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Survival Rules for D-Rank Guides 67

“So, about Tto-yul, what that means is….”

 

How did things end up like this again? Lim Haeyul let out a deep sigh as he looked at Cha Jae-woo, who leaned forward, visibly intrigued.

 

He hadn’t been able to stop Kim Geon-ung’s mouth. Was that all? The moment Cha Jae-woo showed even a hint of interest, Jo Ha-eon and Park Yeon-ho immediately joined in to tease him. It went without saying that the situation deteriorated at lightning speed.

 

Lim Haeyul glared daggers at Kim Geon-ung, who had shut his mouth only after dragging him into this mess. When their eyes met, Kim Geon-ung silently mouthed, “What?” as if he had done nothing wrong, wearing an expression so innocent it made Lim Haeyul’s blood boil.

 

‘That bastard. I’m definitely gonna beat him to a pulp later.’

 

On second thought, Kim Geon-ung was also the one who had dragged everyone to this house. Some kind of punishment was absolutely necessary.

 

“It’s short for ‘Again, Lim Haeyul.’ As in, whatever happens, it’s again Lim Haeyul!”

 

“Haah….”

 

“Honestly, it can also mean ‘Crazy Lim Haeyul.’”

 

“Who are you calling crazy?”

 

“Our Tto-yul should be grateful to me, you know. Thanks to me, he comes across as a normal person!”

 

He said that like it was something to be proud of. Jo Ha-eon’s shameless boasting left Lim Haeyul utterly speechless.

 

Setting aside his plans to throttle Kim Geon-ung for now, Lim Haeyul let out another heavy sigh. Well, whatever. It’s not like the world would end just because Cha Jae-woo found out about his nickname.

 

Cha Jae-woo’s eyes briefly narrowed before softening again. It almost looked like he smiled. Seeing that made Lim Haeyul feel a strange sense of pride. If sacrificing a little of his dignity could make Cha Jae-woo smile, then… well, he could live with that.

 

Still, was a story like this really that funny? Was Cha Jae-woo’s laugh threshold this low? Thinking about it again, Lim Haeyul found it absurd. Of course, the most ridiculous part was that he himself felt proud in this situation.

 

“Anyway, Tto-yul really lives up to the name. No matter what we do, he always gets caught. Whether it’s drawing straws, playing rock-paper-scissors, or picking lots, without fail, it’s always—Lim Haeyul!”

 

“But when it comes to the lottery, he never wins for shit.”

 

“He’s more likely to get hit by bird poop while walking down the street.”

 

Park Yeon-ho and Jo Ha-eon giggled gleefully as they poked fun at him. Lim Haeyul desperately tried to send them mental telepathy to stop, but naturally, they paid him no mind.

 

“And in the end, he even became a Guide.”

 

In the middle of the teasing, Kim Geon-ung casually chimed in.

 

“Tto-yul whined so much, saying he got jinxed because of being called Tto-yul.”

 

Lim Haeyul widened his eyes and glared at Kim Geon-ung. Sure, he had said that at some point, but airing it out in front of Cha Jae-woo was seriously crossing the line!

 

“Oh, right. And then he told us never to call him Tto-yul again!”

 

“Yeah! Tto-yul said he got cursed by being called Tto-yul, so we shouldn’t call him that anymore…!”

 

“You sons of bitches….”

 

Yet Park Yeon-ho and Jo Ha-eon, seemingly having forgotten—or just plain ignoring—who was standing right in front of them, got even more fired up, teasing him like fish that had just been tossed back into the water.

 

At this point, Lim Haeyul wasn’t even surprised anymore. Well… as long as Cha Jae-woo wasn’t offended, it was fine. He reassured himself when he saw that Cha Jae-woo’s face hadn’t hardened. Yeah, Cha Jae-woo was a decent guy. He’d understand. At least, as long as he didn’t forget that Lim Haeyul was a D-Rank.

 

“That’s right, Tto-yul.”

 

“…….”

 

“Crazy.”

 

…Did he get upset? Was his face just hiding it?

 

Lim Haeyul gaped at Cha Jae-woo’s offhand remark, surprised not because he thought Cha Jae-woo might really see him as a crazy person, but because he had joined in on such an absurd conversation without hesitation.

 

Still, Park Yeon-ho and Jo Ha-eon, who didn’t know Cha Jae-woo that well, interpreted his reaction as a green light and got even more excited. Believing that Cha Jae-woo was now fully on their side in teasing Lim Haeyul, they began to enthusiastically recount the history of the nickname Tto-yul—Or rather, the long list of Lim Haeyul’s so-called “crazy” antics that, frankly, he couldn’t even justify himself.

