Casting
Kang Chi-yu blinked as he stared down at the tablet the guide department head had handed him.
With just an hour left before the end of the workday, he’d been summoned out of the blue—only to be shown a tablet with what looked suspiciously like a contract on it.
At the bottom of the contract, a round, glittery pink logo was stamped along with the words A Pair is Born.
“Read it and sign.”
“…Excuse me?”
When Kang Chi-yu looked up in confusion, the guide department head brought a teacup to his lips and spoke nonchalantly.
“It’s that observational reality show that’s been number one for ages. No need to explain—there’s no way a guide like you hasn’t heard of it.”
Of course he had.
It was a show featuring Espers and Guides as its cast—an observational reality program, and the most popular one at that, holding the top spot for years running.
A Pair is Born—also known as PairBorn—matched Espers and Guides as temporary pairs and filmed their daily lives without filters or edits.
While there were a few other shows of a similar format, none were as vivid or immersive as PairBorn, which is exactly why it was so wildly popular.
It had earned rave reviews for scratching the itch of viewers curious about the real lives of Espers and Guides, all thanks to its unique, unmatched strategy.
Namely, it filmed actual monster subjugation missions inside Gates—places no ordinary civilian was ever allowed to enter.
Because civilians were barred from entering Gates, other reality programs couldn’t broadcast any footage from inside them.
But PairBorn had defied that standard from its very first episode by strapping micro-cameras directly to the Espers’ and Guides’ chests, providing viewers with a firsthand look at the scenes inside the Gate.
Speculations about just how much effort and money the PairBorn crew poured into making that possible continued to circulate—ranging from theories about bribes to advanced custom tech—but the Central Bureau, the PairBorn team, and the network had sealed all details under strict confidentiality.
So all anyone had were rumors and hearsay.
In any case, A Pair is Born let viewers vote in advance to decide which Esper and Guide they wanted to see paired. Once selected, the show documented everything—life inside the Gate, how Espers fought, how Guides supported them—down to the last detail.
That’s why it ended up sweeping nearly every award every year, becoming a long-running sensation and the ultimate dream program that every Esper and Guide longed to appear on.
As a result, the guests and even the recurring cast were almost always S-Class. While the number of Guides was comparatively low, there were a few A-Class ones, but even they were rare.
Add to that the enormous appearance fees, the generous post-show benefits, and the way it practically guaranteed a surge in market value—it was only natural that nearly every S-Class Esper or Guide would aspire to join. For anyone below that tier, it was a pipe dream.
‘So why me…?’
Chi-yu tilted his head.
He was officially a B-Class, but he had the rare ability to both stabilize resonance and provide healing—skills that allowed him to directly calm down an Esper on the brink of going berserk.
That’s why he’d been accepted into Team Two, which typically only took A-Class or higher Guides.
That, in itself, was already unusual. But there was no way that small quirk alone could’ve landed him a spot on PairBorn, a show that only featured S-Class cast members—let alone leapfrog over actual A-Class candidates.
Chi-yu fixed his gaze on the guide department head, who was sipping his tea while avoiding eye contact.
“…Did you… recommend me for this, sir?”
Typically, A Pair is Born had a recommendation board where short promo videos of an Esper and Guide’s daily life were uploaded like commercials.
The production team would create those videos, viewers would vote, and the Esper and Guide with the highest vote count would become the next temporary pair.
So for someone like him, who hadn’t even recorded a video, to receive an offer could only mean one thing—the guide department head had put his name forward.
But Chi-yu knew full well that the one who’d been most opposed to him—a B-Class—getting accepted into an all-A-Class team was none other than the guide department head himself.
So it didn’t make sense. Why would he nominate Chi-yu?
And then the department head, Seok Do-young, spoke a name Chi-yu hadn’t even considered—leaving him stunned, confused, and deeply unsettled.
“Esper Hyun Tae-oh picked you. Said you two were childhood friends, right?”
