“It looked like a serious injury. That’s worrying.”
“He has two Guides with high Matching Rates. He’ll be fine.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
Ahn Cheol-woo, the Esper from District 5, seemed to enjoy hand-to-hand combat. He was tearing through monsters with his bare hands. Yet, the only blood on his clothes was his own. Even with monster blood spraying inches from his face, not a single drop touched him. That was because the moment it splattered, he instinctively used his ability to block it.
While lower-ranked Espers—those A-rank and below—ended up drenched in monster blood, the S-ranks always came out spotless. It wasn’t a matter of strength. The reason S-ranks stayed clean was simple: they wanted to look presentable in front of their Guides.
It was pure instinct. Even when they weren’t consciously thinking about it, their bodies reacted. That’s just how Espers were.
Still, Kwon Hae-beom’s wound looked bad—too much for Choi Jiwoon to handle on his own. And knowing Kwon Hae-beom’s pride, would he ever bring himself to ask Lee Tae-rim for help? That was the real concern. If he pushed himself too far and collapsed, Lee Tae-rim would end up Guiding him anyway. It made you wonder—how would he react when he came to? Would Kwon Hae-beom actually be grateful to Lee Tae-rim?
“Zone 6, clear!”
The shout came from Seon Juho. Waaaah! A wave of cheers followed. Even the boss-level monster that had shown up at the end was torn apart like it was nothing. Seon Juho was a real monster himself.
***
“He’s about to go into a rampage!”
“Hae-beom-hyung! Hae-beom-hyung!”
A bad feeling never misses. Lee Tae-rim closed his eyes tightly when he saw the gaping wound torn into Kwon Hae-beom’s side. Choi Jiwoon was shouting his name like someone who’d lost his mind. Hae-beom’s watch was beeping urgently—beep beep beep—blaring a critical alert. His eyes fluttered in and out of focus, his consciousness fading fast.
“Choi Jiwoon, snap out of it!”
The medical team was trying to staunch the bleeding, but it wasn’t stopping. Lee Yeong-jun grabbed Jiwoon and shook him, trying to snap him back to reality, but it didn’t work. Finally, Tae-rim let out a long breath and stepped forward.
As he approached, even in his near-unconscious state, Hae-beom raised a shaky hand—probably telling him to stay away. But Tae-rim already knew Jiwoon wouldn’t be enough. Without hesitation, he grabbed Jiwoon’s head and shoved it down, pressing him closer to Hae-beom’s face.
“Kiss him!”
“H-Hyung… Hyung…”
“Kiss him! Or do you want to watch Kwon Hae-beom die?!”
Tae-rim’s sharp voice rang out, startling everyone around them. Jiwoon snapped back to his senses and pressed his lips to Hae-beom’s, who was now coughing up blood. As for Tae-rim—there was no way in hell he was going to kiss Hae-beom himself like some sappy scene out of a novel. Instead, he ripped open Hae-beom’s shirt, placed his hand directly over his heart, and unleashed his Guiding energy at full force.
Only 60% efficiency—down 10% from what it should be—but it’ll have to do. If it came to it, he’d just make the two of them do Insertion Guiding later. For now, the priority was saving the guy’s life. Muttering under his breath, Tae-rim channeled every ounce of energy he had, throwing it into Hae-beom like a man possessed.
“The wound—it’s healing!”
At those words, Jiwoon doubled down on the kiss. Tae-rim was drenched in sweat within seconds. The barrier from that damned Incomplete Imprint made channeling energy incredibly difficult, but even as sweat poured off him, Tae-rim didn’t let up. Eyes shut tight, he focused everything on the Guiding.
Everyone watching couldn’t help but realize— The one saving Kwon Hae-beom right now was Lee Tae-rim.
His vitals stabilized, the bleeding slowed, and the wound began to close—all thanks to Tae-rim, who eventually collapsed from exhaustion. Hae-beom’s injury wasn’t fully healed, but most of the damage had been reversed. Given the size of the wound, it was no wonder Tae-rim had passed out. The medical staff rushed in, hooking him up to fluids and laying him on a bed next to Hae-beom.
When Hae-beom finally opened his eyes, the medical team checked his vitals and confirmed the wound had been cleanly sealed. The remaining scars could be healed with Insertion Guiding from Jiwoon if needed.
Lee Yeong-jun looked down at Jiwoon, who was still clinging to Hae-beom, crying like a lost child. Normally, Jiwoon was a sweet, lovable younger teammate—but when it actually mattered, when real action was needed, this was the result. Pathetic. And not just now.
His Exclusive Bonded Esper came back with a life-threatening wound, and Jiwoon had panicked. Even in that critical moment, Hae-beom still had the presence of mind to push Tae-rim away.
And how much Guiding could Jiwoon really have done in that state? Matching Rate be damned—without focus, it was useless.
Yeong-jun stared down at Hae-beom, who was starting to sit up, and said coldly:
“Thank Tae-rim.”
