AAGULT Ch 91

Chapter 91

“……”

For a moment, it was slightly embarrassing, but Jaeha stubbornly kept peering into the fireplace. Wondering if there might be a hidden button or something, he even cautiously felt along the wall with his hands, but didn’t sense anything unusual. He regretted not trying something like an escape room with Harin earlier—if he had, it might’ve been a little helpful in a situation like this.

As time passed, a slow anxiety crept in. According to Aiden, Ye Kanghyun would be arriving at the mansion within a day or two. They had to find the secret passage before that happened, but at this rate, they might just waste time and come up empty-handed. If that happened, security would definitely be tighter next time, making it even harder to locate the lab.

Yet, Jaeha seemed to be the only one feeling anxious.

Aiden didn’t seem particularly rushed. It’s not that he wasn’t cooperating with the search, but his attitude was far too relaxed. Humming to himself as he flipped through books, he suddenly pulled out a photo and waved it lightly.

“Wow, it’s been a while since I saw this. Want to see my picture?”

“…I do.”

Despite his anxiety, he couldn’t help being curious. Jaeha hesitated, then leaned closer to look at the photo in Aiden’s hand. Since Aiden had handed it over, he carefully took it in his hands.

“……”

It was a family photo. Honestly, it would’ve been better if it were a solo shot of Aiden. But then again, the idea of finding a solo picture of him in the villa owned by Ye Kanghyun, who didn’t even get along with him, would’ve been even more amusing.

There was a younger version of the elderly couple he’d seen a few days ago, a man in his thirties who looked like Ye Kanghyun, and a child. The child, who looked to be about seven or eight, was so pretty they could’ve been a child model.

A small face, pale and soft-looking skin, and cheeks flushed just enough to resemble a ripe peach—plump and tender. Their large, sparkling eyes and deer-like eyelashes made them appear even more clear and bright. The corners of their lips curled up slightly in an innocent, childlike smile that was quite charming. Despite their small and delicate frame, there was a strange resilience in that adorable appearance. Even though the child was clearly very young…

But beyond the cuteness of their appearance, there was a firm cast wrapped around the child’s arm and a large bandage stuck to one cheek. That sight tugged at Jaeha’s heart, making his eyebrows furrow almost imperceptibly. Watching Jaeha’s eyebrows forming a pitiful expression, Aiden giggled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“They were hurt pretty badly back then…”

“That was right after they came back from the gate.”

“Oh.”

Jaeha felt a twinge of discomfort. Given the rumors of him ‘barely returning alive,’ the injuries looked severe. Momentarily distracted by the beauty, he hadn’t noticed, but there was even a faint bruise around one eye.

Jaeha had never entered a gate himself, but he knew gates were usually managed under the Association’s strict system, with assigned rankings and corresponding personnel. Still, casualties were inevitable—that was how dangerous they were.

Jaeha hadn’t forgotten that Aiden had been hospitalized for quite a while after being deployed to the gate near his bar. Even though he was an S-class guide and nearly invincible in his role, inside the gate he’d be facing monsters, not espers—it had to have been dangerous. A guide was a special presence to an esper, but without an esper, they were practically just an ordinary person.

Why did he have to be a mental-type? Wouldn’t it have been better if he had been combat-type instead? Pushing aside those recurring feelings of frustration, Jaeha returned the photo to Aiden. When Aiden casually shoved it between the pages of a bookshelf, Jaeha looked on helplessly, worried it might get creased.

“Are you curious?”

“Huh?”

“You looked like you were about to cry. Weren’t you curious about what happened inside the gate?”

“……”

It wasn’t just curiosity—it was worry, sadness. According to the person who had told him about the Halla-related rumors, the gate Aiden had entered was infamous in many ways.

‘You know the support guide you often meet… Mr. Kwon Ido, right?’

‘Yes.’

‘His wife died in that gate, too. Anyway… tsk. Every time that day comes around, all the espers and guides affiliated with the Association look like someone died. They say it had the highest death toll in recent history. Some say the gate was misclassified and that there were issues involving upper management, even ties to Halla… Apparently, the former chairman resigned because of that incident. The official reason was different, but… that’s what everyone believes. And…’

‘And?’

‘I don’t know if I should even say this, but… sigh. There’s even talk that it might’ve been a double gate. It’s not in the official records, but what actually happened in there is still classified. That’s why it’s still such a difficult topic to bring up.’

