“Cool your head a bit before you come back in.”
Bae Yeon-woo glanced at Ho-eun, who looked clearly down, then walked away. Left alone, Ho-eun sank onto the grass with a soft thud. Unlike the dense forest, this spot had no thick canopy, giving him a clear view of the sky.
Staring straight up at the vivid blue sky and bright sunlight, Ho-eun let out a bitter laugh.
“I miss Mom.”
He was twenty-five, and here he was, missing his mom. Even as he said it, it made him laugh.
Ho-eun raised an arm to shield his eyes from the sun. God, he really hated working here. Sure, it was something he’d have had to deal with eventually—but he’d never expected the word “Guide” to be part of the equation.
As he extended his arm toward the sky, rays of sunlight peeked between his fingers. The fluttery feeling he’d had that morning sank deep into the pit of his stomach. The time he’d spent confused over new emotions now felt wasted.
He should’ve been feeling fear—something as solid and fitting as “death” in a place like this cemetery—instead of trying to label some vague, amorphous emotion.
But the water was already spilled. Maybe it was the month he spent in a coma that dulled his sense of urgency.
That his life could be in danger—and that it wasn’t just his life but his family’s as well—was such an obvious truth, yet he had pushed it aside.
He wasn’t the only one who had to bear the weight of death. As he lowered his hand and turned his head, he noticed the cigarette Bae Yeon-woo had been holding lying on the ground. He could’ve sworn he saw him pocket it—must’ve missed.
Curious, Ho-eun put the cigarette between his lips, but since it hadn’t been lit, it had no taste.
Rustle.
At the sound of someone stepping on the grass, Ho-eun pushed himself halfway up. Someone was slowly making their way over from the forest trail.
Tall, well-built—the silhouette grew clearer as the figure approached.
It was Do In-ho.
“……”
He wondered how the hell Do In-ho had found him, but with the unlit cigarette still between his lips, he couldn’t ask. Do In-ho walked right up to him, then bent his knees to meet Ho-eun’s gaze as he sat on the grass.
He studied Ho-eun’s face slowly, like he was admiring a piece of art. His eyes drifted lower, finally stopping at the cigarette still tucked between Ho-eun’s lips.
A long, tense silence stretched between them.
“You planning to smoke that?”
The question was genuine. There was no judgment in his voice—just plain curiosity. Ho-eun, still chewing on the flavorless cigarette, shook his head. It was just a moment of curiosity, a distraction.
Do In-ho gently reached out his hand. His palm hovered just beneath Ho-eun’s chin. Ho-eun hesitated, then parted his lips.
The cigarette with faint bite marks dropped with a soft plop. Feeling like a kid caught doing something wrong, Ho-eun instinctively started to explain himself.
“I was just… frustrated. Thought maybe it’d help clear my head.”
“I can help with that.”
Ho-eun gave a sarcastic smile. Help with this? No one could. Who else could sort out a mess that was entirely his?
He was about to say he was fine and refuse when his words were swallowed by Do In-ho’s lips.
“Mm—!”
Do In-ho cupped Ho-eun’s face in his hands and gently captured the lips that had just held the cigarette. He bit down softly, like he was savoring the delicate texture, then coaxed out Ho-eun’s tongue and deepened the kiss, making a wet, quiet sound.
Ho-eun shut his eyes, unable to meet Do In-ho’s probing gaze, which seemed to see straight into his heart. He’d thought In-ho meant to ease his stress, but it turned out he was trying to erase his thoughts entirely. All that filled his mind now was the kiss. Nothing else.
A kiss in a cemetery. Just minutes ago, he was thinking about death, and now—this. It was the perfect eerie contrast.
The two of them clung together, lips devouring lips, as if unwilling to leave even the smallest space between them—until Ho-eun had to turn his head, breathless, to break the kiss. Panting, he glanced up to find Do In-ho looking at him with a curious gleam in his eye, lips glossy with spit.
“You can’t just kiss me out of nowhere like that!”
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, Ho-eun suddenly realized his own lips were just as wet and quickly covered them with his hand.
“Better than a cigarette, right?”
“What?”
“Doesn’t mess up your health. Clears your head. I did it for you… Sorry. This was the best solution I could come up with…”
“Ugh…”
It’d been a while since Ho-eun had seen In-ho like this—melancholy mode: ON. Watching him spiral like he was digging a hole in the ground, Ho-eun rubbed his face with both hands.
He didn’t understand how things got here, but the fact that he hadn’t stopped In-ho’s kiss or even flinched meant he clearly had his own issues.
Still, rather than let In-ho wallow in guilt, it felt more urgent to comfort him. Ho-eun reached out and gently hugged him, patting his back.
“It’s okay. Really. Thank you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Seriously. But, um… let’s save kissing for guiding, okay?”
Do In-ho looked briefly relieved, only for his face to fall again as his eyebrows drooped. Anyone who knew him would’ve been shocked—outside, he was all stoic and expressionless. But with Ho-eun, he showed everything.
“I’m sorry.”
Ho-eun thought the hug might’ve been enough to snap him out of it, but Do In-ho’s voice dropped even lower.
“After spending ten years alone… I don’t really know how to comfort people anymore.”
Ho-eun pulled back slightly to look at his face. His eyes were red. Do In-ho looked lost and confused—like a child completely overwhelmed.
“I thought kissing you would make you feel better. That’s why I did it…”
“Ah…”
“Did you not like it?”
“No, it’s not that.”