“……”
“Well, it’d obviously be more comfortable for Esper Hyun Tae-oh to be paired with someone he knows. He’s notoriously picky, after all.”
“Tae-oh… agreed to do this?”
The fact that Hyun Tae-oh had chosen him was something he could process later.
The more immediate issue was that Hyun Tae-oh had agreed to be on television at all.
Even as a kid, Hyun Tae-oh would scowl at the mere sight of cameras or reporters. No matter how sweetly anyone coaxed, begged, or even threatened him, he’d stubbornly refused to appear in any kind of media.
So the idea that Hyun Tae-oh had accepted an offer to appear on PairBorn was… almost impossible to believe.
“It’s a special for the 100th episode,” Seok Do-young explained. “Unlike the regular cast, you won’t be filming for an entire month. Just for a week—enough for two episodes.”
At those words, Chi-yu looked back down at the contract.
As Seok Do-young had said, the top of the page clearly read A Pair is Born: 100th Episode Special.
And despite being the one who’d brought the offer to the table, Seok Do-young now seemed increasingly uneasy—his nervousness growing in response to Chi-yu’s utter lack of enthusiasm.
Given that this was the very first program Hyun Tae-oh had ever agreed to appear on, the Central Bureau considered his participation a matter of great national importance.
Having Hyun Tae-oh on the show would be an unprecedented opportunity to promote not just the Bureau’s systematic operations, but also to showcase how Espers and Guides in this country engaged in combat—reaching beyond national borders to the global stage.
Around the world, Espers and Guides were treated like celebrities, enjoying levels of fame comparable to actors and singers. And the few SS-Class Espers that existed were media goldmines—any appearance they made instantly became headline news.
So, if someone like Hyun Tae-oh—who had flatly refused all media offers until now—were to confirm his participation, it would be akin to performing a patriotic duty.
Sensing that Kang Chi-yu was about to reject the offer, Seok Do-young hurried to persuade him.
“As you know, Guide Kang, Esper Hyun Tae-oh has refused every single media appearance up to now. There are even countries out there claiming we lied about having an SS-Class Esper because he’s never been seen…”
But Chi-yu wasn’t listening.
All he could think about was why—why on earth Hyun Tae-oh had agreed to appear on PairBorn in the first place.
“…don’t you think? And it’s not just the general public who wants to see an SS-Class Esper on screen. Even some of the Espers in Team Three—people who work in the same organization—don’t even know if Hyun Tae-oh is alive or dead. Honestly, that’s a bit much, isn’t it?”
“……”
“So of course, the fact that he agreed to appear on this program is a huge win for the Central Bureau.”
“……”
Even after all that, Chi-yu’s expression remained frozen, unmoved—and that started to rattle Seok Do-young.
The composure he’d shown earlier while sipping tea had completely vanished. He pulled out a handkerchief and began nervously dabbing sweat from his forehead.
“T-The truth is, the production team originally planned to cast Min Yu-hyun, one of the Bureau’s most popular Guides, as the pairing partner.”
Chi-yu’s gaze snapped to him the moment he heard that name.
“But apparently, Esper Hyun Tae-oh told them he’d only agree to appear if Guide Kang Chi-yu were his pairing partner.”
“……”
“That makes your decision all the more important right now. I mean, come on—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone involved, isn’t it? It’s the 100th episode special! Even if you only appear in two episodes, it’ll have the same impact as being a regular. And even if you don’t care much about fame, as you can see in the contract, the appearance fee and the added perks are beyond anything you can imagine.”
At that, Chi-yu glanced back down at the contract.
But he didn’t see a single word on the page.
All he could think about was one thing: Why did Hyun Tae-oh choose him over Min Yu-hyun?
A faint, bitter laugh escaped his lips before he could stop it.
Seok Do-young flinched, but Chi-yu didn’t notice.
Just thinking about how he’d been used as a replacement for Min Yu-hyun sent a chill through his entire body.
