Hadn’t that been his first worry? That if anyone discovered he had possessed Lee Haru’s body, he might not be able to pass on peacefully?
He no longer feared that outcome, but he kept imagining Yu Je-hyun turning away from him with cold indifference, unlike how he was now.
And yet, trying to go on living while hiding this secret made it feel like he’d keep acting strangely.
He didn’t have the courage to come clean, but the unspoken truth would surely cause him to open his mouth only to close it again, as if there was always something left unsaid.
Even though it was his own expression, the frustration made him sigh deeply. That was when Yu Je-hyun stood up.
Startled by the sound of the chair scraping back, Lee Haru looked up. Yu Je-hyun had extended one hand toward him.
“If there’s something you want to say but can’t, then it means I haven’t earned your trust yet. So don’t blame yourself. Just take my hand. I’ll do everything I can to help you speak freely.”
Yu Je-hyun’s heart ached too, but for now, he chose to be satisfied knowing that he and Lee Haru shared the same feelings.
He had even gotten back Lee Haru, whom he thought he had lost forever. By now, Kang Min had likely caught Hong Seong-jun, the root of all this.
Hong Seong-jun had the audacity to impersonate Kang Min and deceive both Lee Haru and Kang Min himself.
Even though Kang Min wasn’t one to show strong emotions, this was something he could never overlook.
Given the gravity of the situation, if Kang Min brought back solid evidence, the Association would have no choice but to deal with Hong Seong-jun.
Disguising himself as Kang Min and fooling so many people might have been bad enough, but working with Zero to kidnap Lee Haru and Ji Yeon-woo—that was a serious crime that couldn’t be ignored.
“Haru, come on.”
Yu Je-hyun urged Lee Haru, who was staring blankly at his hand. As if entranced, Lee Haru reached out and grabbed it.
Their fingers laced together tightly. Lee Haru bit his lip hard. Already reddened from repeated abuse, it now flushed even deeper, like rouge had been applied.
Suppressing the sudden urge to kiss him, Yu Je-hyun met Lee Haru’s gaze with gentle affection.
“I’m just happy you don’t hate me. So don’t feel pressured.”
It was a vow to himself too. To wait until Lee Haru was ready.
If possible, Yu Je-hyun wanted to form a Pair Contract with Lee Haru. Once an Esper and Guide entered into one, they couldn’t easily Guide others anymore.
While an Exclusive Guide Contract allowed a Guide to work with a specific Esper for a limited period, a Pair Contract was fundamentally different.
It wasn’t just a matter of signing papers like the Exclusive Guide Contract. They had to use a special artifact that would merge the Esper’s and Guide’s powers.
That’s why not just anyone could enter into one. Among Ability Users, a Pair Contract was regarded as akin to a marriage vow, because it meant living the rest of your life with only that one person.
In fact, the only existing Pair Contract between an S-rank Esper and Guide was the one between the current Association President and his Guide.
Maybe I’ve already Imprinted on Haru.
Yu Je-hyun wasn’t sure when the thought first occurred to him. It wasn’t certain yet.
When he was forced to receive Guiding from Ji Yeon-woo, the efficiency wasn’t bad. His compatibility with Haru was extremely good, but Ji Yeon-woo had shown similar numbers.
Maybe it was just wishful thinking. He hoped that if Haru learned he had Imprinted on him, he might take his feelings more seriously.
It would also give him a solid reason to bring up the Pair Contract.
He’d need to get tested to know for sure, but even if he hadn’t Imprinted on Haru, the time he thought he had lost him felt like living in hell.
The hollow agony that tore through his chest was no different from what an Esper experienced after losing their Imprinted Guide.
It was a pain he never wanted to go through again. That’s how he had come to send Kang Min off alone—because he didn’t want to be apart from Haru for even a second anymore.
“Let’s head back to the hospital room. Get checked up and eat something nice. If there’s anything you want, tell me. I’ll get you whatever you want.”
Maybe it was from all the recent hardship, but Haru’s face looked gaunt. Even the hand he held felt thinner.
Lee Haru looked up at Yu Je-hyun with deep, unreadable eyes, then suddenly smiled wide. Yu Je-hyun had been worried because his expression had stayed gloomy, so the sight was a relief.
“Okay. But I’m going to eat a ton—can you handle it?”
