Later, Tae-seok brought him to a hotel restaurant.
The floor was polished beige marble, and warm light poured down from crystal chandeliers above. Beyond the tall windows, the hotel garden glowed with decorative lights, twinkling softly in the night.
When he turned his head, an even more dazzling man was sitting across from him. Jung Tae-seok, looking like he’d stepped out of a commercial, calmly placed their order. The way he spoke to the waiter—so composed and smooth—was nothing like how he usually acted at the Center.
Whose boyfriend is that? Seriously.
Eun-jo could feel the curious glances from people around them. Instead of glaring back, he quietly placed his hand on the table. Tap. Like a well-trained puppy, Jung Tae-seok’s hand settled over his.
That’s right. Be proud.
After ordering, Jung Tae-seok gently clasped Eun-jo’s hand in his.
“What, can’t bear to be apart from me for even a second?”
“Yeah.”
“……”
“We haven’t seen each other in two weeks. Gotta make up for lost time.”
Eun-jo smiled, eyes curved sweetly as he gave Jung Tae-seok’s hand a light squeeze. But behind that affectionate expression, his thoughts were elsewhere.
He should’ve contacted me by now.
As much as he enjoyed his time with Jung Tae-seok, he needed four Imprints just to survive. Which meant he couldn’t afford to spend all his time playing around with only one person.
Before they’d entered the restaurant, Eun-jo had made an excuse about needing the restroom and slipped away to the hotel lobby. Only after confirming that Jung Tae-seok had gone inside alone, of course. He’d headed straight to the counter, where an employee greeted him with a polite nod.
“Would you like to check in, sir?”
“Yes. Do you have any rooms available right now?”
“Of course. You don’t have a reservation, correct?”
Smiling kindly, the clerk tapped away at her keyboard. While she searched, Eun-jo pulled his wallet from his pocket and took out two cards.
One was from Jin Mu-seong, given as part of their arrangement. The other was the one Park Se-yul had handed him on the day of the photo shoot.
“We only have the special suite available right now. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine.”
After a brief pause, Eun-jo handed over Park Se-yul’s card first. Keeping a polite expression, he asked,
“Can I reserve room service in advance, too?”
This time, he offered Jin Mu-seong’s card without hesitation. Two notification texts were soon sent out under the hotel’s name.
By now, they were probably on their way here. Jin Mu-seong was a maybe, but…
Park Se-yul will definitely come.
His phone was buzzing like crazy, almost like it was on fire. Most likely Park Se-yul. That guy had always hated sharing Eun-jo with other Espers—even in the novels. Typical possessiveness, the very foundation of SM. It almost made sense.
Now, when should I pick up to really get him sweating?
Eun-jo tapped his fingertip lightly on the table before speaking.
“Hey.”
The gentle call pulled Jung Tae-seok’s gaze toward him.
“I got you a little something earlier…”
“A gift? You bought something?”
They’d been together the whole time. When had he managed that? Rather than excitement, a wave of unease hit Jung Tae-seok at the thought that Eun-jo had gone somewhere without him. His brows creased.
“When? At the theater?”
“……”
“What did you buy? I was with you the whole time. Where’d you go? Who did you buy it from?”
As his anxious questions piled up, Eun-jo silently placed the hidden room key on the table. Room 1801. The moment Jung Tae-seok saw the number printed on the card, he froze up completely.
At that exact moment, a loud alert rang out from Eun-jo’s pager. He pulled it from his pocket and checked the screen. A Guiding emergency notice lit up in bold letters, along with the location. When he saw the caller’s name, Eun-jo muttered under his breath.
“Jin Mu-seong…?”
It wasn’t far. He could see black smoke rising in that direction through the window.
Startled, Eun-jo shot up from his seat.
“Hyung?”
“Ah, I…”
His thoughts were a tangled mess. Other people might not realize it, but he knew better—he knew that Jin Mu-seong was far more powerful than most gave him credit for. If someone who could stop time itself needed an emergency Guiding, it could only mean one thing: he was seriously injured.
A flash of Jin Mu-seong’s broken figure streaked through his mind—covered in blood, stripped of that smug composure. He’d always been unshakable, always standing tall, so Eun-jo had never imagined seeing him like that.
How bad was it? If he needed an emergency call, was he unable to move? Was he about to overload…?
Even thinking about it sent a cold chill down his spine. Incomplete words spilled from his lips, barely coherent.
“Ji… Jin Mu-seong…”
“Eun-jo hyung!”
Jung Tae-seok grabbed him, just in time to stop him from collapsing.
“What the hell? Why is that bastard on your pager—”
“I have to go. Right now.”
Eun-jo tried to shake him off, but Jung Tae-seok managed to wrest the pager from his hand. He checked the message—and his expression immediately soured.
