“Haa… Seriously, how can you smell this good?”
Seon Juho’s relentless sniffing was so clingy that Lee Tae-rim had to fan himself to cool his face down. They were supposed to go grab lunch, but judging by Seon Juho’s current state, it was going to take a while before the heat simmered down.
As he kissed Tae-rim’s nape to calm his excitement, Seon Juho suddenly pulled him into a tight hug. Then, in a gloomy voice, he murmured,
“Hyung, I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“But I’m not really sorry.”
“Huhhh?”
What the hell was this cryptic nonsense? Tae-rim cupped Seon Juho’s cheeks and made him look up.
“What do you mean?”
With his cheeks squished, Seon Juho’s lips jutted out like a duck’s, and his eyes rolled for a moment before he dropped his gaze and spoke.
“Thanks for getting me out of there.”
“That was just the right thing to do.”
“I know. I know you would’ve saved anyone in that situation, not just me, and that makes me jealous… but I’m still grateful.”
“…Yeah.”
“I should be thankful just for being saved, but I ended up giving you an Incomplete Imprint, and I’m sorry about that. I heard it dropped your Matching Rate by 10%, and now Guiding gets on your nerves.”
“That’s true, but I’ve gotten used to it. It’s fine now.”
“…Don’t get used to it. It makes me jealous.”
“Okay.”
The way he pouted was just too cute. Unable to resist, Tae-rim gently squished Seon Juho’s rice cake-like cheeks. Although they looked like mochi, they were all muscle underneath—kind of firm.
“Anyway, I’m not sorry about the part where I get to have you almost all to myself. I love that. I hope Jung Jae-heon… I mean, that sunbae gets a Guide soon. And since Kwon Hae-beom already has one now, I hope he doesn’t come to you anymore.”
“Kwon Hae-beom sunbae.”
“Hmph.”
Wow, he must really hate Kwon Hae-beom. Honestly, their first encounter had been a disaster. The guy had threatened Tae-rim right in front of Seon Juho.
“I’m not sorry for becoming an Alpha either. I love that you have to take responsibility for me.”
“That’s kinda my fault…”
“Nope. I wanted it. I wanted to be someone irreplaceable to you. I wanted to be the only one by your side. If I could have you all to myself, I didn’t care what I became.”
“Juho…”
“Hyung, do you like me?”
Those sparkling eyes were just too pretty. Tae-rim smiled and gave a nod.
“Yeah. I like you. I really, really like you.”
“Really?”
“If it wasn’t real, there’s no way I would’ve allowed that, right?”
“Hyyuuungg…”
As Tae-rim’s face turned red, Seon Juho beamed and buried his face in Tae-rim’s chest, rubbing against him like crazy. At times like this, he was a total puppy.
“Hyung, you hungry? Let’s go eat.”
“Yeah.”
When they stood up and held hands, Seon Juho naturally interlaced their fingers. Tae-rim smiled. Ugh, that radiant glow again. He clicked his tongue inwardly but couldn’t stop himself from smiling anyway.
***
His birthday was just around the corner.
Lee Tae-rim stared at the calendar with a serious expression.
The major arcs of the novel were mostly complete now. They hadn’t taken down K yet, but the villainous force behind him had been dismantled. Sure, it was only the branch in their country that had been shut down, but still—bad guys had been defeated.
Next up was the Guide’s death.
Lee Tae-rim already knew which Guide that keyword referred to. By now, he understood that it didn’t matter who slapped who or who died, as long as the keywords were fulfilled. The story would push forward regardless. The Guide hadn’t died yet, but Choi Jiwoon had already been given a terminal diagnosis. That arc would eventually come to pass too.
Tae-rim’s expression turned even more grim.
Once the Guide died, it would finally be time for the grand finale.
The ending, where everything fell into place like a miracle.
On Choi Jiwoon’s birthday, Kwon Hae-beom would offer him a ring and propose. Unable to resist the flood of love between them, they’d share a passionate night—and from that love, something would bloom.
The Imprint. That damn Imprint.
And now, Lee Tae-rim’s birthday was almost here. Practically right in front of him. On top of that, the ring was ready. Apparently, Seon Juho had asked for it to be delivered in time for Tae-rim’s birthday.
Tae-rim felt like he was going to lose it.
Surely, he wasn’t planning to propose. They’d only just started dating. No way. A proposal would be way too much.
Besides, Choi Jiwoon hadn’t died yet. He might be a ticking time bomb waiting for his final moment, but he wasn’t going to drop dead today. Probably…
“Can you believe your birthday landed right on the weekend? It’s a sign, a sign from the universe telling you two to spend some cozy alone time together.”
The three of them burst into excitement, each handing over a gift. Tae-rim accepted them gratefully.
“The ring should be waiting at your place when you get home, right?”
“I’m curious. We’ll see it on Monday anyway, but still—curious.”
