A violently contorted yet strikingly handsome face came into view through his trembling vision. In the dark, Yu Je-hyun’s silver-streaked hair took on a far more secretive and alluring shade than it had under the light.
“Personally, I’m aiming for a long, quiet life…”
Anyone could tell Yu Je-hyun was seething with anger, but Lee Haru was genuinely glad to see him.
He’d assumed Kang Min was the only one in the mansion—turns out Yu Je-hyun had been holed up in a room somewhere as well.
The realization that he wasn’t alone—that someone else made of warm flesh and blood was here—brought a wide, relieved smile to Lee Haru’s face.
“What the hell is this supposed to be?”
Me, obviously.
He swallowed the words that nearly burst out on instinct. While Lee Haru felt a wave of relief, Yu Je-hyun looked ready to push him down the stairs at any moment.
“I’m really sorry, but… could you stay with me just until the lights come back on?”
When were those lights ever coming back, anyway? Unless a bolt of lightning happened to flash through the windows, the mansion was swallowed in total blackness.
“Do I look insane to you?”
Even when Lee Haru looked up at him with pleading eyes, Yu Je-hyun recoiled like he’d just been propositioned by a creep.
It stung a little, but when you’re the one in need, you’re the one who has to suck it up.
“I’m just… really scared of the dark…”
He hadn’t meant to sound so pathetic, but his voice came out trembling. Even to his own ears, it was downright pitiful.
A tone so miserable, no normal person with even a shred of sympathy could turn away.
“Get lost before I say it again. Didn’t Hong Seong-jun tell you? The second floor’s off-limits.”
The real misfortune was that Yu Je-hyun wasn’t a normal person. Neither were the other espers, for that matter.
Lee Haru’s looks were the kind that could soften hearts with just a quiet breath, and yet every single one of these guys seemed to have hearts made of steel plating.
“What a tiny, stingy heart.”
“What?”
“Didn’t say anything.”
You need at least a shred of hope to keep up the act—but with Yu Je-hyun, it felt like even a glimmer would get crushed under his glare.
And somehow, even though Lee Haru had only muttered it under his breath, Yu Je-hyun picked it up perfectly. Must be those esper-level ears.
Instead of clinging any further, Lee Haru grabbed the stair railing and began descending one step at a time.
“…Are you testing my patience right now?”
“What?”
Lee Haru tossed an innocent glance upward, as if he truly didn’t see the issue. Yu Je-hyun let out a disbelieving scoff and raked his hands through his hair.
He had told the guy to get his ass down to the first floor, and all Lee Haru did was take two steps down and sit his butt there. The audacity left him speechless.
“…There’s been weird noises coming from downstairs, you know.”
But Lee Haru felt wronged, too. If it weren’t for those crying sounds—or if the lights hadn’t gone out—
If even just one of those things hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t have come sprinting back up to the second floor like that.
“You’re the one screaming the loudest, just so you know.”
Well, when he put it that way, Lee Haru couldn’t argue. Even Yu Je-hyun’s annoyed tone sounded oddly pleasant in this messed-up situation.
“I do tend to be a little loud, yeah.”
He nodded readily in agreement. Truthfully, he was on edge—terrified that Yu Je-hyun might turn around and disappear into his room again at any moment.
He kept sneaking glances, trying to play it cool, but at this point, his eyes were practically sideways like a flounder.
“Tch. You just have to get the last word, don’t you.”
“Wait—we were arguing? Since when?”
Honestly, at this point, even suggesting a word chain game didn’t seem like a bad idea. Lee Haru turned his body fully toward Yu Je-hyun’s direction.
Maybe it was a small mercy—he could now faintly make out Yu Je-hyun’s silhouette. His eyes had started adjusting to the dark.
His irises, normally a mix of black and gray, now looked pitch black in the low light.
And every time lightning cracked through the window behind him, shadows carved deep contours across his sharply defined face.
Damn, he really is ridiculously good-looking.
That vicious scowl softened in the dark, creating an illusion of gentleness. Maybe it was just the psychological comfort of having someone nearby that was making him feel this way.
“What do you say to a word game? I mean, Esper Yu Je-hyun, you don’t look like you’re sleeping anytime soon.”
His face, faintly visible in the dark, was etched with frustration—but not the slightest trace of sleepiness. That was why Lee Haru had even dared to speak.
“Why the hell would I talk to someone who doesn’t even make sense? Move.”
