DB Vol 4 Part 3

Won-woo had once stayed up all night looking at a vast amount of data investigating Ji Geun-oh in one place when he was working for the government. It detailed how Ji Geun-oh had shown so many lies and hypocrisy and still received the support of some Guides.

“Alright. But it will take a few days.”

“That’s fine. Time is all I have now anyway.”

He replied lightly, but Gye Yoon’s expression was a bit strange. He was still staring, but it was different from the burdensome heat from before. It seemed mixed with an excited feeling.

“What is it?”

When Won-woo asked curiously, he asked in a lowered voice, as if suppressing his mood.

“Are you going to stay here for a long time?”

“As long as I’m not kicked out.”

Ah. Gye Yoon ran his hand through his hair and turned his head. It was a gesture to hide his expression, but Won-woo saw his lips curve silently. Strangely, his chest felt tight.

Guiding. Until now, Espers had been enemies to Won-woo, so he had never felt fulfillment from guiding. Some Guides occasionally felt satisfaction while guiding suffering Espers, but he thought they were just enjoying the position of being a savior.

So Won-woo didn’t particularly feel moved by making others comfortable through guiding. Han Seona was a colleague, so he just considered it a duty that had to be done. But the conversation he had with Gye Yoon in the morning stayed on his mind all day.

In fact, it wasn’t much. It was just a short power struggle, like a tug of war. He doesn’t show much expression, but perhaps because of that, even small changes were noticeable. Slightly smiling, eyes shining, even getting annoyed at the mention of his sister. Those small expressions and words seemed like evidence of comfort without pain, and satisfaction welled up.

I should ignore it. He cautioned himself, but before long, a similar feeling filled Won-woo’s insides. This time, they hadn’t even had a proper conversation. The other person’s reaction was very small, but he felt so good that he had to press down on the corners of his mouth. Of course, the other person was still a difficult person who didn’t even show his face.

“You’re here? Have you eaten lunch?”

When Won-woo opened the door to Hwan’s room, he heard Supervisor Lee’s question as she was taking care of the child. But Won-woo’s gaze first went to the blocks on the floor. The house was completed. Supervisor Lee, who had approached from the side, noticed Won-woo’s gaze and smiled kindly.

“She’s been hiding all day today too, but I guess she still wanted to play.”

Her whisper was full of contentment. The block house was different from what Won-woo had been making yesterday. The child must have silently moved the blocks one by one, floating them only when no one was watching. Won-woo felt his heart tighten again as he slowly walked towards the blocks.

***

Ji Seong-hyeon had come to the main house for the first time in a while, but he was pacing restlessly in the reception room like a mouse looking for an escape route. His sister was currently in a meeting with their father, Ji Geun-oh. He couldn’t help but be anxious as he hadn’t yet confessed to his father about failing to find Won-woo, or losing Gi An-seok in the process.

He had told his sister that he would confess to their father, but honestly, Ji Seong-hyeon wondered if this was really something that needed to be reported. Anyway, that bastard Won-woo had run away without a penny, so he must be struggling like a beggar somewhere. People say he’s changed, but so what? No matter how much he’s changed, his core remains the same.

Ji Yoon-im was suspicious about Gi An-seok’s disappearance too, but well. He was just a con man who only cared about money from the start, so there was nothing strange about it. So after a day or two, Ji Seong-hyeon started to feel wronged. Come to think of it, I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?

It seemed silly to confess his mistakes first without any achievements after taking his brother’s place. So Ji Seong-hyeon had come loaded with things his father would like. His father liked being praised in front of the public, so he just needed to create such opportunities. This was Ji Seong-hyeon’s specialty.

He planned to curry favor with his father this way and then buy time to find Won-woo and Gi An-seok. But a situation Ji Seong-hyeon never expected unfolded.

His sister, who he thought had returned to the Yang family, was now in a meeting with their father. Surely she hasn’t tattled about everything I’ve done? After waiting anxiously for a while, Yoon-im appeared in the corridor connected to their father’s office.

“Noona!”

As he called out loudly and approached, Yoon-im showed annoyance in her eyes. Ignoring this, Ji Seong-hyeon grabbed her arm and pulled her into the reception room.

“You didn’t tell him, did you?”

