Hye-seong didn’t want to hear any more of those twisted remarks. Avoiding eye contact, he answered quietly.
“I didn’t come back late that night because Yoo Ji-ho forced me to work overtime…”
“Ah!”
Hye-seong flinched hard at the sudden shout. Kim Young-woo shot to his feet and approached him.
“That’s not what I’m asking, you little shit. Why the hell didn’t you spend the night rolling around with Yoo Ji-ho again, huh? Don’t play dumb with me, fuck.”
“……”
“You think people wouldn’t notice if you snuck around quietly? I didn’t think Ji-ho was like that either—disgusting fucker.”
As the insults turned toward Ji-ho, Hye-seong’s expression changed completely. His usually wide, deer-like eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and his gaze turned sharp and cutting.
Momentarily startled, Kim Young-woo actually looked pleased and let out a mean-spirited laugh.
“Oho? So you can glare. Damn, you’re really into him, huh?”
“……”
“Not even answering your senior now? Right, fuck it—hook up with an S-rank and suddenly you think you’re an S-rank too. Punks like you always think they’re above everyone else.”
“Sunbae. I became his Pair Guide for guiding purposes only. Anything outside of that, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear.”
Hye-seong spoke calmly, and with that, he tried to pass by—almost like running away. But then, his shoulder was yanked back hard.
“You outta your mind? How the hell did you become Ji-ho’s Pair Guide, huh?”
“Ugh…!”
The shove sent his back slamming into the wall. Young-woo leaned in, his voice low and rough.
“Think about it, Hye-seong. It doesn’t make sense. Why the hell would you, of all people, get the one and only spot for Pair Guide in the entire Yeouido Center?”
“……”
“The whole Center’s in chaos because of you.”
Tap. Tap.
The sound of light slaps followed. Hye-seong’s eyes widened in shock.
“Because of you, no one can work properly. You even know that?”
Kim Young-woo kept lightly smacking Hye-seong’s cheek with his palm, each tap laced with venom.
“Huh? You just popped up out of nowhere, lucked into guiding an S-rank, and now you think you’re hot shit?”
The soft but persistent sound of skin hitting skin echoed through the dorm.
“I can’t work because of you, goddammit. What kind of fucked-up country is this? Does this even make sense? Huh? Answer me.”
The more he spoke, the redder Hye-seong’s left cheek grew. What had seemed like a petty annoyance was quickly escalating.
The sheer unreality of it left Hye-seong dazed, unable to meet his attacker’s eyes. His hands, clutching the strap of his bag at his chest, began to tremble.
“Look at this fucking mute. Damn… am I gonna get axed by Ji-ho for this?”
That’s when the time display on Hye-seong’s wrist pager caught his eye.
Oh? I’m supposed to drop by the office, then head straight to Ji-ho…
He was already about four minutes behind schedule. That realization snapped him out of his haze.
“H-Hey, don’t!”
“Hey—!”
Hye-seong shoved the man in front of him hard in the stomach and barely managed to flee the dorm. He sprinted like mad, clocked into the office, and raced toward Yoo Ji-ho’s private residence.
The moment he checked the time, whatever tears had been welling up vanished like a lie.
Being late is absolutely unacceptable!
There was a very specific reason Hye-seong had been chosen as Ji-ho’s Pair Guide. Sure, luck had helped, but it was also because he’d been diligent about punctuality during testing. That was how a total rookie like him landed the position of S-rank Esper’s guide.
Ji-ho seemed to hate wasting time. Even now, after finally allowing guiding sessions, he only permitted them in strict time windows.
Ji-ho’s time was gold. Hye-seong figured that must be one of the reasons he rejected guiding so vehemently.
That’s also why Hye-seong had been working so hard to figure out ways to improve their guiding efficiency.
“Good morni—hff… huff, haah…”
When the door opened, Hye-seong bowed deeply and greeted him, still panting heavily.
“……”
“Huff… hrrgh… haah…”
Ji-ho silently stared down at Hye-seong’s bowed head like it might never rise again.
At last, the symphony of harsh breathing quieted at the sound of a low, gentle voice.
“Why’d you run all the way here? You could’ve taken it slow.”
“No, huff… no, I… I’d be late otherwise…”
“You’re breathing really heavily. Catch your breath, take your time coming in.”
“Huff… okay… thank you…”
Ji-ho looked away and walked inside, leaving the door open. Hye-seong collapsed to his knees at the entrance, trying to calm his erratic breathing.
