The cafeteria was still as clean and tidy as ever when I got there after parting ways with Yoon Yi-hyeon. Watching Kim Yong-ha cheerfully chat with the kitchen lady—calling her “Auntie, Auntie” the entire time he received his food—was such a stark contrast to how he acted around Yoon Yi-hyeon that it actually came off as kind of cute.
“You came with a different Guide today?”
“Yep! He’s the sunbae I respect the most. Oh! Auntie, extra meat please!”
As the Auntie glanced over at me, intrigued by his comment, I gave her a polite nod and sat down at an empty table. Kim Yong-ha quickly followed behind, plopping into the seat across from me.
Seeing other Guides greet him warmly as they passed made it clear—aside from Yoon Yi-hyeon, most people were kind to him.
I’d been worried I hadn’t been checking in on him enough, what with the retesting and everything going on with Kang Biso, but seeing him like this was a relief.
“Hm? What is it?”
Kim Yong-ha tilted his head when he noticed me staring.
I quickly shook my head. “It’s nothing,” I said, and took a bite of rice. Maybe it was the peace of mind, but my appetite had finally returned.
“Sunbae, do you like the food?”
“Yeah. It’s good.”
At that, Kim Yong-ha gave a bright, radiant smile.
I paused mid-bite. He usually wore a dazed expression or, at best, a faint smile—so seeing him genuinely beam like that made me freeze.
…Damn, he really is pretty.
His large eyes, accentuated by a delicate double eyelid, curved like crescents. With his clear skin and glossy black hair, his already doll-like features practically lit up.
Of course he was the protagonist crafted by an author—but that also meant he was doomed to suffer all those trials. That part made my chest ache a little.
Come to think of it, hadn’t he said he was going through something rough lately?
“You mentioned you had something you wanted to talk about… What did you need help with?”
“Ah……”
“I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I’ll do my best to listen.”
“Right… I did say that, didn’t I……”
“…Didn’t you?”
His tone was oddly vague, and I tilted my head. He quickly shook his.
“No, no! I’ll tell you. It’s just—there’s so much I need to talk about that I wasn’t sure where to start.”
I set down my spoon and looked him in the face. He lowered his gaze, clearly lost in thought, trying to figure out how to open up.
Maybe I brought it up too soon. I probably should’ve waited until after we finished eating. Hopefully I wasn’t putting too much pressure on him.
“If it’s hard to talk about now, you can tell me later—whenever you feel comfortable. I’ll always be here to listen.”
“…Thank you, sunbae.”
He gave me a soft thank-you and went back to eating. I used to worry someone so delicate might not eat properly, but surprisingly, he had a good appetite. It was nice to see.
Near the end of our quiet meal, Kim Yong-ha suddenly started asking me all kinds of questions.
How to handle Espers. How much physical contact was okay during Guiding. The kind of things a dedicated Guide-in-training might ask.
His eagerness to do well made me proud, and I answered everything sincerely, based on what I knew. Just as the conversation was winding down, he abruptly raised his hand like a student in class.
“Um, I have one more question!”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“I heard a lot of Guides are becoming Exclusive lately. Are you… thinking of becoming one too, sunbae?”
Exclusive Guide, huh…
An Exclusive Guide was different from someone like me, who worked with multiple Espers through the Center. It meant focusing solely on a single Esper. Most of the time, it involved a romantic relationship, and the contract was their way of making it official.
“…Is there an Esper you’re interested in?”
As I hesitated to answer, he threw in another question—and I froze.
Because the first face that popped into my head… was Kang Biso.
Why the hell would his face come to mind?
“Sunbae?”
“Ah—sorry. I spaced out for a sec.”
That’s when Kim Yong-ha’s voice softened. His expression didn’t change much, but the slight wrinkle in his brow gave it away—he wasn’t feeling great. But why the sudden mood shift?
“…So there is someone you want to be Exclusive with?”
“…No. I’ve never really thought about it.”
“Really? There’s no Esper you’re interested in? Or someone making a move on you? Asking you out on weekends, maybe? No one?”
His oddly specific examples made it feel like he had something he wanted to say, but I just shook my head.
“I don’t have any plans to become an Exclusive Guide right now.”
Sure, Kang Biso crossed my mind—but that was just because I saw him so often. And eventually, he’d fall for Kim Yong-ha anyway. I’d have to go back to my own world. Being an Exclusive Guide just wasn’t in the cards for me.
“…That’s a relief.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, it’s just… You’ve saved me twice, sunbae. You’ve helped me so much. I was afraid you might suddenly disappear. But if you’re not planning on becoming Exclusive, then… I’m relieved.”
Kim Yong-ha smiled brightly as he spoke, and I nodded along. Even if other Guides treated him kindly, maybe he saw me as someone he could be a little more open with. That would explain his reaction.
“Oh, right. There’s one more thing I wanted to ask…”
“Sure, what is it?”
