By Zephyria 
Jae-gyeom sat blankly on the sofa.
It had already been four days since Yoon Tae-hee left the house.
Jae-gyeom’s daily routine remained the same.
He woke up on time every morning even without Tae-hee to wake him, he diligently took the bus to the English academy even without Tae-hee to drive him, and he made sure to eat every meal without skipping, even without Tae-hee to prepare the food. Nothing particularly unusual happened. His life was as peaceful as ever.
And yet, for the first time in a very long while, Jae-gyeom felt a sense of boredom in his life.
It was because the void left by Tae-hee felt so unfamiliar, making his previous life spent without him seem meaningless. He couldn’t remember what he used to do when Tae-hee wasn’t around, and the empty hours felt strangely long.
He felt bored, listless, uninterested, and somehow gloomy.
He had already finished his studies for the day. After reviewing and reviewing again, there was nothing left to do. What should I do at times like this? Slumping on the sofa, Jae-gyeom tapped the phone screen for no particular reason. It was to check if he had received any contact from Yoon Tae-hee. However, the notification window was clean.
He thought Tae-hee would return within a day or two, but the “runaway” was lasting longer than expected. Since Tae-hee had said he needed time to think alone, Jae-gyeom hadn’t reached out first. Those words sounded like, “Don’t contact me until I contact you first.”
…Was wanting to become an exorcist really such an unthinkable thing?
Jae-gyeom sat on the sofa with his knees pulled up and let out a deep sigh. He had no idea how to resolve this situation. There was nothing he could do but wait.
He kept wondering where Yoon Tae-hee was and what he was doing.
Did he eat? Did he sleep properly? What is he thinking…?
Then, while fiddling with his phone, something suddenly occurred to him.
Jae-gyeom opened the App Store. He searched for “Friends Pang” and downloaded the app. It was the first time he had installed it since changing his phone. Jae-gyeom scanned the in-game friends list. There were five people in total: Jeong-ju, Yoon Tae-hee, Im Hyo-mun, Shin Ji-hye, and Park Sang-jun; since none of them had logged into the game for a long time, they had all been converted to “dormant friends.” Jae-gyeom tapped Yoon Tae-hee’s name.
[Would you like to request a heart from Yoon Tae-hee?]
Without hesitation, Jae-gyeom clicked “Yes.”
Then, he switched to the messenger and checked the chat room where he had been talking with Yoon Tae-hee.
1
[Excited to receive a heart~♡ Kim Jae-gyeom is eagerly waiting for Yoon Tae-hee’s heart in the world of Friends Pang! Shall we head to the joyful world of Friends Pang? Go go!]
As always, a game invitation message was automatically sent to Yoon Tae-hee. From Jae-gyeom’s perspective, this was a clever move. He had only requested a heart within the game, not contacted him directly, so he figured this much would be okay.
Jae-gyeom stared intently at the heart request message he had sent. Before long, the ‘1’ next to the speech bubble disappeared. Yoon Tae-hee had read the message. Soon after, a new notification popped up.
[Yoon Tae-hee sent a heart~♡ Shall we go play right now?]
Seeing him send the heart so promptly, Jae-gyeom unconsciously let out a faint smile. Since he had obediently sent the heart, it was only natural to send a thank-you note. After rolling his eyes for a moment, Jae-gyeom tapped out a message. Yes, this was strictly to express gratitude. Jae-gyeom immediately pressed the send button.
[Thanks for the heart.,~^^]
[You’re not asleep.?]
[😊]
He asked how he was doing just in case he seemed too cold. In his heart, he wanted to send everything that came to mind: ‘What did you do today? What did you eat? Did you sleep well? Are you still very upset because I said I wanted to be an exorcist? Even so, how could you leave the house for several days? I knew it, but you really are petty… Anyway, I’m staying up all night thinking of you,’ but he held it back. He worried about what would happen if Tae-hee read it and didn’t reply, but fortunately, a speech bubble from Yoon Tae-hee arrived quickly.
[Yeah]
[I’m about to wash up]
[Good night]
Jae-gyeom toyed with his lips and typed, ‘Hey. I miss you.,..’ but feeling suddenly embarrassed, he hurried to delete the message. However, he didn’t want to end the conversation like this. He had to keep the conversation going quickly. Jae-gyeom hesitated, lost in thought for a moment. Soon, he typed and sent a new message.
[Can I.come now?]
[Where?]
[To you,.]
As soon as he sent the message, the ‘1’ disappeared immediately. However, for several seconds, Yoon Tae-hee said nothing. Feeling nervous, Jae-gyeom gnawed on his fingernails while waiting for the reply.