When Yoon-im just glared at him silently, he finally lowered his voice, feeling intimidated.

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to pressure you, and I was going to tell him about my situation myself. If you tell him first, the facts might get distorted and father might misunderstand…”

“You mean you still haven’t reported to father?”

“I will! But I need to have something worth reporting in my hands first. Don’t you agree? How can I just report that Won-woo has changed as if he’s become a different person?”

At Ji Seong-hyeon’s excuse, Yoon-im’s expression hardened. Ji Seong-hyeon noticed that, like last time, his sister was bothered by the expression ‘changed as if he’s become a different person.’

“What’s wrong? Has someone else around you changed like a different person too?”

Ji Yoon-im avoided answering by turning her gaze away, then changed the topic back to Ji Seong-hyeon’s wrongdoing.

“You can’t keep deceiving father forever.”

“Who’s deceiving? I’m just delaying the report until things are more certain, that’s all. I’m already completely overwhelmed just trying to restore Guide One, which is in chaos.”

“You’re so overwhelmed that you fired Director Shin?”

At the mention of his brother’s right-hand man, Ji Seong-hyeon’s eyes widened, but he soon smirked.

“Haven’t you heard how much that bastard embezzled? He’s a complete thief.”

Ji Seong-hyeon made excuses, but Yoon-im still looked at him with distrustful eyes. He groveled even more, grabbing his sister’s hands and pleading.

“I’ll find Won-woo properly after I get Guide One back to normal. I’ll search the whole country if I have to, so please help me, noona. Okay?”

Ji Yoon-im coldly removed his hands, but she didn’t say she would tell their father. Satisfied with just that, Ji Seong-hyeon excitedly asked as he saw his sister off.

“By the way, what did you talk about with father? Are you slowly starting to work on the North again?”

Until now, Ji Geun-oh had been too busy becoming a member of the People’s Committee to focus on bringing down the Gye family. The Yang family didn’t want to be openly involved in this matter, so Ji Geun-oh was getting his hands dirty. But now that Ji Geun-oh had some breathing room, he was surely going to start that work again.

“Watch your mouth.”

Ji Yoon-im left only a sharp warning instead of a clear answer before disappearing. Although he didn’t get any information, Ji Seong-hyeon grinned as he watched her leave. Yeah, live with your nose in the air for now. The more she looks down on him, the more advantageous it is for him. That way, when she falls like Ji Dong-hyeon, it’ll be easier to step on her from behind. As he turned to report to his father, he thought he should go to Guide One today to establish some discipline.

To think there’s someone who dared to secretly leak news about Director Shin to noona. I must find out who it is and do the same to them as Director Shin. He lost his life in an instant at the hands of the Esper Ji Seong-hyeon keeps around. How easily normal people die, wow. Unlike earlier, Ji Seong-hyeon hummed a tune, seemingly in a good mood. As long as there’s no news about that bastard Won-woo that would upset father’s mood for a while, everything should go smoothly. Just the thought made him happy.

Won-woo didn’t plan to stay long in the child’s room today. If a stranger stays too long, it might make the child uncomfortable and less likely to come out. He was thinking of just building with blocks for an hour or two and then leaving, but every time he tried to get up, Supervisor Lee brought something to eat.

At first, he refused, but her eyes were intense despite her smiling face, so he quietly ate the grapes. The seedless grapes were quite delicious. Then came cherry tomatoes. Then blueberries. It was only when raspberries appeared before his eyes that he realized.

They were all small fruits that were good for the child to eat in one bite. And he realized that his role was to eat in front of the child to make him want to eat too.

“The fruit is really delicious.”

When Won-woo praised for the first time while eating, Supervisor Lee smiled softly.

“Well, you’re not completely clueless after all.”

Unlike her smile, there was a bite to her words. As Won-woo cleared his throat, intending to praise the fruit more, she suddenly leaned her upper body towards him.

“Shh.”

Why? He was about to raise his head in confusion but stopped. He saw raspberries rising into the air from the fruit basket placed beside them. It wasn’t just one. Like ducklings following their mother in a line, they rose into the air one after another and floated towards one place.

Of course, it was where the child was hiding. Won-woo watched the movement of the raspberries from the corner of his eye, suppressing the urge to say something. Isn’t that space behind the bed about 100 pyeong? If not, the child couldn’t endure for this long.

