115

“Do you realize you’re drenched in sweat?”

“…Yes.”

“You should wash up and stay here until morning at least.”

“Can I really do that?”

“Of course you can.”

He replied as he gently stroked the back of Ha-gyeom’s head. Though it was clearly an invitation to stay the night, there was no hint of anything sexual in his tone, and that reassured Ha-gyeom even as his cheeks flushed. It sounded just like the kindness Baek Sa had shown when Ha-gyeom had nightmares as a child.

He wondered if it would have been better to come to him earlier and avoid having that dream at all.

He considered it, briefly. But with a heart that fragile, he wouldn’t be able to protect Baek Sa—nor even himself.

“…Then I’ll shower first.”

Ha-gyeom pulled away from Baek Sa’s embrace and headed toward the bathroom. He could feel the weight of Baek Sa’s eyes following him, but the man didn’t rise from his seat. When Ha-gyeom returned, freshly showered, Baek Sa was simply standing by the bed, adjusting the sheets.

Ha-gyeom made sure to dry his hair thoroughly so he wouldn’t soak the bedding. As Baek Sa lowered the lights and gestured toward the bed, Ha-gyeom quickly climbed in.

Without being asked and without asking, Ha-gyeom reached for Baek Sa. And Baek Sa, in turn, pulled Ha-gyeom’s damp body into his arms without hesitation.

He had clung to Baek Sa constantly right after waking up, but since then, they’d spent more time apart. Focused on recovery, he hadn’t even dared dream of being included in mission meetings—not after going through such an intense experience. While lying there, aware of Baek Sa’s warmth and lost in thought, his mind naturally wandered to Arang.

Ever since she had regained consciousness, everyone had been focused on her. He assumed Baek Sa was no different. Maybe that was even why he hadn’t been able to sleep tonight.

Arang…

Murmuring her name again, a sharp intuition struck him. If there was any clue to be found, it wouldn’t be in anonymous guide testimonies—but from her. Only her.

Even wrapped in Baek Sa’s arms, Ha-gyeom couldn’t fall asleep. Tossing restlessly in his fatigue, he found himself fiddling with Baek Sa’s T-shirt and finally asked,

“How’s Arang? They’re still investigating her, right?”

“They are. But… she’s not in any condition to give a statement.”

Baek Sa’s voice was unusually clear, as if sleep was far from his mind too. Ha-gyeom raised his head from Baek Sa’s chest to meet his gaze.

“She’s still not fully recovered…?”

“That’s not it. She doesn’t remember anything. Not even her own name. Without memories, there’s no way to take a statement.”

She lost her memory…?

Since he hadn’t seen Arang since the day she woke, this was the first he’d heard the news—and it was unexpected. Ha-gyeom had clearly sensed resentment from Arang—toward Baek Sa, toward Assemblyman Tak. Emotions couldn’t arise without memory. And setting aside his confusion over how he could feel her emotions at all…

As he struggled to phrase his next question, it must have shown, because Baek Sa reached up and gently rubbed Ha-gyeom’s still-damp earlobe to soothe him. Ha-gyeom placed his hand over Baek Sa’s and asked cautiously,

“Would it be okay… if I saw her?”

“No.”

The answer came before he could even finish. Baek Sa’s brow furrowed as he firmly rejected the idea, and Ha-gyeom couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

“…Why not?”

“Do you remember Dr. Kim, the one found dead the day Arang woke up?”

He remembered—found sprawled over a stainless steel table, in a horrible state. Ha-gyeom nodded, and Baek Sa’s eyes gleamed faintly in the dark.

“Who do you think killed him?”

The question already held its own answer. Ha-gyeom’s eyes widened.

“Wait—Arang did it?”

“She didn’t just kill Dr. Kim. Dr. Cha almost died too.”

Yet Dr. Cha had performed Ha-gyeom’s examination without ever mentioning it. Maybe the incident was classified.

“But how? Arang’s been in isolation ever since.”

Baek Sa hesitated, as if explaining it was difficult.

“It seems like it’s possible without physical contact. But since we haven’t figured anything out yet, there’s no way we’re letting you see her.”

