[Yeah. Have a safe trip. And if you’re worried about anything or have questions, even right before you go in, ask right away.] 9:12 PM
The reply Rion managed to send only after a long while at home was pathetically sparse. After barely sending a message that was neither cool nor helpful, Rion let out a long sigh.
He hated himself for always getting hung up on trivial things, yet at the same time, he couldn’t help thinking that maybe it was normal to feel this way.
[Asshole: Yes. Make sure you eat properly.] 9:15 PM
Maybe because of what Seo-ha had said, the unchanged contact name suddenly felt like proof of how stagnant their relationship still was. Irritated for no real reason, Rion turned off his phone screen.
He’d thought Yu-won was worried about him—only to find out that when Rion hadn’t even regained consciousness yet, Yu-won hadn’t once stopped by his hospital room.
Maybe he came when no one else was around. No… that doesn’t make sense. There’s no reason to be that cautious about visiting someone.
Or maybe, after that incident, Yu-won decided Rion was too careless and gave up on him. If that were the case, then even the drop in their matching rate would make sense.
But still… things have been fine lately.
No matter how he tried to rationalize it, there was always something that didn’t add up. Feeling his head grow more and more tangled, Rion finally gave up thinking and tossed his phone onto the side of the bed.
***
“Hello.”
“Yes, hello.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Rion sunbae.”
The next day, as the time approached for the team to gather in front of the Gate before it opened, the raid members hurried over.
That was when someone approached Yu-won, who had been standing off to the side alone as usual, and spoke to him.
“Ah, since we’ve never gone into the same Gate together, you probably don’t know me. I’m Oh Joo-seop. I’m twenty-four.”
“You’re an A-rank Esper, body-enhancement type, right?”
“Huh? Oh, right. I guess you’d know since it’s on the roster.”
Looking embarrassed, Joo-seop scratched the back of his neck. He held out a hand as if asking for a handshake and continued.
“You’re Rion sunbae’s matching Guide, right? I already knew who you were since you’re pretty famous, but… sunbae contacted me and asked me to look after you.”
“Rion hyung did?”
“Yeah. He called yesterday and told me to keep an eye on you. He’s usually the type to say ‘just take care of your own body’ and never asks favors for others.”
Joo-seop laughed awkwardly. He added that since he and Yu-won had joined around the same time, they were basically peers.
“It’s your first time going into a Gate without Rion sunbae, so I guess he was worried. He really emphasized that I should take good care of you.”
“Is that so.”
Yu-won nodded, picturing Rion in his mind. He’d thought Rion was being unusually attentive, but he hadn’t expected him to go as far as asking someone else to look out for him.
He’d started this with a firm resolve not to desire becoming someone special to Rion—but without realizing it, he was struggling to suppress the way the corners of his mouth kept lifting.
“He looked like he’d kill me if I let you get hurt and sent you back. He pretends not to care, but I guess even Rion sunbae can’t help valuing his matching Guide.”
“I suppose so.”
After all, it would be stranger if an Esper didn’t feel something for their matching Guide. Confronted with that reality, Yu-won’s expression returned to its usual calm neutrality.
“Oh, looks like the Gate’s opening. Anyway, since I was asked to, I’ll do my best. Nice working with you.”
“You don’t have to go out of your way for me. I’m looking forward to working together too.”
“You two, hurry over here.”
Naturally taking the role of leader again this time, Hyeon-seo gestured for them to come. Yu-won and Joo-seop stepped into the Gate.
***
What? He already went in?
A short while later, Rion woke up and tried to call Yu-won one last time before he entered the Gate—only to hear the automated message saying the call couldn’t be connected. That was when he realized the raid team had already gone in.
Damn it. If this was going to happen, I shouldn’t have just gone to sleep last night because my head was a mess.
Even at the fastest pace, an A-rank Gate would take at least three days to clear. Three days would already be unusually quick; normally, an A-rank Gate meant closer to five days.
He didn’t want to spend all that time feeling this unsettled. But regret came too late—the team was already inside the Gate.
I don’t want to send him off feeling like this… Ah, Han Seo-ha really had to say something unnecessary.
He knew that he himself was partly responsible for Seo-ha viewing Yu-won in such a negative light—but right now, he wanted to pretend he didn’t.
He’ll be fine. It’s an A-rank Gate, sure, but the team composition is solid… and Joo-seop’s not a total rookie anymore.
