“Ah…”
At that moment, Hye-seong realized he was no longer curled up in the tree. He was now sitting on the bench beneath it, in the exact same position.
When he shifted his gaze, he saw Espers dressed like him inspecting the monster and cleaning up the scene. It seemed like his team, returning from another mission, had stumbled upon his situation by chance.
“Hey.”
The voice was as dry as his eyes. Hye-seong looked around quickly in confusion and replied awkwardly.
“Uh… yes?”
“Where’d you get that?”
Startled by the sudden change in topic, Hye-seong followed Yoo Ji-ho’s gaze—only to realize he was staring at his hand.
“This? Uh…”
To be precise, it was the apple juice he’d held onto tightly, even while hanging from the tree. Earlier, a friend who’d just been elected class president had bought it from the school store to share as a little celebration.
“Oh, my friend gave it to me…”
“Really?”
“…Yeah.”
Hye-seong gave a short answer, then fell into deep thought.
He saved me… Should I at least give him this? But isn’t that way too lame?
As Hye-seong stood awkwardly with the juice still in hand, debating what to do, Yoo Ji-ho suddenly reached out and snatched the bottle from him in one smooth motion.
Stunned, Hye-seong could only stare blankly as Yoo Ji-ho twisted off the cap, took a sip, grimaced slightly, then brought it back to his lips and drained the bottle.
“……”
“……”
Then, Yoo Ji-ho looked down at him with eyes narrowed like a snake’s, staring for quite a while. He tilted his head slightly, scanning Hye-seong up and down.
By the time Hye-seong snapped out of his daze, he found a 50,000 won bill and the empty juice bottle placed in his hands.
Without another word, Yoo Ji-ho turned and walked off, as if he had somewhere else to be, paying no mind to whether his teammates finished cleaning up the bloodied monster or not.
Only when Yoo Ji-ho’s figure had disappeared into a small dot in the distance did Hye-seong finally get up and slowly head home.
Clutching the bill in one hand and the glass bottle in the other, he walked the entire way with a tense face, the same thought looping in his mind.
I gave Yoo Ji-ho my juice…
At that time, Yoo Ji-ho had only recently made his public debut, and even the smallest move he made would instantly become headline news.
He was South Korea’s one and only S-rank Esper. And Hye-seong had handed him a juice. With his own two hands.
Any fear he’d felt earlier when the monster had nearly killed him had long since been replaced by awe toward the Esper who’d saved his life.
That fleeting moment became an unforgettable memory for the young boy that was Hye-seong.
Seven years later, today, Baek Hye-seong had become a Guide—and he was now tasked with guiding that Yoo Ji-ho.
As he checked the time and got ready to leave home, he received a message from Choi Yoon-sol.
[Senior Choi Yoon-sol: Hye-seong… when you get to work today, can you please check the top of my deskㅠㅠ Then put it back in my desk drawer when you’re done…]
[Got it! Don’t worry about a thing today—good luck with the training!]
[Senior Choi Yoon-sol: Thanks ㅠㅠ I’m going off the grid starting now]
[Senior Choi Yoon-sol: (emoticon)]
[Got it! You got this!]
[(emoticon)]
Because of a long-scheduled training session, the whole team was out of the office, and since Hye-seong had only ever held down the fort, there wasn’t anything he needed to handle. In that sense, the message his mentor left him was a bit curious.
Why does he want me to check his desk?
Still, part of him respected and admired his teammates for heading off to do something important. Honestly, he’d already grown attached to the team—but today made him realize once again that he still wasn’t really one of them.
Even so, today was special—because today, he, Baek Hye-seong, had been entrusted with a very, very important task.
He’d turned the offer down several times, thinking it too burdensome and far beyond his qualifications. It was just a one-time thing, purely symbolic, but still—he would be guiding Yoo Ji-ho.
But despite leaving early and preparing thoroughly, the morning didn’t go smoothly.
He got stuck at every red light, and when he finally reached the bus stop, the bus was too full to let him on. When the next one arrived, he let a student in a school uniform take his place instead.
A student had to get to school, but he could take a taxi. Today, of all days, was worth the splurge.