[Yeah]
The moment the speech bubble appeared, Jae-gyeom bolted upright from the sofa. He immediately threw on some clothes. Yu Nam-saeng, who had been sprawled on the floor, peeked his head up and asked where he was going in the middle of the night, but Jae-gyeom put his index finger to his lips and crept out of the house. He ran to the main road and immediately hailed a taxi.
High Palace, Building B, Unit 1402.
It took about 20 minutes to reach where Yoon Tae-hee was.
Arriving in front of Yoon Tae-hee’s door, Jae-gyeom pressed the doorbell.
However, no matter how long he waited, it remained silent behind the door. After hesitating for a moment, Jae-gyeom entered the passcode for the door lock. 1333. He had worried that the password might have changed, but fortunately, the door opened with a beep.
Visiting Yoon Tae-hee’s house after several months, it was as chilly as ever.
With only a single indirect light on, the interior of the house was dim, and the city night view was visible at a glance through the large floor-to-ceiling window. Wandering through the empty living room, Jae-gyeom looked around the house. Hearing the sound of water dripping from the direction of the bathroom, it seemed Yoon Tae-hee was currently showering.
Jae-gyeom sat blankly on the sofa and waited for Yoon Tae-hee to finish washing.
About ten minutes later, Yoon Tae-hee appeared, shaking his wet hair. He was wearing training pants, but his upper body was bare. As Jae-gyeom awkwardly stood up, Yoon Tae-hee spoke.
“You came?”
“Uh? Uh…”
“It’s been a few days.”
“Y-yeah.”
“…”
“…”
“Are, are you done showering?”
“Yeah.”
Seeing Yoon Tae-hee after four days, he seemed somehow much more dry than usual. His answers were consistently short, and he didn’t particularly try to strike up a conversation with Jae-gyeom. He said he needed time to think—was he still angry? For some reason, the atmosphere felt very awkward. Jae-gyeom scratched the back of his head and followed Yoon Tae-hee around. Seeing him take out a hairdryer to dry his hair, Jae-gyeom quickly reached out.
“I’ll dry your hair for you. Come here.”
Yoon Tae-hee stared at Jae-gyeom for a moment before silently handing over the hairdryer. As Jae-gyeom took the hairdryer and turned it on, warm air began to blow with a whirring sound.
Jae-gyeom dried his hair, running his fingers through Yoon Tae-hee’s locks. Yoon Tae-hee left his hair to Jae-gyeom and kept his eyes quietly closed. Because he looked so cute and pretty, Jae-gyeom stopped drying for a moment and unconsciously planted a kiss on Yoon Tae-hee’s forehead. Then, Yoon Tae-hee slowly opened his eyes.
“Tae-hee.”
Eventually, Jae-gyeom spoke while stroking Yoon Tae-hee’s hair.
“I won’t be an exorcist. So come home. I don’t want to be apart anymore.”
At those words, Yoon Tae-hee unconsciously stared intently at Jae-gyeom.
“…”
“…”
A brief silence followed. After a long while, Yoon Tae-hee, who had been keeping his mouth tightly shut, spoke quietly.
“From now on, I want you to come to this house for about two or three days a week so we can live just the two of us.”
“…What?”
“And every summer and winter, you have to spend a vacation with me for at least two weeks, no matter how short.”
It was just as Jae-gyeom was blinking blankly at the sudden, contextless demands.
“When you set your schedule, I want you to consult with me in advance so that your working days and days off match mine as much as possible.”
Yoon Tae-hee continued in a flat voice, his eyelashes cast downward.
“The place you will work is a newly established department called the Department of Grievance Resolution. Master Yeohye is slated to be the Head of the Department of Grievance Resolution, but since all authority regarding the 1st Team of the Department of Grievance Resolution has been delegated to me, I am the general manager. You can only move according to the instructions and orders of me, your direct superior.”
“…”
“It will be relatively less dangerous than the Department of Spirit Suppression, but it’s still field work, so if I judge that you are frequently injured or hurt during your duties, I will transfer you to the Talisman Department or the Purification Department. So, always pay attention to safety. I will permit you to become an exorcist, but determining your duties and team is entirely my authority, and I cannot compromise on this part.”
“…”
“Since you were processed as a mid-term resignation without completing your entire probation period last time, you’ll have to properly go through the three-month probation period again from the start. Whether you are officially appointed will be decided based on the personnel evaluation during the probation period, and if you are below standard or judged to lack qualifications, I will fail you without exception, no matter who you are.”
“…”
As he finally understood the situation, Jae-gyeom’s eyes slowly widened. Although he had attached various conditions as if being spiteful, in the end, it was Yoon Tae-hee who had stepped back.