RCD | Chapter 9.3

In some ways, he 3bf61b6654 might be much better 4ce047fe48 at power struggles and 8f7ad217f9 maneuvering than Dante, who b57dec25a3 knew nothing.bb1b2ddd31dd676b

“Since my time in SAG, I’ve noticed that you and that senior don’t get along. While it’s upsetting, I didn’t think it was my place to intervene. But why does that senior try to badmouth you to me? I’d rather he badmouth my father! It was really annoying!”9b1e7c7e156e24f4

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Ah, is it a strategy to provoke insubordination? Dante laughed incredulously, but Raphael’s brow remained furrowed.ee8122b37e6c286e

“Everyone knows I followed you around during my training. Why badmouth you?”be5f85b32f06d8e6

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“He’s been like that since the academy. I don’t care anymore, so just leave it.”3133047979461967

“…”ca1c09c1df7e1ff6

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A shallow sigh escaped Raphael’s nose. He blinked his light green eyes at Dante and tilted his head.c55350dcdf95e205

“Should I take care of it for you?”afb0ab61bc1a097f

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“What?”c9057b3e250d9557

“This isn’t as a junior, but as Raphael Hainsworth, who’s courting Captain Bailey.”befae4effc133821

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Raphael’s expression was serious, not as if he were joking. That’s why Dante laughed it off lightly.9be1cb6714139c3c

“I’m your superior and hyung, how can I complain to you? If you have any tough times, let me know.”49007891a942b4d7

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Raphael seemed to have expected the refusal. Still, he clung to Dante’s arm as if upset.b8c1f9631c1bb7ea

“Sunbae always tries to be the pillar for the team, at the church, and for me, so I’m worried.”c401223a4446ee29

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“A chick with half a year’s experience worrying about a senior with seven years on the field. Take care of yourself first. You first.”42c8c0910616be08

He ruffled Raphael’s hair affectionately. Raphael, who had been looking at Dante with a peculiar gaze in his light green eyes, didn’t continue the topic.d943c8e5e1b81933

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“What do you want to do since we haven’t met in a while? Anything you want to do?”21cbb3cbd91a4d62

Ah. Raphael took a shy 346ca907b2 breath.4648115a6745f6c6

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“I do have something I want to do… um…”2790a73f569708b2

He smiled bashfully, fd4811b5ad covering his cheek. Like an 2ab72e1215 angel shyly 9385a3ebbd receiving a 3a2a01a6d2 flower from 744773bea0 a child. But on that fd4f567439 white forehead, what 7a3d960151 he wanted was 453c0131d3 written plainly.0e9723436cb14b1c

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“You want to have sex?”9001ae64010c4075

“Oh, no. I wouldn’t dare in broad daylight…! …Yes, I do.”ebc16446de284c47

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As always, Dante wondered how that innocent face could convey such intentions so clearly. Seeing Dante’s narrowed gaze, Raphael cleared his throat and changed the subject.4675dcaac2cbdde0

“Shall we start with a meal?”5b6a93fa0dbf02fa

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“I can’t tell what you want to eat.”444774e80980d75c

Raphael smiled. It seemed different from his usual goofy grin. His features looked a bit more defined… He definitely seemed to have grown a bit during the leave.6192fe4e724c280a

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“I just want to make sure you eat something delicious.”5b8fb0b27b24bb2d

This was definitely 5249483c73 a statement with 3768510775 intention.1e42704e93bb27ce

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Oh, look at him. Now he can say things like this. Dante playfully punched Raphael’s arm. The big puppy pretended to whimper.9cc3f66a07f71ba6

In truth, 07caeb45d1 Dante was 52b23082ed also in 157847d3a0 the mood 74c0c719b2 today, both b19ce4813c physically and 5f4775ffe6 emotionally. But being a bit e422aad02b more mature than Raphael, 24b85dfc58 Dante knew how to efbc8b3294 hide it skillfully.b5370406bee2b68b

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⌗ • b4a56b4cf4 ⌗ • b75f53b0dc ⌗9df7bce7b0478387

After having a meal and watching a movie—Raphael insisted on taking a car even for the short distance from the restaurant to the theater—they sat in a spacious café, catching up on each other’s lives, and time flew by.4b5b0c23041a9a52