When he finally entered the apartment, Ji-ho was seated on the spacious living room couch, watching an old black-and-white film in the dark. Sunlight filtered in through sheer linen curtains hanging over the balcony’s glass wall.
Hye-seong stood dazed, thinking the scene looked like a frame from a movie. Ji-ho looked over at him and asked:
“What happened to your face?”
“Huh…?”
“Something’s off. Your face looks weird.”
The words hit like a bolt of lightning. Hye-seong froze in place, his eyes trembling as if shaken by an earthquake.
Did he just say my face looks weird?
Was he saying he was ugly? Or did he still look sick?
That would be bad. If it was the former, there wasn’t much he could do. But if it was the latter, that was worse. Probably…
Lately, he’d been eating four meals a day, just to avoid looking like he was under the weather.
Taking care of his own health—that was the number one rule emphasized by the veteran Guides he looked up to.
“Before you worry about the Esper’s health, look after your own.”
He’d carved that lesson into his memory, determined to live by it as a professional Guide. But now, hearing that, a jolt of guilt ran through him. His warm brown pupils quaked.
“Come here.”
“……”
Ji-ho beckoned him over. With a hesitant expression, Hye-seong obediently walked to him, forcing a weak smile.
Ji-ho looked up at him with quiet suspicion.
“What’s wrong with you…?”
“……”
His expression remained blank, but his head tilted slightly to one side.
Ji-ho studied him like that for a long time before speaking in a dry voice.
“Is it from running?”
“Huh?”
“Your cheek’s red. But only one side.”
He pointed at one of Hye-seong’s cheeks. Hye-seong’s eyes widened.
That was when he suddenly remembered—what had happened at the dorm.
“It’s not that noticeable, but up close, yeah. The two sides look different.”
Ji-ho kept glancing between Hye-seong’s cheeks. Hye-seong’s eyes wavered uncontrollably.
He hadn’t looked in a mirror before rushing over, so he had no idea what he looked like. Panicking, he bowed his head, but Ji-ho’s gaze never left him. He’d never stared at Hye-seong this intently before.
It wasn’t even a hard hit. Nothing serious. No need to bring it up and make him worry unnecessarily.
Hye-seong hunched down a little more, digging into his bag as if nothing was wrong.
“I-I guess so? Must’ve gotten hot running over. Let me just… check your chart real quick.”
“Wanna have some coffee?”
“Huh?”
His head shot up. It was the first time Ji-ho had ever offered him coffee. Ji-ho was still staring, eyes locked on a single point on his face.
“You said you’re hot. What do you think?”
“……That’d be nice.”
As expected, Hye-seong didn’t turn him down. Ji-ho chuckled and stood up, heading for the kitchen.
At the bar counter next to the table where they’d once shared abalone porridge, Ji-ho began brewing coffee with practiced ease.
Hye-seong stared, entranced, before quickly turning away. Focus. You’re here to work, not gawk.
“……”
He opened his tablet, pretending to focus on reviewing Ji-ho’s charts. But his eyes kept drifting toward the kitchen.
For some reason, Ji-ho looked unusually relaxed today, a faint smile on his face.
Must be in a good mood.
The thought made Hye-seong smile too.
These days, Ji-ho was becoming more and more considerate. The man who’d once refused to give even an inch now seemed to treat him with a hint of ease.
Of course, the invisible wall between them remained. But it was clear that the guiding was starting to have a real effect.
Even holding hands—he used to flinch every time, but now he endured it just fine. He always smiled at Hye-seong and treated him kindly.
It’d only been three days, but still! It was a hopeful start. And today marked a historic milestone—his first time drinking coffee personally brewed by Yoo Ji-ho.
Whatever happened at the dorm no longer mattered in the slightest. That had been the pattern ever since he moved in.
When he was with Ji-ho or following him around, he never once thought about Young-woo. But as soon as he returned to the dorm, he had to face that ugly hostility again.
Yet every time he saw Ji-ho the next day, it all stopped mattering.
Same now. He’d been coming to Ji-ho’s place for days to do guiding, but this was the first time Ji-ho offered him a drink. That alone was all that mattered right now.
“Thank you for the coffee.”
Hye-seong took the heavy glass cup in both hands. It looked like the kind of tumbler adults used for whiskey. He took a small sip, thinking that—
Ack.
His face scrunched up instantly. But he quickly lifted his head and gave Ji-ho a bright smile.
“It’s really good.”
“You hate coffee.”
“……!”
“You know you’re really bad at lying, right?”
Thud. His heart nearly dropped out of his chest.
