The next day, the news was dominated by coverage of the bank robbery.
What really caught people’s attention was the CCTV footage of me taking down the robbers. It aired everywhere and quickly became a hot topic. Fortunately, the video quality was so poor that no one could identify me, but the public was in a frenzy, desperate to track down their so-called hero.
It’s not like they’re handing out rewards—what’s the point of finding me?
I skimmed through other articles on my phone, but nothing stood out besides the one about me.
…Anyway, when exactly am I going to get back home?
Was it like the original story—where I had to die to return? Or would I be sent back once the story wrapped up? I wasn’t sure. But for now, as long as I played my part, I figured something would work out.
But what if the story ended… and I still couldn’t go back?
Well… I’d deal with that when the time came.
Besides, the large-scale dungeon—the true start of the story—hadn’t even opened yet.
Lost in thought, I was staring out the window when a knock came at the door.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
“I’m here!”
“Yes, hello.”
The door opened, and in walked a familiar Esper.
Espers used to completely ignore me when I asked them to knock, but lately, they’d been oddly well-behaved. All I’d done was nudge my Guiding sessions up from barely-there to just-enough-to-feel-it, and suddenly they were all ears. When they got fussy or tried to test me again, I’d dial it right back down. That always snapped them back into line.
This level of petty revenge felt harmless enough—just a little outlet.
I took the hand the Esper offered and started the session.
Just a light dose—barely above the threshold. That was more than enough.
I was a D-rank Guide, after all.
…At least, that’s what the records said. My abilities didn’t feel D-rank at all anymore. Something had definitely changed when my soul entered this body. If anyone got suspicious and called for a reassessment, I’d be in serious trouble.
This current state—just under the radar, just like in the original—was perfect for me.
“All done.”
“Can’t you do a bit more?”
“Nope. That’s enough. You can go now.”
The Esper pouted but didn’t argue. He knew I wasn’t going to budge and quietly left. Honestly, he was one of the easier ones to deal with.
I turned to the stack of papers on my desk. For first-time Guiding clients, I received a simple profile sheet with basic info.
Kang Biso. Age: 20. One year younger than Hwang Seol-bin. D-rank Esper with telekinesis… and a high compatibility rate with me?
A low-rank Esper with a high match rate—this session should go by quickly.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
“Uh, is it okay if I come in?”
A cheerful voice rang out—familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.
Wait… I’ve definitely heard that voice before.
I looked up and met the gaze of the man stepping into the room.
Damn, he’s good-looking.
That was the first thing that popped into my head. Not just handsome—he was model-tier beautiful.
He stood well over 180 cm, tall and lean, with jet-black wavy hair that brushed against the sun-kissed line of his neck. His eyes—large, dark, and framed with double eyelids—shimmered with a strange brilliance. And when he smiled, dimples appeared like little indents carved just for charm.
He gave off the vibe of a mischievous model straight out of a fashion magazine.
But even though I’d never seen him before, he didn’t feel unfamiliar. Something about him nagged at the back of my mind.
“Yes, come in. Have a seat.”
“Thanks~.”
Kang Biso flashed a bright, dimpled smile and casually plopped down beside me on the bed.
That smile is dangerously cute.
A fleeting urge to poke that dimple made my finger twitch, but I held myself back.
“Give me your hand.”
“Um… Hyung, I haven’t done many Guiding sessions before. I’m kinda nervous. Would it be okay if I sat a little closer?”
He called me hyung without hesitation, his voice trembling slightly, eyes flickering with nervous sincerity as he asked.
He’s not planning anything weird, right?
Espers relied heavily on Guides. They almost never harmed them. Even Kim Hyun-joong, who treated Hwang Seol-bin like an annoying fly, never raised a hand or used his abilities against him.
And Kang Biso—though it was my first time meeting him—felt strangely familiar. Like a younger brother. I didn’t feel any need to put my guard up. Besides, it’s not like he asked to hug me. He just wanted to sit a little closer.
I gave him a small nod, and his face lit up. He scooted right up next to me without hesitation.
…Isn’t this a little too close?
Kang Biso scooted in until our hips were pressed together, then casually wrapped his arm around mine and nuzzled his forehead against my shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I blinked, caught off guard by his large-puppy-like behavior.
Is he always this clingy?
Still, his affectionate gesture didn’t exactly feel bad.
“Alright, go ahead.”
With his forehead still resting on my shoulder, Kang Biso closed his eyes. At some point, he’d laced his fingers tightly with mine. I briefly considered telling him to ease up, but figured he was just nervous and let it go. I began the Guiding.
“…Haa.”
A low, drawn-out breath. With his body pressed against mine and his head nestled on my shoulder, every breath he took felt louder, heavier—more intimate.
“Hngh… haa… it feels so good. More. Please… more…”
“……”
“Haa…”
This was a first. I’d never had an Esper react like this before.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
I clenched my teeth and tried to focus. If I didn’t, I really might shove him off me.
But the longer the session went on, the more obvious it became—this guy wasn’t some ordinary D-rank Esper.
No way. This can’t be a D-rank. That’s complete bullshit.
Kang Biso was drawing in my energy with a ravenous hunger. The amount he was absorbing couldn’t possibly match a D-rank’s capacity. The sheer force of it nearly knocked the wind out of me.
This power surging inside him… I’d felt it only once before.
This bastard. He actually came back here?
The sensation was identical to what I’d felt when I foolishly Guided that Villain who’d stormed into the center. A feeling I could never forget, no matter how hard I tried.
Even though I was stunned by his sudden reappearance, I kept a straight face.
