Yoon Do-jae and Kang Chi-yu quickly finished dealing with the monster and began collecting Ridune. The work was simple: Do-jae harvested the Ridune, and Chi-yu placed them into the storage box one by one.
Because it was such a quiet task, Chi-yu worried the audio might end up too empty, so he kept chattering about random things. Do-jae, finding him unexpectedly adorable, couldn’t help but let a small smile slip.
Catching that smile, Chi-yu blinked at him.
“Why?”
“…Sorry?”
“You smiled just now.”
“Ah.”
“Yes?”
“It’s nothing.”
Do-jae had just collected another Ridune and straightened up, handing it over. Chi-yu took it, tucked it into the box, and looked up at him.
“People say you’re not the type to smile, but that doesn’t seem true.”
“Ah.”
“Guess rumors really aren’t worth believing.”
“I don’t smile much.”
Do-jae’s eyes held steady on him as he spoke.
“….”
“But I smiled because Guide Kang Chi-yu looked cute.”
Chi-yu’s eyes widened.
“And I think I’ll probably keep smiling whenever I’m in front of you.”
Chi-yu froze, unsure how to respond, his eyes darting around. Do-jae pressed further, his voice calm.
“That’s how much I enjoy looking at you, Guide Kang Chi-yu.”
“……!”
The words slipped out of Do-jae’s mouth unconsciously, but they carried so much weight that Chi-yu’s face flamed red.
After all, he’d just heard what could only be taken as a confession, and even a casual remark from him now sounded loaded with meaning.
Especially with the cameras filming.
But Do-jae’s face remained completely composed, as though he hadn’t confessed anything at all—just stated a simple observation.
Still…
“Esper Yoon Do-jae…”
Chi-yu’s gaze was drawn to his ears.
He lifted a finger to point.
“Your ears are…”
They were reddening at a shocking pace, so much so that Chi-yu’s wide eyes grew even wider as he muttered,
“They’re really red…”
***
“Ugh! My ears hurt!”
Beom Do-il clutched both ears with a shout.
“My eardrums almost burst!”
“Do you think eardrums rupture that easily!? And yawning in someone’s face while they’re talking, like you’re bored—don’t you even know basic manners!?”
Min Yu-hyun, bristling with irritation, scolded him. Slowly lowering his hands, Do-il mumbled,
“No, it was just a reflex. I wasn’t yawning because I was bored.”
“Well, it felt rude!”
“…Sorry.”
“I expect you to behave properly from now on. Like it or not, we’ll be partners for a week. If you keep this up, I’m the one who’ll be in trouble.”
Yu-hyun’s pout softened slightly at Do-il’s apology. Nodding, Do-il picked up the tablet from the table to check their schedule.
As he powered it on, Yu-hyun asked,
“Then you’ll keep our promise, right? Let the directors in when they come?”
Do-il blinked at him.
“…Promise? Did we even make one?”
“What were you listening to just now? I said you have to act like you’ve been my fan all along. When the cameras roll, pretend you’ve always adored me.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not true.”
“It doesn’t have to be true! These little events make the broadcast more fun—”
“I said no. What if someone misunderstands?”
“Who would misunderstand?”
“Jun-hyung.”
“Jun-hyung? Who’s that?”
“Guide Lee Jun-hyung.”
“Lee Jun-hyung… Oh, the other cast member… Wait, don’t tell me you’re dating him?”
“No?! God, if Jun-hyung heard that, it’d be a disaster. Dating? No way.”
Do-il shook his head furiously, denying it over and over. But in contrast, his cheeks had gone bright red.
Just being asked was enough to make him lose all composure—clear proof of how much he liked Lee Jun-hyung.
Yu-hyun pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed deeply.
What kind of lineup was this for the very first revamped program? Hyun Tae-oh was one thing, but now he was stuck with Yoon Do-jae, who didn’t get along with him, and an A-rank Esper hopelessly in love with another contestant?
At this rate, no matter how outstanding an S-rank Guide he was, his chances of being chosen weren’t looking good.
He needed a new plan.
“Esper Beom Do-il, you like Guide Lee Jun-hyung, right? You’re not dating, though.”
“Uh… yeah, well…”
“And Guide Lee Jun-hyung likes you back?”
“What? No?! Of course not. Jun-hyung would never…”
“Then I’ll help you.”
“…What?”
“I’ll make him jealous so you two can get together.”
Do-il’s expression went completely blank, almost comically so.
Yu-hyun barely held back the urge to shout at him for looking so dumb, and instead began coaxing gently.
“Think about it. Even if he’s not interested right now, if I get close to you, Guide Lee Jun-hyung won’t be able to ignore it. He’ll notice.”
“….”
“There’s a saying—the grass is always greener on the other side. If I get picked as your Pair, he’ll definitely…”
Yu-hyun kept talking, piling on reasons why Do-il should pick him. The truth was, Yu-hyun had no intention of picking Do-il himself.
His true target was Hyun Tae-oh.
But there was a huge difference between having two votes and just one. Do-il’s vote was essential.
