“What are you talking about?”
Ran stepped between Ho-eun and Kim Se-hee as if to cut the conversation off. She shot a sharp glare at Ho-eun before suddenly smiling sweetly at Se-hee like nothing had happened.
“It’s just something between us Guides,” Se-hee replied with a shrug, brushing off Ran’s interruption.
Despite Se-hee’s frosty tone, Ran didn’t back off. She clung to her and continued chatting without a hint of shame.
Now that he thought about it, Kim Se-hee was definitely still in high school. And yet they were speaking informally with each other?
I wish Do In-ho would treat me that casually too.
A pang of envy slipped in. Ho-eun found himself wondering how he and Do In-ho looked to others. Did they seem awkward? Even though they ate dinner together every night now…
“This way.”
Snapping him out of his thoughts, Do In-ho reached out and gently pulled Ho-eun back toward the group by the shoulder. Only then did Ho-eun realize he’d been walking in the wrong direction, lost in his own head. He hurried to catch up behind Hosoo.
Watching from the rear, Kim Han-seul’s eyes sparkled briefly at the scene.
They exited the building and walked through the complex. Eventually, a white structure came into view, pumping out clouds of pale smoke—it was the lab.
Inside, researchers in white coats bustled around.
“Fresh data! We’ve got brand-new data, people!!!”
A man in a lab coat, with rough skin and dark circles under his eyes, welcomed Hosoo enthusiastically.
Hosoo immediately recoiled, pushing the man’s shoulder to keep him from getting any closer.
“Do you act like this every time we come here for a guiding test?”
“‘Act like this’? Please! I’m just excited to greet these adorable data sets!”
The man’s gaze landed on the interns, his eyes gleaming with unsettling excitement.
Ho-eun quickly ducked behind Do In-ho’s broad back to avoid those crazed eyes. That manic gleam made the man look completely unhinged.
With a creepy laugh, the researcher led them to the guiding analysis lab.
The room was stark white—walls, ceiling, floor. The interior called to mind a psychiatric ward. Anyone would go crazy spending too long in a place like this.
The six of them changed into mint-green garments that resembled hospital gowns. The tops had zippers on both sides, likely designed to allow easy access for attaching measuring devices to bare skin.
The first to be tested were Kim Se-hee and Ran. The remaining four watched from a control room with glass walls.
Once all the sensors were attached, a loud beep sounded through the lab’s speaker, and the two began direct guiding.
At the first signal, they held hands. Watching the monitor display Ran’s guiding level rise, Hosoo murmured, “They’re a good match.”
It hadn’t even been five minutes before he pressed the button for the next signal.
They had been told in advance there would be three rounds of direct guiding. The first was holding hands, the second an embrace. Apparently, the more surface area involved, the better.
Through the glass, Ho-eun watched the two embrace. Se-hee looked utterly bored, while Ran’s cheeks seemed faintly flushed.
The final signal sounded. Se-hee leaned forward and kissed Ran’s forehead.
“Wait… she’s a minor. Is that even allowed?”
“What? She kissed her on the forehead because she’s a minor. What are you, from the Joseon Dynasty or something?”
Hosoo scoffed at Ho-eun’s stunned reaction.
So wait, was he going to have to go that far with Do In-ho during his test, too?
He sneaked a glance at In-ho. It was impossible to tell what the guy was thinking. He never looked surprised, so who knew what was going on behind that blank expression.
Was this just normal for Espers?
Luckily, Se-hee and Ran’s test ended quickly. Se-hee came out stretching, while Ran touched her own forehead gingerly, face still flushed, and did a tiny hop as if overwhelmed.
“Next up—Ryu Yoon-jae and Kim Han-seul. Get ready.”
Like the first pair, they moved through the same guiding stages. The difference was that Se-hee and Ran had finished all three phases in under an hour, but Ryu Yoon-jae and Kim Han-seul took significantly longer.
“Why were you so quick to move Se-hee’s team through the steps but slower with Yoon-jae?” Ho-eun asked.
“The first pair had compatible wavelengths. The second doesn’t, so the guiding takes longer.”
“Wavelengths?”
“Even with the same kind of guiding, the efficiency depends on how well the Esper’s and Guide’s frequencies match. That compatibility is what we measure as ‘wavelength.’”
“Ah… like how drinking a milkshake is harder through a skinny straw versus a wider one?”
“That’s a weird analogy, but sure. Over there, Yoon-jae’s definitely struggling.”
Two hours passed before the second pair was done.
As the tension wore off and Ho-eun stretched his stiff shoulders, he realized it was finally his and Do In-ho’s turn.
As researchers attached strange equipment to his body, Ho-eun glanced over at Do In-ho.
He felt like he was the milkshake now.
Please, In-ho… drink through a wide straw.
BEEP
The first signal sounded.
They took each other’s hands.
Watching In-ho’s guiding level rise on the monitor, Hosoo stroked his chin.
