“Are you nervous?”
Lee Haru tilted his head, lifting their joined hands. He’d noticed something strange—the persistent tremble in Yu Je-hyun’s hand.
“…Yeah. A little.”
Whenever Yu Je-hyun showed this side of himself, Haru felt like he finally understood why Je-hyun found him so endearing.
A man a whole head taller and built like a fortress, trembling just because of this?
Anyone else who knew Yu Je-hyun would’ve laughed and called it nonsense if they heard about it.
“You’re not nervous? How are you so calm?”
Je-hyun looked genuinely baffled. His gaze swept over Haru’s face with quiet intensity, trying to read him.
They were currently waiting for the results of the Imprint test.
Those results would determine whether or not they could form a Pair Contract. Yu Je-hyun had been restless for a while now, pacing and fidgeting like a dog that needed to go out.
He was terrified the result wouldn’t turn out the way he hoped. But watching Haru—who looked as relaxed as if they were just out for a walk—only made his nerves worse.
Maybe Haru didn’t want the Pair Contract as badly as he did.
“What are you thinking right now? You’ve got that look like you’re overthinking something.”
Haru was sharper than Je-hyun gave him credit for. Sensing his growing anxiety, Haru gave their intertwined hands a gentle shake.
“I just… started wondering if I’m the only one desperate for this Pair Contract.”
The words sounded pathetic as soon as they left his mouth. The more he fell for Haru, the more he felt like a coward—and that scared him.
Charging forward without hesitation had always been his strength—and his weakness. But when it came to Haru, all of that seemed to vanish, leaving only hesitation behind.
“That’s not true. I want to do Guiding with you and only you, Yu Je-hyun.”
The truth was, Haru was nervous too. He just didn’t show it—he didn’t want Je-hyun to worry. So he kept his face calm and composed.
The reason they were both so desperate for the test results could be traced back to one person: Kang Min.
“Yu Je-hyun, if you didn’t Imprint on Guide Lee Haru, I can’t approve the Pair Contract.”
Now going by the name Lee Ha-neul, Ji Yeon-woo had settled into life at the Association and was working as a respected S-rank Guide. But S-rank Guides were rare and precious.
If Haru formed a Pair Contract with Yu Je-hyun, it would essentially mean no one else could receive Guiding from him. From Kang Min’s perspective, denying the contract made strategic sense.
Of course, that decision also carried a personal bias—he didn’t want to hand Haru over to Je-hyun completely.
“Even if you didn’t Imprint on me, don’t worry. We can go talk to the Association President together. And who knows? Even if it’s not now… maybe someday you will.”
Haru wasn’t an Esper, so he would never know firsthand what an Imprint felt like.
But he did know this: an Imprint only happened when an Esper truly loved their Guide.
And as someone who was constantly on the receiving end of Yu Je-hyun’s overflowing affection, Haru found it hard to believe the Imprint hadn’t happened.
That was why, at least on the surface, he seemed calmer than Je-hyun.
“Thanks. That really helps.”
Haru’s words took some of the weight off Je-hyun’s shoulders. He wasn’t the only one who was nervous. And hearing that it would be okay even if there was no Imprint gave him a sense of peace.
They were smiling at each other when it happened—the door opened.
Jin Sung-joon stepped out, the test results in hand.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
He smiled warmly, seeing the two of them watching him with anxious faces.
“Here are the results. I think it’s better if you read them yourselves.”
Je-hyun accepted the envelope. His hand clenched unconsciously, crumpling the paper inside with a soft rustle.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just ran the machine. Take care. I’ve got rounds coming up.”
“Okay. Take care.”
Since Je-hyun was too focused on the envelope to speak, Haru offered the farewell in his place.
Once Jin Sung-joon disappeared down the long hallway, Haru turned back to Je-hyun.
“Should we open it now?”
“Wait.”
He’d expected Je-hyun to tear it open immediately, but now that the results were in his hands, he just stood there, frozen.
“Let me breathe first.”
His chest, wrapped in black uniform fabric, rose and fell with deep, deliberate breaths. Haru waited patiently, letting him settle.
Compared to Je-hyun’s trembling, Haru felt relatively calm. And just as he’d told him, no matter the outcome, his desire to form a Pair Contract wasn’t going to change—that made it easier to breathe.
“Okay. Let’s open it.”
Finally ready, Je-hyun opened the envelope with a solemn look, like a general heading into a losing battle. All this just to pull out a single piece of paper.
Their eyes immediately locked onto the document as it slid free. Skimming past the dense technical terms, they finally reached the figures printed near the bottom.
“The probability that Yu Je-hyun Imprinted on Lee Haru…”
“Ninety-nine point nine percent. Looks like it really happened. That’s great.”
There was a world of difference between thinking an Imprint might have occurred and knowing it for certain.
Haru let out a soft gasp of delight, but Yu Je-hyun couldn’t take his eyes off that 99.9% figure.
“Should we head straight to the Association President? Do you think he’s in his office right now?”
Normally, the Association President’s calendar was packed months in advance. But the two of them were among the very few granted unrestricted access to him.
In truth, only they and Lee Ha-neul shared that privilege.
“You should blink. I think it’s been over a minute since your last one.”
Haru raised his hand and waved it in front of Je-hyun’s face. Only then did Je-hyun’s lashes slowly flutter.
“Ugh.”
With a grunt, Je-hyun pulled Haru into a full embrace, wrapping him up so tightly Haru’s nose was practically crushed. He pounded Je-hyun’s back with a closed fist.
“I can’t breathe…”
“Oh—sorry.”
At Haru’s strained protest, Je-hyun quickly eased his grip.
“Are you really that happy?”
Haru beamed, finally meeting Je-hyun’s eyes. Seeing him smile so openly made all the anxiety worth it. The joy of getting the result they hoped for hit even harder after everything they’d gone through.
“Yeah. I’m really happy. As happy as I was the moment you told me you liked me.”
Je-hyun laid his feelings bare. The joy radiating from him was unmistakable, and Haru, caught up in it, rose onto his toes.
Their lips met in a brief, soft kiss.
But when Je-hyun naturally leaned in for something deeper, Haru quickly lifted a hand to block him.
Sure, there was no one in the hallway right now—but it was still a public building.
Instead, Haru circled back to the question he hadn’t gotten an answer to earlier.
“So? When do you want to go to the Association President’s office? They say strike while the iron’s hot—how about right now?”
“Yeah. Let’s go. Right now.”
Je-hyun nodded decisively. The envelope in his hand felt like a hard-won trophy.
To him, this test result wasn’t just confirmation—it was a proclamation. A message to Kang Min that from now on, there’s no room for you in Haru’s life.
Even though he knew Kang Min had once liked someone else, the unease still lingered.
He could tell Kang Min hadn’t completely let go of Haru. And since even Je-hyun had to admit Kang Min was a decent guy, the only way to ease that anxiety was to uproot any chance of competition altogether.
“What brings you here today?”
“Is the Association President in?”
When they walked into the outer office, the President’s personal secretary stood to greet them. She wasn’t the least bit surprised—this wasn’t the first time the two had dropped by unannounced.
“Yes, he’s in. Just a moment, please.”
Even though the Association President had made it clear he welcomed visits from the two of them, formalities still required the secretary to announce them and receive permission before they could enter.
“You may go in now.”
“Thank you.”
Haru gave her a small, polite bow and entered the office with Je-hyun beside him.
Kang Min was seated at his desk, signing documents.
Je-hyun’s eyes flicked toward the towering stack of paperwork on the side.
He’d passed off all of his own assignments to Kang Min in order to carve out more time with Haru.
