“Ah! No eavesdropping allowed!”

Ryu Jeong-ah scolded dramatically, hugging the snack bag tightly. Choi Gang-hu, as if already used to her high-tension behavior, casually sat on the back of the sofa.

Ryu Seo-ha gently lowered his eyes to hide his rising embarrassment. He had let his guard down thinking he wasn’t immediately visible. Choi Gang-hu’s sensory stats would easily cover this area.

“Why, say more.”

Choi Gang-hu, leaning his waist diagonally, encouraged with an amused voice. Ryu Seo-ha, who almost apologized without realizing it, bit his lip.

“If you had talked a bit more specifically, the counseling sister would have given more detailed advice, wouldn’t she?”

It wasn’t a sarcastic tone. It was a tone that seemed to express regret on his behalf, as if saying ‘wouldn’t it have been better if you had?’ Ryu Seo-ha shook his head slightly. It was nonsense.

No matter how trustworthy his family was, he had no intention of carelessly blabbing about content that could become Choi Gang-hu’s weakness. That was a separate issue from trusting Ryu Jeong-ah.

“I’m actually in a bit of pain, unlike how I appear.”

Choi Gang-hu, who chuckled at Ryu Seo-ha’s stubbornly closed lips, addressed Ryu Jeong-ah, who was standing blankly.

“…You’re in pain?”

Ryu Jeong-ah’s eyes widened at the sudden statement. A slight disbelief seeped into her gaze as she scanned his noticeably tall physique.

“And the only person who can eliminate that unknown pain is Ryu Seo-ha.”

Choi Gang-hu continued calmly, slowly caressing the white cheek of his lovely lover who was looking up at him worriedly.

“Are you being treated with a skill or characteristic?”

“No. Through physical contact.”

Ryu Jeong-ah’s mouth slowly opened at this statement beyond common sense.

“Without this child by my side, I’m essentially no different from a runaway train.”

Choi Gang-hu, who had been kneading Ryu Seo-ha’s soft cheek, slowly lowered his head and planted a kiss on his forehead. It was as natural as breathing.

“The more my emotions intensify or the more I overuse my abilities, making it difficult to control my magic power, the more unstable my condition becomes.”

“What, that’s totally a guide bus…”

Ryu Jeong-ah, who was about to shout, covered her mouth with both hands in surprise. Then she stared intently at Choi Gang-hu’s hand touching Ryu Seo-ha’s cheek.

Guide bus? Seeing the two men tilting their heads at this unfamiliar term, Ryu Jeong-ah’s cheeks flushed red. Yet she didn’t readily offer any related explanation.

“Sis, do you perhaps have any idea of the reason…”

She even held up her palm towards Ryu Seo-ha, who was about to express his doubt.

“Don’t ask for details.”

“…Why? It might help solve our problem, you know.”

“Hmm.”

Frowning at her brother’s retort, Ryu Jeong-ah seemed to ponder for a moment before casually scratching her head.

“Then I’ll recommend a few novels.”

“Novels?”

“Yeah. If you’re really curious, read them.”

“What kind of novels…”

“But don’t ask me about every little thing you don’t understand. You can find it all on the internet.”

“…”

“Even I don’t want to geek out with my own brother.”

Watching his older sister spout incomprehensible words in her usual light-hearted voice, Ryu Seo-ha nodded obediently. It was better to just go along with it when his sister was lost in her own world like this.

“But shouldn’t we give that bird a name?”

As if afraid he might ask again about what he didn’t understand, Ryu Jeong-ah quickly changed the subject. She pointed at the red bird that was lying down with its chin resting slightly on Ryu Seo-ha’s instep, while glancing at Choi Gang-hu.

“Piyut!”

Noticing they were talking about it, the baby bird flapped its wings and looked up at the sofa with sparkling eyes. It was a gaze full of expectation for Ryu Seo-ha to hold it.

“A name…”

After hesitating for a moment, Ryu Seo-ha reached out and carefully placed it on his lap. He had considered giving it a name before, but hesitated due to his reluctance to get attached easily.

“Why don’t you name it, sis? You’ll be together the longest, after all.”

But now that the solution to the lifespan problem seemed within reach, he couldn’t just leave the baby bird unattended. Since he had decided to make it Ryu Jeong-ah’s bodyguard, he needed to change his mindset.

“I’m not talented in that area. What do you think, Guild Leader?”

At Ryu Jeong-ah’s question suddenly passing the baton, Choi Gang-hu entered into serious contemplation.

“Red?”

And before long, he put forward an extremely direct name as a candidate.

“Uh, well…”

“Hwajo?” [Fire Bird]

When Ryu Jeong-ah’s reaction wasn’t great, he offered another name with a similar feel.

