Kang Min was not the kind of person to ignore someone in danger, but even so, there was something about Ji Yeon-woo that stirred an unusual sense of pity in him.
Objectively speaking, Ji Yeon-woo’s life had been undeniably tragic. If he had awakened as an S-rank Guide under normal circumstances, he would have joined the Association and lived a life many could only dream of.
But fate had taken a cruel turn—he had been kidnapped by Black before his awakening and had been exploited ever since.
…It is unsettling.
Yet despite knowing the emotion was his own, Kang Min felt a strange dissonance, as if the feeling had been implanted by someone else. It was like he was being pushed to feel sympathy for Ji Yeon-woo, whether he wanted to or not.
The sensation was deeply unpleasant, hard to describe with a single word. As the discomfort tugged at him, Kang Min’s brow creased in irritation—
“Ugh… please, have mercy…”
Ji Yeon-woo, unconscious until moments ago, suddenly began sobbing and begging in his sleep. His small face was soon streaked with tears. Seeing it stirred a dull ache deep in Kang Min’s chest.
It was a sensation entirely foreign to him.
And while it might have intrigued him under other circumstances, it only made him feel like he was wearing something that did not fit—tight, constricting, and wrong.
Even so, he brushed off the discomfort and refocused on his duties. The Association’s Ability Users were already combing through Black’s hideout from top to bottom.
Kang Min walked over to the man with the second-most field experience after himself—Team Leader of Alpha Team 2 in the Seoul branch. An A-rank Esper, but more importantly, a seasoned veteran.
“Esper Kim Hyun-seo, I will head out ahead. Please take care of the rest.”
“Understood. Do not worry.”
A newly awakened S-rank Guide had been found in Black’s base. Until now, the Association had only two registered S-rank Guides—one of them being Lee Haru.
There were five S-rank Espers, but only two S-rank Guides. As a result, Lee Haru had been practically monopolized by the S-rank Espers of Alpha Team 1 for Guiding.
The other S-rank Guide was already paired with the Association President, making them a poor match for anyone else.
So for the upper ranks of the Association, this new development was nothing short of a blessing. Relations between Lee Haru and Alpha Team 1’s S-rank Espers had reached an all-time low, and managing them had become a logistical nightmare.
In that sense, Ji Yeon-woo’s discovery was more valuable than the actual raid itself. Valuable enough that Kang Min had chosen to personally oversee him.
With Ji Yeon-woo cradled in his arms, Kang Min followed behind Hong Seong-jun and Yu Je-hyun, heading toward the Association headquarters. But strangely, the face lingering in his thoughts was not Ji Yeon-woo’s—it was Lee Haru’s, pale and drawn.
***
“Fortunately, there are no issues with his mana wave patterns for Guiding. No physical injuries either. As for his mental state, we will need to reassess after Guide Lee Haru regains consciousness.”
The doctor, glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, flipped through the report as he spoke. Yu Je-hyun, careful not to show it, let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Hong Seong-jun listened silently. The moment the doctor finished speaking, he turned and slipped out of the room without a word.
“When do you expect him to regain consciousness?”
Kang Min’s question earned a hesitant response.
“Well… as you know, Guide Lee Haru has never been in the best psychological shape to begin with. Given that he was kidnapped and only just rescued, we anticipate a significant level of trauma. It is hard to say for certain, but since there are no physical injuries, I believe he may wake up within the day.”
The doctor was Lee Haru’s primary physician. Seeing his patient again after so long left him uneasy.
“You need to come in for counseling at least twice a month. I also recommend continuing with your prescribed medication.”
Lee Haru’s depression and anxiety were far more severe than those seen in most Guides.
Because of how rare S-rank Guides were, the higher-ups had specifically ordered that special attention be given to his care. But psychological treatment, more than anything, required the patient’s willingness to participate.
No one could drag in a resistant patient, force pills down his throat, or make him sit through counseling sessions against his will.
That was why the doctor’s heart always pounded whenever rumors about Lee Haru began circulating. After the suicide attempt incident, he had been called in and berated by his superior for a full two hours.
He had submitted multiple requests for cooperation to the Guide Management Department, only to be met with the same reply every time: unless Guide Lee Haru agreed, they could not force treatment.
So what if he is a rare S-rank Guide? He is rotting away from the inside.
