“What? That guy had a hole torn in his side and still went back there?”
“Yeah. I guess his Guiding got fully recharged or something. Hyung, seriously, why’d you go so far to help him? Didn’t he already have a dedicated Guide?”
Because that so-called dedicated Guide was out of his damn mind. In the novel, it said the rampage was stopped with Insertion Guiding, but honestly, in that state, how the hell did he even manage it? Was he forced into it? Considering it was an S-rank Esper on the line, maybe they didn’t have a choice.
In the book, it came off as this dramatic moment—him doing everything he could to save Kwon Hae-beom in a life-or-death situation. Yeah, right. Classic novel crap.
“Anyway, come here. Let me drop your levels even just 1%.”
“Hyung!”
“Tsk tsk. Are you not gonna listen to your hyung?”
“……”
Pouting, Seon Juho finally shuffled over and wrapped his arms around him. Lee Tae-rim, feeling his energy half-restored, started Guiding gently—just enough not to strain Seon Juho.
“You said 1%!”
“And I left exactly 1%.”
“Ugh, seriously!”
“Tsk.”
Lee Tae-rim stopped right at the 1% mark. Seon Juho looked plenty dissatisfied but quickly melted back into him, whining, “Hyuuung~.”
“Even your sweat smells good.”
“What? Ugh! Come to think of it—!”
Tae-rim tried to shove him off, but Seon Juho held tight.
“Too late! You were hugging me the whole time anyway!”
“I told you I stink!”
“I told you it smells good!”
Bickering like that, they eventually got kicked out of the infirmary. The two of them stood there, awkward now that the adrenaline had worn off.
“Jung Jae-heon sunbae said you should go rest at the Dorm too, hyung.”
“Ugh… My head’s killing me. I really don’t want to sit in a car right now.”
“Then wanna fly with me?”
“Huh?”
The site was still a disaster, and sneaking off like this made them feel a bit guilty. Tae-rim hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod. At that, Seon Juho lit up and stretched his arms out. Tae-rim stared blankly.
“Aren’t you gonna give me a piggyback?”
“Ugh, what kind of unromantic thing is that to say?”
“Heh heh heh.”
Romantic, huh? Tae-rim gave him a look, exasperated. Without warning, Seon Juho came closer and scooped him up into a princess carry, launching into the sky before Tae-rim could even say a word.
“Whoa…”
Tae-rim was briefly moved by the view from above. Earlier, everything had been such a blur he didn’t see a thing, but now that he could actually look, it was beautiful. So this is the view Espers get every day.
Unlike before, Seon Juho flew at a slow, relaxed pace. A cool breeze wrapped around them, and Tae-rim could kind of understand why Juho had been going on about romance.
“It feels even better with you, hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Usually, when you see something too often, you get numb to it. But when I’m with you, everything feels new again. I really love it.”
Tae-rim found that so endearing, he reached up and patted Juho’s head. Before long, they reached the Dorm, which wasn’t far from the site.
Wait—why did Choi Jiwoon take so damn long to bring that gun earlier? He said the car was ready. Did he seriously forget where he put it? Was he just wandering around looking for it?
Tae-rim sighed but decided it wasn’t his problem. That explained why Jiwoon had looked so guilty walking in.
As soon as he got in, Tae-rim hit the shower. His uniform was soaked in Kwon Hae-beom’s blood—he wasn’t sure it could be salvaged, but he sent it to the laundry just in case. If it didn’t come out, he’d toss it. He also gave his watch a thorough scrub until it gleamed.
When he stepped back out dressed, Seon Juho had finished showering too, wearing just a pair of shorts. Tae-rim’s gaze naturally drifted over Juho’s body, now lined with solid muscle. He had muscles too, but with Juho’s height and build, the guy looked objectively better.
And he’d only started working out recently. Tae-rim had been training since he was nineteen, and somehow the kid still outpaced him. Completely unfair.
“What’s that look, hyung? Why’re you checking me out like some perv?”
Grinning slyly, Seon Juho covered his chest with both hands while drying his hair. Tae-rim scoffed.
“You’re the perv. Go look in the mirror.”
“Tch.”
Juho tossed his towel onto the sofa and dashed over, latching onto Tae-rim’s back. Then, like it was second nature, he buried his face into the back of Tae-rim’s neck and inhaled.
“God, I love this scent. Yours, hyung.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“The more I smell it… how do I explain? It’s like, clean? Sweet?”
Tae-rim froze but played it off.
“That’s probably just the body wash.”
“Nope. It’s a scent only you have, hyung. I swear.”