“Right? Didn’t Esper Seon Juho design it himself?”
“Yeah.”
At work, everyone wore uniforms by default, but of course they had their own casual clothes too. Tae-rim thought back on all the outfits Seon Juho had picked out so far. The guy had good fashion sense. Even the temporary ring he’d chosen had a simple design, but it was pretty. So Tae-rim wasn’t worried about the design of the real one.
“A ring as a birthday gift… Am I the only one reading way too much into that?”
“Nope. Totally gives off that vibe.”
“Rings are kind of symbolic that way.”
The three of them looked ready to start teasing again. Tae-rim held up his left hand and showed them the ring already on his finger.
“I’ve already got one, actually.”
The three of them stared at him with deflated expressions. Tae-rim gave a smug smile.
“You all know this is just the temporary one, right?”
He was only stating a fact, but their expressions clearly said they didn’t like it.
“Don’t you feel even a little hopeful? What if Esper Seon Juho is planning some huge surprise event?”
Yoon Ye-rin looked thrilled just imagining it. But Lee Jae-hwa quickly doused her excitement with cold logic.
“Realistically, that’s impossible. They live together. How would he even pull off a surprise?”
“That’s true…”
“Fair.”
They were quick to admit it when they had no counterargument. Tae-rim couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Ahh… I wanna be in a relationship.”
“Same here.”
“I’m not quite there yet…”
“Then you’re out.”
The other two, excluding Jae-hwa, seemed to be love-starved. Understandable, really. Watching someone else in a relationship right next to them—it would make anyone feel a little lonely. Especially in this cold weather.
“How about blind dates with Espers from other sectors?”
“Long-distance relationships just don’t work for me.”
“Long-distance is tough… But short-distance isn’t all sunshine either.”
“Oh! Did you hear? Guide Bae Jieun is in a long-distance relationship.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s already been over two years.”
“With who? From which sector?”
“No idea.”
Yoon Ye-rin clicked her tongue.
“Maybe she wants to transfer but can’t?”
“That’s probably it.”
“Now I’m curious. Who could it be?”
“Tae-rim, you haven’t heard anything?”
“I’m not that close with Guide Bae Jieun…”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Aww~ I wanna knooow~~”
Unless the partner was S-rank, it was nearly impossible for an A-rank Esper to get a transfer. Maybe if a new S-rank Guide suddenly appeared and applied to come to Sector 1, things would change—but right now, the Center seemed to consider three S-rank Guides to be the perfect number for stability. And to be fair, things were running smoothly.
“The competition to get into Sector 1 is so insane, even for Espers. Guide Bae Jieun’s got it rough.”
In that sense, Seon Juho was incredibly lucky. He’d been discovered in Sector 1, and he’d given Tae-rim an Incomplete Imprint. On top of that, he was considered S+ rank.
“Honestly, the best scenario is just randomly meeting your fated partner right inside your own Center. Isn’t that you guys?”
“Huh?”
“The story’s perfect! An Esper who gives an Incomplete Imprint to the Guide who saved him! And that Guide just so happens to be an S-rank with a 90% Matching Rate! If that’s not fate, what is?”
“It could totally be made into a drama.”
“Right? With all the makjang stuff trending these days, a story about fated salvation could actually work.”
“But they’d have to tweak Esper Seon Juho’s personality a bit… He’s cute, sure, but as a drama lead? Hmm… A good salvation story needs to feel a little more poignant and heartrending.”
“Anyone got connections at a TV station? Try pitching it as based on a true story or something.”
The conversation shifted toward dramas. Yoon Ye-rin complained that shows with Espers in genre fiction often ended up too overpowered, with justice being served too easily—so they weren’t very fun to watch. She said there was nothing worth watching these days.
“Tae-rim, are you still into makjang dramas?”
“Yeah. Makjang can be fun if you know what to look for.”
“That’s the problem—we don’t know what to look for.”
“Want me to recommend a movie?”
“You only watch old classics. Pass!”
“Yeah, I’m not really into classics either…”
“Sigh… My hobbies feel so lonely sometimes.”
They chatted away with enthusiasm, and just like that, the day flew by. When it was time to clock out, Seon Juho showed up to pick him up—as expected. Tae-rim brought a noticeably more excited Seon Juho back home with him.
The moment they stepped inside, Seon Juho rushed to open the package that had arrived. He said it was supposed to stay a secret until the birthday, but there he was, crouched in the corner of the living room, tearing into the box to check the contents.
From behind, Tae-rim was genuinely startled.
Seon Juho’s back looked huge.
When did it get that broad? Sure, it had always been on the wide side, but now it looked even bigger. Tae-rim was quietly taken aback.
Seeing someone every day had a way of dulling your perception. Tae-rim had known for a while that Seon Juho’s build was steadily improving, but the change had never really hit him this hard. And yet, today—looking at his back—he realized all over again just how much the guy had grown.
