Lee Tae-rim instinctively flinched when the man—taller and broader than him—charged forward like a runaway truck. But thankfully, he wasn’t pushed back. Before coming in, Dr. Han had repeatedly emphasized that Seon Juho depended solely on Tae-rim, and those words lingered in his mind.
Like an overgrown puppy completely unaware of his own size, Seon Juho threw his arms around Tae-rim and nuzzled his face into the crook of his neck. The force of the embrace made Tae-rim stumble, unable to withstand the weight pressing down on him.
“W-Wait a second—”
But the moment their bodies touched, Seon Juho only clung harder, as if something in him had clicked. He was drawn instinctively to the energy radiating from Tae-rim—the kind that soothed his unstable Wavelength.
Tae-rim kept backing up under the pressure until his back hit the wall, trapping him between the cold surface and Seon Juho’s body. It genuinely felt like holding onto an unruly, oversized puppy that had no idea how strong it was.
Unable to push Seon Juho away as he pressed against him like he finally felt alive, Tae-rim gave in and started Guiding. The effect was immediate. Seon Juho practically melted against him, his body going soft.
“Hyuuung… this feels so good…”
To coax the wary Seon Juho into taking his exams, they’d shown him a picture of Tae-rim and promised he could meet him after the tests were done. It worked—he endured it all just for that. Dr. Han had said the guy looked like a caged beast, but to Tae-rim, he was nothing of the sort. He wasn’t a wild animal—he was just a big, affectionate dog.
Tae-rim gently patted his back as he cradled the content, softly rumbling man in his arms. That only made Seon Juho nuzzle in closer, clearly enjoying the contact.
“You’re feeling a lot better now, right? Why don’t we take a little break? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Seon Juho’s wavelength had calmed down significantly. Tae-rim nudged him gently, and Seon Juho finally stepped back with a sulky pout. Feeling a bit bad, Tae-rim took his hand and offered a touch of Guiding. Just that was enough to bring the puppy-like sparkle back to Seon Juho’s face.
After sitting him down on the bed, Tae-rim began his explanation.
“For now, you’ll be living with me until you’ve fully recovered.”
“We’re going to live together?”
“Yeah.”
“But… can you call me just Juho? I don’t like ‘Seon Juho.’”
“…Alright.”
“And I don’t like it when you talk all formal, either.”
“…Okay.”
Seon Juho toyed with Tae-rim’s hand, then pressed his cheek into the palm, nuzzling it affectionately. For a moment, Tae-rim could almost swear he saw a tail wagging.
“Anyway… there’s a lot you’re going to need to learn.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Everything’s going to feel strange at first, but I’ll be right here with you. So don’t be scared.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“And listen to what the instructors say, okay?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“…Are you even listening to me?”
“Yup!”
Seon Juho nodded enthusiastically as he grabbed both of Tae-rim’s hands and rubbed his cheeks against them. His eyes gleamed with contentment, his expression soft and blissful from even the lightest Guiding. Seeing that, Tae-rim couldn’t find it in himself to say anything more.
“…Let’s go outside for a bit.”
He led Seon Juho out of the room. Seon Juho clung to his hand like a puppy on a leash, tail practically wagging behind him as he followed along, clearly excited.
Tae-rim helped him change into fresh clothes and fastened a watch around his wrist.
“You have to wear this every time you go outside, okay? No exceptions.”
But Seon Juho just smiled brightly and nodded as if being told something wonderful. It really did feel like Tae-rim had adopted a giant dog rather than taken in an S-rank Esper.
They left the ward and boarded a line of self-driving cars waiting outside. Tae-rim scanned his watch.
[Welcome, Guide Lee Tae-rim.]
“S-rank Dormitory.”
[Departing now.]
S-rank Espers and Guides had their own dormitories, completely separate from the others. Compared to the accommodations for lower ranks, the S-rank dorms were on another level entirely. When Tae-rim had first seen his assigned room, he’d thought he’d walked into a luxury model home. It was ridiculously spacious for someone living alone.
Back when he was renting a tiny two-room apartment, all he could do was gape and say, Wow…
He’d wondered who on earth was supposed to clean the place, but while he was out, housekeeping staff had come in and tidied up—not just the rooms but even the refrigerator, which was packed to the brim with food. The original Tae-rim apparently didn’t cook, so the fridge was full of heat-and-eat meals and snacks. A lot of snacks. Childish ones, too.
Tae-rim, who’d even stopped buying snacks while saving up for a deposit to switch from monthly rent to a lease, could only stare in disbelief.
In any case, Seon Juho would be staying with him for the time being. Since Tae-rim couldn’t Guide other Espers right now anyway, he decided to hole up at home with Juho for about a week.
Even if Juho’s body remembered habits from ten years ago, the world had changed a lot. There was a ton he needed to relearn. First on the list: how to live independently.
