“See? I told you not to get your hopes up.”
“Still, wasn’t getting rejected a bit much? I really thought they’d started to like me, even just a little. I mean, I’ve come to understand them better than before…”
“Do you think relationships are that simple? Matching rates are even harder than that. And if we’re going by matching rate alone, aren’t we practically sworn enemies?”
After his shift ended, Rion had planned to talk to Yu-won again—but when it came time to actually do it, he lost his nerve. Instead, he changed direction and went to Kang-woo’s guiding room.
As soon as he stepped in, Rion let out all his frustration in a burst of grumbling.
“No, this and that are totally different. You have to think about the initial matching rate too.”
“You’ve got a point.”
“Don’t joke around. I’m being serious here.”
“You’re always getting mad. What, you finally want to fix things this time?”
“…It’s just, they had this look on their face. Like something was bothering them.”
Yu-won’s bitter expression—one Rion thought would fade with time—refused to leave his mind. It kept circling around his thoughts all day.
If he’d just looked cold and cynical like usual, maybe it wouldn’t have stuck with him this much. Rion pouted as he muttered.
“Honestly, I don’t even know why it’s bugging me so much. Maybe because we went through that S-rank Gate together? I developed some weird sense of camaraderie or something.”
“Could be. Yu-won is the type to get under your skin.”
“…Him?”
Sure, he was the youngest at the Center, had a good-looking face, and was an S-rank Guide—it was only natural that he attracted attention. But still…
“You don’t care about that kind of stuff, do you?”
“About what?”
“Uh… You treat all the rookies pretty much the same. You’re not the type to play favorites.”
“Well, yeah, but Yu-won’s… how do I put this… kinda like a cat?”
“A cat?”
Rion tried to recall Yu-won’s face. Was he cat-like?
“I’m not talking about his looks. I mean his personality. Always bristling—like he’s ready to claw someone.”
“Ahh… I don’t really know much about cats. Did you ever have one?”
“Yeah, two. Coco and Chi-chi. Want to see a picture?”
Without waiting for a reply, Kang-woo pulled out his phone from his pocket. Even the background image was a picture of his cats.
“This one’s Coco, and this is Chi-chi. Isn’t Chi-chi’s little sock marking just the cutest?”
“Y-yeah, I guess.”
“Oh, right. That’s not what I was trying to say. Um, the reason I think he’s like a cat… First, he’s super guarded, and he can be pretty sharp.”
“Hm.”
Rion remembered Yu-won’s frosty expression and his cutting words. Kang-woo, not noticing Rion’s frown, continued.
“But then, whenever I’m busy or seem off, he comes and quietly sticks by me. Acts like he doesn’t care, but really? Cats totally love you.”
“…He doesn’t like me. I mean, maybe he doesn’t outright hate me, but that’s about it.”
He’d heard a few times that Yu-won didn’t dislike him—but that was the end of it. There was never anything like “I like you” or “You’re amazing.”
“Your cats might be like that, but Lee Yu-won isn’t a cat, and we don’t have any real bond.”
“Yeah, I mean, I was just saying he has cat-like traits… But he actually gets along pretty well with the folks at the Guide Center.”
“So is he close with you too?”
“…I think he finds me a little hard to deal with, to be honest… haha.”
Kang-woo gave an awkward chuckle and scratched the back of his head. Rion shook his head like he’d expected that answer.
“See? He just… doesn’t like us.”
“…Why am I included in that?”
Kang-woo looked hurt, shrinking back a little. But Rion, lost in his own thoughts, didn’t seem to care.
“I do want to get along, though…”
“Then go talk to him first. You’re not heading into a Gate anytime soon, right? You said you were bored out of your mind from not working—put that energy into something useful.”
“…”
“Just think of fixing things as your job. Problem solved, right?”
“I guess so…”
He acted indifferent, but it was actually a pretty intriguing suggestion. Rion fell into thought, lips pressed tight.
“Stop hanging out with Jin-ha all the time… Come to think of it, why didn’t you go to him today?”
“He went into a Gate. I think it was the day before yesterday.”
“Aha, so I’m your stand-in today?”
“‘Stand-in’—seriously? It’s just… not the kind of thing I can talk to Jin-ha about.”
“Well, if you’re not going into a Gate, then you won’t be giving him a hard time either.”
Perfect timing, Kang-woo thought, and pressed Rion further. After a moment’s hesitation, Rion replied.
“…I’ll give it a try.”
