By Zephyria 
‘Jae-ha has never been this conscious of me before….’
Aren’t we standing too close?
“Um, well… I’d appreciate it if you could step back a little.”
It was an uncharacteristically timid voice for me.
But Jae-ha looked as if the sky had fallen at my words.
“…Are you talking about me?”
“Yeah, well. I’m perfectly fine. Ra Ho-yeon is the one who’s hurt….”
“…….”
“Ahem. You know I’m pretty tough, even if I look like this. You know I’m not someone who’s easily taken down.”
“…….”
“So, I’m just saying you don’t have to worry too much. I’m not weak, Jae-ha.”
“…But this is the first time you’ve told me to step away.”
A fleeting, transparent moisture welled up in Jae-ha’s eyes.
‘Wh-what?!’
I was utterly flustered and hastily grabbed Jae-ha’s face, asking, “Are you, by any chance, crying right now?!”
Looking into Jae-ha’s bright blue eyes from a distance where our breaths could almost touch, Jae-ha finally smiled.
With large teardrops glistening in his eyes.
“You’ve finally come to me. Looking at me up close.”
“…Hey, you.”
Don’t you know they say you’ll grow horns on your butt if you cry and laugh at the same time?
Even such a joke wouldn’t come out, Jae-ha’s face, smiling so brightly, was so beautiful.
My heart was even fluttering, making me wonder why I hadn’t felt this way when looking at Jae-ha’s face before.
Hyeon Jae-ha was a reliable colleague, a friend I could lean on, and my one and only partner, for whom I wouldn’t hesitate to give my life.
When I woke up in Yeon Yujin’s body and met Jae-ha again, I was glad, but also angry at the sight of him living in the darkness, taking my revenge for me.
I thought it was just a feeling of really cherishing and valuing him….
Could it be because I learned about the feelings Jae-ha had been harboring?
The person ‘Hyeon Jae-ha’ himself began to register in my mind.
I was staring blankly at Jae-ha for a while when Ra Ho-yeon’s dissatisfied voice jolted me back to reality.
He was glaring at Jae-ha like a wary wildcat.
“I’m the one who’s hurt here.”
Snapping back to my senses, I felt somehow sorry and flustered.
“Oh…. Sorry. Should I go buy some medicine?”
Then Ra Ho-yeon scolded me with a softened expression and voice.
“It’s okay. What pharmacy is open at this hour?”
“I could stop by a convenience store, at least….”
“And advertise that Secrety is out here?”
“Ugh.”
He was right. That’s why I had bothered to arm myself with a mask and dark-colored hoodie.
‘Ban No-ah might be searching with his eyes wide open, trying to harm Jae-ha and the White Tiger Unit members, so I should definitely be careful.’
Now that Ban No-ah knew my identity, I had become a clue for him to find Jae-ha and the White Tiger Unit.
Since the Secrety members were also sticking with me, he could use them to lure me out and threaten Jae-ha.
Thinking that far ahead made me sigh even deeper.
“…You’re right, Ra Ho-yeon. It’s better not to move rashly. Sorry I can’t buy you medicine.”
“…You don’t have to apologize to me. If we’re going to point fingers, the fault lies with that crazy psycho X, Ban No-ah.”
Jae-ha, who had been listening to our conversation, furrowed his brow slightly.
His expression seemed to say, ‘Why are you apologizing when you’ve done nothing wrong?’ and I almost burst out laughing.
Even though something incredibly dangerous had just happened today.
Barely managing to suppress my laughter with a cough, I earnestly patted Ra Ho-yeon’s shoulder.
“Still. I’m sorry for getting you involved in my mess anyway. What a hardship to put you through, bringing along such young kids.”
“…….”
Ra Ho-yeon’s expression soured.
‘Why? I was clearly offering comfort.’
Even the other Secrety members’ expressions were frowning and contorted, showing a very unpleasant mood. Could the leader’s emotions be contagious? It shouldn’t be.
On the other hand, Jae-ha was as fresh as a new sprout in spring, with a smile blooming all over his face.
“Right. Ban No-ah was really awful in front of such young kids.”
“…Right? But Jae-ha.”
“Yeah.”
“You seem awfully excited?”
He looked like he would burst into laughter if touched, which was even bizarre.
‘Even in the midst of all this, why do I find Jae-ha so pretty?’
Am I finally going crazy?
Why is my heart still fluttering?
Do I have arrhythmia or something? At this age? Yeon Yujin is young, though.
Or maybe not. I think I saw an internet news article saying that people in their 20s are also vulnerable to serious illnesses these days.
