Yoon Seo asked a question that had always been on his mind. Kwon Jihan answered without much thought.
"Hiding your power is a difficult task. There must have been countless times when you almost got caught and countless close calls. Yet, even after barely succeeding in hiding your identity, you end up revealing your power to save people in danger. Despite knowing that all the hardships you've endured would become meaningless… you give up everything you've worked for to save people you barely know. If that's not cool, then what in the world is?"
Kwon Jihan smiled widely.
Of course, Yoon Seo couldn't agree with that.
He thought it was a thousand times cooler to openly reveal one's identity and act without even trying to hide their power. Isn't it naturally more admirable to bear the burden of everyone knowing your face and name, yet still save people despite knowing how exhausting life would become?
However, he didn't feel the need to say it out loud.
Kwon Jihan probably knew what he was thinking.
By the time they arrived in front of the house, the sun was already setting. As Yoon Seo was undoing his seatbelt and getting ready to step out, Kwon Jihan asked a strange question.
"Hyung, even without the hat, I'm still your one and only ideal type, right?"
Yoon Seo raised an eyebrow as if to ask, 'Why are you asking the obvious?' Kwon Jihan flashed a mischievous smile.
"Living with your ideal type. Sounds amazing, doesn't it?"
It was barely evening, and Yoon Seo, not really in the mood to part ways with his lover, casually replied.
"Living together might be too much. But you can stay over tonight."
"Yes! I knew it. Even if it seems impossible, it's always worth asking."
Despite having only been offered to stay for one night, Kwon Jihan was overly thrilled. He was a lover who, in moments like this, still showed traces of youthfulness.
***
#2
Ding dong. The sound of the doorbell rang. Yoon Seo was in the middle of piping green tea chocolate filling onto macarons, so he couldn't answer the door.
"Just let yourself in."
"Okay!"
Kwon Jihan responded from the other side of the door and entered by pressing the door code.
Peep.
Normally, Riceball would have flown over to Kwon Jihan in a flash, but this time it just lazily greeted him while pecking at the macaron shells Yoon Seo had gathered for it.
"Hey, Riceball."
Peep.
Kwon Jihan smiled, gently stroking Riceball before sitting next to Yoon Seo.
"The sweet smell hit me even before I got inside. Hyung, you haven't baked like this in a while. I'm jealous."
"Wash your hands and pack the madeleines and scones in that bag. Two of each madeleine, one of each scone."
"Making me run errands right after I get here? Give me a kiss first."
Yoon Seo raised his hand, motioning for Kwon Jihan to come closer, the piping bag held up in his other hand. Grinning widely, Kwon Jihan kissed Yoon Seo on the lips. Fortunately, Riceball was too busy pecking at the macaron shells to notice.
After washing his hands, Kwon Jihan started carefully packing the madeleines and scones into the bags.
"Lemon madeleines, Earl Grey madeleines, and walnut cranberry scones. They look delicious."
"There are extras on that tray, so feel free to have as much as you want."
"Okay."
Kwon Jihan quickly grabbed an Earl Grey madeleine and ate it. Yoon Seo smiled inwardly.
Kwon Jihan, who once couldn't tell the difference between a madeleine and a scone, could now identify the flavors just by looking at them. That's what happens when your significant other is into home baking.
After packing all the madeleines, scones, and macarons into bags, they ended up with a total of seventeen. Kwon Jihan tilted his head in confusion.
"Are there really seventeen people in The Guild of Leaves?"
"I made some for their families too."
Today, Yoon Seo was meeting all the former members of The Guild of Leavest. Well, not all of them—just Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon. Although they frequently chatted via messages, it had been six months since they'd met in person. The last time they saw each other was in January.
When Yoon Seo had entered the Great Dungeon and temporarily lost contact, Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon had gone all the way to the guild master's office at the headquarters to check on him. Their last exchange had been about Yoon Seo entering the dungeon, and after not hearing from him for a month, they had become worried.
Hearing that the two timid individuals had boldly opened the guild master's office door at Seokyoung Guild without hesitation had surprised and touched Yoon Seo. As soon as he finished the massive tasks that followed the end of the tutorial, he met with them. Since 'I was busy with dungeon raids' wouldn't make a good excuse, he had fretted over how to explain his absence, but Kwon Jihan had given him advice.
'Just say anything. Maybe that you were studying for an exam. Or that you were on an expedition to a remote area. They'll believe it.'
'Are you crazy? Who would believe that?'
'Try it. Let's see who's right.'
With a mix of skepticism, Yoon Seo had told them he had paused his phone service because of an expedition to a remote area. To his surprise, their reactions were unexpected.
'Oh, a remote area expedition. We figured as much. Yoon Seo oppa sure has diverse hobbies.'
'That sounds fun. And despite all the noise about the Great Dungeon, you kept up with your hobbies. That's so you.'
Thanks to Yoon Seo's wide array of hobbies, they accepted the explanation without further questions. He was grateful for the 301 wills at that moment.
