Trigger

A sweet scent tickled the tip of his nose, and the soft touch of hair mixed with the cold sensation of a gas mask brushed against the back of his neck. Unconsciously, Cha Eui-jae shuddered. He wasn't slow to assess situations, but now his mind wasn't working properly.

Thump, thump, thump… The sound of a rapid heartbeat echoed loudly, whose heartbeat it was, he couldn't tell. Through the half-opened door, a faint crimson light and TV sound seeped out.

In the corner where the light didn't reach, Cha Eui-jae was held by Lee Sa-young. To be precise, he was half-kneeling awkwardly, half-sitting on Lee Sa-young's legs. Cha Eui-jae blinked quietly.

'…What is this?'

Even after roughly understanding the situation, that was the only thought that came to mind. His head was filled with questions. Why is this guy crouching by the door, suddenly pulling me and hugging me? Why? As far as he knows, the only other time Lee Sa-young initiated physical contact was when he was in pain in the dungeon.

Is he hurt somewhere? But there was no distinct smell of blood. If not, is it internal injuries…

Just as his mind was getting dizzy, a leather-covered thumb brushed against the back of Cha Eui-jae's hand. It seemed he still hadn't let go of the hand he grabbed earlier. Cha Eui-jae voiced his thoughts without hesitation.

"What's wrong all of a sudden? Are you hurt somewhere?"

A blunt answer came back near his ear.

"Just."

"You think saying 'just' explains everything? Hey, get up. What are you doing, moping in the corner like this?"

If he wasn't really hurt, there was no reason to stay held like this. Cha Eui-jae, answering curtly, shook off the hand that was holding him. However, instead of letting go, Lee Sa-young held on tighter, interlocking their fingers.

Cha Eui-jae widened his eyes and looked at Lee Sa-young's head buried in his neck.

"What are you doing?"

A low voice responded almost like a sulk.

"Just stay like this for a bit."

"What do you mean stay like this…"

Muttering grumpily, Cha Eui-jae stopped trying to pull his hand free. Being held still, he felt like he had become some kind of comfort object. Lee Sa-young's fingers, interlocked with his, moved slightly as if tickling the knuckles on the back of his hand.

Letting out a short sigh, Cha Eui-jae looked at the swirling black hole before speaking up.

"So why were you… here like this?"

"…"

"If you came, you could have knocked on the door, like last time."

He recalled the day that felt like a scene from a horror movie. After sending off the uninvited guest, Jung Bin, the gas mask had abruptly demanded a transaction from the person doing the dishes. Up until then, he was just an insolent lunatic. When did he become so unreserved?

There was nothing more terrifying in the world than time. Nothing remains unchanged before time. People, and the relationships between people, are bound to change.

The same went for Cha Eui-jae, who had avoided time for 8 years. Seeing how an insolent lunatic had grown into a somewhat trustworthy colleague. In the past, he would have kicked him out into the garbage heap.

At that moment, Lee Sa-young spoke.

"If I stayed like this…"

"…"

"I thought you might come out."

Cha Eui-jae's eyes widened. Lee Sa-young lifted his head. Through the lenses, his narrowed eyes could be seen. A small smile played on his lips.

"You really came out."

Those eyes somehow seemed happy.

Cha Eui-jae, who was staring into the eyes beyond the lenses, quickly averted his gaze and changed the subject.

"So, why… only now after coming out of the dungeon?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you'd come and ask about this and that…"

"That's how it happened. For various reasons."

"Why were you late? Were you busy?"

The movements of the fingers stopped. After a brief silence, Lee Sa-young answered.

"I was held up under the pretext of an investigation."

"An investigation?"

"I had to make excuses for not seeing some distinguished person. Well, it was a lie that wouldn't have worked anyway."

He was probably grilled by the Awakened Management Bureau to find out anything about J.

Well, they wouldn't have let him go easily. They would have tried to extract any information they could, considering the unprecedented situation. Even if they had to forcibly detain someone like Lee Sa-young. They must have been desperate in their own way. Cha Eui-jae asked.

"Hong Ye-seong and Ga-eul too?"

"Yoon Ga-eul was given leniency because she's a high school senior, and Hong Ye-seong… well, I think he was being held too."

So that's why he didn't come. Cha Eui-jae sighed briefly.

"They're still like that, huh, the Bureau."

"…"

Without a word, Lee Sa-young just shrugged, looking somewhat exhausted.

'…Is this okay?'

Hesitating, Cha Eui-jae raised his free hand and began to pat the round head. Honestly, Lee Sa-young's hair was so soft that it felt nice to pat. Lee Sa-young, who had slightly lifted his head as if to say something, answered slowly.

