“Curry. It won’t take long. Is there anything you can’t eat?”
“No, not really…”
Ha… Letting out a sigh like air deflating from a punctured lung, Do In-ho ran a hand through his hair. He never imagined something like this.
“Huh? Did you just laugh at me?”
“No, not at all. Me? Laugh? Of course not.”
“Pfft. It’s fine even if you did. We just need to be together for broadcast guiding, right? So I thought it’d be nice to spend that time doing something a little different.”
With both cheeks flushed, Ho-eun smiled. He was just as nervous. Using chopping carrots as an excuse, he lowered his head to hide his blushing face.
His initial guiding measurement score had been the lowest among the three interns. Since Do In-ho was known to consume a lot of guiding energy, Ho-eun had agonized over how long they’d need to be together. In this bare, TV-less home of Do In-ho’s, what on earth could they even do?
So he came up with a strategy: bond over a meal. After all, people feel better when there’s food in front of them—that was the simple logic.
Ttak, ttak, ttak
As Ho-eun quietly chopped carrots, Do In-ho loomed nearby, his large frame circling around him.
“Do In-ho, could you peel the onions for me?”
“Y-Yes!”
Given a task at last, Do In-ho turned on the faucet and stood beside Ho-eun. Unable to stay idle, he happily helped. Working together, the two of them swiftly finished preparing dinner.
Ho-eun carefully plated the curry in the dishes he brought, and Do In-ho took them and set them on the table.
“Thanks for the meal.”
“Thanks for the food.”
As soon as Do In-ho took his first bite, Ho-eun looked at him with eyes full of anticipation.
“Good, right?”
With his mouth still full, Do In-ho simply nodded in response instead of speaking. His silence was answer enough.
Ho-eun’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
“Do you know where Korean jeong comes from, Do In-ho?”
“?”
“From food. In Korea, jeong equals a meal! So I’m giving you some jeong right now.”
“Oh…”
“But this jeong isn’t sympathy or pity or anything like that. The more I get to know you, the more I want to look out for you and take care of you. I don’t know why. I’m an only child, so I don’t even have a younger sibling. Is this what having one would feel like? What about you, Do In-ho—do you have any family?”
“I’m not really sure. My memories are kind of hazy.”
“Ah, hmm. Then how about we be brothers? I mean, we’re coworkers, but we’re not in the same department or anything. It’s good to have someone to rely on, right? You’ll have a big brother who cooks you tasty meals.”
“If you’re okay with a little brother like me…”
“Someone like you, Do In-ho, is exactly the kind of little brother I’d want to dote on. Then call me ‘Hyung.’ I’ll start calling you ‘In-ho,’ too. Let’s drop the formalities!”
“…L-Let’s save that for later, maybe.”
“Hmm. Yeah, some people do have a hard time with that at first. We’ll drop the honorifics once you’re comfortable.”
“Got it.”
“Good, In-ho.”
Ho-eun let out a soft chuckle. Do In-ho raised his spoon, listening to the sound of that laugh.
Would there come a time, someday, when he could speak informally with ease? Would he even have that kind of time ahead of him?
A wave of melancholy swept over Do In-ho.
The clinking of dishes echoed between them as Ho-eun took the lead in making conversation. Something about the flow of it reminded Do In-ho of the last time he’d eaten cake—with the same unexpected comfort.
Was it the emotional stability from the broadcast guiding? Or was it that jeong Ho-eun had mentioned earlier?
“Now that I think about it, that flower…?”
Noticing the bloom he’d left on the table from his pocket, Do In-ho spoke up first for the first time.
“It’s for practice,” Ho-eun replied, gazing at the fully bloomed flower.
“A hands-on guiding assignment. I figured if I want it to last until tomorrow, I’ll need to keep broadcasting guiding energy into it.”
As he spoke, Ho-eun’s guide watch vibrated.
A notification: Do In-ho’s guiding level had reached 20%.
Letting out a relieved sigh, Ho-eun smiled. Thank goodness. Feeling a little lighter, he continued his meal.
The two had dinner together again the next night. A vase, one they hadn’t seen before, now sat on the table.
It was empty, but Ho-eun immediately guessed its purpose and placed five fresh flowers into it.
The next day, his assignment had increased from one flower to five.
And the day after that, the same pattern continued—like it was routine, like it had always been that way, the two of them eating dinner together as if it were a given.
The third dinner.
A small bouquet sat in the vase, and the rhythmic sound of Ho-eun’s knife slicing vegetables filled the kitchen.
The once-quiet home of Do In-ho had grown noisy every evening.
The clatter of cooking, the sound of relaxed conversation.
Helping out in the kitchen, Do In-ho turned his eyes toward the flowers on the table.
There were so many now, the scent hit you just by standing nearby. As he leaned in to smell them, Do In-ho quietly broke off a single bloom without Ho-eun noticing.
But where the flower had been broken, a new one quickly bloomed.
The flower in Do In-ho’s hand wilted in an instant.
“Tomorrow… is the day for direct guiding.”
“Now that you mention it. Aren’t you usually super busy? I guess you haven’t had a chance to do direct guiding ‘cause you haven’t had any missions.”
At Ho-eun’s comment, Do In-ho nodded slowly, still toying with the withered flower.
