“You’re not sleepy?”
I’d been on edge all week and yeah, I was tired—but I wasn’t the type to doze off in the middle of something like this.
“I’m not sleepy.”
“Weird. You were like this last time too…”
Kang Biso muttered to himself, then met my eyes before cautiously reaching up to take off my glasses. With the dusty lenses no longer in the way, my vision cleared—and Kang Biso’s face came into focus.
The moment our eyes met, he froze with his mouth still slightly open.
“…Kang Biso?”
“……”
“Kang Biso? Are you okay?”
“Ah… Ah… I’m fine. But, ah, the glasses… we can’t do without them.”
His hands trembled slightly as he put the glasses back on me. Then, with a grim expression, he looked me straight in the eye and spoke in a warning tone.
“Hyung, never, ever take your glasses off in front of people. Seriously. Something bad will happen… Got it?”
The way he spat it out in a single breath, his face looking like he’d just seen something he never should’ve, made it clear—he was spooked.
I didn’t love hearing it, but I always figured my face was pretty average-looking. Was it really that bad?
And the fact that I was wearing my original face—before I became Hwang Seol-bin—made the sting even worse. I’d thought he liked me… He called me “hyung,” followed me around, acted all affectionate…
“…Is my face really that awful?”
“No, no, that’s not it! It’s just—whatever! Just don’t! Anyway, listen to me very carefully right now.”
I pouted, not bothering to hide my displeasure at his sudden refusal to explain.
“I am listening.”
“Shh, shh!”
He frowned and tapped his own lips with his index finger, and I shut up obediently, deciding not to push it any further.
“……”
We locked eyes for a while in a silent standoff, but that was all. After a beat, Kang Biso twitched his finger as if to activate something—but nothing happened.
“Ah, fuck…”
Looked like he was trying to do something, but it wasn’t working.
“You’re getting sleepy… Our hyung is getting very sleepy…”
…What the hell is he doing?
“Kang Biso?”
“Our hyung is slowly falling asleep…”
Watching him chant like he was trying to lull a child to sleep had me completely dumbfounded.
“…Sleepy, sleepy… Ah, shit, this isn’t working… H-Ha… Hahaha. Haha…”
Kang Biso let out a nervous laugh, then suddenly stopped and took a step back. His gaze shifted—suspicion clear in his eyes.
“Hyung… What are you?”
“A D-Rank Guide working at the Guide Center.”
“Lies. If you were really a D-Rank Guide, my abilities would’ve worked on you. Come on, just tell me the truth. What are you really?”
The word “truth” hit a little too close to home, but I feigned ignorance. Honestly, I had no idea why Kang Biso was acting like this in the first place.
“This is getting problematic…”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
“Let me apologize in advance. I’m really sorry, hyung.”
Kang Biso folded his hands together like he was sincerely apologizing, looking genuinely conflicted.
“It’ll only hurt for a second, okay?”
“Huh? What—”
Before I could even finish, Kang Biso moved. Fast. Too fast. He vanished in a blink, but I could still sense where he was.
Behind me!
I dodged just in time. His hand sliced through the air, aiming for my neck—and missed. Kang Biso’s eyes went wide, clearly not expecting me to avoid it.
I was just as shocked.
Kang Biso… just tried to attack me?
What, did the villain suddenly wake up and decide to smite the protagonist? Why me, though?
Before I could process it, Kang Biso vanished again. Reflexively, my senses as a former Special Agent snapped back online.
Even faster than before.
But I wasn’t the same old Guide anymore either—my body was still on edge from the ambush, nerves sharpened like razors.
I couldn’t see a trace of his silhouette, but I could feel the punch coming straight for my gut. So I twisted away—and landed a counterpunch of my own, right into his stomach.
Wham—!
No need for words. That was a clean counter.
“Guh… cough, cough…”
Kang Biso doubled over, coughing hard as he clutched his stomach and sank to his knees.
Kang Biso looked up, eyes watery—probably from all the coughing—and completely bloodshot.
