Seon Juho had one thing weighing on his mind lately—the Imprint.
While the current situation, where only he had Imprinted Tae-rim, wasn’t necessarily bad, he still wanted it to be mutual. He wanted a reciprocal Imprint. One that would make it impossible for Lee Tae-rim to Guide anyone else.
The very thought of Tae-rim Guiding another Esper drove Juho mad with jealousy. He couldn’t stand it.
Tae-rim was incredibly soft when it came to him—so much so that as long as Juho’s Incomplete Imprint remained intact, Tae-rim would never be able to turn away from him. But that still wasn’t enough. Juho had even manifested as an Alpha due to the overwhelming influence of Tae-rim’s pheromones. Now, he had become someone Tae-rim was completely responsible for.
And Juho was more than happy to be that.
It didn’t matter what the reason was, or how it came to be. As long as he could keep Tae-rim by his side, he didn’t mind being selfish. He didn’t care if it was petty or unfair—he was going to have Tae-rim all to himself.
***
“Hyung, are you sure you’re okay with this?”
The day Juho’s deployment to the field was confirmed, Tae-rim was notified as well.
For some reason, Juho didn’t want to bring Tae-rim out there. Molt had already collapsed, so it wasn’t like there was any imminent danger at the site… yet something about it made him uneasy.
“What’s the big deal about going into the field? Why are you acting like it’s some major crisis?”
Tae-rim responded casually, eyes still glued to the drama on TV.
Rationally, Juho agreed—but deep down, something primal was gnawing at him. Still, he told himself that no matter what happened, as long as he stayed close to Tae-rim, everything would be fine. He brushed the unease aside.
He shouldn’t have. Damn it.
***
The deployment team hadn’t changed. The Espers were Jung Jae-heon and Seon Juho, and the Guide was Lee Tae-rim.
Kwon Hae-beom had already received Guiding from Tae-rim the day before. Though Lee Hae-il was scheduled to arrive the next day, Hae-beom only required Guiding once every three to four days, so the timing worked out.
He wasn’t using much of his abilities during the investigation anyway—just his flight skills.
Everything was fine when Tae-rim first arrived at the field base by helicopter.
But the closer they got to the actual site by car, the more his expression began to darken.
By the time they stepped out of the vehicle, his face had gone completely pale.
“Are you okay? Do you want to wait at the dorm?”
The moment they arrived on-site, Tae-rim was clearly reminded of his kidnapping.
Jung Jae-heon looked at him with concern. But Tae-rim shook his head.
“No. It’s something I need to face eventually. Something I need to overcome.”
He pulled a small pill bottle out of his pocket and showed it to them.
“I came prepared. I got a prescription for sedatives in advance—just in case it gets too much.”
Still worried, Juho accompanied him to the Guiding room.
Jung Jae-heon followed silently behind.
“Go ahead. Esper Jung, you too.”
“Wait a sec.”
Jung Jae-heon gave them both a shove into the room, then wandered off somewhere.
As soon as they stepped inside, Juho released a thick burst of pheromones—a calming scent, deep and enveloping.
Tae-rim immediately let out a startled laugh.
“Thanks.”
“Hyung… should I stay? What if I just stayed here instead of going?”
“You can’t do that.”
Juho pouted.
He hadn’t even known Tae-rim had gone so far as to get medication in advance. That stung. It meant Tae-rim still only saw him as someone to take care of—not someone he could lean on.
Juho pulled him into a firm hug.
“I’m going to grow up.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll become someone you can rely on, Hyung.”
“Okay. I believe you.”
“Ugh, Hyung! Can’t you at least pretend to lean on me a little?”
“I am leaning on you.”
“No, you’re not!”
Every time they kissed—every time he pushed Tae-rim down—it felt like Tae-rim almost saw him as a man.
But only then.
Juho pouted harder, stomping his foot like a sulking child.
“You still see me as some dumb little puppy, don’t you?”
“Ah, busted.”
“Ugh! Seriously!”
Juho could change the mood in an instant just by releasing his pheromones. That part was easy.
But he didn’t want to rely on that forever.
With a sulky face, he sank his teeth into Tae-rim’s shoulder—hard. Then bit him again, just to be spiteful.
Tae-rim only laughed.
“Tae-rim, Guide Kim Hyo-il will be arriving soon.”
Jung Jae-heon had returned while the two of them were still bickering.
Juho glared at him, his expression twisting in irritation.
This smug bastard always got to play the mature one. Damn him.
Tae-rim looked a lot more composed now, probably thanks to the pheromones. The blood had returned to his face.
Leaving Tae-rim behind in the Guiding room, Juho and Jung Jae-heon headed for the contamination zone.
The moment they were out of Tae-rim’s line of sight, Jung turned to Juho and put on a dramatic face.
