By Zephyria 
Listening to the recent news about Kang Yi-bin and Go Jun-hyung, Jae-gyeom chuckled unconsciously. He could almost see the two of them bickering incessantly in the office. Seeing himself laugh like this, he wondered if he had grown fond of them deep down.
He had considered their connection a mere formality, a shallow tie maintained only to achieve his goals. Yet, the fact that he was curious about how they were doing and felt glad to hear news of them made him think that human connections are truly strange.
Yoon Tae-hee, who had been smiling along while gazing at Jae-gyeom’s face, spoke quietly after a moment.
“Senior Pyo is probably suffering.”
“I imagine so.”
Except for Kang Yi-bin and Go Jun-hyung, all other team members had remained in Team 1. However, two of the assistants, who served as the backbone of the team, were gone, and the Chief, who was responsible for the entire team, was still absent.
With no Chief, the highest-ranking member currently in the team was Pyo Ji-ho. Yoon Tae-hee had expected that once the Exorcism Bureau normalized, Pyo Ji-ho would be promoted to Chief or a new Chief from another team would be assigned to Team 1.
However, the main office had left the position of Chief for the Department of Spirit Suppression’s Team 1 vacant. As the vanguard of each department, Team 1 held a symbolic position within the main office. In particular, it was an established fact that the Chief of Team 1 was essentially the designated successor for the next Head of Department.
“Senior Pyo would be able to breathe a bit easier if he were promoted to Chief, or if they at least brought in a Chief from another team…”
Yoon Tae-hee murmured to himself.
Regardless of the internal politics, he couldn’t understand why the position of Chief had been left vacant for so long.
At Yoon Tae-hee’s words, Jae-gyeom pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Maybe they’re waiting for you to come back?”
“No way. If they’re a group that stupid, they’re better off disappearing.”
It wasn’t a rebuke toward Jae-gyeom, but rather a condemnation of the Exorcism Bureau’s foolishness, based on the premise of ‘if that were actually the case.’ Still, Jae-gyeom scratched his cheek at the cold and scathing response.
Having seen only the affectionate and gentle side of him since everything ended, he had forgotten for a moment. Whenever the Exorcism Bureau became the topic of conversation, Yoon Tae-hee displayed this kind of chilly and indifferent attitude.
To that, Jae-gyeom asked.
“Do you want the Exorcism Bureau to disappear?”
Yoon Tae-hee looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head.
“Not necessarily. I just meant that if they’re going to keep fumbling like that, it’s better for them to vanish. Otherwise, people will just suffer for no reason.”
“That’s true. If the Exorcism Bureau were to disappear, I’d worry about the kids in Team 1. Where on earth would they go to earn a living?”
“Yeah. I think so too.”
At those words, Jae-gyeom looked at Yoon Tae-hee in surprise. Then Yoon Tae-hee asked.
“Why?”
“I thought you’d say you didn’t really care either way.”
After a brief silence, Yoon Tae-hee replied with a faint smile.
“I guess so.”
It wasn’t only Jae-gyeom whose feelings toward others had changed.
Yoon Tae-hee believed that for the past ten years, he had never let any exorcists get close to him. Exorcists were his enemies. And yet, those who had been his enemies stood by his side despite the unfortunate incidents, and they still remained by his side now. If they were merely ‘exorcists,’ that would have been impossible.
Yoon Tae-hee himself felt that at some point, a faint warmth began to stir in his heart when he thought of them. Now, when he pictured their faces, he didn’t see the traditional masks that exorcists wear, but the distinct faces behind them. It was a human emotion he was experiencing for the first time.
But that was as far as it went. That didn’t mean he wanted to return to the Exorcism Bureau or become an exorcist again. In the first place, returning after causing such a commotion was absurd.
“Anyway, seeing how they keep contacting you even after all that, they must really like you. Keep getting along with them. You don’t have any friends.”
Yoon Tae-hee just gave a short, silent laugh without replying.
The conversation lapsed for a while, and the two walked in silence, holding hands.
By the time they snapped out of it, they had already descended into the residential area. As they approached the neighborhood where the streetlights were relatively bright, the brightly lit sign of a convenience store appeared in the distance.
Seeing the convenience store reminded him of something.
“Let’s stop by the convenience store before we go.”
Jae-gyeom said, letting go of Yoon Tae-hee’s hand.