Whatever those people who were after his Ability Core were thinking, since receiving broadcast guiding from Ho-eun, he hadn’t had a single assignment.
Not even a repeat of the earlier orders to use guiding consumption for training.
It felt like staring at a clear sky before a storm.
“I hope things stay quiet through the weekend. There’s a bunch of places I want to go with you if we’re allowed to leave.”
“……”
Do In-ho bit down on the reply that almost escaped his lips. He’d nearly said he was looking forward to it.
There’s no point in getting your hopes up.
A calendar lay on the living room table.
Looking at the date marked for his overload, Do In-ho closed his eyes.
July 30th.
The day he would officially turn 20.
You won’t be by my side that day, will you?
He glanced at Ho-eun, who was staring at his phone.
“Look at this. There’s a crepe dessert café, too.”
Do In-ho quickly averted his gaze before he got caught staring.
***
Friday morning arrived.
Ho-eun woke up with a strange feeling in his chest.
After the past few days of growing closer to Do In-ho over dinner, he couldn’t figure out why In-ho had seemed so down last night.
Did I say something wrong…?
He’d hoped the string of warm meals would naturally lead to wanting more.
But maybe he’d been the only one enjoying it.
What if In-ho hadn’t liked the food at all?
The atmosphere, once soft and gentle, had suddenly soured.
Surely In-ho wouldn’t bail on him as a partner today… right?
Brushing aside needless worries, Ho-eun got ready for work.
When he stepped outside, Do In-ho was already waiting—with a stiff expression.
So it hadn’t just been in Ho-eun’s head.
The icy air between them made sweat bead on his palms.
Ho-eun scrutinized him closely.
What’s with the frozen face?
He wanted to ask outright, but from what he’d seen so far, In-ho wasn’t someone who easily shared his emotions.
Maybe he had a nightmare? Stubbed his pinky toe getting ready?
But no matter what reason Ho-eun came up with, none of it seemed to fit.
Then there’s only one explanation left…
Today was the day of direct guiding.
Was he that against it? Or just nervous?
While sorting through his racing thoughts, the two of them arrived at the underground training hall.
They opened the door and stepped into a space livelier than usual.
Now that he looked around, there were more people here than normal.
“Good morning.”
Ho-eun greeted them, and a chorus of greetings echoed back.
The first thing that caught his eye was a woman hugging Kim Se-hee.
Taller than Se-hee, with short red hair and piercing sky-blue eyes, she looked striking—and wary—as she eyed him and Do In-ho.
“Um… This is my partner for today, Esper Do In-ho.”
Sensing the tension, Ho-eun took the lead in introducing him. That seemed to be the cue for everyone to introduce their own partners.
“This is Ran, my partner. Her ability’s Animal! She’s super cute.”
At Kim Se-hee’s introduction, the red-haired woman named Ran waved slightly.
With that vibrant hair and sharp features, it was hard to picture her bonding with animals, but it also made her intriguing.
Animal-type ability… Did it mean she could communicate with them? Or turn into one? If it was the latter, Ho-eun definitely wanted to see it.
He stared at Ran, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.
“Hello, I’m Esper Kim Han-seul. My ability is physical enhancement.”
A calm voice came from a woman with soft, drooping eyes like a puppy, a beauty mark beneath her left eye, and long black hair.
She had a pure, gentle aura, further enhanced by her slight smile.
Both women looked to be in their early twenties.
Ryu Yoon-jae stood beside Kim Han-seul, blushing faintly.
Even though Ryu Yoon-jae was quite tall, Kim Han-seul was also tall, making them look like a little brother and older sister duo.
Ho-eun gave a slightly awkward smile and returned her greeting.
“Your type really doesn’t change, huh?”
A sweet voice came from behind, and Ho-eun reflexively turned.
Hosoo—normally ten minutes late by default—had arrived early.
He tapped a baton against his neck and frowned in someone’s direction.
Following his gaze, Ho-eun saw Kim Han-seul smiling brightly.
Ugh, there he goes again, picking on someone for no reason.
Ho-eun concluded that Hosoo was just being difficult as usual.
“Alright. Today, you’ll be doing direct guiding alongside your Espers. Once you complete this test, your ranks will go up from D. The team you’ll intern with from here on out depends on the rank you receive. If you want to stay with the same team as your partner, you’d better get good results.”
“Se-hee, I promise I’ll help you get a high rank,” Ran said confidently, clinging to Se-hee’s arm.
They seemed a lot closer than Ho-eun had realized.
He hadn’t known much about the other partners until now.
He sneaked a glance at Do In-ho, who stood behind him.
“We’ll head to the lab for the guiding test. Follow me.”
Hosoo led the way, and the six of them followed behind.
“I thought Ahn Oh-hyuk was going to block you from getting a partner. Guess you pulled it off?”
“Honestly, it still feels like a dream. At least I won’t get a 0% score now.”
“Hmph.”
Poking him in the side, Kim Se-hee struck up a conversation.
It had all started when Ahn Oh-hyuk messed with Do In-ho, which led to this whole mess. But Ho-eun couldn’t go into the details—he didn’t want to risk hurting Do In-ho.
Fortunately, it seemed like Kim Se-hee and Ryu Yoon-jae didn’t know anything about In-ho’s background.
Ho-eun, who’d been tense in case they said something insensitive, finally let out a small sigh of relief.
