It might’ve been better for Seon Juho’s safety if he had multiple Guides available for Guiding, but on the other hand, Lee Tae-rim liked the way Seon Juho looked only at him.
It was a feeling he couldn’t quite explain. The emotions were tangled—a mix of anxiety and possessiveness. He liked having Seon Juho all to himself, but at the same time, it worried him.
Every time Tae-rim found himself recognizing these honest feelings, it hit him anew: I really do like Seon Juho. It wasn’t just a sense of obligation, as if he needed to take responsibility because Seon Juho became an Alpha because of him. He truly, genuinely liked him.
Realizing he had possessive feelings was bizarre and unfamiliar. He’d never felt anything like this with the people he dated back in college, or even with those he’d had brief flings with. Only Seon Juho was different.
“Please, I’d appreciate it if you treated me just like a guest. I’m someone who’ll leave once I’ve gathered all the answers I’m curious about. So don’t be too wary—just cooperate with me. I’m just a pervert who enjoys research, that’s all.”
Dr. Vogel appealed to them by laying all her cards on the table, trying to prove she wasn’t a threat.
Seon Juho seemed to finally let his guard down a little. He appeared relieved when she said that the Incomplete Imprint couldn’t be undone.
So was Tae-rim.
He was honestly surprised at himself. He felt relieved by Vogel’s words—that she only wanted to be seen as a researcher. Apparently, he’d been tense without realizing it. Somewhere in his mind, he must’ve been worrying: What if the Incomplete Imprint really could be undone?
Tae-rim had always believed that he needed to think practically for Seon Juho’s sake. From the beginning, he’d approached Seon Juho from the standpoint of someone meant to take care of him. That was why he thought he needed to suppress his own emotions and focus on what would be best for Seon Juho. After all, he was Seon Juho’s guardian.
But he couldn’t remain just a guardian forever.
Now, he and Seon Juho were in a relationship. When they were kidnapped, it was he who had leaned on Seon Juho for support.
Tae-rim started worrying whether his facial expressions were giving him away—because he’d finally realized something.
He was seeing Seon Juho as a man.
“Hm?”
Tae-rim groaned internally.
Dr. Vogel’s expression, as she looked at him, was subtle—too subtle.
Thankfully, Seon Juho hadn’t noticed anything; he was seated next to him and hadn’t seen it. But Vogel definitely had. She’d caught on to the fact that Tae-rim had relaxed.
She smiled faintly, just a touch mischievous.
“I get the feeling you’ll be very cooperative, Guide. What about you, Esper?”
By some miracle, Seon Juho didn’t seem to pick up on anything strange. Tae-rim felt embarrassed and a little ashamed for having relaxed so easily.
“Sure.”
At Seon Juho’s affirmative answer, Dr. Vogel stood with a bright smile and held out her hand for a handshake.
Seon Juho got up and took her hand, and Tae-rim belatedly followed suit.
“Really looking forward to working with you.”
And just like that, Dr. Vogel came to stay at the 1st District Center.
Surprisingly, rumors about her didn’t spread. Foreign researchers weren’t that uncommon, and besides, most Awakened didn’t pay much attention to the research staff.
People just assumed she was someone new, nothing more. No one seemed to think she’d come with a purpose—except for one person.
“I heard Dr. Vogel was brought in by Central… And calling in you and Esper Seon Juho on her first day? That’s kind of suspicious.”
“You getting a gut feeling?”
“Don’t you think it’s weird?”
“How can I think it’s weird when I don’t even know what’s going on?”
Kim Hyo-il studied Tae-rim’s face with a serious expression.
Tae-rim calmly met his gaze.
It had only been three days since Dr. Vogel had seen through him because he couldn’t control his expression. He couldn’t afford to slip up again.
“I mean, if Central’s sending someone to Esper Seon Juho, there’s only one reason that makes sense.”
“Ah. The Incomplete Imprint?”
“Yeah…”
Kim Hyo-il had hit the nail on the head. There wasn’t any other reason. Tae-rim sighed.
When it came to hunches like this, Kim Hyo-il was always spot-on.
Maybe he should’ve become an intelligence agent instead of a Guide, Tae-rim thought, not for the first time.
“Don’t worry. I’m not planning to spread it around.”
“Honestly, I don’t even think it’s much of a secret. Dr. Vogel didn’t say anything about keeping it hush-hush.”