“What are you buying?”
“Jeong-ju said earlier that we’re out of milk and ramen.”
The two opened the door and stepped inside the convenience store.
Taking the lead into the store, Jae-gyeom quickly found the dairy section. After picking up ramen from the next corner, he looked around to see if there was anything else to buy, but Yoon Tae-hee, who had been standing behind him until a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.
Looking around the store, he spotted the back of a head standing tall over there. Yoon Tae-hee had moved to the opposite corner at some point. Jae-gyeom approached Yoon Tae-hee, who was picking out an item.
“What is it? Is there something you want to buy too?”
Instead of answering, Yoon Tae-hee showed him what he had picked from the shelf.
It was gummy jellies in various fruit flavors. The transparent plastic bag was filled with colorful bear-shaped jellies.
Jae-gyeom asked.
“Why that?”
“I want to eat them on the way.”
“Eat them on the way?”
It was nearly midnight.
Snacking at a time when one should be going home to sleep was not good. Moreover, what Yoon Tae-hee had picked up was a lump of sugar with zero nutritional value.
“You shouldn’t eat something like that right before bed.”
Jae-gyeom said with a serious face.
“…….”
At the stern nagging of his elder, Yoon Tae-hee just blinked and stared blankly at Jae-gyeom, as if he didn’t understand the words.
“If you’re hungry, I’ll steam some sweet potatoes for you when we get home.”
“…….”
“Put it back where it belongs, quickly.”
“…….”
Yoon Tae-hee silently pursed his lips like a bird’s beak and lowered his gaze with empty eyes. Standing there blankly, he seemed to have turned to stone. It felt as if the insides had vanished, leaving only the shell.
It was a silent protest.
At this, Jae-gyeom narrowed his eyes.
“…….”
At some point, whenever Yoon Tae-hee had nothing particular to say in response or wanted to gloss over a situation, he would act like this.
It happened mostly when he was being scolded or reprimanded.
It was an expression of intent: he didn’t necessarily intend to argue, but he didn’t want to comply obediently as the other person wished.
Honestly, whenever he did that… it was cute.
Jae-gyeom smoothly snatched the jellies from Yoon Tae-hee’s hand. Even while standing blankly and pretending not to hear as part of his protest, Yoon Tae-hee let Jae-gyeom take the jellies without resistance.
Instead of putting the snatched jellies back on the shelf, Jae-gyeom held them along with the milk and ramen and headed to the checkout counter.
“Do you need a bag?”
“Yes, please.”
After paying, Jae-gyeom approached Yoon Tae-hee with the bag of items. He pulled the jellies out of the bag and thrust them toward Yoon Tae-hee.
“Here.”
Yoon Tae-hee’s eyes widened, and he reflexively took the jellies.
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
After nonchalantly handing over just the jellies, Jae-gyeom walked out of the store, naturally carrying the rest of the bags in his own hand. Yoon Tae-hee stared at Jae-gyeom as he opened the door and left, then followed after him.
Once they were outside the convenience store, Yoon Tae-hee spoke.
“Actually, you’re doing this on purpose.”
“Doing what?”
“To make my heart flutter. To make me keep falling for you.”
Jae-gyeom was speechless.
In the past, he would have brushed it off with something like ‘What are you talking about?’ or ‘Stop talking nonsense.’ But now, he didn’t know how to react to such words. He was too embarrassed and shy to say anything.
“Are you really… getting fluttery just because I bought you a pack of jellies?”
At Jae-gyeom’s awkward teasing, Yoon Tae-hee gently took the plastic bag from Jae-gyeom’s hand. Then, looking into Jae-gyeom’s eyes, he said.
“That’s right. I get fluttery even with just this much.”
And so, on the way back home.
The two walked side by side. Unlike when they came, they didn’t hold hands on the way back. Yoon Tae-hee looped the plastic bag over his wrist and tore open the jelly packaging with his free hand. Then, Jae-gyeom naturally held out his hand. It was a sign that he wanted a jelly too.
Looking down at the confidently extended palm, Yoon Tae-hee laughed silently. To this, Jae-gyeom said with a serious face.
“Hey. When you eat, you’re supposed to eat together.”
“I didn’t even say anything…”
Jae-gyeom took the jelly Yoon Tae-hee handed him and put it in his mouth. Thus, the two walked along the road, eating jellies side by side. It was very convenient, as Yoon Tae-hee would hand him another jelly just as he finished chewing and swallowing the previous one. Jae-gyeom said while chewing.
