Ian was a friend of Han Ju-oh. There was a time when the two of them, along with Kim Mi-yeon, used to hang out together often. It was during that time that he learned Korean. He wanted to understand the language of the two friends he cherished so much. Since he already had a natural talent for languages, it hadn’t been hard to master.
When he heard about the string of incidents unfolding in Korea, he had volunteered for deployment before anyone else—he missed his friends that much. He’d had to enter a Gate the moment he arrived, but now that everything was over, he wanted to see them.
But Han Ju-oh wasn’t answering his calls. And apparently, the reason wasn’t anything else—it was because of his partner?
“Yes, yes, it’s been a while since he took on a partner, but the other party is, uh… Guide Baek Seo-ha.”
Chief Choi studied Ian’s expression. Realizing Ian had no clue, he added a more detailed explanation on his own.
“He’s an A-rank Guide, but…”
“Oh, that’s great.”
Seeing Ian’s face light up, Chief Choi continued.
“He’s the Guide with a 3% matching rate.”
“Hmm? Three percent?”
Ian repeated the number in English, unsurprised, and Chief Choi nodded calmly.
“That Guide had a 3% matching rate with Han Ju-oh?”
“No. That’s the rate he’s had with all Espers so far.”
“Wait…”
Even a 3% match with Han Ju-oh would’ve been a problem, but every Esper?
“Why would they become partners?”
Ian muttered in disbelief as he pulled out his phone. Chief Choi didn’t bother asking who he was calling—it was obvious.
***
They’d played at the arcade to their hearts’ content, and now it was time to fill their growling stomachs. As Han Ju-oh mulled over what to eat, Seo-ha confidently told him to follow and led the way.
“A Korean buffet…?”
Han Ju-oh stood holding his plate, staring blankly at the interior sign.
“What are you just standing there for?”
Seo-ha poked him in the side and spoke up. Han Ju-oh turned his head so awkwardly it almost creaked.
“Do you like Korean buffets?”
“Of course I do. If you’re Korean, chances are you love spicy pork stir-fry, and there’s also pork cutlet, which half the population adores. That basically means everyone loves the menu here.”
As if to prove Baek Seo-ha’s exaggerated claim, the place was packed with people.
“If you’re gonna stand there like that, just go sit down. I’ll get the food.”
Seo-ha gave Han Ju-oh a push and made him sit in an empty spot before darting off. He returned with two large plates, piled high with various dishes, and placed one in front of Han Ju-oh. But he wasn’t done—he told Ju-oh to start eating and disappeared again.
Han Ju-oh didn’t even pick up his chopsticks. He just kept his eyes on Seo-ha’s back. This time, Seo-ha was filling a bowl instead of a plate, and he looked positively thrilled—it must’ve been something he really liked.
Their first date. The opportunity to finally spend time with Seo-ha in a proper setting had ended up being an arcade and a Korean buffet. It wasn’t exactly romantic. Ju-oh felt a twinge of disappointment—Was this really okay? But watching Seo-ha’s cheerful expression, he let that feeling go.
As long as Baek Seo-ha was happy, that was enough.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
Seo-ha returned carrying two bowls and set one down in front of Ju-oh.
“I was waiting to eat with you.”
“You didn’t have to go that far.”
Seo-ha sat down and looked over the food he had gotten.
“The pork cutlet here is deep-fried to order, so it’s really good. But you know what’s even better?”
He sliced up a piece of pork cutlet and pushed it into Han Ju-oh’s mouth.
From the time Seo-ha fed him a lettuce wrap, it no longer felt awkward to be fed by him.
“They serve fresh cucumber peppers. If you eat them with the cutlet, it cuts through the greasiness and you can eat way more.”
“…An impressive discovery.”
Han Ju-oh responded just enough to keep the mood going as he even accepted the pepper. Seo-ha acted like it was nothing.
“It’s not like I discovered it—the owner did. Anyway, they also have salad with sesame dressing and kimchi, so you can eat pork cutlet forever.”
Seo-ha continued feeding him in order, then finally began eating the pumpkin porridge he’d brought for himself.
“I really love this place’s pumpkin porridge. They grind the glutinous rice just enough so you still get the texture, and it’s not overly sweet. It tastes like something my grandma would make.”
Even with just one bite, Seo-ha didn’t eat without flair. His reactions were so expressive it made Ju-oh realize that maybe this was the true joy of eating. Seo-ha noticed Ju-oh watching him and met his gaze with a smile.
“Do you know how sad it made me, hearing how you’d just go into random places to satisfy your hunger? Eating with someone else is such a joy. And even if you eat alone, it’s okay. Because next time, you can bring someone with you and tell them all about it.”
