AAGULT Ch 109

 

Chapter 109

In the end, the antidote that Jaeha had desperately managed to obtain turned out to be useless—because the President had turned himself in. It was disheartening how easily he surrendered, making all the suffering the two of them went through feel pointless. Jaeha stared in mild disbelief as handcuffs were placed on the president’s wrists. Even though he saw it with his own eyes, it didn’t feel real—he couldn’t believe it.

Afterward, Jaeha and Aiden withdrew and received medical treatment.

Though Jaeha, whose resistance had decreased, was severely affected by the antidote, fortunately, he didn’t need to be hospitalized. Instead, he was prescribed medication. He might suffer some minor side effects for a while, but since his body had already undergone treatment once before, he was told he would recover in about a week. Jaeha, who had been suffering from guilt that all the effort everyone put in had gone to waste, finally began to feel a little relieved.

If only he could’ve felt just a bit more relieved then.

Just after showering, Jaeha checked his phone again. He did it in case any messages had come while he was washing up. …Regrettably, there were no notifications.

Aiden. I went to the hospital and just got back to the residence. Are you okay?

Are you very busy? I’m worried.

Please contact me when you have time.

Staring at the screen filled only with the messages he had sent, Jaeha hesitated for a moment before turning the phone off again.

“Haa…”

Suppressing the frustration inside him, he roughly dried his hair with a towel.

After returning home from the mission, Jaeha couldn’t meet with Aiden during his days off. It was because Aiden hadn’t come home for several days.

He hadn’t even responded to Jaeha’s messages. Afraid of disturbing him, Jaeha had timidly sent messages one by one over several days, which were only marked as read. Aiden seemed to be very busy.

Since the trial hadn’t taken place yet, Jaeha wasn’t allowed to leave the designated place unless officially summoned by the Association. Though he was currently staying at Aiden’s home, which was luxurious and tidy, and much more comfortable than before, he couldn’t help but start to feel stifled. The last image he had seen of Aiden, who had been a complete mess, lingered like an afterimage in his mind and caused him immense worry.

He checked the time. Today, the Association had finally called for him. They hadn’t explained what he would be doing or why he was needed, but he was nonetheless glad to receive the call. At least today, he might be able to see him. He had been told to arrive by 3 p.m., so it was time to start getting ready.

“Cough, ahem…”

Jaeha let out a small cough. He swallowed the metallic taste he felt at the back of his throat. It was one of the side effects the doctor had warned him about. It stung slightly, but compared to before, it wasn’t too bad.

Taking out the prescribed medication and swallowing it, Jaeha approached the wardrobe but paused.

It wasn’t just the aftereffects of the antidote—he was also struggling with the aftermath of forcefully reliving Taegun’s memories. In fact, the latter had affected him even more deeply and painfully than the former.

Because he had stayed inside the residence for several days under the pretense of resting, he had too much time to think, which only made him sink deeper into those thoughts. If only he’d had some pressing task to distract him, he wouldn’t have been trapped like this.

“……”

He reached out and held the wardrobe door but didn’t open it. He just stood there for a moment, lost in thought.

Jaeha had not read through all of Taegun’s memories. He didn’t know what happened after the door was opened. But the fact that he had been hiding inside the closet while his parents were being killed was clear—and that alone made him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

“I didn’t pay it much mind at the time, since it was common behavior among children with similar backgrounds as Jaeha, but he used to hide in the closet for hours on end.”

“Do you remember? That older boy who became an Esper at eleven and joined the Association.”

“After you were admitted, he would come visit you every few months. And when he did, you’d come running out from the closet, shouting ‘big brother, big brother.’ I still remember it vividly. It was adorable.”

He had never wished for it, but puzzle pieces kept popping out from different places and falling at his feet as if begging to be assembled, leaving his mind scattered and unfocused.

The older boy who became an Esper at eleven and had been from the same orphanage—without a doubt, that was the president.

During the incident, Jaeha had certainly been hiding in the closet, and that must have become a form of trauma, which is why even after being moved to the orphanage, he would hide in closets whenever he got the chance.

So only one question remained:

What happened after his parents were killed?

“……”

Not wanting to waste more time on thoughts he had already rehashed for days, Jaeha slowly opened the wardrobe door.

Inside were a few sets of civilian clothes and the Esper Association uniform. He grabbed the Association uniform. As his gaze dropped to the bottom of the wardrobe, he found it empty—but for some reason, he felt an urge to crawl inside and crouch down.

Whatever had happened after his parents died, he had met the president there. And even after being moved to the orphanage, it seemed he had followed the president closely. …Even knowing, presumably, that the president was the one who killed his parents. …Why?

“Haa…”

How many sighs had he let out in a single day? Trying to forcibly shake off the idle thoughts, Jaeha shut the wardrobe door. He had put a bit more force into it than usual, so the loud bang it made helped bring some clarity to his muddled mind.

