She was kind enough to a weeping beauty, but when it came to anyone expressing desire for Lee Han-seo, Team Leader Oh was colder than a frosty autumn morning. Thanks to him, Park Woo-jun ended up sniffling through matching tests with a total of twelve A-Class Guides that day.
Whether that made him lucky or unlucky was anyone’s guess. Not a single one of those Guides had Compatibility high enough to become his Bonded Pair.
Team Leader Oh told him to wait a little longer. They’d run one more test a few days later, this time with A-Class Guides who already had Pairs. But compiling the list would take some time, since they had to include not just the Central Branch but every regional branch as well.
In the meantime, Lee Han-seo—the one Woo-jun had been waiting for—returned safely to the Center. He’d been on a family trip to a local resort for his grandmother’s 70th birthday.
Han-seo carried around a souvenir shop bag with an obnoxious design, insisting it was a gift for Woo-jun, but he never got the chance to hand it over. Nearly a week had passed since his return, and Park Woo-jun hadn’t shown even a strand of hair.
“Park Woo-jun! I know you’re in there! Quit hiding—I know all your spots! Come out right now!”
Didn’t they both say they liked each other and basically stamp it official with a bam bam? And now, just because Han-seo went on a short trip, Woo-jun vanished like a ghost? Han-seo was at his wit’s end. As he’d guessed, Woo-jun was hiding somewhere, secretly watching Han-seo’s every move—tears welling up like a tragic hero in some tearjerker drama.
The more he saw Han-seo, the more it hurt. He was too pretty, too cool, too good… Everything about him was perfect. But knowing that someone he liked so desperately couldn’t be his Guide—that crushed him. It was painful and unbearably unfair.
He couldn’t hold back and once, in a fit of emotion, had appeared in front of him out of nowhere, bawling his eyes out and apologizing over and over for liking him so much. But Han-seo, looking deeply annoyed, snapped, “Are you seriously playing with me right now?!” and turned his back. In truth, Han-seo hadn’t understood a single word because Woo-jun had been crying too hard, and ended up yelling out of pure frustration. Not even realizing it was a confession, Han-seo had come back to see him again less than a minute later—only to find the wounded Esper had already vanished.
“Uh, hello…”
“Nice to meet you, Park Woo-jun. I’m Kim Da-won, A-Class Guide.”
“Y-yeah… nice to meet you…”
And finally, today was the day. Park Woo-jun’s official Guide would be chosen. Kim Da-won, the first in the second round of testing, greeted him cheerfully, while Woo-jun kept his eyes on the floor, not even bothering to look at his face. If it wasn’t Han-seo, it didn’t matter.
So far, the highest Compatibility had been with Song Ga-eun—the Guide who’d tested with him on the first day—at 65%. If nothing better came out of the remaining tests, he’d be paired with her. All Woo-jun could do was cry quietly and whisper Han-seo’s name in his heart.
“Shall we get started with the Guiding?”
“Y-yeah…”
The Guide reached across the table and gently took Woo-jun’s hand. It was a familiar motion. Back before he’d suddenly vanished, Han-seo used to guide him the same way—wrapping his fingers over the back of his hand. Always late at night, sneaking in when the whole Center was asleep.
Thinking back on it now made him want to scream. That face—so firm, so confident—telling him to give up his hand because if he ever got contact guiding from someone else, he’d be dead… it was infuriating. But it was also ridiculously adorable.
“Kh-hhk…”
The happy memories hit like a freight train, and sorrow bubbled up all over again. Even though he could tell the Guide sitting across from him was flustered, Woo-jun couldn’t stop crying.
“Woo-jun, what’s wrong? Are your vitals unstable? Do you want me to increase the contact level?”
“N-no… sniff it’s not that… I’m sorry…”
“No need to apologize. Guiding you is my job. Let’s see… wow, your stats really are all over the place. We should start right away. Um, would you mind taking off your top? The more skin contact, the better, so…”
Just as the Guide’s hand reached toward Woo-jun’s trembling shoulder—
“Get your damn hand off him. Right now.”
Lee Han-seo’s furious voice boomed like thunder across the room.
“L-Lee Han-seo Guide?! What are you doing here…?”
“What do you think I’m doing here? Take your hands off him. Who the hell do you think you are, trying to do contact guiding on Park Woo-jun?”
“Uh… I-I’m Kim Da-won, A-Class Guide from Gwacheon Branch—”
“Did I ask for your résumé?”
Han-seo glared at Kim Da-won like he was ready to kill. His sharp eyes flicked between Woo-jun, still sniffling, and the dumbfounded Guide frozen in place.
He was wearing a loose hoodie. …So cute. But he’s not my Guide. He belongs to someone else. Somehow, the fact that Han-seo looked even cuter today just made Woo-jun feel worse.
“Park Woo-jun. Explain. With your own mouth.”
“Sniff…”
“Stop crying. Speak clearly. I’ve held it in for days. And it sure as hell wasn’t to see this crap.”
“H-Han-seo-ahhh…”
Y-you already have another Esper… I-I can’t be yours…
The moment he tried to get that one short sentence out, he nearly lost his breath. Each word came tangled with a sob—half heartbreak, half stifled crying.
“S-sorryyy… If I’d just, huhuuh, if I’d awakened a little earlier, even just a little…”
By this point, Woo-jun was spiraling. He couldn’t stop blaming himself. If only he’d awakened as an Esper sooner… Maybe—just maybe—things would be different. Maybe he could’ve been at the Center before that guy, whoever he was. Maybe Han-seo wouldn’t have needed anyone else.