“She used to disappear outside the room a lot before.”

Supervisor Lee explained quietly, as if understanding Won-woo’s thoughts. It seems the child can levitate not just objects but himself too. Won-woo finally understood why they didn’t block off the area behind the bed. It was to let him hide in the room rather than go outside.

“It’s not only hard to find her when she hides in the forest, but it’s also dangerous for the child. She gets bitten by insects a lot, gets scratched and hurt everywhere. Also, because she’s still young and has no sense of distance, she unknowingly goes deep into the forest and gets lost.”

So that’s why they leave that space behind the bed alone, even though they know it’s narrow and uncomfortable for the child. He could also imagine everyone panicking and searching whenever the child disappeared.

“Have you always taken care of children?”

He asked this because she was an Esper, not a Guide. Usually, Esper children are cared for by Guides.

“No. It’s just that no one could endure this position, so it eventually came to me.”

Supervisor Lee lowered her voice to a whisper, as if worried the child might hear.

“The previous Guide was an unbearable person.”

Ah, that bad guy they said was sent from Guide One. He must have tormented people quite a bit.

“By the way, did that person just go back?”

“……”

“Why? Is he still in the North?”

She stared at Won-woo for a moment, then smiled and shook her head.

“No. He went back.”

“You just sent him back? You should have at least hit him a few times.”

Again, Supervisor Lee just smiled. Won-woo was frustrated. The North, especially the Gye family, was rumored to be rough and blunt, but the people he’d met here were the opposite. They all cried at the slightest reaction from the child, and just sent bad guys away. Everyone was soft like tofu. At this rate, they’d have no choice but to be taken advantage of by Ji Geun-oh and the Yang family.

“Hitting doesn’t solve problems.”

She said with a smile. However, unaware that death had solved the problem, Won-woo became even more frustrated.

“Tell me who it is later. I’ll throw a punch if I see him.”

Supervisor Lee kept smiling. Then she looked at him curiously.

“You’re so different.”

“Ah… from the Ji family people?”

“That too, but also from other Guides. Usually, those who can Guide such unusual wavelengths consider themselves special. Not humble like you, Won-woo.”

I’m not that special. As Won-woo was about to answer, Supervisor Lee’s eyes lit up as if she’d remembered something.

“There’s a Guide I’m reminded of when I see you. A friend of mine who’s somewhat similar to you.”

“I bet that Guide is handsome.”

When he joked, she laughed out loud. Then she nodded.

“They had a beautiful heart, that friend.”

Recalling that friend, she calmed her laughter, leaving just a slight smile.

“She is no longer in this world, but she was a Guide here long ago. She was exceptionally skilled as a C-rank Guide, but because the Esper she was in charge of was such a baby, she just held the child and guided all day long.”

C-rank… Guide? Won-woo tilted his head at the familiar term and asked,

“Who was the Esper that Guide was in charge of?”

“Oh, the vice family head.”

“……”

“That friend wasn’t an affectionate personality, but she had great perseverance. It’s not easy to guide all day long, even if it’s a child, but she did it. Thanks to her, it’s fair to say the vice family head grew up in her hands.”

Won-woo kept his gaze on the floor, unable to respond, but Supervisor Lee, excited by her recollections, continued to chat.

“She had a very steady personality, which was her strength. She would just say ‘Why not give it a try?’ and casually tackle difficult tasks. Of course, it was never easy, but she had no fear when facing the next challenge. So maybe… that’s why she rushed here when the Gye family head had a problem.”

Supervisor Lee’s voice lowered at the end, perhaps recalling her deceased friend. She tried to suppress the emotion welling up and brightened her voice again.

“At that time, it had been years since that friend left the Gye family, but my goodness, she drove a truck here because it was urgent. She was always doing things easily like that. Oh, I have a photo, would you like to see it?”

Won-woo finally nodded slightly, but still couldn’t properly look at Supervisor Lee’s face. She took out her phone and found a photo that wasn’t very clear. Won-woo looked at the phone she held out from a distance, then slowly reached out to take it.