“Son of a bitch…”
It was Jin Mu-seong again. Why the hell did that bastard always show up, always get in the way?
Honestly, Jung Tae-seok wanted to leave him to die. Just let him bleed out or explode or whatever the hell was going on. But Eun-jo’s face had gone completely pale.
I have to go. I have to get there fast… Eun-jo was muttering, frantic, barely holding it together. Jung Tae-seok pulled him into a tight embrace. Unfortunately, his pitiful boyfriend couldn’t ignore a dying Esper even if he tried.
Grinding his teeth so hard it felt like they’d crack, Jung Tae-seok wrapped an arm around Eun-jo.
“Fine. I’ll take you.”
He grabbed the room key and headed for the restaurant entrance. After sitting Eun-jo down on a nearby bench, he stepped away for a moment to pay the bill.
But when he came back—The bench was empty.
“Yeo Eun-jo.”
The soft “hyung” was gone—replaced with a cold, sharp Yeo Eun-jo. His name echoed in Jung Tae-seok’s skull, along with Eun-jo’s voice:
“I’ll stay by your side. I’ll stay until it doesn’t hurt anymore…”
What do you mean, ‘go’? Where are you going?
Jung Tae-seok clenched the hotel key card he’d kept so carefully. The veins on the back of his hand bulged with tension. Then—snap—the card snapped clean in two.
***
“Guide Yeo Eun-jo!”
The moment he stepped out of the taxi, a Center staff member rushed over. Judging by his casual clothes and the hastily clipped-on name tag, he’d clearly been pulled in on short notice.
“I’m sorry! The Guide slot for Team B was empty, and you were the closest option, so we had no choice—”
“It’s fine.”
Eun-jo cut him off without hesitation, voice sharp.
“Where is Esper Jin Mu-seong?”
Nothing else mattered.
As he took the lead, the staff member gave a soft gasp. “This way. We’re running out of time.”
They passed through the barricade the Center had set up and moved into the restricted zone, where Espers stood waiting. Judging by their gear, they weren’t in much better condition either.
After strapping on a belt with a handgun, shotgun shells, and a knife, Eun-jo was guided to the far side of the area. Following the staffer, he soon saw it: a massive crater in the earth, deep and jagged like something had slammed down from space.
Even Eun-jo was stunned.
“Did Esper Jin Mu-seong do that?”
“Yes. He was returning after clearing a Gate… but then he suddenly turned this way for some reason.”
The staffer continued, eyes flicking to the mental map tracking Jin Mu-seong’s location.
“He should’ve gone straight back to the Center. But something must’ve caught his eye…”
Just then, the hotel reservation texts flashed through Eun-jo’s mind.
No way… he couldn’t be that crazy.
Eun-jo turned to look toward the center of the crater—at the lone figure standing tall amidst the wreckage.
“The waves are unstable. Tranquilizers aren’t working at all. I’m sorry, but we’re counting on you. Don’t worry—other Espers will be arriving shortly.”
“From Team B?”
“No.”
Just as Eun-jo was about to run in, the staffer’s next words hit him like a punch to the gut.
“Team Leader Park Se-yul.”
Fuck.
Eun-jo squeezed his eyes shut, cursing under his breath. He’d practically become the goddamn Pied Piper without even realizing it.
There wasn’t much time. If Park Se-yul showed up, it wouldn’t matter what state Jin Mu-seong was in—he’d be dragged straight back to the office before he could even explain.
He quickly asked the staff for directions, then leapt into the crater.
And there he was—Jin Mu-seong, standing tall at the center.
But he wasn’t like usual. He was in full uniform, his gaze locked on empty space. That sly smile, the teasing curl of his lips that always surfaced when he looked at Eun-jo—gone.
The closer he got, the more Eun-jo’s pace slowed.
He’d scolded him so many times for that cocky grin. Told him to stop being so damn smug. But now, seeing him like this, with no expression at all…
Something felt deeply wrong.
Eun-jo stopped in front of him and gently reached out, taking his hand.
“Jin Mu-seong.”
“……”
“Can you hear me?”
No response.
Eun-jo sighed quietly, murmuring to himself.
“Why would you push yourself without a Guide? You knew your team didn’t have one…”
He trailed off, brows drawing together.
Through his palm, he felt it—Mu-seong’s wave.
It was chaos. Far worse than anything he’d felt from Jung Tae-seok during their first session in the training room. Sparks flew in all directions, wild and uncontrolled. The moment he made contact, Eun-jo flinched from the intensity.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. How did it get this bad?!”
He should’ve hit the emergency alert—why hadn’t he?
Jaw clenched, Eun-jo let go of his hand.
Then, without a second thought, he threw both arms around him and pulled Jin Mu-seong into a tight embrace.
