Kwon Ho-eun didn’t head straight home. Instead, he sat down on a park bench, lost in thought. It felt like being trapped in a maze with no exit in sight—a suffocating sense of frustration. No matter how much he tried to feel along the walls and find a way out, all he ended up at were dead ends.
“Maintain boundaries, he says…”
It had sounded like Bae Yeon-woo was directing that comment at the Esper, but in truth, it had struck Ho-eun square in the chest. The one harboring feelings wasn’t Do In-ho—it was him. He couldn’t define it clearly, but he knew something had definitely changed in him lately.
He still couldn’t put it into words, but if anyone was crossing the line between them right now, it wasn’t Do In-ho. It was Kwon Ho-eun.
“Get it together.”
He slapped his own cheeks with the palms of his hands, then pushed back his messy bangs.
“Let’s try to draw the line. I need to shut this down before my feelings get any deeper.”
He mumbled under his breath. Maybe it was because this was the first time he’d ever had someone to lean on. Someone who stayed by his side whenever things got hard. Someone who looked only at him with blind devotion.
All those little reasons were piling up, slowly feeding something in Ho-eun’s heart.
But every one of those reasons only existed because he had helped Do In-ho through his Ability Overload as a Guide.
“If that hadn’t happened…”
He bit his lip. If he hadn’t stopped the Overload, none of this would’ve been directed at him.
A dull ache began to bloom in his chest. These feelings—impossible to define—would soar to the heavens when he was with Do In-ho, only to plummet back into the depths the moment he was alone again.
Smack—
This wasn’t the time to be indulging in private emotions, not with Anti-Government Espers plotting who knew what. Ho-eun slapped himself a few more times and shook his head.
Don’t fool yourself. What Do In-ho is interested in isn’t Kwon Ho-eun as a person. It’s the Guide who stopped his Overload. These nameless feelings—they disappear quickly.
***
When Ho-eun got back to the dormitory, he went about his usual routine with Do In-ho and checked the Guiding levels. Since they had a direct guiding session scheduled for tomorrow, leaving it at 64% seemed fine.
“Nothing happened this afternoon, right?”
“Just ran around like crazy all day.”
Recalling his usual expressions and behavior, Ho-eun made an effort to seem natural. Normally, he would’ve plopped down on the couch and continued chatting casually with Do In-ho. But tonight, he kept moving awkwardly around until he retreated into his room.
As soon as he shut the door and sank into the leather couch, he felt the soft cushion beneath him—but emotionally, he was anything but comfortable. Maybe he should’ve just stayed in his original dorm tonight.
“No. That would’ve been even weirder.”
He murmured to himself and pressed his lips together. Come to think of it, in this entire spacious house, the only place Ho-eun could truly breathe freely was his private room.
It was smaller than the master bedroom, but still spacious enough that it didn’t feel stifling. Still, compared to the wide-open living room or the master bedroom, it couldn’t help but feel a little lacking.
While messaging his fellow interns to plan lunch for tomorrow, Ho-eun crept carefully toward the door so his footsteps wouldn’t echo in the quiet living room. He focused all his attention on listening, but the living room remained still.
He was worried that Do In-ho might’ve been startled by his change in demeanor and would barge into his room any minute—but outside was quiet, like even the ants had gone to sleep.
Is he sleeping on the couch or something?
Ho-eun tilted his head. Curiosity eventually got the better of him, and he cracked the door open, pretending he was just heading to the kitchen.
Do In-ho, whom he briefly suspected might not even be home, was sitting on the couch with his eyes closed.
So that’s why it was so quiet. He’s asleep.
Just as Ho-eun let out a sigh of relief, his eyes caught sight of the cold sweat beading on Do In-ho’s face.
“In-ho?”
Ho-eun rushed over and wiped the sweat from Do In-ho’s forehead. Can Espers even catch colds?
Just as he froze, unsure what to do with his hand, his guide watch vibrated on his wrist.
“What the—why did it drop so suddenly?”
Do In-ho’s Guiding level had fallen to 39%. Ho-eun immediately grabbed his hand.
“…!”
The moment he clasped Do In-ho’s right hand, it felt scalding hot—like he’d grabbed something burning. When he switched to Do In-ho’s left hand, it was noticeably cooler in comparison.
It was definitely at 64% earlier.
Still holding his hand, Ho-eun grabbed a tissue from the table and gently wiped away the sweat from Do In-ho’s face.
“In-ho, are you okay?”
Do In-ho’s thick, dark eyelashes fluttered, and then his amber eyes peeked halfway open.
“Hyung… I’m sorry. You probably wanted some time to yourself… but my body just…”
His first words upon waking were filled with concern for him. Ho-eun felt crushed with guilt. This whole “keep-your-distance” strategy at the dorm—today might have to be the last of it. He couldn’t bear to see Do In-ho like this again, just from a brief absence.
“No. I’m the one who’s sorry—for not being here.”
“…”
Do In-ho smiled faintly and, like a kitten seeking affection, raised their clasped hands and rubbed his cheek against the back of Ho-eun’s hand.
“But you still came.”
The soft touch of skin brushing over his hand made Ho-eun’s heart float. Maybe it was because of the lingering heat of their contact, but his face was growing warm as well.
