He had considered opening the bottle with his mouth while holding it in one hand, but the pain in his hand made that impossible.
Perhaps his expression looked pathetic—Yu Je-hyun frowned but still uncapped the recovery potion without complaint and handed it over.
“Ha, I feel alive again.”
As the pale bluish liquid was poured over his injured hand, the swelling began to recede at an impressive rate.
To speed up the healing, he took a sip as well. He had been curious about the taste, but it was disappointingly bland, no different from water.
“Here. Thank you for lending it to me. Or would you prefer I replace it with a new one from the room?”
Since the wound was not too serious, only about a third of the bottle had been used.
Lee Haru offered the remaining potion back to Yu Je-hyun but quickly withdrew his hand when he noticed the man’s still-irritated expression.
“Forget it. It’s not worth that much.”
Lee Haru’s impression of Yu Je-hyun ticked upward. It was clearly a product too expensive for the average person to use lightly, but maybe, for an S-Class Esper, it really was pocket change.
The original Lee Haru had also kept a stockpile of recovery potions at home.
“Thank you. Esper Yu Je-hyun, when would you like your Guiding session? Esper Hong Seong-jun’s Rampage Risk Index has almost dropped, so I can guide you right after a short rest. What’s your current risk level?”
Now that he was inside the mansion, he intended to carry out his responsibilities properly.
“Your hand—was it injured during Guiding?”
“Yes.”
The answer came out instantly, and Yu Je-hyun’s expression turned sour. His eyes swept over Lee Haru from head to toe.
He was still wearing the same outfit from yesterday. His exposed skin showed no signs of sexual contact.
Were it not for the tear droplets gathered beneath his slightly flushed eyes, there would have been nothing unusual about his appearance.
“Your lips are untouched too. Are you telling me you really just held Hong Seong-jun’s hand during Guiding?”
He could not believe it. Whenever Lee Haru had a chance to guide, he always dove straight into fellatio.
It was as if holding hands, hugging, or even kissing did not exist in his mind as part of the process.
“Oh, I’m planning to guide through hand-holding only from now on. That’s your preference too, isn’t it, Esper Yu Je-hyun?”
He asked it so matter-of-factly that Yu Je-hyun nearly nodded without thinking.
It was not that their physical compatibility was bad—if anything, it was too good. That was the problem. Every Guiding session left a bitter taste.
What started out as clumsy and awkward had gradually turned into something jaded and mechanical, like he had become worn smooth by repeated use.
And it was not just with him. Lee Haru’s experience with other Espers had made him proficient—too proficient. That alone was enough to rub him the wrong way.
It felt like he was being used by Lee Haru.
“Then shall we do it this evening? The Guiding will take place on the first-floor living room sofa.”
Lee Haru flashed a wide grin, raising the corners of his lips, and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.
Yu Je-hyun nearly scoffed. When he caught sight of Hong Seong-jun’s expression—staring daggers at them—he realized he was not the only one thrown off by the situation.
The guy, usually all smiles and honeyed charm, now had a cold, hardened glare fixed in their direction.
He looked exactly like someone whose favorite toy had just been taken away—sullen, resentful, and deeply displeased. Confusion aside, it was… amusing.
“Fine. Guide me this evening, then.”
With only that, Yu Je-hyun turned and left the mansion. Emergency dispatch notifications had been pinging him non-stop.
The alert could not be muted, and the vibration pulsing against his wrist had become more than a little annoying. He sent a quick reply saying he was on his way.
“Not bad, actually.”
Sliding into his silver sports car in the garage, Yu Je-hyun fixed his fallen bangs in the rearview mirror. That was his conclusion about the changes since Lee Haru moved in.
His initial resistance had stemmed from not wanting to share space with someone so steeped in gloom that just being near him felt like catching a contagion. The idea of being stuck in the same house, constantly clung to, had been unbearable.
But now? The Haru who had narrowly survived was no longer the same unpleasant presence.
The melancholy was gone without a trace, and now, every time their eyes met, there was a sparkle in Lee Haru’s gaze—a look that reminded him of a scrappy little puppy.
And hand-only Guiding? That was exactly what he had always wanted.
“Seems like Hong Seong-jun hates the new Lee Haru even more. Wonder what the Team Leader thinks.”
