Tae-oh checked his wristwatch as he spoke, earning an eye-roll from the Bureau Chief.
“What’s so busy about being on medical leave?”
But when Hyun Tae-oh’s expression chilled over, the Bureau Chief quickly abandoned his attempt at levity and got to the point.
“The Research Institute wanted to test Guide Kang Chi-yu’s ability, so we proceeded. His recovery powers may prove useful in stopping a Mutant Beast’s Rampage—”
“Why the hell should we care about a Mutant Beast’s Rampage?”
The Chief’s face stiffened at the interruption, but he regained composure in an instant and replied smoothly,
“It’s a state-classified matter. I can’t disclose it, even to you.”
One corner of Tae-oh’s mouth curled into a sharp smirk.
“So the government itself has to step in to test my lover’s ability? Just to piss me off?”
The Bureau Chief nearly leapt out of his seat.
“Lover?! Since when?! You said childhood friends!”
He had no idea why the Chief was so worked up, but Tae-oh felt an unpleasant tug of suspicion all the same.
“Forget the research. Dropping a near-rampaging Mutant Beast into a Guide safe zone deserves disciplinary action. I don’t care if it was a joint government–Institute operation. One wrong move, and every Guide there could’ve been slaughtered.”
“No, listen. Our executives were standing by to intervene before things got dangerous—”
“Bullshit. Take that excuse to the World Peace Committee or the Guide Rights Committee.”
“Hyun Tae-oh—”
“I’m not letting this go. Either it goes to formal review, or it gets exposed to the press, the World Peace Committee, and the Guide Rights Committee.”
“Wait—”
“Pick one. And stop laying hands on my lover.”
“No, this was a necessary—”
“Bureau Chief.”
Just moments earlier Tae-oh had been speaking with open arrogance, face and tone dripping with insolence. Suddenly, he shifted, his voice formal and polite.
“…What?”
Caught off guard, the Chief answered. Tae-oh’s gaze was steady, almost cutting.
“I hope you remain in this seat for a long time, Chief.”
The warning buried in those words was unmistakable. The Bureau Chief caught it immediately.
***
The Bureau Chief, phone in hand, made a hurried call. With Hyun Tae-oh’s half-threat hanging over him, he had to act fast.
It had been Kwon Moo-yong, Department Head of the Ability Users’ Association, who had released a rampaging Mutant Beast into the Guides’ safe zone when the Black Gate opened. The act had been approved jointly by the Central Bureau, the Association, the government, and the Research Institute.
But even with that approval, having a Bureau or Association executive dragged into disciplinary review was unthinkable.
Still, since Hyun Tae-oh had caught wind of it, something had to be done. Into the receiver, the Chief ordered that someone be found to take Kwon Moo-yong’s fall.
Once Tae-oh had raised the issue of disciplinary review, he would not let it go until someone took the blame.
There was no shortage of Espers desperate enough to take the punishment for money. That part wasn’t the problem.
The real problem was that Kang Chi-yu was Hyun Tae-oh’s lover.
The Chief pressed his forehead and let out a long sigh. From the beginning, Chi-yu’s status as Tae-oh’s childhood friend had worried him.
He’d figured, though, that as long as he buried Tae-oh and Min Yu-hyun in classified assignments and quietly pulled Chi-yu into the experiment, things would hold together.
But a lover? That was a bombshell he hadn’t anticipated.
If the germophobic Hyun Tae-oh ever had a lover, the Chief had always assumed it would be Min Yu-hyun. After all, he’d piled countless assignments on the two of them to force them together.
If an SS-rank Esper were handled by an outstanding S-rank Guide like Yu-hyun, it would boost not only Central Bureau’s power but the entire nation’s military strength. He’d worked hard to make it happen—yet nothing had ever sparked between them.
Everyone who had observed Tae-oh said the same: the man was incapable of romance.
So they had dropped the idea of pairing him with a dedicated Guide. And now, out of nowhere, came the revelation—like the proverb, “It’s darkest under the lamp.” Tae-oh had gone and fallen for his one childhood friend.
That same B-rank Guide who’d been the only one he relied on for Guiding, driving everyone else mad with frustration. And now, he was dating him too. And worst of all—right before a critical experiment.
The Chief ground his teeth. This was all the broadcast’s fault.
He should’ve blocked the station from dragging Kang Chi-yu into the show when they restructured the lineup to feature Tae-oh. But with the sheer amount of money at stake, he’d agreed.
There were still countless experiments left. With only the government, Association, and Bureau’s funding, progress would be difficult. They needed the station. And now, it had come back to bite him.
The Chief sighed deeply, mind racing over how to clean up the mess.
