When I saw the caller ID, a giant question mark popped up over my head.
Why the hell is this guy calling me?
People might say I was being cold, but I was genuinely baffled.
I’d never once had a private phone conversation with any of the Secreti members.
Not even a single text.
Since we all lived in the company-provided dorms and saw each other every day, unless we had overlapping schedules, there was no reason—or interest—for any interaction outside of work.
So why now…?
I was honestly curious.
Secreti had started getting a bit of recognition lately, sure, but their overall popularity was still nowhere near that of top-tier idol groups.
It’s not like going home alone was a big deal either. I just told him to head out first.
Did he leave something at the ability testing center?
If it wasn’t for something like that, there was no reason Ra Ho-yeon would ever call me.
“Je-ha. Mind if I take this call real quick?”
Je-ha glanced at my phone.
“…Is it one of the Espers from the testing center earlier?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah.”
“Then answer it already. Looks like he’s calling because he’s worried about you.”
Did I just see a flicker of something ominous pass through Je-ha’s eyes?
Nah, no way.
I’d just finished guiding him with mucosal contact to lower his corrosion levels. If corrosion was a 100-point scale, I’d helped him drop it to somewhere around 20–25. That reaction had to be my imagination.
“What are you even talking about? We’re not close like that. You should’ve seen how they treated me when I first woke up.”
Shrugging it off like it was no big deal, I answered the call thinking it was just some small errand.
“Hello?”
The moment I picked up, I thought my eardrum was going to explode.
—Yeon Yu-jin, seriously. What the hell are you doing? Why didn’t you answer your phone? Do you have any idea how worried the manager and the rest of us were? Some crazy bastard broke into the examination room just now—we almost got killed! That psycho might still be lurking around, and you’re just wandering off by yourself when you’re not even an Esper? What could possibly be so urgent that you had to run off? Did it even cross your mind that people were waiting on you?!
“Ugh.”
Turns out this was the real storm of nagging.
“Why are you yelling at me?”
It’s not like we were close or anything.
I replied coolly, and Ra Ho-yeon let out a deep sigh.
—Haa… whatever. As long as nothing happened to you.
“Were you actually…worried about me?”
I tossed the question out, fully expecting a “hell no” or something sarcastic.
But Ra Ho-yeon was silent for a while before finally answering.
—…Yeah.
“…What?”
I was more shocked by his reply than anything. There was genuine warmth in that short, quiet answer.
What the hell? Why is this dude suddenly acting all sweet? He didn’t pop a pill or something, did he?
No, that couldn’t be it. Ra Ho-yeon struck me as the hyper-disciplined type—the team leader and oldest member who’d never touch anything shady.
Then why the hell is he acting like this?
Just a short while ago, he’d treated me like I was worse than a bug on the sidewalk, or a pebble not even worth kicking.
Sure, he’s changed a bit recently… but I thought it was all just professional courtesy.
He’d started looking out for “Yeon Yu-jin,” the member who always got left out of schedules.
Maybe those shared dungeon runs had sparked some kind of battlefield camaraderie?
While I was still caught in the whirlwind of my own thoughts, Ra Ho-yeon quietly added:
—It’s not like we’re total strangers. We’re in the same group, after all. We’re allowed to worry about you.
“Well… yeah, I guess.”
—So get back to the dorm already. We’re waiting.
It was such a reasonable thing to say, but for some reason, it sent shivers down my spine like I’d heard something totally uncalled for.
It felt like the eldest chick in a clutch was scolding the younger ones for staying out past curfew.
Ugh, gross. What kind of weird thought is that?
Still baffled, I found myself answering him like a well-behaved kid.
“…Okay. I’ll be back soon.”
—Alright.
The call ended.
How many times did they even try calling?
Curious, I checked my call log—holy crap. Over 50 missed calls.
And it wasn’t just Ra Ho-yeon. The other members had called too, one after another, like they were each trying to meet their own contact quota.
“It’s not like I’m a lost child wandering around the market…”
Even if something had happened, unless someone literally tried to kill me, I wasn’t the type to die so easily. These guys were seriously weird.
To an outsider, they’d probably look like a bunch of Espers suffering from Guide Dependency Syndrome.
