Drops of blood trailed across the alley, weaving through narrow paths and shadowy turns.
Whoever it was hadn’t even tried to stop the bleeding—the stains on the ground were growing darker, larger, and more frequent.
After following the trail for some time, I came to a sudden stop.
A puddle of blood had pooled at the spot, and a single ballpoint pen lay abandoned beside it.
And from beyond the corner, the thick stench of blood told me everything I needed to know—there was an injured Esper just ahead.
Baek Beom might be an S-Rank Esper, but he’d lost control, and he was wounded. In that state, he wouldn’t be able to fight properly. Taking him down wouldn’t be difficult.
I tightened every muscle, ran through the sequence in my mind—quick, silent approach, lock his wrist and elbow in one move, break them, and neutralize him on the spot.
With that resolve, I rounded the corner and lunged forward—
“Ugh!”
—or I tried to.
I stumbled mid-step, eyes dropping to the ground.
Baek Beom wasn’t there. No blood-drenched man waiting to strike. Instead, lying in a heap, soaked in blood, was a small, fluffy lump.
“A puppy…? Or some kind of wolf…?”
It was too tiny to tell for sure. Still, it looked unmistakably like a puppy.
The little furball was unconscious, chest rising and falling in weak, raspy breaths.
Could this really be Baek Beom?
The blood trail had ended right here, and the small body lying at the center of it, drenched and motionless, left little room for doubt.
I’d made up my mind to kill Baek Beom. If he was down and defenseless like this, now was the perfect time. But… he was so small. Way too small. Killing him like this just felt wrong.
After a moment of hesitation, I gently picked up the tiny creature.
“…Guess I’ll take him with me for now.”
***
With the furball in my arms, I started toward the Guide Center—but then turned toward a nearby hotel instead. If this really was Baek Beom, I couldn’t risk bringing him anywhere near Kim Yong-ha.
He was so drenched in blood that when I tucked him under my clothes to check in, my stomach bulged out unnaturally. The hotel staff gave me strange looks, but I ignored them, grabbed the room key, and went upstairs.
First, I washed the blood off him. Then I used the first aid supplies I’d bought earlier to patch up his wounds. Once that was done, I laid him gently on the bed. Propping my chin on one hand, I stared at the tiny puppy lying on his side.
“This is such a mess…”
Judging by the wound on his leg, there was no mistaking it—this was Baek Beom.
I was supposed to kill him. But seeing him like this—so small and fragile—made me hesitate.
If he were in his human form, I’d have done it already without thinking. Why wasn’t he turning back?
I gently brushed a hand over his snowy white fur.
Even in puppy form, he was still an Esper. I could feel the unstable energy radiating off him. It felt like he’d lost consciousness just before he completely lost control.
Maybe I should give him a little help.
He was unconscious, and killing him like this felt like a moral line I wasn’t ready to cross.
If he woke up without being Guided, he might go berserk again. That would be dangerous—for me. It was safer to stabilize him now, then wait for him to shift back and take him out when the time was right.
I stroked his small body as I carefully infused him with energy.
His unsteady form gradually began to respond. Fortunately, my Matching Rate with Baek Beom wasn’t bad.
Now that I thought about it, I’d never once met an Esper with a low Matching Rate.
Judging by the reactions of Kang Biso and Kim Seong-gyeong, my ability clearly wasn’t D-Rank. Don’t tell me… am I actually an S-Rank Guide?
I shook my head. The very idea made my skin crawl.
No way. Absolutely not.
I’d read enough about S-Rank Guides to know how miserable their lives were. I had no desire to live like that.
Being an underestimated D-Rank was way better. There was no way I wanted to become an S-Rank and go through all that hell.
I made a firm vow then and there—I’d stay D-Rank until the day I died. As long as I never retook the Ability Evaluation, no one would ever know the truth.
“Huh?”
I felt a warm, ticklish sensation on my hand and looked down. The puppy had come to—at some point—and was now licking the hand I’d been using to Guide him.
His tongue was soft and wet, and every time it ran over my skin, it left a strange warmth behind.
When I stopped Guiding, Baek Beom let out a soft whine like he wanted more, his eyes still hazy and gentle.
He’s definitely not fully conscious, right?
I mean, the Baek Beom described in the book was arrogant, reckless, and completely self-absorbed. There’s no way he’d do something like this if he were in his right mind.
The book never mentioned anything about Baek Beom having a tiny, adorable puppy form. Not even once.
Then again, with his personality, it made perfect sense he’d keep something like this hidden.
“Whiiine… kiiing…”
The puppy clinging to me let out a soft whimper—maybe the Guiding hadn’t been enough.
I gave his little snout a light tap.
“That’s all for today. If you recover all your strength, I’m the one who’s screwed.”
“Woof, woof!”
Baek Beom let out a small bark and rubbed his face against my hand, clearly not understanding a single word.
Way too cute.
I couldn’t stop staring at the little fluffball. He was barely the size of my hands, kept nuzzling into my palm, and his fur was just… so soft. It felt surprisingly nice.
After a quick glance around the empty room, I lifted the puppy high into the air.
“Woof!”
Tongue flopping out, he barked adorably.
“You’re too cute.”