I gave a shrug and dusted off my hands.
That’s what he got for pulling a sneak attack.
I hadn’t meant to hit him that hard, but my body reacted on instinct. It couldn’t be helped.
“…Hyung, you’re not seriously hiding something, right? Like… you’re actually an Esper or something?”
“As if.”
“Then how does a Guide take down an Esper…?”
His voice was filled with disbelief. I didn’t care, though. I narrowed my eyes and asked, not bothering to hide my irritation.
“Mind telling me why you just tried to attack me? ‘Cause honestly, that pissed me off.”
There hadn’t been any bloodlust behind Kang Biso’s moves, but he’d definitely meant to strike. I wasn’t letting that slide without an explanation.
“No, I mean… I didn’t do it with bad intentions or anything…”
“Then why?”
“I just… you looked strong, so I wanted to test it out. I’m sorry…”
Even a passing elementary schooler could’ve spotted the lie in that excuse. But Kang Biso looked so pitiful, hunched over and clutching his stomach with his shoulders slumped, that I couldn’t bring myself to push any further.
“Seol-bin!”
Just then, cutting through the awkward silence, a familiar voice called out behind me.
I turned to see Kim Seong-gyeong approaching with a warm smile, and beside him, walking in sync, was Kim Yong-ha.
“Seol-bin! The dungeon’s been cleared! We’re good to go!”
The two of them walking side by side—it looked like something straight out of the original novel. And seeing them like that, yeah… they did look good together.
I gave a casual nod in response.
“Tch…”
Kang Biso glanced over at the approaching Kim Seong-gyeong and stood up with a click of his tongue.
Then, as if the earlier fight hadn’t happened at all, he started sidling up to me with that same annoying smile.
“Hyung, are you okay? Want me to carry you out? Need anything?”
“Hyung? And you are…? What exactly is your relationship with Seol-bin?”
“What about you, then? What’s your relationship with Hyung?”
“This is pointless. Anyway, Seol-bin, how about a meal after we get out of here?”
“He’s eating with me.”
“I wasn’t talking to you. Seol-bin, would you mind sharing your contact—”
“Why do you even need that? Hyung, don’t give it to him.”
The two of them glared at each other, bickering like schoolboys arguing over who was closer to their favorite teacher.
I ignored both of them and started walking toward the exit. Naturally, they followed immediately, sticking annoyingly close.
“…Could you both back off a little?”
Why were the main protagonist and the Villain clinging to me like this? What the hell was going on?
Wait… what about Kim Yong-ha?
The supposed original lead, who’d been beside Kim Seong-gyeong earlier, was now trailing quietly behind, glancing around with a distant expression.
This is going according to the original plot, right?
Well, whatever. At least we were finally getting out of this cursed dungeon.
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the lingering unease.
***
The moment we stepped out of the dungeon, we were hit with a massive crowd—onlookers, journalists, you name it.
The reporters scanned every person emerging from the dungeon like hawks trying to catch something juicy, while the civilians gawked like they were watching animals in a zoo.
As I came out, their cameras flicked toward me for a second—but as soon as Kim Seong-gyeong followed behind, an S-Rank Esper in all his glory, their attention shifted instantly. Thank god. Getting involved in that media circus would’ve been a headache.
In the chaos, the survivors were quickly taken to nearby hospitals, and Kim Seong-gyeong—now swarmed by reporters—was escorted away by a hulking man.
Kang Biso had disappeared entirely. Probably laying low to avoid being outed as a Villain.
Meanwhile, Kim Yong-ha and I were sent not to a hospital, but to the Guide Center.
I was there to get checked out since I’d been caught in the dungeon incident. Kim Yong-ha was clearly there for a compatibility test.
Now the two of us sat alone in the Center’s treatment room, and the silence between us was suffocatingly awkward.
I glanced over. Kim Yong-ha stared blankly into space, eyes unfocused.
Should I say something?
That was technically part of my role—being the friendly guy who explained everything beside him.