Back then, since it was a rushed meeting, Yoon Seo hadn't brought anything, leaving with nothing but armfuls of knitting yarn, a gift from Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon for his hobbies. So this time, he had decided to do a full home-baking session, making enough for all the other guild members as well.
"The fact that Seo Chaeyoon made these baked goods himself—they have no idea how lucky they are."
Kwon Jihan commented, sounding a bit regretful as he popped another madeleine into his mouth.
"You said you're meeting them at six, right? How about watching a movie before that?"
"Did you bring the disguise item?"
"Of course."
"Let's go."
Kwon Jihan packed all seventeen gift bags into a large shopping bag and stood up. Yoon Seo grabbed a light summer jacket.
Peep. Peep.
Riceball pecked at the macarons, glancing sideways at the two of them. The bird clearly wanted to keep enjoying the sweet treats but was anxious seeing the two humans preparing to go out. Unable to give up on the macarons or Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan, Riceball swayed its little body back and forth.
While Kwon Jihan smiled and took photos, Yoon Seo picked up a few macarons and placed them on a large tray.
Peep!
Riceball flew onto the tray as Yoon Seo stepped into the car with it.
"Welcome, Master."
"Yeah, take us to the theater."
"Yes, and welcome to you too, Master's young and adorable boyfriend."
"That's a fine greeting, Sticky Rice."
Peep!
"Riceball, I don't know what you're eating, but try not to leave crumbs inside the car."
Peep!
The car smoothly started moving. Kwon Jihan took the tray from Yoon Seo, reclined the front seat, and set the tray down.
Peep peep peep. Peep peep peep.
"Riceball's losing it. Did you put something addictive in the macarons?"
"Would I?"
"Then, Hyung… did you starve our Riceball?"
"I did make them a bit less sweet this time. They'll suit Hunter Kwon Jihan's taste, so give one a try."
"Okay."
Kwon Jihan answered and gave Yoon Seo a quick peck. He didn't seem to care whether the macarons were sweeter or not. Lately, these little kisses had become more frequent. Since Yoon Seo would freak out if they did this in public, whenever they were alone, Kwon Jihan made sure to steal these moments.
"We need to book the movie tickets."
"Yeah."
Kwon Jihan kissed him again briefly before pulling out his phone. The movie they were going to see was, of course, 'How the Antimatter Bomb Exists in This World.' They had already seen it three times, but it never got old. In truth, Yoon Seo wasn't particularly interested in the quantum mechanics explanations that took up most of the runtime. He just enjoyed that Kwon Jihan had more screen time than expected. Watching him explain antimatter bombs using complex terminology while looking so handsome on the big screen was a delight.
It's a 1 o'clock movie, and with it being 12:30, the two parked the car at the theater and sat side by side, knitting.
Not too long ago, Kwon Jihan had bought two sets of knitting needles from a famous brand. The set included ten different sizes of knitting needles, end caps, stitch markers, cables, cable connectors, and more—all neatly packed into a luxurious pouch.
"I picked the colors you like, Hyung."
He had also bought plenty of yarn—so much that it filled a 3-tier, 1-meter-tall storage cabinet to the brim.
Yoon Seo had taught Kwon Jihan how to knit a simple scarf, and Kwon Jihan enthusiastically started working on a couple's scarf. Whether it was because he was an S-rank and naturally good at physical activities, or because he was a genius by nature, he quickly got the hang of it without much difficulty.
Whether they were dating at home or outside, they often knitted in the car. Yoon Seo had knit up to 110 sweaters before stopping and had switched to making accessories like bags and dolls, which he would donate under the name Seo Chaeyoon whenever there was a charity bazaar. Kwon Jihan, on the other hand, had stuck with scarves, though he seemed to be getting bored with them now.
"When I finish this, what should I knit next? Should I knit a sweater for you? Teach me how to knit one."
"How about clothes for Riceball?"
"Good idea. Cat clothes? Or ferret clothes?"
"Let's knit both."
"Perfect. It would be great if the three of us could wear matching outfits. The moment people see us, they'll know we're a family."
"Everyone already knows."
"Still, we need to make it even clearer. We'll imprint it into the minds of every person in the world. Kwon Jihan, Seo Chaeyoon, and Riceball are family."
"…"
Sometimes Yoon Seo felt like there was something unstable about Kwon Jihan, and right now was one of those moments. Every now and then… no, actually, quite often… he would ask if he was Yoon Seo's ideal type, if Yoon Seo liked him, and if they were truly lovers and family. Whenever this happened, Yoon Seo would sense a different kind of anxiety radiating from Kwon Jihan than when he uttered the forbidden word, "goodbye." Kwon Jihan didn't seem aware of it, but Yoon Seo kept it in mind.
***
The genre of the movie 'How the Antimatter Bomb Exists in This World' was part documentary, part science fiction.
After the tutorial phase had ended…
The space opera, which had come abruptly before unprepared humans, shocked many on Earth.
At the same time, it brought humanity's long-standing dream into focus.
That dream was the encounter with an ultra-advanced alien civilization.