“Honestly, your split-personality thing is terrifying, Juho.”
“Go find your own Guide and fuck off.”
“Aww, is that your way of cheering me on?”
This slick old man must’ve finally snapped from stress.
Juho just clicked his tongue.
“Even if I leave, Hae-beom’s gonna stick around. That guy’s so predictable. I just hope he doesn’t get into it with Guide Lee Hae-il.”
“…”
“Their personalities totally clash… Hah… ha… Anyway, there’s a lot to worry about with that guy.”
“Even so, he won’t die. That’s what makes him human.”
“Wow. Since when did you get all philosophical?”
“Shut up.”
“Was that… personal experience talking?”
“…”
Jung patted him on the shoulder with a face that said you’ve been through it, huh?, then wandered off.
Juho, annoyed for no reason, brushed off the spot where Jung had touched him and turned to his hunt.
That damn old man seriously got on his nerves.
Honestly, he really hoped the guy just rotted away alone as a bitter old bachelor.
***
“You’re doing better than I expected.”
Knock knock. The door opened, and Kim Hyo-il stepped inside, giving Tae-rim a quick once-over as he spoke. Tae-rim greeted him with a warm smile.
“Weren’t you supposed to come in two days, Hyung?”
“That was the plan. But someone asked me for a favor… and I was a little worried too.”
“Thanks, Hyung.”
“If you’re really thankful, treat me to something good later.”
Lee Jae-hwa and Yoon Ye-rin had wanted to come as well, but with their shifts starting next week, they couldn’t make it. Still, they mentioned they might stop by briefly if they had time.
Thanks to Seon Juho’s pheromones, Tae-rim had stabilized enough that he no longer needed the sedatives. But now that he was alone, the anxiety had started creeping back in. So having Kim Hyo-il show up earlier than planned meant more than he could say.
“So,” Hyo-il began, “what part scared you the most?”
“I’m not really sure,” Tae-rim replied. “Everything was such a blur after the kidnapping…”
“You know, I was actually on-site that day too—but I just happened to be back at the dorm. I was down for the count with the worst case of indigestion.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah. I suddenly got this insane craving for a midnight snack and went down to the convenience store. I don’t usually eat that late, but for some reason, I was dying for chicken. Of course, there’s no delivery out here, so I just grabbed a ton of frozen dakgangjeong and ate like a beast. Paid the price for it, though—massive indigestion.”
Since delivery wasn’t possible on-site, the dorm’s convenience store was stocked with as much as it could hold.
Tae-rim wasn’t someone who snacked heavily—usually, a single bag of chips was enough—so he hadn’t even realized there was a convenience store. But thanks to Seon Juho’s constantly grumbling stomach, he’d ended up learning all about it.
The store really did have everything—except what it didn’t. And most of the early-morning customers, naturally, were Espers.
“That was the worst indigestion I’ve ever had in my life. I swore a hundred times over I’d never eat late at night again. But once I finally came to, the whole site was in chaos.
“I heard the monsters came this close to breaching the outer wall. Just hearing about it gave me chills.”
“It really got that bad?”
Tae-rim had never heard the full story about what happened after he was kidnapped.
No one had ever told him.
All he knew was that the Espers had somehow managed to fend everything off.
The atmosphere around the incident had always been strangely hushed—maybe because of the Guides who’d lost their lives.
No one wanted to talk about it, and Tae-rim hadn’t had the heart to ask.
“I was lucky. No trauma or anything. But a lot of the others… they had to take meds just to go back into the field.
“When the monsters suddenly swarmed the Guide barracks, there were too many we couldn’t stop in time. A lot of people died.
“Right after you were taken, the rest didn’t run—they threw something at the barracks and jumped in after it. No one knows exactly what it was, but judging by how the monsters swarmed the place, people think it was some kind of lure. Something to attract them.
“That’s why there were so many casualties. It was awful.”
Hearing something like that should have left Tae-rim shaken. But instead, his mind suddenly cleared—like a fog lifting.
One thought, so sharp and vivid, burst free in his head: That’s it.
He’d always wondered why Tae-rim had gone down so easily.
He was trained. He’d gone through countless anti-monster drills. Whenever he was out in the field, he always carried a monster-grade firearm.
So why had he died so quickly?
Now he knew.
A lure. Something that drew monsters.
Of course he would’ve died.
If someone had thrown that at him—if someone wanted him dead—there would’ve been no better opportunity than the chaos of the field.
If Choi Jiwoon had been a spy all along… and had decided to eliminate him…
There was no easier, cleaner way to get rid of someone than a monster attack on-site.
A dry laugh escaped Tae-rim’s lips.
That would be utterly shameless and selfish 😒
Juhos perspective always best