Han Ju-oh stood in front of the guild—gazing at the Seventh Gate—when two men approached. It was Baek Jong-hoon, an Esper, and Jang Jin-young, a Guide—both of whom had previously entered a gate with him. Confirming that these were teammates he’d often worked with, Han Ju-oh calmly turned his gaze back to the gate.
“There’s talk that you’re planning to enter that gate. Is it true?”
Baek Jong-hoon cleared his throat as he asked. Han Ju-oh gave a slight nod.
“Can we go in with you?”
Jang Jin-young smiled as he added to the conversation, prompting Han Ju-oh to glance back at the two.
“You don’t meet the rank requirement.”
“That’s true, but… those rules don’t apply now, right?”
A surge of new gates had appeared all at once. Since the national emergency hadn’t yet been lifted, the rank restrictions for entering gates had become more relaxed. It wasn’t mandatory, but if one wished, they could enter even without meeting the gate’s rank requirements.
That’s why Baek Jong-hoon was asking if they could accompany him. But Han Ju-oh didn’t feel inclined to accept.
“It’s dangerous.”
Han Ju-oh, who had already experienced an S-Class gate, warned them of the risks. Perhaps they underestimated the danger because they were familiar with his combat style of charging in and clearing enemies on his own. But even Han Ju-oh couldn’t guarantee he’d be able to protect everyone in an S-Class gate. It was a place where boss-level monsters ran rampant. If his attention was divided, he too could be in danger.
“Too bad. We really wanted to go with you.”
“Right. It’s always a blast to watch from the sidelines…”
Both Baek Jong-hoon and Jang Jin-young sounded genuinely disappointed. Han Ju-oh looked at them curiously. Though they had teamed up frequently, he’d never really considered them close.
“You and Guide Baek get along pretty well. It’s nice to see.”
At the sudden mention of Baek Seo-ha, Han Ju-oh’s eyebrow arched sharply.
“Guide Baek has a strong personality, sure, but he’s got a knack for how he speaks and acts. He’s eye-catching.”
Baek Jong-hoon was clearly complimenting Baek Seo-ha, but for some reason, Han Ju-oh’s expression only darkened.
“He’s eye-catching because he’s got a knack?”
Repeating Baek Jong-hoon’s words word-for-word, Han Ju-oh’s tone grew sharp. Jang Jin-young stepped back with an awkward smile. His paired Esper had meant no harm and was just complimenting Baek Seo-ha, but…
‘Looks like he just touched a nerve.’
Jang Jin-young, quick on the uptake, realized something bad was about to happen to his Esper. In such cases, there was only one option.
“Oh—suddenly remembered something I forgot to do. I’ll be going first.”
He whispered quietly so Baek Jong-hoon wouldn’t hear, then bolted. If someone asked whether he shouldn’t be staying to look after his partner—that’s exactly why he ran off.
Meanwhile, Baek Jong-hoon, oblivious to his Guide’s disappearance, saw Han Ju-oh’s fixed stare as an opportunity to continue the conversation.
‘Good call bringing up Guide Baek Seo-ha.’
A recent unspoken rule had emerged within the White Guild: “Don’t badmouth Guide Baek Seo-ha.” Baek Jong-hoon had never thought poorly of Baek Seo-ha to begin with, so he figured this was the perfect chance to praise him and earn Han Ju-oh’s favor. If he got on Han Ju-oh’s good side, maybe they could work more often as paired teams.
“I don’t think he’s particularly clever…”
Han Ju-oh’s reply grew curt. The use of formal speech and polite distancing confirmed to Baek Jong-hoon that he’d made progress—so he eagerly kept talking.
“Guide Baek Seo-ha’s got a bit of a reputation for having a low compatibility rate, but if you pay close attention, he’s actually got a lot of charm. Even in the dungeon, he moves around with this bright, energetic aura. And when you talk to him, it’s just fun, you know? Being around him is kind of entertaining. You never really get bored just watching him, and he moves quickly when it matters—”
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, a chill ran down the back of Baek Jong-hoon’s neck. He turned to the side, glancing around in confusion. No one in the guild was attacking him, so maybe it was just his imagination?
He turned back to continue speaking—and flinched in surprise.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
There was a glint of murderous intent in Han Ju-oh’s eyes.
“Don’t you have a partner?”
Just when Baek Jong-hoon thought they were getting closer, Han Ju-oh’s tone had grown colder and more distant. Baek Jong-hoon nodded and turned to look for his Guide.
“Huh? Where’d he go?”
He was definitely here just a moment ago. As Baek Jong-hoon belatedly began searching for his Guide, a low, menacing voice echoed from Han Ju-oh.
“How about you take care of your own Guide first?”
“Right. Of course. I should. I’ll just try calling him and—”
“Before that, let’s train.”
“Train?”
Baek Jong-hoon blinked in confusion, not understanding the sudden mention of training. Han Ju-oh pointed toward the gate visible beyond the window.
“If you’re good enough, maybe I’ll take you into the gate with me.”
