“Cha Jae-woo.”
“……”
“Let’s do some guiding~.”
Lim Haeyul’s beaming face was practically uncontrollable. Just one day—as Cha Jae-woo had instructed—the very next morning, he had shown up at Cha Jae-woo’s room.
He had slept well and eaten properly. Whether it was thanks to his naturally strong recovery ability or the effectiveness of the IV drip he’d been hooked up to, he wasn’t sure. Either way, the important thing was that he was feeling much better.
And so, he couldn’t delay any longer. Lim Haeyul had to guide Cha Jae-woo. It was for the sake of Cha Jae-woo, who had stubbornly refused to accept guiding from anyone else. Even if it meant hobbling all the way here on crutches, Lim Haeyul was determined.
“……”
Cha Jae-woo said nothing and simply stepped aside.
The moment a gap opened, Lim Haeyul quickly slipped inside. His armpits ached a little from using the crutches, but it didn’t matter—as long as he could move faster, it was worth it.
“Shall we begin?”
As soon as he settled onto the sofa tucked into a corner of Cha Jae-woo’s room, Lim Haeyul looked up at him with determined eyes. He was eager to check on Cha Jae-woo’s condition and even more desperate to start the guiding.
“Why are you so eager to guide me?”
Cha Jae-woo sat down on the sofa beside him and asked. It was a strange question.
“Because I’m a Guide?”
It was an answer that required no thought. Well, to be precise, it wasn’t just because he was a Guide.
“I’m worried about your condition, Cha Jae-woo.”
Before the accident, they had done guiding every day, but since then, they hadn’t been able to do it even once. Of course he would be worried. Especially since Cha Jae-woo had refused guiding from anyone else as well.
Lim Haeyul barely suppressed the laughter that threatened to spill out. Humans were such contradictory creatures. Even when life and death were on the line, he still found himself wanting to laugh.
“Worry about yourself.”
Cha Jae-woo scowled irritably.
‘He’s worried about me too, isn’t he?’
Lim Haeyul couldn’t help but interpret his words as concern.
Unable to hold back, he asked,
“Are you worried about me?”
His cheeks twitched uncontrollably. He was trying desperately to hold it in, but it wasn’t working.
“What are you grinning about?”
Cha Jae-woo said, sounding utterly baffled.
“I’m happy.”
Lim Haeyul was surprised at himself too—he hadn’t realized he could be this direct. He had assumed that, since he’d never dated anyone before, he would be terribly shy. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. Maybe it was just another side effect? He felt like he couldn’t stop himself from expressing his feelings.
‘Ah, right. It’s a side effect of the guiding…’
But before he could bask in the happiness of Cha Jae-woo’s concern, a bucket of cold water was metaphorically dumped over him. Was this really something to be happy about?
It wasn’t something worth being this happy over. Sure, growing closer to Cha Jae-woo as a person was fine, but that wasn’t the goal.
Here he was, celebrating a fleeting emotional reaction caused by a side effect that would eventually fade away. Wow, when he thought about it like that, it felt almost shameful.
“Anyway, shall we start the guiding?”
Deciding that it was only polite not to expect anything from the other person, Lim Haeyul quickly steered the conversation back to the main point.
Guiding was his job as a Guide, and he should simply focus on that. He decided not to assign any deeper meaning to the fact that Cha Jae-woo hadn’t sought another Guide. Even if it was a little late to come to that conclusion.
“You want to guide me? Even after throwing up blood, collapsing the moment we ran into each other, and being bedridden for a full two weeks?”
Cha Jae-woo asked him in a crooked tone.
“Ahem. I have to do my job. I’m fine now, after all.”
The way he asked, filled with concern, made Lim Haeyul clear his throat awkwardly.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t be too good to him.’
It felt nice that Cha Jae-woo was worried about him. Still, even though it seemed unlikely, if—just if—Cha Jae-woo were to somehow fall for him, not that he really thought that would happen, but just in case…
Lim Haeyul wouldn’t be able to take responsibility. He didn’t know how long the side effects of guiding would last, and there was no guarantee he would be guiding Cha Jae-woo for the rest of his life.
But what if Cha Jae-woo’s feelings became real, and then the side effects faded? Then Cha Jae-woo would be left stranded and alone.
It sounded ridiculous, but life was unpredictable. Lim Haeyul certainly hadn’t expected to become a Guide either. So being cautious couldn’t hurt. It was all for Cha Jae-woo’s sake.
“It’s my job. It’s fine.”
He cut off the conversation with a firm face—not out of concern for Cha Jae-woo, but simply because it was his duty. It felt a little harsh, but he didn’t bother elaborating.
“Give me your hand.”
Cha Jae-woo still looked reluctant, but he didn’t refuse. From the moment he let Lim Haeyul into his room, he must have already decided to accept guiding.
“Ah, but before that.”
Just as he reached out to grab Cha Jae-woo’s hand and close his eyes, a sudden thought made him speak up. Cha Jae-woo raised an eyebrow.
“Where’s my phone?”
He had been so sick he couldn’t even muster the strength to check it. He hadn’t been able to contact anyone to see if they were okay. Although, the housekeeper had told him everyone was safe, which was a relief.
“Took you long enough to ask.”
“I was sick……”
“Your phone got wrecked at the Gate.”
“Ugh……”
He had half-expected it, but it still stung a little. Cha Jae-woo had only recently bought him that brand-new phone.
