After finishing their partner duties and returning to the dorm, Do-jae and Chi-yu sat together on the living room sofa, holding hands while Guiding. Since the other pairs hadn’t yet come back, the only participants present were the two of them. On one side, the crew was already busy preparing for Esper Beom Do-il’s birthday party, but the bustle wasn’t distracting.
Ever since Chi-yu had turned him down, Yoon Do-jae had gone out of his way to make sure things wouldn’t feel awkward. Thanks to that, even when they were carrying out tasks together, the air between them stayed comfortably natural. Even now, just sitting across from each other in silence, hands clasped, Guiding—it didn’t feel uncomfortable in the slightest.
Chi-yu knew well that it was Do-jae’s consideration that made that possible. It left him both grateful and a little guilty, seeing how hard Do-jae worked to keep things easy for him. There had even been a time when he thought Do-jae might actually make a good friend for Hyun Tae-oh someday. The fact that he was thinking the same even now only showed how genuinely good-natured Yoon Do-jae was.
As those thoughts drifted through his head, Do-jae suddenly broke the silence.
“Things are probably going to get pretty uncomfortable for you.”
“…What?”
“Once this episode airs.”
“…Ah.”
“Esper Hyun Tae-oh’s behavior is going to be shown almost completely uncut. And in my impatience, I ended up doing something not all that different from him.”
“Oh, you mean when you two fought…?”
“There’s more than just that.”
Do-jae’s eyes locked onto his.
What he really feared was that Tae-oh’s blatant interest in Kang Chi-yu would air exactly as it was. Whether he wanted it or not, Chi-yu was bound to get dragged into gossip and criticism.
And Chi-yu knew it too. Even after just two specials had aired, fans had swarmed both his house and the Central Bureau. For fans who usually chased after only S-rank Espers and Guides, a B-rank Guide was a much easier target. And because Chi-yu was mild-mannered and easygoing, it was only natural that his fans would cross lines more easily than most.
Of course, antis would show up in droves. With Hyun Tae-oh and Min Yu-hyun’s popularity, there were countless fans rooting for them to become a Pair. When that didn’t happen, all their resentment would land on Kang Chi-yu.
Naturally, Tae-oh had no intention of ever Pairing with Min Yu-hyun. Until the show ended, he’d keep openly pursuing Chi-yu. And since the Guide an SS-rank was so obsessed with happened to be a mere B-rank, there’d be plenty of people ready to tear Chi-yu down for it.
On top of that, Do-jae himself had lost patience and acted in a similar way. He could only hope the backlash wouldn’t fall entirely on Chi-yu. Ordinary viewers were always quicker to mock and drag down the lower ranks than the higher ones. A B-rank Guide was easy prey—Do-jae didn’t need to imagine it to know.
But at his worries, Chi-yu simply curved his lips into a calm smile.
“I get what you’re saying. But honestly, I’ll be fine.”
“….”
“When those specials aired, I didn’t watch them myself, but I heard the nasty comments were everywhere. No matter how they edit it, the people who hate me will just keep on hating me.”
To Do-jae’s troubled heart, Chi-yu gave a surprisingly light and clear reply.
“Honestly, if I cared that much about what people say, I wouldn’t have agreed to come on this show at all.”
Chi-yu’s eyes narrowed with a radiant smile.
“I’ve been glued to Tae-oh since I was a kid. I’ve heard every insult there is. By now, I’m immune—practically desensitized, haha.”
“….”
“At the Esper Academy, even another Guide student said right to my face, ‘How shameless, a B-rank clinging to an SS-rank like that.’ Jun-hyung got angry for me, but honestly, thinking back, they weren’t entirely wrong…”
Still Guiding, Chi-yu spoke of the past with ease. Not the faintest hint of bitterness—something firm and steady was rooted deep inside him.
Do-jae realized he’d been worrying for nothing. He couldn’t tell if Chi-yu’s words were fully sincere or just meant to reassure him, but one thing was clear: Kang Chi-yu wasn’t the kind of person who’d crumble because of a few hateful comments.
***
The final day with their first partners arrived. The production team had arranged small events in each Esper’s room so they could spend time with their original partners.
Before that, they filmed Beom Do-il’s birthday party in the living room.
Lee Jun-hyung and Kang Chi-yu handed over their gifts and wished him a happy birthday. Do-il, delighted, immediately tore into Chi-yu’s present.
“Whoa! This!”
Chi-yu had gotten him a cap from a brand he’d once said he wanted.
“You mentioned you wanted it before.”
“Man, thanks. Seriously—having a friend… no, a comrade like you is the best.”
