Gripping bare skin for too long felt like it might leave a burn. It was a sight he’d never seen before, and yet to Hye-seong, it was all too familiar.
Yoo Ji-ho was exhibiting classic symptoms of Chronic Guiding Deficiency—and a particularly severe case at that. If he kept using energy in this state, he’d hit the point of rampage.
Hye-seong calmly checked Ji-ho’s arm.
He was planning to take a quick reading from the emergency data, so he reached for Ji-ho’s wrist—only to find the Pager completely destroyed, shattered to pieces.
If even S-rank Esper Yoo Ji-ho’s pager had ended up in this state…
“…Oh no…”
To think that the pager, made from special reinforced material, had broken this badly. Whatever had happened, it was clear he’d just come back from an insanely dangerous mission. Hye-seong quickly moved his gaze to check over Ji-ho’s appearance.
Considering the brutal battle he must’ve gone through, it was strange how there wasn’t a single visible injury. He’d learned that the higher the Esper rank, the greater the danger of rampage over physical wounds. This moment confirmed that lesson right before his eyes.
So then… did Yoo Ji-ho always endure things like this alone after every mission?
And today’s Gate had reportedly escalated in level midway. Just imagining the kind of monstrous abominations he must’ve fought to end up like this—it was beyond Hye-seong’s ability to comprehend.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced—of that massive, house-sized creature he’d encountered back in middle school. A beast baring its fangs, drooling, radiating a strange glow.
Yeah. It must’ve been monsters even more horrific than that.
“……”
His nose stung all of a sudden. Clamping his lips shut, Hye-seong quietly moved his arms.
Recalling that beast he once faced. Remembering Yoo Ji-ho, who’d appeared like a miracle and saved him. And now, reaching out to this very same Ji-ho.
You were in this bad of a state… So why the hell do you keep rejecting help like this…?
He just wanted Ji-ho to be comfortable. If that meant getting burned by the heat, then so be it.
***
In the dark, something was slowly filling up.
Like the kind of thirst that felt like death itself… being quenched, drop by drop.
His parched unconsciousness greedily absorbed the falling droplets without pause. A craving he’d never felt before.
The pressure that had weighed down on his mind was slowly consumed again by the abyss.
***
Yoo Ji-ho’s brow twitched. Sunlight, broken through the wide glass windows, flooded the room—and his face.
He didn’t know exactly what had been done to his body, but given the absurd amount of drugs that had been pumped into him, feeling sluggish and heavy, like a bad hangover, was to be expected.
“Ugh…”
But something felt… off. The moment he shifted slightly, he realized it.
What the hell… Something’s latched onto me like a damn leech…
So that’s why his body felt so heavy. It wasn’t just fatigue—it was something actually pressing down on him. Pain, when you got used to it, could be dulled. And Guiding Deficiency was like second skin to Ji-ho; truthfully, he often forgot it was even bothering him.
But this? This wasn’t one of those familiar sensations. This was new—unfamiliar, unpleasant. Like something had wrapped arms around his chest and was clinging tightly to him.
“……”
A chill ran down his spine. Ji-ho slowly opened his eyes.
This wasn’t the gaze of someone waking from peaceful sleep. His eyes were cold—void of warmth, dry, dark.
As his gaze slowly creaked downward, it felt like he was staring at a murder scene.
And when his eyes finally landed on their destination, Ji-ho spotted it: a round head, curled up tightly beneath his arm.
“…What the hell…”
Sighing as if this was a pain in the ass, Ji-ho scowled and sat up, with the mystery thing still clinging to him.
How the hell is he this strong even while asleep? The arms were locked tightly around his waist, refusing to let go.
Tch. Holding back a curse, Ji-ho grabbed the back of Hye-seong’s neck and pried him off. Surprisingly, his body detached more easily than expected.
“……”
Still sound asleep with his mouth slightly open, Hye-seong lay there, clueless. Ji-ho scowled down at him, then let go of the neck he was holding.
Thunk. Hye-seong’s head hit the floor lightly.
Ji-ho looked around the room, still groggy, trying to piece things together.
…This was the same as last time.
Yeah. Back in the Guiding Room. He’d fallen asleep and this bastard was right there when he woke up. Same weird foggy head.
BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—
Just then, the Pager blared to life. Ji-ho reached to check it—only to find it completely busted. He tossed it aside. It must’ve shattered when he’d thrown it the night before. Now, it was totally beyond repair.
“Haah… So, then…”
Rubbing his dazed forehead, Ji-ho tried to force his brain to work. So this bastard…
He must’ve Guided me again. Slipped in here like a damn stray cat. And last night, his condition had likely been full-on rampage risk.
“Fuck, you little shit. Not even scared, huh?”
His sharp gaze returned to Hye-seong, sprawled out on the floor.
He was just a B-rank. They’d already drugged him with Guiding Medication, so he shouldn’t have been of any use. Ji-ho scoffed.
