The Seowon Guild still smelled of old books and disinfectant today. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant smell. Uijae was acutely aware of the hand resting on his shoulder as he walked. Lee Sa-young stayed glued to his side, as if worried he might collapse at any moment.

…

Of course, this was just as unwelcome. Every time he felt Sa-young’s presence so close, cold sweat would break out, and his body tensed involuntarily. Yet neither Uijae nor Sa-young said anything about it.

An hour ago, as soon as Uijae had taken the phone, Gaeul had shouted:

— I’m sorry, but please come to the Seowon Guild right away! It’s really urgent!

And just like that, the call had ended. Sa-young had looked visibly displeased but hadn’t stopped Uijae from agreeing to meet with her. What could he have done if Sa-young had refused? They needed to gather any information they could in this situation.

And besides…