“Did you eat?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you like snacks?”
After giving him a quick tour of the house, Tae-rim sat down on the couch, unsure of what to do next. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, he pulled out a bag of puffed rice snacks, opened it, and offered one to Juho.
Seon Juho pulled out one of the large, round puffs and took a bite.
“This is delicious, hyung!”
When Tae-rim had helped him change earlier, he’d noticed how thin Juho was and immediately thought, I need to feed him well. Apparently, while he’d been captured, Juho had mostly been fed liquid food. But since he’d spent most of that time inside a capsule, even that wasn’t consistent. For the past two days, all he’d had was porridge. Thankfully, he hadn’t gotten sick.
Tae-rim watched him munch happily on the snack. At least he’s eating well. Puffed rice was safe—even toddlers ate it. He was still worried, but it was nice to see Juho eat with such enthusiasm. He hoped Juho would be ready for proper meals soon. He was a head taller than Tae-rim—how could he survive on just porridge?
Starving a kid during his growth years had to be one of the cruelest things imaginable. And those damn Molt bastards had done exactly that. Tae-rim clenched his jaw silently.
“Your stomach doesn’t hurt?”
“Nope.”
Tae-rim turned on the TV and searched for a kids’ channel. A cartoon featuring a character known as “the president of children” popped up on screen.
Dr. Han had said to take care of Seon Juho like raising a child—and that was exactly what Tae-rim resolved to do. For now, it would be all soft touches and gentle days.
***
Perhaps because he was still young, Seon Juho adjusted to solid food in no time. He quickly moved past porridge and gruel and began eating proper meals. Though his diet was still limited to easily digestible foods, he wasn’t picky at all—he ate everything with enthusiasm. Tae-rim even taught him how to use chopsticks, and he picked it up right away.
Every day, he worked through a set of study materials created by the research team. The worksheets covered practical knowledge and basic life skills—things necessary for day-to-day living. The team joked that if another survivor like Juho were ever found, the materials might come in handy again, and they seemed to enjoy putting them together.
“Don’t sit so close to the screen. You’ll hurt your eyes.”
“Okay.”
Seon Juho was incredibly bright. He absorbed new information quickly and mastered things with ease. He flew through the worksheets so fast that the research team struggled to keep up with his pace.
“Alright, time to turn it off and go to bed.”
“Mmkay~”
He seemed to genuinely enjoy learning. Right up until bedtime, he’d study on the tablet, eyes shining with curiosity. When the lights went out and they lay down, he would naturally snuggle into Tae-rim’s arms. Tae-rim would wrap an arm around him and gently pat his back until his breathing slowed and he fell asleep.
On the first night, Tae-rim had, of course, put him in the guest room. But in the middle of the night, Seon Juho came in crying, saying he’d had a nightmare. Tae-rim remembered the note in his file about his difficulty sleeping and let him into his bed.
And ever since, Seon Juho had been sleeping there with him. Tae-rim sighed, knowing he really needed to help the boy become more independent soon.
Every morning, Tae-rim would wake up tightly held in Seon Juho’s arms. Like he was a favorite pillow, Juho would wrap himself around him and cling throughout the night.
“Juho, time to wake up.”
Tae-rim’s body was like clockwork—he slept exactly eight hours, no more, no less. So every morning, he had to coax Seon Juho awake. If Juho didn’t let go, he couldn’t move at all.
“Mm…”
Usually, Juho would just mumble and stay curled up, but by the third time Tae-rim called his name, he’d finally open his eyes. Tae-rim found that part of him endearing—the way he rubbed his eyes and sat up reluctantly, like a well-behaved child who just didn’t want to leave dreamland.
Today was finally their first day out. Tae-rim couldn’t let Juho go on looking like that, with his awkward, shoulder-length hair that had only been roughly trimmed. First stop: the hair salon.
After breakfast, they stepped outside together. It was still early, so most people had already left for work, and the dorms were quiet. Tae-rim led Seon Juho toward the shopping district.
Even though Juho had seen cityscapes in videos, it was clearly different experiencing them in person. His eyes were wide with wonder as he looked around, constantly scanning his surroundings—but his hand never left Tae-rim’s. He held on tightly, just in case they got separated.
Truthfully, it was Tae-rim’s first time at the shopping district too. He relied on his Watch to navigate, following the map to the salon.
They drew attention as they walked. The sight of Lee Tae-rim—already well-known—and an unfamiliar, young Esper was enough to make heads turn. Tae-rim felt a twinge of concern. If anyone looked at him the wrong way, Juho might misunderstand and get hurt. So he subtly quickened his pace.
When they arrived at the salon, Tae-rim asked the stylist to give Juho a haircut that would suit him and then took a seat on the sofa to wait. Sitting in the salon chair, Juho kept glancing back at him, visibly uneasy.