“Really?”
“Still, I doubt anything good would come of it getting out, so let’s just keep it to ourselves.”
“Agreed.”
Tae-rim nodded.
Dr. Vogel really did seem to be here just for research. It wouldn’t be good for someone like her to get tied up in rumors about coming here to undo the Incomplete Imprint.
“But… is it even possible to undo it?”
“No. She said she’s just here to study the Incomplete Imprint.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Apparently, while she was around, a few Espers who had Incomplete Imprints ended up breaking them, but she swears she didn’t intervene at all.”
“…I see.”
“So Central just made a misjudgment?”
“You could say that. And she said the Matching Rate between me and Juho is so high that the chances of breaking it are basically nil.”
“Esper Seon Juho must’ve been relieved.”
“He was.”
“And what about you?”
“Sorry?”
“I mean, this means the Imprint can’t be undone. You used to get so anxious about it—are you really okay with that?”
“Ah… yeah.”
At Tae-rim’s response, the other three’s expressions shifted into something unreadable. Tae-rim blinked, confused.
“Why are you being so… chill all of a sudden?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Normally, you’d have said that it’d be better if the Imprint could be undone—for Seon Juho’s sake.”
“Seriously. You just calmly accepted it, and I was like, huh?”
All he said was “yeah,” and yet it was apparently surprising enough to be a topic of discussion. Was I really acting like some overly aggressive parent this whole time? Tae-rim’s face flushed red.
“Have a change of heart or something? Did it finally hit you that you’re not his guardian anymore, but actually his boyfriend?”
Ye-rin flashed a grin as she said it, and Tae-rim tried not to show his reaction, but it was pointless. Avoiding Yoon Ye-rin’s radar was a lost cause.
“Are you suddenly seeing Esper Seon Juho as, like… a man?”
“How long have you two been dating, and only now? Really?”
“This guy’s been stuck in ‘guardian mode’ for so long, I was wondering when he’d finally snap out of it. Looks like it finally happened.”
“…Noona, you’re seriously terrifying…”
“Hehe. Bow before the greatness that is me!”
There really was no dodging Yoon Ye-rin’s sixth sense.
After meeting with Dr. Vogel, something about Seon Juho had started to feel unfamiliar to Tae-rim. Or rather, it wasn’t that Seon Juho had changed—it was Tae-rim himself who felt unfamiliar.
He realized that while Seon Juho had continued to grow, he had stayed in place. Seon Juho had grown capable, matured, and was now able to do so much on his own—unlike when they’d first met. His thoughts had deepened, and he was slowly becoming more adult.
But Tae-rim still kept seeing him as just a cute puppy.
Well, can you blame me when he’s that cute? he thought. He knew he was wearing rose-colored glasses.
Still, he finally understood that he couldn’t keep treating Seon Juho like a kid. That meant it was time to change his mindset. It wouldn’t be easy, but if he wanted Seon Juho to keep growing into independence, Tae-rim had to evolve too—to meet that change head-on.
“Anyway, time flies. They say the faster time feels, the older you’re getting.”
“Ugh. What I really hate is that Espers hardly age at all. They don’t even bother with skincare because it doesn’t make any difference. How the hell do they all have such perfect skin? I put on a face mask every single day, and if I skip even one, it shows immediately. If it’s this bad now, what the hell am I supposed to do when I’m older?”
“That mask you recommended was actually really good.”
“Right?! That brand has such amazing value for the price.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to spend that kind of money.”
“Hyo-il, how many times do I have to tell you—you’ve gotta prep early! Tae-rim, you too. I’ll send you the name of the products. You only use skin lotion, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“My sister turned thirty-two this year. She told me thirty is the tipping point. She used to have amazing skin and never bothered with any kind of routine. But after thirty, she said she could literally see herself aging day by day. She always thought people who prepped early were just being dramatic, but now she regrets it big-time. So you, too—start while you’re still young.”
Tae-rim instinctively reached up to touch his own face.
Come to think of it, in his past life, he’d had dry skin and was practically glued to his moisturizer. But now, Tae-rim’s skin was so good that he’d gotten lazy—just slapping on some random skin lotion and calling it a day.
Ye-rin’s words snapped him to attention.
I’m dating someone two years younger than me… and he’s an Esper on top of that.
