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Try as he might, Kim Soleum could never pinpoint when he realized he had an issue with claiming people.
His friend group was always rather small. In his memories, faint as they be, he found a kinship in someone, and then never tried to remove himself from their side.
All this to say, he never planned on leaving a mark on people. Invisible or not, he hadn't meant to make anyone uncomfortable... Not that many of the people who he claimed seemed to notice it.
How was he supposed to know that he wasn't human, and therefore, had a special ability to mark those close to him as his?
Sure, there were signs. Hindsight was always like that.
Looking back at it, he supposed that some peculiar comments were made. He never thought much of it, if he were being honest.
He assumed that trusty Chief Lizard would tell him when a problem began. Lee Jaheon was blunt in that way. He wasn't supposed to keep such an apparent problem hidden.
Lee Jaheon's reason for never reaching out? Kim Soleum didn't even want to talk about that.
In the end, there were signs.
He cursed himself for not noticing that he was doing more than just hugging people. He should have known. Braun made a few contrite statements, vague but disconcerting.
But how was he supposed to know he was scent-marking those around him, when he didn't even know what that was?
The first time a comment struck out as odd to him occurred on a mellow morning in the fall. Tree branches swayed in the wind, their leaves and petals falling softly across the street.
Kim Soleum was walking to work from the dorm building that Baekilmong provided. He had left ahead of Baek Saheon, as he did most days, in an attempt to avoid the man.
Braun was in his pocket, the Good Friend Doll in its rightful place as always.
Those soulless black eyes stared out into the world. People who walked by Kim Soleum would see the pink rabbit in his suit pocket and stare, judgment lingering in their gaze for the split moment that the two people crossed paths.
This morning's walk was routine.
The dorm was not very far from Baekilmong, and the housing was fairly well kept. Having a separate bathroom from Baek Saheon had relieved Kim Soleum's worries a lot. He couldn't imagine having to share that space with a psychopath.
As he walked down the sidewalk, a voice pierced his ears.
– Why is Roe Deer-ssi so close to the lizard?
Kim Soleum frowned, glancing at the pink plush tucked near his chest. Braun didn't move in this form, he knew, but it was still strange for him to ask questions about those he saw regularly.
"Chief Lizard is my supervisor." Kim Soleum provided a very basic answer for an incredibly bizarre question.
Why was Braun asking about Lee Jaheon? Braun didn't ask about others easily. He tended to mock those whom Kim Soleum met with and saw instead.
– If he is Roe Deer-ssi's supervisor, don't you cross the boundaries a bit much?
Kim Soleum couldn't hide the frown on his face. He tried to, but he knew his grimace and confusion shone through.
He looked straight ahead, not minding that Braun was acting oddly.
This was normal for a ghost entity who was living in the human world. Braun had a strange temperament. He was wholly uninterested in some things and uniquely curious about others.
"Chief Lizard is a good boss. He's a genuinely good man. Why shouldn't I try to be close with him?"
Kim Soleum was getting defensive. He could tell from his tone, and the way his heart hammered against his ribs, that he was acting slightly irrationally.
Lee Jaheon was his boss. The best boss he would ever have.
Kim Soleum was not going to judge Chief Lizard, even if the man had a snout and ate in ways that caused Kim Soleum to look away.
(He didn’t want to be rude and stare at the man who had acted as his savior on more than one occasion.)
– Roe Deer-ssi likes the lizard that much…?
There was a scandalized tone to Braun’s words. Kim Soleum would even go so far as to say that he sounded petty or even jealous.
Kim Soleum’s reply was only natural. “Of course.”
Of course, he appreciated Lee Jaheon.
That man was strong—hadn’t Braun seen the way that Lee Jaheon’s muscles bulged out of his shirts whenever he took off his jacket?
His red eyes were piercing, and weird, but Lee Jaheon’s heart was what mattered. He cared for his subordinates and looked after them well.
There was a deal Kim Soleum made with himself: he would not take Lee Jaheon for granted.
He had bosses who were terrible, running him haggard without any care for his health. Lee Jaheon was unlike those people in his memories.
