# Chapter 41
“What a mess you are.”
It was Wooyeon who stopped Jeongyun as he was quietly trying to enter the Guiding room.
Jeongyun looked around, confirmed no one else was there, and gestured for Wooyeon to come closer.
“What is it?”
Wooyeon tilted his head curiously but obediently approached as Jeongyun beckoned. Quickly opening the Guiding room door, Jeongyun pushed Wooyeon in first and then followed.
“What’s going on?”
Wooyeon asked with wide, surprised eyes.
Without answering, Jeongyun first took off his damp shirt and dried himself with a towel hanging on the clothes rack. Right now, he just wanted to change his clothes.
“Where have you been?”
“The Center.”
“Why the Center?”
“I got summoned.”
Since when did the Center send special summons to Guides? Wooyeon tilted his head at this unusual event.
Meanwhile, after changing his top, Jeongyun was about to take off his pants but hesitated.
“Could you turn around for a minute?”
“Why be shy between guys? Just change.”
It was true, but the problem was that Jeongyun needed to change not just his pants but his underwear too. Still, he wondered if he was being overly sensitive when Wooyeon seemed so nonchalant about it.
After some deliberation, Jeongyun pulled down his pants and underwear at once, ignoring Wooyeon’s gaze. Wooyeon, who had been staring blankly elsewhere, naturally shifted his gaze to one particular spot.
“Wow, Yeo Jeongyun, you’re whit—”
“JUNG WOOYEON!”
When Jeongyun shouted loudly, a startled Wooyeon quickly shut his mouth. Then he subtly shifted his gaze that had been fixed in one place.
This was exactly why Jeongyun avoided undressing in front of others. What was a complex for him served as good teasing material for others.
After changing completely, Jeongyun stood in front of Wooyeon, visibly angry. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Wooyeon looked up and said with an awkward smile:
“Sorry, I didn’t know. How would I have known that your thing was—”
“Stop talking, please. Just forget it.”
“Okay. I didn’t see anything.”
Wooyeon put on a shameless expression like he knew nothing. Jeongyun knew Wooyeon had an annoying personality, but this was the first time he’d wanted to hit him so badly.
With a deep sigh, Jeongyun sat down on the portable bed. After drying off and changing clothes, his previously heavy body felt much lighter.
“So, why did you go to the Center?”
“They asked me to do some Guiding.”
“Guiding request? But you’re Choi Domin’s Dedicated Guide.”
“That’s right.”
Leaning forward, Jeongyun took out the Center Director’s business card from the pants he’d taken off. Though soggy from getting wet, the gold-embossed number was still readable.
Having firmly rejected the Center Director’s offer, he no longer needed the card. He could just throw it away, but his feelings were unsettled.
‘Min Hwayeon Esper has rejected all other Guides. Quite violently, I might add.’
If this was all due to the Imprinting effect, then Jeongyun was the only one who could Guide Hwayeon. If Hwayeon continued to reject other Guides, he would go mad or die from the side effects.
‘Maybe once every few days would be okay.’
On days when there was no call from Domin, Jeongyun just sat blankly in the Guiding room. If he took on Hwayeon’s Guiding, he could use that time meaningfully.
Above all, Domin wouldn’t care if Jeongyun guided someone else. He just needed to prioritize Domin’s calls when they came.
Despite firmly rejecting the offer earlier, claiming he absolutely wouldn’t do it, his mind kept drifting in that direction.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
Wooyeon asked as he approached.
Jeongyun quickly put the Director’s card in his pocket and said it was nothing. Wooyeon gave him a suspicious look but didn’t press further.
“If you have time, let’s go for coffee. I desperately need caffeine.”
“Sure, let’s go.”
As they were about to leave the Guiding room after gathering money for coffee, someone knocked on the door. Knock, knock—the rhythmic sound made both of them freeze.
“Are you expecting anyone?”
“No, no one.”
Jeongyun checked his Pager just in case, but there was nothing. Since Domin was on a business trip abroad, there shouldn’t be anyone looking for Jeongyun.