“…If I refuse this…”
Seok Do-young sprang to his feet.
“No, Guide Kang Chi-yu! Don’t even joke about something that terrifying!!”
In today’s world, where Espers and Guides had dominated nearly every media format aside from dramas, films, and music shows, the appearance of one of only three SS-Class Espers was monumental.
And if that SS-Class Esper was someone who never appeared in the media? The impact would be seismic.
That very Hyun Tae-oh had said he’d appear on the show only if they secured Kang Chi-yu.
So from Seok Do-young’s perspective as guide department head, getting rejected was like being struck by lightning.
Seriously—what kind of guide would ever turn down an offer to appear on PairBorn?
“Listen, Guide Kang,” Seok Do-young said, wiping more sweat from his brow as he doubled down on persuasion.
***
The bond between Hyun Tae-oh and Kang Chi-yu went all the way back to early childhood.
The two of them had grown up next door to each other, thanks to a close friendship between their mothers—both Espers.
As they got older, Chi-yu came to realize two things.
One: Hyun Tae-oh hated people.
Two: He didn’t even like his own parents very much and preferred being alone.
And three: Chi-yu was the only person he allowed to stay by his side.
Realizing this, it had been natural—inevitable, even—for Chi-yu to fall for him.
Hyun Tae-oh had manifested as an SS-Class Esper at the unheard-of age of eight.
From that point on, he’d been relentlessly hounded by the media, receiving offers and attention from every outlet imaginable.
As a result, his hatred for people had grown so extreme that it turned into full-blown misanthropy.
Eventually, he developed severe social anxiety, a fear of physical contact, and even obsessive cleanliness.
Chi-yu had believed—foolishly, it now seemed—that Tae-oh needing and trusting only him was something that would never change.
But after they both joined the Central Bureau and got split into Teams One and Two, cracks began to show in that comforting illusion.
What really shook him was how frequently Hyun Tae-oh started appearing alongside Min Yu-hyun—an S-Class Guide, a literal golden boy, and Team One’s brightest star.
Chi-yu’s growing unease eventually reached its breaking point when, at the request of the Bureau Chief, Min Yu-hyun paid a visit to Hyun Tae-oh’s house—and Chi-yu saw him leaving.
Hyun Tae-oh, who wouldn’t even let most people breathe the same air as him, had let Min Yu-hyun into his home.
It was a shock.
And when articles started circulating about the two of them dating, Chi-yu’s long-standing one-sided love finally reached its limit.
Once he made up his mind, he wasn’t the type to hesitate.
He moved out of his old place—the one that had been inconveniently far from the Central Bureau, but which he had tolerated just to live next door to Hyun Tae-oh.
He found a new villa closer to the Bureau.
And he stopped doing something he’d been doing for decades: waking Tae-oh up in the mornings.
He left him a message, saying he’d moved and couldn’t do it anymore.
That same afternoon, by coincidence, he lost his phone during an emergency call-up and ended up changing his number.
Later, when asked why he never gave Tae-oh his new number, he deflected with a blatantly obvious lie—that he hadn’t memorized Tae-oh’s number.
In the end, he’d made a visible effort to distance himself from Hyun Tae-oh.
But he honestly hadn’t thought it would be such a big deal.
He’d once believed he was the only person who could stand beside Tae-oh.
Now that he knew that wasn’t true, he figured it was time to stop chasing an unrequited love that would never be returned.
It wasn’t just a passing phase either—it had lasted over fifteen years.
If he counted the time before he even recognized it for what it was, it probably came close to twenty.
From the very day he met Hyun Tae-oh, maybe he’d been falling for him.
But every bit of that emotion stemmed from the delusion that he was the only one special to Tae-oh.
Now that he knew otherwise, it was only right to end this foolish infatuation.
Especially now—when maybe, just maybe, someone like Hyun Tae-oh had finally found real love.