“Ah, I see. Then I’ll aim for that elusive rank promotion.”
Convinced he’d scored points by complimenting Baek Seo-ha, Baek Jong-hoon cheerfully followed Han Ju-oh toward the training room.
***
“Who did you say Ju-oh’s with right now?”
“My partner. Esper Baek Jong-hoon.”
In the Guiding Room, Seo-ha blinked in confusion at Jang Jin-young, who had suddenly come looking for help.
“Okay, but… what exactly am I helping with? Is Ju-oh planning to devour Baek Jong-hoon or something?”
As far as he knew, Han Ju-oh didn’t have that kind of appetite. Seo-ha muttered to himself, and Jang Jin-young let out a deep sigh. He didn’t want to make this kind of request before anything major even happened to his Esper, but he had a bad feeling that Han Ju-oh wasn’t going to let this go.
“My Esper carelessly complimented Guide Baek.”
“Complimented? Me?”
Seo-ha pointed a finger at himself, and Jang Jin-young nodded.
“He said you had good sense. I didn’t catch the rest, but I’m sure he said something about you being charming. He’s told me things like that before.”
“Thank you.”
Caught off guard by the sudden praise, Seo-ha bowed politely in gratitude. Every now and then, there were few people who viewed him positively. Just a handful—rare as beans sprouting in a drought—but they’d pat his shoulder and give him candy or chocolate as a way of showing their support.
“I’m not telling you this for thanks—Han Ju-oh’s expression wasn’t normal, I’m telling you.”
Clearly frustrated, Jang Jin-young grabbed Seo-ha by the wrist and pulled him along.
“Why the hell would he start gushing about you like that with no sense at all… He basically dug his own grave.”
“Why would that be his grave?”
“It is his grave.”
Jang Jin-young came to a sudden stop, turned to face Seo-ha, and stared him straight in the eyes as if scolding a clueless child.
“If some random guy shows up and says your lover is charming, who would be happy about that? It stirs up possessiveness, jealousy… makes your guts churn.”
“Uh… um…”
Seo-ha couldn’t respond right away. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally managed to speak, hesitantly.
“But… I don’t have a lover.”
He said it because from every angle, Jang Jin-young’s words sounded like he was implying Seo-ha was Han Ju-oh’s lover.
“We’re just partners. Colleagues.”
Sure, Espers and Guides developing feelings was as common as breathing, but that wasn’t the case with them. They hadn’t started that way, not even close. If anything, they’d clashed at the beginning. Recently, they’d started visiting each other’s homes, but that was strictly for meals and research purposes.
But Jang Jin-young’s response was unexpected.
“If you’re not lovers, then is it a one-sided courtship from Han Ju-oh?”
“Huh? No, I wouldn’t even call it courting…”
It didn’t seem like that. As the misunderstanding only deepened, Seo-ha grew increasingly flustered trying to figure out how to explain, but Jang Jin-young resumed walking and tossed out another comment.
“We’ll just go and find out. If he really likes you, then Baek Jong-hoon’s going to get properly beaten. If not, then nothing will happen.”
Is that really how it works? It sounded illogical, but the certainty in Jang Jin-young’s tone made it hard to argue. Maybe he had a point.
Following him, Seo-ha stopped dead in front of the training room—his jaw dropped.
***
When someone badmouths Baek Seo-ha, it makes him angry. The thought of those words turning into invisible blades and slicing through Seo-ha’s insides makes him want to return the pain in kind. There were a few Espers he kept an eye on—ones who had practically led the charge in tearing Seo-ha down.
This was what Guild Leader Kim Mi-yeon had been worried about. She knew Han Ju-oh wasn’t the type to just let that sort of thing slide and was concerned it might lead to trouble.
“I don’t like the opposite either.”
He hated when people insulted Seo-ha, but compliments didn’t sit well with him either. It wasn’t a mild dislike—he found it deeply unpleasant. He had only just come to terms with his feelings, and now someone else was praising Seo-ha? It grated on his nerves.
“Left side—your flank.”
As Baek Jong-hoon raised his guard to cover his side, Han Ju-oh drove a punch into the right side of his face.
“Guh!”
Too late to block it. The fist connected with his cheek, and Baek Jong-hoon was sent flying backward.
“If you only block what I tell you, what about the rest of your body?”
After deliberately calling out a fake target and striking elsewhere, Han Ju-oh remained shameless. Baek Jong-hoon, sprawled on the floor, forced himself to stand back up.
“Let’s go again.”
He didn’t want to lose either. Now fully locked into the fight, Baek Jong-hoon kept charging in, even as he got knocked down over and over. With every hit, bruises bloomed across his body, and his strength steadily waned.
As his stamina wore down like steps being carved out of stone, Baek Jong-hoon started to wonder—
‘Why the hell am I sparring with Han Ju-oh again? Ah, right. He said he wanted to see if I was good enough to go into the gate with him.’
But why do Han Ju-oh’s attacks feel so… emotional?