Rather than entertain his antics, Yu Je-hyun brushed past him and headed downstairs. Maybe it was the esper agility, but he didn’t even make a sound—just vanished into the first floor like a wisp.
Left behind on the dark, shadow-drenched stairs, Lee Haru’s face twisted into a sulky pout.
“Wait for me!”
***
“…Are you possessed or something?”
“Aaaeeuhh mmff ehhh ahhh euh—”
“What the hell are you saying? Stop talking—Jesus, I can see everything in your damn mouth!”
Yu Je-hyun took a swig of whiskey and shoved his chair back with an audible scrape. It was because of the idiot across from him, who had his face buried in a bowl and was inhaling food like he hadn’t eaten in days.
Every time the guy opened his mouth to speak, half-chewed food jumbled around visibly inside—and just the sight of it made Yu Je-hyun’s stomach churn.
The moron must have realized how impolite he was being, because while his brow twitched in vague shame, he still clapped a hand over his mouth and kept chewing furiously. As irritating as it was, there was something oddly fascinating about the whole scene.
Can someone really change this much, this fast?
Watching Lee Haru now, Yu Je-hyun couldn’t help but feel like someone else had taken over the guy’s body. He was nothing like the mess he’d encountered just days ago.
“…Even if I die?”
That voice still rang clear in his ears. He could still picture those dull, dead eyes meeting his. What had he even said back then?
His relationship with Lee Haru had always been… complicated. To be fair, things hadn’t started badly when they first met. Unlike many esper-guide pairs, there was no bad blood at the beginning.
“Ah… hello.”
Haru hadn’t been able to hold eye contact and had worn a sad, ghost of a smile, but he wasn’t unattractive—far from it, even objectively speaking.
He was also an S-rank guide with a high compatibility rate with Yu Je-hyun. There had never been any logical reason to dislike him.
But he kept getting under my skin.
Things soured because of Lee Haru’s relentless obsession.
“Why… why did you get guiding from someone else instead of me?”
They hadn’t signed any exclusive guiding contract. Yu Je-hyun had every right to seek out guidance from whomever he chose.
Sure, Haru’s guidance had the highest efficiency. But every time they did a session, he acted like some groveling subordinate, and it grated on Yu Je-hyun’s nerves.
Even after awakening as an S-rank, Haru carried himself like some desperate rent boy. As time passed, Yu Je-hyun found himself recoiling more and more from any form of contact—yet Haru kept trailing behind like a persistent stalker.
“I’ll do better… just please, let me be the only one to guide you. Please?”
Maybe—if Haru had acted like that with him and only him—Yu Je-hyun might’ve reconsidered. No matter how frustrating Haru was, he couldn’t deny how good his guidance felt.
But once he realized Haru wasn’t exclusive in his desperation, the whole thing became laughable.
“You’re like this with the Team Leader and Hong Seong-jun too. What the hell is your deal?”
He’d snapped and asked one day. If it had been another esper pulling this stalker crap, he might’ve just beaten them half to death.
But Haru was a guide, and that made things complicated. The guy looked like he’d break in half from a single blow.
“That’s…”
But Haru never gave him a straight answer. He just looked away.
And then, like clockwork, he’d try to strip and throw himself at him again. The idea of getting physical with a guide who didn’t even have real feelings for him—it disgusted Yu Je-hyun. It was like forcing down rotten food.
“Maybe this is why. Esper Yu Je-hyun, Esper Kang Min, and Esper Hong Seong-jun—you’re all S-rank, young, and attractive. Guide Lee Haru’s cold as ice to everyone else. Doesn’t even answer when you talk to him. When he guides, it never goes beyond holding hands.”
The answer Haru wouldn’t give came from another guide—an A-rank guide Yu Je-hyun occasionally received guiding from, second only to Haru in compatibility.
There was no way someone could have genuine feelings for all three of them at once.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. That guide was probably right—Haru didn’t love anyone. He was just collecting S-rank espers like trophies. Young, good-looking, powerful men—Haru wanted them all in his fishbowl.
That was why Yu Je-hyun kept avoiding him.
It had been, what—two weeks?
He had been smoking in the designated area when Haru approached. Yu Je-hyun instinctively frowned and turned away, but before he could get far, Haru started crying.
And for some reason… he froze.
Haru’s face was expressionless, but tears were streaming silently down his cheeks. It was harder than expected to just walk past him.
“What do I have to do to make you take guiding from me again?”
“No matter what you do, I’m just not interested in getting guiding from you. You can’t force feelings—they don’t work that way.”
I wonder why the org!Haru is like that