“Did you forget when I bought you lobster last time? The one who gave up first, saying they couldn’t eat anymore, wasn’t me. It was you. I was ready to order more.”
Both of them laughed, recalling the mountain of lobster shells that had piled up on the table.
Looking back now, it was basically their first date. Even if everything that followed had been a nightmare he’d rather forget.
Yeah. For now, just like Yu Je-hyun said, it’s enough that we’ve confirmed how we feel about each other. I’ll talk about it after I’ve helped the original Haru get revenge. About how I ended up in this body.
Confessing his feelings and then immediately revealing his identity might be too overwhelming. One part of him still felt uneasy, but Haru decided to give himself room to breathe.
And maybe, unexpectedly, Yu Je-hyun would accept his secret with surprising ease.
Hadn’t the original owner of the body said it himself? That Yu Je-hyun never treated him this way before. That something in Yu Je-hyun’s heart had changed. Thinking that way gave him strength without even realizing it.
Yu Je-hyun, who had been waiting patiently for Haru’s answer, leaned in and lightly pressed their foreheads together, then pulled away. A soft “tok” sound rang out as their foreheads touched.
“Feeling a bit more settled now?”
Even though he couldn’t know exactly what Haru had been thinking, the complexity of his emotions must have come through clearly.
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
A wave of gratitude swept over him toward Yu Je-hyun. Despite how frustrating the situation must have been, the fact that Yu Je-hyun took a step back and waited for him made a part of his chest flutter with emotion.
Yu Je-hyun noticed how much lighter Lee Haru’s voice had become and grinned.
KWA-A-A-A-A-A-A-BOOM—!
An ear-splitting explosion shook the entire building. Yu Je-hyun instinctively pulled Lee Haru into his arms.
“Kyaaah!”
“Take care of the patients first!”
“We’ve got an injured person over here!”
Just moments ago, everything had been peaceful. Now, chaos had erupted.
Holding Lee Haru close, Yu Je-hyun quickly scanned their surroundings.
Debris was raining down from the ceiling. The medical staff, their faces pale with panic, rushed to check the patient rooms one by one.
“P-please… save Guide Ji Yeon-woo too…”
Lee Haru clung to Yu Je-hyun’s collar, his knuckles white with tension. Whatever the explosion meant, one thing was certain—this was the Association headquarters.
The place hailed as the safest in all of South Korea had just become a disaster zone. Worse yet, this was a hospital where the injured had gathered.
Even the guards stationed at the entrance came rushing up to help. At Lee Haru’s desperate plea, Yu Je-hyun had no choice but to head to Ji Yeon-woo.
There were only two possible explanations for such a massive explosion. Either an S-rank Spontaneous Dungeon had appeared, or Black—the group constantly at odds with the Association—had launched a terrorist attack.
Yu Je-hyun’s watch remained silent, showing no signs of dungeon activity. That likely meant even the communication center hadn’t detected anything in advance—pointing to a sudden terrorist assault.
If that was the case, the two most endangered people in the Association right now were Lee Haru and Ji Yeon-woo.
Yu Je-hyun flung open the door to Ji Yeon-woo’s room.
Thankfully, Ji Yeon-woo stood beside his bed, startled but unharmed.
Only then did the deathly pallor fade slightly from Lee Haru’s face as he confirmed Ji Yeon-woo was okay.
“Guide Ji Yeon-woo, are you alright?”
“Yes. What about you, Hyung?”
“I’m fine too.”
Yu Je-hyun gently set Lee Haru down. Lee Haru approached Ji Yeon-woo and brushed off the dust caught in his hair.
His worried gaze shifted to the ceiling. Webbed with deep cracks, it looked like it could collapse at any moment.
Even under such conditions, the ceiling light continued to flicker stubbornly. Lee Haru glanced at Yu Je-hyun, who had gone quiet in thought.
He could tell exactly what Yu Je-hyun was thinking. With this dire situation, Yu Je-hyun should be rushing to the explosion’s epicenter—but because of him and Ji Yeon-woo, he was hesitating.
He doesn’t want to leave the two of us here alone.
Just as Lee Haru thought, Yu Je-hyun was torn. It had been about a minute since the explosion. The blast had been so loud, it was impossible to pinpoint where it came from.
