The words “saliva-contact Guiding” from Yoon Do-jae’s lips—along with the implication that he liked him—lodged themselves in his mind like a weight.
He’d tossed the phrase at Tae-oh before as if it were nothing, but truthfully, he’d never even considered doing saliva-contact Guiding with anyone other than him. Sure, there had always been a vague thought that maybe, someday, he’d end up doing it like other Guides did. But it had never struck him this sharply, never felt this real—until now.
So of course Yoon Do-jae’s words wouldn’t leave his head.
Chi-yu tried to push the thoughts aside and focus on the Guiding when suddenly—whoosh—two people appeared at the entrance.
“Oh! Comrade Kang Chi-yu!”
Beom Do-il released Min Yu-hyun’s arm the instant their teleport ended and lifted a hand toward him. His booming voice clashed with the exhaustion on his face.
But there it was again—comrade. Chi-yu’s eyes narrowed.
“You in the middle of Guiding?”
Do-il dropped down beside him.
“Yeah. You done with your mission? Your eyes changed color.”
Chi-yu tilted his chin toward Do-il’s eyes.
“Ah. Went to the field earlier. The beasts suddenly went berserk. Killed way more than I was supposed to. The Department Head’s gonna call again for sure, ha.”
He let out a weary sigh and pulled out his phone.
Yu-hyun stepped forward and held out his hand. Do-il glanced up, eyebrows raised, when Yu-hyun said:
“Since we’re partners, I’ll guide you.”
“…It’s fine. I can just ask Jun-hyung—”
“Shut up and take it. They need the footage anyway.”
Yu-hyun flicked his eyes toward the cameras. With another sigh, Do-il set his phone on the table.
Then he sat beside Yoon Do-jae, who was still receiving Chi-yu’s Guiding, and clasped Yu-hyun’s hand.
In an instant, energy surged through the contact—vast, clean, overwhelming.
“Whoa….”
Do-il’s eyes returned to normal immediately. His tangled waves aligned into perfect order, smooth and stable. This was what S-class Guiding felt like.
Staring at their joined hands in awe, he lifted his head toward Yu-hyun, wide-eyed.
Yu-hyun met his gaze with a smug, tilted smile.
That look—pure amazement. He’d seen it countless times. Not once had an Esper left his Guiding without falling for him. Especially someone like Beom Do-il, who’d probably never received Guiding from anyone stronger than an A-rank before. For him, this must’ve felt extraordinary.
“Well? Feels good, doesn’t it?”
The words were meant for the cameras.
Do-il’s expression twisted briefly, like he wanted to say something snide, but he smoothed it out and looked away—at Chi-yu.
“Jun-hyung’s not here yet?”
“Oh? Uh, no.”
Since Jun-hyung had partnered with Hyun Tae-oh, it meant Tae-oh would show up with him.
And Chi-yu wasn’t ready yet. Not ready to ask Tae-oh about letting Yu-hyun into his home.
Not yet.
Chi-yu sighed quietly and sank deeper into the Guiding.
Yu-hyun chuckled dryly at Do-il’s relentless talk of Jun-hyung.
That damned Jun-hyung.
Do-il, who had rejected Yu-hyun’s offer flat-out before, now poured all his focus into fighting beasts instead of talking.
When their numbers suddenly spiked, Yu-hyun busied himself binding them, and thanks to his restraints, Do-il was able to cut them down with ease.
Even as an A-rank, his work was swift and clean. He never missed.
Exactly Yu-hyun’s type.
“Mind answering me?”
Yu-hyun tightened his grip on Do-il’s hand, forcing his gaze away from me.
Do-il frowned at Yu-hyun’s unnaturally pale skin. Platinum hair framed a face that really was more beautiful than handsome. People always said he was the prettiest of Guides, and they weren’t wrong.
Jun-hyung was pretty too, but in a completely different way.
Now Do-il understood why Team 2’s Espers couldn’t stop talking about Min Yu-hyun. Though personally, he found the pretty face paired with the loud, exhausting personality unbearable.
Unaware of Do-il’s thoughts, Yu-hyun grew impatient at his silence.
“Answer me. Now.”
His grip tightened further.
Do-il’s brow twitched.
“…Yeeahhh.”
He dragged the word reluctantly, nodding half-heartedly. Yu-hyun’s lips jutted in irritation.
