Yu Je-hyun grabbed Lee Haru’s arm just as he was about to go after Hong Seong-jun.
At the center of the table sat a pot of stew, clearly prepared for four grown men—but it looked more like enough to feed ten.
And yet, Yu Je-hyun gazed at the rapidly vanishing stew with a look of deep regret, as though watching a precious treasure disappear.
The flavor was so sincere and heartfelt that the negative feelings he had been harboring toward Lee Haru melted away like sugar in hot water.
He felt no inclination to share it with someone who had refused to eat and had to be dragged back.
“You’re hungry too, right? Your stomach was seriously loud just now.”
Lee Haru’s nape flushed red. He had thought the rumble was quiet enough that only he could hear it. But the people in this room were all S-rank Espers—
People whose senses were so sharp, they could probably hear an ant crawling across the floor if they focused.
And since it was true he was hungry, Haru quietly took a seat at the table.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper home-cooked meal. Thank you.”
“Please, eat as much as you like.”
Kang Min, eating quietly, responded to Haru’s gratitude. His face remained expressionless, but something about the atmosphere surrounding him had softened.
Haru quickly forgot about Hong Seong-jun and, driven by his hunger, began eating with fervor.
***
“I’ll take care of the cleanup. Thanks for the meal.”
The food that had been laid out vanished in the blink of an eye.
As Lee Haru stood to clear the empty dishes, Yu Je-hyun waved his right hand lightly.
“That’s all right, Guide Lee Haru. Go ahead and rest in your room. You only need to provide Guiding for Je-hyun tonight.”
Kang Min also rose from his seat to help tidy up. With both of them working together, the table was cleared in no time.
Fortunately, Lee Haru had cleaned up as he cooked, so apart from the pile of dishes in the sink, there was little left to deal with.
“Understood.”
Maybe they really are not as bad as I thought. Granted, I did all the cooking, so it only makes sense they handle the cleanup. Still, perhaps I had been unknowingly holding onto some prejudice against the two of them.
As he returned to his room, Haru smiled to himself, feeling oddly lighthearted.
If things continued this way, maybe the prejudice they held toward him would disappear just as easily.
But the rift between Haru and the Espers ran deeper than he had imagined.
***
“You seriously just hold hands to do the Guiding?”
After neatly finishing off the dishes piled in the sink, Yu Je-hyun came to find Lee Haru.
Haru, lounging on the bed and humming a carefree tune, quickly sat up straight.
Since he had planned to keep his bedroom and work separate, he led Je-hyun back out to the living room.
Even as they sat side by side on the couch, Je-hyun still looked doubtful, as if the whole situation was hard to accept.
“That’s how I did it with Esper Hong Seong-jun. What is your Rampage Risk Index, Esper Yu Je-hyun?”
Lee Haru craned his neck to get a look at Je-hyun’s wrist. Je-hyun obediently lifted his hand to show it.
“Fifty-one. Then I will Guide you until it drops to thirty—is that all right?”
“Why thirty?”
“Well…”
Since Kang Min had instructed Hong Seong-jun to continue receiving Guiding until his Rampage Risk Index dropped below thirty, that number had naturally become Haru’s mental benchmark.
“It should be at least twenty. At thirty, the headaches start creeping back.”
Yu Je-hyun’s eyes narrowed. A score of thirty did not interfere with daily life, but it was not exactly comfortable either.
Even at twenty, it still felt like a heavy stone was rolling around inside your skull.
“Oh, then… sure. I will Guide you until it drops to twenty.”
He had already done it once, so the second time might be easier.
He had felt completely drained after Guiding Hong Seong-jun, but now that he had eaten a hearty, delicious meal, things should go more smoothly.
“What are you doing?”
Yu Je-hyun looked at Haru like he was examining some bizarre life form.
Haru had both hands stretched forward like he was waiting to receive something.
“I meant for you to give me your hand.”
Haru tilted his head, puzzled. Was holding out both hands perceived differently in this place?
“Fine. Take it.”
As though bestowing a grand favor, Yu Je-hyun casually placed his right hand atop both of Haru’s.
The moment underscored just how different Haru’s current body was from his original one.