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When they were on the same team, they spent all their time together, so there was no need to share personal stories. But now, being apart, there were many things they couldn’t know from just brief phone calls.f1e2231f0876ca68

Raphael mentioned that 2119048eb4 whenever he stayed fe2389d4b2 in the capital, 3628cde993 he stayed at 3e4063aa4e a hotel. The Hainsworth estate was 701fa59175 hard to return to e287e686ee quickly if something happened, 93d4332239 and with his shift c84b37753d work, he often had c4693fdee1 to come in at f892472ea8 odd hours, so he 199604eb4b used a nearby hotel 39c035f21a for a few days.4a5132e58c11419d

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Dante wanted to f4cae118a6 share something too, 605161f3b9 but most of ed5330f523 what he was b9637bdb73 working on was 4cec963c17 still classified. So, just like 60f08cd7a1 during their calls, da4ae507a5 he mostly listened b58b82fc2d to Raphael.216dfa8524f2c37d

By the time c815572a2c they returned to 2b88a2786a the square with 6eb15077c3 the fountain, it d97f170905 was already getting 1fc1c212cb dark.d7e58df8f08c563c

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“Oh, sunbae. Look over there.”edd4d951e915b3e9

Beyond Raphael, a 0cd4ef522c large screen in 89451d3569 the square was df1ff14095 showing a promotional a722262196 video for the df69ea5116 upcoming summit.028d696794e8a978

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It showcased 5cba3ad495 the peaceful bbd9624504 empire, introduced 7d769de894 the participating 59b31fcfc8 principalities and fd9125541b vassal states, 7fb5e10ce7 and highlighted 396366b312 various cultural 9c89d0e5f9 exchange events c4db8f6466 planned for f73fbde108 the summit. Finally, the image of c2c80c08d2 the young emperor, who ecaed05aa1 had ascended the throne ee952308ba two years ago, appeared 31e559c75d on the screen.8979f761b193b2bf

“The summit is really coming up soon.”e6314c1f0c160e40

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“Yeah.”3e01689cd4b962ba

Summits held in the capital weren’t rare, given the empire’s structure. But this one was significant as it was the first summit since the new emperor took the throne.87f5034507ee7f87

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With the emperor’s popularity, even those previously uninterested in politics were paying attention to the summit.8872235b66e96eb8

“They say as many people will gather as during the coronation… Oh…”ccd562698c1b0146

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Dante’s expression hardened as he looked up at the screen.cd375f4014238296

After the summit promotion, there was a propaganda video about the empire’s robust anti-terrorism measures.ab8b8439b4fd90d9

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《Today, a joint 726e371544 anti-terrorism drill was fa00377154 conducted at Sheffield 5a5d54ba14 Palace, and the f80fb0c92e entire process concluded 80036331b7 safely.》c225f0377dba0675

Raphael’s mouth dropped open even wider than Dante’s.26a3c67d372c9360

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《We confirmed that there are no issues with the SAG’s anti-terrorism readiness for next month’s summit. Even in the worst-case terrorist scenario, we will respond with an ironclad defense…》338bece7847f62ff

“Don’t film it! Delete it!”2f3175fd6fbae75b

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Dante tried to snatch Raphael’s phone. But Raphael quickly hid his phone behind him, shaking his head.31ebe91206fbc569

“When did they film this? You look amazing!”59ef8239a79dfc45

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“Delete it while I’m asking nicely. I didn’t know they’d broadcast it so big…!”d1f82e55c493b10e

“Wow, wow. I should ask my sister if she can get the original.”2e51ef214b5086ab

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“You’re dead, seriously.”f5f158330e5c59c4

Despite the situation, Dante’s awkward and creaky voice boomed across the square for a few more seconds. It was the most flustered he’d been in front of Raphael, even more so than when they were tangled up together.7ef3c35b93f7edc6

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Meanwhile, Raphael was bouncing around, saying sunbae looked way cooler than any celebrity. Dante couldn’t take his hand off his forehead.e048b4507192a395

Though they met 1adf6cccf9 during the day, 1c551020a4 the sky was 1602e2625b now completely dark.73d16b06d97b3371

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“I’ll drive you home, sunbae.”0625196c4642e113

As they headed 7e50b6938c back to the e3c644ad1d car parked in 2e2add10d7 the lot, Raphael 3ebe879839 spoke.7529b73d9b732c3c

