Guild Leader Kim Mi-yeon, who had been deep in thought, finally spoke.
“I can’t figure out what’s going on inside you, Guide Baek.”
Seo-ha gave a small laugh, as if it was no big deal. People’s hearts weren’t so easily read, after all.
“But you’re the one personally overseeing Esper Han Ju-oh’s guiding, aren’t you?”
Guild Leader Kim managed everything about Han Ju-oh, even helping to keep his secrets hidden. And it was precisely one of those secrets that Seo-ha was aiming to bring up.
“Just like how revealing the truth back then wouldn’t have helped anyone, the same applies now.”
The world believed Han Ju-oh had chosen Seo-ha on a whim and made him his partner. If that weren’t the case, there would be no other explanation for taking Seo-ha in as his pair Guide. People didn’t know that when Han Ju-oh reached the brink of a rampage, other Guides’ attempts at guiding didn’t work on him—honestly, it was better that way.
They were just trying to hide one more thing—that their matching rate had begun to change—but Guild Leader Kim’s expression turned grim.
“It’s not a good time to be hiding anything. Word is spreading about the crisis you two faced in the dungeon. It’s not your fault, but they’re using your matching rate as ammunition.”
The backlash was worse now than when the partnership had first formed. That was probably because of the dungeon incident. There had been casualties, and S-Class Han Ju-oh’s condition must’ve been catastrophic.
“People are going to talk when you go into the next Gate. What will you do then? You know this doesn’t just affect the Esper—it affects the whole guild.”
“I know. The Gate Control Center’s probably going to start distancing itself from White Guild.”
When a Gate appears, the Control Center arrives to inspect it and assign a grade. After that, they assemble the entry team, and it wasn’t uncommon for complications to arise.
Han Ju-oh, an S-Class Esper, was a key combat asset for the guild and a strong card to secure high-stakes commissions from the Center. But dragging along an Esper whose Guide had a low matching rate was practically like carrying a ticking time bomb.
“If you feel slighted, I’m sorry.”
Seo-ha shook his head at Guild Leader Kim’s apology.
“On the contrary—thank you for being honest.”
Instead of taking offense at her bluntness, Seo-ha appreciated it.
“Still, please give us some time. Even if we announced right now that our matching rate had improved, no one’s going to celebrate. Not genuinely, anyway.”
Because that would be handing Guild Leader Kim a weapon on a silver platter.
Suddenly, he remembered Center Director Kim Beom-hak and Moon Roi, who had visited him in the hospital to personally congratulate him. Those two had been sincere. But the world wouldn’t be. Before anyone offered heartfelt congratulations, they’d first ask how much his matching rate with Han Ju-oh had increased. They’d look at the numbers, and judge from that alone.
Seo-ha waited for Guild Leader Kim’s permission. He had said all he needed to say.
“Han Ju-oh, you speak up.”
With a frown, Kim Mi-yeon turned her focus to Han Ju-oh. She wanted to know whether he shared Seo-ha’s perspective or had something else in mind.
“I agree with Guide Baek.”
Seo-ha’s eyes widened in surprise. What the—? Yesterday, Han Ju-oh had even done the dishes and left the kitchen spotless, and now he was siding with him so sweetly?
Then again, it made sense. It was better to keep things hidden. At the very least, if the matching rate had gone up by around 30% like in the dungeon, they’d need a proper moment to bring that up.
Unlike Seo-ha, Guild Leader Kim didn’t take Han Ju-oh’s agreement at face value.
“You’ve got an ulterior motive, don’t you?”
She couldn’t believe for a second that Han Ju-oh was simply following Seo-ha’s lead without his own agenda.
“Anyway, I get what Guide Baek is trying to say. But I can’t give you much time. Got it?”
Kim Mi-yeon quickly wrapped up the situation like a machine-gun burst and sent Seo-ha on his way. The moment she was left alone with Han Ju-oh, her eyes lit with fire.
“What—is this so you can hunt down every Esper bad-mouthing Guide Baek?”
“What are you talking about?”
Han Ju-oh feigned ignorance, but Kim Mi-yeon wasn’t someone to be brushed off so easily.
“Don’t bother playing dumb. Yesterday you already took down Kang Kyung-hoon. Now you’re just waiting for the next opportunity. If we don’t announce the matching rate increase, people will definitely start pointing fingers at Guide Baek—and you’re ready to go after every one of them.”
“…It’s not like that.”
“Isn’t it, though?”
Kim Mi-yeon clicked her tongue, clearly not buying it.
“If you keep acting like this, Guide Baek’s going to start hating it. He’s not some pushover who gets swayed just because you act all nice in front of him. Just look—he’s analyzing the whole situation and pointing things out one by one. You think you can fool someone like that?”
“As long as I don’t get caught.”
Realizing that Han Ju-oh truly was entertaining dangerous thoughts, Kim Mi-yeon shook her head in disapproval.
“Didn’t Guide Baek say anything about what happened yesterday?”
“……”
“I know you’re not an idiot. Honestly, who knows you better than I do? But Guide Baek isn’t stupid either.”
