Caught Red-Handed

The shock was so overwhelming that both Haewoon and Jaeyoung froze in place.

“Who the hell gave you permission to open the door? Get out.”

At Saheon’s sharp voice, Jaeyoung flinched as if waking from a dream.

“W-well, Haewoon…”

Jaeyoung gestured at Haewoon to stay put.

Then, as he tried to climb down from the bed, his foot caught on Saheon’s leg.

Saheon grabbed Jaeyoung around the waist to keep him from falling.

“Ah, thank you.”

“Holy shit, holy shit. This is insane. Holy shit.”

Haewoon started repeating the same words over and over, like they were the only ones he knew.

His eyes were so wide they looked ready to pop out of their sockets.

Seeing that, Jaeyoung’s shoulders sagged.

There was no way Haewoon was in a state to listen to anything right now.

“…Uh, you’re not supposed to use your ability on civilians, right?”

Jaeyoung said, turning toward Saheon.

He was thinking that maybe they could knock Haewoon out for a bit, and when he came to, just brush it off as him seeing things or having a weird dream.

“I feel like I could deal with that punk without even using my ability. Don’t you?”

Saheon flexed his hand.

There seemed to be a serious communication problem.

Jaeyoung was talking about knocking him out for a moment, but Saheon was casually talking like erasing his own younger brother was no big deal.

“No, you can’t ‘deal with’ him. He’s a person.”

Jaeyoung nearly wrapped his arms around Saheon’s waist on the spot to stop a murder.

“Hey! Mom! Mom! You idiots! Do you even know what just happened?!”

Haewoon, finally snapping out of it, screamed without a shred of gratitude and bolted into the hallway.

If one could call it lucky, the mom Haewoon was desperately calling for, Dohwa, was still out at the jjimjilbang with Jaeyoung’s mom and hadn’t returned yet.

Jaeyoung let out a sigh of relief and rubbed his cheek against Saheon’s chest to calm himself down.

“Get out here, you morons!”

From downstairs came the sound of Haewoon storming into the next room and yelling at people.

There were also curses from friends who’d been in the middle of a sound-dependent game.

A short while later, Haewoon returned with the proud air of a victorious general.

Beside him stood Mintae and Dongjun, both looking completely shell-shocked.

“I-it’s real.”

“f*ck, Kim Jaeyoung. I knew you weren’t normal, but…”

Seeing their reactions, Jaeyoung finally realized his arms were still wrapped around Saheon’s waist.

He buried his devastated face in his palms.

‘Should I just ask him to erase them?’

“Should I bury those guys too, while I’m at it? Then they won’t be able to spread rumors.”

As if he’d read Jaeyoung’s thoughts, Saheon said exactly what he was thinking.

The way he spoke, like Jaeyoung’s friends were on the same level as creatures that needed to be eliminated, made Jaeyoung’s knees go weak.

Unable to nod or shake his head, he just smiled stiffly with a pale face.

Even if he weren’t a physically enhanced Esper and was just ordinary Jin Saheon, he’d still be capable of that much.

Jaeyoung had learned that the hard way back in middle school.

Once, he and his friends had given in to curiosity and tried smoking, only to get caught by Saheon and beaten half to death.

The shared consensus among the friends who’d hovered at death’s door together was that getting caught by their parents would’ve been better.

“There’s no need to dirty your hands or waste your time over this, right?”

Jaeyoung smiled obsequiously and practically groveled.

His anxiety made him clench and unclench his hands, crumpling Saheon’s clothes in his grip.

“If someone gets in the way of my business, then there is a need.”

At Saheon’s low voice, the friends flinched.

Only then did it fully register that the man in front of them was Jin Saheon.

The body remembers.

Their bodies, which had once been beaten to hell, started trembling on their own.

“If you run your mouths, your life’s gonna get real boring.”

Saheon threatened them with words straight out of a thug’s mouth.

The problem was, it didn’t sound like a joke or empty bravado at all.

“You saw it, right? It’s real, yeah? I’m not the only one seeing this, right?”

Only Haewoon was still bouncing around in agitation.

It seemed he still hadn’t fully accepted reality and was stuck in denial.

Reassured by his friends’ reactions, Haewoon pulled out his phone this time.

“Yeah. Hello? Mom?”

The moment Jaeyoung realized who he was calling, his body jolted.

He even went up on his toes trying to snatch the phone, but Haewoon, being taller, just stretched his arm out of reach.

“Jin Saheon’s home.”

From the other end of the line came Dohwa’s voice, scolding him about calling him ‘that guy’ instead of ‘hyung.’

“Yeah. Like he’d come home for no reason.”

Dohwa immediately started nagging him again about calling his brother ‘that guy.’

Mother and son were each saying only what they wanted.

“Mom! It’s me, Jaeyoung!”

Jaeyoung craned his neck and shouted into the phone.

–Oh my, Jaeyoung. Did you enjoy the melon?

Dohwa’s voice when speaking to Jaeyoung was gentle.

Only then did Jaeyoung remember that he hadn’t even eaten the melon yet.

“Uh…”

“Mom! Kim Jaeyoung and Jin Saheon are—! No, I can’t even say it! How can you even say something that blasphemous?!”