Ha-gyeom took a breath as he met Baek Sa’s gaze, which now felt almost forceful. A guide able to kill without physical contact—it sounded eerily similar to his own experience of sensing Arang’s emotions without touching her. Was this all part of the same shift?

There was no certainty. But that only made him feel even more certain that he needed to see Arang for himself.

“Has she killed any espers or other guides?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Then… maybe she can’t kill other ability users?”

“We can’t be sure. Like I said, we still haven’t uncovered anything.”

When Ha-gyeom couldn’t hide his growing curiosity, Baek Sa gripped his thin shoulder tightly and warned him.

“Don’t forget: just because we’re working together doesn’t mean you need to throw yourself into danger.”

The pressure was enough to make Ha-gyeom clench his jaw on instinct.

“Your mission is to draw Assemblyman Tak’s attention and uncover the true identity of the leader. Not to become a pawn for them.”

“……”

“Even if you are a guide who can do what no one else ever has.”

Baek Sa wasn’t demanding answers about Arang or about what Ha-gyeom had seen inside the phenomenon. But those words carried weight. He’d known Ha-gyeom longer than anyone—maybe he’d noticed something that even Ha-gyeom hadn’t.

A guide who can do what no one else ever has.

Ha-gyeom didn’t think of himself as someone special. But he flinched—because deep down, he knew something was different. And the fact that he was keeping that from Baek Sa pricked at his chest.

“I don’t care about the leaders’ ambitions. There was a time I wanted to know whether our powers were a gift or a curse, but at this point… it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m investigating you because that’s my job here. Not because I want to know what’s really inside you. So, Ha-gyeom—”

“……”

“All you need to do is get through this shitty mission. That’s already more than dangerous enough.”

The fingers rubbing his earlobe were burning hot. Ha-gyeom agreed with Baek Sa, but couldn’t completely silence his curiosity. As a guide, he already knew too much.

Still, because Baek Sa wanted him to, he nodded obediently. But watching the way Baek Sa’s jaw tightened, his teeth clenching and releasing, Ha-gyeom realized he hadn’t managed to reassure him. Unable to bear the worried gleam in Baek Sa’s eyes, Ha-gyeom burrowed back into his arms.

“You don’t have to worry, hyung. I won’t get hurt.”

“Since the day I saved you, there hasn’t been a single moment I wasn’t worried.”

Remembering how helpless he used to be, both mentally and as a guide, Ha-gyeom’s neck flushed red. Baek Sa noticed that slight shift in temperature instantly, and wrapped his hand around Ha-gyeom’s slender neck, pressing warm lips to the soft skin there.

“Especially on nights when you’ve had bad dreams.”

“……”

“It’s just… that the way I comfort you now is a little different.”

And it was. Just as he said, it was different now. The sensation of Baek Sa’s tongue, thick and slow, left Ha-gyeom breathless.

But Baek Sa didn’t take it any further. He pulled away, wrapped Ha-gyeom’s shoulders in his arms again, and tugged the sheet up over them both. Ha-gyeom said nothing. Like a well-behaved child, he simply closed his eyes.

---

When a message came from Assemblyman Tak requesting a private meeting, Ha-gyeom wasn’t alarmed. Or rather, he was surprised—but it was something he had quietly anticipated, so he accepted it calmly.

With everything surrounding Arang, it was unlikely that Tak’s interest in him would fade so easily. The invitation mentioned a pleasant dinner, and under normal circumstances, Ha-gyeom might have responded casually. But now, he found himself hoping that interest would last—so much so that he even changed into a clean shirt, the kind he would wear when attending a leaders’ gathering.

Assemblyman Tak had asked him not to inform Baek Sa of the meeting, and Ha-gyeom complied. It was the first time he would meet Tak without Baek Sa, and though it made him slightly anxious, he was oddly at ease. With everything going on with Arang, there was little reason to believe Tak would harm him. If anything, Tak would be the one eager to earn favor, not the other way around.

Accompanied by the mercenary Tak had sent, Ha-gyeom headed to the assemblyman’s house. This time, unlike when he’d last checked his reflection, his shirt was buttoned all the way up to the collar.

His heart began to pound the moment he stepped into the familiar sitting room.