I didn’t know what game he was playing or why he was here again, but I wasn’t about to let on that I remembered him. A part of me didn’t even want to stop this.
“Haa… ngh, hngh… haa…”
Shit… I’m losing it too.
I barely managed to swallow the sigh that caught in my throat.
Guiding was known to get more intense the better the match. I’d read that plenty of times in the novel.
But until now, I’d always managed to keep my emotions in check during sessions. Even with Kim Hyun-joong—the guy Hwang Seol-bin had a crush on—I’d felt nothing.
But with Kang Biso… I couldn’t stay composed.
And the worst part?
Those moans.
“Haa… hngh. More… haa… It feels so good, hyung. Please… more… ahh…”
If anyone overheard this, they’d 100% get the wrong idea.
“W-Wait… haa…”
Kang Biso twisted his body like he couldn’t take it anymore and began rubbing his face into my neck. My hands—still locked in his—were gripped tightly, fingers entwined.
This is bad.
Every alarm bell in my head was blaring. I had to stop the Guiding, now.
But the real problem was… I didn’t want to.
The feeling was addictive. Electrifying. I didn’t want to stop watching him squirm and gasp like that. I didn’t want to let go of this rush.
Then, he looked up—and our eyes met.
Gone was the playful sparkle he’d had when he first walked in. His gaze now was intense, dangerous—like he could devour me whole.
If I don’t stop this now, I’m going to lose control.
Knowing I’d crossed a line, I gritted my teeth and acted.
I untangled our hands with practiced ease, pushed him down onto the bed, and straddled him—pinning him there.
The Guiding had already been severed.
“Haa… Why…?”
His face was flushed, breaths shallow and ragged as he stared up at me, dazed and unfocused. His eyes were still hazy, filled with lingering desire.
“I’ve finished the Guiding.”
I let out a slow breath and got off him.
Stay calm. Breathe.’l
I steadied my breathing and walked over to the chair instead of returning to the bed.
“…That’s a shame.”
Kang Biso slowly sat up, his gaze still clouded with longing. He smoothed out his wrinkled clothes and flashed me a crooked smile.
I wanted to smile back, but I couldn’t.
Kang Biso. That Villain… was dangerous.
“Guiding… really is amazing. I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
“……”
“I’ll come by again next week, hyung. Today was incredible.”
I didn’t know how to respond, so I just gave a small nod and motioned for him to leave.
Once the door closed behind him, I let out a long sigh and looked down—then immediately covered my face with both hands.
“…Yeah, I need to hit the bathroom.”
Today had me seriously questioning my identity as a man.
***
“Hyuuung~.”
He said he’d come next week, but I didn’t think he meant literally every week.
Scratch that—he was showing up even more often than that.
Apparently, this Villain had way too much free time, because he kept dropping by the Guide Center like it was his second home.
Sure, his energy always felt unstable, so I could sort of understand the excuse… but still. Could a Villain really just waltz into enemy territory like this? Especially after causing such a scene the first time?
“Here, try this. I bought it just for you.”
“…Thanks.”
Kang Biso handed me a box of fancy chocolates.
At first, I tried to refuse. But when he looked genuinely hurt, eyes shimmering with disappointment, I gave in and tried a piece—only to discover it was ridiculously good. Who knew I had such a sweet tooth?
Back when I was Hwang Dae-heon, I lived on protein shakes and clean, functional meals. Stuff like this—pure sugar and indulgence—was a rarity.
At first, Kang Biso brought a variety of treats like he was trying to figure out what I liked. Lately, he’d zeroed in on sweets and brought me something new every time.
And because everything he brought was genuinely delicious, I had no reason to turn him down. I popped another piece of chocolate into my mouth.
“This is good. You should have some too.”
“Yeah? I really put some thought into picking it out. Okay, then… say ah~.”
He grinned playfully and opened his mouth, waiting.
…Is he serious right now?
I hesitated. But considering the effort he went through to get it, I figured a little gesture like this wouldn’t kill me.
I placed a piece of chocolate in his mouth, and he dramatically widened his eyes, then broke into a dopey grin like a puppy that just got belly rubs.
Seriously—what was he so happy about?
Still… it wasn’t like I could stay mad when he looked that delighted.
Maybe it was because, even if he was a Villain, he was always kind to me. And lately, our Guiding sessions had been smoother too—still intense, sure, but nothing like that first overwhelming encounter. He seemed to be holding back, and I appreciated that.
“Alright then, shall we get started?”
“Yep! I’m in your care again today!”
Still seated, I reached out and offered him my hand.
After that first time on the bed—when Kang Biso completely lost control—I’d made a point to conduct all our sessions from the chair. He always looked a little disappointed, but he never argued and just took my hand like he was told.
And that’s when the interruption happened.
“Seol-bin! Can you make me some cof—oh? Wait, are you in the middle of a session?”
Yoon Yi-hyeon flung the door open and waltzed right in.
I’d told him countless times to knock, but he always brushed it off with, “Come on, we’re close. What’s a knock between us?”
He was the same guy who, when a Villain broke in, shoved me toward the threat and called me the A-rank—then later pretended like he never said it. Afterward, he even had the nerve to argue that, as an A-rank, he was valuable, so naturally the D-rank—me—should be the one doing the protecting.
I let it go because I had to act like Hwang Seol-bin, but every time I saw his face, it got on my nerves.
Today, though, Yoon Yi-hyeon was unusually quiet.
He just stood there, staring blankly at Kang Biso, who sat across from me.
…This can’t be good.