In the doctor’s eyes, what Lee Haru truly needed was not just treatment, but someone who would genuinely care for him—someone who would stay by his side and protect him.
Every time they met for counseling, Lee Haru would press his lips into a thin line, refusing to speak.
But to the trained eye, the emotions Lee Haru refused to voice would manifest through his body language and subtle gestures.
He acted just like someone who had been abused.
Still, the doctor’s hands were tied. Lee Haru had never once claimed he was being mistreated. He could not just march into the Guide Management Department and declare, “I think Guide Lee Haru is a victim of abuse.” Not without evidence.
All he could do was try to reach Lee Haru’s heart—inch by inch—every time he came in for a checkup.
Not quite what the rumors made him out to be…
Behind his lenses, the doctor’s eyes gleamed sharply for a fleeting moment. He quietly observed Yu Je-hyun and Kang Min, both of whom were staring at Lee Haru with solemn expressions.
Moments ago, even Hong Seong-jun had been there.
The three S-rank Espers whom Lee Haru had once followed around like a baby duck… were now, in their own ways, showing concern for him. Something that had never happened before.
Is this really something to be glad about?
He could not shake the unease—not when a part of him still suspected that one of these very men might be the one who had hurt Lee Haru.
And that suspicion was not unfounded. After all, these three were the only people Lee Haru had ever willingly approached on his own.
Wake up soon. That way, you’ll get to see the looks on their faces… see for yourself how worried they are.
Jin Sung-joon, Lee Haru’s attending physician, checked the final vitals displayed on the monitor, updated the chart, and then gave a polite bow to Kang Min and Yu Je-hyun.
Kang Min returned the bow, but Yu Je-hyun remained motionless, his gaze fixed on Lee Haru’s face, a deep line carved between his brows.
Neither of them looked like an abuser, at least not outwardly. Still, as Jin Sung-joon stepped out and closed the hospital room door, he cast one last look at their backs, watching them closely.
Once the doctor was gone, Yu Je-hyun pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down.
“You should go now, Team Leader. I will stay with him.”
He leaned back in the chair, one leg crossed over the other, speaking with casual finality. Kang Min glanced at his watch.
More time had passed than he realized—it was nearly time to report to the Association President.
“Alright. Let me know when he wakes up.”
“Yeah.”
Even as he responded, Yu Je-hyun’s eyes remained locked on Lee Haru, unwavering, like something anchored deep into place.
The soft click of the closing door echoed faintly. Yu Je-hyun silently studied Lee Haru’s face—his features unusually delicate, made more vivid by the depth of his unconscious sleep.
Do you know why I’m like this?
If Lee Haru were awake, he would have asked. Asked what it was about this man that still left him on edge, even when he was right here, lying within arm’s reach.
Was it the shock of how he had found Haru? Maybe he had grown too used to the brighter, livelier version of Haru over time.
Seeing him now—worn out, defeated, looking like someone drowning in a crowd he could not escape—left Yu Je-hyun feeling filthy inside.
He had wanted to save him sooner. Guilt prickled at the back of his mind—sharp and bitter. If he had just paid more attention, maybe none of this would have happened.
The doctor said there were no physical injuries, but he still could not be sure. What if they had used him until he broke, then healed him up with potions to hide the damage?
The very thought that unfamiliar hands had touched him—after everything—was unbearable. Especially when Haru was no longer someone “untouched,” having already been with Yu Je-hyun and the other S-rank Espers countless times.
He could still vividly remember the look in Haru’s eyes—wide and startled—when he had insisted, almost childishly, that from now on he would not do contact Guiding beyond just holding hands.
That innocent act had been so unlike him, and yet, Yu Je-hyun had found it strangely endearing.
But imagining that Haru had been forced into contact Guiding with other Espers, against his will… it made his blood boil. He wanted to hunt down every last one of Black’s Espers and peel their skin off while they were still breathing.
Reacting to his thoughts, a sliver of metal coiled from his palm like a snake, forming into a razor-sharp dagger.
He rolled the blade in his hand, gaze still resting on Lee Haru’s sleeping face, calm and expressionless.
“I’ll buy you everything you wanted, so wake up soon. I’ll even get you that lobster again.”
Even as he said it, the words felt ridiculous—like he was trying to bribe a child with snacks.
And yet… nothing seemed to lure Lee Haru more effectively than food. The thought made a crooked, helpless smile tug at the corner of his lips.
