AAGULT Ch 63

Chapter 63

Dragging along his IV stand and leaning against Aiden’s support, the moment Jaeha stepped into the hospital’s rooftop garden, he could easily tell that Aiden had gone to great lengths for him.

“This is…”

“Pretty, isn’t it?”

The garden was filled with trees decorated like Christmas trees, breaking the dull, gloomy atmosphere of midwinter.

Twinkling lights sparkled along the branches like starlight, and beneath them, snow—likely from a heavy snowfall while Jaeha had been unconscious—softly reflected the lights’ glow. Even within the biting cold winter air, the scene felt warm, and it took Jaeha’s breath away.

The view before his eyes was so breathtakingly beautiful that he completely forgot the cold and could only stand there, staring blankly for a long time. He didn’t want to miss even the shimmering flicker of the lights dancing in the breeze.

Aiden leaned his head heavily against Jaeha’s shoulder and smiled playfully.

“I felt so bad about missing that date. The quality might not be great, but… I tried to make it as close as possible.”

“…Not at all. It’s perfect.”

His nose stung—whether from the cold or from wanting to cry with emotion, he couldn’t tell. What was certain was that his voice came out embarrassingly tight and choked.

Looking at Jaeha, Aiden thought—only because Jaeha wasn’t looking back.

‘What do I do if he’s this easy…?’

Wasn’t he the kind of man anyone could easily steal away? If Aiden turned his back even briefly, it felt like someone else could easily swoop in and make Jaeha fall head over heels. So, rather than the scenery, Aiden focused solely on Jaeha. It seemed it had been worth pulling strings and dragging people out at dawn to decorate the place.

“Shall we walk a bit?”

“Yes.”

Unaware of Aiden’s thoughts, Jaeha concentrated on holding back tears as he slowly walked. He wondered how Aiden had managed to decorate everything without leaving a single footprint in the snow. Maybe the decorations had been put up before it snowed—there were no traces of others, so the steps they were taking now were the first.

Aiden stood beside Jaeha and held his hand out slightly. His fingers, cold from the air, lightly brushed Jaeha’s with each step. The touch was ticklish, making Jaeha curl his fingers slightly, though he didn’t pull away. The sound of quiet breaths and footsteps, walking between trees adorned with lights, filled his chest.

“…”

“…”

Eventually, Aiden took his hand fully and laced their fingers together. Jaeha didn’t resist. He just thought to himself how fortunate it was that there wasn’t a heart monitor attached like the IV—if there had been, his heart rate would’ve spiked to at least 130.

With his lips tightly pressed, trying not to look sideways, Jaeha walked until they came to a decorated tree. Aiden, still holding his hand, stopped walking, and so Jaeha did, too.

“Aiden?”

“…”

Standing in the center of the winter scene, still holding Jaeha’s hand, Aiden was deep in thought. He seemed to be pondering something. Jaeha, for the first time in a while, consciously assessed his emotional state.

If the boss had looked at him with that expression, Jaeha would have been so nervous and afraid he might’ve coughed up his heart. But when Aiden was lost in thought like that, he just felt a little concerned and curious—not panicked. From those feelings, he could see the difference between the two men.

What was funny, though, was that the boss had thoroughly trained him to react that way. It made him wonder, once again, what exactly the boss expected from him.

While Jaeha was lost in his own thoughts, Aiden finally spoke.

“There’s something I want to test—can I try guiding you?”

“Huh? Sure…”

He gave permission without thinking. He had already let go of the fear about receiving guiding when he accepted it from Min-gyeol. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that dwelling on it only heightened his mental unease.

He thought Aiden would guide him by holding his hand.

But then Aiden stepped in close, suddenly.

“…!”

He tilted his head slightly, bringing his face closer. The cold winter air turned their breaths into faint white clouds that softly collided. As their noses brushed and his lips barely touched Jaeha’s, Jaeha gasped slightly in surprise. Their foreheads touched, warm enough for him to feel a faint heat.

Their eyes met. Aiden smiled faintly.

A kiss, light as snow, touched his lips.

It didn’t end there. Following Jaeha’s slightly parted lips, Aiden kissed him again—softly, repeatedly, with a light smacking sound.

