Cold droplets splashed onto Kim Joon-young’s face, yanking him out of sleep.
Instinctively, he curled his hand, searching for the familiar weight of thick, solid muscle usually resting in his arms. But it was gone.
Right… I crashed at Han-seo’s last night.
Only then did he slowly open his eyes.
“Why are you lying there like that? Wasn’t it uncomfortable?”
Filling his field of vision was Lee Han-seo’s upside-down face, water dripping steadily from his bangs—he must’ve washed up. Compared to Joon-young, who had barely managed to curl up and catch a bit of sleep on the sofa after tossing and turning all night, Han-seo looked well-rested and annoyingly refreshed. His face even had a healthy glow. And that damn crunchy apple he was munching on made it all the more irritating.
Joon-young grimaced and pushed Han-seo’s forehead with his fingertip. Though the amount of Guiding trickling in between them was minimal thanks to their respective Bonded Pairs, it was still enough to be unpleasant.
“Ugh. Seriously? First thing in the morning? That’s disgusting.”
“What are you whining about? You’re no different. Woo-jun! Joon-young’s awake!”
There was a loud crash from the walk-in closet, where Woo-jun was apparently gathering his things. A glance at the clock told them they had just five minutes before they had to head out. His body was stiff, his mood even worse. Joon-young stretched with a yawn, still sluggish.
Okay, first, make sure Woo-jun gets out the door, then text the Director to confirm I explained everything properly… Hmm, Jung-hyuk’s probably back from his morning workout by now. I’ll ask if he wants to grab breakfast before we head in.
Even as he moved lazily, his thoughts were running in the background.
“By the way, the training schedule’s getting finalized soon. You’re coming to the pre-briefing, right?”
He took the apple Han-seo offered, biting into it casually as he spoke. Since Park Woo-jun had been assigned to oversee Ryu Ho-yeon’s live combat training, there needed to be some preliminary coordination between the Pairs. Even if Han-seo wasn’t entering the dungeon himself, skipping out on the face-to-face meeting between Pairs would look bad. No need to give people more gossip material.
Honestly, caught awkwardly in the middle between Ho-yeon and Han-seo, Joon-young thought this might be the perfect chance to clear the air between the two once and for all.
“They’re aiming to start live training by next week, so it’d be good to meet this Thursday or Friday. How’s that sound? You good with that?”
But Han-seo’s reaction was… odd.
“Training…? Pre-briefing…?”
His wide eyes blinked rapidly, clearly confused. Seeing the floating question marks in his expression, Joon-young tilted his head.
No way… Don’t tell me… Woo-jun hasn’t told him yet?
“Wait. Woo-jun didn’t say anything?”
“Say what?”
“I mean, Woo-jun’s supposed to be Ho—”
—yeon’s live training partner. He was just about to say it when the closet door burst open and Park Woo-jun came flying out, his combat suit only half on, one sleeve dangling behind him.
“Baby! That limited edition game you were waiting for—it’s releasing tomorrow, right?! I swear I’ll find a way to get out early so we can line up togethe—!”
The words poured out in a frenzied stream, so fast they barely made sense. The desperation in his voice was obvious, and it was clear he was trying to distract Han-seo. It might’ve worked—if Han-seo hadn’t already sensed something was off.
“Hey. Park Woo-jun.”
“…Yeah?”
“Don’t play cute.”
“…Okay…”
“What the hell is he talking about? Explain. Clearly.”
“B-Baby, I mean, um, so, it’s like…”
Having dug his own grave, the flustered junior shot a helpless look over his shoulder, silently begging for help. Joon-young just shrugged. It’s not like he knew Woo-jun hadn’t come clean yet. Besides, it was going to come out within the week anyway.
As someone with a Bonded Pair of his own, he couldn’t exactly fault Woo-jun for wanting to minimize contact between Ryu Ho-yeon and Han-seo. Still…
“I-I’m gonna be Ryu Ho-yeon’s live combat partner… I mean, I’m the only S-Class long-range Striker available, so, yeah, that’s why…”
“Then why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was going to! Really…!”
“When? Joon-young says we need to schedule the meeting this week. And you were gonna what? Just casually drop it in passing?”
It wasn’t Joon-young’s business. Whether they argued or blew up, what did it matter to him?
“Oh! Crap, look at the time! Baby, I gotta go now! We’ll talk when I get back!”
“Where do you think you’re going?! Hey! Park Woo-jun! You’re dead!!”
CRASH!
Apparently too panicked to bother opening the window, Woo-jun launched himself straight through the glass door onto the veranda. All that was left behind was the crisp sound of shattering glass and Han-seo, shaking with fury, hands trembling in disbelief.
“That… that little bastard…!”
“Mm. Jung-hyuk? Where are you?”
