By Zephyria 
It would have been better if he had just quickly apologized and turned around the moment the door opened and he locked eyes with Jeil Heon. However, Yoo Jiha, whose consciousness was hazy from being half-asleep, ended up witnessing a well-defined, muscular upper body, scars, and something hanging heavily between his legs…
“…Uh, Jiha. Could you close the door?”
“Hwaaaaagh!”
Despite being the perpetrator, he let out a scream like a victim, slammed the door shut, and bolted. The rule about behaving modestly so as not to offend the ghost in the house had completely vanished from his mind.
‘I’m crazy, I’m crazy. Yoo Jiha! Why didn’t you knock! You idiot!’
Yoo Jiha thrashed around on his bed, screaming silently. He could feel his face flushing bright red even without touching it. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying desperately to erase the image he had just seen, but the sight continued to float before his eyes like an afterimage.
He couldn’t say this was entirely his own fault. How could a human possibly have something that large hanging there? It was entirely Jeil Heon’s fault for storing such a thing in his crotch without giving any hint.
‘I mean, I never thought it would be small… No, that’s not it! I wasn’t thinking about that in the first place! At most, I only thought about ki, ki, ki, kissing…!’
Suffering from the overwhelming visual stimulation that hit him like a tidal wave, the lifelong virgin hurriedly rushed out of the house before the stimulant could finish showering. He fled to a nearby park, and though his phone rang with the other man looking for him, he couldn’t answer. All he managed was to send a text with trembling fingers: ‘I’m heading to work first.’
After taking the shuttle bus to work and sprawling out in the office, Song Hilda and Kim Min-seop entered one after another.
“Good morning! But why does our rookie look like that? You didn’t even commute with the Team leader; did something happen?”
“…What does my expression look like to you?”
“Like a minor who got caught watching porn by their parents and is now shrinking in shame.”
“….”
It was an unnecessarily accurate analysis. As the time raced toward 9 AM, Yoo Jiha’s heart pounded, and the moment he sensed the final team member entering the office, he whipped his head away.
“Good morning.”
“Wow, Team leader! Did you buy coffee for us too?”
“I arrived at work a bit early today.”
“Thaaaaanks!”
Jeil Heon took coffees out of the carrier and placed them on the team members’ desks. A hot Americano for Song Hilda, a vanilla latte for Kim Min-seop, and for Yoo Jiha, an iced latte with oat milk, one shot of espresso, two pumps of hazelnut syrup, extra whipped cream, and half the ice. …It was a menu he had ordered exactly once because he had a craving for sweets; when had he remembered it?
While Yoo Jiha hesitated, unable to even say thank you, Jeil Heon leaned down, lightly touching Jiha’s cheek with the back of his hand and fingers. He whispered so that only Jiha could hear.
“Since it was originally a house I lived in alone, I guess they didn’t think to add another bathroom when my siblings remodeled it. Sorry for startling you this morning. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
…It wasn’t something he needed to apologize for. Feeling sorry that he had reacted so childishly, Yoo Jiha lightly grasped his fingers and spoke softly.
“I’ll make sure to knock before entering the bathroom, even when it’s your sleeping time, Mister.”
With a smirk, Jeil Heon roughly ruffled his hair and headed toward his seat. The morning work ended with analyzing the Aberrant Realm they were set to enter, and lunch break arrived. After lunch, Yoo Jiha peeked into the first-floor smoking room to find the vanished Jeil Heon.
Jeil Heon, who was chatting with Enforcement Division Agents, noticed him, put out his cigarette, and stepped outside.
“Why did you come all the way down here? You should have called.”
“I have something to give only to you, without the Sunbaes knowing. You were surprised because of me this morning, weren’t you?”
When Jeil Heon simply looked down at the macaron he had received, Yoo Jiha asked worriedly.
“Do you dislike sweets? I’ll go buy something else.”
“Ah, sorry. It’s not that I dislike them; I just wondered what it was since it’s a snack I’ve never seen before.”
“It’s a macaron! It’s sweet, chewy, and crispy, so it’s delicious.”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Taking a bite, Jeil Heon nodded with a look of satisfaction and devoured the rest of the macaron. Even though it was just one macaron, seeing him enjoy it made Yoo Jiha feel strangely proud, and he chatted away as they walked side by side. After telling a story about how he got scolded for secretly stealing macarons his sister had bought, he cautiously spoke up.
