Baek Seo-ha shrank his shoulders and glanced around awkwardly at the nauseatingly affectionate display outside the executive office. He didn’t pay much mind, though—Han Ju-oh had always done whatever he pleased.
“Sounds like a lot’s happened. Let’s hear it.”
As soon as Guild Leader Kim Mi-yeon showed interest in talking, Seo-ha held out his left wrist, cradling it gently with his right hand. He didn’t forget to do it carefully, almost ceremoniously.
“I came to show you this.”
“You must think you’ve brought something impressive.”
Her scoffing glance landed on his wrist, clearly assuming it was nothing special—until her eyes widened to their absolute limit.
“Surprised?”
Of course she was. He’d been just as shocked at first—how could Kim Mi-yeon not be?
But instead of reacting dramatically, Kim Mi-yeon just gave a vague nod.
“Yeah. Surprised.”
Her voice was hollow. Still, Seo-ha didn’t give up. He pushed his wrist toward her again, urging her to take a better look.
“Isn’t it fascinating?”
“Fascinating, sure.”
“You’re not even going to say something like, ‘I can’t believe this is real’?”
“……I guess not.”
Her underwhelming response left Seo-ha sulking as he slumped back into the sofa.
“I should’ve gone to see Roi. Or at least the Director…”
He muttered names of people who might’ve shared in his excitement. Behind him, Kim Mi-yeon turned her eyes to Han Ju-oh.
“You actually did it.”
Han Ju-oh had no intention of maintaining that dismal 3% compatibility rate after accepting Seo-ha as his pair Guide. He’d looked into several things. But Kim Mi-yeon had been skeptical—after all, Baek Seo-ha was surely researching the same stuff. It seemed absurd to think a solution could come just because Han Ju-oh happened to find it.
But the result had changed everything.
“Where did you find the answer?”
“Me.”
Han Ju-oh’s reply was so brief that Kim Mi-yeon tilted her head slightly.
“The cause was within me.”
And his eyes, now on Seo-ha, said the Guide was part of that cause too. Feeling Han Ju-oh’s gaze, Seo-ha mouthed, What?—but the man looked like he wasn’t thinking about much at all.
“Is the matching rate still coming out like that?”
Regardless of the cause, what mattered now was the present. If the rate was consistently at 65%, then it meant they could actually enter the Gate. So Kim Mi-yeon asked, and Han Ju-oh fell silent. Even Seo-ha, who had been itching to jump in, pressed his lips shut.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t check?”
Kim Mi-yeon turned to Seo-ha. She assumed they’d already tested it—naturally. But silence answered her. Which could only mean one thing.
“You’re afraid it’ll vanish the moment you Guide again…”
Seo-ha confessed why he hadn’t attempted Guiding again.
“That’s exactly why we came.”
Han Ju-oh, it seemed, had something else in mind.
Kim Mi-yeon had expected a report on how things were progressing, but now she was just staring at them both with an expression somewhere between annoyed and unimpressed.
***
The reason Seo-ha had come to see Guild Leader Kim Mi-yeon was simple: she could find the exact type of Esper they needed.
Now that the matching rate had risen, he needed to see whether it would have the same effect with someone else—and if so, what that new rate would be. But the Esper receiving his Guiding had to agree to keep things confidential, so they couldn’t just grab some random passerby.
That’s how one particular Esper was summoned—along with his pair Guide.
“So… you’re saying I’m the perfect match?”
“Yes. Esper Baek Jong-hoon.”
He’d even cleared a dungeon with them before—and recently, he’d been thoroughly beaten by Han Ju-oh. Now that he’d been briefed, Guide Jang Jin-young stared at Seo-ha with a curious expression.
“I’m not going to do anything weird. Just simple Guiding… And if you’re uncomfortable with it, you can refuse.”
Seo-ha rushed to clarify, not wanting to pressure him. Guiding someone else’s pair Esper could easily offend the partner, so he made sure to emphasize that refusal was entirely fine.
“No, that’s not it. I’m just… fascinated.”
Jang Jin-young’s answer wasn’t what he’d expected. In fact, he’d only heard that Guild Leader Kim Mi-yeon had summoned him and asked if he’d be willing to cooperate in checking Seo-ha’s matching rate. That offer hadn’t even been made to him directly, but to Esper Baek Jong-hoon—yet it told him plenty.