However, just as he approached the main gate, the road in front of the Yeouido Center was closed for six minutes because Director Shin Hyung-cheol’s car was passing through. After an anxious wait and a round of security checks, Hye-seong finally stepped into the elevator.
The time was now 8:55 a.m.
I’ll head straight to the Guiding Room today.
He hated cutting it close on important days like this, but there was no helping it. Biting his lower lip in nervous frustration, Hye-seong pressed the Guide Department floor button again to cancel it.
Room 801.
When he finally arrived at the appointed room, heart pounding in his chest, he stood in front of the door, unable to bring himself to open it right away. He swallowed hard.
Inside this room… was Yoo Ji-ho.
“……”
Thump, thump. The sound of his own heartbeat rang in his ears.
Of course, Hye-seong had never expected this to turn into a permanent pairing.
Even if compatibility and synergy mattered more than rank, the harsh reality was that as a mere B-rank, he was hopelessly average. The odds that someone like him would be compatible with none other than Yoo Ji-ho were basically nonexistent.
Still, today would be an unforgettable experience for him—something to treasure.
Just stay calm and do it exactly the way I learned. Don’t cause any trouble for Yoo Ji-ho.
When he checked his watch again, the minute hand had just ticked over to 59. Taking a deep breath, eyes filled with resolve, Hye-seong knocked gently and opened the door.
“Good… morning.”
The small Guiding Room was empty—no one to greet him. Only a figure lying on the couch.
As he approached cautiously, he saw Yoo Ji-ho lying on the sofa, one arm covering his forehead, fast asleep. A data patch—used for sample collection and Non-contact Guiding—was attached to his temple.
Even partially obscured, the face peeking out was unmistakably the man from TV. But in person, he was even more handsome. Stunning, really.
“…Are you asleep?”
He asked in a whisper, but there was no reply.
He hadn’t expected Yoo Ji-ho to be sleeping, and though it caught him off guard, it also felt like a bit of a relief. If he was nervous, he might say something stupid in front of him.
That meant all he had to do was quietly do his job while the man slept. The most basic form of Contact Guiding—through the hand.
Where should I sit?
After a moment of hesitation, seeing nowhere appropriate, Hye-seong knelt beside the sofa near Yoo Ji-ho.
He glanced between the hand in front of him and the sleeping face above it. Finally, he reached out and gently took hold of Yoo Ji-ho’s large hand.
The moment their skin touched, Hye-seong’s hand began to tremble slightly with tension.
Yoo Ji-ho’s hand was very warm.
Staring at the wave pattern on the monitor screen, Hye-seong took a shaky breath, then tightened his grip slightly to hold that warmth more firmly.
Then he closed his eyes and focused. He was Guiding more sincerely than he ever had before. He could feel his energy being drawn out.
After a while, he lifted his head to check the data screen and saw the Guiding energy level—starting from zero—beginning to shift. Watching the change, Hye-seong tried to calculate the optimal Guiding time, just like he’d been taught.
In his unconscious state, Yoo Ji-ho was absorbing far less energy than other Espers. At this rate, it would take about four hours—maybe more. In the one hour Hye-seong had been allotted, it would be enough to keep him from dipping into dangerous levels, but not enough to fully recharge him.
“Figures… S-rank Espers really are different…”
Of course, it was only a guess. Unlike regular Guiding sessions, he couldn’t view Yoo Ji-ho’s real-time wave pattern during the process. Probably because he was a national asset—the data was classified.
Even if he couldn’t see it, he assumed it was stable. He just hoped his humble Guiding could help, even a little.
Resolving himself again, Hye-seong ignored the growing numbness in his legs, closed his eyes, and focused.
Even though his posture was awkward and he had to fidget constantly to stay comfortable, he never let go of Yoo Ji-ho’s hand. Not even once during the entire 57 minutes. Cold sweat formed on his brow.
Then, at last, he felt a slight movement.
Startled, Hye-seong looked up.
“…Huh?”
And what he saw was Yoo Ji-ho, staring down at him with a face that looked like he’d just seen a ghost.
“Uh, hello.”
“……”
“Sorry if I startled you. You were asleep, so I didn’t want to wake you…”
Still clutching Yoo Ji-ho’s hand like it was something precious, Hye-seong looked up and offered a clear, innocent smile.