As the engine rumbled to life, Yu Je-hyun’s eyes drifted to the second floor, where Kang Min was likely still asleep.
It was unusual for the Team Leader to sleep in, but the thought passed quickly.
“Not my problem. I’ve got work to do.”
Now that he had confirmed Lee Haru moving in was not as catastrophic as he feared, everything else could unfold however it wanted.
Overthinking things just was not in his nature—it was too damn tedious.
***
“I said this earlier, but if you squeeze my hand that hard again, I swear I’m not guiding you anymore, Esper Hong Seong-jun.”
After Yu Je-hyun left, Lee Haru returned to Hong Seong-jun, still holding the recovery potion in one hand.
He planned to continue guiding until the Rampage Risk Index dropped to 30. Still, he was a bit nervous, afraid of feeling that same crushing pain in his hand again.
Standing frozen like a stone in front of the sofa, Hong Seong-jun studied his face with sharp, evaluating eyes.
For some reason, Lee Haru felt tense. He began walking toward him, but partway there, his steps slowed to a halt.
“I understand, so just get on with it.”
Wearing a soft, affable smile, Hong Seong-jun extended his right hand toward Lee Haru.
This bastard’s seriously insane. Is he a sociopath or what?
With that gentle expression, he looked like someone who could not bring himself to even litter. But having experienced more than a few instances of the man’s ruthless behavior, Lee Haru could not afford to lower his guard.
“Sit here.”
Lee Haru settled onto the sofa first, then motioned toward the spot beside him with a glance. He only needed to lower the Rampage Risk Index by about five points, but for some reason—maybe lack of technique—just maintaining Guiding for even a short time brought on a crushing wave of exhaustion.
Even tilting his head to look up at the guy standing there like a statue was giving him a crick in the neck. Fortunately, Hong Seong-jun sat down without protest.
As Haru took the offered hand in both of his, he drew in a quiet, calming breath.
Only the second time, yet the guiding flow passed over far more smoothly than the first.
Maybe I really am a natural at this.
It could be the power of an S-Class Guide, sure—but deep down, Haru had started to believe he genuinely had a gift.
Just one more point to go.
Thankfully, Hong Seong-jun kept his word. He no longer squeezed Haru’s hand with enough force to make it hurt.
Silence fell between them. Those dark, subdued eyes lingered steadily on his face, but all of Haru’s focus was locked on the watch screen displaying the Rampage Risk Index.
“There we go!”
The moment the number dropped to 30, Haru instantly released his grip.
His face lit up, flushed with color like a child receiving a long-awaited treat.
“Guiding’s over. You can go about your day now, Esper Hong Seong-jun.”
Still frozen in place, Hong Seong-jun sat there with his hand suspended in midair—just as Haru had left it. Haru reached over and gave his shoulder a light pat.
Only then did Hong Seong-jun drop his gaze from his own hand and look up at Haru, fixing him with an unreadable stare.
“What is it? From what I was told, we just need to get your risk level under 30. That was the target, wasn’t it?”
Maybe it came off a little cold, cutting it so precisely. But truthfully, Haru felt like the world was spinning after just one round of Guiding.
His stomach felt glued to his spine, the hunger hitting him like a freight train.
It was the kind of ravenous emptiness he had only felt after ten hours of nonstop hard labor.
His wide eyes kept darting toward the refrigerator in the kitchen. The rich, savory soup from that morning came to mind, and his mouth began to water uncontrollably.
“You are right. Good work.”
To Haru’s mild surprise, Hong Seong-jun—who just moments ago had looked like he might push for the index to be dropped all the way to zero—simply stood up and straightened his posture, his tone crisp and composed.
He even threw in a remarkably ordinary “Good work” before turning and heading up the stairs to the second floor.
Hmm. He’s completely impossible to figure out.
All three Espers were hard to read in their own way, but when it came to unpredictability, Hong Seong-jun took the crown.
From his inconsistent speech—bouncing between honorifics and casual language—to his hot-and-cold demeanor, his attitude toward Haru was constantly shifting.
Haru stared up at the stairs for a moment, then shook his head to clear it.
His steps toward the refrigerator were lively, practically bounding, like a puppy chasing after snacks.
The fact that the once-stocked fridge was already half-empty… was a secret he intended to keep to himself.