Anyway, it seemed like I needed to head back soon, so I looked toward Je-ha, who smiled gently.
“Heading back?”
“Yeah. Sorry, I wanted to talk more, but I don’t think I can.”
“It’s okay. If you’re planning to keep living as ‘Yeon Yu-jin,’ I figured this would happen.”
“Ah, right. Before I forget—give me your number. Looked like you were using a burner phone to contact your team earlier.”
When I held out my phone, Je-ha instead tried to hand me his own.
“You can just take this one.”
“Dude, what are you saying? That thing’s got all your team’s contacts and god knows what else saved on it. If someone finds out, that’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“I trust you. That’s why it’s fine.”
His pale blue eyes curved gently, and for a moment I felt choked up.
Even though our bond had been severed, that unwavering trust still came through—and it made me happy.
Je-ha straightened up my disheveled collar with a smile.
“Back then and now… you’re still my one and only precious partner.”
“…Still, let’s not go overboard. Just give me the number.”
“Okay, okay.”
Obediently, Je-ha keyed in the number of the phone he used to contact his allies.
He didn’t save the name, just labeled it as “Friend.” That small gesture hit me harder than I expected.
“Call me anytime you need to.”
“You too. Oh—wait.”
“What is it?”
“I’m stuck looking after a bunch of rookie Espers right now, so… don’t be stubborn about only using me for guiding. Find someone with good compatibility, even temporarily. If you keep pushing yourself, your corrosion’s just gonna get worse again.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“Hey.”
“I don’t care. I’m not budging on this, Ga-hyun.”
“…You’ll really die at this rate, you know?”
“If I do, I’ll just show up in front of you again like I did today. You won’t ignore me, right?”
…He wasn’t wrong. But something about Je-ha felt a little different from the guy I used to know.
Twenty years was a long time.
“…Anyway, fine. Just don’t die.”
“Got it.”
“Then… see you.”
I turned to go, but Je-ha reached out and stopped me.
“Can I… walk you back myself?”
“I was just gonna grab a cab.”
“I’d rather be the one to take you home. I used an invisibility artifact, and you know my ability is Telekinesis.”
“The ride’s gonna suck though…”
“You’ve been on it plenty of times. I’m good at what I do.”
If it looked like he was batting his eyes at me, practically begging with a sparkle in his gaze… was I losing my mind?
I gave in with a reluctant nod.
“…Alright. But just this once.”
***
The trip back to the dorms was quick—thanks to Je-ha’s Telekinesis while holding me in his arms.
He insisted on carrying me, too.
Considering how skilled he was with his ability, he probably could’ve floated me along like some anime protagonist walking on air, but he claimed that would divide his focus and slow us down. So I let him carry me.
Je-ha’s arms were strong and warm. The body of someone who never skipped a single day of training.
I had a pretty toned body myself, if not quite like his…
But now, feeling the slim, soft body of Yeon Yu-jin—so much smaller than my original self—I couldn’t help but feel depressed.
Back when I trained Guides, I could usually tell from experience, and Yu-jin’s body didn’t seem like the type that built muscle easily. That made it even worse.
Still, just surviving was a miracle.
I guess people are never satisfied. As I went from sulking to smiling, Je-ha asked,
“What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing. Just… this body’s so pathetic. I look like a toothpick.”
“You’re wrong. No matter what body you’re in, the fact that you’re strong doesn’t change.”
“…God, who’s the real monster here? Still, thanks for the flattery.”
“It’s not flattery. I mean it.”
“Aww. You’re such a sweetheart.”
Once we arrived, Je-ha set me down and stared at the dorm building like he was trying to etch it into his memory.
“…What is it?”
“I just want to remember it. So I can come find you later.”
“That’s… probably not a good idea. For either of us.”
Partly because I’m an idol, but mostly because Je-ha’s a fugitive.
The chickling Espers inside might not have officially partnered with me, but they could still vaguely sense the presence of another Esper.
“They’re just rookie Espers, and we’re not formally partnered, but still… it’d be more respectful to meet somewhere else if we want to see each other—”
“If you’re not official partners, isn’t it fine?”
“Huh?”
“It’s not like you’re cheating on anyone.”