I poured him a cup of warm water and held it out. His vacant eyes slowly shifted to me.
He really was beautiful. So still and doll-like, it almost didn’t feel real.
“It’s warm. Would you like some?”
“…Thank you.”
He accepted the cup and gave a polite nod. That tracked with his personality in the book—kind, courteous, soft-hearted. Saying thank you was second nature to him.
Still, how long was this going to take? I just wanted the tests to end so I could go home and crash.
“Um…”
“Huh?”
I’d been lost in thought when Kim Yong-ha suddenly spoke, catching me off guard. My response slipped out instinctively.
“I… actually traveled here from another dimension.”
…What?
Dimension travel? To me? Just now? Out of nowhere?
Had he ever said anything like this to Hwang Seol-bin in the original novel?
If I remembered right, he’d mentioned it to a few Espers early on, got laughed off as a crazy joke, and never brought it up again after that…
Maybe he hadn’t had a chance to tell them yet since he’d only just arrived? Or maybe, since we were alone and I happened to be nearby, he figured he’d ask?
Either way, if I was going to stick to my role as Hwang Seol-bin—the kind, dependable Guide who got close to the protagonist—I needed to play it right.
I gave a slow, understanding nod.
“I see. So you dimension-traveled.”
“And now… I don’t understand anything. I don’t know what a Guide is, or an Esper, or any of it. Could you maybe explain?”
He spoke so softly, so politely—it made the whole situation feel oddly delicate.
Honestly, I didn’t know everything either, since I’d only recently ended up in this body. But I could at least give him a basic explanation of the world.
“Espers are the ones who use strange powers—like what you saw earlier. Guides are the ones who calm them down. You’re here at the Guide Center for a compatibility test. You used your ability back in the dungeon, right?”
“I guess? I’m not even sure if that was an ability…”
“What you did—that calming effect—that’s called Guiding. That’s how they refer to it here. Don’t worry. They’ll walk you through everything during the test.”
“Ah…”
“It’s nothing too complicated. Just follow their instructions, and you’ll be fine.”
He nodded, his expression as spaced out as ever, and for some reason, that made me nervous.
Was he really okay? Was he telling other people about the dimension travel, too?
I knew the truth, so I could handle it—but if he started saying that to the wrong people, they’d write him off as delusional.
After a bit of internal debate, I leaned in and whispered near his ear.
“And just so you know… most people probably won’t believe the dimension travel thing. It might be safer to say your memory’s fuzzy from shock…”
Before I could finish, Kim Yong-ha reached out and slipped my glasses off. His eyes scanned my face slowly, intently. I considered pulling away—but he didn’t seem threatening, just… dazed. So I stayed still.
Our eyes met.
His gaze, even more vacant than before, locked onto mine.
“…Why are you suddenly…?”
“Hwang Seol-bin, please come in.”
Right on cue, someone called for me from inside the exam room.
I wasn’t sure if he’d even processed what I’d said. With that dazed look, it was hard to tell. But hey—he was the protagonist. That bit of advice should be enough for now.
“Good luck with the test.”
I gave him a soft smile, took my glasses back from his hand, and stepped inside.
***
“…Haa.”
Left alone, Kim Yong-ha covered his flushed face with both hands.
“He’s… insanely good-looking.”
There were a lot of attractive people in this world he’d landed in—but that guy? Easily the most beautiful he’d seen so far.
Staring at the closed door of the treatment room, he quietly repeated the name he’d just learned.
“Hwang Seol-bin… Hwang Seol-bin. Hwang Seol-bin.”
Before arriving in this world, he’d told several people about his dimension travel. Not one had believed him. But he did. He actually listened—and even gave advice.
That alone left a good impression.
But above all… that face.
So absurdly handsome it made you wonder why he even bothered wearing glasses. It didn’t just hit his type—it hit something deeper.
“…I want to get closer to Hwang Seol-bin.”
A flicker of possessiveness sparked in Kim Yong-ha’s hazy gaze—then faded just as quickly.