As if trying to calm my restless self, Jae-ha wiped the smile off his face.
“Me? No way. There’s no way I’d be giggling alone in such a serious and grave matter.”
“Right?”
Indeed, I must have been mistaken just now. There’s no way Jae-ha would be gloating and laughing at the Secrety members, who looked uncomfortable, or at the Esper Hubae who were much younger than him.
The youngest, Cha Si-yoon, who was standing farthest away, muttered very quietly.
“…Like a fox that’s lived a long time and harbors a million sly snakes….”
“Cha Si-yoon, what did you just say?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Cha Si-yoon lied shamelessly.
No, I clearly heard it.
If I heard it, there’s no way Jae-ha couldn’t have heard it.
“Jae-ha, you heard what he said, right?”
However, contrary to expectations, Jae-ha shook his head.
“No. I couldn’t hear well, so I didn’t hear it.”
“What?”
“I guess it’s because he’s young and I’m old. That’s a big problem.”
“What? If that’s true, it’s a really big problem. Come here for a second. Is your health okay? Don’t tell me you’ve been using your powers without Guiding again, only increasing the degree of erosion?”
As I hurriedly grabbed Jae-ha’s hand and tried to initiate Guiding, Jae-ha kissed my palm and whispered that he was okay.
“I’m kidding.”
“You son of a….”
“I’m still in great shape. I was more surprised that you took it so seriously. My body has been aging very slowly since the Second Awakening, so what are you worried about?”
“I was…. I was really worried that you might be getting weaker….”
How surprised I was.
This time, Jae-ha looked at my face and was startled.
“Ga-hyeon?”
“Don’t ever joke like that again. If you do, I might never see your face again.”
As long as Ban No-ah is breathing and walking around, I absolutely, never want to see you getting weaker.
‘If the moment comes when I see my partner die like you did.’
I feel like I wouldn’t be able to endure it and would follow you.
Jae-ha, who had been restless, quickly apologized to me.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“Don’t.”
“Okay.”
“And also, get to know the Secrety members who are my collaborators and temporary partners right now. I’m not very close to them either, but since we’re all in the same boat, you should at least have a sense of camaraderie.”
“…Alright.”
Jae-ha barely expressed his agreement, as if he was dissatisfied, but that alone was a relief.
I had Jae-ha and the Secrety members stand on either side of me, facing each other, and had them introduce themselves.
“Okay, I’ll formally introduce you. This is Hyeon Jae-ha. As you’ve heard from my stories, he’s an excellent S-class telekinesis Esper. He’s also the leader of the White Tiger Unit, and if you were to pick the most outstanding Ability User in the country, there’s no one better than Jae-ha.”
“…Nice to meet you.”
“These are the Secrety members, Jae-ha. In order, Ra Ho-yeon, Seo Yun-chae, Shin Tae-beom, and Cha Si-yoon. They each have their assigned positions, but that’s irrelevant to the story we’ll be discussing, so I’ll skip it.”
“…Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
They didn’t seem very happy to meet each other, but I decided to move on.
There’s a more urgent matter than that right now.
“Jae-ha, are you sure we’re invisible with the stealth artifact?”
“Yeah.”
Only after receiving Jae-ha’s confirmation did I tell them everything that happened when we met Ban No-ah.
“…That’s how he thought he could kill Ra Ho-yeon, but nothing happened. He just said it was for the purpose of confirming my identity.”
After hearing my story, Jae-ha’s expression hardened like a stone.
Jae-ha regretted it and covered his face.
“You’ve become too dangerous.”
“I couldn’t help it. The situation was like that….”
“This won’t do. You should stop working as ‘Yeon Yujin’ right away.”
“Jae-ha.”
“That bastard, X, is a guy who would do anything to get abilities. Have you forgotten?”
“…….”
“The ability that Ban No-ah covets the most is the ‘Resurrection’ you have. Even though he’s already armed with various abilities, the reason he’s still afraid of me is because he fears that it’ll be difficult to survive if he encounters me.”
The fear of a natural enemy that all living things inevitably feel as they live.
The fear of wanting to avoid death.
“…I know.”
“In order to avoid that death, Ban No-ah will try to obtain your ability, ‘Resurrection.’ I’m sure of it. That guy has already become a monster. He won’t be satisfied with the abilities he’s already obtained. In order to completely escape the threat of death that I pose, he has no choice but to crave the highest level of recovery ability, which allows him to be resurrected even after death.”
Jae-ha gave a sad smile.
“So please, I beg you. If you’re thinking of me… hide in the shelter I’ve prepared. Losing you is the moment I lose this fight.”