In the photo, a woman had fallen asleep sitting down, clearly tired, with a two-year-old boy also sound asleep in her arms. Won-woo’s hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

“Ah, when you first came to this room, you said that, didn’t you? That if I taught you kindness, you’d try your best to learn. That friend said something similar once. When I told her she was too blunt with the child, she asked me to teach her. Said she’d try her best to learn. So I taught her how to be affectionate and such. That friend…”

Supervisor Lee’s story continued, but Won-woo could barely hear it. He could only stare at the photo. But soon, the phone buzzed and a message popped up, covering the photo.

‘Monster sighting in XX area. All Espers belonging to the North Center, please standby.’

Won-woo finally looked up as if coming to his senses, and Supervisor Lee took the phone back with a frown.

“That’s strange. It’s been quiet for the past few months…”

She muttered anxiously and left the room after asking Won-woo to watch over for a moment. Even after she left, Won-woo remained motionless for a long time, staring blankly at the floor.

He felt strange. In the previous world, he had wanted so badly to know about the connection between the aunt and Gye Yoon, and to be part of it himself. That childish desire had grown so large that it sometimes made him resent Gye Yoon.

But now, having glimpsed the past of the two people he had so desperately wanted to know about, he didn’t feel satisfied. He just finally understood. What use was the past? A photo was just a photo. The reality of not being able to see the person he really wanted to see remained the same.

Reality. Yes, he should have enjoyed that reality in the previous world. When the aunt brought Gye Yoon, he shouldn’t have been jealous or envious. He should have strengthened the new relationship formed by his presence between those two people and been grateful for that moment.

Regret for the past was always cruelly painful. Won-woo kept his head down, trying to exhale properly, but it wasn’t easy. Something was stuck in his throat. It grew bigger, tightening his chest uncomfortably. That breath burst when he heard a small voice.

“Does it hurt?”

He turned his head slowly. It was the child’s voice, but he couldn’t see her properly. Only after wiping away the moisture that had filled his eyes with the back of his hand did Won-woo realize he was crying.

The child had slightly extended her body from the space where she was hiding. She was crouched on the floor and still shadowed, so her face wasn’t visible. But one could see her small hands folded like a clam and one short, chubby leg.

It was surprising that the hiding child had come out even that much. He should quickly say something kind, but he couldn’t manage it. He just lowered his head again, gritting his teeth, trying to compose himself. Finally, he shook his head.

“No, it doesn’t hurt. I’m not in pain.”

His throat hurt, making it hard to speak properly. His eyes filled with tears again, blurring his vision.

“Then why are you crying?”

Yeah, why am I crying? Even though it was pathetic to be comforted by a child, he couldn’t easily suppress the heat in his throat. Won-woo barely managed to give the child a pathetic answer.

“Just because. The strawberries are delicious.”

***

Yoo Geon-young had a headache. As if it wasn’t enough that another Esper in the team had died, he had to write all sorts of reports, get called up by superiors, have meetings to assess the situation, and more meetings. But with the most important witness, Ji Won-woo, missing, nothing was being properly resolved.

Naturally, he should have blamed everything on Won-woo and poured out his anger at him, but strangely, worry preceded anger towards Won-woo. Where the hell is this guy? Is he even alive? The office, where three colleagues had disappeared, was as quiet as a funeral home, but only the newly arrived team member came to work as if nothing had happened and trained hard by herself.

That wasn’t all. Han Seona had been called up and ordered to transfer to what anyone in the East Center would consider the worst assignment, but she showed no sign of being shaken. So Yoo Geon-young’s gaze towards Seona was full of disapproval.

“Are you that excited about going to the North Center?”

Even at his confrontational tone, Seona just glanced up indifferently from her seat. Yoo Geon-young really couldn’t understand her. While exchanges of Espers between Centers were common, the North Center was a place suffering from chronic Guide shortages due to the Gye family.

Naturally, no Esper wanted to go there. The East Center had always refused when the North requested Espers. They couldn’t force an Esper to go if they didn’t want to. If there was an Esper who occasionally agreed, there was only one reason.

“If you’re that greedy for money, why don’t you just leave the Center and go freelance? I heard the Gye family pays their direct Espers a lot. Hm?”

