A bright red flame shot up.

The monster engulfed in flames released his arm. Retreating, it writhed in agony. Its scream was desperate. Soon, the monster approached its companions, but the remaining ones spread their wings and fled.

The massive beast staggered and fell, finally breathing its last. Fire still flickered weakly from the monster’s body.

A small flame also existed on the stone soaked in blood on his palm. Cheon Geon-young lightly grasped it, as if possessed.

Fire. As he murmured the word softly in his mind, tremendous pain surged from his wound. At the agony of searing raw flesh with fire, he clutched his left hand and bent over, letting out a sharp scream.

“Cheon Geon-young!”

The woman returned. Judging by the sound of gunfire that had been heard in the distance just moments ago, it seemed she had almost flown back.

“You’re hurt!”

She didn’t even look at the fallen giant monster, acting as if all her nerves were focused on him. The area around her eyes, filled with fear and terror, was red. And the moment Yoon Tae-ha grabbed his wrist, the pain disappeared. Cleanly. The flame also went out.

Cheon Geon-young’s eyes widened in shock. The woman, who had no way of knowing the change, was groping his arm with trembling hands.

“What’s wrong, what’s happening? No, stop it, why are you hurt!”

She spoke incoherently. She didn’t even know what she was saying and kept repeating the same words.

“It hurts, why...”

The agitated woman’s voice stimulated his senses. Cheon Geon-young’s jaw tightened. Even a distant yearning he had never felt before began to rise. Unfamiliar, indescribable. He wanted to feel the sensation of the pain melting away like snow once more.

If the other person had seemed even slightly less unstable, he might have been the one acting irrationally. But his esper was on the verge of crossing into a dangerous stage if not handled carefully.

If he didn’t calm her down now, Yoon Tae-ha would be the one to suffer. He barely opened his mouth and said what was necessary.

“No hospital.”

At his almost forceful request, Yoon Tae-ha’s lips trembled. Agony was clearly visible on her face.

“Don’t even think about teleporting to a hospital.”

Her pupils shook painfully. It was agony for him to watch as well. It was twice as painful as facing the monster.

Just a little bit. The emotions she had shown so far. She had clearly only revealed refined emotions within manageable situations. Yoon Tae-ha was more than capable of that.

The woman with her shell broken looked the most fragile and helpless in the world. Like an animal that shouldn’t come out of its shell yet. Cheon Geon-young placed the substance that now seemed to deserve to be called a red feather, not a green one, on her palm.

Yoon Tae-ha’s chest heaved. Clutching the stone with both hands, she squeezed her eyes shut like someone experiencing extreme dizziness.

“It’s evidence. Keep it.”

No sooner had the words left her lips than Cheon Geon-young spread his arms wide and hugged Yoon Tae-ha tightly. Her soft body was pressed against his sturdy arms. A sweet scent and touch bound him. Cheon Geon-young stroked her back as she was drawn into his embrace without any resistance.

“Don’t think about anything else. It’s okay.”

The slow rise and fall of her firm chest was fully conveyed to the person in his arms. A small, clenched fist pressed against the area of his heart.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

A pitiful breath scattered in his embrace. All this time, Yoon Tae-ha had been constantly whispering to herself.

Please calm down.

He hugged her tighter and soothed her whenever she flinched. Who was comforting whom?

Biting her lip, she finally tasted a metallic tang. The body heat that reached her through her clothes felt hotter than ever. This man had been so cold.

Leaving the blackened monster behind, they leaned on each other for a long time. The fingertips that pulled the other closer were desperate. Their hands were dirty with blood, but they didn’t care.

*

Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep. Yoon Tae-ha stared intently at her guide’s palm after disinfecting it.

Cheon Geon-young, who had obediently offered his hand, made a fuss during the disinfection. Asking why it hurt so much. He received Yoon Tae-ha’s blazing gaze but didn’t yield.

“Does looking at it make the wound heal? Are you a guide?”

She glared at him. It seemed this man was determined to throw out every pun and unfunny joke in the world until she cracked a smile.

“You did whatever you wanted. So why do you still have that look on your face?”

Cheon Geon-young, who was sitting with one leg up on the sofa, pointed out his esper’s sulky attitude. Whether he did or not. Yoon Tae-ha, sitting next to him, was busy carefully spreading the medicine.

A pungent herbal scent spread through the living room. Cheon Geon-young frowned as the medicine seeped into the wound.

“It stings.”

“I deliberately chose something like that. Just bear with it.”

Contrary to her cold words, the hand holding the tool hesitated. She needed to apply it one more time. Cheon Geon-young touched the medicine in the jar with his undamaged right hand.

“If you leave the lid open for too long, it loses its effectiveness.”

Then he shouldn’t have said it stung.

He smiled, reading the large letters of dissatisfaction written all over her small face. Yoon Tae-ha, busy quickly bandaging the wound, didn’t notice.

She began the fixation process with the pre-cut bandage tape. The woman, who was putting all her effort into attaching the tape, opened her mouth.

“When did I ever do whatever I wanted?”

“You teleported when we came to the lodging. And you completely buried the monster far away.”