“I guess a person can’t have everything…”

Unable to openly mock his naming sense, Ryu Jeong-ah muttered with a sour face. Though inwardly agreeing, Ryu Seo-ha didn’t add any unnecessary comments.

“Ruby would be better. Ruby, come here.”

In the end, Ryu Jeong-ah called it by the name she had arbitrarily decided. But the red bird, Ruby, ignored her and buried its face in Ryu Seo-ha’s lap.

Choi Gang-hu’s disapproving gaze turned towards Ruby. Suddenly, the overly peaceful atmosphere subtly fanned an strange sense of unease. As if wondering if it was okay to be this peaceful.

“You said you were going back to Jeju Island this afternoon, right?”

Trying to shake off the unease, he quietly asked, and Choi Gang-hu, who had been staring intently at Ruby, jerked his chin.

“Then I should quickly wash up and get ready.”

And he watched Ryu Seo-ha getting up from his seat. As if trying to gauge his intention.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of probing those guys’ intentions again?”

“No.”

Choi Gang-hu’s eyes narrowed slightly at the negative answer that came without any hesitation.

“I won’t act until you allow it.”

He didn’t seem to immediately believe the words delivered with a faint smile. Given his past actions, it was understandable to be distrustful.

“I’ll just stay right by your side.”

“Without exchanging a single word?”

“Yes, if that’s what you want.”

Choi Gang-hu, who had been staring as if mesmerized at the gentle eye smile, stood up as well.

“Then why do you want to come along?”

“I need to hold your hand right away if you seem like you’re in pain, don’t I?”

“…”

“We’re both winning anyway, so use me as much as you want.”

After once again showing his commitment not to act rashly and to exercise self-control, Choi Gang-hu let out a low laugh and shook his head briefly.

“An offer I can’t refuse.”

❖ ❖ ❖

The hotel opening ceremony, which had been postponed for a full day due to the sudden violent incident, proceeded smoothly. Although Go Young-hoon, with one arm cut off and iron shackles on his neck, declared his absence and exclusion from cooperation with the Gangseong Group.

Both Choi Junwan, who had been eagerly waiting for an opportunity to tarnish the half-brothers’ reputation, and Jung Woo-bin, who had suddenly intervened in the management rights dispute, sharpened their tongues and pressured Choi Gang-hu, but unlike the previous day, there was little friction.

“In the analysis of both of your body fluids, some peculiarities were observed in terms of interaction, but…”

After all the events were over, in the penthouse of Gangseong Hotel. Dr. Han Gang-seok, who had been called down to Jeju Island, reported a somewhat disappointing analysis result. There was a slight reaction between their body fluids when they came into contact, but it wasn’t particularly visible.

“What kind of interaction?”

“To put it simply, it’s similar to a kind of neutralization reaction. You could say they act as filters for each other.”

“Neutralization?”

Ryu Seo-ha frowned at the explanation that followed, describing a phenomenon where something with different properties mixes to take on an intermediate property. Since both of their magic power was rooted in the White Wing, and their physical bodies in the Black Wing.

Unless it was souls rooted in different factions, body fluids or magic power shouldn’t have such an effect… Then suddenly it occurred to him that his magic power was compatible with Choi Gang-hu’s but not fully belonging to the White Wing faction.

Like everyone else, Ryu Seo-ha started with 1 magic power stat right after awakening. That 1 stat rooted in the Black Wing faction could perhaps be said to be the root of the magic power Ryu Seo-ha possessed.

“The weak reaction seems to be due to the rapid decrease in efficacy as the magic power imbued in the body fluids becomes distant from the main body…”

“How can we maximize the effect?”

“By exchanging the body fluids that contain the most compressed unique essence of the main body in the most freshly preserved state.”

Han Gang-seok, who gave an ambiguous answer to Choi Gang-hu’s question, grinned while pointing to a vial containing the analysis sample. Ryu Seo-ha’s eyes trembled slightly. That had been troublesome to collect from the start.

“I see.”

Choi Gang-hu, who waved his hand lightly at Han Gang-seok, signaling him to leave, tightened his arm around his lover’s waist and spoke in a subtle voice.

“…I need time to organize my thoughts,”

“Didn’t you say to use you as much as I want earlier?”

Ryu Seo-ha, naturally laid down on the soft sofa, glared resentfully at Han Gang-seok’s back as he leisurely left the living room. He had thought that the day might come when they would mix bodies, but he hadn’t expected this kind of development.

“Do you dislike it?”

The problem was that he didn’t feel the desire to push away Choi Gang-hu, who was asking with a suggestive look. His heart started pounding wildly. He already felt his mouth going dry.

“Thanks to your sister, I’ve thoroughly prepared in advance.”

Choi Gang-hu, who had quickly read through several novels Ryu Jeong-ah had recommended during the private jet ride, gently overlapped their lips. Ryu Seo-ha unconsciously closed his eyes.