But still… Why didn’t he run when he saw me?
“…Ah.”
Lost in thought, Ji-ho suddenly groaned and closed his eyes.
Something didn’t add up. The sequence of events made no sense.
Annoyed by how dull his mind felt, Ji-ho scowled at the face on the floor, then stood up.
Glancing down at himself, Ji-ho’s face twisted with disgust.
He remembered that goddamn revolting jellyfish-lit-octopus-hellhole he’d ended up in. He looked back down at the floor.
“……”
I should wash up first. I’ll deal with that later.
Upstairs in Ji-ho’s bedroom, the sound of running water echoed.
The shower took far longer than usual. It wasn’t just that he felt filthy—though he did—but more that his head was clouded from the drug’s side effects.
And every time he noticed how dulled he felt, an uncontrollable wave of irritation surged up… though that never lasted long either.
He had no idea why he was like this.
He needed time to reflect—on yesterday’s battle, and the degraded state of his condition, which had worsened more than he’d realized. Clearly, something was off.
He hadn’t received any Guiding recently, sure—but that was normal for him. Even the Supernatural Management Research Institute hadn’t issued any special warnings. If there had been, he wouldn’t have been cleared for deployment at all.
So last night’s incident was an unforeseen emergency. It could’ve easily ended in catastrophe. And on top of that…
“…Fuck. What is this…”
Standing under the stream of water for no reason, Ji-ho irritably yanked the faucet handle down.
His mind kept going blank. Completely blank—eerily peaceful.
His arms, which had been pierced countless times by needles that night, should’ve been a mess—but now only faint traces remained, already healing.
Turning toward the bathroom door, a piece of cloth fluttered out from somewhere and wrapped around his outstretched hand. Water still dripping from his body, Ji-ho threw on the robe—and that’s when it hit him.
This strange feeling… It wasn’t from the drugs.
His body felt… too light. Far too light.
After changing into something more comfortable, Ji-ho went downstairs again.
He’d hoped the bastard would’ve woken up and gotten lost by now, but Baek Hye-seong was still passed out cold, sprawled across someone else’s floor. Curled up tight, like he was cold.
How did he even get in here?
Pouring himself a glass of cold water in the kitchen, Ji-ho suddenly found himself flooded with belated questions.
Why did he come here?
Why is he still here?
Why didn’t he run after seeing that?
Baek Hye-seong was still lying there, flat on the hard marble floor, sleeping like a rock.
Even as he drank, Ji-ho couldn’t take his eyes off him. Staring absentmindedly, a thought surfaced—and Ji-ho looked down at the cup in his hand.
Condensation had formed along the surface of the glass. The cold seeped into his palm.
Perfectly cold enough to swell up someone’s face.
“……”
His head was a mess. He wanted this thing gone.
If I pour this on his face, he’ll wake up and leave, right?
Ji-ho stepped toward Hye-seong with an amused expression.
It would be the least violent, cleanest way to eject an intruder. No need to trouble himself with gentle refusals or follow the Director’s polite protocol. That was the most appealing part.
Other than the closest people at the Center, no one had ever come into this space privately. If this idiot had snuck in last night, there was a good chance he’d seen something he wasn’t supposed to. Ji-ho couldn’t understand what he’d done after that—but one thing was certain.
He probably thought he’d done something heroic last night. But the moment he woke up and his reason returned, this bastard would bolt.
With a bitter smile on his lips, Ji-ho knelt down, eyes fixed on Hye-seong.
He’d claim he didn’t know Ji-ho was on the verge of rampage. Say he couldn’t go through something like that again. Maybe even apply for a transfer. All that fake kindness? Pointless now.
So it was already over. Might as well throw it in his face.
Looking much more relaxed, Ji-ho raised his arm toward Hye-seong’s face. And then—
“…!”
From beneath long lashes, light brown eyes fluttered open. Ji-ho flinched, freezing in place.
Bathed in sunlight, those eyes shimmered oddly and locked onto Ji-ho. As if finding their focus, they blinked slowly a few times, taking him in. Hye-seong stared at him for a long moment… then slowly sat up.
Even then, his gaze never left Ji-ho. And that made Ji-ho uncomfortable. Though he didn’t realize he was staring back just as intently.
Then, finally, Hye-seong’s eyes broke away, drifting downward to something nearby.
“Ah… Thank you…”
He bowed politely, then reached for the glass in front of him—and began chugging the water.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
“……”
With each gulp, Ji-ho’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
Eventually, the glass was empty. Hye-seong returned it to Ji-ho’s hand.
“Thanks f—cough, thanks for the water.”
The thing he was going to pour on his face was gone.
“Then I’ll just… go now…”
With that, Hye-seong slowly, awkwardly laid back down, head to the floor.
His slow, unaffected movements were mirrored in the way Ji-ho’s pupils followed him.
