Was it really just because it had all built up too much?
It had been quite a while since he’d even had the chance to relieve himself. With someone else now living in the house, he couldn’t even take care of it for the sake of his own health.
Being a Beta had its perks. He remembered how happy he’d been the moment he reached back out of habit during self-pleasure and realized he wasn’t wet. The ability to get off without having to touch back there—now that was a blessing.
Regardless, Lee Tae-rim was starting to seriously consider ditching Seon Juho just to find a way to get some relief.
When he came back to the bedroom after using the bathroom, the grumpy little caterpillar was still there. On a whim, Tae-rim found him adorable and rolled him across the bed like a bug.
Seon Juho stuck out his lower lip and shot him a glare.
“Hyung!”
“Ahahaha.”
Seon Juho flipped around, quickly slipped out of the blanket, and threw himself onto Tae-rim in a tight hug. He was heavy—way too heavy. Tae-rim had no chance of resisting and ended up flat on his back, pinned underneath him.
“You’re heavy!”
“You’re mean, Hyung! You know how I feel!”
“Yeah, I’m mean.”
“Eek!”
Though Seon Juho was pretending to pout and push down on him, his heart was pounding out of his chest.
Earlier, as usual, he’d been casually playing with Tae-rim’s chest. But when Tae-rim suddenly rolled over, he genuinely thought his heart had stopped.
Luckily, Tae-rim hadn’t woken up and had just drifted back into a peaceful sleep.
But then his heart nearly stopped again—for an entirely different reason.
This time, it was Tae-rim who started touching his chest.
It seemed unconscious, just something he was doing in his sleep. But when he buried his face against him and started nuzzling, Seon Juho reacted instinctively, wrapping his arms around him in a tight embrace.
And then, all of a sudden, a sweet scent began to rise from Seon Juho’s body.
Panic hit instantly.
The more Tae-rim rubbed against him, the stronger the scent became. It was different from Tae-rim’s scent, but still… somehow connected.
Just then, Tae-rim stirred.
Seon Juho was struck by a sudden, sharp instinct—he had to hide the scent.
He wasn’t sure how, but he needed to suppress it. Thankfully, it was as if the scent heard him—it faded just as quickly as it had come.
Seon Juho let out a quiet breath of relief.
Meanwhile, Tae-rim—utterly unaware of the chaos he’d just caused—goofed around with Seon Juho a bit more before falling asleep again.
They’d tried to sleep apart, Tae-rim insisting they needed a bit of space. But in the morning, they’d somehow ended up tangled together in the same position as always.
Tae-rim could only sigh.
A few days later, Kwon Hae-beom and Choi Jiwoon returned to the field.
Word had it that the Center Director took the opportunity to absolutely tear into Kwon Hae-beom.
His punishment: a three-month salary cut, and an extra month of field duty.
Fortunately, since Jiwoon had almost been kidnapped and was officially considered a victim, he didn’t face any further disciplinary action.
Which meant the restriction on Guiding for Kwon Hae-beom would be lifted soon.
Tae-rim no longer had to carry the burden of being responsible for Guiding him.
Still, because of the extra month added to Hae-beom’s punishment, Choi Jiwoon had to remain out in the field for another month.
Maybe this time wouldn’t be so bad. He’d be able to see Kwon Hae-beom more often, after all.
Being with him again might help stabilize Jiwoon’s shattered mental state.
Sure, he still wasn’t being treated like an S-rank—stuck using a B-rank Guiding room and having to receive Guiding in front of an audience, unable to even share a kiss.
But at least he wasn’t teetering on the edge of a Rampage anymore.
Then, a few days later, another disciplinary order was issued against Kwon Hae-beom.
This time, it didn’t come from the Center Director—but from Central.
He’d knowingly ignored the signs of an oncoming Rampage and tried to push through it. Anyone would agree that was a major violation. But for Central to step in over it? That was strange.
Then the reason became clear—it was just an excuse to send Kwon Hae-beom off to Districts 3 and 4, both of which had gotten much busier lately.
The Center Director was furious, but orders were orders. He had no choice but to comply.
So now, while fulfilling his one-month field assignment in District 1, Kwon Hae-beom also had to rotate out for dispatches to other districts in between.
Naturally, Choi Jiwoon went with him.
Tae-rim couldn’t shake the unease in his gut.
He knew there was going to be another kidnapping attempt on Choi Jiwoon.
Jiwoon himself had no idea why someone had tried to abduct him.
Apparently, some Esper had casually asked if he could guide them for a bit, and he’d said okay without a second thought.
They moved to a shaded area between two buildings—and that’s when it happened.
Someone jumped him from behind, shoved a gag in his mouth, tied up his hands and feet, blindfolded him, and started dragging him away.
