Once the delinquent clique disappeared, things were quiet for a while — but before long, other kids started picking fights with me.

That, too, didn’t last.

They all ended up transferring out as well. And at some point, the bullying just stopped.

I didn’t know if it was because word had gotten around that messing with me would ruin you, or simply because all the rotten types had left, but no one came looking for trouble anymore. Of course, that didn’t mean I had any close friends.

Still, I wasn’t exactly an outcast.

Whenever we had to form groups for class projects or training, Kang Inho would naturally come stand next to me. Thanks to him, I never had to stand around awkwardly by myself.

He might have thought it was only natural for high-rankers to team up together, but I was still grateful. He even sat with me when I ate in the cafeteria.

And sometimes, Kang Inho gave me presents.

“Here. Take this.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t know. Someone at the school gate told me to give it to you.”

“Who?”

“...Probably a fan of yours.”

Occasionally, fans would come all the way to the school or even to a raid site. They would either hand me gifts directly or send them through another ability user. So when Inho said it was from a fan, I didn’t think much of it.

The first gift I got from him was a pencil case.

Back then, I was still carrying the one I’d used in elementary school.

I had bought a new one when I entered middle school, but the delinquent clique had thrown it into the school pond as a “joke.”

I’d thought about buying another, but I was afraid the same thing would happen again, so I just went back to using my old one.

After the clique transferred out, I meant to replace it, but I kept putting it off. Then one day, I got a new one as a gift.

It had been something I really needed at the time, so I’d wondered if maybe Inho himself had bought it for me. But judging by how he acted afterwards, definitely not.

He treated everyone equally with the same indifference. The only time he gave anything to someone was when he bought drinks for the whole class as class president.

Even the fact that he’d stepped in when I was being bullied had been surprising, considering how little interest he usually showed in others.

But now, thinking back... had it all been on Joo Seunghyuk’s orders?

Inho had been watching my every move, reporting to Seunghyuk. And Seunghyuk had been the one to get rid of the people bullying me.

“So all the presents you gave me were really from him?”

“Yeah.”

“All of them?”

“Yeah.”

I thought of everything I’d ever received from Inho — the pencil case, chocolates, cookies, shoes... all of it had been from Joo Seunghyuk.

“That time during the raid when I clashed with Guide Kim Seowon and Seunghyuk suddenly showed up — you were the one who called him, weren’t you?”

“Yeah. I reported to him. My job was to tell him right away if anything happened to you.”

So it wasn’t just about passing along gifts — Seunghyuk had been there to help me whenever I was struggling.

“Then...!”

“Sorry, but you’ll have to ask him the details yourself. I’m under contract — there’s a limit to what I can say.”

“Even now, with things like this, you won’t tell me?”

“‘Sorry for dragging you into trouble.’”

He turned the wheel and spoke in a flat voice.

“What?”

“That’s from him. He said don’t worry about him, and just eat well and rest.”

“......”

“So where do you want to go? He told me to take you anywhere you want. You could stay in the dorm or a hotel until things quiet down, or even take a trip. If you’re worried about failing any classes, I’ll handle the attendance checks for you.”

“That’s his idea too?”

“Yeah.”

I bit down hard on my lip.

That bastard — he tells me not to run away, and now this?!

He’d been like that during his rut, too. He’d told me to go home because he was worried about me, and now, when he was the one in trouble, he was letting go first.

“I’m going home.”

“Dorm or family house?”

“Our home. The one I share with Seunghyuk.”

He’d called it our home — meaning the place we lived together.

It was the same for me. Unless he told me to get out because he didn’t want me there, I wasn’t leaving him over something like this.

Inho’s eyes widened slightly at my answer, but he didn’t say anything more and kept driving.

***

We arrived at the house.

“Thanks for the ride.”

As I got out, I thanked him. He stared at me for a moment, then spoke.

“...You’re not mad?”

“Hm?”

“I’ve been reporting everything about you to him.”

“You were just following your employer’s orders. And you said it wasn’t surveillance.”

“That’s just my side of it.”

“Honestly, right now my head’s such a mess I don’t even know whether I should be angry, grateful, or cursing you out. I don’t even have the energy to think about it. And as for your part, I’d rather hear it straight from your employer and judge for myself.”

I wanted to ask him directly — why, after leaving me, had he still cared enough to send someone to watch over me? Why send me a pencil case, chocolates, help me whenever I was in trouble?

“When will Seunghyuk be released?”

He had known he’d be arrested today — that was why he’d slipped the note into my pocket and called Inho. And from how unbothered Inho seemed, he must have known about the investigation ahead of time.

“It’ll probably take a while...”

“I see...”

The Inspection Division had been working on this case for months. With the Inspection Chief, their top ace, and even Park Geonwoo involved, they’d used a newly classified national treasure just to set the trap.

Even if he’d known in advance, getting out quickly wouldn’t be easy.

“Yeonsu... you really trust him?”

“Yeah.”

I’d thought it over again on the way home.

Maybe I was being too emotional. Maybe, like Park Geonwoo said, the idea that he’d used drugs was the logical conclusion, unless he had some special ability to raise matching rates only for the people he wanted.

But my opinion hadn’t changed.

I’d been so fixated on the original story that I hadn’t truly looked at the real Joo Seunghyuk standing in front of me. Because of that, I’d hurt him, and I’d been blind to my own feelings, making things harder for both of us.

I didn’t want to do that anymore. I wanted to believe in the Seunghyuk who had always treated me with care.

No — I believed that was the truth.

“He’d like hearing that...”

Inho muttered, then stepped out of the car himself.

“The boss told me to protect you until he got back. So I was planning to stay here for a while. Is that okay?”

“Are you asking my permission?”

“It’s your house too. Without him here, I should be asking you.”

He said it like it was obvious. And it was — this was our home. Without him, it was my job to guard it.

“Stay.”

I keyed in the door code and opened the door. It was the first time I’d actually entered using the code myself, even though he’d told it to me before.

I stepped inside, and Inho followed.

“Which room should I use?”

“You don’t already have one?”

Inho had known Seunghyuk since childhood. From the way he’d been looped in on the investigation, they seemed close enough that I’d assumed he’d stayed over before.

“Why would I have a room in his house?”

At my words, his face twisted in irritation — the first time I’d ever seen him actually look annoyed.

“I just thought you were close...”

“There’s no such thing as a close employer–employee relationship.”

“Oh... right.”

I gave an awkward nod, looking at his expression that could have been the dictionary definition of “disgust.”

“Then how about that room? No bed, but it’s big.”

I pointed to the empty room next to the living room. As far as I knew, there was no guest room with a bed on the first floor.

I’d thought maybe the room upstairs that Seunghyuk kept hidden from me might have been Inho’s, but judging from his reaction, probably not.

“Fine.”

“I’ll bring you a blanket.”

“I can do it.”

“No, you’re a guest — you should rest.”

“I’m not a guest. I’m here to protect you. That’s my job. So if you need anything, tell me.”

His tone was flat, but there was kindness in it. Now I understood why Seunghyuk had entrusted me to him.

“...Okay. I will.”

I nodded with a faint smile.