“Do-il.”
Jun-hyung set his phone and charger aside and called out to him.
“Hm?”
“Can you grab me something to drink? I’m thirsty.”
Before Jun-hyung even finished, Do-il jumped up and asked what he wanted. Jun-hyung said anything cold would do, and Do-il nodded.
As Do-il was heading out, Min Yu-hyun called after him, “Orange juice for me.”
Do-il turned back.
“Ah, yes.”
He nodded again and hurried out.
The moment the door shut behind him, Jun-hyung turned to Yu-hyun.
“Why are you here?”
It was clearly a confrontational question, but his tone was nothing but polite.
“You heard Esper Beom Do-il earlier, didn’t you? I came to check if his shoulder was alright.”
But since Yu-hyun spoke so sharply, Jun-hyung’s reply came out edged as well.
“Why are you concerned about Do-il’s shoulder? That’s not really like you, is it?”
“And what exactly am I like?”
“Not the type to worry about your partner.”
A quiet, derisive laugh slipped from Yu-hyun.
“Normally, sure. But this time, Esper Beom Do-il got hurt in my place.”
“I’m aware he’s not the first Esper to get injured in your place, Guide Min Yu-hyun. I’m in Team 1 too.”
“…Ah.”
At that reminder, Yu-hyun’s lips twitched with thinly veiled irritation.
“Well, Beom Do-il’s falling for me. That’s why he got hurt for me—though he hasn’t realized it yet.”
Jun-hyung laughed suddenly. Yu-hyun’s brows furrowed.
“Do-il’s always been the kind of guy who looks after others and sacrifices himself. It’s not because you’re special, or because he’s falling for you, Guide Min Yu-hyun.”
“And how would you know that, Guide Lee Jun-hyung?”
“Because I’ve known him for a long time. We’re like brothers.”
“No matter how long you’ve known him, or how close you are, you can’t know everything. Even Beom Do-il doesn’t realize he’s falling for me—so what makes you think a friend could see it?”
“…I’d heard rumors about how inflated your self-regard is, but this feels a bit excessive.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re talking as though it’s already a given that Do-il’s fallen for you.”
“Espers who dislike me are rare.”
“Then maybe consider that Do-il could be one of those rare few.”
“If he didn’t like me, he wouldn’t have thrown himself in the way like that.”
“He would. That’s just who he is.”
Just then, the door opened and Beom Do-il came back in, carrying an orange juice and a mango juice.
“They had your favorite mango juice. Production team’s got some sense.”
He handed the mango juice to Jun-hyung, passed the orange juice to Yu-hyun, then plopped down beside Jun-hyung.
“You’re not drinking?”
“Nah. Drinks at night don’t sit well with me.”
Do-il smiled at Jun-hyung as he said it. Jun-hyung gave a small nod and sipped the mango juice. He’d only sent Do-il out as a pretext, but the drink was surprisingly good.
Yu-hyun had already gulped down half his orange juice—he’d clearly been thirsty.
“Did you hear? Tomorrow we’re filming all day, except for official duties.”
Do-il turned to Jun-hyung.
“Yeah.”
“That’s what I was about to mention,” Yu-hyun cut in. “They said there’ll be a partner mission tomorrow.”
“A partner mission?”
Do-il leaned toward him. Yu-hyun nodded.
“Yeah. Games adapted from old variety shows.”
“Wait—wasn’t this supposed to be a reality show? I thought it was just beast hunts, dorm life, maybe some Gates. Why’s it turning into full variety TV?”
Do-il muttered, tilting his head.
“Mostly Hyun Tae-oh’s fault.” Jun-hyung answered. “When the production director first explained it, they said they’d decided to air the first-gen partners more like a special episode, different from the original concept. But since Esper Hyun Tae-oh had practically never been on TV, once he showed up, the station’s phones went wild. Viewers wanted him on variety shows, and they wanted more of him on PairBorn too.”
“…Ahh.”
Do-il nodded.
“And now, with the very popular Guide Min Yu-hyun appearing as well, the production team’s determined to squeeze out everything they can.”
Jun-hyung looked at Yu-hyun as he said it. Yu-hyun gave a little shrug, smugness plain on his face.
“I heard the same from the director. Having me and Hyun Tae-oh appear together is a huge draw, so for Season 1 they’re throwing in everything like a special. From Season 2 on, they’ll cut whatever didn’t work and go back to PairBorn’s original reality style.”
