The last day of my sweet, week-long vacation had already passed. After finishing up my morning routine, I made my way to the cafeteria.
The food at the dormitory cafeteria had always suited my taste, so I’d kept eating there even during my break. Baek Beom had whined about wanting to eat with me too, but I couldn’t exactly take a dog into the cafeteria. In the end, I had to make do with convenience store meals or delivery food for him.
Maybe I should take him out for a proper meal every once in a while.
He’s a dog, after all—a few walks here and there probably wouldn’t hurt either.
When I arrived at the cafeteria with light steps, the place was already buzzing, even this early in the morning. I wove my way through the crowd of people laughing and chatting over breakfast, found a seat in the corner, and picked up my spoon.
And right then—
“Sunbae-nim!”
I looked up at the familiar voice. Across the cafeteria, Kim Yong-ha was standing at a table, tray in hand, staring at me with a spaced-out look.
“…Oh? Kim Yong-ha?”
He looked pretty much the same as he had a week ago. Still, I was glad to see him, so I gave him a little wave. His face brightened instantly, and he quickly made his way over and took the seat across from me.
“When did you get back to the dorms?”
“It’s been about a week. I came back last week.”
“Ah… I wish I’d known sooner. I didn’t get to come to the cafeteria at all last week. My entire schedule was packed with Guiding from early morning.”
Sounded like he’d been busy Guiding nonstop the entire week.
Thinking about it, with that dungeon incident at the Guide Center, a lot of Espers had come through. It must’ve been up to people like Kim Yong-ha and the unaffected Guides to handle all the Guiding.
Especially since he was an S-Rank and already living in the dorms, he was probably the most convenient option. Meanwhile, I’d only just returned, and my rank was what it was—no one would’ve bothered to ask me for help.
Feeling a little guilty for having rested while others worked, I offered him a sincere word.
“You really worked hard.”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Just part of the job. Actually, sunbae-nim… now that things have calmed down for me, I’ll probably be coming to the cafeteria more often. If it’s okay with you, would you like to eat together? I’ve been getting kind of tired of eating alone every morning.”
…Huh. I thought he was doing fine on his own. Was he still feeling a bit awkward?
Eating together wasn’t a big deal, so I nodded.
“Sure.”
At my answer, Kim Yong-ha’s face lit up even more, a wide smile spreading across his lips.
He really smiles easily… Kim Yong-ha.
Watching him like that reminded me of the original story.
Back in the original version of this world, Kim Yong-ha hadn’t been happy. He’d been kidnapped and imprisoned by Villains over and over, stripped of his freedom until the smile disappeared from his face entirely. Eventually, even his gentle, pure-hearted personality had been twisted beyond recognition.
But the Kim Yong-ha in front of me now was nothing like that.
He still had that dazed look on his face, sure—but at least he was smiling.
He’s so different from the original Kim Yong-ha I knew…
I had wanted to change the story, and I had. Still, I couldn’t help the creeping anxiety that maybe I’d messed something up. But seeing him smile like that… made me feel like I’d done the right thing after all.
“Sunbae-nim? What are you thinking about?”
Lost in thought, I must’ve spaced out a little. Yong-ha tilted his head at me, puzzled.
You. I was just thinking that I hoped he never lost that bright smile.
But there was no reason to say it out loud. I shook my head instead, brushing it off.
“It’s nothing. Anyway, how’s work been lately? Everything okay?”
Rather than answer his question, I redirected the topic with some small talk, pretending to be interested in his day-to-day. That seemed to do the trick—his face lit up as he launched into a cheerful stream of chatter about his recent work.
We ended up talking for quite a while—so long, in fact, that it was hard to say whether we’d come here to eat or to catch up.
Well, most of the talking was done by Kim Yong-ha, anyway.
Before long, it was time to head out for work.
“Wow, time really flew. Let’s get going.”
I picked up my tray and stood, but Kim Yong-ha stayed seated, hesitating with a look that said he had something to say.
“What? Need a favor or something?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that… I was just wondering… if it’s okay with you… would you walk with me to the Guide Center?”
It was only about a ten-minute walk from here, so without giving it much thought, I nodded.
“Sure. That’s no big deal.”
“Really? Thank you so much!”
But I ended up regretting that answer almost immediately.
“Wait… all of them are coming with us?”
“…Yeah… they’re just a little overprotective…”
Only then did I realize why Kim Yong-ha had hesitated so much.
As soon as we stepped out of the dormitory building, a group of Espers was already waiting near the entrance.
They were dressed in plain clothes, probably to avoid drawing attention from civilians—but clearly hadn’t considered how obvious they looked standing around in a big group like that. Anyone would stop and stare at that mess.
And right in the middle of them stood the one person I really didn’t want to see: Kim Hyun-joong.
…Fantastic.
All I could do was laugh dryly. I even found myself taking a step back without realizing it.
For a moment, I seriously considered backing out— And just then, Kim Hyun-joong walked over, wearing an awkward smile that didn’t suit him in the slightest.
“Guide Kim Yong-ha. You’re here? Oh, Hwang Seol-bin. You live here too?”
“What does it matter to you? And I told you—don’t talk to me.”
“What, still holding a grudge?”
“Get lost.”
