Even though Seon Juho would have no choice but to head out once the gate opened, a guardian’s instinct was to delay sending their child into danger, even if just for a minute. Tae-rim’s heart grew increasingly uneasy after hearing that two Espers had arrived in the afternoon. He prayed it wasn’t true.
Even if you did arrive, just stay put in the dorm. Come out tomorrow, he pleaded silently.
As if to crush that hope, Choi Jiwoon stepped into the Guiding Room.
Jiwoon greeted him with an awkward smile.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
“Hae-beom-hyung said… since we’re heading out tomorrow, I need to loosen up, so he insisted I come today….”
Didn’t ask, but now I’m curious anyway. Tae-rim forced a smile, trying to stay calm.
“Right… Would you like something to drink?”
“Oh—yes, thank you. I’d appreciate that.”
Jiwoon always drank lattes. Tae-rim remembered because Kwon Hae-beom used to tease him for only drinking sweet stuff, saying it matched his personality. Tae-rim placed a latte in front of Jiwoon.
“Thank you. Oh, wait—did you know I liked lattes?”
“Nope. Just brought whatever felt right. I guess you do like it, huh?”
“Yeah… I’ve got a sweet tooth.”
Jiwoon smiled shyly and lowered his head. He looked so bright and fresh—like a textbook protagonist.
“Hae-beom-hyung too, ah…”
Cutting off mid-thought was usually suspicious, but in his case, it wasn’t. Jiwoon gave another awkward laugh, as if he’d slipped into habit.
If it were the old Lee Tae-rim before he lost his memories, he would’ve blown up at hearing “Hae-beom-hyung” again. But he wasn’t that person now. Instead, he mused lightly about the classic “manipulative bastard” cliché. Thanks to Yoon Ye-rin backing up the evidence, that cliché was starting to hit harder.
A heavy silence settled over the Guiding Room. The old Lee Tae-rim might’ve picked a fight just for the hell of it, but he wasn’t that guy anymore. He had no intention of provoking someone he strongly suspected was a manipulative bastard. If he said something wrong and Kwon Hae-beom came in to see Jiwoon crying again, he’d be the one left looking like the villain.
But what if I say nothing and he cries anyway?
Tae-rim kept a calm exterior, but inside, he was a mess.
Trying to pass the time, he quietly pulled out his phone and started browsing the web. It felt too rude to play a game while someone was right next to him, so he tried to be considerate. Still, maybe because they were just sitting there in awkward silence, time dragged on unbearably slow.
But Jiwoon? He sat through that unbearable silence without moving, just staring blankly at the door.
Well, of course. You’re the lead in some romance drama. Waiting all day for your beloved must feel poetic to you.
Tae-rim went back to scrolling, trying to ignore him.
After what felt like forever, a soft sniffle broke the silence. Tae-rim turned his head and saw tears falling—one by one—from Jiwoon’s eyes.
Startled, Tae-rim quickly grabbed some tissues and handed them to him.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“N-no, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
Then why are you crying?!
Tae-rim was completely thrown off. And watching Jiwoon repeat “it’s nothing” only made him more anxious. Because if things were following this kind of setup, there was only one person who could appear next.
And sure enough—right on cue—Kwon Hae-beom opened the door and walked in.
Tae-rim felt like his soul left his body.
No way. Why the hell are YOU coming in from there?!
The moment Hae-beom saw Jiwoon with his head down, he rushed over like lightning and pulled him into a tight hug.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“No, it’s nothing, hyung.”
Jiwoon dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve, then cast a quick glance at Tae-rim.
And that glance said it all.
Oh, shit. He really IS a manipulative bastard.
“You—what the hell did you do to him?!”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You think I’m gonna believe that?!”
“It’s the truth. So yes, you should.”
Tae-rim was being completely honest, but of course Hae-beom didn’t believe him. His eyes gleamed with a murderous glare. Tae-rim felt a cold sweat drip down his neck from the sheer pressure Hae-beom exuded.
He was terrifying.
But just then, like something out of a movie, Tae-rim’s own saviors arrived.
“Hyung!”
“Goddamn it, this kid. Can’t you behave even once?”
Seon Juho and Jung Jae-heon walked in.
The moment Seon Juho saw Hae-beom clinging to Jiwoon and glaring like he was ready to tear Tae-rim apart, he ran between them without hesitation.
Tae-rim, who had been tense the entire time, finally exhaled. A shaky sigh of relief.
“What the hell is going on here?”
“Whoa, whoa—no fighting, got it?”