Based on his analysis, their compatibility had to be at least 80%.
The percentage rose quickly through the first phase.
25%, 26%, 27%… before long, it reached 30%.
BEEP
Next was the hug.
Ho-eun, visibly awkward, stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Do In-ho.
Hosoo’s mind wandered.
He’d been ordered to fill In-ho’s guiding to 50% through direct guiding if missions arose—but no assignments had come in at all.
Were they intentionally trying to line up his overload date? Or was something else going on?
Either way, Hosoo didn’t think Ho-eun could push In-ho’s guiding level all the way to 50%.
Even for a seasoned veteran like Hosoo, guiding someone like Do In-ho was no easy feat.
With his massive capacity and control, In-ho was one-of-a-kind.
Hosoo had ended up with nosebleeds after prolonged guiding sessions with him. If Ho-eun were even A-rank, he’d probably be nosebleeding by the 50% mark too.
The second phase dragged on for nearly an hour.
Their level crawled upward, eventually reaching 40%.
Hosoo zoomed in on Ho-eun’s face via the CCTV feed.
There was some cold sweat, but he didn’t look like he was at his limit yet.
Finally, the third signal sounded.
Still embracing In-ho, Ho-eun hesitated for a long moment before gently pressed his lips to In-ho’s cheek.
Hosoo let out a mocking chuckle.
Seriously?
This kid’s too shy to even manage that—and he’s supposed to stop In-ho from overloading? But what was surprising…
Even as the guiding level climbed past 41%, Ho-eun’s breathing and vitals remained perfectly stable. He could really handle In-ho. Maybe this is what Hosoo had been like in his prime.
He flipped the mic switch on.
“Not the cheek. Do the lips.”
Guiding from a kiss on the cheek wasn’t breaking past 45%.
He needed to test if the issue was surface area—or if Ho-eun just couldn’t handle the rate at which In-ho absorbed guiding energy.
That 50% I joked about… Can you actually surpass it, Kwon Ho-eun?
Ho-eun said something to In-ho.
Unfortunately, the mic in the control room didn’t pick it up.
Lowering his head, then lifting it again with the nervousness of a kindergarten kid, he brushed his lips lightly against In-ho’s.
“Did he just… peck him?”
Hosoo muttered in disbelief.
Suddenly, a vibration buzzed from his phone.
The last time that happened, it had been a disciplinary summons. That reflexive sense of dread hit him again.
He picked up.
—Team Lead, you need to join an emergency meeting immediately.
“…Shit. What is it now?”
Just as expected, it wasn’t good news.
—It’s too long to explain over the phone—
“Then shorten it.”
—It’s about Do In-ho…
The voice crackled through the speaker.
At the same time, the machine displaying guiding levels beeped steadily.
Hosoo stared blankly at the screen.
51%. 52%. 53%.
The number kept rising fast.
Aside from his flushed cheeks, Ho-eun seemed completely fine.
He’d closed his eyes, maybe from embarrassment.
Do In-ho gazed at him with unreadable, shadowed eyes.
Wrong target. Hosoo muttered the words under his breath.
Espers were possessive toward their Guides.
But since Guides were so rare, most Espers learned to restrain those feelings—they had to, knowing they’d never truly “own” one.
That’s just how things worked. Unless you were twisted. But Do In-ho…
He had never known proper guiding.
He never had the chance to learn those boundaries.
As the guiding percentage climbed, something shifted in his gaze—something greedy, possessive.
He probably hadn’t even realized it himself. But should Hosoo really be leaving that unchecked?
—…They’ve given up.
“I’m on my way.”
Hosoo shoved the phone back into his pocket.
He wanted to observe Do In-ho a little longer, but the situation up top wasn’t giving him time.
The meter read 60%.
Was that even possible?
Even at his peak, Hosoo couldn’t push a Crystal Implant Esper’s guiding past 60% this fast. Some of it came down to poor compatibility.
Even so, finding a match like this for someone with an implanted crystal was unheard of. But Ho-eun had pulled it off.
“Test complete. We’ll contact you later with your results. Everyone’s dismissed.”
Hosoo’s voice came through the speaker.
Ho-eun pulled away and rubbed his bottom lip.
His face burned.
He’d kissed a guy. No—was it just a peck?
Whatever.
Still a guy…
They said gender didn’t matter for Guides. And he got what they meant, sure, but… still.
Ho-eun glanced at Do In-ho, who wore the same blank face as always.
Maybe it was because he was an Esper…? Still, wasn’t this a little too calm?
Normally, In-ho would’ve gone full dark-mode and muttered something like: Doing this with someone like me… If you were disgusted, I apologize.
But not a word.
In fact, the mood now felt even heavier than this morning.
“Ugh, it’s hot in here.”
He blurted it out just to break the awkwardness, but the silence only deepened.
Ahem.
Clearing his throat, Ho-eun hurried off to change.