 

“Haah….”

 

Faced with a situation spiraling out of control, Lim Haeyul let out a heavy sigh. As he did, Cha Jae-woo, who had been listening to Jo Ha-eon and Park Yeon-ho’s chatter, chuckled softly and placed a hand lightly on Haeyul’s shoulder. It was nothing more than a light pat, barely qualifying as actual physical contact, yet in that moment, all the frustration bottled up inside him vanished, leaving behind only a ticklish flutter around his chest.

 

‘Is he trying to comfort me? Could that be it?’

 

Hmm. More than that, a sudden thought popped into his head—maybe Cha Jae-woo found him a little cute. Truly, alcohol was a powerful thing. Lim Haeyul fully convinced himself of this ridiculous notion.

 

Embarrassment surged up inside him all at once, and he immediately wanted to bolt. He quickly pulled away from Cha Jae-woo—so quickly, in fact, that he ended up crashing into Kim Geon-ung with a thud!

 

“What the hell’s wrong with you? Are you drunk?”

 

Kim Geon-ung, who had just been chiming in with Jo Ha-eon and Park Yeon-ho, started his revenge by ruffling Lim Haeyul’s hair without any mercy.

 

It wasn’t surprising—Kim Geon-ung did this almost every damn day—but that didn’t mean Lim Haeyul liked it. The guy never stopped until his hair looked like a bird’s nest.

 

Lim Haeyul hurriedly pushed Kim Geon-ung’s hand away and straightened up between him and Cha Jae-woo.

 

And at that moment—

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

He met Cha Jae-woo’s eyes, which had now lost their earlier amusement and held a strangely unreadable look.

 

‘…What’s wrong? Did I overreact?’

 

He immediately felt self-conscious. But something felt off. Cha Jae-woo’s gaze wasn’t directly on him—it was slightly off, as if he was looking past him.

 

Feeling a strange sense of unease, Lim Haeyul turned his head quickly. And there, in the direction of Cha Jae-woo’s gaze, stood Kim Geon-ung.

 

Had the two locked eyes? Why was Cha Jae-woo looking at Kim Geon-ung with that kind of expression?

 

A flood of questions passed through his mind in a split second, but when he turned his head fully, Kim Geon-ung was just back to joking around with Jo Ha-eon and Park Yeon-ho like nothing had happened.

 

…Hmm. Maybe Cha Jae-woo had been looking at him? Was he just imagining things?

 

He wasn’t confident either way. Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, Lim Haeyul glanced at Cha Jae-woo again, but by then, Cha Jae-woo’s eyes weren’t even on him anymore.

 

“Hey, Jo-ttoyul, you’re not drinking much today, huh?”

 

“……I drank a lot, okay?”

 

“Mm! Nah, that’s not it. You can’t call it ‘a lot’ when today’s our Tto-yul’s big day!”

 

‘Since when was it my big day?’

 

Before he could even express his dumbfoundedness, a glass was shoved right in front of his nose.Lim Haeyul scrunched up his face and let out a sigh.

 

Fine. Might as well drink. It’s not like it mattered anymore—this was home, after all. Even if he drank himself into oblivion, he wasn’t going to end up dead in a ditch somewhere. Whatever stupid shit these bastards pulled, he didn’t care anymore. Even if he somehow pissed Cha Jae-woo off and got blown away poof like last time, that’d be tomorrow’s problem. He’d already been humiliated enough for one night—what more could go wrong?

 

With Jo Ha-eon and the others cheering him on, Lim Haeyul gulped down the alcohol. It scorched down his throat, but the drink still tasted oddly sweet.

 

Screw it all. Once he gave up, everything got a whole lot easier.

 

***

 

…But this? This definitely felt like he’d given up too much.

 

“…….”

 

Something was very wrong. He was certain he’d been sitting at the dining table. There had still been half-eaten snacks in front of him, and plenty of drinks left.

 

And yet— He had simply closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them, the whole world had changed. Darkness surrounded him. He wasn’t sitting anymore; he was lying down.

 

It didn’t take him long to realize he was on a bed—and that he’d completely blacked out.

 

‘Holy shit, I almost never black out. Just how much did I drink?’

 

The thought crossed his mind, but he couldn’t dwell on it. This wasn’t the time.

 

Because—It hadn’t hit him when he first woke up, but this bed? This bed definitely wasn’t his.

 

And it wasn’t just him lying on it, either.

 

“…….”

 

He didn’t even have to look. No need to check where he was, or whose arm was wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him close.