“You mentioned you had plans this weekend… Are you meeting with an Esper?”
Why was he so interested in my personal life?
If it were something about the Center or Guiding—something that could help him—I’d understand. But these kinds of questions, ones clearly about me, were starting to feel intrusive.
“Yeah.”
“Why are you meeting them? What are you two doing?”
Why I’m meeting them?
He’d found out about my Guide rank. I was meeting the Esper to keep him quiet. But of course, I couldn’t just say that.
“I owe him a favor. Thought I’d at least treat him to a meal.”
“What kind of favor?”
His persistence made my expression stiffen.
“…That’s not something I can share.”
That crossed a line.
I’d answered his questions out of courtesy—because I wanted to help him adjust here. That didn’t mean I had to lay out my private life for him.
Realizing he’d gone too far, Kim Yong-ha clammed up and dropped his gaze, sneaking glances at me from under his lashes.
“Should we head out?”
I looked down at my empty tray and stood up. He quickly scrambled to gather his own and followed behind me.
“Sunbae!”
Just as I was about to leave the cafeteria after clearing my tray, he called out from behind.
“Yeah?”
I paused and turned around. He hesitated for a second before stepping closer.
“Once I’m allowed to go outside again… would you go on a da-date with me?”
“…A date?”
“Yeah. I’ll take you somewhere way better than this cafeteria. Somewhere with really good food.”
A date, huh…
I opened my mouth to politely decline, but then a different thought came to mind.
His restrictions weren’t ending anytime soon. In the original story, every time he left the Center, it led to a crisis—kidnapping, confinement, danger. In the name of “protection,” he’d end up stuck in the Center for ages. That restriction was supposed to last nearly until the end of the novel… though now, things were different. Still, considering the Baek Beom situation, I doubted anything would change quickly.
By the time he could actually go out, he’d have forgotten all about this date.
“Sure. Why not.”
I said it casually, not thinking much of it. At my response, Kim Yong-ha’s face lit up with pure joy.
“Really?! You can’t forget, okay? Then I’ll work hard during afternoon training too. See you later, sunbae!”
“…Yeah.”
He practically bounced off ahead of me, full of energy. I watched his retreating back for a moment before resuming my steps.
Honestly, I had no idea what was going through that protagonist’s head.
***
“This is the place, right?”
Pretty sure this is where we agreed to meet.
It was Sunday—my meeting day with Kang Biso.
I stood in front of a café with a huge, flashy logo and scanned the area. There were still twenty minutes until our meeting time, so I guessed Kang Biso hadn’t arrived yet. I had shown up early, after all.
While I waited, I checked my reflection in the café’s glass window.
A black sweatshirt and jeans—just my usual. I ran my fingers through my hair, neatening it a little. This wasn’t a real date—it was just a meeting to keep him quiet—but the word “date” made me feel strangely nervous.
This looks fine, right?
After a quick once-over, I glanced around again.
…There are a lot of people.
It had been a while since I’d come downtown on a weekend. The sidewalks were full of people laughing and chatting, enjoying their time off.
Even in a world with dungeons and monsters, daily life here didn’t seem all that different from where I came from. Everyone looked relaxed, their faces bright and worry-free. For a moment, it hit me all over again—this really was a storybook world.
Honk!
I was watching the crowd absentmindedly when a blaring car horn startled me from behind. I turned instinctively—and froze at the sight of a blazing red foreign car pulling up right in front of me.
“Whoa, what the hell is that car? Isn’t that, like, insanely expensive?”
People walking by immediately turned to look. It was already crowded because of the weekend, and now this glaringly red luxury car had everyone’s attention.
And of all places, why did it have to stop right in front of me?
What the hell… why is that thing parked here?
I silently hoped the driver would move along, but instead, the driver’s side door opened.
“…Kang Biso?”
The person stepping out was none other than Kang Biso.
I blinked in disbelief. Then my entire body stiffened.
His outfit… matched the car.
He wore a flashy red jacket, tight black pants, and had his hair slicked back with mousse. He was wearing sunglasses, his fingers decked in flashy gold rings, and a thick, borderline obnoxious gold chain hung around his neck.
Head to toe, he was drowning in designer brands, screaming I’m rich! to everyone in sight.
What the hell is he wearing…
It was so painfully over-the-top, I honestly wanted to pretend I didn’t know him.
That’s when it happened.
Kang Biso, scanning the crowd, locked eyes with me.
The moment our eyes met, he broke into the brightest, most innocent grin I’d ever seen on him.
And without realizing it, I took a step back.
“Hyung!”
No. No, don’t come over here!
People were already whispering, clearly gawking at his ridiculous outfit—but Kang Biso didn’t give a damn. He marched right up to me, utterly unbothered by the stares.
…Yup.
There was no denying it now.
Kang Biso had officially lost his damn mind.