“Excuse me? Did you just—”
Kim Hyun-joong was the same as ever. Still full of himself. Still irritating beyond belief. How could someone be this incapable of growth?
No matter what he said, talking to him would only exhaust me. You don’t avoid shit because you’re afraid of it—you avoid it because it stinks.
So I turned around and addressed Kim Yong-ha instead.
“Yong-ha, I think I’ll head there on my own.”
“But… we’re going the same way. You could just come with us…”
“I’d rather not. It’s… too much. I’ll go on ahead.”
“…Okay, sunbae-nim.”
I was a little worried he might try to stop me, but he just gave a faint, disappointed smile and waved goodbye.
I turned and walked away without looking back.
I did feel bad about leaving Kim Yong-ha behind, especially with him looking so deflated… But there was no way I was walking shoulder-to-shoulder with that group—least of all with Kim Hyun-joong among them.
Still… I guess this level of overprotection counts as doing their job.
In the original story, even with all that security, Kim Yong-ha was kidnapped over and over again. But things were different now. Completely different.
Kang Biso—the Villain himself—and even Baek Beom, who’d once tried to abduct him, were both under my watch now. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to Kim Yong-ha.
That reminds me… where’s the original plot supposed to go from here?
The story had already gone completely off-script.
I’d been kidnapped. I was now living with Baek Beom. And I had a brotherly relationship with Kang Biso.
At this point, I couldn’t even guess how much more the story would deviate. Hwang Seol-bin—who was supposed to die in a dungeon—was still alive. That alone had probably shifted things dramatically, and who knows what else was waiting down the line?
The uncertainty about the future did worry me a little.
But oh well. I’ll deal with it when it comes.
Once I decided to protect Kim Yong-ha, following the original storyline became impossible.
The plot had already fallen apart, and I still had the Book of Wishes. As long as I gathered all the pages and made it back home, nothing else really mattered.
***
The Guide Center looked exactly the same as before—so much so that you’d never believe it had been wrecked by a dungeon collapse. If anything, it looked even cleaner than before.
After checking in with the Team Leader and exchanging greetings, I headed into the Guiding Room.
The familiar space welcomed me.
“Looks nice…”
Not much had changed, but the new bedding and desk gave it a refreshed feeling I hadn’t expected. I sank into my chair and leisurely flipped through the file for today’s assignments—only to freeze when I saw a familiar name.
“…Huh?”
Knock knock.
Just as I was about to double-check the file, a knock came at the door.
“…Come in.”
“Hello, Seol-bin. Have you been well?”
The face in the file belonged to none other than Kim Seong-gyeong—S-Rank Esper and someone I hadn’t seen since the dungeon rescue.
And instead of Kim Yong-ha, he’d come here to get Guiding from me?
Well, it didn’t matter. I wasn’t hung up on following the original story anymore. Let him pick whoever he wanted.
“I’ve been well, but…”
He, on the other hand, looked terrible.
His complexion was pale, and the smile he forced looked so fragile I thought he might collapse on the spot. Startled, I immediately stood and rushed over to him.
“…You don’t look well. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’ve just been dealing with a lot lately… I think it’s exhaustion.”
“You haven’t been getting any Guiding?”
“…I was hoping to wait until I could see you.”
Seriously… what is this guy even saying…?
For a moment, I was completely speechless.
There had to be plenty of people offering to Guide him—Yong-ha included. But instead of going to them, he’d waited for me? While clearly pushing himself too far?
It was stupid. So stupid it almost made me angry. But I couldn’t say that to someone who looked like he’d barely made it here in one piece.
With a sigh, I carefully helped him over to the bed and eased him down.
“Next time, don’t force yourself. If I’m not available, go to someone else. What are you going to do if you hit rampage like this?”
“…It wasn’t that bad… I thought I could last until I saw you…”
“I’m sure it was still hard on you.”
“…Are you… worried about me?”
“…Of course I’m worried.”
His whole face lit up at that. Watching him smile like that made my chest tighten again.
What was so great about someone being a little worried about you? Why smile like that?
I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I needed to get started with the Guiding. I reached out for his hand—but then noticed his fingers twitching slightly, like he had something he wanted to say.
Normally, if it were any other Esper, I’d ignore it and move on. But that earlier smile kept bothering me.
“…Is something wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”
“Um…”
“Take your time. Just be honest.”
“If it’s okay with you… could we try Guiding a different way this time? Not with hands, but… with a kiss…?”
“…What?”
For a moment, I thought I’d misheard.
Had he really just said that?
I stared at him, stunned. He fidgeted nervously under my gaze and added carefully—
“I mean… hands work too, but… a kiss tends to be more effective, and it feels better too, so… Only if you’re okay with it, of course…”
“……”
“…Is that… not okay…?”
And just like that, a long-buried memory hit me.
That week we’d been trapped in the dungeon together— In a moment of panic, right as he was on the brink of rampage, I’d tried Guiding and ended up losing my first kiss.
The memory flashed through my mind, and before I realized it, my gaze had landed on Seong-gyeong’s lips. Noticing, he lowered his head for a moment—then looked back up at me, pleading softly like he was trying to act cute.
“…Please? Just this once?”
“……”
The fact that Kim Seong-gyeong was behaving like this—acting clingy, even—made it painfully clear:
He was in way worse shape than I thought.
