It was late at night. Do-il had climbed up to the second-floor rooftop, staring up at the stars scattered across the night sky.
He tried to sort out his thoughts, replaying the words Lee Jun-hyung had said to him. Of course, confessing to Jun-hyung—a man still grieving the loss of his Imprint partner—had only burdened him further.
But how could Do-il accept what Jun-hyung had told him, to go and try liking someone else? His whole world revolved around Jun-hyung. How could he possibly love anyone else?
What Jun-hyung wanted from him was something he couldn’t give, and that fact tore him apart.
“What are you doing up here?”
The question broke his thoughts. He turned and saw Min Yu-hyun standing behind him, holding a bottle of wine and a single glass.
“You’re drinking?” Do-il asked, glancing at the bottle.
“Helps me sleep,” Yu-hyun replied easily. “But what about you? Why the gloom this late at night?”
“…I couldn’t sleep either.”
At that, Yu-hyun sat down beside him without hesitation and poured wine into the glass.
Do-il assumed the glass was for him and reached out, but instead, Yu-hyun handed him the bottle.
“I need the glass. You can either fetch your own or drink straight from the bottle. I only drink one glass anyway.”
“…Thanks.”
Do-il lifted the bottle to his lips. With so many tangled emotions pressing down on him, the wine slid down his throat like relief.
He drank again, and again, until Yu-hyun was simply watching him in silence.
“Something on your mind?”
Yu-hyun finally asked when Do-il had taken his fifth swig.
Do-il met his gaze.
His face, already pale, gleamed even whiter in the moonlight. Yu-hyun had the kind of decadent, sensual beauty that could pull anyone in.
But instead of being swayed, Do-il thought of Jun-hyung’s face—just as striking, but in a completely different way. And he wondered bitterly why, even with someone like Yu-hyun right in front of him, his heart still clung stubbornly to Jun-hyung.
This wasn’t a passing crush. It was something he had carried since his days at the Esper Academy.
There was no way he could suddenly kill those feelings and try to love someone else.
That thought alone made his chest ache.
It felt unfair, as if Jun-hyung thought his feelings weren’t anything special, weren’t anything deep.
But Do-il couldn’t see anyone else. And he had no idea what to do with that kind of devotion.
The wine loosened his tongue, and the injustice boiled over until he finally spoke.
“Why does he keep rejecting me?”
“Rejecting you? Me?” Yu-hyun asked, startled.
“I’m confident I’ll never waver. I can love one person—only one—for the rest of my life.”
“…Are you confessing to me right now?”
“And if I am?”
“Well… it’s not like you can’t, but—”
Yu-hyun lifted the glass to his lips, turning his eyes away. Do-il’s sudden, direct words—fueled no doubt by alcohol—caught him completely off guard.
But it only confirmed what Yu-hyun had suspected from the beginning: Do-il must have fallen for him the moment they met.
So he misunderstood entirely, believing the “one person” Do-il spoke of was himself.
“I mean… with a confession that intense…”
“No matter what, it’ll always be one person for me. I’ll never change, never betray, and I’ll never leave them behind by dying first. Then what do I have to do to make him accept me? Do I really need to go see other people first?”
“Why would you? You just need to be with the person you like.”
“Right?!”
Do-il’s face brightened instantly. His cheeks were red from the wine, his smile glowing.
“Yeah, but… whether I accept Esper Beom Do-il or not, well…”
“Then should I just cling to you and insist I only want you?”
“There’s no need for clinging. Honestly, I’m not in a place to start dating right now…”
“Haa… Then what the hell am I supposed to do?”
Do-il hung his head, sighing heavily.
He knew Jun-hyung too well—tantrums or demands would never work.
But Yu-hyun, misunderstanding his despair as rejection from him, frowned slightly as he looked at Do-il’s bowed head.
“I don’t dislike you. I just haven’t thought much about dating. But since we’ll both be in PairBorn Season 2, why don’t we get to know each other more during filming, and then talk again afterward?”
Do-il’s head snapped up.
“Pair?”
Yu-hyun flinched, but forced a nod. “Yeah. Pair.”
In that moment, Do-il remembered what Yu-hyun had said to him a few days ago, his words replaying like a film reel.
“Think about it. Even if Guide Lee Jun-hyung isn’t interested in you right now, if I get close to you, he’s bound to feel jealous.”
“People always think someone else’s rice cake looks bigger. If I become your Pair, Lee Jun-hyung will definitely…”
Do-il’s eyes sparkled.
“Will you help me, Guide Min Yu-hyun??”
His flushed cheeks glowed even brighter, thrilled that he’d finally found what felt like the answer to everything.
***
Kicking furiously under the blanket, Yu-hyun pulled it over his head.
This was the most humiliating moment of his life.
No—this was the first time he had ever been wrong.
Until now, the only one who’d openly hated him was Hyun Tae-oh, and the only one who’d kept him at arm’s length was Yoon Do-jae.
But never had an Esper—especially not just an A-rank—dismissed him so coldly.
He lashed out with another frustrated kick.
Maybe it was the wine, maybe the mood, but when Do-il—with that flushed face—had begged him for help, he’d agreed too easily.