Guiding began to flow in as well. It wasn’t as rough as before, but rather delicate and gentle. Did the feel of a guide’s guiding change depending on their emotional state? It was something Jaeha hadn’t known until recently.

Barely an hour had passed since receiving guiding from Min-gyeol, but just as the doctor warned, his wave patterns had tangled again like a mess of yarn. But unlike before, the guiding he was now receiving felt so incredibly good that it made it hard to stay rational.

“Hngh…”

“…”

Normally, Aiden would’ve used the guiding as an excuse to go further. But maybe he really was testing something—he was focusing more on the guiding than the kiss. That attitude felt both annoying and, in a strange way, ticklishly touching, as it showed how much Aiden cared about Jaeha’s condition.

Jaeha felt a little embarrassed about showing how flustered he was, but he couldn’t hold back for long. Eventually, he timidly licked Aiden’s lips, responding to the kiss. Aiden let out a soft laugh, unable to help himself. He lightly nipped Jaeha’s lower lip, causing the slightly parted lips to close in surprise.

He chuckled openly. Since their lips were still pressed together, the laugh came out as a muffled, husky “hmhm,” making it feel even more mischievous and intimate.

Slowly, their lips parted. Aiden licked his own lips. Their eyes met again. Maybe because the guiding had just finished, Jaeha could immediately read his thoughts.

[If we have sex out here, will we catch a cold?]

“O-of course you would…”

“But I thought you couldn’t read my thoughts anymore unless you pushed.”

“…Sorry.”

Aiden giggled and rested his head gently on Jaeha’s shoulder. His hair, exposed to the cold air, tickled Jaeha’s cheek and carried a pleasant scent.

Because of their posture, Jaeha naturally wrapped his hands around Aiden’s waist, lightly holding him. He gently patted Aiden’s back, and Aiden responded by pulling him into a tight embrace.

“Did you finish testing whatever it was?”

Jaeha asked softly as he patted his back. Wispy white breath passed over the soft teal scarf and dispersed into the air. After a short pause, Aiden responded with something completely unrelated.

“I heard from the Association President.”

“…About what?”

Jaeha’s patting slowed noticeably. Aiden, sensing this, nuzzled his head affectionately against Jaeha’s shoulder. Jaeha quickly resumed rubbing his back, and Aiden began to speak again.

“About your memories. And what the Association knows about you…”

“…”

“They said they were keeping it confidential until your body recovered more, worried it might shock you.”

Jaeha’s hand finally stopped.

It was a topic so complicated that he’d pushed it to the back of his mind. With Aiden embracing him—someone physically bigger—Jaeha had leaned back slightly. Now that Aiden pulled away, he was able to stand upright again.

“That’s why I couldn’t tell you. And probably won’t be able to until the time is right. I’m sorry…”

He gave Jaeha a complicated smile. His nose crinkled slightly, adding a sheepish, teasing note to his otherwise innocent face.

“Do you… not want to regain your memories?”

“…”

Jaeha couldn’t bring himself to answer. Even if he were asked what he honestly felt, he didn’t know what to say. In truth, he didn’t even know what he was thinking. But since Aiden was waiting patiently, gently holding his hand, Jaeha opened his mouth to say something.

“Well…”

“…”

“I’m not even sure… if I really lost them. I don’t feel any… gaps in my memory.”

“…”

“And, even if I did…”

Even as he spoke, he knew his logic didn’t add up. According to the Association President, the boss’s ability didn’t stop at hypnosis—it included memory manipulation. That meant there could be fake memories in his mind.

“…”

Jaeha suddenly looked back on his life. He’d grown up in an orphanage from such a young age that he couldn’t even remember how he got there. He’d been told his parents died in a car accident. He didn’t know whether he had relatives who didn’t want him or simply had none at all. He’d grown up that way, suffered some minor bullying, but reached adulthood without major tragedy or hardship. Then, after getting a taste of how harsh society could be, he was taken in by the boss… and that was it.

But if there were fake memories mixed in, when would they have been implanted?

He looked down. The snow blanketing the garden came into view.

“I know your feelings must be complicated.”

“…”

“Still, if you ever… want to recover them, I’ll try to help.”

At those words, Jaeha raised his head slightly and looked at Aiden, puzzled.

“How?”

Aiden wasn’t an esper, but a guide.