He was curious. But he was also afraid that asking about it too lightly might end up hurting him.

“Do you want to hear it?”

“…No. I’ll… I’ll ask next time.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

He tried to avert his eyes, but they kept drifting back toward the bookshelf where the photo had been tucked away. Naturally, Aiden noticed his lingering gaze and chuckled before leaning in with ease.

“I’ll give you a picture later. Not one like that—a pretty one.”

“……”

Jaeha couldn’t bring himself to say no. Aiden laughed cheerfully.

“Shall we get to the main topic now?”

“The main topic?”

“Yeah. We still need to find that door.”

Jaeha stared at him. Up until now, he’d been the one desperately searching for the passage to the lab, filled with anxiety, while Aiden had remained relaxed, unbothered. And now, he was casually saying, “We need to find it,” like it was no big deal. Somehow… it was just a little, just a tiny bit, annoying.

Trying to suppress the improper feelings toward him, Jaeha cautiously asked.

“How are you planning to find it?”

Aiden’s lips curled into a mischievous smile as he leisurely raised his hands. One hand formed a circle, and the other curled his fingers except for the index.

“Well, to get straight to the point…”

For some reason, Jaeha felt a sudden unease. Aiden slipped his index finger into the circle.

“Let’s have sex.”

“……”

And that unease proved to be well-founded. Jaeha was at a loss for words, his mouth hanging open.

“W-Why?”

For a moment, he genuinely thought he’d misheard. He already knew Aiden had a strong sexual appetite from their first meeting—and he wasn’t exactly someone who paid attention to time or place—but still, this was absurdly out of context… No, this was just his usual style.

No matter how blinded by love someone might be, wasn’t this taking it too far?

Wanting at least an explanation, Jaeha began inching backward, only for Aiden to follow precisely the same distance forward. His eyes sparkled brightly. Jaeha, momentarily dazed by his looks, had to snap himself back to reality. In the process, he bumped into the study desk and ended up half-sitting on it in an awkward posture.

“Jaeha. Do you remember the Christmas market?”

“…Yes.”

“Do you also remember what happened in the wardrobe?”

“……”

Jaeha silently nodded. The question was surprisingly normal. It wasn’t something like “Because I’m horny” or “You’re cute,” which caught him a bit off guard.

“Maybe it’s because your resonance is so tangled, but when I guide you a little, your ability seems to come out more smoothly, even if only temporarily.”

“Uh…”

That actually made some sense. But still, it felt a bit… off. Maybe because Aiden looked too pleased while explaining his theory? He wasn’t sure.

“You said your thoughts spread really wide at the Christmas market, right? How wide exactly?”

“About thirty to forty people… I think I heard them all at once.”

He hadn’t distinguished every voice individually, but intuitively, that was what it had felt like. His head had throbbed from the overload of voices in his mind.

“Then the range is probably around five meters.”

“Aiden, so you’re saying…”

“We just need to go near suspicious spots and guide you there. Right?”

His tone was softer than usual—it was clear he was using his charm. Jaeha’s eyelids fluttered. The theory itself made sense. Simply put, the idea was to amplify Jaeha’s ability so they could pick up the thoughts of anyone who might be hiding in the basement of this secluded villa and narrow down the search. But… did they really have to have sex?

Still, he tried to calm him with a rational voice.

“What if we just… guided without sex…”

“My energy’s really low, so it’s easier to guide if we’re physically close.”

“Liar…”

“Caught me?”

“You didn’t even try to hide it.”

“Haha.”

He moved a little closer. But with the study desk behind him, Jaeha eventually ended up sitting fully on it. No—this was bad. But the man looking at him was too beautiful.

“So… you’re planning to use me like a detection device?”

Wasn’t this basically the same as being treated like a drug-sniffing dog? He felt a little, just a little, hurt.

“No, no. We’ll just detect while we’re at it.”

The funny thing was, Aiden’s shameless reply, given with zero hesitation, made that flicker of hurt quickly disappear. His eyes gleamed with a strange excitement, and he looked genuinely serious. And the fact that Jaeha’s hurt feelings vanished because of that only made him feel more ridiculous.

“What if your brother barges in at any moment…!”

“You’re the one who asked to be sex partners, Jaeha.”

“……”

“Or, Jaeha… do you want to date me?”

“……”

“Then I’ll really just guide you. No sex.”

He fluttered the words out sweetly, seductively, as if that had been his true goal all along.