The Name on Your Wrist

What he demanded from Yoo Hyun was simple.

To accompany him to a few places and perform the role of his lover.

It detailed what duties Yoo Hyun must faithfully fulfill, but the exception clauses attached afterward were quite accommodating to Yoo Hyun’s convenience, so this was undoubtedly a contract entirely favorable to him.

There was just one thing that bothered him, regarding the termination of the contract.

[This contract shall terminate upon the definite annulment of Party A’s engagement. However, if circumstances of Party A are deemed to make contract continuation difficult, the contract shall be considered terminated immediately.]

Circumstances of Party A? Specifically what kind….

Around the time they had crossed about half the lobby, a familiar face flashed past Yoo Hyun’s eyes.

It seemed they recognized him too, slowing their pace and leaning back to try and confirm Yoo Hyun’s face.

“…….”

Yoo Hyun reflexively bowed his head, immediately moved close to Taehwa’s side, and grabbed his arm.

He felt a curious gaze lingering on him, but Yoo Hyun pulled his hat down low and, holding Taehwa’s arm, stepped half a pace ahead.

Already in a situation with a poor public image, being spotted by reporters at a hotel wouldn’t do any good.

He needed to get away quickly.

“What’s going on…”

“Let’s get out of here first.”

It was a short walk to the entrance.

After completely exiting the lobby, Yoo Hyun used Taehwa as a shield to check.

Only after confirming the back of the reporter walking away did he finally let go of Taehwa.

“What happened?”

“It’s just that back there…”

He hesitated, wondering if it was necessary to explain, when a valet attendant approached.

Taehwa stood silently as if intending to hear the explanation to the end.

Yoo Hyun gestured toward his car.

“I think we should get in the car now if we’re going to.”

Taehwa glanced at the steady stream of arriving cars and, as if having no choice, took the keys and got into the driver’s seat.

Yoo Hyun, having caught his breath, opened the passenger door to say goodbye.

“Please drive safely.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to catch a taxi.”

Taehwa let out a laugh as if dumbfounded.

“Really? Well, putting aside other things, what about your manager? And a taxi?”

“That brother had an appointment.”

“…….”

“Then I’ll be going now.”

Yoo Hyun smiled slightly and closed the door.

If it weren’t for that reporter he saw earlier, he would have asked for a ride on the way; he felt a bit regretful inwardly.

He had only taken a couple of steps when—

“……?”

At the sound of urgent footsteps, he turned around.

It was Taehwa.

Yoo Hyun glanced down at his firmly gripped arm.

“Why?”

“Get in my car.”

“It’s okay.”

“Get in.”

“Really, it’s fine. I can get home on my own.”

“Is it okay for a celebrity to get home on their own?”

“If your car gets taken away and your manager gets taken away, you have to learn to get around on your own anyway.”

With the car that should have left now stopped, other vehicles starting to enter began checking the situation outside.

Fortunately, the quick-witted attendants soon sorted things out and guided other guests, but they couldn’t attract any more attention.

If they caused a scene, the only one who would be in trouble was himself.

Spotting a valet attendant approaching, Yoo Hyun whispered quickly and quietly, barely moving his lips.

“I think I saw a familiar face in the lobby! An entertainment reporter!”

Finally, Taehwa reluctantly released Yoo Hyun, albeit hesitantly.

Yoo Hyun adjusted his slightly disheveled hat, bowed slightly in acknowledgment, and walked away.

Luckily, he spotted an empty taxi far away that had just dropped off a passenger and was about to leave.

Yoo Hyun walked briskly as if to run toward it, stretching out his arm.

But a hand grabbed him and pulled him down even faster.

“Huh?”

Being pulled in the opposite direction, the recoil was significant, and the grip was so strong it reflexively made him want to groan.

Frowning, he turned his head.

It was Taehwa again.

He didn’t know when he had caught up this much.

Yoo Hyun lowered his voice and issued a small warning.

“I told you there’s a reporter.”

“Something came up I need to ask.”

Taehwa’s eyes as he said this were different from usual.

They seemed unfocused, yet also intensely focused on something.

Puzzled, Yoo Hyun followed his gaze downward.

The final destination of that gaze was his own wrist.

“…….”

“…….”

The clear letters revealed outside the sleeve he had rolled up during the meal.

It was a Name.

Yoo Hyun shook off his arm and frantically pulled down the edge of his clothing to cover it.

Seeing Yoo Hyun in a panic, Taehwa wordlessly headed for the driver’s seat.

****

Contrary to the expectation of being interrogated as soon as he got in the car, only an awkward silence continued.

How hard did he grip it? Yoo Hyun kept rubbing his tingling hand with his other hand.

His feelings were complicated.

He hadn’t intentionally scammed anyone, and it was the other party who had approached him first, investing in the drama and proposing the contract.

So he thought he didn’t need to feel so cowed.

But since he didn’t know what misunderstanding the other might have, he couldn’t be confident either….

It was a feeling like this.

Feeling futile and irritated, yet unable to blame anyone else, forcing down a swelling emotion with all his might.

Like the moment when, after Sangjin bought him coffee saying it was his share, he tried to ignore it claiming he was on a diet, then finally decided to drink it with difficulty, only to accidentally knock it over and spill it all on the floor.

It was exactly that feeling.