Hae-beom looked away, his expression clearly displeased. Yeong-jun’s voice dropped, turning frigid.
“It was Guide Lee Tae-rim who saved Esper Kwon Hae-beom. If you were even half-aware, you would’ve felt it.”
“……”
“If Tae-rim hadn’t been here, Jiwoon would’ve been too panicked to do anything, and you might’ve died. Tae-rim didn’t do this because he likes you. You heard him. ‘Let’s save the person first.’ If he’d had even a shred of ill intent, you’d be dead. So if you have any decency, say thank you.”
Hae-beom glanced at Tae-rim lying unconscious in the bed next to him, a conflicted look on his face. Jiwoon, overwhelmed by Yeong-jun’s rare and chilling anger, could barely form words as he hiccuped through tears.
Yeong-jun turned that cold glare on Jiwoon. He couldn’t even lift his head.
“I’ll be submitting a re-education request for Guide Choi Jiwoon. You’ll be retrained from field basics.”
“Guide Yeong-jun…”
“Guides fall under my authority. Esper Kwon Hae-beom, you’re an Esper. When Tae-rim wakes up, you make sure to thank him properly.”
Not even waiting for a response, Yeong-jun turned on his heel and walked out. The infirmary was steeped in a heavy, icy silence. Jiwoon was stunned, and even Hae-beom had never seen Yeong-jun that furious before.
But the truth didn’t need to be said out loud—Hae-beom knew.
It was Tae-rim who had saved his life.
The overwhelming energy that had surged into his heart… It had nothing in common with Jiwoon’s. Tae-rim’s power had been immense. Pure light. A salvation he’d never known. The one person who could truly pull him back from the edge of death. That all-consuming, euphoric rush.
“Hyung… Are you okay?”
Jiwoon looked up at him with a terrified, tear-streaked face. Hae-beom pulled him close.
“I’m okay, Jiwoon. I’m fine.”
Now he finally understood why Jung Jae-heon clung so desperately to S-rank Guides. Jiwoon had never given him energy like that. What Tae-rim gave—it was light. It was deliverance.
The only one who could save him from death.
That fierce, electrifying pleasure.
“I’m okay…”
Hae-beom whispered it again, more to himself than anyone else. Still, his heart belonged to Jiwoon. Even if love couldn’t save a life, Hae-beom had no doubt—he would love Jiwoon to the very end.
***
The first thing Lee Tae-rim felt when he opened his eyes was discomfort—sticky, suffocating discomfort. Thanks to the air conditioner, the top half of his body had mostly dried, but the part pressed against the bed was still drenched in sweat. And the smell—sweat mixed with stale fabric—was unbearable. More than anything, he wanted a shower.
“Hyung!”
Before he could even process the gross feeling, someone suddenly threw themselves on top of him. Tae-rim quickly pushed Seon Juho away.
“Yah, yah, yah. I stink right now.”
“That’s what you’re worried about?!”
“Yup.”
Juho’s face twisted in exasperation. Then, without warning, he threw his arms around Tae-rim again, holding him tight so he couldn’t wriggle free.
“Do you know how freaked out I was when I heard you passed out?! Why the hell did you push yourself so hard?!”
“Well, someone had to be saved first, right?”
“What’s he ever done to deserve that kind of effort—ow, ow!”
“Watch it, punk. That guy? You mean sunbae. Show some respect.”
Tae-rim pinched Juho’s cheek, yanking it hard. Juho made a dramatic fuss, whining like a kid, “Hyung pinched me~!”
“Anyway, life’s precious. If you can save someone, you save them. Simple as that.”
“Hmph.”
There was a faint square imprint on Juho’s arm—probably from an IV. Honestly, Tae-rim hadn’t expected to pass out. Worst case, he could’ve just made the two of them do Insertion Guiding. Maybe he’d overdone it. He hadn’t thought he’d used enough energy to hit total exhaustion.
Maybe the low Matching Rate had messed with the efficiency. Tae-rim stretched his aching limbs and let out a groan.
“So… what’s the situation? Is it over?”
“Nope.”
“What?”
“There are still two Gates left.”
“Then why are you even here?”
Juho silently raised his wristwatch. His stats were sitting at 67%.
“Hey! Are you serious? Are you okay?!”
“I’m fine. Just holding on. And—ah! Hyung, don’t you dare start Guiding me!”
“What do you mean, don’t?! You’re sitting at 67%, and you want me to not Guide you?!”
Smack! Tae-rim gave him a solid slap on the back. It made a satisfyingly sharp sound. Juho cried out dramatically again, even though it clearly didn’t hurt.
“Jung Jae-heon sunbaesaid I could rest. And let’s be real—you’re in no condition to be Guiding anyone right now.”
“Fair. We’ve still got seven people besides you and Esper Kwon Hae-beom, so it should be manageable.”
“Yeah, except… that guy—uh, I mean sunbae—he’s already back out there hunting like nothing even happened.”