Despite Yoo Geon-young’s sarcasm, Seona didn’t even look at him as she focused on finishing up the last of the paperwork. She seemed eager to get it done and head north. Having nothing more to say to her unresponsive attitude, Yoo Geon-young cursed under his breath and left the office. He went to the break room and was about to light a cigarette when a familiar voice stopped him.

“You’re not going out in the field today?”

“Oh, Seung-wook.”

Yoo Geon-young called out to him with a sigh.

“Need people to take out first. The team is completely wrecked, damn it.”

It felt like the team might disappear altogether at this rate.

“Still no word from Ji Won-woo?”

“Ji Won-woo? Hah, nothing. Don’t even know if that bastard’s still alive.”

Yoo Geon-young sighed again and just held the unlit cigarette in his hand. Thinking of Ji Won-woo suddenly made him lose his appetite for smoking. Then a firm voice spoke up,

“Of course he’s alive.”

“How would you know that?”

Yoo Geon-young frowned, and Seung-wook answered expressionlessly:

“I know Ji Won-woo well. He wouldn’t die so pointlessly.”

It sounded like nonsense, but Yoo Geon-young couldn’t bring himself to mock his friend. Somehow, hearing those words made him feel a bit relieved. Why am I feeling relieved? The thought made him frown again. Seeing his expression, Seung-wook asked curiously,

“Did something bad happen to you?”

“Huh? Ah… it’s the opposite. An annoying person is about to disappear from my sight. But it’s clearly bad news for them, yet they seem happy about it?”

“Tell me properly.”

Yoo Geon-young finally explained that Seona was being sent to the North Center. Seung-wook’s expression became peculiar.

“Wasn’t Han Seona close with Ji Won-woo?”

“What? Was she?”

Yoo Geon-young tilted his head, not remembering clearly, but Seung-wook’s gaze hardened. He distinctly recalled seeing Seona with Won-woo several times. The atmosphere between them wasn’t bad either. But now she’s going north?

“By the way, what’s going on with you every night lately? I heard you’re going somewhere after work every day?”

“Who said that?”

“Who else? Idan. He’s worried because he can’t reach you at night. Says you’re not even coming home. Don’t tell me you’ve got someone else…”

“No.”

Seung-wook denied it flatly and turned away. Yoo Geon-young called after him, but his mind was filled with other thoughts. Instead of searching for Won-woo tonight, he decided he should meet with Seona.

***

‘It’s been about two years. Monster trees suddenly started appearing in the North, outside of farms. Even with constant monitoring and management, it’s impossible to watch every inch of land at all times. I understand, but… sudden monster appearances like this in the North never happened before. It’s as if someone deliberately planted seeds and grew them, they’ve increased so suddenly. Things have been quiet for the past few months, but now it’s starting again. It’s almost as if Ji Geun-oh finished some urgent business and now has time on his hands again.’

The last part of Chief Jung’s statement was speculation laced with personal opinion, but Won-woo believed he wouldn’t have drawn such a conclusion without substantial evidence. So he knew that the late-night quietness in the mansion wasn’t just simple tranquility.

Like the text message on Supervisor Lee’s phone, all the Espers were likely tense and ready to go out and face monsters at any moment. Naturally, the Gye family head and Gye Yoon were said to have been the first to depart.

‘Vice Head usually handles things alone, so he left without support. He might not return today.’

Despite Chief Jung’s explanation, Won-woo sat in front of Gye Yoon’s room door, leaning his head against the wall with his eyes closed. Not because he was sleepy, but because he liked being in this spot. Earlier, he had embarrassingly cried in front of the child while looking at photos of the aunt and Gye Yoon, but as time passed, the meaning of this huge mansion struck him differently.

Even this corridor held traces of those two. They must have passed by here hundreds, thousands of times. He decided to be satisfied with the fact that he could, belatedly, be a part of this place. No, he wanted to be satisfied with at least that much. It seemed like the only way he could face Gye Yoon without crying.

Tap.

Footsteps stopped right nearby. Won-woo slowly opened his eyes and raised his head. The room’s owner stood there with confused eyes. His clothes were torn and stained with monster blood, evidence of how many he had killed. Won-woo explained first to the speechless Gye Yoon,

“I’m here to guide you.”

“Later.”

Later? Won-woo stood up, puzzled, and Gye Yoon stepped back with a furrowed brow.

“It seems like you need it right now.”

