What exactly was this desire—so strikingly similar to lust?
It clearly had something to do with that scent. But whenever Lee Tae-rim was asked about it, he’d snap before you even finished the question. And now, there was no asking anymore. He really hated sleeping in separate rooms.
“Why the hell does he look so intense today? I’d honestly believe it if someone said he was a demon king.”
“Well, he’s been Guiding other people nonstop these past couple of days.”
“Still, that doesn’t explain the pitch-black aura he’s putting out.”
“He gets really jealous…”
“Kid’s downright scary.”
“There’s a reason people are whispering about him being S+.”
“He just turned twenty, and yet—don’t you sometimes feel like he’s something other than human when he releases that aura? Still human, technically, but just… beyond. It’s insane how he went from being this skinny, forgettable kid to someone so powerful in such a short time.”
“Yeah, I totally get that vibe.”
“Right? But then in front of Tae-rim, he turns into this soft little puppy… Tae-rim needs to know what’s going on.”
“Hey, that’s not exactly respectful.”
“Still, this is getting out of hand. At this rate, Tae-rim’s gonna get eaten alive.”
“…….”
“You’re into Tae-rim too, aren’t y—”
“Tsk!”
“…God, you’re so fake when it comes to him.”
At Kim Hye-min’s remark, Jung Jae-heon stared off at the distant mountains. Even from that far away, Seon Juho had apparently heard everything—he was glaring straight at him. His stare was so overt that Kim Hye-min awkwardly cleared her throat and flew off in another direction.
Jung Jae-heon kept hunting, pretending not to notice Seon Juho’s eyes burning into him. When the stare finally lifted, he let out a long, exhausted sigh.
That kid was getting scarier by the day. Ever since the S-rank Gate incident yesterday, it felt like he’d undergone a sudden, massive growth spurt. The oppressive air he was giving off—I’m pissed, stay away—was heavier than usual. Honestly, just like Kim Hye-min said, it wouldn’t be surprising if he actually did turn into a demon king.
And yet, even that demon king would probably melt into nothing the second he stood in front of Lee Tae-rim.
Jung Jae-heon sliced down another monster, quietly thinking about how unfair the world was. Where the hell was his match? Just thinking about it made him feel pitiful.
***
After a few quiet days back at the Center, the chaos from the S-rank Gate incident already felt like a distant memory. That’s how peaceful it had become inside the facility. While the outside world was still in an uproar, as long as you avoided the news on the internet or TV, life in the Center felt perfectly serene.
For reasons unknown, Kwon Hae-beom withdrew all his formal complaints against Lee Tae-rim. As a result, Yoon Ye-rin’s carefully laid plans fell apart completely. She fumed in frustration, angry that she’d lost the perfect opportunity to expose Choi Jiwoon’s true nature.
But Tae-rim—who had seen Choi Jiwoon’s real side—just felt sorry for him now. The guy could barely speak without crying, and whenever Tae-rim pushed back, he flailed helplessly. With no more reason to clash, Tae-rim decided he wasn’t going to bother with him anymore.
The real problem was Seon Juho. His Incomplete Imprint still showed no signs of fading.
It was such a rare phenomenon that the only information available was a warning: telling the Esper about it would just make them more obsessed. That was it. So Tae-rim had been keeping it a secret as best he could—but there was only so much he could hide.
Espers placed enormous importance on Matching Rate, and Seon Juho had never asked to test his with anyone else. If he didn’t find that strange, that would be strange in itself.
Because of the Imprint, Seon Juho wouldn’t match with any other Guide. The result would be a flat 0%. Something had to be done before anyone caught on—but there was no solution. Tae-rim was completely trapped.
To make things worse, Seon Juho didn’t seem even remotely interested in changing his clingy, duckling-like behavior. He may not have known the details, but either way, Tae-rim was clearly prioritizing him. So from Seon Juho’s perspective, everything was going just fine.
Maybe that’s why the Imprint wasn’t fading—Dr. Han had floated the idea—but there was no way to know. It wasn’t something Seon Juho could ever be told.
When everyone else was asleep, that was Seon Juho’s favorite time. Actually, he loved any time when others were asleep—because then, Tae-rim was his alone. Every night, he’d wrap his arms around him from behind, bury his nose in Tae-rim’s neck, and breathe in his scent like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Tae-rim had given up trying to stop him. The scent? Whatever. As long as it didn’t trigger Heat, it was fine.
He’d never had the nerve to ask anyone else if he smelled sweet. Too embarrassing. Honestly, if Seon Juho was the only one who could smell it, that might actually be a good thing. If it was an Omega pheromone, things would get very complicated, very quickly. So Tae-rim decided to chalk it up to Seon Juho just having an insanely sensitive nose.