He put on the Esper uniform, which still felt unfamiliar. It clung perfectly to his body, neither uncomfortable nor distracting, a testament to how well it was designed for combat. Taking out his phone to check the remaining time, Jaeha hurried out of the residence.

He knew better than anyone that no matter how much you try to piece together a puzzle with missing pieces, the result wouldn’t amount to much. So he tried to suppress and swallow his tangled thoughts.

Yes, if I just focus on my duties and see the person I miss, this heavy, slumped feeling might lift too.

He wanted to see Aiden, who should be at the Association by now.

Jaeha was at a loss for words.

“Aiden…?”

“Jaeha. It’s been a while. I’m sorry I haven’t replied to your messages.”

“No, what is this… Have you been sleeping? Have you been eating properly?”

“Haha…”

He had been wanting to see Aiden, but he never expected him to look like this.

Jaeha hurriedly approached and gently cupped Aiden’s cheeks, who was sitting in one corner of the conference room. He looked on sympathetically as Aiden tilted his head, nestling it against Jaeha’s palm.

Exhaustion was written all over Aiden’s face. The skin around his eyes looked more delicate than usual, slightly puffy. His eyes, dimmed beneath his lashes, were shadowed, and his lips were dry and chapped.

Seeing him like that didn’t just break Jaeha’s heart—it made his insides twist in pain. It was as if Aiden had borne all the storms of hardship alone while he had been lying around doing nothing.

“What happened?”

“Mm, I just tidied things up a bit so we could officially become a pair.”

“Ah…”

Recalling what had happened a few days ago, Jaeha let his eyebrows drop slowly. Aiden had probably been busy investigating the leak of their “100% match rate” data. The thought that Aiden had been burdened by yet another hassle because of him made guilt slowly bubble up.

Uncertain if it would help but still wanting to do something, Jaeha hesitated, then gently pulled Aiden into a hug. Aiden immediately buried his face in Jaeha’s chest and wrapped his arms around his waist. Jaeha relaxed his body and patted the back of Aiden’s head gently, doing his best to comfort him.

“Aiden is all tuckered out.”

“…Is that so?”

He had never been in a relationship before—and even now, they weren’t officially dating—but he wondered: is this the kind of cutesy behavior people in relationships do? It made him cringe and curl his fingers, but since the one acting cute was this lovable man, he could handle it.

…Though considering that Aiden was clearly unwell and had still been working himself to the bone until he looked like this, Jaeha wondered if his thoughts were too inconsiderate. Hesitating, he slowly lowered his head and tried to plant a light kiss on Aiden’s hair. …But what his lips touched was actually Aiden’s forehead. The moment Jaeha leaned down, Aiden had suddenly looked up.

“Uh…”

Their eyes met, and Aiden’s gaze sparkled. He smiled languidly.

[You’ve gotten braver than before. How cute…]

Reading his thoughts, Jaeha accepted it. The previous him would never have thought to kiss someone first under the pretense of comforting them. …Suddenly, he thought about their first kiss, or “Sex on the Beach” or whatever—and quickly shoved those embarrassing memories aside.

“…Did you not like it?”

“No, it was so cute that I suddenly felt like starting a platonic romance.”

[I feel like it’s going to rise—what should I do?]

“…Don’t joke around.”

Since Aiden laughed out loud, Jaeha was finally able to smile faintly and forget his worries for a moment. It was crude, but he’d gotten used to it by now, and it actually felt like a joke. It probably was meant as one, too.

He really liked him. …Of course, even if he did, he had no intention of engaging in steamy physical contact right here in the conference room. Aiden definitely seemed like the type who would, though. So Jaeha gently released the arms hugging him.

“Can I have just one more kiss?”

“No. The Chairman will be here soon, and the meeting… Ah, are we really having a meeting now?”

Having been called to the conference room without any explanation, Jaeha dumbly asked again. Aiden smiled at him playfully. But the fatigue on his face made him look more sorrowful than cute, and it broke Jaeha’s heart even more. A kiss… Should I? It’s not a big deal…

“Yes, it’s a meeting. But just one kiss.”

“…The level’s gone up, hasn’t it?”

“Right? What do you think will come next?”

“…”

The thought alone made him feel like dying of embarrassment. He could have flatly refused and said “not here,” but Jaeha was weak to him. And deep down… Jaeha wanted it, too. In the end, Jaeha slowly lowered his head again, about to press his lips to Aiden’s who was seated in the chair—

“Ahem! Ahem!”

“……”

“Ahem-ahem.”

Jaeha froze stiff. With a creaky motion, he turned his head toward the door—and there stood the Chairman, hand on the conference room door. The only one who looked completely unfazed—no, brazen—was Aiden. He cutely nestled his head against Jaeha’s solar plexus and scolded the Chairman.

“You should’ve come in five minutes later.”

“…Enough. Get a room next time.”

Peeking over the Chairman’s shoulder, Jaeha could see several more people waiting outside who were likely attendees for the meeting. He wanted to crawl into a hole and die. And he became absolutely certain—his fate was cursed with humiliation. Without a doubt…