“Is anyone in there?”
An unfamiliar voice was heard. On high alert, Jeongyun carefully turned the doorknob.
Through the gradually widening gap, a bright red flower came into view. When the door was fully opened, an enormous bouquet of flowers, almost too big to hold, was waiting for Jeongyun. The delivery man’s arms were full of colorful flowers.
“It’s from Choi Domin.”
“…What?”
Initially surprised at hearing it was from Domin, Jeongyun’s mood instantly soared. Come to think of it, Domin had also given Jeongyun a bouquet when they first made the Dedicated contract.
The previous one was well-dried and kept at home, but this one was so large that Jeongyun happily wondered where to put it. Just as he was about to take the bouquet handed by the delivery man, he noticed the recipient’s name written next to the sender.
“Guide from Attack Team 2…”
His high-flying mood crashed instantly.
Though Jeongyun was Domin’s Dedicated Guide, he wasn’t assigned to any team due to his low rank. This meant the bouquet wasn’t for him.
“Aren’t you the Guide from Attack Team 2?”
When the delivery man asked, Jeongyun honestly nodded. Then he returned the bouquet he had been holding. It wasn’t his, so he shouldn’t take it.
“This is troublesome, the recipient’s name isn’t specified properly…”
Due to the imprecise recipient name, it wasn’t clear who should receive the bouquet. The delivery man wanted to call the client, but had received a note saying they would be abroad for the week and unavailable.
“If you’re looking for a Guide from Attack Team 2, it’s over there.”
At that moment, Jeongyun pointed to another Guide’s room. The delivery man thanked him with a bow and headed where Jeongyun had indicated.
It was Ju Saeon’s room.
“Excuse me.”
When the delivery man knocked, Saeon came out after a slight delay. He was frowning with annoyance, but his expression brightened when he saw the large bouquet.
“This is from Choi Domin.”
“…From Domin?”
As if completely unexpected, Saeon’s cheeks turned redder than the flowers. After getting a signature from Saeon, the delivery man left, and people gathered around Saeon with the bouquet.
“It’s from Choi Domin?”
“What’s this about? He acted like it was completely over.”
“He sent you flowers last time too. Maybe he still has feelings for you?”
“That must be why he sent these flowers!”
Amid the excited Guides, Saeon just smiled happily. Jeongyun tried to suppress his miserable feelings and enter the Guiding room.
“Yeo Jeongyun!”
If only Saeon hadn’t called out to him.
The reason for stopping him was obvious. He wanted to show off the bouquet from Domin.
With a deep sigh, Jeongyun turned around, and Saeon proudly showed him the bouquet in his arms.
“You must feel upset? You’re his Dedicated Guide, but Domin keeps looking after me.”
“…Not really.”
Though he said that, it wasn’t true. The gap between the happiness he felt briefly when holding the bouquet and his current despair was too great.
“Coffee, maybe another time?”
Wooyeon carefully asked, seeing Jeongyun’s expression. Shaking his head, Jeongyun headed to the break room first. When passing by Saeon, his gaze almost went to the bouquet, but he barely restrained himself.
‘It wasn’t even a difficult request.’
Jeongyun had only asked three things of Domin: to adjust the level of Guiding, to respect him as a Dedicated partner, and to keep distance from Saeon.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, touching other Guides besides you has no effect, Yeo Jeongyun.’
Though Domin had spoken as if he would definitely keep his promise, it seemed those were just thoughtless words. How foolish and stupid must Jeongyun have looked for believing them so firmly?
“Wooyeon, I’m going to make a quick phone call.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Leaving the break room, Jeongyun went to an empty emergency exit. After closing the door, he took out the Center Director’s business card from his pocket.
He unlocked his phone and carefully dialed the gold-embossed number. After connecting and waiting for a few seconds, the Center Director answered.
“Hello, Director. This is Yeo Jeongyun Guide.”
[I’ve been waiting for your call.]
A pleased laugh was heard from the other end of the line.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
