Tae Yishin looked down at Nabin, unbuttoned his cuffs, and rolled up his sleeves. With the tip of his foot, he nudged off one of Nabin’s shoes, then yanked his swelling arm up and tossed it carelessly onto the bed.
“Ugh…”
The shock on his already throbbing arm was unbearable, and Nabin couldn’t hold back a groan. It was pain so sharp it burst white stars before his eyes. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he rubbed it against the mattress, desperately trying to ease the agony, but nothing helped.
“Take off your pants.”
“Ahh…”
Tae Yishin didn’t give him even a moment to recover. At his ruthless order, Nabin struggled with his trembling hands and managed to drag his pants down just enough to bare his hips.
At least his clothes were easy to remove—if there’d been a belt buckle, it would’ve taken too long, and with Tae Yishin’s patience already thin, things would have turned much rougher.
Han Jigang and Gong Min were always careful during Contact Guiding, mindful not to hurt him. But Tae Yishin acted however he pleased.
And right now, his mood was heavy, dark. The pain that was coming would be far worse than the ache in Nabin’s arm. If only it were an unknown pain—but it was one he’d suffered countless times before, vivid enough in memory to fill him with dread.
As the heat of Tae Yishin’s body closed in from behind, Nabin bit down on a pillow with the last of his strength, trying at least to muffle the sound so Tae Yishin wouldn’t get more irritated.
But biting the pillow was useless. When Tae Yishin forced his way in without mercy, Nabin clawed forward with his injured arm in a futile attempt to crawl away. Soon his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
Tae Yishin continued using his limp body until he was fully satisfied. Whatever resentment he felt toward the Guide, the Guiding itself was deeply gratifying.
“Ha… feels damn good.”
He pulled up his pants, buckled them, and glanced at the bracelet on his wrist. At first, after Guiding, his Outbreak Risk Index had dropped sharply. Now the decrease was only about half of what it used to be.
“Guess the effect’s wearing off.”
Maybe the Guide’s mana was thinning from overuse, or maybe less of that guiding mana was being drawn in. Either way, it was something he’d need to discuss with the others. The Guide was only here because of his Guiding power—if that vanished, there was no reason to keep him.
“Guide.”
He nudged Nabin’s collapsed body, calling out to him, hoping he might stir. But Nabin only twitched sporadically, shivering as if in seizure, his eyes still rolled back with no sign of returning.
“What a hassle…”
He wanted to just leave and rest in his own room, but if the others saw Nabin like this, they’d lose their minds and come running. With his splitting headache fading and his clarity returning after the Guiding, Tae Yishin could see the situation more clearly. Even in his eyes, Nabin looked utterly wrecked.
If Nabin had even a shred of consciousness, he could’ve forced him to clean himself up through Control. But cold water wouldn’t wake him either.
No choice. Clicking his tongue, Tae Yishin scooped Nabin under his arm and carried him to the bathroom, stripping the bloodstained sheets along the way. He’d have to bag them up and toss them later to avoid suspicion.
In the bathroom, he dropped Nabin into the tub and turned the faucet from cold to hot. He stripped off the bloodied clothes, threw them onto the crumpled sheets, squeezed body wash into his hand, and began scrubbing it over the frail body.
“Did Han Jigang starve you? No wonder your bones stick out.”
Meals in the mansion were usually cooked by whoever had time, except Ryu Somin. Still, Han Jigang was the best cook.
And ever since his change of heart, Han Jigang had insisted on preparing Nabin’s meals himself. He was so devoted that, whenever they were home, he practically haunted the kitchen.
Tae Yishin had seen him care for Nabin’s meals, yet during Guiding just now, he realized Nabin had no flesh even in the places where a body should carry weight. His arms were so thin that when Tae Yishin gripped him too hard without thinking, dark bruises bloomed instantly and the flesh swelled up.
“Unbelievable.”
Though he looked down at Nabin with distaste, his hands gentled as he washed him thoroughly. After rinsing away the suds with warm water, Tae Yishin wrapped him snugly in a large towel and carried him back to the room.
