He was genuinely curious.
“Hye-seong, did you do something wrong to me?”
If not, then why was he being so dramatic?
“Yes, that’s right. I did…”
“Yeah?”
After giving that unexpected answer, Hye-seong straightened his posture again and spoke with a grave expression.
“The truth is, I lied to you before, Yoo Ji-ho. I’m really sorry.”
“A lie?”
“Yes, actually I…”
“Mm.”
“I am your fan…”
Having confessed everything, Hye-seong lowered his head, cheeks burning in embarrassment. Ji-ho found it strange.
Why was he suddenly bringing up something Ji-ho already knew?
“How much of a fan?”
“…Huh?”
Since the reaction was different from what he’d expected after days of bracing himself, Hye-seong didn’t know how to respond.
“…Does that matter?”
“It might.”
His pale eyes trembled like an earthquake. He’d run countless simulations, but he’d never once imagined being asked how much of a fan he was.
He wondered if claiming he was a huge fan would get him scolded.
“Why can’t you answer?”
“……”
“Oh… I guess you’re not that big of a fan.”
Hearing that oddly disinterested voice, as if Ji-ho were pretending not to care, made Hye-seong flinch in panic. He rushed to correct himself.
“N-no! I really am a fan. Really!”
“Then how much?”
Hye-seong glanced at Ji-ho’s expression. The disappointment from earlier had softened again. Encouraged, he whispered timidly:
“Um… just… a little bit a lot.”
“So are you a little bit of a fan, or a lot of a fan?”
“……”
Why was every question harder than the last? As the questions kept coming without pause, he chewed his lips anxiously. He hesitated, afraid that his answer might change something important.
But tonight, he had come to tell the truth—not to make excuses. This was the end anyway. He couldn’t lie again out of embarrassment.
“…I’m a big fan. A really big fan.”
He finally confessed. And immediately, Ji-ho spoke as if agreeing with him:
“So you were my passionate fan.”
“I never said passionate…”
“Then?”
“…Actually, yes, that too.”
Looking guilty, he lifted his head suddenly and asked the question he feared most.
“Yoo Ji-ho, are you… angry?”
“No.”
“Oh thank god…”
He exhaled in relief, patting his chest. Ji-ho answered instantly. He’d avoided the outcome he feared the most.
It had weighed on him for days. At least one thing that had tormented him nightly had finally lifted. Truly, people shouldn’t live with lies—he had learned that brutally over the last few days.
Now that he had shaken off one worry, he began again, never seeming to tire.
“Yoo Ji-ho, you know…”
“Mm.”
Once he’d confessed the first secret, saying more was easy. Sitting with Ji-ho waiting silently, he blinked several times before speaking in a tiny voice.
“I said earlier I had one thing to confess, right?”
“Yeah.”
His voice, without him realizing, had grown softer and damper than before.
“The truth is… it’s two things.”
“Go ahead.”
Tilting his head, Ji-ho watched his face, encouraging him with a faint smile.
What kind of idiotically adorable thing is he about to say next?
“I…”
“……”
He started a sentence and then froze, lost in thought again. His lowered face was shadowed, lips sticking out faintly. His slow blinking made his long pale lashes flutter noticeably.
After hesitating for a long time, he whispered like an ant.
“I don’t… want to go back to the dorm right now.”
“……”
Ji-ho paused, wondering if he’d missed something.
But no—that was exactly what Baek Hye-seong had said. That he didn’t want to go into the dorm building directly in front of them at this late hour.
It was vague, sure. But this was the first time the ever-diligent, always-eager Baek Hye-seong had said he didn’t want to do something.
“Why not?”
“……”
Just moments ago he was babbling nonstop, yet now his lips couldn’t form a reply.
Even as Ji-ho stared right at him, he stayed silent for a while, eyes shifting nervously. Every slow blink made his eyelashes rustle lightly.
“It’s just… if I go into the dorm at this hour, then…”
Ji-ho waited for him to continue. But after a long hesitation, Hye-seong shook his head.
“I don’t want to say the reason.”
“……”
So alcohol really did make people honest. The kid who only ever knew how to say nice things was now talking like this thanks to drinking.
“So you’re asking me to let you sleep over?”
“No! I’m just saying I don’t want to go to the dorm!”
“……”
Startled by the loud voice, Ji-ho exhaled sharply.
“I don’t know what you expect me to do.”
“I just… wanted to be honest…”
It was now clear—he wasn’t just drunk, he was drunk and rambling. No wonder he’d been blinking slow enough to be irritating.
“……”
Watching those still-flickering lashes, Ji-ho finally sighed and stood up.
A short while later, Ji-ho had tossed him in the bathtub, scrubbed him thoroughly, and sat him down on the sofa— the same place where they always did Guiding.
With damp hair and a blanket around him, Hye-seong pressed his nose into the fabric and sniffed.