“So your matching rate changed?”
“Uh… yeah.”
Only a few people knew about it—he’d kept it secret until now. Revealing it to someone like Jang Jin-young, whom he hadn’t yet built deep trust with, gave Seo-ha a strange mix of emotions.
Was it anxiety? No. More like…
“Something unbelievable happened. Congratulations.”
“……Thank you.”
It felt good.
Up until now, people had always viewed him through a narrow, fixed lens. Seo-ha knew that all too well. Some didn’t even bother hiding it—they’d mock him to his face. He’d overheard people talking about him behind his back more times than he could count.
That’s why Seo-ha always pretended not to care. But inside, he was constantly shrinking into himself. There was a big difference between having something and not being able to use it. Because of that single distinction, whenever someone brought up matching rates, Seo-ha often slipped away quietly. And even when an Esper looked down on him, he’d laugh it off—but their words would still echo in his mind for days, gnawing at him.
If he’d been the type to let that all roll off his back, he never would’ve submitted his resignation. If he could’ve handled it all, he wouldn’t have walked away from the familiarity of his old life.
But now, for the first time, he’d been acknowledged. After all those years of hovering around a pitiful matching rate, he finally felt like a real Guide.
Like a kid being praised by their teacher, Seo-ha couldn’t hide his joy. The right hand that had been supporting his left wrist now wandered up to tug at his ear.
Han Ju-oh hadn’t taken his eyes off Seo-ha for a second. That’s how he realized—this was the first time Seo-ha had looked away from the numbers on his watch for so long. The percentage displayed there meant something, yes—but what Seo-ha really craved was recognition. Han Ju-oh noticed.
He bowed his head politely to Guide Jang Jin-young—a silent thank-you for easing his Guide’s heart. Jang Jin-young understood and responded with a gentle smile.
Once it felt like the conversation had naturally come to a close, Guild Leader Kim Mi-yeon called in her secretary. The secretary returned promptly, placing two sheets of paper in front of Esper Baek Jong-hoon and Guide Jang Jin-young.
“These are confidentiality agreements. It’s a bit too soon to publicize their situation, so until we decide to make an announcement, I’d like both of you to keep this matter private.”
At her words, Seo-ha’s joyful expression faded. Asking to keep this secret after Guiding an Esper who already had a partner… It made them feel shameless.
Then Baek Jong-hoon’s excited voice cut in.
“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen one of these.”
Apparently, this wasn’t his first time. He casually picked up the form, skimmed it, and immediately signed. Jang Jin-young wasn’t much different. Most people would scrutinize such documents for poison pills, or at least check what the consequences were for violating them.
“It’s not that complicated. Just don’t talk.”
As if reading Seo-ha’s mind, Jang Jin-young winked.
“Keep your mouth shut, and you’ll get to see something even more interesting.”
That explained why he had no issue with the secrecy. Guild Leader Kim Mi-yeon chimed in to back him up.
“They’re part of the team that runs dungeons with Han Ju-oh. I don’t get it myself, but they say it’s fun to watch him. Anyway, I brought them in because I knew they could be trusted.”
That was the whole point—Jang Jin-young was just here to observe.
“So, are we good to start the Guiding now?”
When Baek Jong-hoon asked if there was anything else to do, Kim Mi-yeon glanced at Seo-ha and Han Ju-oh. With the contracts signed, it was now their turn—that look said it all. Seo-ha turned to Han Ju-oh.
“I’ll do it.”
He didn’t know what the result would be, but this was a matter of Guiding someone other than his partner. Han Ju-oh had told him to go ahead—but still, there was a chance he might not feel great about it, so Seo-ha treaded carefully.
Han Ju-oh lifted the corner of his mouth.
“This’ll be your last time Guiding another Esper.”
A statement packed with layered meaning. It could mean he intended to stay paired with Seo-ha for good, or that he was indulging this moment because he had feelings for him. Or maybe he believed Seo-ha’s matching rate wouldn’t rise with anyone else.
Seo-ha’s emotions tangled. Did he want his matching rate to rise with another Esper? Or… was Han Ju-oh the only one he truly needed?
“No matter what you say…”
Seo-ha shook his head and reached for Baek Jong-hoon’s hand. It felt unfamiliar—so different from the hand he’d touched so many times before. But only for a moment. He closed his eyes and began the Guiding.
