What special reason could he possibly give?
I’m not entirely sure, but… I think it’s because I owe you my life. That might be why. Honestly, I didn’t even think about it yesterday. The moment I saw you collapse, my body just moved on its own.
That was far too personal a reason for a partner he met through work—or even for a member of his team—to say out loud. As a Pair Guide assigned to him through official duties, it almost felt like grounds for disqualification.
Guides were thoroughly trained to separate the personal from the professional—one of the most fundamental and essential principles of their job.
Even from an objective standpoint, his actions yesterday had been reckless. That’s probably why Yoo Ji-ho was being even colder and more scolding than usual. As his superior, as his team leader, as his senior.
If only he could come up with a better excuse—anything, really. Hye-seong lowered his gaze to the floor. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t come up with anything suitable to say.
“……I’m sorry.”
He really didn’t want to disappoint him. To Baek Hye-seong, getting fired for displeasing the Center was nothing compared to getting fired for disappointing Yoo Ji-ho. That was a far worse fate.
“I’m not asking for an apology. I’m saying let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“…….”
“You’re still here… which means we’ll be seeing each other again, right?”
Yoo Ji-ho’s eyes carried a trace of amusement as he said that.
Hye-seong locked eyes with him again, silently asking, “So… I’m not fired?”
“There must be something you learned from all this. If you’ve learned something, then stop overworking yourself. Take care of your body.”
With a small chuckle, Yoo Ji-ho turned his attention back to his meal. His bowl was already nearly empty. Meanwhile, across from him, Hye-seong was still stirring his untouched porridge, eyes flicking about.
We’ll be seeing each other again, he’d said.
And he told him not to work too hard. To take care of himself.
“But… I mean…”
“But, I mean.” It was the kind of phrase that wedged itself into a closing door, forcing it back open. Hye-seong mumbled while aimlessly stirring the porridge he hadn’t taken a bite of.
“If you’d just accepted proper Guiding in the first place, none of this would’ve happened…”
“I went out of my way to chase after you, you know.” He muttered the last part, stealing a glance at Yoo Ji-ho—only to see the man looking back at him like he’d just been hit by a truck.
“Stop overdoing it. Take care of your health.”
To Hye-seong, those words were utterly absurd. He had become Yoo Ji-ho’s Guide—how could he not give it his all? There was no way he could hold back.
Even now, his body didn’t feel right. He’d had no strength in his hands for a while now, barely managing to hold up his spoon. But not once had the thought of resting crossed his mind.
“If I’m going to take care of my body, I should work harder on your Guiding so this doesn’t happen again, right?”
His tone was bold, but it was his first time talking back to a superior, so his voice trembled slightly. Still, at least when it came to this particular issue, Hye-seong always became someone else entirely.
“So… if you don’t want me pushing myself too hard, maybe try accepting my Guiding properly for once…”
“Haaaah.”
Yoo Ji-ho suddenly let out a deep sigh and pressed his fingers to his forehead, as if in the throes of a headache. Hye-seong’s eyes widened.
“Yoo Ji-ho! Are you okay? …Ugh!”
Startled, Hye-seong shot up from his seat—only to immediately collapse back into it. The dizziness hit him like a wave.
Groaning, Baek Hye-seong slumped forward and let his head fall onto the table, carefully avoiding the bowl of porridge. Across from him, Yoo Ji-ho stared down at him in silence.
“Urrrrgh…”
“…….”
This was Yoo Ji-ho’s current predicament.
The person in front of him was someone he shouldn’t be getting angry with. And yet, that very person was being so utterly ridiculous that he didn’t even know what to do.
A moment later, Hye-seong slowly lifted his head. Still dizzy, he kept his eyes closed and tried to catch his breath for a long while.
With arms crossed, Yoo Ji-ho simply watched him.
It was only now, as he stared at the pale face across from him, that he truly registered the Guide’s condition. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes, and his lips—usually plump and pink—had lost their color.
Who’s supposed to be worried about who, here?
Yoo Ji-ho exhaled slowly and dragged his hand down his face. His headache was getting worse. Literally.
While he struggled to suppress the mess of thoughts swirling in his head, Hye-seong—who had finally opened his eyes—zeroed in on him again.
What entered his clearing vision first was Yoo Ji-ho massaging his temples with tight, repetitive pressure. The words slipped out before he could stop them.
“……See? This is what happens when you don’t get Guided properly. Headaches.”
“……!”