He tossed a clean sheet onto the bed and laid Nabin down. As always, Healing Potions were stocked in his room. Grabbing one, Tae Yishin poured it liberally over the wounds he’d inflicted.
The potion seeped into his skin, making the injuries vanish almost completely. Thanks to its effect, even Nabin’s pale face regained a hint of color.
A knock sounded at the door. Gong Min had come straight to Nabin’s room after entering the mansion.
After knocking, he realized there were two presences inside. He pushed the door open abruptly. Catching sight of Nabin behind Tae Yishin, his eyebrow twitched faintly.
Tae Yishin’s frame blocked most of the view, but Nabin’s exposed leg was thinner than usual. Gong Min quickly crossed the room, gripped Tae Yishin’s shoulder, and pressed down firmly.
Hiding the empty potion bottle up his sleeve, Tae Yishin smiled brightly at him. From his expression alone, there wasn’t a trace of the man who had just brutalized Nabin.
“You’re here? Early too. Guess there weren’t many monsters in the dungeon.”
Even as Tae Yishin greeted him warmly, Gong Min ignored him, eyes fixed on Nabin. What little he saw—legs too pale, a face with some color but still exhausted—worried him.
There were no visible wounds, but Nabin’s sweat-dampened forehead made it clear the Guiding had been harsh. Even unconscious, he let out faint groans through swollen lips, as if still in pain.
“Not even a hello? That stings, Gong Min.”
Tae Yishin feigned hurt at being ignored, but Gong Min’s gaze stayed locked on Nabin.
The more Gong Min fixated on Nabin, and the more Han Jigang softened his nature to win Nabin’s heart, the more it grated on Tae Yishin. He reminded himself constantly not to fall for Nabin like them—and that was why he acted all the crueler.
“…Get out.”
“Seriously? First thing you say to me after all this time is ‘get out’?”
Among the three, Gong Min was the oldest, and with his steady, patient nature, Tae Yishin often complained to him in ways he never did with Han Jigang. Though they treated each other like friends, deep down Tae Yishin regarded him as an older brother.
Unlike his earlier sharpness, Tae Yishin’s tone now carried genuine hurt. Finally, Gong Min tore his gaze from Nabin and looked at him quietly, realizing he’d been harsher than usual—his worry for Nabin had sharpened his words.
“…Sorry. Let’s have a drink tonight.”
“Fine.”
If it had been Han Jigang, he would’ve told him to piss off without a second thought. But Gong Min’s blunt, understanding words, reading his mood immediately, drew a satisfied smile across Tae Yishin’s lips.
Good. Looks like he didn’t notice anything.
Behind the smile, relief welled—thankfully, Gong Min hadn’t caught on to what had happened.
It was fortunate he’d left the bloodied sheets and clothes in the bathroom. If they’d still been in the room, Gong Min would’ve realized instantly.
Tae Yishin truly didn’t want to clash with Han Jigang or Gong Min over Nabin. They’d survived hard times together since childhood, considering each other family despite the squabbles.
The Guide was the intruder who’d disrupted their perfect balance. If Nabin had known his place and never signed the contract to be the Dedicated Guide to three S-rank Espers, none of this would have happened.
On the surface, the mansion seemed peaceful. But in truth, it was like walking on thin ice. Han Jigang and Gong Min were falling deeper for Nabin with every passing day. Even Ryu Somin, influenced by them, treated Nabin like an older brother, feeding Tae Yishin’s unease.
Something was bound to happen soon—that ominous sense gnawed at him like a splinter under the nail.
Lost in thought, Tae Yishin’s gaze inevitably landed on the cause of it all. Even unconscious, Nabin furrowed his brows faintly, groaning as if he could still sense Tae Yishin’s hostile stare.
“…Tae Yishin.”
It was Gong Min who broke that gaze. Just as Tae Yishin had shielded Nabin from view earlier with his large frame, Gong Min now stepped between him and the bed, blocking Nabin’s upper body from sight while naturally cutting off Tae Yishin’s sharp presence.