"It's okay. Thanks to it, I managed to take care of something… Jung Bin got discharged too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, well. If he understands the value of life, he won't bother us anymore, either…"

It was welcome news. Cha Eui-jae asked.

"Is Jung Bin okay? Can he move?"

"Even with a cast on his arm, he was moving just fine."

It was a nonchalant tone. It was hard to keep up with his tone that jumped around like a ping pong ball depending on the topic of conversation.

As he patted his head, something else got caught on his finger. It was probably the strap that held the gas mask in place. Cha Eui-jae slipped his finger under the strap and pulled it up. Lee Sa-young lifted his head. As the strap came off, the gas mask was removed, revealing his face with a slight frown.

Cha Eui-jae, satisfied, twirled the gas mask strap around his finger.

"What are you doing—"

"Take off your gas mask when talking to people."

"…"

Lee Sa-young released his hold on Cha Eui-jae's waist and stepped back. He couldn't go far, as the iron door was right there. Besides, he still didn't release their interlocked hands. Cha Eui-jae clicked his tongue.

"Seriously, you don't have to worry about the poison. I'm fine."

"What, does J have an S-grade detoxification ability or something?"

"…"

Lee Sa-young's sarcasm sometimes hit the nail on the head. When Cha Eui-jae remained silent, Lee Sa-young squinted his eyes.

"…Do you?"

"…Well."

"Then why did you cough up blood?"

The conversation circled back. With a grim face, Cha Eui-jae admitted the truth.

"At that time, the ability didn't work. Maybe because it was the first time encountering that poison."

"Ah… You expect me to believe that?"

"It's true."

"Is it possible for an ability not to work?"

What could he do when it was the truth? The real problem was that Lee Sa-young's poison was so strong that his ability couldn't neutralize it immediately. However, Lee Sa-young's deep-rooted distrust showed no signs of dissipating.

Lee Sa-young was still glancing at Cha Eui-jae with suspicious eyes, like a detective comparing a montage with a suspect. Cha Eui-jae glanced at the old iron door Lee Sa-young was leaning against before speaking.

"But do we really have to do this in front of the door?"

"Why."

"We could go inside the shop and talk, right? Why are we sitting in the corner like this?"

"To get some fresh air."

"Bullshit… Get up, get up."

After bouncing on his knees to stand up, Cha Eui-jae grabbed the interlocked hand firmly and pulled. Lee Sa-young resisted, but Cha Eui-jae's strength prevailed. Eventually, Lee Sa-young staggered to his feet.

Cha Eui-jae carefully unhooked each of the interlocked fingers. Lee Sa-young grumbled and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. Cha Eui-jae raised both hands.

"There, done. Had fun?"

"Sure, whatever…"

Lee Sa-young gestured toward the shop with his chin.

"If closing the shop is more important to you, I should let you go."

Cha Eui-jae froze. Because, despite the sarcasm, he felt a strange sense of relief.

'I must be crazy…'

Cha Eui-jae quickly entered through the open door and immediately grabbed a broom. Then, a low voice came from outside.

"Cha Eui-jae."

Just as Cha Eui-jae, holding the broom like a baseball bat, approached the door to chase away the now obnoxious Lee Sa-young,

"J."

The name stopped him in his tracks. Through the glass pane on the iron door, he saw Lee Sa-young, slightly hunched, staring at him. His plump lips moved slightly.

"Eui-jae, J. Eui-jae, J, Eui-jae…"

Repeating it several times, Lee Sa-young quietly stared at him. His lips curled into a faint smile. He asked leisurely.

"I've been curious why you named your Hunter alias J."

"…"

"Now I know…"

The corners of Lee Sa-young's mouth lifted into a smile as he drew out his words.

"You named yourself 'J' by reversing your own name, right?"

"…"

"How simple-minded."

It was irritating, but I couldn't argue. It was the truth. Anyone who knew both Cha Eui-jae and J could easily figure it out, but since there weren't any such people, it was relatively safe. At least, it had been until now.

Lee Sa-young, looking satisfied, waved his hand.

"I've been wanting to ask that for a long time."

"…"

"That's why I came here today, just to confirm it."

"…"

"Now I can."

Looking at Lee Sa-young's face, there was no sign he was lying. He pushed the door wide open. Just before the door closed, a low farewell came through the narrow gap.

"Goodnight, Hyung."

Click. The door shut. Cha Eui-jae mulled over the last words that he hadn't heard clearly but had been very clear to his ears.

"This is something I wanted to say too."

A cheer erupted from the TV. Cha Eui-jae finally came to his senses, pulling out his phone and the business card from his apron pocket. Just as he was about to enter Seo Min-gi's number into his phone, a text message arrived.

010-XXXX-XXXX: This is Seo Min-gi. I have some information. I'll visit tomorrow.

It was a message from A Small Miracle Seo Min-gi.