“I’m bringing you a new one this afternoon anyway.”
“Really? Thank you!”
Since he first got a phone at twenty, he had kept using it even with the screen cracked—but now, in just a few months, he was getting a second replacement. It felt incredibly extravagant.
Well, it wasn’t like he was the one splurging. And honestly, his financial situation now could afford a bit of luxury. His bank account was still overflowing since he barely spent anything.
‘I should earn the money I’ve been given.’
He needed to guide Cha Jae-woo. The conclusion was always the same.
Lim Haeyul gently placed his hand over Cha Jae-woo’s. His fingers flinched slightly at how cold the other’s hand was, but he managed to interlace their fingers successfully. Then he covered their joined hands with his other hand.
“I’ll start guiding now.”
Closing his eyes, he pushed the mana, which had been swirling inside him, into Cha Jae-woo.
As the mana flowed into him, Cha Jae-woo’s hand gradually grew warmer. It probably wasn’t the mana, but rather the heat from Lim Haeyul’s unusually warm hands—but still, it wasn’t a bad feeling.
True to his earlier claims of not receiving any guiding lately, Cha Jae-woo’s condition was a mess. Seeing it stirred both a scolding thought and a pang of pity within Lim Haeyul.
What if he became completely addicted to Lim Haeyul’s guiding and ended up relying solely on him? Well, then he’d just have to deal with it. He would simply do his best.
It wasn’t really a difficult problem. Still, Lim Haeyul felt a bit sorry for him. It was bittersweet, knowing that if Cha Jae-woo’s feelings became genuine, they would be met only with a facade born from a side effect.
“……”
While Cha Jae-woo silently received the guiding, Lim Haeyul suppressed the sadness welling up inside him. He poured all his effort into the guiding. He always did, but today he put even more care into it.
Maybe that’s why—the guiding went even better than usual. No, even accounting for his effort, it felt like the process and the results were significantly smoother and faster today.
“Haa……”
Letting out a short breath, Lim Haeyul opened his eyes—and found Cha Jae-woo staring straight at him.
“I think… I did a better job this time, didn’t I?”
He could see with his own eyes that today’s guiding had been more effective than usual. The Black Mass was dissipating faster, and Cha Jae-woo’s condition was visibly more stable.
Still, Lim Haeyul asked. He was curious how Cha Jae-woo himself felt.
“You did.”
Cha Jae-woo replied without hesitation.
Today of all days, it was nearly impossible to keep the corners of his mouth from curling up. Lim Haeyul smiled brightly without realizing it and gave Cha Jae-woo’s hand a playful little shake, still holding on tightly.
“Wow, right? Right? What happened? My mana’s the same as always!”
His heart soared.
He had just decided he shouldn’t be too nice, yet here he was, holding Cha Jae-woo’s hand tightly, practically vibrating with excitement. Cha Jae-woo wasn’t showing any signs of resistance, so Lim Haeyul wasn’t even aware of how obvious he was being.
“How did my guiding improve? I thought I had already hit my limit! I really thought that was all I had, but what is this? How did this happen? I did everything the same as usual…”
His excitement spilled out without any filter.
Cha Jae-woo, who had been quietly listening, shook his head.
“No idea.”
It seemed even Cha Jae-woo had no clue why Lim Haeyul’s guiding had gotten better. Well, it made sense—everything about Lim Haeyul’s guiding was bizarre from start to finish. How could Cha Jae-woo possibly know the reason for something so unheard of?
“Maybe… it helped that I guided Jung Hyun-soo that day?”
After a moment of thought, Lim Haeyul offered a plausible explanation. When a person was put in an extreme situation, sometimes they unlocked hidden potential—just like in those superhero movies. Maybe his latent ability had been triggered too?
Still, Cha Jae-woo didn’t reply. It was a story too vague to easily agree or disagree with.
“But… a good thing’s a good thing, right?”
After all, you needed two hands to clap. Cha Jae-woo remained silent, and Lim Haeyul, feeling awkward flailing around on his own, quickly tried to wrap up the conversation.
“Well, the guiding’s done, so I’ll head back to my room now.”
But today, Cha Jae-woo seemed even stranger than usual—or was it just his imagination? He was usually taciturn, sure, but he didn’t stay this silent.
‘Maybe he’s feeling sick?’
Maybe the lack of guiding had caused headaches or something again. Well, now that he had received guiding, he should get better.
Convinced by his own reasoning, Lim Haeyul moved to stand up—at least, until Cha Jae-woo suddenly spoke.
“But… aren’t you curious?”
“…About what?”
“The people who got sucked into the Gate that day. What happened to them.”
The unexpected question made Lim Haeyul’s gaze waver. He hesitated before cautiously replying,
“…They’re all okay, right? The housekeeper… she said they were…”
He hadn’t asked about Kim Geon-ung and the others because he had trusted that Cha Jae-woo had resolved the situation. Plus, the housekeeper had reassured him that everyone was fine.
But now, with the way Cha Jae-woo phrased it, something felt off.
A tight, uncomfortable feeling settled heavily in his chest. Faces of those people flashed through his mind, and unease rose up sharply.
“…Why? What happened? Did something… did something happen?”
Cha Jae-woo’s sunken, heavy gaze locked onto him.
Lim Haeyul’s blood rushed through his veins, his vision spinning dizzyingly.
As cold sweat started to bead on his forehead, Cha Jae-woo just kept staring at him with those pitch-black eyes.