***
While waiting for Tae-oh, Chi-yu was lost in thought.
If he was going to go to Central Bureau alone and file a PN report, he first had to find a way to slip away from Hyun Tae-oh.
But Tae-oh, on a week’s medical leave and still shaken from the Esper attack at his house, refused to let him out of sight. Escaping long enough to reach the Ability User Protection Department felt impossible.
After some thought, Chi-yu came up with one idea: volunteer Guiding support.
If he asked Lee Jun-hyung to cover for him, he could claim that the Guide Department was over capacity and he needed to provide Radiant Guiding for about an hour. That should work.
He had plenty of time. Filing a PN report mostly meant explaining the situation and presenting evidence. And with the Guide Center in chaos after the Black Gate, offering a bit of support along the way would look natural.
Still, before anything else, he needed to properly Guide Tae-oh. But every attempt ended with Tae-oh distracting him so completely the Guiding fell apart halfway.
Tae-oh insisted he was fine, but without Rampage suppressants, even breathing must have been painful.
If he would just accept a quick Guiding from a few S-rank Guides—enough to restore his eye color—it would help. But Tae-oh’s stubbornness was unshakable, so Chi-yu didn’t bother hoping.
All he wished was that Tae-oh would stay still long enough for him to finish.
Today, Chi-yu resolved, he wouldn’t let Tae-oh touch him until the Guiding was complete.
“Eh? Why’s Guide Min Yu-hyun calling me?”
Do-il blinked in surprise when his phone buzzed.
He didn’t particularly want to answer, but assuming there must be something urgent, he reluctantly picked up.
“Hello?”
– “Why’d you take so long? Guide Kang Chi-yu’s with you, right? Put him on.”
Do-il frowned. The call wasn’t even for him. Why call his phone just to ask for Kang Chi-yu? But Yu-hyun’s tone was urgent, so he handed the phone over.
“Guide Min Yu-hyun wants to talk to you.”
“Guide Min Yu-hyun?”
Chi-yu looked surprised as he accepted the phone.
“Hello?”
– “Why’s your phone off?”
“…Ah.”
He hadn’t meant to. After the message-bombing incident, he’d grown so sick of his phone that he ignored it until the battery died.
– “Hyun Tae-oh isn’t answering me either.”
“Oh… He went to meet the Bureau Chief.”
– “We need to talk. Especially you, Guide Kang Chi-yu. Where are you?”
“Right now?”
– “It’s important.”
“I… could…”
He almost said he was at Tae-oh’s house but bit his tongue. Even if nothing was going on between Yu-hyun and Tae-oh, he didn’t want Yu-hyun there.
“Where are you?”
– “Still at Central Bureau.”
“Then I’ll come to you. Do-il’s with me, so he can teleport me.”
– “Alright. You know my office, Building 1, 5th floor?”
“Yes, I know it.”
– “I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay.”
Chi-yu hung up and handed the phone back. Do-il raised a brow.
“What was that about?”
“No idea. Just said it’s important. Can you take me to Central Bureau?”
“What, so Tae-oh can throttle me for it later?” Do-il said dryly.
“It’s fine. I’ll smooth it over.”
Actually, it worked out perfectly. He could meet Yu-hyun and file his PN report in one trip.
“Hold on. Shouldn’t we at least tell Yoon Do-jae—”
“Yoon Do-jae isn’t your superior. You don’t need to report to him.”
Chi-yu muttered, searching for his dead phone.
And he was right. Both of them were guarding him on Tae-oh’s request. There was no rule that required reporting every move, especially when he was meeting a trusted Guide inside Central Bureau itself.
Besides, Jun-hyung was still there. While Chi-yu spoke with Yu-hyun, Do-il could check in on him. Do-il nodded.
“Alright then. Safe and comfortable teleport service, at your command, customer.”
Grinning, he extended his hand.
Just then, Chi-yu found his phone tucked behind the clock on the nightstand and let out a small laugh. As he powered it on, he reached for Do-il’s hand. Do-il quickly switched, lightly pinching the hem of his sleeve instead.
“Bear with it if you feel nauseous. If I hold your hand, Tae-oh might strangle me later.”
He winked playfully.
Chi-yu shook his head in exasperation.
The moment they teleported into Central Bureau, Chi-yu sent Do-il off to find Jun-hyung, then headed to PN before meeting Min Yu-hyun.
His phone flickered to life—five missed calls from Yu-hyun. And fifty-four unread messages. Nearly all of them threats ordering him to stay away from Hyun Tae-oh.
With a quiet sigh, Chi-yu walked on toward PN.