“Do these all taste different? This one tastes different from the first one.”
“Yeah. The flavors are different by color.”
“Really? Which flavor do you like best?”
“The white one. I think the white one was pineapple.”
“Then give me a white one too.”
“I have to distinguish them by color, but it’s dark… is it this one?”
“Where? Let me see.”
Rummaging through the bag, Yoon Tae-hee picked one out and held it up. Jae-gyeom examined the jelly he received. As Yoon Tae-hee said, it was difficult to distinguish the color because it was dark at night.
Yoon Tae-hee asked softly.
“How is it? Is it white?”
Instead of answering, Jae-gyeom looked around. He saw a streetlight in the distance. He felt he could tell the color if he were under that light. Jae-gyeom dashed past Yoon Tae-hee toward the streetlight.
When Jae-gyeom suddenly bolted like a bullet without a word, Yoon Tae-hee paused for a moment, then smiled broadly.
Jae-gyeom pinched the tiny jelly between his thumb and index finger and lifted it close to his face. He held it up carefully against the streetlight.
“Tae-hee, this one is white!”
Under the pouring white light of the streetlight, Jae-gyeom turned back to Yoon Tae-hee with a bright smile. The moment he saw that sight, Yoon Tae-hee, who had been approaching Jae-gyeom, unconsciously stopped in his tracks.
Then, Jae-gyeom reached out his hand toward Yoon Tae-hee, who was standing still a few steps away. He said nonchalantly.
“Give me the jellies. I’ll pick out only the white ones for you.”
At the words that he would pick out only his favorite jellies for him, Yoon Tae-hee gazed blankly at Jae-gyeom standing in the light.
“…….”
Suddenly, Yoon Tae-hee thought about his own ugliness and dark side. He felt that if he reached out now, the boy before him might vanish like a mirage. After hesitating, Yoon Tae-hee spoke.
“Do you like me?”
At the unexpected question, a startled Jae-gyeom slowly lowered his hand and looked at Yoon Tae-hee. Unlike himself, who stood under the streetlight, Yoon Tae-hee was standing in the pitch-black area where the light didn’t reach.
“…….”
Silence flowed. The only sounds were the chirping of insects and the faint sound of cars in the distance. Jae-gyeom stared intently at Yoon Tae-hee, who was waiting for an answer in the darkness.
“…….”
“…….”
Since waking up, Yoon Tae-hee had asked questions like this whenever Jae-gyeom had almost forgotten. It felt as if he asked every few days. It always came out of nowhere, completely out of context.
Jae-gyeom turned his body completely to face Yoon Tae-hee.
“Yeah. I like you.”
The moment their eyes met exactly, a gust of wind blew simultaneously with the answer. Yoon Tae-hee’s hair became disheveled in the breeze.
“I told you before, I couldn’t help but like you.”
At Jae-gyeom’s answer, Yoon Tae-hee lowered his gaze without saying much and smiled faintly. Jae-gyeom slowly reached out his hand to him.
“Come here.”
As he reached out again, Yoon Tae-hee, who had been standing a few steps away, responded by extending his hand and walking into the light where Jae-gyeom stood. Their fingertips touched, and soon their fingers intertwined softly.
Yoon Tae-hee tilted his head slightly and asked.
“I ask you every single day, so why do you answer me every single day?”
“Because you ask me every single day.”
Having answered thus, Jae-gyeom watched a smile spread across Yoon Tae-hee’s face. Suddenly, he had the illusion that time was flowing slowly. Yoon Tae-hee seemed to be shy, or perhaps savoring the moment, or perhaps feeling relieved. Looking at it differently, it was an expression like that of a young boy.
The sound of frogs croaking could be heard in the distance.
Under the pouring streetlight, Yoon Tae-hee lowered his eyelashes and simply toyed with Jae-gyeom’s fingers. Then, at some point, he gently lifted that hand and pressed a kiss—chu—on the finger.
“Then can I ask you again tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
At Jae-gyeom’s answer, Yoon Tae-hee smiled quietly.
“Shall we go now?”
“Yeah. Let’s hurry.”
The two began to walk again, gently swinging their joined hands.
It was a beautiful May night with a lovely moon.