I Want To Be Your Guide – Chapter 10
“…What? Me?”
At Domin’s unexpected words, Jeongyun could only repeat the question stupidly. Someone had slept with who… His thoughts froze at the crude expression he’d never heard before.
That such raw language would come from Domin’s mouth, of all people. Jeongyun, overwhelmed with confusion, tried to conclude that he must have misheard due to fatigue.
“Why, it’s true that you slept with me and ran away.”
“…”
But Domin kindly delivered the decisive blow.
While Jeongyun was frozen in shock, Domin remained calm. He didn’t understand why Jeongyun was reacting this way when he hadn’t said anything incorrect.
Slowly uncrossing his legs, Domin asked in a calm voice:
“So, why did you do it?”
“Pardon?”
“Sleeping with me is one thing, but why did you Imprint me?”
There were two errors in Domin’s statement.
Jeongyun had neither slept with Domin in that sense, nor had he intentionally Imprinted him. He needed to clear up the misunderstanding, but didn’t know how to start.
He had firmly believed that Domin would understand if he explained honestly, but now he wasn’t so sure. Wooyeon had said that Domin was rampaging, threatening to kill the Guide who had Imprinted him and run away.
At first, Jeongyun firmly believed it was Wooyeon’s misunderstanding, but after meeting Domin face to face and exchanging a few words, he thought it might actually be true.
“I didn’t intentionally…”
He struggled to start speaking, but couldn’t easily continue.
He untangled the thoughts jumbled in his mind one by one. After gently biting his trembling lips and releasing them, Jeongyun continued calmly:
“I judged that emergency Guiding was needed—”
“Doesn’t normal Guiding usually stop short of sexual relations?”
“Due to the difference in rank, I had no choice—”
“That’s not the whole story, is it?”
“…”
Struck at his core, Jeongyun could only close his mouth.
Seeing Jeongyun’s face turning pale, Domin twisted the corner of his mouth in a smile, as if he’d expected as much. Jeongyun bowed his head deeply and trembled.
There were two ways to break a one-sided Imprint. Either go through the official procedure at headquarters and endure the flesh-tearing pain to painfully erase the Imprint, or have the Imprinting Guide die so the Imprint naturally dissolves.
The clear image of Junyoung’s shocked face when Domin suggested the second option might be more convenient remained vivid.
‘I’d like to kill them, honestly.’
While the headquarters could smooth over a personality controversy, murder was different. Killing a precious Guide would result in severe punishment even for Domin.
Severe punishment would be fortunate; there was a high probability he would rot in prison for life. That couldn’t happen. Domin regained his reason that had been about to flee.
“Four years ago…”
Domin frowned at the disturbing opening that flowed from Jeongyun’s lips.
With his head bowed, Jeongyun couldn’t see Domin’s expression. After exhaling a trembling breath and steadying his voice once more, he was finally able to continue speaking.
“If it hadn’t been for you, Mr. Choi Domin, I would have died.”
Recalling that day, Jeongyun’s eyes became moist. Despite the touching situation of reuniting with the person who had saved his life, now as a Guide, Domin remained unmoved.
Domin was an Esper. A government-affiliated Esper who had to prioritize civilian safety during terrorist attacks. With all the terrorist attacks he had faced and all the people he had saved, how could he remember them all?
Unlike Jeongyun, who remembered that day vividly as if it were yesterday even after several years had passed, unfortunately, Jeongyun didn’t exist in Domin’s memory.
“I became a Guide because I wanted to meet you, Mr. Choi Domin. Since you saved me, I wanted to become a Guide and help you too…”
How could a mere C-rank Guide help an A-rank Esper like himself? His personality would have made him argue endlessly, but seeing the expression quickly darkening, it seemed Jeongyun knew the reality better, so Domin didn’t speak up.
“…Ah, I’m sorry.”
Jeongyun quickly apologized. Embarrassment washed over him. After pouring out everything he had kept in his heart, he lost the courage to look at Domin’s face.
It wasn’t even a confession of love, so why was it so embarrassing? Jeongyun fanned himself to cool his heating face. He wanted to hide in a mouse hole if one existed.
“Guide Yeo Jeongyun.”
At Domin’s call, Jeongyun slowly raised his head. His face, which had been pale, was now flushed red. At first, Domin thought it might be from shame, but seeing the eyes darting around, he understood.
Gratitude? There was a bigger reason than that. He’d been caught trying to hide it pathetically.
“Do you like me?”
Startled by Domin’s direct question, Jeongyun couldn’t hide his expression in time.
