“Thank you.”
“Great work today.”
The Esper offered a polite goodbye and turned the handle of the Guiding Room door to leave.
Once I saw the door click shut behind him, I got up, opened the window, and stretched out my stiff limbs with a deep yawn.
“……”
It had already been a week since Kang Biso confessed to me. And since that day, he hadn’t shown up even once.
At first, I was relieved. The time apart helped me calm the storm of emotions swirling in my head. But as the days dragged on, I couldn’t help growing worried.
I was pretty sure he hadn’t received any Guiding lately.
He used to request sessions regularly. So why the sudden silence? Why wasn’t he coming anymore?
Frustrated, I found myself staring blankly out the window, for no good reason other than restlessness.
And my head… it was filled to the brim with thoughts of Kang Biso.
What the hell is he thinking?
“Damn it…”
I didn’t know.
The more I thought about him, the more I wanted to curse out loud.
Even though the confusion I felt at his confession had settled a bit, I still hadn’t given him an answer. No matter how much I agonized over it, I couldn’t pick a side.
One thing was clear—I didn’t dislike him. I wouldn’t have gotten flustered if I had.
But accepting his confession was an entirely different matter.
Because I’m not D-Rank Guide Hwang Seol-bin.
I’m Special Agent Hwang Dae-heon. This world? It’s just the inside of a novel. There’s no way I can stay here forever.
I have to return to where I came from.
And now I’m supposed to start something with Kang Biso?
A relationship that’s doomed from the start… It’d be better not to begin at all.
Yeah. I already knew the answer from the beginning. But even so—
…I don’t want to turn him down.
That, too, felt awful.
I didn’t want to reject him and then have him disappear from my life.
The moments I’d spent with him were genuinely enjoyable. I didn’t want to let go of that spark I’d felt.
I don’t want this, but I don’t want that either…
So what the hell am I supposed to do?
—Knock knock knock.
A sudden knock pulled me out of my thoughts. I took a long breath, forced my expression into something neutral, and sat back down.
“…Yes, come in.”
“Sunbae!”
“Kim Yong-ha. You’re here?”
“Yup! You finished your Guiding session, right? It’s lunchtime, so I came to eat with you.”
The one who entered was Kim Yong-ha.
He peeked his head in, checked that I was alone, and stepped inside, immediately looping his arm through mine. I glanced down at his hand gripping me tightly.
Come to think of it, his skinship had ramped up noticeably over the past week.
At first, his sudden touches startled me a little, but lately, he did it so often that I’d practically gotten used to it.
He’d always been kind of clingy, but now it felt like dealing with a much younger brother who constantly wanted attention.
“Suuunbaeee~.”
With a soft smile, he’d pop up during breaks or lunch and cling to my arm, dragging me off to the lounge or cafeteria like it was routine.
He’d chatter nonstop like a child begging for affection, eyes fixed on me.
It was cute, sure—but also a little overwhelming.
It all happened so suddenly.
I thought about asking if something had changed, but he wasn’t moody or depressed like in the original story. If anything, he just seemed more cheerful than before. Maybe it was just part of his personality shift.
I decided to let it slide.
Honestly, I didn’t have the energy to worry about every little thing. I was already drowning in thoughts about Kang Biso’s confession.
Noticing my mind was elsewhere, Kim Yong-ha rested his head gently on my shoulder and looked up at me.
“How was today’s Guiding session? You’re not too tired, are you?”
I wasn’t a fan of the sudden closeness and instinctively leaned back a little.
“…It was fine. What about you, Yong-ha?”
“Same here! I rushed through mine so I could have lunch with you, Sunbae.”
“You shouldn’t push yourself. That’s not good for you.”
Out of nowhere, Kim Hyun-joong stepped in behind him and inserted himself into the conversation.
Feigning concern, he spoke to Kim Yong-ha like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I couldn’t help but scowl.
The more I see that guy, the more he pisses me off.
It made sense that Kim Yong-ha kept clinging to me. He probably didn’t have many people he could rely on. Honestly, there weren’t many he could even talk to comfortably.
But Kim Hyun-joong constantly inserting himself into the picture? That, I couldn’t understand.
He claimed it was for protection—he was just there to guard Kim Yong-ha—but even when Yong-ha clearly didn’t want him around, he kept forcing himself into conversations, joining us for meals like it was nothing.
Worse, even while talking to Yong-ha, he kept sneaking glances at me—smirking, glaring, like he was waiting to provoke some kind of reaction. I didn’t even spare him a glance.
If it were up to me, I’d tell both of them to back off and just eat alone…
But then—
“Being with you every day just makes me so happy, Sunbae.”
With that bright, carefree grin on his face, it was impossible to push Kim Yong-ha away.
Yeah… If he was that happy, the least I could do was go along with it.
So today, again, I followed them to the cafeteria.
After grabbing my tray, I found a seat. As expected, Kim Yong-ha slid into the seat across from me like it was second nature, and Kim Hyun-joong took the spot beside him. It was the same arrangement we’d used all week.
I picked up my spoon and looked over the food.
Ugh, seriously? All the stuff I hate.
