By Zephyria 
Seo Yoon-chae stood in front of the open door, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
Instantly freezing, I realized Jae-ha was hiding with a stealth artifact and quickly got up.
“What else would I be doing? I couldn’t sleep, so I’m getting some air.”
“The guy who grinds his teeth, saying he’ll collapse and go to the dorm to wash up and sleep as soon as practice is over?”
“…….”
Seo Yoon-chae had a sensitive side in these matters. What a hateful guy.
I was grumbling inwardly when Seo Yoon-chae, for once, said something kind.
“You’ll catch a cold if you’re exposed to the cold wind. Close the door and go to sleep.”
“…What? Are you worried about me?”
Surprised, I asked, and Seo Yoon-chae’s face also turned red. It wasn’t easy to see in the dark, but I could tell because his facial muscles were contorted.
“N-no, it’s not like that! It’s for the good of the whole team… I’m not, not worried about you!”
Seo Yoon-chae turned his back and left, his steps hurried.
“…He’s gone.”
It was almost anticlimactic how easily I chased him away.
But Jae-ha, who had been holding his breath and sitting quietly on the windowsill, glared at the spot where Seo Yoon-chae had disappeared, his eyes wide.
“…….”
Silently, frighteningly.
With the gaze of a predator warning not to covet its prey.
In the darkness, Jae-ha’s bright blue eyes burned fiercely.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
I was flustered. It wasn’t a combat situation, but Jae-ha’s energy was fluctuating, showing vigilance.
I grabbed Jae-ha and whispered in a small voice.
“…It’s best to stop here for today and go back. If other members find out, you’ll be in trouble….”
In response to my words, Jae-ha raised his deep blue eyes like the sea and asked.
“I’ll be in trouble? Why?”
“Huh? Why? Well, because you can’t reveal your identity right now….”
I had only given an obvious answer, but Potato sighed.
[You’re so clueless….]
What did I do?
I was about to swat Potato, bewildered, when Jae-ha’s face came closer.
‘When did he get so close?’
Jae-ha whispered softly, close enough for our breaths to mingle.
“I like it when it’s known that you and I are close, that we’re real partners.”
Rather, it’s what I want, Jae-ha said, and when he lightly kissed my forehead, I thought this wasn’t real.
“W-w-what are you doing?”
For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss my lips, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Foolishly, I didn’t even think about dodging. My reflexes could have avoided it.
But somehow, I felt like I shouldn’t.
To my protest, Jae-ha gave a boyish, radiant smile and jumped to the ground.
“Figure out what it means on your own.”
“What? Hey!”
I couldn’t bring myself to call Jae-ha’s name, so I could only tell him to stop there. Jae-ha used telekinesis to zoom away.
“What is this…”
Left alone, I held my forehead in the room, blankly staring in the direction Jae-ha had disappeared.
Potato whined and brought a small hand mirror, presenting it to me.
[It’s dyed the same color.]
As Potato said, my cheeks were also faintly tinged with red.
The sensation of my heart pounding was vivid.
The comeback preparations proceeded smoothly.
Having finished my business with the Management Bureau, I also quietly followed the schedule since I wouldn’t be causing any trouble for the time being. President was delighted that I had finally come to my senses. I left him to interpret it as he pleased. Good is good.
The mini-album had two title tracks: one was a kind prince who stepped out of a fairy tale, and the other was a bodyguard concept that made use of an oriental image.
Shin Tae-beom planned the bodyguard concept, also known as
When asked how he came up with this concept, Shin Tae-beom confidently replied.
“Our first album was also
Shin Tae-beom’s wholeheartedly planned concept and song appealed to the company’s President and other executives.
Shin Tae-beom excitedly explained to the members.
“They said the costumes will all be custom-made and worn on stage. President said he’s betting everything on this comeback.”
I was a little worried about how many cars and luxury goods President had sold off.
‘But he seems to have a lot of money, so it’s not my place to worry.’
Schedules were packed as if not to give me time for useless thoughts, so I soon stopped thinking about it.
Full-fledged song recording and music video shooting also took place.
Seo Yoon-chae and I were given a large portion of the parts in the title tracks
“Is it okay for me to take on this much?”
I asked President in surprise, but the members all seemed to agree. No one objected.
President said.
“It would be foolish not to use that singing ability after showing it to the public. And this is the best way to shake off even the dust of your remaining bad image.”
“But what about the other members?”
At my words, the members made surprised rabbit eyes.
“Are you thinking of us?”
Seo Yoon-chae laughed and teased me first.
“I’m not kidding. I’m grateful that you praised my singing skills, but this is…”
Then Ra Ho-yeon refuted my words.
“Looking at it objectively, your singing skills are sufficient. We know that well, having seen you sing up close.”
Shin Tae-beom and Cha Si-yoon nodded.
“Yeon Yu-jin. You have to take on many parts in
“The newly introduced fans seem to expect Yujin Hyung to take on the most parts along with Yoon-chae Hyung. We shouldn’t betray the fans’ expectations.”
They said so much that I couldn’t refuse.
Besides, Seo Yoon-chae hesitated and expressed his opinion that he wanted to sing the highlight of the song with me.
“…Don’t get me wrong. I’m suggesting we sing together because your tone seems to match well with mine. You know better than anyone that I don’t bat an eye at mediocre skills.”
It was a little funny to see him making a face that said, ‘What if I refuse?’
“Okay. I’ll do my best.”
It was tiring because I had to make making-of films and videos to upload to NewTube in between, but it was quite an enjoyable experience.
‘This kind of world exists too.’
The Secrety members working together as one were dazzling. It was a different kind of light from the one I saw when fighting monsters with Jae-ha.
This place was also a battlefield in another sense. A battlefield where we collaborate and create the highest quality work.
Learning to dance was still difficult, but I devoted myself to practice, sweating profusely. At that moment, I forgot about X and revenge.
It felt like I was slowly melting into life as Yeon Yu-jin, not An Ga-hyeon.
‘If I hadn’t been forcibly dragged into the military in my past life and died working as an Ability User, wouldn’t I have been interested in this?’
That’s how much I felt.
I did my best in the comeback preparations.
Time passed, and one day, I received a message from Jae-ha saying he would come.
[Jae-ha: I think I’ve found out about X’s identity.]
It was welcome news.
I made the excuse that I was going for a walk at night and went to a nearby playground.
Jae-ha was already waiting for me. Sitting on a wooden bench. Earlier than the scheduled meeting time.
‘I thought I came out early too.’
I wondered how long Jae-ha had been waiting for me here.
Feeling sorry, I quickly ran and sat next to him.
“Sorry. Did you wait long?”
“No, not at all.”
I could feel fatigue from Jae-ha’s gentle smile.
“It looks like you haven’t slept.”
“I can’t sleep when I’ve been analyzing who X is with my colleagues for days.”
“So, who was it?”
At my urging, Jae-ha took out three photos from his pocket.
“Three photos? You mean there are three people suspected of being X?”
“Only one of these three is the real culprit, though.”
As a result of combining the Database and the results of the White Tiger Unit’s own investigation to find out who X was using the process of elimination, the conclusion was that one of these three was the culprit.
“All three are currently active A-Class Espers.”
“They’re all handsome.”
It wasn’t the time to say such things, but the faces of the criminal candidates were all handsome.
‘Well, I heard that Hunters these days enjoy influencer or celebrity-level popularity. Ability is important, but these looks would make them even more popular.’
I frowned and looked at the attached resumes, wondering who the real culprit was, when Jae-ha suddenly asked me.
“Handsome, you said?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“More than me?”