The only way to win over a guy pining for Jun-hyung was to use this ploy. If it worked, Yu-hyun would secure enough screen time to make people say once again, That Min Yu-hyun really delivers.
Of course, if Do-il couldn’t act, they’d have to cut and reshoot endlessly, which would be exhausting. But in the end, what mattered was getting his vote.
So Yu-hyun pressed on with all his persuasive charm.
***
The camera crew following Kang Chi-yu and Yoon Do-jae sprang into action.
They wanted to capture Do-jae’s ears burning red as he stared at Chi-yu, and Chi-yu’s own flushed face as he pointed it out in a panic.
With his face still flushed, Do-jae tapped his cheek with a finger and said,
“Guide Kang Chi-yu, you’re red too. Right here.”
Chi-yu immediately raised an arm to cover his face.
“That’s… because it’s hot. It’s just really warm right now.”
The flustered look only made him cuter. The corner of Do-jae’s lips tugged up again.
“Yes. I’m hot too.”
Backing up Chi-yu’s unconvincing excuse, Do-jae turned to the camera crew.
“We’ve completed our task. May we return now?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then we’ll see you at the lodging.”
Giving them a polite nod, Do-jae reached out to Chi-yu.
“Shall we?”
Chi-yu closed the Ridune box, nodded, and slipped his hand into Do-jae’s.
Do-jae clasped it carefully but firmly, murmuring,
“Excuse me.”
Then he pulled Chi-yu into his arms.
Chi-yu’s face pressed against his chest, his cheeks growing even hotter—just as Do-jae teleported them away.
Left behind, Do-jae’s cameraman stared blankly at the empty space. Next to him, Chi-yu’s cameraman wore the same dumbfounded expression.
“…Did you get that?”
“Yeah. I got it.”
The cameraman nodded.
***
Do-jae and Chi-yu were the first to return to the lodging. They each went to their rooms to shower.
As soon as they’d arrived, Do-jae had seen Chi-yu heading upstairs and couldn’t help feeling a little regretful that their rooms weren’t on the same floor.
All through his shower, he kept wondering how to carve out more time with him. But when he came out into the living room with damp hair and found Chi-yu already waiting there, freshly washed, he realized he hadn’t needed to worry.
“Will you… accept Guiding from me?”
Chi-yu asked softly.
Do-jae couldn’t look away. With his damp hair, Chi-yu looked even younger, even softer. He nodded.
“Then sit. But I’m only B-rank, so compared to higher-ranked Guides, the quality won’t be as…”
“It’s the best.”
Like an obedient child, Do-jae immediately crossed the room and dropped onto the sofa opposite him.
Cutting in, he extended his large hand. Startled, Chi-yu blinked, but Do-jae only looked at him with his usual blank face.
“I’ve received it before. You might not remember.”
“…Oh, really?”
“Yes. I like it.”
Chi-yu’s eyes nearly popped. His heart thumped wildly at the sudden confession. Was that about Guiding—or something more? His face gave nothing away, leaving Chi-yu bewildered.
Glancing nervously at the cameras, Chi-yu forced a laugh.
“Ah, you mean the Guiding. You like my Guiding…”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Ah, of course. Hahaha.”
Chi-yu took his hand with an awkward smile. In a voice so low only Do-jae could hear, he muttered,
“You should add a subject when you say things like that—it’s way too easy to misunderstand.”
Do-jae wanted to tell him it wasn’t a misunderstanding. But he held it back.
Even if the footage could be cut, he didn’t want to make Chi-yu any more uncomfortable than he already was.
“Then, let’s begin.”
“Okay.”
Chi-yu sent his energy through their joined hands, linking with Do-jae’s wavelength.
As expected of a wind-type Esper, Do-jae’s energy was cool and sharp. If Hyun Tae-oh’s aura was like blazing sunlight, Do-jae’s was like the crisp, biting air of a winter morning.
Chi-yu marveled at the stark contrast and focused on stabilizing him.
Do-jae, meanwhile, couldn’t stop staring at Chi-yu’s lips. He hadn’t meant to, but once the thought of saliva-contact Guiding crossed his mind, his gaze naturally drifted there.
The longer it went on, the more uncomfortable Chi-yu became. Finally, he lifted his head—and found Do-jae’s expressionless face still fixed on his lips. Do-jae’s shoulders gave a small twitch.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…Ah.”
“If you keep staring, I can’t focus.”
“Sorry. I was thinking about saliva-contact Guiding…”
The blunt honesty made Chi-yu’s eyes widen in shock.
“What?”
“I didn’t mean I wanted it now.”
“Oh. Well, my Guiding is a little lacking, isn’t it? Later, when Guide Min Yu-hyun or Guide Lee Jun-hyung comes, you should get supplementary Guiding. Since I’m only B-rank…”
“It’s not lacking at all. That’s not why I thought of it.”
He added that he was fully satisfied.
Chi-yu nodded once and smiled faintly.
But behind the smile, his mind was a tangled mess—because Yoon Do-jae had admitted he’d been thinking about saliva-contact Guiding.