Today’s menu was stacked with eggplant and mushrooms—both of which I had a strong aversion to. I’d never been able to stand their squishy, slimy texture.
Back when I was a Special Agent, I’d have forced it down without complaint. But now? There was no need to suffer through that. I decided to skip them.
With the eggplant and mushrooms off my plate, there wasn’t much left besides kimchi. As I half-heartedly picked at my food, I noticed Kim Hyun-joong looking at me with a strange expression.
I was about to scowl at his annoying gaze when Kim Yong-ha suddenly spoke.
“Sunbae, does the food not taste good?”
“Ah… It’s just that I don’t like soft, mushy textures. Like eggplant or mushrooms.”
“Want me to go get something else for you? Is there anything you like?”
“…No, it’s okay.”
“Still…”
He looked like he was about to jump up, so I quickly shook my head.
“I’m really fine. Eat before your food gets cold.”
“…Okay.”
He looked a little disappointed, but quickly smiled again and started chatting away as usual. Still, something about his expression felt off. Like he was forcing the cheerfulness.
Then my eyes met Kim Hyun-joong’s.
What now?
I didn’t want to talk to him, so I ignored the stare. But he spoke up anyway.
“…Didn’t you used to like that stuff?”
“What?”
“You made it all the time before. You ate it just fine. Why are you pretending now?”
He picked up a piece of eggplant with his chopsticks and shot me a smug look, his tone thick with accusation.
Eggplant and mushrooms? Me? Yeah, right. That must’ve been the real Hwang Seol-bin.
Funny how he remembers this useless crap after treating Seol-bin like garbage for years.
It wasn’t even worth responding to. I just focused on my tray again.
He kept glaring, but when he noticed Kim Yong-ha watching him, he finally shut up.
***
“Good work. You can go now.”
Standing in front of the Guiding Room, Kim Hyun-joong received a stiff, curt dismissal.
Just moments ago, Kim Yong-ha had been laughing and chatting with Hwang Seol-bin like they were best friends. Now, all Hyun-joong got was a cold, emotionless goodbye.
Why is he only like that with him? Are they seriously that close?
Yong-ha, who normally kept his distance from everyone, acted like a completely different person around Hwang Seol-bin. Smiling. Acting cute. Hanging on his every word.
What could he possibly want from a D-Rank Guide?
The fact that he never showed that side to anyone else made it even more infuriating.
When the S-Rank Guide first appeared and they opened applications for a bodyguard, Hyun-joong had jumped at the chance. He thought maybe—just maybe—it’d be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to receive Guiding from an S-Rank. That’s why he’d fought tooth and nail through the brutal selection process.
…And now look. It’s all that damn Seol-bin’s fault.
He’d assumed that as an A-Rank Esper, he could earn Yong-ha’s trust by simply being reliable and kind. That just staying close and being attentive would be enough.
But the reality was harsh.
In front of everyone else, Yong-ha stayed distant, cold, unreadable. But the second Seol-bin was around, he lit up.
All his smiles, his chatter, his attention—they were for Seol-bin and Seol-bin alone.
And the worst part?
Even if Seol-bin had just helped a little—just a nudge in the right direction—it might’ve worked.
But he didn’t.
He wasn’t the same as before. He wasn’t the Seol-bin who used to hang on Hyun-joong’s every word.
Now, he barely even looked at him. Talked back. Sometimes even got physical.
Earlier, seeing Seol-bin talking with Yong-ha had irritated him more than he’d expected. And then, when he started picking through his tray like a picky eater? It just felt… wrong.
Didn’t he used to eat everything?
Hyun-joong scratched the back of his head.
They were childhood friends, after all.
He remembered a lot about Seol-bin. They’d been close, once. Seol-bin used to follow him around like a puppy.
He remembered how the old Seol-bin never had food preferences. He’d even eat things Hyun-joong didn’t like just so nothing would go to waste.
And now suddenly…
He says he hates eggplant and mushrooms?
He stopped walking, frowning in thought.
The more he thought about it, the weirder it seemed.
Seol-bin had loved eggplant and mushrooms.
Every time Hyun-joong visited for a Guiding session, Seol-bin would make elaborate meals, begging him to stay and eat with him.
That wasn’t long ago. No way his taste changed that drastically in just a few months.
His personality changed overnight… so maybe his appetite did too?
It made no sense.
A ridiculous thought crossed his mind—what if that’s not really Hwang Seol-bin?
Then another memory came to him.
…He used to go nuts for peaches.
Seol-bin’s house always had peaches stocked year-round. He couldn’t go a day without them.
Maybe I should buy him some.
If he showed up with peaches, maybe he’d act like his old self again. All smiles. All devotion. Willing to do anything for a kind gesture.
Besides, it had been a while since his last Guiding session.
Bringing peaches could be the perfect excuse—to get Guiding, ask about how he got close to Kim Yong-ha, and maybe even remind him of their old connection.
Better yet, maybe Seol-bin would put in a good word.
He gets closer to Yong-ha.
Seol-bin gets the attention he craves.
Everyone wins.
It’s a hassle… but I’ll do it.
Come crawling back, Hwang Seol-bin.
With a smug grin, Kim Hyun-joong started walking again.