Yoo Ji-ho was so shocked, he immediately clamped a hand over his mouth—afraid of what might come out next. Eyes wide, he couldn’t take them off Hye-seong.
To Hye-seong, however, that gesture read a little differently.
“A-Are you feeling nauseous too? I mean, maybe…”
“Ha. That’s enough.”
“…….”
“Let’s just stop talking and finish the meal.”
Right. He had told him to take care of himself. Snapping his mouth shut, Hye-seong cast a few cautious glances and picked up his spoon again.
“Understood…”
He slowly began eating his porridge, but his mind was anything but calm.
It was a relief he hadn’t been fired, but then what now? Was he supposed to keep chasing after Yoo Ji-ho like before?
Lately, he’d been pouring his heart into every day, but even now, when he’d been entrusted with a major responsibility, he felt helpless—unable to do anything at all. It left him frustrated and powerless.
Yesterday, unable to bear it anymore, he’d even gone to request a private meeting with Director Shin—just so he could follow Yoo Ji-ho more effectively.
“Haha, so you actually planned to follow him around? Him? Bold move, but come on—how would that ever work?”
“Ah, well… actually, I already have been. For a few days now. He just… won’t meet with me. Must be really busy these days…”
“Hmm…?”
“It’s been a few days, but he won’t see me. I guess he’s just swamped lately…”
“He’s not seeing you, huh? …That’s it?”
Hye-seong had answered meekly with a nod. Director Shin, eyes soft with pity, averted his gaze from Hye-seong’s downcast expression.
“Well, I mean… he’s always crazy busy. He’s got something going on these days—I guess it’s that.”
“Wait, what’s he doing? He’s not overworking himself, is he?”
“That’s… classified.”
“Ah. Classified…”
But as far as Hye-seong knew, the Gates had been quiet lately. Which was why he’d worked up the courage to get to the point.
“Then… would it be possible for me to get a copy of Yoo Ji-ho’s schedule? Not the classified parts—just any open slots. I only need to know when he might be free.”
“Ah… Yeah, I don’t think that’s possible. Whoa. But… damn, you’re serious about this, huh?”
“Pardon?”
Director Shin looked briefly conflicted, then leaned forward and said in a serious tone:
“So… listen, Hye-seong. If he’s really not doing well physically, and you keep cliiiiiiinging to him like this… he might get a tiiiiny bit aggressive, okay? You should know that.”
“Got it.”
“I warned you. Don’t you dare act shocked or devastated, alright? That’s not who he is. Just think, ‘Wow, he must really be struggling. Poor guy.’ Okay? Understand?”
“I’d never be disappointed in Yoo Ji-ho. But thank you for your concern.”
“……”
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Enjoy your meal, Director!”
With a polite bow, Hye-seong had exited the Director’s Office. “Don’t be disappointed in him,” huh? That was a pretty odd thing to worry about, he’d thought.
All he felt was sadness that he hadn’t been able to get Yoo Ji-ho’s schedule.
Well, yeah. I guess that’s not the kind of thing they’d just hand over to someone like me…
The thought resurfaced now, weighing heavy on his heart.
But at the same time, he had a bright idea. Something that didn’t require access to Yoo Ji-ho’s schedule—but could still let him offer regular Guiding.
“Hey, Yoo Ji-ho.”
Hye-seong spoke up cautiously.
“If you don’t mind… how about I come here every morning?”
“……What?”
“Think about it. There’s no real need for you to go to the office, right? Just managing your condition is already a huge responsibility. So instead of you having to move around, wouldn’t it make more sense for me to come here instead?”
“……”
Yoo Ji-ho, frozen like ice, was trying to hold onto his last shred of rationality. Honestly, screw later—at this point, he was ready to agree to anything if it meant this guy would just disappear right now. He forced his lips into a polite smile and clumsily mimicked the techniques he’d learned from Director Shin.
“Why on earth would you even think of… I mean… come up with something like that…”
“Well, I hadn’t thought about it before, but this place seems perfect. Actually, while I was waiting for you the past few days, I ran a few analyses in my spare time…”
Suddenly, Baek Hye-seong adjusted his grip on his spoon.
“My initial analysis started with the issue of inefficiency caused by the rank disparity between us. To maximize Guiding efficiency, there are several factors—psychological conditions, surrounding environment, contact surface area, mucosal interaction, and so on. Among those…”
And right then and there, in front of the breakfast table, he began a calm, detailed briefing.
