A distant, long-faded memory of childhood.
Back then, my life was nothing but training.
Running, throwing, fighting head-on…
If I wanted to keep breathing the next day, I had to get stronger. I had to prove myself, no matter what. That was the only way to survive in that world.
I kept pushing myself, over and over—until I became the last one standing. How many people had I sacrificed to reach this point…? And so, I became what the nation proudly labeled a “special hunting dog”—an S-Rank special agent.
“Hey, Hwang Dae-heon! Spacing out again?”
Dennis called out to me as I stared blankly out the window. When I turned my head, I saw him holding a stack of books piled high against his chest.
A foreign special agent. We were roommates, but we’d barely exchanged more than a few words. I turned my gaze back to the window.
“You’re no fun. If you’re that bored, at least read something.”
He flicked the top book from the pile at me.
“……”
Without even looking, I instinctively reached out and caught it mid-air.
“Stop staring into space and read. That one’s a classic, believe it or not. Make sure you actually read it, okay?”
Dennis began shelving the rest of the books, then whistled his way out the door. Probably off to party again. He’d vanish into a bottle and wouldn’t show up again for at least two days—that much was obvious.
My eyes, which had been fixed on the window, dropped to the book in my hands.
The Flower Garden of the S-Rank Guide
A Guide? Like a tour guide or something? I wasn’t really in the mood to read… but if I didn’t at least skim a bit, Dennis would start nagging. He’d probably throw me a bone for remembering the protagonist’s name.
Fine. Just ten chapters.
With that, I leaned back against my pillow and lazily began flipping through the pages.
***
In the year 2080, an unexpected catastrophe struck Earth. Dungeons began appearing across the globe. Monsters roamed freely, and humanity was swallowed by fear.
That’s when a few people awakened to special powers. People hailed them as saviors—“Espers”—and praised their supernatural abilities. Only they could fight the monsters.
But Espers had a fatal flaw. The more they used their powers, the more their bodies broke down —and eventually, they would lose control entirely.
Fortunately, another group emerged—people who could stabilize those powers and keep the Espers from going berserk. They were called “Guides.”
Espers and Guides. The two were inseparable. And those two terms showed up more than anything else in the novel.
The Flower Garden of the S-Rank Guide
This novel didn’t revolve around the Espers—it focused on the Guides.
At first, I’d only meant to skim a few pages. But the story turned out to be more interesting than I expected. By the time I came to, I was already on the last page.
“Dennis, just wait and see.”
I got so caught up in it, I completely lost track of time. But when I finished… my face was on fire.
The latter half was packed with steamy scenes. By the time I noticed the tiny R-rated label on the cover, it was already far too late.
Honestly, considering how horny Dennis is, I should’ve known there was no way he’d be reading anything but smut. That one’s on me.
‘I mean, the smut’s whatever, but…’
I didn’t expect him to be into this kind of stuff. Was Dennis gay or something?
The main couple in the book was two men. A male-male couple. I’d assumed the protagonist was a woman, and finding out he was a guy completely threw me off. That should’ve been the moment I shut the damn thing.
Instead, I ended up force-feeding my brain with every lewd little detail between two guys.
“Goddamn it.”
And the worst part? I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
‘Why the hell was it so good, though…?’
I was starting to understand why Dennis stayed up all night reading. Thank god he didn’t come back tonight. If he’d caught me glued to this smutty book, he would’ve teased me to hell and back.
“Already this late?”
The sky outside had darkened while I was reading. It was already night. Had I ever focused this hard on something that wasn’t a mission?
If I wanted to get in my training tomorrow morning, I had to sleep now. Unless I was on an actual operation, skipping a single day of training wasn’t an option.
I turned off the light and lay down.
But the moment I closed my eyes, all I could picture was Dennis jumping on me butt naked.
‘Why the hell would you give someone a book like that and screw with their head?’
Still, I’m stronger than Dennis. There’s no way I’d just lie there and take it like that Guide in the book…
‘God… what the hell am I even thinking?’
Tossing and turning thanks to the lingering aftereffects of that damn novel, it took me forever to finally fall asleep.
***
“……”
I was sure I had fallen asleep.
“You passed out while Guiding again? Tch. That’s why you’re D-Rank. If you’re that useless, at least have the decency to know your place.”
I opened my eyes to find an unfamiliar man standing in front of me, tapping my head with his finger. His constant poking was really getting on my nerves.
