What a bunch of troublesome bastards.
He clicked his tongue at the men who only retreated after putting on such a show. As he lifted his head, he saw Han Geon-joo waving at the empty space where the executives had disappeared, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
“…What are you doing, pretty boy?”
“Ah.”
At his dry tone, the man lowered his gaze, glanced at his own hand, and then shrugged.
“Seeing them off.”
It was a shameless answer, as anyone could see he was blatantly taunting them.
So that’s why Gyeongjin was having a fit as he left.
Sa-yoon recalled the furious expression on Gyeongjin’s face as he was dragged away by Yen, looking like he still had plenty more to say. Sa-yoon’s lips curled into a smirk. Must be because he’s just a kid. It was a childish game.
He tapped Geon-joo’s shoulder with the back of his hand and opened the door to his room. Though a year had passed, the room he returned to after so long was exactly as he remembered it. Even though it should have been empty, there wasn’t a single speck of dust to be seen.
“They should have taken a break from cleaning while the owner was away.”
This level of cleanliness wasn’t something you could achieve with a single deep clean. It was a state that could only be maintained with daily care and attention. He muttered this as he swept a hand over a clean tabletop. Han Geon-joo followed him in, looked around the room, and then got a slightly pensive look on his face.
“It looks like they cleaned it every day for a year.”
“You think so, too? …That’s why I say they’re foolish.”
“That’s not foolishness.”
“Why not?”
“Because those people were just doing the best they could.”
“…”
“Waiting for you, cleaning the room you would return to, tracking your whereabouts, and managing your guild. I think I have some idea of what they were feeling.”
He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet for some reason, his conscience pricked him. It wasn’t as if he had disappeared because he wanted to, nor had he reappeared a year later by choice. When he shot Geon-joo a look that said, So who are you scolding right now?, the man shook his head.
“I was just saying.”
“How bland.”
Sa-yoon slowly surveyed the room and yawned again. Come to think of it, how long had it been since he’d slept? In the Tower, he had either minimized his sleep or skipped it entirely, and in the Wyvern Gate, there had been no time to rest at all. Realizing he hadn’t slept in over a week, he scowled, grabbed a towel, and handed it to Han Geon-joo.
“Go wash up and come out.”
At the suggestion, Han Geon-joo looked down at the towel pressed against his chest, then his eyes crinkled into a smile.
“And what are we going to do when I come out?”
“You’re pushing your luck, pretty boy.”
What a cheeky little brat.
If he was tired, then Geon-joo must be exhausted, too. His stamina stat was lower than his, after all. He’d told him to go first so he could put him to bed, but in return, he got this nonsense. At his reprimand, the man, who was a master at timing his insolence, obediently entered the bathroom. The sound of running water began. It was a pleasant, repetitive sound. He threw himself onto the bed, and a snake shot out from underneath it.
Ssssssst!
One of them emerged, flicking its tongue as it looked at Sa-yoon. It tilted its head from side to side as if confirming its master’s face, and then, having apparently made its decision, it slowly slithered up and rested its head on his hand. Following its lead, the other snakes under the bed began to crawl out. It wasn’t just one or two. There were five… no, seven of them. Sa-yoon clicked his tongue and stroked the snake that was nuzzling against him affectionately.
Come to think of it, if a year had passed, these guys hadn’t seen him for a year, either.
As if to complain, one of the snakes nipped his wrist. Instead of pushing it away, he gently stroked it with his finger. It slapped its tail against the sheet once and then released him.
One by one, they slowly moved to claim a spot on the bed. One climbed onto his stomach, another onto his hand, and another wrapped itself around his foot. As he watched them select their positions with an incredulous look, there was a tuk, tuk, tuk. A knocking sound came not from the door, but from the window.
If that was the case, the visitor was obvious.
Sa-yoon gestured, and a snake slithered over to open the window.
Caw, caw!
As if it had been waiting, a crow flapped its way into the room. The sleek-feathered bird spotted him and immediately tried to bite him, just as the snake had, but Sa-yoon swiftly caught its neck.
“It would be a problem if you bit me.”
Caw!
It flapped its wings as if to ask why it wasn’t allowed, but to no avail. It would either end with its beak breaking or with it needlessly injuring him by attacking his mucous membranes. He gave a sharp hiss of warning, and the flapping subsided. Once it seemed to have calmed down, he let it go. The bird settled on the headboard and began to preen its feathers.
Caw, caw!
More crows began to fly in through the open window. When their number surpassed ten, Han Geon-joo emerged from the bathroom and froze just off the bath mat.
“…What is all this?”
“What do you think it is?”
Snakes and crows.
Even at the nonchalant reply, the frown on Han Geon-joo’s face did not ease.
*He said his past life was a serpent, so why does he hate snakes? Is it some kind of self-hatred?*¹
As Sa-yoon pondered this, he saw Geon-joo standing there with water dripping from his hair, not even thinking to dry it. He couldn’t stand it and waved his hand at the crows.