He’d been about to say “friend,” but after meeting Hyun Tae-oh’s eyes, he quickly swapped it for “comrade.” When Chi-yu raised an incredulous brow, Do-il grinned sheepishly, trying on the cap and joking about how good it looked.
“Looks good, right? Killer, huh? No one else could pull this off but me…”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Chi-yu waved him off, telling him to cut it short.
“Anyway, I’ll use it well. Thanks.”
With the cap still on, Do-il fiddled with Jun-hyung’s wrapped gift.
“What, you’re not opening it?”
When Jun-hyung gestured at it, Do-il looked at him.
“This one… I’ll open later, alone, in my room—”
“It’s nothing special. Stop with the crap and open it here.”
Jun-hyung’s warning tone made Do-il pout but comply. Unlike with Chi-yu’s gift, he carefully picked at the wrapping. The sight made Tae-oh scowl instantly.
“Why the hell are you being so careful? You ripped into Chi-yu’s like you were tearing it apart.”
“What do you mean tearing apart? And so what if I take my time? You really starting fights over how I unwrap a gift?”
“The fuck. If you’re gonna unwrap it, treat them the same. The cameras are rolling—what is this, favoritism?”
“God, enough already.”
Chi-yu gave Tae-oh’s arm a light tap, silently telling him to stop.
“So you do realize the cameras are rolling.”
Jun-hyung muttered, backing Chi-yu up.
“What was that?”
Tae-oh shot him a look, brows raised, but Chi-yu tugged his arm again.
“Quit making a fuss and just open it. How long are we supposed to wait? Don’t you want your screentime?”
Min Yu-hyun chimed in, urging Do-il on.
With no choice, Do-il tore off the wrapping more quickly, still trying not to rip it. Inside was a sleek black box with a familiar logo. His eyes widened, and when he lifted the lid, they nearly popped out of his head.
“This is…!”
It was a watch.
Not an ordinary one, but an Esper-exclusive accessory with a condensed ability core—allowing limited teleportation or basic skills even in power-restricted zones.
Most civilian areas were equipped with devices that blocked Ability Users from using their powers. This watch, however, had been developed for emergencies in such places. But since the core held only a small charge and the price was sky-high, it wasn’t commonly used.
Jun-hyung remembered Do-il once complaining about struggling in a blocked zone where he couldn’t teleport, and had chosen this gift accordingly.
Do-il’s eyes grew misty.
“Don’t get emotional. It’s expensive, so Chi-yu chipped in too.”
At that, Do-il, Tae-oh, Do-jae, and Yu-hyun all turned their eyes to Chi-yu. Chi-yu laughed awkwardly, saying he hadn’t put in much. But Do-il gazed at him with lips pressed tight, clearly touched.
“How much of your money did you waste on that idiot’s gift?”
Tae-oh asked, scowling, and Chi-yu elbowed him in return.
Do-jae eyed Do-il’s cap and watch enviously.
“You didn’t get him anything?”
Chi-yu whispered quietly to Tae-oh.
“Why would I?”
He hadn’t expected it anyway. From their Academy days until now, Tae-oh had never once celebrated Jun-hyung’s or Do-il’s birthdays.
Still, since this was being filmed, and the Production Director had even given them advance notice that Do-il’s birthday would be celebrated, Chi-yu thought he might prepare at least a token gift. But it looked like Do-jae and Yu-hyun hadn’t either, so at least it wasn’t just Tae-oh. That much reassured him.
As always, Chi-yu found himself worrying about Hyun Tae-oh.
While his thoughts circled, Beom Do-il’s birthday party sped along.
The crew led them in lighting the candles, singing the slightly awkward birthday song, and cheering him on. Do-il blew out the candles with a bright grin, clapping along with everyone else.
For Hyun Tae-oh, who had only ever celebrated Chi-yu’s birthday—and his own when Chi-yu insisted on it—this ridiculous, over-the-top scene felt both absurd and irritating. And yet, strangely, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
For someone who usually despised being around people, just agreeing to appear on a show like this was already proof of how much he was enduring. At first, he’d forced himself only for Kang Chi-yu. But once he let go a little, he realized this noisy chaos wasn’t as unbearable as he’d thought.
Of course, part of that was thanks to Lee Jun-hyung. Until now, Tae-oh had thought every human besides Kang Chi-yu was useless and irritating. But Jun-hyung had proven unexpectedly helpful—worthwhile, even.
That didn’t mean he wanted to grow close, or keep dealing with this noisy chaos forever. Just… for the duration of filming, he could tolerate it. That was all.