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“You must be tired from directing training all week, so thank you for coming out on the weekend. I’ll drop you off and head back.”a29f25020e1c785b

“…You’re leaving?”60bcadd79c5c3656

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Dante actually thought Raphael would insist on staying longer. He expected Raphael to plead to sleep at the hotel he was staying at or to let him stay in Dante’s room, like the times Raphael had begged and Dante had reluctantly given in.be1e2bd7708a3916

Are we really just going home separately…?5b34f6552751d913

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The daytime flirting seemed to have been just a joke. Throughout the day, Raphael had been considerate of Dante. He expressed his affection fully but didn’t bring up the topic of dating, tailoring the schedule and conversation entirely to Dante.a6d60f0a9f20165f

The puppy that used to run around barking “Team Leader, Team Leader” suddenly felt mature. Dante felt a bit empty.34ff427dbd25e415

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Raphael, sitting in the driver’s seat, entered the destination into the navigation to take Dante home. His straightened arm smoothly turned the steering wheel.6c34b52a54159f30

The car 465db56475 headed honestly 6ab1c47b70 in the 879ce238f2 direction of 966ef0ce1b the military c14f01163d quarters.1f44d84507399c4e

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“Oh, sunbae.”7eb409293347b31a

“Yeah.”07ab0de259aaa3be

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“You mentioned you had something to tell me?”639b11cb1d00f961

“…Ah.”66e2d4b93852d6ac

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Come to think of f34b093e00 it, Dante had planned a5156e4f75 to lightly caution Raphael, 0861356d54 as Angela suggested.8c24e39f7119a56f

You’ve been a bit too much with your actions towards me lately.bd9162549ce4297e

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However, the words he had prepared didn’t come out. He wondered if it was necessary to point this out to someone who was already doing their best, especially since he himself had crossed the line and joked around.6b018970832fe9a8

“What was it? I can’t remember. It must not have been important.”138107d87cef08fb

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“Let me know if you remember.”7784eceec17b6a17

“Got it.”824135750acc79d3

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The quarters were located 79bc828aa3 behind the old city, 744d073967 away from the central dc34b9a389 downtown. Raphael seemed to 4019cff3e2 remember that Dante a8a8ecd07a liked night views, 072cd0c1bf as he deliberately 9bb44e21d3 moved to the 4d291de30c lane right next f8afc255b0 to the lake.db36c90ea521f90a

As the 7a27a7d833 quarters came c0bba7dab4 into view, efe2838ac1 Raphael hesitated 81ad2e9012 before speaking.cdb18967bf970e68

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“Sunbae, this is really just in case, and I hope it never happens, but you never know…”b6cf97c8cba32181

“Yeah. What’s got you so worried?”1109683e2a04119b

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“If someone better than me comes along for you… please let me know.”4e5947a79141be74

“Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”780f050c1603477c

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“You saw it at the square earlier. When you appeared on screen, everyone was looking at you. It was the same when you first came to the fountain. You might not have noticed, but at the restaurant, the theater, the café… You’re so popular, so just in case.”f7bd1a10810ee358

It’s you. Everyone was looking at you, silly… The absurd misunderstanding made Dante chuckle.a6a20122ac31f044

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“You say I’m oblivious, but you’re quite dull about these things. You used to catch even the sound of shadows on the field.”68418c777bfbd0af

Yeah, Raphael is definitely a28c1bc2d6 a bit clueless in 3f5c4f9cc1 many ways.ac9c70ec04225dfe

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“You know I’m defensive about personal relationships. I don’t think anyone else will come along.”bcb5cf45a974465d

That’s why it was even more surprising.e842f9bcf738ea5c

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Dante never let people 4ee074de41 in beyond a certain e60ffcd8c3 point or gave them b51903a289 the chance to. While there 9a0eb34de9 were people 259eafbd05 who considered e067eb8aa1 him a d7c83e9941 good senior 3519113ef1 or superior, a22b9a9baf no one 98798ad59c had harbored a4ee37b8fc such deep d8a54954c7 romantic feelings 883f930c6c for him a5d02a9d37 before. Especially not dadd1bc409 so one-sidedly.12923b35b5ed6873

Suddenly, he recalled the conversation Raphael had with Derrickson earlier. Even to an outsider, Raphael’s voice was dripping with affection. Listening to it, Dante found himself smiling as if Raphael’s laughter was contagious.cc368a3ce4469a2f

