# Chapter 26
With Hajin’s head positioned above Han Seungho’s, their kiss took on a different sensation.
The position made it seem as though Hajin was pressing Han Seungho down and taking control of the kiss, enveloping them in a heat different from before. This heat gradually numbed Hajin’s rationality.
Hajin, who had merely been swept along by Han Seungho until now, became excited by the warmth and unconsciously began moving his tongue.
‘…!’
It had been good enough when Hajin had simply followed his movements, but Hajin actively moving his tongue felt so good it sent shivers from Han Seungho’s head to his toes.
If he could, he wanted to devour Hajin’s entire body right then and there.
Han Seungho focused on the movement of Hajin’s tongue to restrain what might have been lust resembling hunger, or hunger resembling lust.
It felt incredibly good. Could something feel this good? How had he lived without knowing this? Han Seungho’s gaze grew increasingly intense.
‘There are even better things than this.’
Just as Han Seungho’s hand, which had been behaving until now, began to move with a certain purpose—
BANG!
With a sound like a cannon being fired, the thick door crumpled and rolled across the floor.
Startled by the noise, Hajin came to his senses, breaking the kiss that had seemed like it might continue forever.
Han Seungho clicked his tongue and turned his head to look behind him. Baek Jaan, the culprit who had broken the door, entered the room with an icy expression.
Looking like he might pounce on his colleague at any moment, he somehow managed to speak first.
“Han Seungho. Give Hajin-ssi back now.”
“Huh, is he yours? Is Hajin hyung yours? You crazy bastard.”
While the two Espers growled at each other, Hajin remained in a state of shock. Now that he had regained his senses, he could reflect on his actions from moments ago.
‘I’m crazy, I’ve gone mad.’
Despite all his talk about medical procedures, what Hajin had just shared with Han Seungho was nothing but a kiss. He hadn’t even thought about Guiding.
Moreover, unlike the kiss with Baek Jaan where he’d been somewhat passive, this time Hajin had been the one to move his tongue first. No matter how out of his mind he had been, that was the fact.
He couldn’t even make the excuse that it was for Guiding. Hajin seriously questioned whether he had always been this vulnerable to stimulation.
Meanwhile, the tension between Han Seungho and Baek Jaan continued to escalate to a dangerous level.
“Put him down.”
“What’s it to you?”
“Ha, that’s right. Seungho, you’re too stupid to understand when I explain with words.”
“…Come at me, you bastard.”
Finding himself in a situation where he could only sink deeper into self-doubt, Hajin finally stopped thinking and called out to Han Seungho.
“Han Seungho-ssi.”
“Huh? What?”
At that, Han Seungho turned to look at Hajin with a clean expression, as if he had never been glaring at Baek Jaan. Baek Jaan was the same.
Though he seemed displeased and hurt that Hajin had called Han Seungho’s name instead of his, at least the murderous intent from earlier had completely vanished.
“Put me down.”
“Don’t say that. Let’s continue. You were enjoying it too, hyung.”
What to do with this shameless, oversized child? Hajin felt another wave of despair at the thought that he had become excited enough to intertwine tongues with such a person.
“I said put me down.”
Hajin tapped the hands that were holding him. In the process, he didn’t forget to release the Guiding he had promised to provide.
Realizing he had been completely shut down, Han Seungho, though regretful, set him down.
“I’m going to rest, so don’t fight. If you two fight, the house will collapse, and I might end up crushed to death underneath it.”
Mentally exhausted, Hajin delivered this rebuke to the two and returned to his room.
Unable to ignore Hajin’s words, the two Espers, though still glaring daggers at each other, obediently went their separate ways.
“Hey! What about the door?! Baek Jaan, you crazy bastard!”
Han Seungho’s enraged howl echoed through the house, but no one paid any attention.
* * *
Not just that night, but until the next class, Hajin stayed almost exclusively in his room. After days of deliberation, he reached a conclusion.
‘From now on, absolutely no kissing except for internal injuries.’
Even if someone complained about why he would do it for one person but not for another, he was determined never to do it again. He had nearly lost his mind during just his second kiss with Han Seungho—who could guarantee he wouldn’t go further on the third or fourth time?
Cha Jinwoo already knew about it, but Hajin wanted to believe he wasn’t the type to throw a tantrum like that.
Fortunately, Lee Doyoon hadn’t noticed this strange atmosphere.
“Haaah…”
Today too, Baek Jaan and Han Seungho tried to follow Hajin. But he firmly detached himself from them and set out alone.