 

This was Cha Jae-woo’s room. And the owner of the arm was none other than Cha Jae-woo himself. The familiar scent clinging to him made it impossible to deny reality, no matter how much he wanted to.

 

“…….”

 

‘How the hell did it end up like this?’

 

Did he… guide last night? Did he get drunk, start guiding, and then just pass out?

 

Thinking it wasn’t completely out of the question, he immediately checked his mana. But it was full to the brim. If he’d guided, there was no way his mana would be fully replenished.

 

Which meant… he hadn’t guided at all.

 

Then, why—?

 

“…….”

 

Lim Haeyul cautiously turned his body. And instead of the dark ceiling, he now faced Cha Jae-woo’s sleeping face.

 

Even in the dim room, his features were crystal clear. It was almost like he was glowing from within.

 

Ridiculous, he thought, shaking the thought away.

 

He forced himself to focus on the situation at hand.

 

Sure, there had been one time before when he had woken up in Cha Jae-woo’s bed. But back then, both of them had simply collapsed from exhaustion. It had been an accident—chaotic, but still accidental—after Cha Jae-woo had drunk Feleil’s blood.

 

But now?

 

No matter how he looked at it, this time Cha Jae-woo had deliberately carried him here—and deliberately laid down beside him.

 

In other words—this wasn’t an accident.

 

“Ugh….”

 

The moment Lim Haeyul reached his conclusion, his heart began pounding violently, thudding so loudly he could practically hear it. How could it possibly stay calm after realizing Cha Jae-woo had personally carried him into his own room—and had even fallen asleep while hugging him?

‘Ha, seriously. Cha Jae-woo must be completely crazy about me….’

 

Anyone else would’ve scoffed at the idea, but to Haeyul, it felt like a perfectly rational suspicion.Looking back on Cha Jae-woo’s attitude and the way he spoke to him lately, there really could be only one conclusion.

 

‘This isn’t good….’

 

Lim Haeyul desperately tried to suppress the corners of his mouth that kept twitching upward, squeezing his eyes shut to keep himself in check. Then, belatedly, he began to wriggle out of Cha Jae-woo’s arms in an attempt to escape.

 

Reason and emotion usually fought separate battles inside him, but tonight—for once—reason had the upper hand, insisting he needed to get out of here immediately. Of course, emotion was slyly whispering, Come on, just pretend you’re still asleep and stay like this a little longer….

 

“Stay still….”

 

However, reason’s rare victory was short-lived, crumbling under the sudden, husky voice that broke the silence.

 

“Gah—ah, you’re awake?”

 

His voice, thrown off by sheer panic, came out a complete mess. Maybe it was because of the alcohol. Maybe it was pure shock. Either way, it sounded pitiful compared to Cha Jae-woo’s still-gentle, sleep-laced voice.

 

“Just now… because of you….”

 

Cha Jae-woo didn’t finish his sentence, but it was clear he meant he had woken up because of Haeyul. Clearing his throat, Lim Haeyul whispered quietly,

 

“Sorry for waking you… I was just trying to head back to my room….”

 

Since Cha Jae-woo still seemed half-asleep, he thought it would be better to let him rest. Besides, it would definitely be better for Haeyul to go sleep in his own bed. Reason was still clinging to its lead, just barely.

 

“Stay a little longer. Guide me before you go.”

 

But Cha Jae-woo showed no intention of letting him leave. At the word guiding, Lim Haeyul froze and glanced down at his face. Cha Jae-woo still had his eyes closed.

 

“Just an hour….”

 

Why did he need guiding now? Was something wrong? Any lingering drowsiness instantly vanished.

 

Since they were already so close, Lim Haeyul carefully checked Cha Jae-woo’s condition. But there were no alarming signs. His energy pattern felt normal—maybe not perfectly stable, but certainly not unstable either.

 

“Are you feeling sick?”

 

Just to be sure, Lim Haeyul asked. But the only response he got was a short, low chuckle. The warm, velvety sound tickled his ear, making his eyes widen in surprise.

 

He nearly flopped around like a freshly caught fish.

 

“No.”

 

Cha Jae-woo didn’t offer any more consideration for his panicked state. Still smiling faintly, he answered,

 

“I’ll need it for something later today.”

 

“Ah… are you going to a Gate?”

 

Seriously, this was too much for his heart. Why did Cha Jae-woo’s face have to be so damn clear even in this darkness? It was driving him insane.

 

He could’ve just turned his head and stared at the ceiling, but no— Lim Haeyul stubbornly kept his gaze fixed on him, grumbling silently to himself.

 

“Something like that.”

 

If it was a Gate, it was a Gate. What did he mean by ‘something like that’?