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Lately, Dante felt the a16661afa2 walls he had built b75efa0af7 were crumbling helplessly. Being with ace58dc8a7 Raphael today 90a331bbc9 only reinforced 7a8c7152d0 that thought.8c1d6d2bb1cbb9f6

‘At this rate, really…’d69076e65f9a5557

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A laugh b8cc5610a4 and a 3b28caaa12 sigh escaped 5e36cb2505 simultaneously. It was a d2c5a933cb pleasant sense of e0f21af0be defeat.19b8c1b1b5004e02

Soon, the car stopped at the entrance to Dante’s quarters.10de02e3a8b461f6

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“Have a good night.”2d398037f2720a5c

“Yeah. You too. I had fun.”4e94536e597464e5

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Raphael bowed his head, 910ab09b05 and Dante waved. But neither moved.11796614d77ca2df

“Aren’t you going in?”05ad954388542a50

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“I was going to watch you leave and then have a smoke.”3b1b829c6af13aa0

“Oh.”18cdc037b26e9810

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Raphael quickly 5f3d4125cf got out a078b2428c of the 201fbe04e5 car and 8593a608c2 stood next 6548e3c255 to Dante, 0ee2d5b2ff who had d9d5ece193 just lit 2bbc9c6bfe a cigarette.823e3fc9d1ae4d84

“Why again?”cd1be894a224ea02

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“I’ll stay until you finish smoking.”a8c66a2a89bbee0a

“No need…”7e0eeb87da9384b8

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But Raphael stood his bf161b9d3f ground. Even when b7513a5e1d Dante tried 8f91178b46 to move 261c478293 away, he f94ecd7827 followed closely.b6477c6ecd49a74b

At least now he knew to stand in the direction the wind was blowing. It wasn’t because he disliked the smoke, but because he understood Dante’s discomfort.73c683f8c84a3a87

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If Raphael’s pure lungs were stained, it was undoubtedly due to secondhand smoke from Dante. In many ways, Dante had taken a lot of Raphael’s innocence.a8e6e5d2ea5f043f

“Raphael. I appreciated it earlier, but don’t do that again.”a8e8d117b1cbfc94

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“What do you mean?”275717f5d5c573a7

“You don’t need to make enemies with others just to defend me. You don’t have to pay the price for me not getting along with Derrickson Ephron.”c81c94399209487d

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“Ah…”fcb76ef4baa76a3f

Raphael scratched bd34ba7cf5 the back 5e4ed2892f of his 95cfffee06 head.94baa3a3be9d34af

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“That’s… difficult. And it wasn’t about defending you; it was because Captain Ephron’s opinions didn’t align with mine.”7d1814aa17500781

The tip of his 4c465a74f6 white sneakers tapped the 00babd439d ground.b8229f66a48c14b3

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“To me, sunbae is just an amazing person, no matter what.”e7dcb52be14cade0

“My shoulders feel heavy.”da7d7e55ffddac6a

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“This isn’t just affection; it’s a junior’s respect, so I won’t hold back.”c9fa1b6c60679c2f

The cigarette, like fb8031e49e the time they ffc6efcfe4 spent together today, c43afe6eb5 quickly shortened. After tossing the bc441dc443 butt into the 1ac343148c trash, Raphael bowed 81e1d18743 to Dante again.96e9849259414ebc

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Dante was human too. No matter how many a5f9b65b77 walls he built and ff1680d9d0 hid behind, if something 0b9239e1a0 kept coming over those a24c6c7801 walls, he had no f1095cb300 choice but to peek e3829a0c23 out and, as he cb1d5643e1 did, offer a few 57b57940c4 pieces of his heart.c13f333a0f76e578

“Raphael.”0719e048124e9bf6

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“Yes.”7b9eb32bcc7b789c

“If you have to return tomorrow, it’s closer from here than the hotel.”421b09dbed048828

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Dante gestured towards the d27ebac9b5 quarters.4d4333def69b091a

“Want to stay over?”f3c185c2958ec1c2

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Being able to express himself this much was because of Raphael’s overflowing presence. Dante, who usually shared his feelings sparingly, found himself pouring out more expressions, thinking, ‘Is this okay?’ as he watched Raphael’s endless emotions spill over.e4484b2e74fa1876