Lim Haeyul thought that guiding would bring Cha Jae-woo back to his senses, but unfortunately, it was a mistake. Cha Jae-woo lost consciousness soon after the guiding began. It seemed as if he had fallen asleep.
However, since Cha Jae-woo could no longer exert any force, moving him became easier. With the help of a few men, including the driver, they quickly cleaned Cha Jae-woo’s body and placed him on the bed.
Until then, Lim Haeyul had been watching them from Cha Jae-woo’s room, waiting to resume the guiding. His assumption was correct. He felt the guiding process becoming faster and more effective as their skin touched. Cha Jae-woo’s clothes were removed to apply this finding properly. Lim Haeyul had already taken off his clothes.
As soon as the people who had safely placed Cha Jae-woo on the bed left, Lim Haeyul closed the door. He felt inexplicably guilty, even though he wasn’t doing anything wrong. He swallowed hard, but there was no time to hesitate.
“When you wake up, you’ll have to explain why this happened,” Lim Haeyul said, embracing the motionless Cha Jae-woo and lying down with him. Under the blanket, an unfamiliar sensation washed over him. The feeling of skin against skin was more embarrassing and awkward than he had imagined.
However, Cha Jae-woo’s body was too cold. Lim Haeyul gritted his teeth and pushed all his remaining mana into Cha Jae-woo as their bodies fully overlapped.
“Ah, ugh…” Lim Haeyul groaned.
He struggled to control the mana, which surged like a tidal wave. Soon, he could see Cha Jae-woo’s distorted and shattered frequency. It was grotesque and repulsive.
Although it was similarly distorted, it felt completely different from when they had returned from the gate. Lim Haeyul was sure that something else had happened, unrelated to the gate.
He bit his lip until it bled, enduring the harsh frequency. He knew he was clinging to Cha Jae-woo more tightly but didn’t care. Cha Jae-woo was unconscious, and Lim Haeyul’s priority was to stabilize him quickly. Even if Cha Jae-woo woke up, Lim Haeyul had plenty of excuses ready.
“Huh…” Lim Haeyul sighed in relief.
Fortunately, the effect was much better than he had expected. The sharp frequency, which had felt like it could cut him, began to stabilize rapidly.
Whether it was due to the more intimate skin contact or the unique distortion of Cha Jae-woo’s frequency, Lim Haeyul didn’t know. What mattered was that Cha Jae-woo’s frequency was returning to normal.
“Phew, haa…” Lim Haeyul gasped, his vision darkening as he finally relaxed. His body was drenched in cold sweat, and the world seemed to spin.
“Ha, ha…” He laughed weakly.
It had been incredibly challenging, but he had succeeded. The absurdity of being entwined with an unconscious person’s body hit him, and he laughed again.
Well, it had been consensual, and the results were good, so it didn’t matter. Lim Haeyul finally let out a long sigh.
Would he have to do this every time from now on? He glanced down and quickly shook his head. The sight of their bodies pressed together made him blush deeply. He decided that this method was too dangerous for him. He would only do it in emergencies, like today. Daily guiding like this was too much for him to handle.
Once again, Lim Haeyul made a decision without consulting Cha Jae-woo. He had no choice. Guiding depended on the guide’s feelings, and he couldn’t risk pushing himself too far.
If Cha Jae-woo had been conscious… Lim Haeyul shuddered at the thought. It was too embarrassing to imagine.
With the guiding finished, Lim Haeyul had a moment to relax and let his mind wander. He lay on his side, looking at Cha Jae-woo’s face. Earlier, it had been slightly furrowed, but now it seemed peaceful, perhaps due to the stabilized frequency.
“It’s all thanks to me, you know?” Lim Haeyul whispered, gazing at Cha Jae-woo. Since Cha Jae-woo was unconscious, Lim Haeyul felt free to say whatever he wanted. He chuckled to himself at the lack of response.
‘I’ll ask him tomorrow,’ Lim Haeyul thought. He needed to find out what had happened. If Cha Jae-woo brushed it off as nothing, Lim Haeyul planned to press him for an explanation about the sudden distortion in his frequency. He wanted to ensure this wouldn’t happen again.