 

“Um… should I just do it now? You can go back to sleep, and I’m already fully awake….”

 

He considered asking more questions, but decided against it. Cha Jae-woo looked so exhausted, and Haeyul didn’t want to disturb him any further. Guiding usually made people feel more relaxed anyway—maybe he’d sleep even better afterward.

 

“…….”

 

There was no response from Cha Jae-woo. But if he didn’t want it, surely he would have said so.

 

Acting on his own assumptions, Lim Haeyul wrapped his arms lightly around Cha Jae-woo’s waist. Compared to his own, Cha Jae-woo’s body was massive. Thank god they were lying down—if they had been standing, he would’ve looked like a cicada clinging to an old tree.

 

It’s not like Lim Haeyul was particularly short. Cha Jae-woo was just too damn big.

 

Feeling a little unfair, he let the thought go. It was a pointless complaint anyway.

 

Slowly, Haeyul’s mana began to flow into Cha Jae-woo. It moved through his body in soft, gentle waves, calming him from the inside out. Cha Jae-woo’s breathing became noticeably deeper, more even.

 

The sound of his breathing filled the room, steady and comforting. A swell of pride rose in Haeyul’s chest—he was the one who could make Cha Jae-woo feel this safe now. There was a time when the man hadn’t even been able to sleep properly without him.

 

“…Sleep well.”

 

Once the guiding was complete, Cha Jae-woo had already drifted into deep sleep. Lim Haeyul whispered a short goodbye and quietly slipped out of the room.

 

When he reached his own room, he kept replaying the image of Cha Jae-woo’s peaceful sleeping face in his mind—and before he knew it, he was sound asleep too.

 

***

 

Less than ten minutes after Lim Haeyul left the bed, Cha Jae-woo slowly opened his eyes. He wanted to stay asleep a little longer, but the soft warmth that had filled his arms was gone—and it seemed to have taken sleep away with it.

 

Since when did he start needing someone beside him to sleep? That wasn’t like him at all. He had never been the type to fall asleep easily in the presence of others. Hell, he could barely sleep properly even when alone.

 

But somehow, after only a few instances, he had already gotten used to it—and now, with Lim Haeyul gone, the bed felt too empty.

 

In the end, he pushed himself upright. Maybe it was thanks to the guiding, but his mind felt refreshingly clear.

 

As he headed slowly toward the bathroom, he picked up his phone.

 

[He’s been moved to the location you specified.]

 

It was a message that had arrived earlier, around the time the house was filled with noise and chaos.

 

Cha Jae-woo’s lips curved into a small smile. A rare flutter of excitement bubbled inside him.

 

And how could he not feel this way? Today was the day he had been silently waiting for—holding his breath—for a very long time.

 

Starting today, Cha Jae-woo was going to begin cleaning everything up.

 

And the very first thing he would deal with—was his grandfather, Cha Seong-ju.

Levia
Author: Levia

Survival Rules for D-Rank Guides

Survival Rules for D-Rank Guides

Status: Completed Author:

In a world where Gates suddenly appeared, Espers quickly became a nation's greatest asset.

Among them stood Cha Jae-woo, one of South Korea's most renowned S-Rank Espers.

The problem was that ever since his Awakening, no Guide with a high compatibility rate had ever been found for him.

Thus, a mandatory nationwide Guide test was eventually enforced.

"No way... I mean, I really hope it doesn’t come to that, but..."

"Ha..."

"...Cha Jae-woo?"

Thinking it would be better to get it over with quickly since he had to do it anyway, Haeyul underwent the Guide test—only to record an unprecedented 97.8% compatibility with Cha Jae-woo!

"So what if I do? I'm just a D-Rank...!"

The other party was an S-Rank Esper teetering on the verge of a rampage, having never once received proper Guiding. Meanwhile, Haeyul was a pathetic D-Rank Guide. Honestly, wouldn't it be better to create a new character and go fight a boss monster straight away than deal with this mess?

Haeyul, feeling like he might get drained dry and die, was about to refuse, but then...

"If a Guide still doesn’t appear for Esper Cha Jae-woo, he will ultimately be executed."

'...Are they insane or what?'

Here he was, worrying about someone else when he might end up dead himself. But the thought that Cha Jae-woo would be killed if he didn’t step up forced Haeyul, tears in his eyes, to sign the contract.

"Uh... I think today's quota was already met this morning..."

"That's it?"

"That’s my limit..."

And so, with only a measly amount of mana to his name, Haeyul ends up living under the same roof as Cha Jae-woo, providing him with Guiding once a day.

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