Kim Mi-yeon recalled what she had learned about Baek Seo-ha’s past from the events of the day before.
“He must’ve had a really hard time. His confidence was shattered, people turned their backs on him, dismissed him. And yet, he still found his own way to survive in all of that.”
He didn’t just pretend he hadn’t heard things. He knew when to ignore, and when to make use of what he could. Some might call it pathetic or submissive, but if it was necessary, he wasn’t above bowing his head.
“That kind of strength is no small thing. You need to really listen when someone who endured it without falling apart says something like that.”
“He didn’t endure it to the end, though.”
Han Ju-oh abruptly cut Kim Mi-yeon off.
“If Guide Baek submitted his resignation… it probably means he realized the future wouldn’t change, so he decided to pursue a different life. But that doesn’t erase the value of everything he’s done until now.”
“That’s right. It doesn’t erase it.”
“Hmm?”
Though he seemed to agree, Kim Mi-yeon felt a subtle undertone and looked at Han Ju-oh with questioning eyes. Sensing her confusion, Han Ju-oh stood up from his seat.
“All those little instances of mockery—they’ve been piling up inside Baek Seo-ha, bit by bit.”
It was something separate from Seo-ha’s ability to handle things skillfully.
“I’m not letting this slide. Fuck. I was already pissed about being ignored, and now his partner hits me? I’m going to sue every last one of them.”
Esper Kang Kyung-hoon grumbled angrily as he wiped the blood from his lip. He clearly had a deep-seated grudge, showing no fear even toward Han Ju-oh. The bitterness in his attitude likely stemmed from previous encounters with Baek Seo-ha.
Barely a day had passed since they’d subdued Kang Kyung-hoon by reminding him of his past misdeeds. Han Ju-oh had already gone out to meet Seo-ha, who was waiting outside, leaving Kim Mi-yeon alone in the room.
“Yeah, who’s even gonna stop you?”
So go ahead and beat Kang Kyung-hoon to your heart’s content.
“Now, all that’s left is waiting for Guide Baek to finally put a leash on you.”
Kim Mi-yeon was finding it increasingly hard to handle Han Ju-oh.
***
Waiting in front of the Guild Leader’s office, Seo-ha immediately approached Han Ju-oh the moment he came out.
“So what are you planning to do today?”
“Training.”
“Really?”
Han Ju-oh’s schedule was usually uneventful, so Seo-ha nodded quickly, then glanced around. Once he confirmed no one was nearby, he looked back at Han Ju-oh and said in a hushed tone,
“Then want to do some guiding first?”
Not the usual kind where they just hold hands—something deeper than that.
There was a faint warmth in Seo-ha’s voice. Feeling it, Han Ju-oh silently turned in the direction of the guiding room.
Inside the room, Seo-ha paused, lost in thought, and didn’t follow as Han Ju-oh made his way to the sofa.
He had been thinking about it last night before falling asleep.
‘It’s not just about increasing the intensity—we should try different things too.’
Since a kiss had raised their matching rate, it didn’t have to be just about getting more erotic. There were other ways.
With that in mind, Seo-ha sat down across from Han Ju-oh, a defiant glint in his eye as he settled into a chair opposite the sofa.
“You’re seriously going to do it sitting over there?”
Han Ju-oh, now seated on the sofa, looked at Seo-ha at the table with a puzzled expression.
“Yeah. Close your eyes.”
Impatient, Seo-ha looked down at him and spoke. He even waved his hand to signal hurry up. He was here to guide—so Han Ju-oh better just go along with it. With a resigned sigh, Han Ju-oh closed his eyes.
“Beginning guiding.”
Declaring it in a solemn voice, Seo-ha reached out and grabbed Han Ju-oh’s ear. He could tell the man’s usually smooth brow crinkled slightly, but that didn’t matter to Seo-ha right now—Han Ju-oh’s discomfort wasn’t his priority.
Ears all looked similar at first glance, but up close, each one was uniquely shaped. Just like how every face looked different despite having the same eyes, nose, and mouth.
‘Why the hell are even his ears handsome?’
He’d never considered the idea of “handsome ears” before, but the contours were deep and defined. The earlobe was thick, and the helix was perfectly shaped. Even as he channeled energy into Han Ju-oh, Seo-ha couldn’t stop admiring them.
‘How does someone with ears like this manage to listen so poorly?’
He knew appearance had nothing to do with comprehension, but he kept making the connection anyway. Han Ju-oh always acted like he was listening, but in the end, he was stubborn and only said what he wanted to say. Once one complaint surfaced, it triggered a whole chain of others—until Seo-ha noticed the tips of Han Ju-oh’s ears had turned red.
“Did I touch them too much? Your ears are all red.”
He hadn’t even grabbed that hard. Thinking maybe he was very sensitive, Seo-ha pulled his hand back. The guiding session was already over. There had been a small shift—6%—a slight uptick. Glancing at Han Ju-oh’s watch, he saw that the danger level had dropped, so he started calculating when the next session would be.
“Hey…”
Then he looked up—and was startled by what he saw on Han Ju-oh’s face.