Oblivious to the chaos, Kim Joon-young leaned back into the sofa and started a video call. He hadn’t seen his Guide’s face since last night, and his eyes ached from the absence. Thankfully, Jung-hyuk picked up immediately, phone already in hand.
— “Whew… Did you explain everything properly?”
“……”
— “Hyung?”
“Uh, yeah. Were you… working out?”
On the tiny phone screen, Lee Jung-hyuk’s sweat-drenched face came into view. His damp bangs clung to his forehead, and his breath was rough—enough to make Kim Joon-young’s vision blur for a moment.
Where? Where the hell is he working out?
He shoved aside Lee Han-seo, who was demanding an explanation, and shot to his feet.
“Kim Joon-young! I said explain before you leave!!”
Let them fight. It was only a matter of time before they were back to acting like love-drunk idiots again. Right now, nothing mattered more than getting to Lee Jung-hyuk, who was wearing a tight, sweat-soaked shirt that left nothing to the imagination.
***
“H-Hey, Ho-yeon. L-Long time no see.”
“Y-Yeah… You haven’t changed at all, Han-seo…”
“Mhm…”
“……”
Their voices shook like leaves in a storm, but that was nothing compared to their faces—drained of color, eyes wide, both of them looking like they’d just been hit by a truckload of unresolved feelings. It was the kind of awkward tension you’d expect if someone had accidentally shown up on a blind date with their first love. Tender, fragile, bittersweet.
The awkwardness didn’t come from resentment—it was something softer, harder to pin down. The way Ho-yeon couldn’t quite meet Han-seo’s eyes, the way Han-seo nervously swallowed and still managed a small smile—it was clear enough.
The mood. The heat. The weird humidity in the air. What the hell is this?
Park Woo-jun felt a vein twitch in his forehead. He forced a casual air, draping his arm around Han-seo and resting his forehead on his shoulder. But no matter what he did, Han-seo’s attention stayed locked firmly ahead.
“Seriously, quit squirming. Just sit still.”
“Yeah. He said sit still, Woo-jun.”
His jaw clenched. Hard.
Ho-yeon, in his usual cool tone, was completely playing along. Normally, Han-seo would jump in to shield Woo-jun the second anyone said something even mildly critical. But now? That version of Han-seo was nowhere to be found. Even with the slight edge in Ho-yeon’s words, Han-seo just smiled back at him.
As frustrating as it was, at least Woo-jun had some claim to the situation. He was still part of this dynamic. But Choi Jae-won—Ho-yeon’s newly matched Guide—had been reduced to nothing more than a prop collecting dust.
Whether he was trying to seem composed or was genuinely unbothered, Jae-won just sat next to Ho-yeon with that bland, neutral smile frozen on his lips. Since the moment they’d entered the conference room—almost thirty minutes ago—he hadn’t said a single word beyond a quiet “Hello.”
Even if it wasn’t public knowledge, the upper-rank Espers and Guides had already caught wind of it. Word had spread like wildfire: the infamous Ryu Ho-yeon, who had never bonded with a Guide, had finally found a compatible Pair. So it was no surprise that Choi Jae-won’s name was the one attached to the news.
“So… how long’s it been since we last talked?”
“Hmm. Aside from that quick run-in at Jung-hyuk hyung’s birthday party, I think… about a year?”
“Yeah…”
They hadn’t been particularly close, but being in the same Center and sharing mutual acquaintances meant they ran into each other now and then. Still, this—sitting down for a real conversation—this hadn’t happened since they were twenty.
“……”
“……”
But just staring at each other with hearts in their eyes wasn’t going to change anything.
Ho-yeon had never been the type to open up easily, and Han-seo still carried too much guilt to start a real conversation. In the end, their awkward attempt at small talk fizzled out, and they willingly retreated back into silence.
Tick, tock.
Time crawled on while everyone sat still, like they were frozen in a painting. Finally, the one person who hadn’t said a word the entire time—Choi Jae-won—broke the silence with a nervous exhale.
“This isn’t working. I’ll grab some drinks—maybe we’ll relax a little if we’ve got something to sip on. What do you guys want?”
His offer came from a good place, a genuine attempt to break the tension. But instead, it lit the match on a brand new conflict.
“Han-seo likes lemonade—”
“Han-seo drinks watermelon juice—”
Ryu Ho-yeon and Park Woo-jun answered at the exact same time, voices overlapping.
“You’ve been with him all this time and still don’t know what he likes? He always wants something fizzy in the afternoon. He says he needs the kick.”
“What a joke. That was ages ago. These days, Han-seo won’t touch anything but watermelon juice.”
Two S-Class Espers—both geniuses, both stubborn—locked in a fierce battle of pride. And the battlefield? Lee Han-seo’s drink order.
