Park Woo-jun had promised he’d be out before the hospital closed—and, shockingly, he actually kept that promise.
Had he not pulled a full-on puppy-dog face the moment he saw Lee Han-seo—who had stubbornly waited outside with the deployed Gatekeeper Unit instead of heading to the shelter—he might’ve looked downright heroic. By all rights, Han-seo should’ve snapped at him. But for once, he didn’t want to ruin the moment. So instead, he threw his arms around Park Woo-jun, who was still drenched in monster blood. Woo-jun hesitated for a second, then wrapped his arms around him in return.
And then, without missing a beat, he picked Han-seo up—bridal-style, no less—and dashed toward the nearest orthopedic clinic, muttering something like screw the filming, whatever, we’re past that point as he ran.
“Looks like the muscle’s just a bit strained—no fractures,” the doctor said. “A few days of physical therapy should do it. You’re a Guide, right? I’ll write you a note. No need to come back; just get treated at the Center.”
“Doctor, are you sure? It’s still really swollen. Couldn’t we do something more thorough? Like an MRI? Oh, right… You probably don’t have that here.”
“Grmphrrhmm…”
Whether it was Woo-jun’s fault or not, Han-seo once again found himself drowning in secondhand embarrassment. His wrist had mostly recovered after those long hours of waiting, and even showing up for a checkup felt like overkill. Yet there he was, playing the concerned parent when nobody asked him to. And as if that wasn’t enough, he could hear himself muttering knock it off under his breath—and of course, Woo-jun didn’t listen.
“Our Han-seo’s really delicate, you know. He punched me pretty hard earlier—could’ve seriously hurt his wrist.”
“Grmphrk… s-snrt…”
I’m gonna kill him. I should’ve killed him when I had the chance. Normally, Han-seo was the kind of guy who lived completely free of shame, guilt, or self-consciousness. But for some reason, whenever Park Woo-jun was involved, he kept finding himself flushing red.
“So… he hit the Esper? As the Guide?”
“Yes, yes. See how tiny Han-seo’s fists are? Now imagine those little fists hitting someone like me. Must’ve hurt like hell—for him.”
“Oh, so you weren’t hurt. You think he might be in pain.”
“Exactly! I’m totally fine. But Han-seo’s probably in agony. Oh, and please check his knuckles too, not just the wrist.”
If their roles had been reversed, Woo-jun would’ve been slapped with a criminal charge under the Guide Protection Law. The doctor—who looked old enough to be Han-seo’s aunt—glanced back and forth between the two with a look that clearly said, Do I report this… or not…?
Naturally, Woo-jun—utterly lacking in social awareness—didn’t notice the suspicious glance at all. And so, once again, it was Han-seo who bowed his head in shame, treating a complete stranger to a long, awkward view of his scalp.
“Hm… The Guide’s definitely okay. But Esper—you’ve got a lot of blood on you. Maybe you should be getting checked first.”
“Oh, this isn’t my blood, so I’m fine! But seriously, could you take another look? Maybe his bones really are damaged—”
“ARGH! I said, stop it already!”
In the end, Han-seo snapped. No—he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Letting out a full-volume yell, he shot up from the exam table and stormed out of the room. There was no way in hell he could stay there after that.
“W-wait! Han-seo! Lee Han-seo, wait for me! Doctor, the prescription—please hurry!”
That bastard. Just because I socked him earlier, this is how he chooses to get back at me? Fuming with humiliation, Han-seo jabbed at the elevator buttons over and over, not even bothering to check out or pay.
And that was about the extent of his tantrum for the day. Even though he got to the first floor before Woo-jun, he didn’t storm out of the building. Instead, he plopped down on a bench right outside the pharmacy like a sulking child.
A few moments later, the familiar sound of Woo-jun’s footsteps echoed toward him—lazy, unhurried steps, like he knew Han-seo hadn’t gone far.
With a huff, Han-seo turned his back toward him in protest. Sure, he’d waited here like a total pushover—that already meant game over. But there was no way he was going to just welcome him back like nothing happened. Not after the level of humiliation he’d just suffered.
“Wait a sec,” Woo-jun said, casually ruffling Han-seo’s hair before fluttering the prescription in his hand and heading into the pharmacy. Looked like he’d gotten painkillers or anti-inflammatories.
“Hrrrgh…”
Han-seo was dead tired. He hadn’t gotten any sleep last night. The amusement park date he’d been looking forward to had gone up in flames, thanks to an ambush from Woo-jun’s exes. And of all the places in the city, why did a dungeon have to open there?
Now, thanks to Woo-jun dragging him out without even sorting their schedule, he had no clue what was going to happen with the unfinished public service ad shoot.
Leaning back against the glass wall, he shut his eyes and let out a long sigh. All he wanted now was to go back to the dorm, soak in a hot shower, and crash. Tomorrow, he wouldn’t even set an alarm—just sleep until his body decided it was done.
“…Hey, hi!”
“Eh?”
What the hell now? Han-seo’s eyes snapped open at the sudden, out-of-nowhere “Hi!” from Park Woo-jun.
“I-I’m Park Woo-jun,” Woo-jun said, stiff and awkward like he was meeting Han-seo for the first time.
“…You think I don’t know that?”