“Good call. Maybe talk to the Center Director about it too. He’ll probably adjust your schedule for you.”
“Then people will just gossip. I’ll handle it quietly.”
“Fair enough. As long as it works out, that’s what matters. I’m rooting for you.”
A guiding request came in for Kang-woo, and he sent Rion on his way. Once outside the room, Rion pulled out his tablet and checked Yu-won’s schedule.
Free at 4:30. If I send a request then… Wait, what am I even supposed to say?
There was still more than an hour left until Yu-won’s time slot opened. Rion hit the “Request Guiding” button and, while waiting for approval, tried to gather his thoughts.
Maybe just say, ‘Let’s try to get along’? Nah, that sounds like I’m picking a fight. How about… matching rate…? No, that’s way too shallow.
Rion was deep in serious thought when a notification pinged. He turned his gaze to the tablet, expecting a greenlight—only to have his expression gradually freeze over.
“…What the hell?”
[Guiding request from Lee Yu-won declined. Reason: Guide left early due to poor condition.]
Left early due to poor condition? He didn’t look sick at all when I saw him this morning. And if he was going to leave, why wait until 4:30?
“His schedule’s still up…”
If it were a genuine emergency, any pre-scheduled guiding sessions would’ve been canceled. But no—his schedule sat there, untouched, like a taunt.
“So this is how it’s gonna be, huh?”
Rion grit his teeth, irritated by what felt like deliberate exclusion. What’s the point of acting like that when you could just say something out loud?
“This is seriously messed up…”
Grumbling to himself, Rion was about to continue when a second vibration stopped him mid-sentence.
[Asshole: If you actually need guiding, request again tomorrow. If you had something to say, contact me again in the evening.] – 2:57 PM
“…Wait, so he really did leave because of something?”
Feeling awkward now, Rion fiddled with his phone. His mood had taken a nosedive, and he started mentally drafting what to say next time he saw Yu-won.
***
Rion glanced awkwardly around, then looked at Yu-won across the table and asked,
“So why’d you leave work early?”
“Got hurt during a guiding session.”
“Hurt? How? Did someone go into overload or something?”
“Not quite. I think their condition just took a sudden dip. Their powers flared up unexpectedly.”
Rion’s gaze dropped to Yu-won’s hand.
“Then you should’ve gone straight to the hospital. Is it broken?”
“…Didn’t know you were the kind of person to say something like that.”
“I mean, I don’t… when it’s someone else. No, wait—never mind.”
He’d been about to say he just didn’t care when he got hurt, but figured that would only stir up unnecessary drama. Swallowing the words, he pressed on.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital? It’s not broken?”
“It’s not broken, just a sprained ligament. And it’s not even my whole hand—just two fingers. I could still guide with one hand, so I finished the remaining sessions.”
“…That was aimed at me, wasn’t it?”
“Who knows?”
Yu-won shrugged. Rion pulled a sour face as he thought to himself,
He’s definitely mocking me for saying I could still fly even with a leg injury.
“…As long as you’re okay. If you say you’re fine, then who am I to argue?”
Rion cleared his throat and countered, trying to throw Yu-won’s words back at him. He’d chosen the same restaurant they’d gone to the day they checked their matching rate—wanting somewhere with a nice vibe to smooth things over.
I came here for the mood, but why does it feel even more awkward now?
The soft clink of silverware and gentle background music filled the refined space as Rion awkwardly stared down at his plate.
He hadn’t invited Yu-won for a meal, but now that they were sitting here, he had no idea how to start the conversation.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Oh? Uh…”
Startled, Rion snapped out of it and looked up. If the food came out now, they really would just end up eating and going home.
No way. That can’t happen.
“After what you said today, I’ve been thinking. I don’t totally get everything, but… I don’t think it’s fair to say the drop in matching rate is entirely your fault.”
“Oh, the matching rate.”
Yu-won nodded like he’d expected that. His face practically said, Well, what else would you want to talk about with me?
This wasn’t how Rion wanted it to go. Panicking, he skipped all the build-up and blurted out the core of what he wanted to say.
“Wanna live together?”
“…What?”
For a moment, Yu-won’s composed expression cracked in surprise. Rion looked just as rattled.
Shit, saying it like that makes me sound like a weirdo!
But what was said was said. Rion pushed through.
“I mean, what do you think about us living together?”
It was an idea he’d mulled over seriously before deciding on. With a grave expression, Rion met Yu-won’s gaze.