Who the hell is this guy? Can I break his fingers? I mentally ran through my list of targets—he wasn’t on it. And there’d been no orders from up top, which meant I couldn’t kill him.
I just sat there, staring blankly at the man who kept jabbing my head and mouthing off. Was this what idols looked like? Flawless white skin, black hair, a cold, sharp gaze. Big monolid eyes that slanted upward, a high nose, and a dark beauty mark near the corner of his lips— Everything about his face was so perfectly balanced, it almost looked unreal.
“How long are you gonna sit there gawking? You think I’ve got time to waste on you? Hurry up and start Guiding already.”
“…Guiding?”
“Unbelievable. You’re still out of it. Whatever. Like I’d get anything useful from a damn D-Rank anyway.”
The man abruptly yanked his hand away from mine. Only then did I realize—we’d been holding hands. I stared at my now-empty palm in a daze.
It didn’t feel bad… but something about it felt off. There was a dull, aching tightness in my chest—like a sadness that wasn’t even mine. I’d never felt anything like it before. It was unfamiliar. Stifling.
“I’m out. And don’t call me over again just to pretend you’re sick. It’s annoying as hell. What, you expect me to drag my ass all the way to your place just to get Guided? Seriously. What a pain.”
Grumbling to himself, he threw the door open and stormed out. The loud slam made me flinch. If he was going to leave, couldn’t he do it quietly? And right in front of someone he supposedly didn’t know?
‘Wait… don’t know him?’
Am I really sure I’ve never seen him before? Something about all this feels… familiar.
Déjà vu.
I looked around the room. Nothing stood out. Only one thing left to do—I got up and started searching.
***
“Hm.”
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I stared down at the items I’d gathered.
An ID card, a phone, and a diary.
That was all I found after combing the room.
Well—one more thing. A weird calendar on the wall labeled 2080.
I picked up the ID first. The photo was definitely me.
But the birthdate…?
Doing the math based on the year 2080, that made me 21 years old.
I was 31.
I had somehow become ten years younger. And apparently, even my name had changed.
I stared holes through the ID, then reached for the phone.
“Thank god it’s fingerprint locked.”
Once unlocked, I checked the contacts and photo gallery.
Fewer than ten contacts saved. In the gallery, just one photo—of that guy from earlier, the one who’d yelled at me.
It looked like it had been taken in secret. The shot was blurry, the details hard to make out.
All that was left was the diary. A small black-covered notebook.
I could only sigh. What the hell was going on? A creeping unease started tightening in my chest.
“Please let there be something useful in here…”
I opened the diary—my last lead.
***
**YY/MM/DD
My childhood friend, my one and only precious person—Kim Hyun-joong—awakened as an Esper. Not just any Esper—an A-Rank. Everyone in class congratulated him. So did I. He smiled and patted my head, thanking me. My heart felt like it was going to explode. Today, my Hyun-joong patted my head. I’m writing it on the calendar as an anniversary.
Kim Hyun-joong?
Nearly the entire diary was about him. What he liked to eat, his hobbies, who his favorite friends were—every little detail had been carefully recorded.
“My heart felt like it would explode? Anniversary? What the hell…”
Whoever wrote this was seriously infatuated with him.
No—obsessed.
The devotion practically oozed off every page. It was so over-the-top, it was hard to read without cringing.
**YY/MM/DD
I awakened as a Guide! Even though I’m just D-Rank, somehow I matched with Hyun-joong. Ever since he became an Esper, we haven’t seen each other much and I missed him so much—but now that we’re linked, I get to see him more often. I may not be a great Guide, but I’ll do my best.
**YY/MM/DD
Hyun-joong seems… different lately. He must be having a rough time. I heard he’s risking his life out there every single day. Unlike me, he’s actually fighting monsters… it must be exhausting. That’s why I have to support him better. I love you, Hyun-joong.
**YY/MM/DD
Hyun-joong said I’m just a useless piece of trash. Said it made no sense that a D-Rank like me was even compatible with him. Said I was completely worthless, and that what he really needed was an A-Rank Guide—then he broke down crying.
**YY/MM/DD
It’s all my fault. I wasn’t good enough to Guide him properly. I gave it everything I had, but it was never enough. Even when I pushed myself to the point of nosebleeds, he demanded more. More, and more. I’m sorry, Hyun-joong. It’s because I’m not enough. I’ll do better. I promise.
‘What the hell is this…?’
The more I read, the more revolting Kim Hyun-joong sounded. The deeper I got into the diary, the more my expression twisted in disgust.
