"...okay, you know what? That all makes sense but I don't think I can—engage—on that level until I understand. Why do you guys think killing him was justifiable? The government of Korea doesn't. I had my mind messed with nonstop for a year and I've been in house arrest for five years because of it and I don't. I'm—I just don't understand."

"You did love him," Hyun-jae points out. "Setting aside everything else, you loved him, so your judgment of it is clouded even if what you've been through was worse than what everyone else has. ...before yesterday, anyway."

"Yeah! I did!" Still do. "That doesn't mean I'm not, not, not capable of... rationally engaging." It did mean that. It... might still mean that. But he's finding himself a lot more able to do it now than he has in years, and he doesn't know what exactly changed—or, the answer is "everything", actually, but he doesn't know which specific part of it is making it possible for him to consider all of this without breaking down crying.

“So my opener with him,” says Hye-jin, “was having him show up near my house to what we think was dictionary attack me out of fucking nowhere. After half a decade of being away from you. I realize you have history and more context, but from my perspective? That is an insane and dangerous thing to do, especially to someone with my power set. You,” and she points at Tae-gun, “can use your powers to do odd tasks around the kitchen. I’m very happy for you. Me? If I fuck up, even a little, someone dies painfully. So, yes, actually, someone that will fuck with a fire esper on a five year old grudge needs to stop, however necessary, because otherwise. People will die.” Food munch. “I was also upset on your behalf, mind, but that was the calculus in my jump to murder. Except, again. My actual first step was sending some fucking e-mails.”

"...that's a good point."

"You don't have to look so surprised when your partner turns out to be intelligent and have thought things through."

"I'm—not—that's not—that's not what I meant," he says, lamely.

“I’m sure,” she mutters, irritated. “Which is why you took my concerns so seriously and treated them with such gravity and respect.”

"...I would prefer it if you were properly aggressive rather than passive-aggressive."

“Fine. Do not paint me as murder happy, because I have spent literal years of my life working very, very hard to make my exceptionally dangerous power set as safe for the general populace as possible. And my shitty ex liked to paint me as crazy and unreasonable, and I am twitchy about it.”

"Stop reading things into what I say! That's—that's the same as—I didn't say you were murder happy. If I don't say a thing I don't mean the thing! I don't say things I don't mean! I don't mean things I don't say! I'm not, not, not trying to paint you as anything! And, and if I thought you were crazy and unreasonable why would I even stay?"

...hoooooo boy. The nice Korean boy in him wants to try to paper over the conflict and awkwardness but he kind of feels like this might be—good for them? Maybe?

Yeah, don't worry, this isn't off the rails yet.

“If you get to twitch rudely about vague implications of the best ways to handle the crazy backlashed psychic esper and how different methods of dealing with him might have fallout for anyone with anything even vaguely like his power set, then I get to twitch rudely at implications that I’m being crazy, unreasonable, or murder happy. I am saying that the way you react to me does not make me feel like you trust my judgement, even if you do not intend it that way.”

"Okay! Sorry!"

"What are you sorry for, hyung?"

"—huh?"

"I think you're saying 'sorry' reflexively without thinking about what it is you're apologising for or whether it's something you regret or which parts of it you regret, and I think that is not the best way to figure out how to have a productive conversation with your partner about a way in which you both feel like you've been misunderstood by each other for a long time. Stop and think about what you want to say because I know that you don't want to say 'sorry' for the entire reasoning process you used to do—what you were doing."

"I'm going to go get the main course," he says, pushing himself to his feet.

"What you mean is that you hate it when I'm right and you need time to think."

"...yes. That's what I mean."

"So next time say it so that people who aren't me and aren't used to the way you get, such as Hye-jin, can understand it."

"...yeah. I'll. Try."

“Thank you.

… and, I’m sorry for snapping. It really is a sore point for me, and it’s - basically been my life’s work to save as many lives as possible.”

"...yeah. I don't—mean to cast that in doubt or anything. I know you care and I know you think things through and don't jump to conclusions or—anything. I know you're good at your job."