Even the fact that cleaning up was also his responsibility was perfectly the same.

Even with traffic, causing them to spend more time on the road, it was essentially not far from the hotel, so it wasn’t long.

Yoo Hyun, checking his reaction, cautiously pointed to a convenience store near his officetel.

“You can drop me off up ahead there.”

The stubborn silence persisted until the car stopped by the roadside and Yoo Hyun unbuckled his seatbelt.

Having lived with that face all his life, he probably knew the effect of keeping his mouth shut and looking grim.

Yoo Hyun was anxious about this quiet pressure tightening his patience.

“If you’re not going to ask anything, can I go now?”

“That on your wrist… is it a Name?”

Taehwa stared at Yoo Hyun’s wrist, now properly covered by clothing in the darkness.

That gaze, which had lingered on the wrist for so long, slowly rose and stopped at Yoo Hyun’s face.

“I saw the news. But I thought the Name-ah part was a rumor.”

Suddenly, everything in this car felt unfamiliar to Yoo Hyun.

The smell of the leather seats, the common air freshener scent—none were perceptible in this space.

The man who seemed angry, and himself, not knowing what to do beside him.

“…….”

As the eye contact grew long, Yoo Hyun almost missed Taehwa’s words and blinked.

The moment he realized the other had waited for his answer with considerable patience, he cleared his throat and immediately averted his gaze.

I was way too nervous just now. Right? Uh.

“…Is it a problem?”

“Isn’t it a problem for you, Goo Yoo Hyun?”

“If it really bothers you, I haven’t signed the contract yet…”

“If it’s enough to get Imprinted, it’s not an ordinary relationship. I’m asking if it’s okay for you to make such a contract with me.”

At the extremely conventional question, Yoo Hyun flustered and silently moved his lips.

Name-ah and Imprinted One.

Both refer to someone who has a Name, but Name-ah is a slightly broader concept.

The fact of having a Name in the form of letters inherently implies having an Imprinting counterpart.

However, for Yoo Hyun, there had never been a counterpart that fit Taehwa’s description of ‘not an ordinary relationship,’ neither in the past nor now.

To explain that would mean telling the story of how one day, a Name—and that too, the name of a stranger—suddenly became engraved on his body alone.

That story was so far beyond convention and common sense that even if he told the truth, there was a high chance he’d be labeled a fraudster.

Even he didn’t believe it, so who would?

From his tangled, messy mind, Yoo Hyun slowly picked out words and spoke.

“That ‘is it okay’… if you’re asking whether it was discussed, it should be okay. Probably.”

“…It’s okay?”

“It was a fully considered decision, and since it’s ultimately a path that benefits me, of course, um… no, strictly, it’s not necessarily an issue requiring someone else’s permission… I think that way…”

Even after careful selection, the words that came out were utterly unacceptable.

What nonsense am I spouting now…?

If one presumed an Imprinting counterpart existed, it was an incredibly selfish and worldly thing to say.

Yoo Hyun closed his eyes as if resigning and let out a sigh.

Taehwa observed that appearance very persistently.

“Impressive.”

“…Thank you.”

Taehwa let out a laugh like a sneeze.

What was there to thank? It was absurd.

Go on in.

In a silence whose meaning he couldn’t grasp, Yoo Hyun opened the car door and jumped out as soon as those words fell.

Goodbye.

He tossed the greeting without sincerity, slammed the car door shut, and without even turning his head toward the driver’s seat, ran into the convenience store in front of him.

Welcome.

At the part-timer’s greeting, Yoo Hyun nodded slightly and went inside.

Even though he had nothing to buy, he circled the store once, checking the situation outside.

Only after confirming through the transparent glass that the car had left could he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Keeping his eyes fixed outside, Yoo Hyun scooped up two overflowing handfuls of candy, placed them on the counter, and handed over his card.

And he thought.

…I think I’m screwed.

****

In Taehwa’s life, things he generally couldn’t choose had dictated the direction of his life.

This was true in the life until age fifteen, where he grew up with nothing to envy but had to prove his excellence amid fierce competition.

And it was true in the life after fifteen, when his entire previous life was negated, and mere survival became the goal.

His grandfather’s favor and his cousins’ envy and jealousy.

The awakening as a special ability user, followed by the manifestation of the Name….

Someone once laughed lightly and said, “They call that fate. Like the inevitable narrative given to a hero.”

At the time, those words seemed quite comforting.

There were times he endured trash-like moments with composure, thinking of them as narrative devices for the glory he would someday receive.

But he learned how cruel the word ‘fate’ was when he reached a point where he could no longer protect anyone.

When he became someone who shouldn’t remain at the Center.

When he opened his eyes, he was no longer a team leader guiding agents, nor, at the very least, an Esper.

It was after he lost all his abilities, as if being punished for the arrogance of calling himself a hero.

If that were all, he might have called it a blessing, but….

Every night, in a room without a single point of light, tormented by headaches, he pondered the things he had mistakenly believed he could choose.

That even if he became an Esper, he could avoid rampages.

That even if he became a Name-ah, he could avoid Imprinting.

That even if he didn’t enter the Center voluntarily, he could at least leave it according to his own will.

That if he left at a certain time, he could start living his true life.

Cruelly, those misconceptions inevitably summoned misfortune.