“So what did you do today?”
Even now, Do In-ho was asking about his day. With no other choice, Ho-eun answered like he was reading a fairy tale to a child.
“Assistant Manager bought me boiled pork for lunch…”
In the end, it was the same daily routine all over again. Sitting on the living room couch, swapping stories about their day, chatting about this and that. The boundary he’d tried to draw had been completely erased, like it had been wiped away with an eraser. Unable to resist anymore, Ho-eun started chattering like a bird with too much to say.
***
“Just how hard are they working you in the field for your face to look that gaunt?”
“Ha ha…”
It had been a while since the intern group had lunch together, and they were shocked by Ho-eun’s appearance. His dark circles had sunk halfway down his face, and he was walking like his legs had lost their will to live. Kim Se-hee nearly screamed when she saw him.
“Ho-eun, do you want a vitamin or something? I have one.”
“No, it’s not that. I just had a really intense guiding session this morning…”
Ho-eun groaned as he rubbed his stiff shoulders. The memory of Do In-ho, suffering despite his presence, hit him like a brick all over again.
Like medicine that loses its effectiveness with repeated use, maybe guiding was the same. Last night’s broadcast guiding hadn’t been enough—so this morning, he had increased both the amount of physical contact and the time spent on direct guiding.
And with his daily physical training sessions every afternoon, the accumulated fatigue left him looking like a wreck in front of the other interns.
“I thought the Center was tough, but I guess it’s nothing compared to fieldwork.”
Ryu Yoon-jae handed Ho-eun one of the supplements he always carried and even offered him a glass of water. With no strength left to refuse, Ho-eun downed the pill. Maybe it was just psychological, but it felt like some energy returned to him.
“Are we even allowed to eat somewhere this nice?”
“Exactly! This is my first time eating at a hotel like this.”
“It’s fine. Assistant Manager told me to eat something good.”
Ho-eun twirled the card Bae Yeon-woo had given him between his fingers. While organizing lunch plans with his intern peers, he’d received a surprising message the night before—from none other than Bae Yeon-woo. The message contained nothing but a link, no explanation.
When he opened the link in curiosity, it took him to a five-star hotel’s website. Ho-eun immediately realized it was a subtle lunch recommendation. He’d borrowed a company vehicle from the Incheon branch and brought the interns here.
“Wow, Assistant Manager Bae has a real flair.”
“Lucky! I wish I could eat at a hotel every day.”
“Every day? Please—I usually just eat rice soup like everyone else.”
Seeing Ryu Yoon-jae’s envious eyes, Ho-eun flailed dramatically in denial.
They went through the multi-course meal, marveling at each dish. To enjoy their lunch without being rushed, they had all used up a half-day off. It let them talk and relax as much as they wanted.
“I’m so full…”
“At first I thought the portions were small, but now I’m stuffed!”
“Really…?”
“You still have room for dessert, right?”
Just as Ho-eun was failing to relate to the conversation, a stranger’s voice sounded from above.
He turned reflexively—and the first thing he saw was silver hair. There was only one person he knew with hair like that.
“Chairman Baek Woo-gyeong?”
“Ha ha, hello, Ho-eun. Oh, it seems your friends don’t recognize me. Let me introduce myself. I’m Baek Woo-gyeong, Chairman of the Guide Corporation.”
Unlike Ho-eun, who immediately greeted him by name, Kim Se-hee and Ryu Yoon-jae looked stunned before quickly bowing. They’d never seen Baek Woo-gyeong before, and now looked visibly anxious—afraid he might actually join them.
Apparently deaf to their silent prayers, Chairman Baek casually took the seat next to Ho-eun and called the waiter to order dessert.
The table, which had been cluttered with empty plates, was quickly cleared and rearranged with dessert and drinks.
“What brings you here, Chairman?”
“Oh, just a coincidence, really.”
Ho-eun asked on behalf of the group, and Baek Woo-gyeong answered smoothly, lifting his coffee with grace. The once-lively table went cold in an instant, as if a penguin had waddled in and chilled the air around them.
“Ah yes. By the way, I reviewed the outfit concept you submitted, Ho-eun.”
“Oh… yes…”
“Huh? What outfit?”
Curious about the unfamiliar conversation, Kim Se-hee perked up and asked cheerfully.
“Oh dear. I guess your colleagues didn’t know? We’re producing a promotional video for Guide checkups. It’ll be broadcast on TV as an ad.”
“You mean the Guide checkups?”
Ryu Yoon-jae joined the conversation. Ho-eun shot Baek Woo-gyeong a wary look, sensing the conversation veering into weird territory.
“Yes, that’s right. As you all know, none of you became Guides after proper testing, right? You had to go through extra exams, meet Espers, and see if any resonance happened.”
“Yeah, it was kind of a hassle. At first, I thought the whole thing was some kind of cult scam.”
As Kim Se-hee casually dissed the Guide Corporation with a bright smile, Baek Woo-gyeong’s raised eyebrow quickly smoothed itself out.
“A cult…?”
“Oh, I thought it was a pyramid scheme. Even the village elders warned me not to go.”
Nodding in agreement, Ryu Yoon-jae now offered a multi-level marketing theory. Ho-eun clenched his teeth, doing everything he could not to burst out laughing.