“I can hold it. A bit later.”

“Why?”

Why? Fuck. A low curse seemed to escape Gye Yoon’s lips, quickly covered by a sigh. Then he stared with fierce eyes.

“If I receive guiding now, I might get hard.”

Get hard? At first, Won-woo didn’t understand what he meant. Thanks to that, he could maintain a blank expression, but as the silence continued, it became difficult to speak. He belatedly remembered that Espers could get excited during guiding.

The pleasure of pain disappearing could stimulate sexual arousal. That’s why the term ‘guiding sex’ wasn’t coined for nothing. But Won-woo had only heard about it, never seen it firsthand. He had mainly used his ability to kill Espers after all.

Han Seona, whom he had consistently guided, always said,

‘If you can’t control your urges during guiding to the point of harassing the Guide, you should cut it off.’

So Won-woo asked nonchalantly,

“It’s not so bad that it needs to be cut off, right?”

This time, Gye Yoon seemed not to understand Won-woo’s words. He slowly tilted his head to the side.

“Does it have to be cut off if it’s troublesome?”

“It would be hard to receive guiding if it happens every time.”

It’s better to cut it off in that case. Thanks to Seona’s brainwashing, Won-woo’s opinion was quite firm. Of course, the other party didn’t want to cut it off.

“If I don’t hold back, it won’t be difficult for me.”

Gye Yoon, seeming to have abandoned his intention to step back, took a step forward and provoked Won-woo.

“Is it okay if I don’t hold back?”

Of course you should hold back. Before Won-woo could object, Gye Yoon added,

“Mine’s too big to cut off.”

For a moment, the wrist comparison came to mind again. Thicker than a wrist. Trying not to let his gaze drift downward, Won-woo tensed his face and retorted sarcastically,

“If you can’t control yourself, you shouldn’t receive guiding.”

“That’s why I said I won’t receive it now.”

“…Ah.”

Right. I insisted. Realizing belatedly, he should have said ‘Alright, receive it later’ and let him go, but his pride was subtly hurt. While he hesitated with his mouth shut, Gye Yoon asked again,

“Can I do it?”

“Do… what?”

Gye Yoon shrugged and said lightly,

“I’ll do it alone.”

The casual way he said it made Won-woo wonder if this was a common occurrence. Is it normal in this world where Espers are superior for them to get excited during guiding? The confusion showed clearly on Won-woo’s face, and Gye Yoon stared at him observantly before dropping a suggestion,

“Or will you hold it for me?”

“Hold what…”

Fortunately, he managed to stop the stupid question midway. It’s obvious what to hold. Too embarrassed to show his surprise and feeling his pride hurt, Won-woo also shrugged casually. As if this kind of thing was familiar to him.

“I don’t want to. I’ve never seen anything I wanted to hold.”

“You haven’t seen mine yet.”

This time, Won-woo couldn’t resist and glanced down, confirming the long shape visible over Gye Yoon’s thigh. Why was he excited?

“The mention of guiding is stimulating for me.”

An explanation came without Won-woo asking.

“But if this situation scares you, we can do it later as I said.”

“Who said I’m scared?”

Won-woo immediately retorted, trying to find the right words, but nothing came to mind. ‘Awkward,’ ‘uncomfortable’, none of them felt right. He didn’t want to appear uneasy just because it was his first time. His pride wouldn’t allow it. Yet, as he hesitated, wondering if they should just do it later, an irritating question came,

“If you’re not scared, there’s only one reason you’re hesitating. You’re afraid you might get excited too.”

What? Won-woo’s eyes widened in disbelief as Gye Yoon casually continued,

“I’m fine with it. I’ll understand whatever happens.”

“No need to understand. I won’t get excited, and I’m not scared.”

Won-woo snapped irritably, pointing at Gye Yoon’s room door.

“Open it. Let’s do this now.”

Despite being the room of the Gye family’s vice head, it wasn’t much different from Won-woo’s guest room. It was practical with only necessary furniture like the child’s room. But even if this room had been as splendid as an emperor’s bedroom, Won-woo had no time to appreciate it now.

His attention was entirely focused on the bathroom. It hadn’t been long since Gye Yoon went in to wash up, but every second felt like ten years. Yet, only 15 minutes had passed. Won-woo took a deep breath, trying not to be nervous, and brainwashed himself.

