyzing the meaning behind Kim Si-on’s words.

There was no end to the things he could overthink.

There was also no reason to bring up the fact that he had grown up in an orphanage—

Or that meals like this had been a luxury there, served only once or twice a year when sponsors visited.

He had no particular preference for food.

As long as his body kept functioning, it didn’t matter what he ate.

And that wasn’t exactly an exciting conversation topic.

At some point, his tray was empty.

Kim Si-on’s, on the other hand, was barely touched.

Now that the meal was over, there wasn’t much left to do.

Silence settled over the table.

Kang Yu-han didn’t try to fill it.

His only goal today was to keep Kim Si-on away from Seo Ji-hyuk.

That was it.

Nothing more.

After a brief pause, Kim Si-on suddenly brightened and spoke up as if nothing had happened.

“Major-nim, what’s your hobby?”

“I don’t have one.”

“No way. That’s impossible.”

“I’m serious. I don’t.”

“Then what’s your favorite song?”

“Don’t have one.”

If someone had been watching, they might have thought Kim Si-on was talking to a machine.