Last time, he had traveled by car, but the distance wasn’t actually far enough to necessitate one. He had only taken the car because the Espers and the Association had insisted on it.
But today, he wanted to walk alone. Though he had reached a conclusion about how to proceed, his troubled mind hadn’t calmed down in just half a day.
Of course, if there had been no preventative measures, Hajin wouldn’t have been so stubborn. But since this small city established by the Association was home to both Espers and Guides, the Association monitored not only the ground but also the sky to guard against intruders.
Knowing this well, Han Seungho and Baek Jaan, despite their determination to follow, reluctantly let Hajin go alone.
Otherwise, they would have followed him even if he had gotten angry.
Hajin walked leisurely, as if taking a stroll. As he did, his distracting thoughts seemed to fade somewhat.
He rationalized to himself.
‘Right. Whether it’s Guiding or whatever, when tongues are intertwined like that, it’s only natural to feel something.’
He would just need to be careful from now on. Whether things would go according to Hajin’s plans remained to be seen, but for his mental well-being, he tried to think as positively as possible.
His wandering thoughts must have been lengthy, as he was already in front of the training building. Just then, someone blocked Hajin’s path as he was about to enter.
“You are…”
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
It was Han Jiwoo. Hadn’t they had a similar conversation before?
‘Guide Han Jiwoo is particularly greedy.’
Recalling Lee Suyeon’s advice along with the memory of that day, Hajin wondered what to do. As if reading his mind, Han Jiwoo spoke again.
“I won’t be like that this time. I… I came to apologize.”
Indeed, both his voice and demeanor seemed subdued. What had happened in the past few days? Hajin glanced toward the building’s interior but soon followed behind Han Jiwoo.
Even if it was an act, Han Jiwoo couldn’t harm him, so he decided to go along with it one more time.
Contrary to his expectation that they would head to a completely deserted area like before, Han Jiwoo entered the building and went to a place where there were only a few people around.
He got two drinks from a vending machine and offered one to Hajin. Then he opened his can and drained it in one go.
The action resembled someone trying to calm their nerves before an important task.
‘Hmm, has he genuinely reflected?’
Hajin opened his can with a hiss and drank the beverage. He only took one sip because the carbonation stung his mouth.
Han Jiwoo, after repeatedly moving his lips without speaking, finally looked straight at Hajin and said, as if he had made up his mind:
“I’m sorry about what happened then.”
Hajin was somewhat surprised by the sincere apology. He had seemed like someone who would never change his mind, no matter what—had Hajin misjudged him?
He suddenly became curious about what had happened to change Han Jiwoo’s mind, but it wasn’t something he could ask directly.
When Hajin didn’t respond, Han Jiwoo, perhaps thinking his apology wasn’t enough, continued rambling.
“I know it must seem strange for me to suddenly act like this. But, but my apology is really sincere.”
“To be honest, I’m more curious about why you suddenly changed your mind. I’m not particularly good at reading people, but Guide Han Jiwoo seemed to hate me quite a lot.”
It was difficult to accept without understanding the reason. Han Jiwoo, rather than getting angry at Hajin’s words, nodded as if he understood.
“Yes, I did… Actually, there was someone who saw how I treated Guide Lee Hajin that day. It was someone who had looked after me since I first came to the Association… After being scolded by them, I finally realized how petty and childish my actions were.”
Han Jiwoo looked at Hajin, whose expression hadn’t changed, and smiled weakly.
“It’s funny, isn’t it? That I hated Guide Lee Hajin so much, yet my mind could be changed just by being scolded…”
“No, well. I may not understand, but I know what you mean.”
Hajin felt he would never understand that mindset, no matter how much time passed, but he at least comprehended it intellectually.
Moreover, after dealing with the three Espers other than Cha Jinwoo, Hajin had personally experienced that they had childish and immature aspects despite their age, which made it easier for him to accept this.
Of course, accepting it and condoning the wrong behavior were two different matters.
“Let me apologize once more. I’m sorry.”
Han Jiwoo bowed his head to Hajin and apologized again. Hajin wasn’t so harsh as to remain unforgiving when someone was sincerely apologizing. He nodded and replied:
“You’ve apologized, so it’s fine.”
“Do you forgive me?”
“It’s not such a grand issue that requires the word ‘forgiveness,’ but… if it eases your mind, then yes. I forgive you.”
At Hajin’s words, Han Jiwoo smiled brightly for the first time. For Hajin, who had only seen his vicious glares before, this change in expression was nothing short of astonishing.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