This was the same Baek Beom from earlier? That bloody mess? There was no way this precious little thing and that vicious lunatic were the same person.
I gave in and pressed my face into his fluffy cheek. The sensation of that soft fur was addictive.
“Woof? Woof woof!”
Now that he was clean, he even smelled nice. He wagged his tail and clung to me, like he’d already claimed me as his owner.
If only he weren’t Baek Beom. Back when I was still a Special Agent, the idea of raising a pet would’ve been laughable—but now? I kinda wanted to try. Just once.
“Your leg… does it still hurt? You okay?”
“Woof woof!”
I laid down on the bed with the puppy still in my arms. He licked my face repeatedly, smothering me with affection.
Holding that warm, soft little body made my eyelids grow heavy.
This was dangerous. What if he changed back while I was asleep? But I hadn’t given him that much Guiding, and he was still hurt. He should be fine, right?
Besides, tying up such a tiny puppy just felt wrong.
So I made up my mind—I’d just sleep with him in my arms, tightly held so he couldn’t do anything.
Thankfully, he seemed just as fond of me.
As I hugged him close, he let out a little yawn and dozed off. I blinked a few times, then closed my eyes too.
Maybe I was starting to get why people kept pets.
Surrounded by warmth, softness, and a strange sense of comfort, I drifted off to sleep.
***
The puppy, nestled quietly in Hwang Seol-bin’s arms, opened his eyes the moment Seol-bin fell into a deep sleep.
Silently, he slipped out from the embrace and turned to glare at him.
“Grrrr…”
The gentle look in his eyes was gone—replaced by something cold and deadly.
His pupils turned blood-red, and his body began to shift.
From puppy to wolf. From wolf to man.
Baek Beom stretched slowly as he returned to his human form.
“Tch.”
A low groan escaped as he stood. His thigh throbbed with pain the moment he put weight on it. Just how deep had that bastard stabbed him with a pen?
Annoying piece of shit. Should I just kill him?
Claws sharp as razors extended toward the sleeping Seol-bin.
Even in his berserk state, he’d felt it clearly—that bloodlust aimed straight at him. Hwang Seol-bin had tried to kill him. He was the enemy. He deserved to die.
But…
Baek Beom slowly retracted his claws, then flexed his fingers and rolled his head from side to side. His usually tangled, greasy hair swayed gently behind him.
“…It doesn’t hurt. It really doesn’t hurt anymore?”
Normally, his whole body was a mess of pain from lack of proper Guiding. But aside from his leg, he felt completely fine.
That bastard was the enemy—no doubt about it. But the Guiding he’d received had been powerful enough to wipe out all that pain.
Playing the cutesy puppy? Just a trick to get more.
And yet the guy had cut him off like it was nothing.
What a heartless bastard.
Baek Beom’s gaze swept over Seol-bin’s body with a cold glint.
Firm muscles. A tight, well-formed ass. Delicious.
And that face.
Even through the smoke and chaos, that face had stood out. For a second, Baek Beom had genuinely hoped he was the S-Rank Guide—he was just that dazzling. Easily the most beautiful person he’d ever laid eyes on.
Not to mention the sheer power of his Guiding—something that had never worked on Baek Beom before. And that sharp, calculating instinct—striking when he sensed danger.
He wasn’t just a match—he was perfect.
All I need to do is make him mine.
Sure, the S-Rank Guide from the news had sounded tempting, but seeing him in person? Not his type. And now, with the perfect Guide right in front of him, there was no need to take that kind of risk.
Just that little bit of contact had made him feel lighter than he had in years.
If that felt good, what would more do?
Unreal.
A flicker of raw desire passed through Baek Beom’s eyes.
Slowly, he moved toward Seol-bin.
Even asleep, he was beautiful. What would his body look like with that T-shirt peeled away? How would it feel to pin him down, to take him?
“Haa…”
Just the thought made Baek Beom hard.
What kind of sounds would he make? Would he scream in shock, try to fight? Even that would be beautiful.
His groin pulsed with aching need. He almost hummed with pleasure but kept quiet—no need to wake him. Things would get messy if he fought back.
This would be enough for revenge. No need to kill him.
He’d already gotten what he wanted—a Guide. One that fit him perfectly. Now all he had to do was throw a leash around him and keep him close forever.
Baek Beom climbed slowly onto the bed.
Seol-bin still slept peacefully.
Baek Beom parted his lips, leaning in close—close enough to bite.
“Bon appétit.”
It happened in an instant.
“Gah!”
Just as Baek Beom’s lips were about to press against his, Seol-bin’s hand shot up and seized him by the throat—then slammed him down into the mattress.
In a heartbeat, the positions flipped—Seol-bin straddled him, holding him down with impossible strength.
What kind of Guide is this?!
Baek Beom gagged and stared up at him.
Seol-bin’s face was frighteningly calm—almost like he was still asleep.
Unbelievable. Who was he trying to fool with that peaceful expression? Meanwhile, Baek Beom was struggling just to breathe.
He couldn’t move. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break free.
This couldn’t be real. Even injured, an S-Rank Esper was on a different level from ordinary people—or even most Guides.
So why the hell couldn’t he overpower him?
Seol-bin’s eyelids twitched, then slowly opened.
Danger.
Instinctively, Baek Beom activated his ability.