“That’s called basic aftercare. It’s written in the first chapter.”

“There’s a manual? Lend it to me later.”

A ticklish sigh fell onto the bandage. A displeased voice returned from her.

“When.”

“In about 50 years.”

“I feel like I’ll die of worry before then.”

The delicate work came to an end. Yoon Tae-ha moved the other person’s hand as if it were her own, looking for any loose spots.

Cheon Geon-young didn’t like that she didn’t look up, even after she had finished treating him. If she was so worried, shouldn’t she look at the patient’s face?

“Lightly move your fingers. I’ll adjust it if it’s uncomfortable.”

“How can I only move my fingers when you’ve bandaged it this thick? Anyone would think it’s a fracture.”

“Just say you broke a bone in your hand while arm-wrestling a boar.”

The injured hand approached Yoon Tae-ha’s resigned face. She flinched but was immediately grabbed. Cheon Geon-young’s gaze was directed at her lips.

“I should apply medicine.”

“Where?”

The patient in front of her frowned, acting unfairly.

“Your lip is split below. Doesn’t it sting?”

Only then did she check the wound with the back of her hand. A small amount of bloodstain was visible on her white hand.

It didn’t heal right away?

Yoon Tae-ha was slightly surprised. Wounds like paper cuts or split lips usually healed within a minute. There was no need to apply medicine.

Was she under a lot of stress?

A sharp pain rose when she bit her lips tightly. Cheon Geon-young became serious at the action of deliberately checking the pain. He took out medicine and a bandage for minor wounds from the first aid kit.

Her rebellion to do it herself didn’t work. Thus, a small bandage was applied to the area below her lip by someone else’s hand. Cheon Geon-young, who had been quietly looking down at Yoon Tae-ha’s face, murmured.

“Anyone would think we fought. You with a split lip, me with a messed-up hand.”

“Let’s say we fought over who had to make breakfast.”

“Did I win?”

“Do you think I’m that bad of a person? With your hand like this, what kind of toast would you make?”

Yoon Tae-ha sighed and changed her posture, burying herself in the backrest of the sofa. Following her, Cheon Geon-young also changed his posture. Soon, his inverted triangle upper body leaned to the side. With a movement so subtle, you wouldn’t think he was special forces. His black hair touched her shoulder and neck.

He rustled for a moment, trying to find a comfortable position. She waited without pushing him away. Soon, as if he had found a satisfactory position, his movements stopped.

Only then did a nonchalant question head towards Cheon Geon-young.

“What are you doing?”

“Charging.”

“You’re the backup battery.”

“Even backup batteries need to be charged periodically. Are you stupid?”

It was common sense for modern people. There are no backup batteries that charge themselves. A defeated laugh finally escaped from her injured lips.

“Are you really going to stay like this?”

The weight of him on her shoulder gave her a sense of relief. So she let him lean on her with his whole body, as if he had suffered a major injury, even though only his hand was cut.

Cheon Geon-young, who had unilaterally occupied someone else’s shoulder, left a brief review.

“By the way, your shoulder is pointy.”

“All bones are like that.”

“Move your hair to the side. It’s poking my eye.”

“So many demands...”

Even as she said that, she found herself laughing at herself for obediently doing as she was told. She moved her hair to the side away from where Cheon Geon-young was leaning. Soon, she felt him take a deep breath.

Her neck tensed up due to nervousness. But it was different from the aversion she usually felt when close to a guide she had just met.

Yoon Tae-ha slowly closed her eyes.

The sofa they were sitting on felt like a deserted island floating on a vast ocean. Time flowed slowly.

The painful tremor caused by the horrific scene of the flames erupting slowly subsided. It was then that Yoon Tae-ha, who had been keeping her eyes closed, opened them with a look of determination.

“Did you cause the fire?”

“Well. Do you think I did?”

The question was returned to her. Yoon Tae-ha carefully retraced the circumstances under which he had used his power.

“You didn’t use a flamethrower. And you don’t smoke, so you wouldn’t have a lighter.”

He raised his injured hand. Cheon Geon-young lightly clenched and unclenched his fist, as if recalling that moment. Yoon Tae-ha watched his every movement carefully.

“It was so sudden, I don’t remember everything. But my palm got hot, and then flames appeared.”

Flames. A significant two-syllable word.

Her heart beat strongly and slowly. Her guide, Cheon Geon-young, had produced flames.

A complete esper. The existence her grandfather had so desperately desired. Was Cheon Geon-young the closest to that? She was at a loss for words.

“It’s certain that flames appeared after you pulled the stone from the monster’s tongue.”

“Can you describe how it felt?”

Yoon Tae-ha asked with a nervous air. On the contrary, Cheon Geon-young was much calmer and more composed.

“It wasn’t different from usual. I briefly thought that fire would be necessary to clean it up properly. But I didn’t wish for it earnestly.”

Didn’t wish for it earnestly. Yoon Tae-ha murmured softly, paused for a moment, and then opened her mouth.

“Could the flames have appeared because of the blood?”

It was a question that hit the core. Cheon Geon-young looked down at his palm and then let it drop onto his thigh with a thud.