There were other incidents that followed.
They were all hints that Kim Soleum ignored on the basis that he had no idea what the hell Braun or Lee Jaheon were implying.
When Kim Soleum entered Hungry Hangman, Braun said something rather funny.
– They noticed that Roe Deer-ssi claimed some of the people here, so they left us alone… Very smart.
One of the agents Kim Soleum had not met until today had the noose around their neck. Everyone comforted the man slightly. In the way of, make this easier for us ‘cause you’re going to die anyway.
When Kim Soleum and Lee Jaheon were assigned to enter the Darkness, Ignorance Is Bliss, with others at Baekilmong, it was supposed to be simple.
Lee Jaheon was clapped with the back of his hands, therefore he had been one of those replaced.
But Lee Jaheon said some weird things too.
“Your presence protected us. You are very blunt with your affections.”
Kim Soleum chuckled wryly, not wanting to agree or disagree with one of the invaders. He was the only human left, after all.
When he later found out that Lee Jaheon hadn’t been replaced, he thought that Chief Lizard was acting so bizarrely on purpose.
He never thought Lee Jaheon was an alien. Or that his words were a hint toward something important.
When the Blue Dragon Mascot was looking for him, Kim Soleum found out through a chocolate bar.
A missing child’s poster was what it was. Kim Soleum felt bad for abandoning the mascot, but he couldn’t star at the theme park! Not even if he wanted to, which he didn’t.
The Blue Dragon Mascot was very proper, accepting Kim Soleum’s answer. He wouldn’t leave to visit the Cheerful Theme Park. Not yet. Later, he would visit later…
Braun chose the moment after the mascot retreated to say something.
– My friend, you didn’t ask permission to form the mating bond. Are you not as serious about your relationship as you claim?
It was nonsense, Kim Soleum thought. Braun always spouted nonsense when he was cranky.
Soon after, another incident occurred. Kim Soleum thought Kang Yihak was too good at certain things. She thought he was quite something as well, though he didn’t understand why. At least she was out of the Darkness.
But then, when he and Lee Jaheon were taking the taxi cab out of the Darkness later on, the taxi driver was oddly respectful. If anything, the driver was alluding to something that went over Kim Soleum’s head.
After Kim Soleum gave the driver too many strange looks, uncomfortable with the innuendos, Lee Jaheon took over for a second.
“It’s not for certain yet,” Lee Jaheon said simply, and then went back to let Kim Soleum control the narrative.
Kim Soleum never stopped to ask what Lee Jaheon meant. He regretted that later.
Even his mirror self had looked at Kim Soleum with a judgmental sneer, writing on the wall, ‘Why are you here alone?’
Visiting Park Minseong for a little while helped him work through some things. He reflected on his actions, and decided he would ask Lee Jaheon what was going on then.
But then Kim Soleum was stuck on a train and started a cult.
Ah… The things he did so that he would survive another day and get home.
Braun’s little hiccup with the kidnapping event was smoothed over by the end. Lee Jaheon had come to save him! Eun Haje and Park Minseong even showed up.
Kim Soelum would forever be thankful for that. Braun let him leave, but not without a final say.
[I wouldn’t make you wait for me.]
Kim Soleum just smiled, sad and resigned. Braun tried his best to help Kim Soleum, but it was no use. Kim Soleum did not want to be protected at the loss of his own thoughts and will.
Lee Jaheon patted Kim Soleum’s shoulders, and soon they were gone. Leaving the Late Night Talk Show and arriving in the real world, where Kim Soleum had been MIA for over a month.
Lee Jaheon’s expression was tight. “You disappeared on my birthday.”
There was no apology to make up for it. All Kim Soleum could do was bow, asking to be forgiven.
However, Lee Jaheon did not demand anything of him. His hand landed on Kim Soleum’s head instead, ruffling the hair.
Kim Soleum looked up at his boss, not knowing that his emotions were on full display, shown through pheromones that only non-human entities possessed and acknowledged.
How could he have known that he had claimed Lee Jaheon for himself? How could he have known that Lee Jaheon had simply accepted it?
