About two hours had passed by the time Chi-yu and Tae-oh came back downstairs.
The other four had already eaten dinner, and neatly packed lunch boxes for Chi-yu and Tae-oh were waiting on the table.
Kang Chi-yu walked toward the kitchen, trying to hide his swollen lips—puffed up thanks to that damn kissing maniac who had spent over an hour sucking on them.
“Eh? What happened to your lips, Comrade Chi-yu? Did you soak them in water or something?!”
But of course, Beom Do-il—completely lacking any sense of discretion—called it out immediately.
Hyun Tae-oh, whose own lips were only slightly red and glossy despite all the mutual kissing, answered in Chi-yu’s place with a smug curl of his mouth.
“Quit staring at someone else’s lips and mind your damn business.”
Then he casually unwrapped Chi-yu’s lunch, sat down at the table, poured a glass of water, and handed it to him.
Chi-yu glanced at the neatly unwrapped meal in front of him, then looked up at Tae-oh.
“What’s this? Since when do you do things like this?”
“I’m trying to seduce you. Want me to feed you?”
Tae-oh said it with such infuriating nonchalance that Chi-yu’s eyes immediately widened.
Chi-yu glanced warily at the filming cameras scattered around them and frowned.
“Cut it out. Cameras are rolling.”
“So let them roll. You think anyone’s got a problem with me hitting on you? If they do, I’ll smash ’em all.”
Tae-oh even gestured at him to go ahead and eat, like he was doing him a favor. At this point, Chi-yu was seriously starting to question what the hell kind of situation this was.
“WHAT?! Seducing?! Esper Hyun Tae-oh! Are you saying you want to Pair with Guide Kang Chi-yu?!”
That was Min Yu-hyun, jumping off the couch with a yell, thanks to his sharp ears. But Tae-oh didn’t even look at him. He just kept peeling back the wrapping on his own lunch.
“Don’t talk to me again.”
His voice was cold—completely different from the way he’d been speaking to Chi-yu—and that shift made Chi-yu glance at him again, checking his expression.
“What?!”
“Want me to feed you?”
Completely ignoring Yu-hyun’s angry outburst, Tae-oh turned to Chi-yu with a smile and asked again, like nothing else mattered.
Chi-yu leaned in slightly and whispered as quietly as possible, asking him to stop and wondering why he was acting like this.
But Tae-oh didn’t back down. In the same confident tone, he replied, “I told you—I’m seducing you.”
Yoon Do-jae, who’d been sitting silently on the couch scrolling through his phone, now had his eyes locked on the two of them.
From his point of view, Hyun Tae-oh looked like he was relentlessly messing with Kang Chi-yu—and it was starting to piss him off.
Sure, Tae-oh had always been a bit eccentric, but up until now, he’d managed to keep things within the bounds of friendship.
Then, out of nowhere, he basically confesses to Chi-yu and suddenly starts acting like this? Of course it was annoying.
Even back when Chi-yu had moved near the Central Bureau and their relationship had grown a little distant, Do-jae still held out hope—maybe.
When that hope had been crushed after watching the special broadcast, seeing the two of them still acting the same, still stuck in their “just friends” dynamic, brought that maybe back again.
That cycle of hope and disappointment just kept repeating, and little by little, Chi-yu started taking up more and more space in Do-jae’s heart.
So yeah, seeing Hyun Tae-oh suddenly start doting on him, staring at him with eyes full of intent, and acting like he was going to steal him away—it pissed him off.
And really, Do-jae had no one to blame but himself.
He’d never been direct. He’d hesitated.
If some random Esper had popped up out of nowhere and asked Chi-yu to date or become Pairs, Chi-yu would’ve definitely been caught off guard.
So Do-jae convinced himself that giving Chi-yu space was for the best.
But in the end, that was just an excuse.
Dragging his feet was his mistake.
He thought he didn’t need to rush. There were reasons for that—plenty of them.
But the biggest one? Chi-yu didn’t seem particularly interested in Espers.
Usually, because of their powers, Espers and Guides were instinctively drawn to each other.
The lines between same-sex and opposite-sex didn’t even exist in their world.
Espers and Guides forming couples was incredibly common, and whether it was a same-sex or opposite-sex pairing, their relationships and marriages were considered completely normal in society.
Sure, sometimes Espers married Espers, or Guides married Guides, but those cases were rarer.
So naturally, most Guides sized up Espers based on whether they met their own standards—and it was usually pretty obvious in their behavior.
But Kang Chi-yu was different.
He didn’t look at Espers the way most Guides did.
That included Do-jae, too.
Their first Guiding session had been in a tense, dangerous situation, so of course, there’d been no time for any lingering looks or awkward flirting.
But still, when a B-rank Guide managed to guide an S-rank Esper, most would use that as an excuse to keep in touch.
Chi-yu didn’t.
Maybe it was because he spent his days around SS-rank Espers—maybe an S-rank like Do-jae just wasn’t impressive to him.
Or maybe… Do-jae just wasn’t his type.
All those thoughts piled up and made him hesitate. Made him keep his distance.
And now, things had escalated to this point.
Do-jae glared at Hyun Tae-oh, who was still teasing Chi-yu about feeding him, and thought grimly:
At this point, the only move I have left… is to go full head-on, just like Hyun Tae-oh.
