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Yoohyun stared at the Sesung guild leader in front of him who was drinking tea with a smile on his face.
“Well, I’m sure you didn’t call me here merely to have tea. What’s wrong with Han Yoojin now?”
What an annoying pest. Yoohyun glared at the small plate of cookies nudged towards him. They smelled of coffee and sugar, not too sugary or dry. Not that Yoohyun would know, as he wouldn’t eat it. Dealing with S-rank dungeons was better than this.
Sung Hyunje laughed softly before taking back the plate. He crossed his legs and stared at Yoohyun with the ease of a king.
Yoohyun unconsciously let out a sigh.
“If the dungeons had come five years later, I would have killed you.”
“My, what harsh words. I thought we had a bit of a moment, saving the world together.”
“I don’t get it.”
Sung Hyunje tilted his head. Anyway you looked at it, the man in front of him was just a person named Sung Hyunje. Like a plant you see walking on the road. How would someone like his hyung see a plant and go—
The thought gave him chills. Maybe he should kill the Sesung Guild leader. It’d be okay. Yoojin would forgive him.
But Hyung would have a sad look in his eye, one that might fade over time but wouldn’t go away.
Yoohyun just didn’t want to make his hyung cry again. So if it meant some annoying things had to stay, he could endure it.
“I know you’re holding yourself back because of me.”
At his words, Hyunje paused. His eyes narrowed slightly. He surprisingly seemed a bit on edge.
“I’m not quite sure I know what you are talking about.”
“Hyung…” Yoohyun grit his teeth. “….likes…you.”
Hyunje looked at the struggling Hayeon guild leader. Then he started to laugh.
“Well, I do hope so.”
“No, what I mean is-“ Yoohyun closed his mouth. He didn’t want to say it. The thought of giving away even a finger of his hyung to this slimey thing made him want to throw up.
“No need to explain, young guild master.” Sung Hyunje stood up, walking over with a polite smile on his face. “I appreciate it, but who am I to interfere with the lovely Han brothers?”
He started to leave, but a hand shot out to grab at his hand. Holding onto him was Yoohyun with an uncharacteristically panicked look.
“My hyung wants you to ask him out on a date!” He shouted.
Silence. When Yoohyun looked up there was a slightly flustered look on the old man’s face. He should kill him here and now.
“Uhm..?”
“I…” Yoohyun closed his eyes in mortification at the things he was about to say. “Hyung likes… you… in a way that’s different from me and Bak Yerim, from Song Taewon and Moon Hyuna and the others…”
“I hope it’s in a good way.”
“I want Hyung to feel free to do what he wants.” Yoohyun said weakly. Maybe he shouldn’t have come here. Bak Yerim could have explained it better. But she had insisted he do it.
“…Of course.” Hyunje paused. “I want my partner to be happy as well. But if he is to remain happy, you should be as well.”
“Yes, so what I’m saying is… I’m okay with it.”
Yoohyun released his hand from Sung Hyunje’s coat. There were faint scorch marks on it.
“You’re okay with it?” Hyunje repeated. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Yoohyun really wasn’t. He really, really wanted to kick the thing in front of him to space. But Sung Hyunje would probably find a way to come back.
‘That annoying guy is seriously amazing.’ His hyung had once said. Yoohyun, at least at this point of this time, begrudgingly agreed.
“Yes. But if you hurt him in any way, I’ll kill you. Even if you’re protecting him, if he even gets a scratch, I’ll feed you to Peace.”
Hyunje laughed at that, before nodding. “No worries, if it came to that I’d kill myself before you got to it.”
“Make your death painful.”
“Of course.”
Yoohyun nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. Sung Hyunje started to walk in the building, and Yoohyun followed.
Walking to the front of the sesong building, Yoojin was waiting for them with a frown on his face.
“What’s up with this? Were you two picking a fight?”
Hyunje walked up and somehow procured a bouquet out of thin air, handing it to Yoojin.
“Of course not. The young guild master simply wanted to thank me for helping him all this time.”
“Your eye twitches when you lie.”
“Oh dear, caught again.”
Yoohyun watched his hyung take the banquet with a glare, but there was a softness in it that he wished he didn’t notice. It goes in life, that not everything is as you want. He knows his hyung is not like him.
His hyung is so much greater, being able to open his heart to so many people. He thought he wouldn’t be able to stand it.
His phone started to ring.
[How’d everything go?] Bak Yerim demanded him to tell everything. On the other end of the phone he could hear Peace sniffing the phone.
[ack! Peace, peace, stop! I’m trying to get the details! Hey, did you end up fighting that electric ahjussi? I want to fight too!]
“Nothing happened. He got the message.”
[ehhh?! What, I wanted you to go so a fight would b—]
Yoohyun ended the call. There was a warm feeling. It wasn’t the same as when he was with his Hyung, but it wasn’t cold.
It’s manageable, he thought, as he watched his Hyung and Sung Hyunje bicker. There was a smile on his Hyung's face. Hyunje had a look of fondness Yoohyun hadn’t seen him direct to anyone else, not even Song Taewon.
Out of everyone, Yoohyun was at least glad the one who got to see Hyung's smile could appreciate it.
And for now, that was enough.