“Haam…” Lim Haeyul yawned. It was late, and he had expended all his mental energy. He felt sleep creeping up on him.
This was a rare opportunity to gaze at Cha Jae-woo’s face up close, and Lim Haeyul wanted to savor it. However, he soon sat up in bed, knowing that falling asleep here would lead to an awkward situation.
“Uh, huh?” But as Lim Haeyul tried to get out of bed, he found himself unable to move. Just as he was about to slip away from Cha Jae-woo’s embrace, Cha Jae-woo suddenly wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him back in.
Startled, Lim Haeyul found himself once again in Cha Jae-woo’s arms. Cha Jae-woo’s eyes, which had been closed, slowly opened. His dark pupils were inches away, making Lim Haeyul’s heart race. He stammered, “Y-you’re awake?”
“…….” Cha Jae-woo said nothing, his expression blank.
“I, uh, I was just finishing the guiding and about to leave,” Lim Haeyul explained, his voice shaking. His heart was pounding, and he felt flustered by the closeness and the intense look in Cha Jae-woo’s eyes. The firmness of Cha Jae-woo’s arm around him didn’t help.
‘What do I do? What if he gets the wrong idea?’ Lim Haeyul’s mind raced with worries.
“S-since the guiding is done, if you let go… I can go… You should rest…” Lim Haeyul struggled to free himself, but it was like being caught in a trap; the more he moved, the deeper he seemed to sink into Cha Jae-woo’s embrace.
Instead of letting go, Cha Jae-woo pulled him even closer. Lim Haeyul could feel Cha Jae-woo’s breath on his face, and he froze, afraid that any movement might bring his lips into contact with Cha Jae-woo’s skin.
Cha Jae-woo’s face remained impassive. His other hand reached up to grasp the back of Lim Haeyul’s neck, pulling him even closer.
“Ah…” Lim Haeyul let out a soft gasp, his body tense. Cha Jae-woo’s eyes were empty, reflecting Lim Haeyul’s own anxious face. For a long moment, Cha Jae-woo didn’t move, and the silence was deafening.
Lim Haeyul couldn’t look away, his body rigid with tension. He felt like a small animal playing dead in front of a predator. But he couldn’t keep still for long. His body twitched with nervous energy, and suddenly, Cha Jae-woo’s eyes flashed. In an instant, Cha Jae-woo’s lips were on his, and Lim Haeyul’s mind went blank.
* * *
Cha Jae-woo slowly opened his eyes, feeling an unusual heaviness in his eyelids and a slight headache. He recognized his surroundings but felt irritated and uncomfortable. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind, but the discomfort persisted.
Looking down, he saw Lim Haeyul in his arms, wrapped in a blanket. It was clear that Lim Haeyul was not wearing a shirt. Cha Jae-woo’s eyebrows twitched in surprise. ‘Did we do guiding?’ he wondered.
He remembered Lim Haeyul suggesting they try guiding without clothes, and he had agreed. His body felt stable, confirming that the guiding had been successful. But he couldn’t remember how he got home or why Lim Haeyul was still in his bed.
Cha Jae-woo tried to piece together the events of the previous day, but his memory was blank. He vaguely recalled meeting someone, but the details were fuzzy. He couldn’t understand why Lim Haeyul was still there. Guiding required constant focus, so it was unusual for a guide to fall asleep during the process.
Cha Jae-woo frowned, puzzled by the situation. He had never heard of a guide falling asleep while guiding.
Cha Jae-woo couldn’t imagine that Lim Haeyul would use some excuse about side effects to stay. Lim Haeyul wasn’t the cunning type. He had never shown any interest in pursuing a relationship with Cha Jae-woo; his only passion was for guiding.
So, if the situation had turned out this way, the fault likely lay with Cha Jae-woo himself.
“Ugh…”
As if sensing that Cha Jae-woo was awake, Lim Haeyul began to stir. He wriggled around, seemingly uncomfortable in the tightly wrapped blanket. Cha Jae-woo reached out to pull the blanket off him.
But as he tugged at the blanket, Lim Haeyul’s eyes flew open. “N-no!” he exclaimed, clutching the blanket tightly. It was quite an energetic morning greeting.