“Um, Mister. Mister.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I’m not asking with any other intention, it’s really, really, really, really just a wholesome curiosity… That big thing you have, is that… genetic?”
“Both my parents were tall. My siblings are tall too.”
“Not height…”
“Hands? Are my hands on the larger side too?”
“They are…! But not hands or feet…”
“Hmm?”
Jeil Heon had no idea what he meant, and Yoo Jiha grew frustrated.
“Not height, hands, feet, eyes, or things like that… but the thing that people say is ‘big.’ In… men…”
Only then did Jeil Heon seem to realize which part he was talking about and paused. Given his usual personality, he likely would have teased him for asking such a thing or laughed it off, but he looked utterly flustered. Yoo Jiha’s heart thumped in response. Did he cross the l-line by acting too familiar just because they’ve gotten a bit closer? But isn’t this the kind of thing guys normally talk about?!
Just before an apology like ‘I’m sorry for being cheeky!’ could burst out, Jeil Heon avoided his gaze and muttered to himself.
“Four years old, he’s four years old. Hmm…”
“…I’m twenty-one.”
“Ah, Suk-young is calling. Go back to the office first.”
At the timely call from Kang Suk-young, Jeil Heon vanished quickly before Jiha could catch him. Left alone behind, Yoo Jiha was stunned. Four years old? No, he thought he was four?! If he had just regarded him as a child, he might have been a bit annoyed but could accept it, but mentioning a specific age was mind-boggling. Just how did he look in his eyes?
Damn it. That kid probably asked out of pure curiosity. Jeil Heon took several deep breaths, feeling like he wanted to slam his forehead against a wall. It was only after he managed to compose his expression that he went up to the Director’s office.
「Oho, look at this face I haven’t seen in years.」
An Aberration, assimilated with shadows and blackness, appeared from the gap in the door and acted familiar. The Aberration, which took the form of a human large enough to touch the ceiling, had noise flickering where its face should be. This Aberration, which was wearing Ji-hwan, was identified as the Monkey’s Paw.
Frowning, Jeil Heon gave a nod instead of a greeting and entered the Director’s office.
“Is that guy still at the company?”
“He comes and goes once every few years.”
“He’s a dangerous one.”
“It can’t be helped; there’s always at least one researcher who wants to study him using ‘wishes’ that can be predicted. More importantly, Sunbae, did you meet Mae-gu?”
Jeil Heon sat on the sofa and answered nonchalantly.
“Didn’t I tell you?”
“You didn’t!”
“I must have forgotten since I was trapped in an Aberrant Realm for five days. But how did you know?”
“Damn it. That cursed fox bastard filed a direct complaint with me. He was demanding why you weren’t being issued a weapon.”
“Directly by phone? Isn’t the frequency carrying an Aberration’s voice blocked?”
Kang Suk-young expressed irritation while scrolling through her phone.
“Instagram DM! ‘I strongly condemn the Management Bureau for mocking the greatest Agent with a mere expandable baton’ blah blah blah. Since when did this bastard know my Instagram?”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“It’s like leaving a secret message on a Cyworld guestbook. I wish you’d adapt to the 2020s faster. Take some interest in how the world works.”
“I’m actually learning from Jiha.”
“Speaking of Employee Yoo Jiha, he’s really not your kid, right?”
“How could I, a mere youth of thirty-three, have a son who is already twenty-one, Suk-ja Noona?”
“This mister’s mouth gets even more foul as he gets old; it’s truly annoying.”
“If I’m old, have you already picked out your coffin and laid down in it, Noona?”
“…Fuck. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re my Sunbae.”
Kang Suk-young glared fiercely at him as he gave a half-hearted response in a voice that was nothing but kind.
“Anyway, the weapon? The expandable baton breaks too easily, so it’s not great.”
Kang Suk-young slapped away Jeil Heon’s palm as he reached out for a weapon.
“No. Weapons cannot be taken out. To put it bluntly, if you were to become an Aberration and kill Agents with a Management Bureau weapon, how would I face the sacrificed Agents?”
“Hmm, I guess it can’t be helped.”
Despite the cold response, Jeil Heon withdrew his hand obediently without appearing offended. As he turned to return to the office, Kang Suk-young called out to him one last time.