What… was that?Hanmyung’s executive office? Was it the same one he knew?Raon stared at the TV screen, his face frozen.The broadcast showed a brief shot of Hanmyung Group’s headquarters before cutting to Chairman Han Myunghun being carried out by rescuers. His face wasn’t clearly visible amid the crowd, but the captions and reporter’s narration made it clear who it was.[At approximately 9 p.m. this evening, water suddenly began flooding Chairman Hanmyun’s executive office. Chairman Han, who was alone in the room, was completely submerged and seen struggling. Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the water vanished…]The CCTV footage was dark and grainy, as though tampered with. Odd—an executive office like that should have the highest-grade cameras installed.[No suspect visible on CCTV footage][Suspected ability-user involvement]The large text alternated across the screen.Since Hanmyung was one of the nation’s top conglomerates, the news was still dominating headlines hours later."…"Raon unconsciously lifted his hand to touch his left cheek. The healing Esper had repaired it perfectly—there wasn’t the slightest pain."Yoon Siwoo, you…"An Esper with water abilities. And a flooded executive office.Raon let out a soft laugh."How adorable."So that’s where he’d gone while Raon was getting treated. Pulling off something so audacious—and with such finesse.If Siwoo had gone for direct revenge, it would’ve caused chaos. But with no evidence, no trace, and nothing but water as the medium, no one could possibly suspect him.Raon burst out laughing in front of the screen."Ha ha!"It was glorious. That sly old man finally got what he deserved. Served him right.He laughed until the tension drained from his body. Then, catching his breath, he muttered,"What excuse am I supposed to come up with tomorrow?"He reached over and powered off his personal phone. Even inside the Center, the call would come soon enough—from someone in the family, if not Myunghun himself.But he had no intention of being summoned to the hospital tonight. He’d just claim his phone had died and he hadn’t noticed. Then say he’d gone to bed early.Humming softly, Raon turned off the lights. For once, he thought, he might actually sleep well.***The next morning, Raon ran into Siwoo in front of the cafeteria. Their meal schedules had never quite aligned before; this was the first time in a while.Good timing. Raon smiled broadly as he approached."Morning, Siwoo. Sleep well?""Yes."Siwoo gave a short nod, glancing at Raon’s cheerful face before looking away again."So," Raon said lightly, "is that where you went last night—to pull off something that sneaky?""What are you talking about?"He kept his voice low so no one nearby would overhear, but Siwoo played dumb flawlessly.So he doesn’t even want credit, Raon thought with amusement, patting him on the shoulder."Thanks. That was satisfying.""I don’t know what you mean. I didn’t do anything.""Ha ha. Sure, sure.""I’m serious."Siwoo refused to admit it. But Raon wasn’t fooled. He only nodded vaguely, smiling with quiet fondness."Come on, let’s eat.""…"He picked up an extra tray and handed it to Siwoo, who accepted it without a word."You really don’t eat vegetables, huh? You should."The cafeteria was buffet-style—everyone served themselves, which cut down on waste but did nothing for bad eating habits.Normally Raon couldn’t care less about what others ate. Malnutrition was their own problem. But watching Siwoo carefully pick out only meat made it impossible to stay quiet."Meat’s great, but you can’t live {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} on it alone. Especially for an Esper—your nutrition needs to stay balanced or your body—"Raon found himself reciting every bit of health advice he’d ever heard while living Han Raon’s life. Siwoo, predictably, ignored him."…"Yet near the end of the serving line, Siwoo shot him a quick glance and, almost sulkily, added a tiny portion of stir-fried vegetables to his tray. Just a token bit.Raon barely kept himself from laughing out loud. He’d thought Siwoo wasn’t listening at all, but that reluctant little gesture—adorable."Siwoo!"Raon was about to sit down across from him when a bright voice called out. He turned to see Hamin waving.His eyes widened when he spotted Raon beside Siwoo."Raon! You’re here too. Good morning!""Good morning.""Nice to see you.""Likewise."Five years of forced method acting had left their marks—Raon’s face stiffened automatically around Hamin. It wasn’t intentional.The System had always demanded perfect, detailed acting whenever the “main characters,” Dojin and Hamin, appeared. Even though Raon no longer hated Hamin or liked Dojin, his body still reacted by instinct.With Dojin, he could sometimes break out of it. But with Hamin—who’d spent two years being tormented by the old Han Raon—it was harder to pretend nothing had happened."Guess I’m lucky today," Hamin said cheerfully. "Running into both of you first thing in the morning.""Mm."Maybe because of the training hall yesterday, Hamin approached him far more comfortably. He’d always stiffened up around Raon before, but now his expression was open and easy."Mind if I sit here? Siwoo, that okay?""Go ahead.""Sure."Both answered almost in unison. Their eyes met for a second."Raon, your cheek looks better. Did you get it treated?""Yes, I went to the infirmary yesterday.""That’s a relief. Sorry—I should’ve insisted earlier.""It’s fine."After all, he’d been the one who brushed everyone off about the injury.Then a low, displeased voice came from in front of him."Next time, tell him to go straight to the infirmary.""…!"Siwoo. His tone was calm but unmistakably scolding.Hamin blinked in surprise, caught off guard, then nodded quickly. "Ah—yeah. I will."Siwoo didn’t respond, just kept eating."…"That dynamic had existed even in the original timeline.Though officially labeled the “second male lead,” Siwoo had never shared much screen time with Hamin. Younger, quieter, overshadowed by Dojin’s arrogance and Taegun’s volatility, he’d been the background support—steady, unremarkable.Raon remembered thinking the author had just forced a younger love rival into the story. Still, readers had liked him. Between Dojin’s coldness and Taegun’s madness, Hamin’s calm moments with Siwoo had offered rare peace.Even if he’d exited quietly, at least he’d been well received."Siwoo, you’ve got class today, right?""Yeah.""Let’s go together later, then.""Okay."Right—this point in the story was when both of them were still in college.Early awakeners usually couldn’t continue school, but these two attended under state sponsorship—only twice a week, and on an accelerated two-year track, but still.Hamin should have graduated the previous year, except he’d been half a semester short on credits. By the time he did finish, the Black Gate incident had already happened.Siwoo, meanwhile, had still been attending classes when everything went to hell. He never got to graduate before the story ended—though after Raon’s death, Alpha-1’s achievements supposedly earned him an honorary degree.While Raon reflected on all this, the three of them finished eating. They stood, trays in hand."See you later, Raon.""Yeah."Hamin smiled as he took his tray away. He and Siwoo were clearly heading straight to campus."See you later, Raon.""…Right."As Siwoo turned and walked alongside Hamin, Raon’s chest suddenly tightened.Why does it feel so hard to breathe all of a sudden?He pressed a hand to his sternum, puzzled by the dull, heavy ache there.

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