The only reason I managed to escape the stifling tension in the break room was because it was nearly time to start work. Kim Yong-ha’s obviously intentional chatter had dragged on longer than expected.
I’d gone in to shake off the fatigue, but instead came out feeling even more exhausted. Still, I pushed through the morning schedule.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Thank you, Guide Hwang Seol-bin.”
“Sure. See you next time.”
As the Esper from my last appointment of the morning stepped out, I checked the clock. It wasn’t even noon yet. The morning had been so packed I barely noticed time passing.
Lunch started at twelve. I was supposed to eat with Kim Yong-ha, so until he showed up, I figured I could get a few moments of peace. I leaned back in my chair and let out a deep breath.
That’s when heavy footsteps thundered outside the door—followed by a loud slam as it flew open.
“Yoon… Yi-hyeon?”
It was Yoon Yi-hyeon.
He always barged in without knocking, but this time, he came in fuming. His annoyance was written all over his face.
Without a word, he stormed over and dropped himself onto the bed. Even after sitting down, the irritation on his face didn’t fade. With a scowl, he locked eyes with me, crossed his legs, and snapped.
“Hey!”
“…Yeah?”
“It’s about Kim Yong-ha. Isn’t that guy just completely disrespectful? I asked him to run a simple errand and he talks back like I’m some stranger. And then he starts acting like I don’t even exist. Can you believe that? Acting like a senior doesn’t mean anything!”
I’d already figured he came to complain about Kim Yong-ha the moment he walked in with that expression, but apparently, he wasn’t done.
“And what about the Team Leader? Don’t you think he’s going way too far?”
Now the Team Leader was part of this?
“He treats that guy like he’s special! Always sticking close, acting like he’s the only one that matters. He used to call me nonstop—‘Yi-hyeon this, Yi-hyeon that’—but now that some shiny new S-Rank has shown up, he won’t even look at me!”
Ah. So that’s why he was so pissed.
Already angry from being brushed off by Kim Yong-ha, now Yi-hyeon was losing it because even the Team Leader seemed to be siding with him. It made sense. Yi-hyeon had always gotten special treatment around the Guide Center and done whatever he wanted. Now, watching the attention shift to someone else, he was clearly not taking it well.
To him, it probably felt like Kim Yong-ha had stolen all the attention and affection that used to be his.
But no matter how much Yi-hyeon ranted, there wasn’t anything I could say. Partly because nothing appropriate came to mind, but mostly because, frankly, I didn’t care about his feelings right now.
I’m supposed to have lunch with Kim Yong-ha…
“You!”
Maybe he noticed I was spacing out, because he suddenly jabbed a finger in my face.
“You think he’s some sweet junior just because he calls you ‘sunbae’ and acts all cute? That’s all an act. Behind your back, he talks shit about you—like, full-on insults. He treats you like a total joke.”
Kim Yong-ha… talking behind my back?
It was ridiculous. Why go through the trouble? No one would care if someone insulted a D-Rank Guide to their face. And besides, that wasn’t who Kim Yong-ha was.
“Don’t be so gullible, okay? Just ’cause he calls you sunbae, don’t start grinning like an idiot!”
He was lying to my face so casually, it was almost impressive. Completely shameless.
Was I really supposed to sit here and keep listening to this?
I glanced at the clock. It had already passed noon. I just wanted a break, but Yi-hyeon had steamrolled my precious downtime.
Should I just walk out on him?
Just as I was debating it, there was a knock at the door.
“…Come in.”
“Sunbae!”
It was Kim Yong-ha.
He entered with his usual cheerful smile—but the moment he spotted Yi-hyeon, his expression turned icy.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“It’s lunchtime. I came to eat with sunbae. Didn’t know I’d be walking into a third wheel.”
“Third wheel? You wanna say that again?”
“Sunbae, let’s go eat.”
Yi-hyeon snapped, his voice rising, but Kim Yong-ha didn’t even acknowledge him. He turned to me, speaking as if no one else was in the room.
Which honestly, was perfect. I didn’t want to hear another word from Yi-hyeon anyway. I nodded and stood up.
Yi-hyeon immediately turned his glare on me.
“Hey, I’m not done talking! Where the hell do you think you’re going?!”
I looked at him calmly and answered flatly.
“I made plans to have lunch with Kim Yong-ha today. If we wait too long, the cafeteria might be full, so I’ll head out first. Enjoy your lunch, Yoon Yi-hyeon.”
And with that, I left the Guiding Room with Kim Yong-ha.
As we stepped into the hallway, Yi-hyeon came storming after us, shouting my name.
“H-Hey! Hwang Seol-bin!”
I didn’t bother turning around. If I did, I’d only see Yoon Yi-hyeon’s face twisted in irritation—and I wasn’t in the mood.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem interested in chasing us all the way to the cafeteria. Not that it was surprising. He probably couldn’t stomach the idea of sharing a meal with someone he hated as much as Kim Yong-ha.
Kim Yong-ha glanced back once, then turned to me as if nothing had happened.
“By the way, the cafeteria’s serving some really good stuff today.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm. Let’s go, sunbae.”
He looked unusually cheerful, probably because we were eating together. Seeing him like that, I nodded. If I’d known he’d be this happy, maybe I should’ve agreed to have lunch with him sooner.
***
Watching Hwang Seol-bin and Kim Yong-ha stroll off together made Yoon Yi-hyeon’s blood boil.
That smug little bastard.
