“Hahaha. No, really. Hyung, you’re so cute.”
Nabin shifted nervously, glancing at Ryu Somin. He worried he might’ve said something strange without thinking—something that could’ve upset him. But Ryu Somin only laughed out loud, brushing it off as nothing.
Hyung. It was a word Nabin had barely ever heard in his life.
He had no brothers, and he hadn’t been able to stay in school long. The only time he’d ever been called that was by kids in the neighborhood when he was little. Hearing the word again after so long made his heart ripple strangely.
“Do you know my name?”
“……Yes. Ryu Somin……”
This mansion wasn’t a place outsiders could just walk into. Even Nabin couldn’t come and go freely—S-rank Espers despised intrusions into their space. The chances of running into anyone here besides Ryu Somin were slim.
The only reason he knew his name was because of Tae Yishin. Neither Han Jigang nor Gong Min ever mentioned him in front of Nabin, but Tae Yishin sometimes did—as if reminding Nabin of his place.
And Nabin wasn’t stupid. He memorized that name, determined not to make any mistake if they ever met.
But it felt like he was already too late. Fortunately, Ryu Somin was still smiling as he spoke to him. Even so, just imagining what might happen if other Espers saw this made Nabin’s spine run cold.
“Oh? How do you know?”
The beautiful man was indeed Ryu Somin, just as he expected. Nabin knew he should leave immediately, but he couldn’t just ignore him and walk away either.
“……I-I overheard Esper Tae Yishin say it.”
Ryu Somin smiled warmly as he stepped closer—warmer than anyone Nabin had ever met. If Nabin looked like someone born from a night so dark with clouds it swallowed the moon, then Ryu Somin resembled the clearest spring sky.
Those gently curved eyes were hard to look away from. His stiff lips trembled faintly.
Or perhaps they really were trembling. Nabin touched his mouth with his hand. At that moment, Ryu Somin, who had been standing before the swing, sat down beside him.
The swing, still until then, jolted under his weight. Nabin nearly toppled forward but caught himself by gripping the post.
“……Ah.”
“Mind if I sit with you?”
“Y-Yes……”
Even though Han Jigang had carved his name into the swing, Nabin had never once believed it truly belonged to him. He only felt grateful he was allowed to use it when Han Jigang permitted.
He’d shared the swing with Han Jigang before, but never with anyone else. The feeling blooming faintly in his bruised chest was different from what he felt when with him.
“This is my first time. I thought it was just for decoration, but riding it is nice.”
As he swung back and forth, laughing like a child, his face lit up with excitement. Unlike Nabin’s pale complexion, his white cheeks flushed pink. It was both wondrous and painful, like a drop of ink spreading through his chest.
Nabin’s hands on the ropes shrank slightly, mirroring his unease. He had never been this close to someone like him before. Every moment felt awkward.
“Sorry I haven’t greeted you before. I wanted to meet you…… but Yishin-hyung wouldn’t allow it.”
“I-It’s fine……”
But the bright smile dimmed as he spoke. Nabin’s eyes widened. If Tae Yishin ever heard Ryu Somin apologizing to him…… today’s guiding session would surely be harsher than usual.
He shouldn’t have stayed here staring. He should’ve returned to his room the instant they met. Even now, he should move. But just the thought of Tae Yishin’s anger froze him in place.
Nabin’s wide eyes quivered with fear. Ryu Somin, puzzled, glanced around as if searching for someone, then clapped his hands sharply.
“Hyung, are you looking for someone?”
“N-No……”
“Then why’d you get scared all of a sudden?”
Ryu Somin leaned closer, curious. But Nabin only flinched back, trembling. The closer he came, the more that sweet scent drifted in—soft and sugary, like cotton candy. Even that scent frightened him.
His sudden closeness was overwhelming. Even if Han Jigang and Gong Min had grown gentler with him, Nabin and Ryu Somin could never be compared. Nabin knew that better than anyone.
And maybe he understood why they’d kept him away from Ryu Somin until now. Perhaps…… they feared he might be stained by Nabin.
Because Ryu Somin looked so pure it felt like even touching him would sully him. He was someone who made you want to show him only the most precious and beautiful things in the world.
But Nabin…… was already covered in indelible stains from countless hands. Ryu Somin stood at the opposite end. Even breathing before him felt sinful.
“I-I should…… go back now. I’m sorry……”
That thought finally gave him the courage to move. He hadn’t needed to leave his room at all—the garden was visible from there. He’d let the swing distract him and forgotten his place.
Even if this mansion was far better than the illegal guiding establishments, his role and position remained the same. To sit quietly in his small room, waiting like a doll for Espers to come for Guiding—that was his existence.
A doll wasn’t supposed to have free will. Or sadness. And it certainly wasn’t supposed to…… taint someone precious to its master.
Nabin’s chest tightened at the thought of someone seeing them together. He stood quickly, avoided Ryu Somin’s eyes, muttered a farewell, and started toward the mansion.
“Don’t go……”
His faltering steps froze at the plaintive pull of that voice. Barely audible, trembling with moisture—he wouldn’t have heard it if he hadn’t been listening.
As Nabin stopped, Ryu Somin slowly approached and clasped his cold, fearful hand. His hand was small, nearly the same size, but warm—softer even than the blanket Han Jigang always draped over him on the swing.
“I’m lonely…….”
Nabin couldn’t pull away from that warmth. His gaze, fixed on their joined hands, slowly rose to Ryu Somin’s face. His large, sky-blue eyes shimmered with tears.
Only then did Nabin remember: this S-rank Guide was frail, spending more time in the hospital than at the mansion. Even here, he was mostly confined to his room. The reason Nabin had never seen him wasn’t only because he was restricted to the first floor and garden—it was mostly because Ryu Somin hadn’t been here.
An S-rank Guide, yet cursed with low Match Rates not only with the Espers of this mansion, but with almost everyone.
Guiding with him was less effective than using a machine. The complete opposite of Nabin, who, despite being only a D-rank Guide, showed bizarrely high Match Rates with S-rank Espers.
That single word—lonely—anchored Nabin in place. Loneliness clung to him too, inseparable. Ever since his father’s death, it had been with him like a shadow.
Whenever it grew unbearable, Nabin would look up at the night sky.
Perhaps because of his tears, the stars scattered across the black heavens sometimes seemed to weep with him.
On those nights, he whispered to the stars, crying together. The silent starlight wrapped him in its quiet comfort, leaving layers of sadness that remained even after he grew up.
“Nabin-hyung…… stay with me. Please?”
Even as fear gnawed at him—fear of Tae Yishin seeing—Nabin couldn’t push away the warmth holding his hand. His grief surged like stormy waves.
In those clear, sky-blue eyes brimming with loneliness, his hesitant steps came to a full stop. Slowly, he nodded.
Between those gently curved eyes, his gaze now sparkled not with sadness, but joy. For a fleeting moment, Nabin forgot his fear.
Because no matter how sharp the boomerang of this time together might cut when it came back…… Nabin wasn’t cold enough to reject someone who carried the same endless loneliness he did.
So he braced himself not to regret it, and gave Ryu Somin a faint smile.
It was fragile, but his eyes shone warmly as he offered him his company.