Their hands were so mismatched in size that it felt perfectly natural to hold Je-hyun’s with both of his own.
“I will begin the Guiding now.”
Just in case, Haru gave a verbal cue before grasping the hand properly.
A familiar sensation, nearly identical to what he had felt when Guiding Hong Seong-jun, spread through the point of contact between their skin.
A beep, beep echoed from the watch as the numbers steadily dropped, one by one.
Throughout the entire Guiding session, Lee Haru kept his eyes fixed solely on the Rampage Risk Index.
It really is changing.
In contrast, Yu Je-hyun stared only at Haru’s face, utterly absorbed. His gaze followed the slow flutter of Haru’s unusually long lashes as they moved up and down in a steady rhythm.
Despite Haru’s claim that they would only be Guiding through hand contact, Yu Je-hyun had secretly assumed he would cling to him like before.
The soft, plush texture of Haru’s hand suddenly registered in his awareness. Now that he had set aside a bit of resistance, he realized—this kind of Guiding actually suited his taste.
As the numbers dropped, the accumulated discomfort in his body faded, washing away like grime beneath a stream of cool, clean water.
Silence enveloped the room, pierced only by the subtle sound of Haru’s breathing brushing against his eardrums.
That focused, wordless expression on Haru’s face felt oddly unfamiliar. With its sharp lines and delicate stillness, it resembled a traditional ink painting rendered across pure white hanji.
Then, in that tranquil face, a flicker of vitality sparked. Just as Yu Je-hyun thought he saw a glint of light flicker in those deep black eyes, Haru lifted his head and met his gaze.
“Guiding’s complete. It’s definitely easier after a good meal.”
The soft smile that followed stirred something in Yu Je-hyun. Not once had Haru smiled at him like that before.
So he can smile like that, too.
He had always looked so bleak, his stunning looks dulled under a cloud of gloom—but now, there was color in his face.
He drew the eye, like a lone star shining brilliantly in the night sky.
“Esper Yu Je-hyun?”
At Haru’s words, accompanied by a small wave of his hand, Yu Je-hyun finally realized—he was still gripping Haru’s right hand tightly, even though the Guiding had already ended.
The energy still trickling from Haru’s palm tasted like honey.
Beep—
Even as he continued holding on, the Rampage Risk Index slipped from 20 to 19.
“How about we stop here for today?”
As Haru spoke, the outer corners of his brows drooped slightly—just enough to be noticeable. He still did not know how to stop the Guiding while maintaining physical contact. He was sure with a bit more practice he could figure it out. But asking the Espers to help him practice Guiding? That was not an option.
“You could just stop Guiding, couldn’t you? What does it even mean to say ‘let’s stop’ while still Guiding?”
Yu Je-hyun locked eyes with Haru, still refusing to release his hand, as if determined to uncover whatever Haru was hiding.
What is there to figure out? I just cannot control this damn power yet. And I can’t even explain that properly. This is driving me insane.
Haru tried to shake his hand free, but the strength difference was overwhelming. Yu Je-hyun’s grip did not budge an inch. Instead, a dull ache shot back up his arm like backlash.
“I just felt bad about ending it first. So could you, please—just let go…”
As the two tugged back and forth, the Rampage Risk Index dropped yet another point. And just like that, despite the full dinner he had eaten earlier, hunger clawed its way back in.
Does this always happen after Guiding? Seriously?
For someone who considered hunger one of the most unbearable sensations in existence, this was the worst possible news. He was now a Guide—he would have to do this every day, and each time it would leave him starving.
“You… know what it means to feel guilty?”
The disbelief in Yu Je-hyun’s voice nearly made Haru unravel.
Are there really people who do not know what guilt feels like? I guess maybe… but I’m not one of them. Haru wasn’t either… was he?
His thoughts tangled into a chaotic swirl.
By the time Yu Je-hyun’s Rampage Risk Index hit 10, Haru’s body had gone slack. His stomach felt like it had shriveled in on itself, as though he had skipped three meals in a row.
With half-glazed eyes, dulled from the ache of hunger, he looked down at the large hand still entwined with his like a vine.
“…What are you doing?”