Kim Yong-ha even had the nerve to glance back at him—smirking, like he was laughing at him.
Was he seriously mocking him right now?
Yi-hyeon clenched his fists, fighting the urge to storm over and rip that arrogant smile off the bastard’s face. But too many Espers and Guides were milling about. Some were already giving him wide berths, throwing him awkward glances after the earlier commotion.
Sure, he’d lost his temper and shouted. But he still had an image to maintain. He couldn’t afford to stir up another scene in the middle of the Guide Center.
Swallowing down his fury, he stomped back toward his Guiding Room.
He was pissed—no, beyond pissed. How had it come to this?
This Guide Center used to be his turf. He was the one who’d always drawn the spotlight.
Sure, there were others with high Matching Rates, but he was still an A-Rank Guide. A valuable one. Espers used to trip over themselves for a chance to book him. They’d practically bend over backwards to stay in his good graces. Other Guides had envied him—idolized him.
But now? Everything had gone straight to hell.
The moment Kim Yong-ha showed up, it all started to unravel.
Espers began gravitating toward him instead. Even the Team Leader—he’d stopped paying attention to Yi-hyeon altogether and now hovered around Kim Yong-ha like some desperate shadow.
Even the Guides who once admired him were suddenly buzzing around that smug S-Rank, trying to curry favor.
And the nobodies—the low-ranking pests who wouldn’t have dared meet Yi-hyeon’s eyes before—were whispering behind his back now. Calling him washed up.
Washed up.
Those same insects who used to flinch under his gaze…
None of this would’ve happened if not for Kim Yong-ha. If that guy had just stayed out of the picture…
No—there was another problem. The other low-level Guides were irritating, sure, but Hwang Seol-bin?
He was infuriating.
He used to be so obedient. Never spoke out of turn, never talked back. But now? After hanging around Kim Yong-ha for a bit, he acted like he was somebody.
What—did he think being near an S-Rank made him one too?
A D-Rank acting like he was better than him? Was this some kind of joke?
The hell was wrong with those two?
He needed to put them in their place. Both of them. Wipe those smug, self-satisfied looks off their faces—simultaneously.
Letting it go wasn’t an option. Watching them parade around like they owned the place—it made his skin crawl.
He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he needed. Without hesitation, he hit call.
The line rang once.
[Hey, Yi-hyeon. My Guide. What’s up?]
My Guide, huh? Like hell. Just hearing that made Yi-hyeon’s jaw tighten. He hated calling this guy—but for situations like this, he was perfect.
Rude, cocky, trash personality—but obsessed with him. The kind of Esper who’d do anything he asked, no matter how underhanded. Annoying as hell, but useful.
“Hey, hyung. Been doing okay? You haven’t come by for a Guiding session in a while.”
Not that he’d missed him. Not even a little. But he let his voice drop—soft and tired, just enough to sound disappointed.
The man on the other end let out a low chuckle.
[Aw, were you feeling lonely? I’ve just been busy. But wow, you calling me first? You must have someone you wanna crush, huh?]
“Well… maybe not exactly, but… I wouldn’t say no.”
Of course he picked up on it right away. This wasn’t the first time. Whenever Yi-hyeon had a Guide he couldn’t stand, he’d feed the guy a few names and let him take care of it. In return, he’d give him what he wanted—a deep, satisfying Guiding session.
[Heh. That sly mouth of yours. Honesty really is your best trait. So who is it this time? Spill it.]
“…Ever heard of Kim Yong-ha?”
[Kim Yong-ha… oh yeah. The new S-Rank Guide, right? I saw something about him on the news. Haven’t met him, but I heard he’s hot. That true?]
What the hell was this idiot saying?
“Wait, you like him or something?”
The words came out sharp, unfiltered. Yi-hyeon didn’t even try to mask the irritation in his voice. The guy immediately backpedaled.
[No, no—I didn’t mean it like that. I was just curious. I mean, he’s S-Rank and all. But come on, you know you’re the only one I care about. So what about him?]
“Don’t even get me started. Yeah, he’s S-Rank, but that’s all he’s got. He’s cocky, full of himself, constantly talking behind my back, and acts like I don’t even exist.”
The more he spoke, the more the anger bubbled to the surface.
“Do you even realize how much stress I’ve been under because of that bastard? And you’re asking me if he’s pretty?”
[Alright, alright. I get it. You’re pissed. I’ll come by next week and take care of that S-Rank punk for you. That work?]
Now they were getting somewhere.
But Yi-hyeon wasn’t finished.
“…He’s not the only one. There’s another guy—Hwang Seol-bin. Just a D-Rank, but…”
He didn’t hold back. Twisted the truth, threw in a few well-placed lies, and painted both of them as the worst kind of trash—arrogant, disloyal, completely unfit to be here.
So what if it wasn’t all true? They deserved it. For disrespecting him—for forgetting their place.
He kept going until the guy on the line gave him his word—clear, firm—that he’d make them both regret it.
[Alright. I’ll be there next week. Hang tight until then.]
Yi-hyeon ended the call with a satisfied smirk, lips curling with cruel delight.
It’s over for you two.
But even that didn’t feel like enough.
He rose from his seat and began making more calls—Espers who practically worshipped him.
One by one, he fed them the same story—twisting facts, seeding rumors, fanning the flames.
Let them squirm. Let them crumble.
He was going to make damn sure both of them ended up on their knees, begging for mercy.