All he could do was tremble in fear.
Thankfully, Kwon Hae-beom and Jung Jae-heon had shown up in time to rescue him.
That was all Jiwoon could remember.
There had been three attackers.
One escaped.
The other two bit down on poison capsules and killed themselves on the spot.
The dead didn’t talk.
And the one who got away had worn a full-face mask, so no composite sketch could be made.
No one knew who the escaped Esper was.
But the two who died? They were both affiliated with the Center. So the investigation focused on them. But so far, there hadn’t been much progress.
In the web novel, readers flooded the comments with speculation that the culprits were from Molt, the anti-government organization. But the author never revealed the truth.
Instead, they went all in on writing an intense, steamy night between the two leads.
The readers were more than satisfied.
Tae-rim also suspected it was Molt.
After all, there’d be no reason to drop the name of a criminal group that hadn’t caused any incidents lately—unless they were involved.
There was no evidence. No one even knew where the anti-government group’s base was—no clue if they were operating within the country or overseas. All anyone had was the name Molt, and even that was barely known. They weren’t exactly an active organization.
“They’re kinda pitiful this time, honestly.”
With the two of them constantly rotating between field missions and dispatches, it had been a while since anyone had seen them at the Center. At first, Tae-rim hadn’t cared either way—but after hearing the rumors, even he was starting to feel a little sorry for them.
“Sure, they brought it on themselves. But how long does Central plan on running them into the ground?”
“No idea. I haven’t heard anything about an end date. Everyone’s wondering if they’re just gonna keep using them forever.”
“Honestly, the Center Director should let it go already. That old man’s so damn stubborn.”
As usual, three people were hanging out in Tae-rim’s private Guiding room today, chatting away. He’d gotten pretty close with them recently, and their visits kept things lively. It was nice—not having to kill time alone in a big, empty room.
“After what they did to Choi Jiwoon, you really think he’s gonna forgive them that easily? And then Kwon Hae-beom had to jump in and make it worse. Tsk tsk.”
Seriously. If Jiwoon and Tae-rim had just taken their scolding and walked out of the office, it probably would’ve ended there. The Director might’ve stayed pissed, sure, but he wouldn’t have dragged them back in just to keep yelling. He would’ve sulked alone and stewed in it quietly.
But then Kwon Hae-beom barged in, saying he’d “take responsibility.” And with that, all the Director’s fury had a new target. Since Jiwoon always followed wherever Hae-beom went, it was the perfect setup—two birds, one stone. Tae-rim clicked his tongue to himself.
“You’ve been through enough already, Tae-rim. Good thing you’re not caught up in it anymore.”
“Yeah… seriously.”
“Did you know people call them the ‘disaster couple’? They get Guiding so often it’s like a handshake should be enough, but no—they’re always doing full-on hugging Guiding. And sure, they do it off in a corner, but come on. With their kind of presence? Impossible to ignore.”
“What’s wrong with hugging?”
“Hugging’s fine, I guess, but people say the vibe between them is so… sticky. It makes everyone uncomfortable.”
“Ah… yeah, that’s a bit much.”
“Honestly, people wish they’d just get shoved into the S-rank Guiding rooms already. What are they like when you see them around?”
Everyone turned to Tae-rim. He gave a sheepish smile.
“Well… I haven’t really seen them. Just heard them.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve seen the partition in Team 1’s Guiding room, right?”
“Yeah?”
“There’s a sleeping room behind it…”
A heavy silence fell over the group. All three looked at him like, No way. Tae-rim just smiled, serene and resigned. His oddly calm expression made the others shiver.
“Holy crap.”
“Ugh. No. Seriously? That’s messed up.”
“They’ve lost their damn minds.”
“Haha…”
Tae-rim felt the same, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to say it. Luckily, Yoon Ye-rin said what he was thinking out loud.
“They really are in their own little world, huh? Think they act like that in other districts too?”
“Probably.”
Everyone looked horrified at Tae-rim’s matter-of-fact answer. In his eyes, a couple that made out with people around wasn’t going to suddenly start caring about others just because they were somewhere else. Jiwoon might’ve looked embarrassed now and then, but in the end, he always went along with whatever Hae-beom did. They were no different.
One was shameless and bold. The other was shy… and still shameless.
“I mean, even with a partition, they were all over each other. You could hear everything, and they didn’t care at all. If anything, hugging’s probably their idea of holding back.”
“You’ve really been through it, huh?”
“It’s not like I enjoyed hearing it.”
“Fair enough.”
“What if the other districts get the wrong idea? Like, ‘Oh, so that’s how things are in District 1.’”
“Why is it our reputation on the line?”
The four of them all let out a long sigh.
There was nothing they could do.