Jun-hyung nodded.
“In the end, the reason PairBorn lasted so long was because it realistically showed Espers and Guides in their daily lives. That’s what the revamped show should aim for too.”
“Exactly. Since Hyun Tae-oh usually avoids broadcasts, they’re treating this season like a special event.”
“Tch, thanks to Hyun Tae-oh, we’re the ones suffering.”
Do-il grumbled, then quickly shook his head.
“No—that’s not right. Thanks to Hyun Tae-oh, I’m a regular on PairBorn now. I shouldn’t complain.”
He nodded firmly to himself, then looked at Jun-hyung.
“Anyway, if they’re bringing back old games, how’re you going to handle that idiot Hyun Tae-oh? You’re competitive—you’ll want to win.”
Jun-hyung smirked at his worried expression.
“Why bother? It’s not like I’m pairing with Esper Hyun Tae-oh.”
“Don’t worry about others—worry about yourself. I’m the one who has to win.”
Yu-hyun glared at Do-il as he said it.
Do-il swallowed hard without realizing. The look in Yu-hyun’s eyes said he’d kill him if they lost.
***
After breakfast, the Espers and Guides gathered in the living room, listening blankly as the production director explained.
Beom Do-il, Min Yu-hyun, and Lee Jun-hyung already knew the games were taken from classic variety shows, so they were calm. Meanwhile, Yoon Do-jae and Hyun Tae-oh were too busy staring at Kang Chi-yu to listen.
Chi-yu, exhausted from Tae-oh’s torment that had lasted until sunrise, looked drained. Tae-oh had only let him go after Chi-yu, half-asleep, begged that he couldn’t take it anymore.
Even then, Chi-yu couldn’t help but wonder—how had Tae-oh managed to live this long without acting on that overwhelming energy?
And now, with Yoon Do-jae sneaking glances from his left and Hyun Tae-oh openly staring from his right, sitting there felt like a bed of nails.
“So, we’ve prepared variety-style missions for this special.”
Despite their disinterest, the production director pressed on.
“The first mission is Guess the Drawing! The staff will provide a word prompt, one partner will draw it, and the other will guess. There’ll be five words, and the pair with the most correct answers wins.”
“Wow, that’s seriously old school.”
Do-il chuckled and asked. The director nodded.
“Yes. Since this is still a reality program, we decided using the same types of games as typical variety shows—even for a special—wouldn’t fit. So we chose games viewers used to love, to stir nostalgia and keep it fun.”
“Ohh.”
“And it also addresses viewers who hate seeing Ability Users reduced to clowns. There’s a big difference between reviving classic games as a special and copying mainstream variety formats. Our goal is to help this long-running program stay with viewers for years to come.”
He added that they’d worked hard to make sure this Season 1 special, which sets the stage for Season 2, wouldn’t be cursed out.
Jun-hyung, Yu-hyun, and Do-il nodded, while Tae-oh and Do-jae continued staring at Chi-yu.
Chi-yu ignored their gazes and fixed his eyes firmly on the director.
“Now then, I hope you’ll all enjoy yourselves today. Let’s begin the first mission. First up—Esper Beom Do-il and Guide Min Yu-hyun.”
At that, Yu-hyun and Do-il moved to the spot set up for filming.
They were told to decide who would draw and who would guess. Do-il asked,
“Are you good at drawing?”
“What about you, Esper Beom Do-il?”
“I actually won a prize as a kid.”
“Oh? Then you draw, and I’ll guess.”
“Got it!”
Do-il replied brightly and sat in front of the floating transparent LED panel. Yu-hyun sat across from him.
“Alright, starting now. Total time, ten minutes. Five prompts.”
As soon as the director finished, the game began.
A staffer held up an LED board with the word behind Yu-hyun.
Do-il glanced at it and immediately began sketching with gusto. Yu-hyun stared hard at the glowing panel above Do-il’s head, trying to figure it out.
But the more time passed, the deeper his frown grew.
Do-il’s enthusiastic scribbles were so vague they were incomprehensible.
A round face with eyes, nose, and mouth squeezed inside. A stick-figure body. One long arm stretched across the side, topped with scattered straight lines. Beneath the figure, waves of water overflowed. The background—a mess of collapsed buildings and broken lines.
“…What on earth is this supposed to be?”
Yu-hyun asked, utterly dumbfounded.