From the phone came a sharp, curt demand to shut up and hand the phone to Jaeyoung.

Jaeyoung waved his hands frantically, asking for it.

“No, I’m telling you, Kim Jaeyoung and Jin Saheon were rolling around on the bed!”

At Haewoon’s words, Jaeyoung froze mid-reach, struck dumb.

Both families gathered.

Jaeyoung was kneeling in front of them.

No one had told him to, but it felt like that was what he was supposed to do.

“First of all, there’s been a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding, my ass! I mean, damn it, I saw your lips—!”

The truth was, Haewoon wasn’t wrong.

Before he’d walked in, the two of them really had been rolling around on the bed.

That realization made Jaeyoung fall silent without meaning to.

“…Wow. Look at that! He can’t even deny it!”

Haewoon shouted triumphantly, like he’d accomplished something monumental.

They’d been caught in the act.

There was nothing they could do.

But still, how had Saheon not sensed anyone before the door opened?

Jaeyoung shot Saheon a suspicious look.

Unlike Jaeyoung, Saheon was sunk deep into the sofa, relaxed.

It was suspicious, but that wasn’t the urgent issue right now.

“No matter what, taking advantage of a kid who just turned an adult, huh?”

Saheon’s father, Seokwoo, was scolding him, but maybe because he was shorter, or because Saheon’s expression was so indifferent, it didn’t really feel like a scolding.

“He’s an adult, and they’re dating. Is it really a problem?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

With Jaeyoung’s mom Sukhee’s open-minded attitude, the fact that they’d been on the bed together quickly became a non-issue.

‘No, that’s not it. We’re not even dating.’

Jaeyoung fidgeted anxiously, looking for a chance to jump in.

“Hyung, say something.”

In the end, Jaeyoung leaned over to Saheon and whispered urgently at his side.

“You said to keep it a secret that I’m a Guide.”

This situation clearly didn’t bother Saheon.

Now Jaeyoung understood why Saheon had agreed so easily to keep it secret.

“Does that mean we’re in-laws now?”

“Oh my. Isn’t marriage a bit early, in-law?”

Jaeyoung watched the adults’ conversation with shaking eyes.

He was scared of how far this might go.

“No, hyung and I aren’t that serious!”

“Don’t tell me this was some one-night stand or something?”

When Jaeyoung cautiously objected, Sukhee shot him a sharp glare.

Dating was fine.

Doing things without dating was apparently not.

“They’re probably just getting to know each other. Celebrities are always like that.”

Jaeyoung’s father, Changhyun, soothed Sukhee.

At the same time, he shot Jaeyoung a look that clearly said to explain himself properly.

It felt like if he didn’t say they were dating, he’d be in real trouble.

“Hyung.”

Jaeyoung looked at Saheon with desperate eyes, silently begging him to say something.

But Saheon didn’t step in.

Maybe this was the situation he’d been waiting for all along.

It was a lonely battle.

In the end, Jaeyoung realized there was no other choice.

“Everyone, please listen carefully.”

As he drew everyone’s attention, determination settled on Jaeyoung’s face.

“The truth is, I’m a Guide.”

The adults, who’d been talking about a newlywed house and wedding plans, fell silent.

For the first time, Jaeyoung felt like things were finally getting sorted out, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“So that means you started dating while working together as Guide and Esper?”

Sukhee, who’d been looking serious, suddenly clapped her hands and smiled, like everything made sense now.

Jaeyoung realized then that nothing he said would matter.

Once both families knew that Jaeyoung was Saheon’s Guide, Saheon wasted no time making a new plan.

“Let’s move the house closer to your university.”

Jaeyoung pressed the end of his pen to his lips and frowned.

Honestly, his dream was simple.

Playing games as much as he wanted, sleeping whenever he wanted, waking up whenever he wanted.

Ordering whatever food he wanted, regardless of the time.

As long as he lived with parents who wanted him to have a regular lifestyle, that dream was impossible.

So even if it meant living with Saheon, being able to live independently wasn’t a bad thing.

“We’ll have separate rooms, right?”

“If that’s more comfortable for you.”

Saheon’s answer made Jaeyoung pause.

“Does that mean you’d rather share?”

“Guides and Espers with high matching rates can guide each other just by being nearby.”

Jaeyoung stared at Saheon with a blank expression, not quite understanding.

“Then why the kissing…”

There was no way it was because Saheon liked skinship.

In all the years Jaeyoung had known him, he’d never seen Saheon keep anyone close.

“It’s more efficient.”

At the matter-of-fact reply, Jaeyoung nodded without argument.

“Make separate rooms, then. I’ll go to your room when I sleep.”

Jaeyoung said firmly, his voice steadier than before.

They were both men, and there were no ulterior motives, but his cheeks still felt strangely warm.

Saheon stared intently at Jaeyoung’s side profile.

Then, as if amused, the corner of his mouth lifted.

“Alright.”

Saheon agreed readily.

Thanks to being awkwardly caught, Jaeyoung ended up starting to live with Saheon.

He let out a sigh, wondering if this was really how things were supposed to go.