“It smells like you, Yoo Ji-ho! Oh…”
Looking delighted, he stared blankly at the cup held out to him. Even when Ji-ho moved it closer or farther, he didn’t take it.
“Hye-seong, you like water.”
“Wow… thank you.”
“……”
Ji-ho froze as he watched what happened next.
Hye-seong immediately put his lips to the cup. Ji-ho helped him tilt it, and he gulped down the water—then abruptly turned his head as if he didn’t want any more.
“Oh—”
Water dribbled down his chin, soaking his shirt. He rubbed his wet jaw and damp T-shirt, then suddenly grinned like something was amusing.
“It feels weird being here. Like we should be Guiding again.”
“……”
Ji-ho lowered his gaze to the wet spot, then slowly met his eyes.
“You probably won’t let me, though…”
“……”
“Um, Yoo Ji-ho… there’s actually one last thing I want to ask you.”
“Last?”
The unexpected word made Ji-ho frown. And as if matching his mood, Hye-seong’s face drooped again.
“Please… get Guiding more often. Seriously.”
“……”
“I know you try to be considerate of Guides, but I really didn’t know you were fighting in this kind of condition. It’s only right that I go back to the kind of role that suits someone like me. I don’t mind at all. But still… I think I’ll worry about you so much…”
“……”
“When the next Guide comes, I hope you get more Guiding—someone whose rank or compatibility is way better than mine. Increase the time, raise the level…”
“Ha.”
A quiet laugh escaped Ji-ho without him meaning to.
At first, he found it funny how Baek Hye-seong had misunderstood completely—thinking their pairing was over.
But now an inexplicable displeasure washed over him.
Because Baek Hye-seong had dared to accept the ending on his own. Without Ji-ho’s permission.
But instead of showing that irritation, Ji-ho gently lifted the dampened tip of his chin. In his hand, the tiny face with those large earnest eyes looked up at him obediently.
Eyes that still believed—without the slightest suspicion—that he was a good person.
Relaxing, he smiled.
“Hye-seong, let’s keep doing this.”
He had never before cared about people. Never had hopes for them. He hated binding relationships. No relationship ended beautifully—ever.
But Baek Hye-seong? If he gave him even the smallest bit of kindness, he’d never leave without permission. Ji-ho was certain. At least not until the day Ji-ho himself let him go.
“R-really…?”
He nodded with a soft smile. Tears gathered at the rims of Hye-seong’s eyes, though he still looked unsure what the words meant.
“But… I’m not good enough…”
“You’ve done great so far. It’s fine.”
Keeping the relationship for a little while wouldn’t be bad.
It would add a little color to his boring life. And soon, whatever interest he had would fade naturally. Then he could quietly return to his familiar solitary existence.
After standing frozen, Hye-seong suddenly pulled away from Ji-ho’s hand and bowed deeply.
He kept his head down for an absurdly long time. Impulsively, Ji-ho reached out, running his fingers over his soft hair. The unfamiliar sensation wasn’t unpleasant. It felt like petting a puppy—his lips tugged upward in satisfaction.
“If I knew you’d get this emotional, I would’ve said it earlier.”
At those words, Hye-seong’s breath hitched. The living room went quiet except for the sound of him holding back tears. The more it continued, the more satisfied Ji-ho felt.
Taking in one little stray who’d only suffer outside—he’d never done it before, but it wasn’t hard. And with Gates quiet these days, he had time. It was just a small act of charity.
Baek Hye-seong was a dime-a-dozen B-rank Guide, a rookie, and if he were kicked out of the Pair position, he’d just wander around smiling while letting people drain his energy.
Unable to refuse, dragged around day and night. And who knew what kind of perverted idiots might latch onto him? Even now, as a Pair, the kid shamelessly Guiding other Espers sometimes had already irritated him.
Oh right—he’d need to fix that on Monday.
He hated anyone touching what belonged to him.
Until he threw Baek Hye-seong away, all of the kid’s energy belonged to him alone. If they were going to continue this relationship, he had to carve that into the kid’s head.
“Don’t ever say ‘last’ again. Not without my permission.”
Only he could decide when this ended.
“Snff… o-okay…”
Pleased with the answer, Ji-ho kept stroking his hair gently.
As long as Baek Hye-seong liked Esper Yoo Ji-ho, he’d want to stay. Ji-ho would keep him only until he got bored. Just until the boredom came.
This was charity work. Nothing more.
***
Early Monday morning. In front of the Director’s Office at the Yeouido Center’s Ability Management Security Division, an unexpected message arrived.
It was an urgent report from the Guide Bureau, sent directly to Director Shin Hyung-cheol.
“Yes, I’ll deliver it immediately.”
Secretary Kang knocked and entered, giving the report quickly.
“Director, Baek Hye-seong has submitted a transfer request.”