Seo-ha remembered something Han Ju-oh had said in the past. Back then, Ju-oh hadn’t placed much importance on meals. Even so, Seo-ha had kept him seated across the dinner table and continued eating together every evening.
“I thought it was some kind of punishment.”
“Punishment? Ah… You’re getting sick of the same food, huh?”
Seo-ha picked up on it right away and nodded, slicing the rest of the pork cutlet into bite-sized pieces.
“You pretend like you’re fine, but you really hold grudges. Tsk. Just eat.”
Since Seo-ha had a habit of fixating on one thing once he liked it, it was clear this wouldn’t be the last time, so Ju-oh just let it slide.
As soon as Han Ju-oh picked up his chopsticks and began eating, Seo-ha’s own pace noticeably slowed.
“Hey.”
Staring at Ju-oh, Seo-ha idly poked at the seasoned greens on his plate. It was one of his favorites—seasoned dried radish greens—but he didn’t eat it right away.
“I only thought about us having a meal together, but what do you want to do?”
“……”
“Let’s do what you want now.”
Seo-ha muttered gruffly when Han Ju-oh remained silent. Maybe he’d felt guilty for dragging him to the arcade and having fun alone.
“C’mon, say something. Want to see a movie? Or walk around the park?”
“Guiding.”
Han Ju-oh, who had been quietly eating, finally spoke—and Seo-ha frowned.
“Well, obviously.”
Just like Guild Leader Kim Mi-yeon had asked, they needed to check the guiding levels. That much was a given.
“Sex—”
As an unsettling feeling crept in from Ju-oh’s blank expression, Seo-ha hurriedly shoved a cucumber pepper into his mouth to stop him.
“Eat your food.”
Seriously. Don’t say stuff like that. This was a Korean buffet, packed with people, and every long table was full. Ju-oh had just tried to say something outrageous.
Seo-ha gave him a sidelong glare and resumed eating. Then, noticing the phone vibrating for a while now, he looked at Ju-oh again.
“Someone’s been trying to reach you nonstop. Are you just going to keep ignoring them?”
With the phone constantly buzzing right beside him, there was no way Seo-ha couldn’t notice.
“You’re what matters right now.”
“Then call and tell them that. Otherwise, they’ll just keep waiting for you to answer.”
Even just a quick word to say he wasn’t available would stop the other person from calling or messaging again.
Realizing that Seo-ha had a point, Han Ju-oh finally picked up the phone as it vibrated once more. The call connected instantly, and the voice on the other end rang out just loud enough for even Seo-ha to hear.
“Busy.”
That was all Han Ju-oh said before curtly hanging up.
“…Was that okay?”
Unable to hold back, Seo-ha asked quietly. Ju-oh didn’t seem fazed.
“I can call back later.”
“Who was it?”
There weren’t many people, aside from Guild Leader Kim Mi-yeon, who would keep pestering Han Ju-oh like that. Seo-ha was curious.
“That guy who always begged me to hang out.”
“A friend, huh? Then how come I’ve never seen him?”
“He doesn’t live here. He’s in New York.”
Seo-ha didn’t pry any further and went back to eating. As expected, the power of food could sustain even someone running on zero sleep. If he hit the pillow now, he’d probably knock out instantly.
Then, the phone started vibrating again. Seo-ha muttered to himself, “The friend who wants to hang out,” under his breath. He had someone similar in his own life…
At that moment, Han Ju-oh picked up the phone with a hint of irritation.
“Ian, why do you keep—”
—I’m in Korea.
The voice on the other end was loud enough for Seo-ha to hear too.
Ju-oh abruptly stopped talking, his brows furrowing. Seo-ha instantly figured out what the caller wanted.
—Let’s meet.
Looks like the date was over.
Seo-ha quietly said, “Do what you want,” and began clearing the empty dishes.
He knew Han Ju-oh wasn’t happy about it, but if a friend who supposedly lived in New York was suddenly in Korea, wouldn’t he want to see him?
“You can do the guiding after you meet your friend. We could do it in the evening. No—let’s just do it tomorrow.”
Seo-ha grabbed Ju-oh’s wrist to check his runaway risk level. The numbers were stable—he’d be fine even if they separated.
“Will you be at home?”
Ju-oh caught Seo-ha’s hand as he started to walk away and asked.
“I’m already out, so I’ll stop by and see Moon Roi.”
“It won’t take long.”
So he was telling him to come home soon, too. Seo-ha patted Ju-oh on the shoulder and gently pushed him toward the exit.