“Strange. A Team 2 Esper should be thrilled to receive my Guiding.”
“Well, I’m A-rank. I don’t exactly need an S-rank Guide. Hey—Esper Yoon Do-jae, want to switch with me?”
Since Do-jae was S-rank, surely S-rank Guiding would suit him better. But Do-jae’s face hardened instantly.
“I refuse.”
The flat rejection hit Yu-hyun like a slap.
“What, like I was offering in the first place??”
Why the hell didn’t anyone appreciate his Guiding?
Do-il glanced between the two, suddenly guilty, like Yu-hyun had been rejected because of him.
“Sorry. Looks like you got shot down on my account….”
Yu-hyun’s face flushed red with fury. He shot to his feet, shouting:
“Who the hell got rejected by who!?”
***
Jun-hyung and Tae-oh returned from their mission just as Do-il and Do-jae’s Guiding ended.
They held one phone between them as they teleported back. Jun-hyung grimaced, fighting nausea.
“You okay?”
Do-il caught it instantly and asked.
Jun-hyung’s hand had slipped free without a word, and Yu-hyun scowled at the sight.
“Seriously, hyung. At least hold people properly when you teleport. Do you know how much pain a Guide feels when you—”
“The fuck is this?”
Tae-oh’s low growl cut him off. His eyes were fixed on Do-jae’s hand still in Chi-yu’s.
“It’s over,” Chi-yu said quickly, pulling his hand back.
“Why the hell were you Guiding him?”
Tae-oh strode toward Chi-yu.
“Because he’s my partner—”
“You had a choice. Why choose him?”
The whole point of the choice system was to prevent this, yet here he was. No wonder Tae-oh’s temper snapped.
“No reason not to.”
“The fuck did you just say?”
“We’re filming—watch your mouth—ah!”
Before he could finish, Tae-oh grabbed his arm and pulled Chi-yu to his feet. His face was like stone, but his grip was careful, almost gentle.
“Upstairs. We’re talking.”
“Let go.”
Do-jae grabbed Chi-yu’s other arm.
Tae-oh’s eyes went wild. In a flash, he unleashed his power and blasted Do-jae back. Do-jae staggered but caught himself with wind, avoiding the wall.
“Touch Chi-yu again and I’ll kill you.”
“Tae-oh!”
“…!”
“I warned you. Lay a hand on him again, and you’re dead.”
Ignoring Chi-yu’s protests—“Who do you think you are?” “What are you, some thug?”—Tae-oh dragged him firmly upstairs.
The four left behind stared at the staircase, stunned into silence.
“…Wow. That temper….”
Do-il was the first to speak.
“You alright?” Jun-hyung asked Do-jae.
He nodded with a sigh, though his eyes lingered on the stairs where Tae-oh and Chi-yu had vanished.
“You okay, though?” Do-il turned suddenly to Jun-hyung, then muttered bitterly:
“Seriously, why does Hyun Tae-oh teleport like that?”
The same Do-il who’d called him “hyung” with reverence earlier now dismissed him as that bastard. Jun-hyung chuckled quietly.
“Guide Min Yu-hyun gave you Guiding? Lucky break, Beom Do-il.”
Jun-hyung’s smile made Do-il flush and stumble over his words.
Yu-hyun, arms crossed, cut in sharply:
“More than a lucky break. From the moment Esper Beom Do-il became my partner, he earned the title of Min Yu-hyun’s very first—”
“Aren’t you hungry? How was it, partnering with Hyun Tae-oh? He’s a pain in the ass, sure, but he’s great to work with, right?”
Do-il bulldozed over Yu-hyun’s words, practically wagging his tail in front of Jun-hyung.
“What do you want to eat? The director gave me this restaurant app—tons of options. I saw some places you’d like—”
His eyes stayed glued to Jun-hyung as he chattered away.
Not once did he pull a dumb face in front of him. The sight made Yu-hyun’s expression twist in fury.
He drew in a sharp breath, trying to smother the boiling rage, and stared at the pair talking.
Then he turned his gaze.
Do-jae was still standing in place, stiff as a pine tree, staring blankly upstairs.
Yu-hyun shook his head.
This won’t work.
Not with this lineup. He’d never get the picture he wanted.
No way he’d win every Esper’s vote.
Better to focus on securing a role alongside Hyun Tae-oh in PairBorn: Part Two.