“Lee Tae-rim. Choi Jiwoon. What happened? Talk.”
Seon Juho shot Hae-beom a warning glare and gently pulled Tae-rim into his arms.
Seeing that Tae-rim’s face had gone ghostly pale, he raised his voice.
“Hyung! Why do you look so pale?! Don’t tell me that bastard threatened you again?!”
“What the hell, Hae-beom—did you really do it again? I told you, threatening a Guide is illegal! You want to get disciplined?”
“Jiwoon was crying.”
“So what? That’s enough reason for you to threaten a civilian?”
“It’s not just some trivial thing! Do you know how many times—!”
“It’s okay, hyung. I’m really fine.”
Jiwoon sniffled and tried to calm Hae-beom down. From the outside, it looked obvious: Lee Tae-rim was the villain here.
Tae-rim let out a deep sigh.
He couldn’t just stay silent and let himself be scapegoated.
“I’d like to ask you something too, Choi Jiwoon. Why did you suddenly start crying? You don’t look like you’re hurt.”
“Huh? I, uh…”
“After I gave you that latte, we didn’t exchange a single word. I was just web surfing the whole time.”
“I… I just…”
Jiwoon stammered. Seon Juho gave Hae-beom a See what I mean? glare, which Hae-beom promptly returned. In the middle of their silent standoff, Jung Jae-heon stared at Jiwoon with a sharp, frosty gaze.
“So you cried over something personal? Had nothing to do with Tae-rim?”
“No, it’s not that…! He didn’t say anything to me, so I started wondering if he hated me… Last time, I asked if we could get along…”
Hah…
Jung Jae-heon let out a dry laugh. Even he looked dumbfounded.
“Choi Jiwoon. If Hae-beom and Juho start fighting because of this, you realize it’ll all be on you, right? This is a live site—an active field operation. Your personal feelings don’t belong here.”
“Sunbae—”
“Quiet, Hae-beom. I’m not finished.”
“Jiwoon, listen. Tae-rim lost his memories. He doesn’t know anything right now. So how could he hate you? He’s barely keeping up with taking care of Juho. On top of that, he’s squeezing in external expedition training. The guy doesn’t even know what kind of rumors are going around about him. And he doesn’t have any friends who’d tell him, either. I haven’t really said anything about the past myself.”
Well, I have friends now… but saying that now would just complicate things. Tae-rim kept that thought to himself.
The atmosphere turned cold around Jiwoon. He kept sniffling, wiping away tears with his sleeve. His eyes and the tip of his nose were bright red—he looked pitiful.
But Tae-rim wasn’t falling for it anymore. That was classic manipulative bastard behavior.
“Or what, are you doing this on purpose? You want to see Hae-beom and Juho fight?”
“No! I would never do that!”
“Then don’t pull this shit again in the field. Next time, no mercy. Today ends here. Everyone get back to guiding.”
With that, Kwon Hae-beom led Jiwoon behind the divider. Jung Jae-heon scratched his head roughly and let out a long, exhausted sigh.
“Being the oldest is such a damn hassle.”
“I’m sorry, Esper Jung.”
“What are you apologizing for? If we’re being honest, Jiwoon was clearly in the wrong today. Anyway, go guide Juho first. He was excited earlier, said he hit a perfect 50% danger level.”
“Hyung, are you okay? Should I stay here with you?”
“No need. Let’s just call it a day. Two of us is enough to cover the site. And I can get my guiding done later.”
Tae-rim glanced over at Jung Jae-heon, who had slumped into a chair, sighing like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
Just then, a screen slid quietly into his field of vision—the display on his watch.
Exactly 50%. Not a decimal off.
Tae-rim let out a small laugh.
“It’s kind of freaky, right? Even I don’t know how it keeps landing exactly on the dot.”
Jae-heon chuckled too, as if he found it ridiculous himself.
Tae-rim stood up and opened his arms.
“Come on. Fifty percent deserves a hug.”
“Yay~!”
Seon Juho practically bounced into the hug, grinning ear to ear.
As Juho wrapped him up in a warm, tight embrace, Tae-rim felt every knot of tension in his body slowly unravel.
When Kwon Hae-beom had been glaring him down earlier, it had been genuinely terrifying.
If he’d been alone, he probably wouldn’t have been able to say a single word. He almost cried—but managed to hold it in.
Seon Juho’s gentle warmth was just so comforting. And because of that, he could finally breathe easy again.
Cant wait for that sus guide to be exposed. Oscar awardee