Just do the guiding. If he gets excited, well, that’s that. The worst scenario now would be letting Gye Yoon see how nervous he was. It’s embarrassing that he was the only one bothered when Gye Yoon was so casual about it.

It was like those nights he couldn’t sleep after Gye Yoon had grabbed his wrist, overthinking things alone. And even if he got excited from guiding, what could happen except… Oh? Won-woo suddenly realized what Gye Yoon intended to do. He quickly shook his head. No way. Unless he’s crazy, he wouldn’t do that in front of someone else.

Click.

With the sound of the door, bright light from the bathroom flooded into the dimly lit room where only a small lamp was on. A faint scent of body wash wafted in as well. Won-woo tried to look up nonchalantly but almost swallowed hard at the sight before him.

Gye Yoon stood there with only a long towel around his waist. He must have showered hurriedly, as water dripped onto the floor from his not-quite-dry body. As soon as he saw Won-woo, Gye Yoon ran his hand through his wet hair, exhaling deeply, his chest heaving. Won-woo asked, puzzled by Gye Yoon’s seeming relief at seeing him,

“What is it?”

“I thought you’d left.”

“Couldn’t you tell from the sound?”

Gye Yoon asked back, looking perplexed at Won-woo’s question.

“You told me not to use my ability on you.”

That was meant for not reading his mind or emotions. Won-woo just nodded without explaining. It’s better if he doesn’t use it on him at all, anyway.

“Right. I don’t like you using it.”

“Afraid I’ll notice you’re nervous?”

Won-woo laughed as if it was ridiculous, swallowing his tension.

“I’m just here to guide you, why would I be nervous? Aren’t you the one who’s nervous?”

“Yes. A little.”

“…”

As Won-woo froze, unable to speak, Gye Yoon ran his hand through his hair again, avoiding eye contact.

“Not much, just a little.”

“Alright. Just a little nervous Gye Yoon, sit down. Let’s get this guiding over with quickly.”

Won-woo tried to speak professionally, gesturing in front of him. But as he watched Gye Yoon walk across the room, every hair on his body stood on end.

When Gye Yoon stopped in front of him, it felt like a massive wall blocking his view, even without looking up. But remarkably, he managed not to look at him. This was truly praiseworthy, but he soon regretted it.

He should have checked where Gye Yoon was sitting. Thud, Gye Yoon sat down right next to Won-woo on the sofa. Expecting him to sit across, Won-woo turned in surprise but couldn’t voice his objection. The first thing he saw was Gye Yoon’s bare upper body.

He knew Gye Yoon was big, but up close, he seemed even more like a barrier blocking everything in front. Moreover, the body wash scent mixed with his body heat felt like Gye Yoon’s own scent. With his senses overwhelmed by Gye Yoon’s body and smell, Won-woo tried to focus solely on his hand to regain his composure. Let’s get this over with quickly. As Won-woo reached for Gye Yoon’s hand, a low, husky voice asked,

“Is it really okay?”

Won-woo’s hand hesitated in mid-air, but he gathered courage and grasped Gye Yoon’s hand. However, that courage only extended to holding his hand. He couldn’t muster the bravery to look and see how excited Gye Yoon was.

Without answering, Won-woo focused on drawing out the disturbed energy while holding Gye Yoon’s hand. As the enormous energy began to flow out through the small gap, the hand he was holding twitched. But there was something even more distracting.

“Huu.”

A long sigh escaped Gye Yoon’s lips, as if releasing tension. When the body becomes accustomed to this process of energy leaving, it naturally tries to relax by exhaling. However, this was completely different from the sighs he’d heard from Han Seona. It wasn’t just about releasing tension. The breath flowing from Gye Yoon was hot and humid like a tropical night. A strange, sensual quality mixed into it as Won-woo continued guiding.

Won-woo tried to focus all his attention on Gye Yoon’s large, firm hand with its visible veins, but at some point, the low, heated breathing began to dominate Won-woo’s senses. From then on, the hand he was holding felt hot.

“Haa.”

Once more, a low, deep breath escaped and lingered. The excited breathing was more stimulating than expected, and Won-woo unknowingly looked up. He met the dark eyes that had never left him.