***
It was a little later in the evening, and everyone had retreated to their rooms for some rest. That’s when staff members delivered the mission cards to each door.
The cards contained two things: a request for a short interview about their first day working with their current partner, and a game designed to test their compatibility.
They had to find plush dolls resembling their partners, which had been hidden throughout the house.
If someone found another person’s partner doll, they had to make a deal or trade to get their own.
The team with the most of their own partner’s plush dolls would win.
There was a catch: Espers had to find the Guide dolls on the second floor—without using any abilities.
Guides had to find the Esper dolls on the first floor.
The garden was fair game for both.
Knowing some cast members might grumble that this wasn’t a variety show but a reality program, the director had thoughtfully added a note at the bottom explaining the game’s purpose.
It was a surprise event, meant to give fans a rare glimpse of Esper Hyun Tae-oh doing something fun.
The man had never once appeared in the media, and the Season 2 premiere seemed like the perfect time.
The note also clarified that this would be a one-time event, limited to the Season 2 initial cast.
As expected, Tae-oh frowned the moment he read the card.
“What kind of bullshit is this?” he muttered.
His personal camera director—who’d previously told the main director that if Kang Chi-yu played along, then Tae-oh definitely would—gently coaxed him.
“You know, if you find the Guide’s plush and just don’t give it back, that counts as a win for you.”
That was all Tae-oh needed to hear. He decided on the spot—he was going to collect all of Kang Chi-yu’s plushies.
Even when they told him the interviews had to come first, he nodded.
His mind was already locked onto one target: Chi-yu’s dolls.
A faceless drone floated in front of him for filming.
The light blinked on, the camera started rolling.
***
- How was working with your first partner today?
Hyun Tae-oh: He’s a teammate of the person I like, so I didn’t mind. He was helpful, too. (Completely deadpan)
Yoon Do-jae: I’ve wanted to work with this Guide even before joining the program, so I’m truly glad to be here. They’re perfect in every way. Honestly, I’d really like to Pair with them. (Expression blank, ears bright red)
Beom Do-il: Uhhh… yeah… sure… I mean, who hasn’t dreamed of partnering with Guide Min Yu-hyun… uhh… (Suddenly sighs) Haaah. Director, look—Lying in interviews like this is bad, right? (Camera director panics)
The whole nation’s going to see this. I can’t just commit fraud on national TV, right? (Looks at the director like he expects a response. The director panics even harder)
Look, I was asked to say some nice stuff—please cut that part out—but seriously, this just isn’t it for me.
I don’t really have much to say. It’s only been a day.
The Guiding was amazing, yeah, but I’m an A-rank Esper. I don’t really need an S-rank Guide. (Scratches his cheek, then glances back at the director)
Do I really have to do this interview? I’ve got nothing to say, honestly. (Looks frustrated)
Lee Jun-hyung: Partnering with an SS-rank Esper is a blessing. I fully enjoyed the experience. It was great—not having to lift a finger. (Low chuckle)
Kang Chi-yu: It’s been great working together. Very professional, clean and efficient work. Oh, and his wind attribute makes his Ridune collections look really pretty. Haha.
Min Yu-hyun: (Arms crossed) Working with an A-rank Esper is a fresh experience—I don’t usually get the chance.
It’s a rare pairing, since 1st and 2nd teams don’t usually overlap.
Esper Beom Do-il seems shy around an S-rank Guide like me. He can’t even meet my eyes.
I get it, though—if your idol becomes your partner, you’d be nervous too, right?
He couldn’t even look at me properly when we first met. (Laughs)
***
For Espers, hunting down those plush dolls without using abilities was a massive pain in the ass.
Sure, being confined to the second floor made things a bit easier, but still—digging through cluttered hallways filled with unnecessary decorations and rummaging through other people’s rooms?
Annoying.
Everyone was thinking it—why were Ability Users being made to do this?
Hyun Tae-oh started by locking down his own room with his power and began sweeping the hallway.
“Whoa, Hyung! You locked your door?!”
Beom Do-il, who had planned to start his search in Tae-oh’s room, jiggled the doorknob and shouted.
Tae-oh ignored him and began inspecting the display shelves lining the hall.
Soon enough, he found one.
He’d expected something fist-sized, but it was barely the size of a keychain.
He scowled.
Then promptly hurled it over his shoulder.
Beom Do-il, who happened to be approaching at that moment, instinctively caught it mid-air.
“Oh! A plush!”
But the moment he saw whose it was, he groaned in disappointment.
“Ugh, seriously…”
Passing by, Yoon Do-jae gave him a puzzled look.
“Isn’t your current partner Guide Min Yu-hyun?”
Do-jae’s eyes landed on the tiny plush—complete with sunglasses—clearly modeled after Min Yu-hyun.
Do-il gently returned the plush to the exact spot Tae-oh had found it and said,
“Losing is what makes games fun.”
Then he bobbed his head and walked off, humming a weird little tune that vaguely sounded like:
“I’m looking for a Lee Jun-hyung plush~ Where oh where could Jun-hyung be~”
Do-jae blinked, confused, then turned and began searching for Kang Chi-yu’s plush.
Moments later, from down the hallway, a furious shout rang out.
“What the fuck—why does this bastard keep showing up?!”
It was the same Min Yu-hyun plush—the very first one Tae-oh had found and Do-il had carefully returned to its place.