Still, some of Seon Juho’s behavior was starting to resemble a young Alpha who’d just awakened to desire—and that was more than a little unnerving. Young Alphas were known to become intoxicated by the scent of an Omega’s pheromones, chasing after them with obsessive intensity and overwhelming possessiveness.
The jealousy, too, was straight out of the textbook. A single offhand comment from an Omega could throw them into emotional chaos for an entire day, and they’d go to ridiculous lengths to get their attention. That was exactly what Seon Juho was like.
But in this world, there were only Betas. No Alphas. No Omegas. No sudden “evolution of a new species,” please. Tae-rim had zero interest in ever going into Heat again. He didn’t even want to think about it.
“An external expedition?”
One otherwise uneventful day, a sudden summons came from the Center Director’s office. Inside, Seon Juho and Tae-rim were seated side by side as the Director brought up the topic of an external mission.
Tae-rim had already gone on two additional internal expeditions. It had been exhausting trying to peel the clingy brat off him, but he’d made it through. Seon Juho, on the other hand, had zero field experience.
“Esper Seon Juho hasn’t even participated in an internal expedition yet…”
“I’ve heard from Esper Jung Jae-heon that his skills are more than ready. So this time, we’ve decided to send him along with you. And considering your Matching Rate, we’ll also be sending Esper Jung Jae-heon and Esper Choi Dong-ha to accompany you.”
Matching Rate considerations or not, the 10% drop still hadn’t resolved. It was obvious—the Director was just using Tae-rim as an excuse to test Seon Juho in the field.
Tae-rim had already heard about Seon Juho’s impressive performance during the S-rank Gate incident. And with seven S-rank Gates opening in District 1, there was a high chance that high-level monsters had slipped through the cracks and fled elsewhere. If left unchecked, the situation could spiral into an international crisis. A proper investigation was needed.
“What do you think, Esper Seon Juho?”
“If Hyung is going, then I’m going too.”
Tae-rim nearly groaned aloud. The Director, on the other hand, looked pleased beyond belief. That was it then—Tae-rim could forget about transferring to another district.
The higher-ups would never let him leave if it meant losing their best handle on Seon Juho. And with all the chaos in District 1, there was no way they’d be reducing their Esper numbers. Tae-rim let out a sigh.
“Then I’ll take that as a yes.”
Outside the Director’s office, Tae-rim walked beside Seon Juho, who—unsurprisingly—was pouting like a duck again.
“What now?”
“They said you’re the only Guide going on this expedition.”
“Yeah.”
“Then… you’ll be Guiding everyone out there?”
“Most likely. It’s my first time going on an external expedition too.”
“Hmph.”
“Is that another complaint?”
“…Yeah.”
“By the way, you’ve never taken a Guiding Supplement, have you?”
“Nope.”
“That’s… not good.”
Supplements and machine-assisted Guiding usually didn’t work on Espers with an Imprint. Tae-rim contacted Dr. Han and took Seon Juho to the research wing.
Sure enough, even with the drug injected directly into his bloodstream to avoid any suspicion, the Supplement had no effect whatsoever. It was completely useless.
The expedition team consisted of nine Espers: three S-rank and six A-rank. It was impossible for one Guide to support them all. That’s why every Esper was required to take Guiding Supplements in case of emergency.
But here they were, with one person who couldn’t take them at all. Thankfully, his Matching Rate was still at 90%. Dr. Han said they’d just need to make sure everyone else was well-stocked with extra doses.
Seon Juho didn’t even ask what the injection was for. Not a single question. He definitely suspects something, Tae-rim thought. He worried just how long he’d be able to keep hiding the truth.
The day of the expedition arrived.
Tae-rim had trained hard for this. After living 28 years as a perfectly ordinary Omega, the thought of leaving the safety of the city for a world full of unknowns was more than a little nerve-wracking.
They flew to the field site by helicopter. When they arrived, a special expedition vehicle was waiting for them. It looked like something out of a futuristic sci-fi film. Tae-rim’s jaw dropped. Is that… a tank? The thing was massive. It even had a built-in shield system—people called it a “mobile bunker.”
Tae-rim climbed in and took his seat. Naturally, Seon Juho sat down right beside him. Without hesitation, he reached over and laced their fingers together. Tae-rim let out a breath of a laugh.
“Departing now!”
Jung Jae-heon’s voice rang out from the front seat. Tae-rim gazed out the window, eyes wide as the vehicle crossed the outer wall and rolled into the world beyond.