And he knew, rationally, that this wasn’t something to worry so much about.
It was true that he was the strongest at the Center, but that didn’t mean his colleagues were incompetent. No matter what, they wouldn’t fail to protect a Guide.
And just like his juniors had said, Yu-won wasn’t so frail that he’d be helplessly overwhelmed, unable to protect even himself. At the very least, he had enough stamina to retreat if things went south.
And yet, worst-case scenarios kept creeping into his mind. What if it was a long-range monster? What if a highly intelligent monster appeared and set a trap?
Rare—but undeniably dangerous—situations cluttered his thoughts. Had he ever worried about someone else this much before? Even to himself, this all felt strange.
He’s my matching Guide…
There had been a time when he thought it was more advantageous not to register a pair. Now, even having once thought that felt like something from the distant past.
Ever since the day he saw that expression on Yu-won’s face—after confirming their matching rate had dropped—it had bothered him. That was when he’d started trying. Their relationship had undeniably improved compared to before, yet somehow, his heart refused to feel at ease.
He didn’t understand why he kept caring so much, but he couldn’t stop either.
It was only natural that Yu-won, his matching Guide, would be special to him—but the amount of time he spent thinking about Lee Yu-won kept growing, far beyond that simple explanation.
“Even Su-jin noona and Min-ho hyung probably don’t think about each other this much.”
“What?”
“Huh? No, nothing.”
Startled out of his muttering, Rion looked up. A few days later, he was standing duty in place of the Espers who had gone off to Gates when someone spoke to him.
“It hasn’t been that long since you last stood watch, but with everyone gone to Gates, here we are again.”
“Yeah. Well, it can’t be helped.”
“You’d probably feel better going into a Gate yourself, wouldn’t you?”
Hee-joo, who was on duty with him, laughed as she teased him. Rion smiled awkwardly in response.
“Yeah. Probably.”
“Yu-won went into a Gate, and you’re stuck here. Is that a good thing?”
“……”
“You two are always fighting.”
“We’re not, these days.”
Rion replied in a subdued voice. Even though things between them had improved lately, most people still thought it was just a temporary peace.
And honestly, it made sense. More than once, just when things seemed to be getting better, they’d fought again and spiraled straight into disaster.
“This time, we’re really getting along… really.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Rion tried to protest timidly, but Hee-joo clearly didn’t believe him. The Gate that had ultimately led to Rion canceling their pair registration—she’d been there too. In her memory, all that remained was the image of the two of them clashing.
“Still, when you said you were going to live together, I was pretty worried. But it’s better than I expected, so that’s a relief. I was honestly shocked by how badly you two didn’t match.”
“We’ve only gone into the same Gate once.”
“Once is enough to see certain things. I might be C-rank and your junior, but… I’m pretty sure my mental age is way higher than yours.”
Hee-joo teased him. Slightly irritated, Rion shot her a look before letting out a small sigh.
“Do we really not match that badly?”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard by the seriousness of his question, Hee-joo turned to look at Rion, who seemed oddly deflated.
“I mean, we did fight a lot… but everyone keeps saying it’ll never work, and that just makes me feel weird.”
“Hey, what’s with you? This isn’t like you.”
“I don’t know. We’ve been getting along really well lately… and honestly, I thought that once we reached this level, everything would be fine.”
It was a relationship he never could’ve imagined in the past. And it wasn’t just because they were living together now.
They joked around, stayed in constant contact every day. Even casual physical contact—like lightly patting a shoulder—had become natural.
They’d reached exactly the kind of relationship Rion had always thought would be “good enough.”
So why did his heart still feel unsettled instead of relieved?
“I know people are half-joking when they say it, but even I feel like this situation is… kind of strange. The more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I feel.”
“Hey… I’m sorry. I just… I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through.”
Faced with his earnest response, Hee-joo hurriedly apologized. Considering she’d be spending almost the entire day on duty with Rion, it felt like things would get unbearably awkward if this continued.
“No, it’s not your fault, noona. I’m just… frustrated. I don’t even know why I feel this frustrated myself.”
“Then… do you want to talk about it? You know, sometimes talking things out with someone helps organize your thoughts, and you might even find a solution. We’ve got all day anyway.”
Trying to salvage the suddenly heavy atmosphere, Hee-joo suggested it carefully. After a brief moment of hesitation, Rion figured it wasn’t really a secret and finally opened his mouth.