“W-what are you…”
“Don’t pretend you don’t understand and answer me. Guide Yeo Jeongyun, you like me, don’t you?”
The question had already become an assertion.
Jeongyun tried to calm his pounding heart, but his face had already revealed his emotions. Domin tried hard to suppress the twitching corner of his mouth.
“Hmm…”
Domin’s mind worked quickly. Aside from rank, Jeongyun was far more useful than Saeon who tried to manipulate him.
A Guide who didn’t set limits on physical contact and provided dedicated Guiding. Wasn’t that the perfect Guide every Esper dreamed of?
The rank difference could be somewhat covered if the Imprint wasn’t removed, and if that didn’t work, they could proceed with Guiding to the point of sexual relations.
‘If only I could control the intensity limit, it would be perfect.’
With an Imprint already in place, was there a need to maintain limitations? In this relationship, it was Domin the Esper who was in charge, not Jeongyun the Guide. That was enough.
“Guide Yeo Jeongyun.”
Domin called Jeongyun. Raising his bowed head, Jeongyun looked up at Domin who was now standing in front of him.
A large hand lightly grasped Jeongyun’s chin. Unwavering eyes were staring at his face. Jeongyun slightly bit his parched lips and released them.
“Well, this isn’t bad.”
“…Pardon?”
His appearance was decent enough not to be unpleasant to have around, and above all, Domin liked this look in his eyes. These eyes that couldn’t hide emotions but revealed them fully, knowing what they wanted, made it easy to manipulate him.
Because with just a small carrot, he would give everything.
“I’m going to kiss you. Push me away if you don’t like it.”
“What…”
“But I doubt you will.”
“Mmph.”
After his warning, Domin pressed their lips together. Jeongyun stiffened slightly in surprise, but as Domin predicted, he didn’t resist. Instead, he closed his eyes and matched Domin’s arbitrary kiss.
‘Ha.’
Domin, opening his eyes slightly, barely suppressed his laughter.
Though Guiding wasn’t necessary, Domin kissed Jeongyun for a long time. Despite feeling breathless, Jeongyun didn’t push Domin away.
‘Just as I thought.’
With this, Domin could be certain. That Yeo Jeongyun would accept whatever he did.
Domin rubbed Jeongyun’s swollen lower lip with his thumb. Jeongyun’s shoulders, which had melted limply in the heat of the kiss, trembled finely.
Domin was about to tilt his head, wanting to kiss him again, but at that moment, seeing those eyes full of expectation, his mind changed.
Domin said with a smirk:
“Why are you looking at me with such expectant eyes?”
“…Pardon?”
“Those eyes are saying you want to kiss now.”
Jeongyun wanted to deny it, but couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Domin’s hand firmly pressed Jeongyun’s left eyelid. Though nothing could be seen through the forcefully blocked left vision, his remaining right eye was filled with the smiling Domin.
“Guide Yeo Jeongyun.”
Jeongyun nodded slowly, like someone entranced.
The pressure on his left eyelid weakened. He almost unconsciously grabbed Domin’s gradually retreating hand, but only his fingertips twitched without actually grasping it.
Jeongyun slowly opened his closed eyes. Just as his blurry vision came into focus, Domin said something unbelievable.
“Would you like to be my dedicated Guide?”
They say when people hear something hard to believe, they can’t distinguish whether it’s a dream or reality, and that seemed to describe this moment perfectly.
From the mouth of none other than Domin—
To him, a C-rank Guide—
A proposal to become his dedicated Guide.
“I’ll leave the Imprint as it is. If Guide Yeo Jeongyun becomes my dedicated Guide, there’s no need to go through the hassle of removing it, right? Having the Imprint might even be better for Guiding.”
Domin’s approaching hand lightly rubbed Jeongyun’s chin. Jeongyun’s body trembled slightly at the casual contact. He shouldn’t, but heat rushed to his eyes again.
Jeongyun quickly lowered his head. He almost looked at Domin with ‘eyes wanting to kiss’.
“What do you think of my proposal?”
The hand rubbing his chin moved away, and Domin urged an answer. After tightly closing and opening his eyes, Jeongyun raised his bowed head and met Domin’s gaze.
Even before receiving an answer, Domin was certain that Jeongyun would never reject his proposal.
“I…”
Jeongyun hesitated for a moment.
Out of desire, he already wanted to take Domin’s hand and say ‘I look forward to working with you,’ but his reason gave the answer that had already been decided.
“I’m sorry.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
