"Hmm, it's a bit more complicated than that." Lee Tae-gun clearly enjoys talking shop, so they can talk shop. "When we talk about psychic dungeons, there are two separate kinds of phenomena we're referring to: dungeons whose monsters have psychic effects, and those that generate those effects themselves. They often come together, but not always, as Nightmare most famously demonstrates." Lee Tae-gun looks like the kind of person who would've looked into Nightmare in detail, and his understanding nod confirms this. "Psychic monsters are actually not always immune to the effects they themselves cause, and it's possible for me to bounce their attacks back at them in those cases. Even for the monsters that aren't straightforwardly immune to that, that's not necessarily useful, though, since they may have emotional or intellectual makeups that make them not relevantly hindered by those attacks."

"I see. And there are no direct offensive capabilities? Are your illusions fully mental, or do they also involve some matter generation?"

"No offense, and yes fully mental," he replies with some amusement in his voice. This is all a matter of public record, but the detailed interrogation might've been taken by some as threatening. Jaeha is certain Tae-gun doesn't mean it that way, and has an inkling that he might be thinking in terms of to what if any extent their abilities could complement each other and how they could work together.

He nods, humming thoughtfully.

"And what does Lee Tae-gun do when he's not actively saving the world one dungeon at a time?"

...that's really weird phrasing. Isn't it? Tae-gun thinks it's weird. He guesses he doesn't know for sure, it's not his forte.

"I... practise and work out?" he tries.

"Oh? No movies or books or games, going out with friends...?"

"Oh. Those. Yeah."

"'Yeah'?"

"—I like reading books. And occasionally going places with people, like... bars and such?"

He feels like he's being made fun of.

Only a little.

"And what do you like to do for guiding?"

??????

"It's important to know! We ought to know if we're compatible in ways other than just the powers but that's one of them, isn't it? If it turns out you really love watching horror movies with your partner that might be a problem, I'm terrified of them."

...right. Kang Jaeha is correct, of course, but, uh, he. His mind just.

........but also it's important.

"Not... necessarily horror... But probably spending time in, um, close physical contact would be good and, um, movies are a good idea?"

...okay now he'll lean forward on his seat and reach over for the hand of Tae-gun's that's clenched in his lap.

He freezes in place but doesn't pull away, and instead slowly looks up at Kang Jaeha's face.

Jaeha slowly, slowly brings Tae-gun's hand up to his lips, not breaking eye contact, telegraphing his movements so that Tae-gun can pull away if he wants to, and then he softly kisses Tae-gun's knuckles. "I, too, appreciate close physical contact."

He shudders at the kiss, his eyes fluttering shut and his breath hitching in his throat, and when he opens his eyes again his face is definitely flushed and he is absolutely sure Kang Jaeha knows why but that's. That's fine, right? They should know if they're compatible partners and, and the fact that Kang Jaeha is—fine with this—is probably, well, it's, it's a better way to deal with backlash than just snuggling and watching movies together, right, if they can, if, if—

Jaeha leans even further forward, releasing Tae-gun's hand so that he can cup Tae-gun's cheek with a hand. "We should make sure we're very compatible, after all," he reasons, and he slowly closes his eyes and leans even further so that their lips can touch...

Tae-gun stands up abruptly.

And Jaeha's reaction time is good enough that he doesn't look up at Tae-gun's face on instinct, and instead keeps his eyes level with—well, with the part of Tae-gun's body that he's now at eye level with. "I suppose if you insist," he says, close enough that even the cut of Tae-gun's slacks isn't enough to disguise the physiological reactions he's having.

What is he saying what is he doing why is he looking there why is Tae-gun not moving he meant to walk away but now he's just looking at Jaeha's face—

He's once again slow and deliberate in the way he leans forward and just places a soft kiss on Tae-gun, through the fabric of his trousers.