“……”
No. No way. That’s not what this is. That cliché needs to go die. Tae-rim laughed it off in his head, mentally hurling that trope into oblivion.
“I’m scared someone else might pick up on it. It smells so good, I feel like people would want you for it. So don’t hug anyone else. Please?”
“I still have to work, you know.”
“Nooo. If someone else smells this, I swear I’ll lose it. It makes me wanna devour you, hyung. I mean it.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I’m serious!”
“I heard you.”
Tae-rim tried to brush it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but Seon Juho’s tone suddenly turned sulky—and then something hot burned against the back of his neck.
“Hey!”
Chills ran down his spine. Juho had bitten him right on his pheromone gland. And whether Tae-rim yelled or not, he just gave it a lazy lick, then sealed it with a kiss. Tae-rim flipped out.
“Juho, you’re in so much trouble!”
“What am I, a dog? Why am I always getting scolded? Always!”
“Because you keep doing shit like this!”
“I’m telling you, it tastes good! It really did. Hyung… Can I lick it again?”
That was the last straw. Tae-rim reached behind him, grabbed a fistful of Juho’s hair, and yanked hard.
“Ow ow ow! I’m gonna go bald!”
“Good! That’s the idea, you little brat! How dare you pull that on your hyung!”
“Hyuung~!”
“Did you do something wrong or not?”
“I did! I did, okay?!”
“Try that again and I’m never hugging you again!”
“Hyuuuung!”
“And we’re sleeping in separate beds!”
“Nooooo! I’m sorry! I’m really sorry, hyung!”
Faced with the horror of separate sleeping arrangements, Seon Juho immediately dropped to his knees and begged with both hands.
“You little punk—already getting all handsy at your age! What was that? ‘Can I lick you again?’ No way, you little perv!”
“I get it! I get it, just please don’t split up the beds… hiiing…“
“As long as you know you messed up.”
“Okay!”
At Tae-rim’s forgiveness, Seon Juho immediately perked up again, wrapped himself around Tae-rim’s back, and pressed his nose into the nape of his neck. He took a deep breath in.
This time, though, he didn’t say anything.
Tae-rim silently chanted in his head: No way. No way. It’s not that. It can’t be. He clenched his jaw.
Damn cliché. I’m not doing this. Not accepting it. Never.
***
8 a.m.
The heavy hitters had already been dealt with in the early hours of the morning. Now, it was time to clean up the leftovers. Granted, those “leftovers” were still B-rank monsters, but with many A-rank Espers and below injured, they’d called in Seon Juho—who, fortunately, had gotten a full night’s rest.
All the Gates were already closed. As for why seven of them had suddenly opened at the same time… well, that was a mystery for the research team to solve. Even in the novel, the cause had never been explained, so Lee Tae-rim didn’t know either. Carrying a sleepy giant of a baby draped over his back, he made his way down to the first floor.
“Why’s it so earlyyyy…”
“It was supposed to be seven. You’re the one who couldn’t get up—that’s why we’re running late.”
“Hiiing…”
But the moment they reached the lobby, Tae-rim ran into someone he really didn’t want to see right now. Ugh. This is going to be awkward. Unfortunately, before he could even try to slip past, Kwon Hae-beom spotted him and began walking straight toward them with purpose.
In the middle of the bustling lobby, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. Everyone instinctively cleared a path. Kwon Hae-beom walked with the confidence of a model striding down a runway, eyes locked on Tae-rim. Tae-rim gave him an awkward smile as he approached.
“Good morning…”
Kwon Hae-beom stopped in front of him and stared silently, looking down at him. The one still hanging onto Tae-rim’s back immediately went into combat mode. Tae-rim stomped on his foot to shut him up.
“Thank you for what you did yesterday.”
Tae-rim blinked, genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected that. Kwon Hae-beom delivered the words with absolute clarity—no hesitation—and then bowed at a full ninety degrees.
Honestly, it was kind of a lot.
He could’ve just pulled him aside somewhere quiet to say thank you. Why do it here, now, in the middle of a crowded lobby during peak hours?
Tae-rim gave a stiff, awkward smile and replied,
“Saving lives comes first. I just did what needed to be done.”
Clearly sensing Tae-rim’s discomfort, Kwon Hae-beom straightened immediately, his posture razor-sharp.
Then Tae-rim noticed someone peeking out from behind him—Choi Jiwoon.
He still didn’t know what Kwon Hae-beom’s real reason was for thanking him in front of so many people, but right now, this was a perfect opportunity for him too.
Tae-rim peeled Seon Juho off his back—who was clinging on like a koala—and stepped forward.