Han-seo blinked up at him like he’d finally lost his damn mind. Woo-jun let out a low grunt, hesitated for a second, then clenched both fists and stepped right up in front of him.
“L-look, there’s something I want to say!”
Han-seo still looked completely unconvinced, his eyes clearly saying, Are you insane? The courage Woo-jun had barely scraped together was already starting to wither, but after a few steadying breaths, he forced himself to push through. Then, like some nervous kid confessing on the playground, he held out a fistful of children’s peach-flavored gummy vitamins he’d just bought from the pharmacy. The shiny pink packaging made Han-seo’s palm itch just looking at it.
“…I fell for you at first sight. C-could we be… friends?”
He’d meant to say boyfriend. That had been the line. But the moment he saw the glint in Han-seo’s eyes, he panicked and switched it at the last second.
Not once today had Park Woo-jun regretted being the way he was—clueless, frustratingly non-confrontational—more than he did now. He hated the mess it had caused. Hated the history that had come from it.
Even if the timeline had nothing to do with Han-seo, if any of it had hurt him, then it was Woo-jun’s fault. End of story.
And honestly? Whatever anger or resentment Han-seo had ever felt toward him, it probably didn’t come close to the amount of regret Woo-jun carried for himself. That was one thing he could say with certainty.
“You already know this, Han-seo, but I’ve always been kind of… a coward. I never knew how to say no. So yeah, there were people who thought we were dating just because I didn’t correct them. And sure, I said yes a few times just because I panicked. That’s the truth. But—”
“But?”
“You’re the first person I ever liked first. And the first person I ever confessed to.”
Liked him first? Confessed first? Technically, there was plenty to argue with in that logic, but Han-seo decided to let it slide. It wasn’t that he was swayed by Woo-jun’s bloodstained, dirt-covered school uniform or his blindingly fresh smile—he swore, it wasn’t that. Really.
“D-do you think this isn’t enough?” Woo-jun asked.
“Enough for what?”
“To be good enough… to be your boyfriend.”
“…”
“S-so it’s not, huh…?”
The silence stretched again, Han-seo’s expression unreadable. Woo-jun’s anxiety spiked. Should he promise to do better? Say today had been exhausting and try to guilt his way into a guiding session? Maybe try to sneak his way in while Han-seo was too tired to push him away?
Why couldn’t I have awakened sooner? he thought. If I’d become an Esper in middle school, I could’ve met you earlier. Maybe spared you all this hurt. Maybe Ryu Ho-yeon wouldn’t have been your Pair so long…
Thoughts spiraled endlessly, until—
Han-seo snorted. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“Huh?”
“Who says you liked me first? Or confessed first?”
“Wait, what? I… didn’t?”
Memory, after all, has a way of rewriting itself to fit your own feelings. In Woo-jun’s version of events, he’d fallen for Han-seo at first sight. Didn’t even know Han-seo had a potential Pair. Just followed him around like a lost puppy until, one day, he’d burst into tears and stammered, I’m sorry, but I like you. I like you so much. I’m sorry for that too.
Had Han-seo really forgotten?
Reality was much less romantic. Woo-jun had trailed after Han-seo so quietly, it hadn’t even registered. And when he’d tried to confess, he cried so hard that Han-seo couldn’t understand a single word. Eventually, tired of the nonsense, Han-seo dragged him away after hearing he was testing his match rate with other Guides. “You’re pairing with me,” he’d snapped. That had been their official beginning.
“So,” Han-seo said, “if someone else asks you out again, are you just gonna say yes like always?”
“Gah—n-no! Never! I swear, never again!”
“Try breaking my heart one more time and I swear, I’m dragging you down with me. Got that?”
“Y-yep! Got it!”
He could be absolutely oblivious at times, but when it mattered, Woo-jun’s reflexes were scary good. Like lightning, he zipped to Han-seo’s side and plopped down beside him. Threw an arm over his shoulder, too—same pose he’d messed up five takes trying to get right earlier.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Since you’re already here, how about a kiss?”
God, Lee Han-seo was a man. A bold, fearless, no-nonsense man. Woo-jun melted. So cool. So hot. Absolutely perfect.
“Mmph—h-hey! I said kiss, damn it!”
Not listening. You have no idea how hard today’s been without a single kiss.
Even Han-seo’s shout—People are staring!—was completely swallowed by Woo-jun’s lips.
He’d held back all day. The first floor of the building was a busy hub of clinics, salons, cafés, and even a PC bang. People were coming and going like it was a marketplace. And yet, even with dozens of witnesses, even with half of them recognizing the two of them, no one dared interrupt.
“Oh my god, what is happening…”
“Didn’t you read the article? Park Woo-jun stopped a dungeon break near here. Guess the guiding couldn’t wait.”
“Still, in public? Bit shameless, isn’t it…”
Chances were high that by tonight, their photos and videos would be everywhere. By tomorrow, there’d be headlines. And maybe the day after, a disciplinary meeting about violating professional conduct.
“You’re gonna be the death of me, seriously.”
“Mmhmm. Love you too.”
And that was the thing—no matter how frustrating he was, no matter how infuriatingly bold he got, Woo-jun always knew exactly what Han-seo meant, even when it came out as a threat. And somehow, Han-seo always ended up melting anyway.