“Go on, get out.”
At the dismissive gesture, like he was shooing away a peddler, the crows cawed in protest. He ignored them and waved his hand again. As if in warning, the crows flew over to Han Geon-joo and circled his head before disappearing out the window in unison. A few black feathers were left behind. Geon-joo picked them up with a tissue, his face contorted in disgust, and threw them in the trash.
“Why did they circle over my head before leaving?”
“Probably a warning.”
“…”
Sa-yoon chuckled at his dumbfounded expression. Like master, like crows; they were a fearless bunch. The audacity of them, trying to intimidate an S-Rank Hunter. He laughed a few times at their cheeky attitude. Geon-joo, having finally toweled off his dripping hair, pulled Sa-yoon to his feet.
“You go wash up, too.”
“Why? So we can do what when I come out?”
“Who knows.”
He had thrown the same words back to tease him, but the response was surprisingly calm. He looked at him quizzically. Geon-joo met his gaze, then suddenly pulled the lapels of his gown together.
“Are you a pervert?”
“…?”
Fuck, I wasn’t even looking at anything.
He had just been looking at his face, not his chest. The response was so absurd that Sa-yoon snorted and grabbed a towel.
“Build up your chest muscles before you say something like that, pretty boy.”
“……!”
A blush crept up Han Geon-joo’s neck. Finally getting the reaction he wanted, Sa-yoon laughed and entered the bathroom. Just before the door closed, he heard a mutter. “Are you a psycho?” The words, heard in this place for the first time in a long while, brought a sense of nostalgia. Sa-yoon smiled and turned on the shower.
***
Taltal.
As he roughly dried his wet hair with a towel, he thought that it was definitely time for a haircut. The hair, weighed down by water, was on the verge of poking his eyes.
He touched the ends of his hair a few times, then picked up the hair dryer. Geon-joo approached, pulled out a chair, and sat him down in it.
“What?”
“I’m going to dry it for you.”
“Suddenly?”
He gave him a look that said, When have you ever done this before? but the man simply gave him a look back that said, Stop with the useless talk and just sit still, and took the dryer from his hand. It was cheeky, but not enough to call him out on it. Sa-yoon sat properly and blinked slowly. Wheeeeing. The hair dryer whirred to life. The events of the past days had clearly taken their toll, as now even this sound felt like white noise, and a wave of drowsiness washed over him.
As if not wanting to disturb the sleepy Sa-yoon, a careful hand began to dry his hair, starting from the scalp. A comfortable silence filled the room. At some point, he had completely let go of his tension and was half-leaning into the hand when he heard a voice.
“I didn’t know a whole year had passed.”
It was about the reality they had faced right after leaving the Gate. Sa-yoon scoffed.
“You think anyone knew? That’s just how the Systems do things.”
“Don’t you feel it’s a waste?”
“What is?”
“The time that passed.”
“What’s there to waste? You just live.”
Sa-yoon was someone who had let a full decade of his life pass by after becoming a Hunter. There was no reason to feel that one year was a waste now. He replied nonchalantly, and the hair dryer, having finished with the roots, moved to blow air on his neck. The still-damp hair at the back of his neck flew up lightly.
“I thought it was a waste.”
“Why? Because you feel like your youth is ending?”
Sa-yoon said with a chuckle, sounding like an old man. Geon-joo, after chiding him to fix his laugh, ruffled his hair a few more times, then turned off the dryer, apparently finished. His answer came at the same time.
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Because that’s how much time we could have spent dating, and now it’s gone.”
“…”
The reason was so unexpected that Sa-yoon’s mouth opened and closed. He didn’t know how to respond. As he was trying to think of what to say, the hand that had been in his hair moved down to cup his cheek. It didn’t force, but gently guided him. He tilted his head back and met the eyes of the man looking down at him. His hair was tucked behind his ear by the other’s hand.
“…I’ve been thinking about it ever since we were in the office, and I can’t help but feel regretful. We didn’t date by following the steps like other people. Like you said, in a way, we started with a kiss. …I’m already sad that we missed out on all the things we could have done before that, and now to hear that a year has passed on top of it, I just feel empty.”
It didn’t seem like he was just saying it. Sa-yoon tried to figure out what Geon-joo meant by “things you can do before dating” and then reached up.
He didn’t know exactly what he was talking about, but he understood the emotion behind the words. There was only one thing Sa-yoon could do for the man who regretted the year that had become wasted time.
“Then let’s just fill it up, starting now.”
And do the things we missed.
As he added the words and wrapped a hand around his neck, the man, whose neck was now caught, widened his eyes. Then, just as he had done, he yielded to the pulling force. As he lowered his head, their faces drew closer. In the room, bathed in the light of dawn, their breaths met.