Worst of all, he had been convinced that the “one person” Do-il spoke of was him.
“Remember what you said about the bigger rice cake? Could you pretend to date me in front of Jun-hyung?”
Pretend? What the hell did he take him for?
Yu-hyun threw the blanket aside and sat bolt upright.
“But only in front of Jun-hyung. The truth is, he told me to go see other people…”
“He might be my first love, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to love.”
“I really love him. I mean it, I really, really do.”
“So please, Guide Min Yu-hyun, help me. If you do, I’ll grant you a favor in return.”
Do-il had said all of that so casually, planning to use him for Jun-hyung’s sake.
But what stung more than Do-il’s audacity was his own foolishness—mistaking it for a confession.
And he had no excuse to refuse. He was the one who had first suggested that Jun-hyung would get jealous if Do-il became his Pair.
Besides, agreeing meant he’d secure his spot in PairBorn Season 2.
So why was he so angry?
He couldn’t even pinpoint what he was angry about. He just burned, eaten alive by frustration.
The memory of Do-il’s tearful, drunken face, crying about how much he loved Jun-hyung, made his stomach knot with jealousy and irritation.
What was Jun-hyung that Do-il had to whine about him right in front of him?
And this—while sitting across from someone like himself, someone most Espers wouldn’t even dare to dream of being near.
The more he thought about it, the more twisted his feelings became—turning into a strange competitiveness, a prickling possessiveness.
And that dangerous impulse led him to a decision.
He would seduce Beom Do-il.
Not just to film Season 2 together, but to make Do-il his.
A Pair who were lovers would create far more buzz than an ordinary Pair.
And if an S-rank like him dated an A-rank Esper, even his haters would have no choice but to change their tune. They’d become fans.
***
“This Sunday, the first episode of Finding My Pair—Season 2, Part 1—will air.”
After breakfast, the cast gathered in the living room as the Production Director gave the updates.
“If you want any scenes removed, discuss it with your assigned camera director. Given how much will need to be cut, we’ll likely air up until the doll-finding game.”
Kang Chi-yu’s expression stiffened.
He remembered all too well what had happened before the game—the fight between Hyun Tae-oh and Yoon Do-jae, and his own injury as a result.
He wanted that entire section gone, but since the next recording had continued with his arm still bandaged, it couldn’t be erased.
And unlike him, neither Do-jae nor Tae-oh seemed to care if their fight was broadcast.
So it felt like he was the only one worrying.
Still, with the broadcast just days away, anticipation and dread tangled inside him, tightening his face.
“And Esper Beom Do-il.”
“Yes?”
“Your birthday’s coming up, isn’t it?”
“Oh.”
At the mention of Do-il’s birthday, both Yu-hyun and Do-jae turned their eyes toward him.
Tae-oh looked indifferent, and Chi-yu and Jun-hyung already knew, so neither looked surprised.
“Coincidentally, the final day of the first partner cycle will include a small event for each Pair. Before that, we’d like to celebrate your birthday with a party.”
“Ah…”
“If you agree, the staff will prepare something simple for you.”
“Oh, that’s really not necessary…”
Do-il scratched his head, embarrassed, when Yu-hyun cut in smoothly.
“I think it’s perfect. Since Esper Beom Do-il and I are partners, we can have a small party with everyone, then film another just between us for some extra footage.”
“That would be great. In fact, we’ve been worried your screen time together was too little. Many viewers really want to see more of you, Guide Min Yu-hyun.”
“Exactly. And I’d be insulted if my airtime was too short.”
Yu-hyun smiled slyly, lips curving upward.
“Then aside from what the staff prepares, I’ll arrange something special myself.”
“Would you really?”
“You don’t have to go that far for my birthday…” Do-il murmured nervously, but Yu-hyun silenced him with a sharp jab to the side.
As the Production Director moved on, Yu-hyun leaned close, whispering low enough for only Do-il to hear.
“You asked me to help. Operation jealousy.”
Do-il mouthed “Ah!” and nodded quickly.
Meanwhile, Hyun Tae-oh, who had been listening with a bored look, suddenly muttered under his breath.
“Fuck.”
Chi-yu gave him a look, asking silently what now.
“…What is it?”
“Your birthday’s nowhere near.”
When Tae-oh scowled about how far away Chi-yu’s birthday was, Chi-yu stared at him in confusion.
“If we had your birthday party here, I could’ve gone all out. Declared to the whole world that Kang Chi-yu belongs to me—with fireworks and everything.”
Chi-yu’s eyebrows twitched in irritation.
“Want to do it early?”
What the hell is this lunatic saying?
Chi-yu glared at him in exasperation.
“Celebrate your birthday early.”
“Will you? I don’t need a party—just a gift. A wish coupon.”
“Shut up.”
“So? Should we move yours up, or mine?”
“Neither. Shut up.”
Chi-yu muttered just loud enough for Tae-oh to hear.
“Tch, shame. If your birthday were now, I’d blow it up and make it the most spectacular event ever.”
The way Tae-oh said it didn’t sound like a joke at all. And Chi-yu felt a surprising wave of relief that his birthday was still far away.
Followed quickly by disbelief.
What the hell did he mean by “blow it up,” anyway?
