Rood made a face as if he was about to cry, then suppressed the choked-up emotions by looking down at the floor. Kang Yihyun, who had been thinking it was finally time to speak, slowly looked out the window. Then, he smiled.

“As soon as my mana returns, I’ll be fine. It’s okay.”

“What are you talking about? I heard that only the Apostles of Catastrophe can transform their mana into magic. Isn’t it that your mana disappeared after becoming an Apostle?”

“It will come back.”

Kang Yihyun turned his gaze towards Rood. Rood blinked. Kang Yihyun smiled sarcastically.

“That’s right. It will come back. Because I… am someone who understands both good and evil.”

“Then, you… with mana and magic…”

“Yes, I can use them simultaneously.”

Being able to use both mana and magic simultaneously was unprecedented.
Using mana itself wasn’t the issue. The problem was that a child who wasn’t even 10 years old could use magic. Regardless of how powerful the mana was or the ability to use both magic and mana simultaneously, it didn’t become a significant advantage. This was because the ability to use magic immediately upon awakening signified a person “born as an Apostle.”

Kang Yihyun couldn’t reveal it no matter where he went. The fact of being special generally turned into a poison, especially the “unfathomable uniqueness.”

Born under perfect parents without any blemish, he was a star child. Obtaining “social life mastery” at a young age was a natural expectation for him. To conceal a significant flaw, he had to accumulate arrogance and numerous skills.

“Sorry for hiding. Knowing Rood’s secret and hiding mine…”

Kang Yihyun couldn’t forget his grandfather, who forced him to eat dairy until he almost vomited, changing his grandson’s constitution, and enforced mission school.

That’s how “family” disappeared from Kang Yihyun’s life. Although he shared his story with very close friends, as soon as he began to be treated as a “star child” or a “special person,” Kang Yihyun erased those aspects of himself.

That’s how “friends” disappeared from Kang Yihyun’s life. Moreover, even Min Jaewon and Kang Sujin, who had been his guardians, to some extent refrained from deliberately mentioning or suppressing Kang Yihyun’s secret, even if it was for his sake.
Even knowing this, the only person who treated him as usual was Min Jaeyun. And the evaluation he gave to Kang Yihyun was exactly right.

He had no interest in others. In reality, neither family nor friends were particularly important to him. The only thing that mattered to him was Shin Bitnari, her existence alone.

An incarnation of evil who reaffirmed the obvious proposition that “If you haven’t harmed others, you’re a good person.” The mad king who warned not to be manipulated by others.

So, it was only natural that he didn’t want his flaws to be exposed to the person who first gave him approval.

He wanted to show only the good side of himself. However, there was no choice; he had already been caught.

But Rood felt the same way after being caught. Kang Yihyun, trying to suppress the feeling of wanting to cry, offered an excuse.

“… If it gives you the creeps, I’m sorry. But really, I haven’t experienced anything like a curse. I’ve never done anything wrong. I try not to even entertain such thoughts every day. It just happened when I awakened. I don’t even know why it happens.”

If he continued to be treated as a star child, he would consider himself lucky. Kang Yihyun closed his eyes tightly, hoping not to be denied or rejected.

Although he thought that Nari wouldn’t see him that way, this fear had always existed.

To Kang Yihyun, who kept his eyes tightly closed, Rood responded, “Well.”

“Yes.”
Feeling as if a death sentence had been handed down, he furrowed his brow. A moment of silence was broken by Rood’s voice.

“You’re a ‘bucae’ too? Like me.”

“What?”

He blinked. Rood was looking down at Hyun with a mischievous expression, laughing as if relieved. He made a comforting expression.

“I’m glad your mana is back. I was really worried about how you’d turn out. How much time does it take to come back?”

“What? Wait a minute. Shouldn’t you be more surprised?! Oh, da…”

“Hey, don’t move!”

Startled, Kang Yihyun tried to get up, but the pain in his stomach made him lie down, embracing it.

Rood, who was surprised together with him, took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair.

“I knew you were hiding something. So, I’m not more surprised.”

“What?! When?”

“I thought about the first day we met. Something felt strange back then.”

Ah. Kang Yihyun let out a sigh.

Rood chuckled while ruffling his front hair a few times. It seemed like a chosen option since he couldn’t pat his head.

“But you still believed in me, even though I was hiding something?”

“I hide a lot from you too. If we really knew every detail of what each other was thinking, we’d be freaked out. A relationship without secrets is even more creepy.”

“…Is that so?”

Kang Yihyun thought, rolling his blue eyes. Rood, who used to think he was twenty-three in times like this, smirked.
“But you still don’t lie. Honestly, you tell me everything up to the point where you can be truthful.”

“That’s right.”

Rood, who was coughing lightly, glanced at Kang Yihyun. After fiddling with the back of his neck, he mumbled.

“So… You’re really sincere about promising to protect me, right?”

“…That’s right.”

Kang Yihyun looked at Rood with a sidelong glance. His ears, naturally focused on him through the glasses’ strap, were slightly tinged with red.

Rood muttered again.

“Okay, then. I trust you. Show me only what you want to show, and I won’t judge or decide hastily.”

“Nari.”

Rood, who was murmuring, looked down at his hand as if something had touched it.

Before he knew it, Kang Yihyun was holding his hand with his fingers intertwined.

He smiled with an expression that seemed like tears would fall if he poked him.

A new expression. Unconsciously, Rood clenched the hem of his coat with his remaining hand.

“As for me. I, Nari, really.”

“Young Master!!!!”

Interrupting the tense atmosphere was the shout of a dignified man. With a click, the door to the single room opened.

Min Jaewon was holding a bouquet, sweating profusely.

“Young Master, I heard the news. Your health is…?”

Then Min Jaewon looked at the two. Kang Yihyun with an expression that didn’t look normal, Rood only holding onto his clothes, and the intertwined hands.

Min Jaewon fell silent. Rood, feeling a shiver down his spine, unknowingly defended himself.

“Just a moment.”
Kiik, Min Jaewon, who had a shy expression as if witnessing his son’s first love, gently closed the door.

A small voice flowed through the crack of the door.

“Young Master… Are you already at that level?”

“Wait!! It’s not like that!!”

Rood, blushing up to his neck, abruptly stood up. Min Jaewon, with his preconceived notions, spoke shyly from behind the door.

“I apologize for interrupting. Please, continue your pleasant time…”

“No, it’s not like that!!”