Things became hectic after that. He saw Lee Jaheon less once he was put at the Bureau as an undercover agent.
In Looky Mart, many of the employees steered clear of him or tried to be helpful. Agent Bronze said it was strange for that to happen, but Kim Soleum assumed the employees were unused to meeting someone who was willing to chop off their own arm.
Kim Soleum and Lee Jaheon met a couple of times briefly while he was undercover. The Mermaid Graveyard was a touching reunion. Lee Jaheon even smiled, and that was enough to freeze the world.
Getting rid of contamination was only natural. It was kind of Lee Jaheon to give him a good deal on it, though.
However, once Kim Soleum had a Wish Potion within his reach, he didn’t hesitate to use it.
It didn’t go as planned… Not at all.
He was supposed to be human. He thought he was human. His body wasn’t human…?
Cheong Dalle took his chin in her hand, their eyes meeting.
She had been so cruel just moments before, making him sign a contract, but then she settled down just a little, looking almost pensive.
“You shouldn’t have fallen in love. Your weakness is too obvious, even if your partner is strong in his own right.”
It was advice he didn’t comprehend.
Months passed. Lee Jaheon didn’t cross his mind at all. Braun didn’t either.
And then, when he snapped out of it, it was already too late. Too much time had passed without him knowing.
Slowly, he got used to working again. He saw familiar faces, though they didn’t always recognize him.
Things came to a head at the Groom School.
Lee Jaheon had been the perfect groom. Kim Soleum was unsurprised. It was natural for Lee Jaheon to be good at this ghost story.
However, he didn’t expect the bride to react in such a harsh way once it was decided that Lee Jaheon was the top performer.
The bride screeched, upset. Kim Soleum had never heard of the bride reacting in such a way.
Lee Jaheon grimaced, telling her, “I have already been claimed.” There were no qualms in his voice.
It was then that Kim Soleum couldn’t ignore it any longer. What did Lee Jaheon mean? What was Lee Jaheon implying through those words?
They were free from the ghost story. Kim Soleum stood in front of the most reliable person he knew. It was nice to see the man, or alien, after such a long time.
“Why… What do you mean by ‘claimed,’ Chief Lee?”
“? We are already partners. I would not betray our companionship.”
Ha. Hahaha… What the fuck.
Lee Jaheon continued, “Your pheromones always spiked when I was nearby. Your courting technique needs work.”
Because Kim Soleum believed in Lee Jaheon’s prowess so much, his pheromones reacted… And he managed to bag someone with Lee Jaheon’s looks. Was this alright? This felt illegal, in a way. Lee Jaheon as his?
Lee Jaheon settled for him, just a random person who had no idea what was going on during the courting process.
“I did this?” He was dubious and embarrassed.
“We formed a bond.”
And Kim Soleum had not known this entire time.
“You claimed me as well?” Kim Soleum’s confusion did not evaporate. It stayed present.
“You are very strong. Wise. Confident.” Lee Jaheon nodded to himself. “I was content with you.”
He suddenly felt bashful. Lee Jaheon, this guy who had saved his life numerous times, thought he was courting him…? And he just accepted it? Kim Soleum hadn't done nearly enough to show his appreciation for the lizard, yet Lee Jaheon had fallen for him anyway.
“We’re together,” Kim Soleum said in realization. Slowly, he was getting with the program.
Lee Jaheon confirmed, “We are mates. Everyone knows when they smell us.”
Chief Liz, why are you blushing while saying that? And why did he feel rather heated as well...!?
Kim Soleum tried to fan his flaming face with his hand, but it only made him more anxious. More red. He wanted to hide. Were his feelings so obvious?
He and Lee Jaheon were in a relationship?
– Roe Deer-ssi is obtuse.
Shut up, Braun. He was having a crisis.
He hadn’t even kissed the man!? That was just unfair... He should get to kiss someone he was in a relationship with!
Lee Jaheon blinked at him. Kim Soleum covered his face, not daring to peek out between his fingers, lest he implode on the spot.