“Uuuhuuu… I’m sorryyy, it’s my fault, I was too late… huhuhu, Han-seo…”
Han-seo pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, while Kim Da-won looked between them, completely bewildered. He’d just come because HQ told him to. Sure, he’d heard the new S-Class Esper was stupidly handsome and figured he’d try a Compatibility test just for fun, even though he already had a Pair. But what the hell was this mess? Judging from how things were going, it looked like he’d walked into a melodrama between two people madly in love—only to get stuck awkwardly in the middle.
“Ahem… Guide Lee Han-seo. Look, I was just following orders. I came because Woo-jun’s wave readings were unstable, so I figured stabilizing him came before the test. Anyway… I’m out.”
Everyone knew Han-seo had a temper. His reputation stretched across every branch in the country. No one in their right mind would go poking that particular wasp nest. Kim Da-won raised both hands in surrender and quickly made his way out of the Guiding Room.
Would it have been nice to get a taste of a sweet, gentle, ridiculously hot Esper? Sure. But even he wasn’t dumb enough to try that when Lee Han-seo was standing there ready to breathe fire.
“Hey. Park Woo-jun.”
“Waaaah… uuhuhuh… uwaaah…”
“Oh my god. You emotional sweet potato. What do I even do with you? Stop crying, Woo-jun. Park Woo-jun!”
If he’d known this was going to happen, Han-seo would’ve shoved off his grandparents and come back right after the birthday party. The idea that someone might’ve sweet-talked Woo-jun while he was away was annoying as hell—and yet the crying face in front of him was just… heartbreaking.
Now it made sense. Woo-jun had basically pushed him out the door without protest. He must’ve been waiting for Han-seo to leave, just so he could fall apart.
“Forget what they said. None of it’s true.”
“Sniffle… but… they said… hic… you had someone else…”
“Well… yeah, about that…”
How the hell was he supposed to explain this? Even to himself, it sounded like nonsense. Saying he was ready to throw away ten years of friendship because he fell in love at first sight? Who would believe that? They’d barely known each other that long.
But the truth was, Han-seo wasn’t playing around. He meant it. Which made this whole thing even more complicated.
If this had been the twenty-five-year-old Woo-jun he’d raised so carefully, he wouldn’t have budged an inch. Even if someone had told him Han-seo was pairing up with another Guide, he would’ve just smiled and said, “Oh really? That’s nice. But Han-seo already promised me,” all sunshine and no doubt.
Also, who is this other Esper, huh? Not that I’m gonna kill him or anything. Just curious. Totally chill question. He’d say it all with that goofy grin too.
That future Woo-jun? He wouldn’t even cry unless it was in front of Han-seo—and even then, only when he needed to soften him up. He’d mastered the art of strategic crying. That was how well Han-seo had raised him.
But this version of Park Woo-jun? He was still raw. Immature. A barely sprouted sweet potato stick—so fragile he might snap if you so much as looked at him wrong. And that, really, was where everything started going off the rails.
While Han-seo stood there, completely lost on how to even start explaining, Woo-jun just kept sobbing, eyes squeezed shut, like his heart was breaking.
“Han-seo, I… sniffle… I’ll do better, I swear… Just don’t leave me, okay? Don’t abandon me, please? I want to be your Esper… You said you’d make me your sweet potato, remember? Hueeeng, you said so…”
His tear-streaked cheeks were flushed red, and his lashes were damp with tears. He looked so pitiful. So heartbreakingly sweet.
Han-seo knew he should comfort him. That was the obvious next step. And yet… a tiny part of him wanted to let him cry just a little longer.
There was something about the way his pale cheeks glistened with tears—so innocent, so soft—that made Han-seo suddenly realize something horrifying about himself:
He had a thing for this.
For Woo-jun, crying like this.
“Yeah… that’s right. You said you’d be my sweet potato. Let’s do it. Let’s be each other’s everything. Do whatever you want.”
Dazed, completely hypnotized by Woo-jun’s tears, Han-seo nodded without even thinking about what he was saying. Wanna hug? Wanna come here? But before the words were even out of his mouth, Woo-jun was already squirming to shove his large frame into Han-seo’s arms.
“Whoa—hey. Isn’t this kinda awkward?”
“Snf… I’m just… too big… I can’t even hug you properly…”
They were both clearly uncomfortable, tangled up in a weird, cramped position. But of course, Han-seo had a solution for that too.
“Just hug me instead. That’s easier.”
“…!!”
“Too fast for you again? What, are you stuck in the Joseon era?”
“N-no! Not too fast at all!”
Woo-jun immediately wrapped his arms around him, locking him into a tight, almost crushing hug. It was a bit suffocating—but oddly enough, the pressure was comforting. Han-seo stayed quiet, resting in his hold. Thump, thump, thump. Woo-jun’s heartbeat pounded hard against him, loud and unsteady. Han-seo’s probably wasn’t much better.
“Woo-jun. You trust me, right?”
“Yeah. I do. I trust you completely. With everything.”
“Good. Then just follow me.”
“Okay!”
Woo-jun took that to mean, Don’t worry about what comes next. I’ve got you. And he responded like he was ready to face anything. But—as always—Han-seo had a very literal plan in mind.
“Wait—huh? Han-seo, where are you going?”
“What do you mean? I said follow me.”
Apparently, Han-seo had meant it in the most straightforward, physical sense possible. Still puffy-faced from crying, Woo-jun didn’t even think to be embarrassed as he trotted after him.
“…Hey, can I ask where we’re going?”
“To the Director’s office.”
“O-oh. Got it… Han-seo really does have a plan…”
And just like that, Han-seo’s destination became clear: the lion’s den itself. The Director’s office—home of the Center’s final boss, Kim Joon-young.