Even if he had hated it, there was no way Ho-eun could say that to someone who looked like they were about to cry. The kiss had shaken him—because it wasn’t about guiding. Espers might be different, but for a Guide like Ho-eun, physical touch wasn’t something you just did to feel better.
“Please don’t hate me.”
Ho-eun froze. A single tear fell down Do In-ho’s cheek.
Time seemed to stop.
The resolution he’d made—to think only of himself from now on—crumbled like a sandcastle beneath a wave.
He’d never heard the voice of a god, but seeing Do In-ho cry, it was like some divine voice shouted at him, “You’ll be damned if you leave him now.”
Do In-ho might be bigger than him physically, but inside, he was still small. Normally aloof, in this moment he seemed so utterly fragile it felt like Ho-eun had to protect him.
Ho-eun hesitated, hands fluttering between wiping the tears and retreating. Eventually, they landed gently on Do In-ho’s face. He kissed him lightly and stared straight into those tear-filled eyes.
“I don’t hate you.”
“……Was that a guiding kiss?”
“Hmm, no. That was to comfort you.”
Like he’d made up his mind, Ho-eun nodded twice, then leaned in again. Unlike the earlier kiss, this one lingered—his lips pressed warmly against Do In-ho’s for a long moment. His own confusion didn’t matter right now. What mattered was Do In-ho’s hurting heart.
“Let’s go. We’ve been slacking off too long.”
Feeling flushed, Ho-eun stood, brushing grass from his pants. Do In-ho touched his lips, where something soft had just been, and let out a crooked smile.
“By the way… how’d you even find me here?”
It was the question he’d had since spotting Do In-ho near the forest trail. Do In-ho stopped walking beside him.
“I saw you going into the woods when I passed by.”
His gaze lingered on Ho-eun’s neck. With that, he took a few long strides and closed the distance again.
“Guess it was a coincidence.”
Still dusting off his clothes, Ho-eun replied absentmindedly. His curiosity about how In-ho found him faded with that explanation. The Incheon branch was big, but the woods were near the park—it wasn’t impossible to bump into someone there.
Naturally, the two headed back to the main building. Only after they arrived did Ho-eun look puzzled and ask if In-ho was working here today. In-ho, smiling as if he hadn’t just been crying, shook his head.
“Just stopped by during fieldwork. I’ve got to head back out.”
“Oh really? Sorry. I feel like I wasted your time.”
“Not at all. You’re my priority. See you later.”
Ho-eun waved at Do In-ho as he walked off, but then his face suddenly stiffened like he’d forgotten something.
“Oh, right. The shoot…”
He flailed toward the empty air where Do In-ho had vanished without a trace, then slumped his shoulders.
Am I getting senile already?
He’d completely forgotten what he’d meant to say the moment he saw Do In-ho’s face.
Unlike the clear sky, the weather inside Ho-eun’s heart was shaping up to be stormy, with showers and lightning for the rest of the day.
***
Back in the office, Ho-eun submitted the family protection request paperwork just as Bae Yeon-woo had instructed.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s extremely rare for a Guide’s family to be targeted. The Association will keep them under 24-hour surveillance until the anti-government case wraps up.”
“Yes…”
Bae Yeon-woo, hovering nearby, cleared his throat and set a box down on Ho-eun’s desk. It was packed with snacks—sausages, hard-boiled eggs, sweet treats, even cookies.
“I heard you like to eat… Uh, it was just lying around, and I don’t eat this stuff, so it’s yours.”
But the pristine box looked more like it had come straight off a supermarket shelf. As Ho-eun stared at it, Bae Yeon-woo followed his gaze—and spotted a receipt he hadn’t removed. He quickly snatched it out.
“I’m gonna train you into the toughest D-rank Guide out there. So get ready.”
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Bae Yeon-woo hurried back to his seat.
Ho-eun unwrapped a lollipop and popped it in his mouth. A burst of lemon filled his cheeks. Rolling the candy around with a smile, he quietly laughed to himself.
At first glance, Bae Yeon-woo seemed similar to Hosoo—same rough tone, similar attitude—but as time went on, Ho-eun realized they were nothing alike.
Hosoo might talk rough but had the face of a saint. Bae Yeon-woo, on the other hand, had a foul mouth and a fierce expression. And while Hosoo wanted people to praise him for his kindness, Bae Yeon-woo looked like he couldn’t stand that kind of attention.
Placing the box inside his desk helped lift the gloom clouding his mood—if only a little.
He gathered the mess of documents he’d left behind in his rush and took a deep breath. It was a habit of his—something he always did before getting serious.
Today, he’d set aside his parents’ worries for now and focus entirely on Kwon Ho-eun. If they could take down the anti-government group before they struck civilians, it’d all be fine.
Time to prove just how effective the perfect bait could be. He replied to the message from the chief of staff.
Once he finished reviewing the messages and the handover notes, Ho-eun headed over to Bae Yeon-woo’s desk. Just in time for lunch.
“Assistant Manager, want to grab lunch?”
“Yeah. We’ve got some physical stuff this afternoon, so let’s go get meat. I know a place with killer boiled pork.”
Seeing Ho-eun back to his usual self, Bae Yeon-woo let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He’d only snapped at him because he seemed too lax, like a typical modern kid, but the reaction he got had been way more intense than expected. He’d worried Ho-eun might ask to be transferred to a desk job after this mission.
He was going to make sure today’s lunch reminded him—being out in the field wasn’t so bad.
