Knock, knock, knock.
“Nabin-hyung, are you awake?”
Ever since meeting Ryu Somin in the garden, Nabin’s days had been different. Whenever he wasn’t guiding the S-rank Espers, Somin was always by his side.
When Tae Yishin found out, his usual playful grin vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous rage. The moment he entered Nabin’s room during guiding, he grabbed Nabin’s slender neck with one massive hand as if he meant to snap it in two.
“Our guide must’ve gone insane.”
“Khk… p-please… let me live…”
Just as Nabin feared, Yishin couldn’t even stand the sight of him talking to Somin. His blue eyes, staring into Nabin’s flushed, suffocating face, coiled with raw fury and contempt like a nest of snakes.
Even though he knew it was Somin who had approached Nabin first, Yishin acted as if everything was Nabin’s fault. From the moment he accepted the Dedicated Guide contract with the S-ranks, from the moment he entered the mansion, Yishin had poured all his misplaced rage onto him.
The violence had no logic behind it. It only revealed how deeply Nabin’s existence cut into him, no matter how twisted that bond was.
As Yishin’s grip tightened, Nabin’s pupils began to unfocus, spit trickling down his lips. His hands, once clawing desperately at the arm around his throat, lost strength and dropped helplessly to his side.
“Yishin-hyung! What the hell are you doing?”
If Ryu Somin hadn’t walked in at that very moment, Nabin might truly have died. Both Han Jigang and Gong Min were away from the mansion—of all times for this to happen.
“…Ah.”
The man who was always merciless toward Nabin froze in shock and loosened his grip. Nabin collapsed, choking violently, raw air scouring his throat as if his trachea might tear.
“Cough, cough!”
“Nabin-hyung, are you okay?”
Somin rushed over, horrified, and patted his trembling back as he struggled for breath. Yishin stammered, scrambling for excuses at Somin’s sudden appearance, looking like a stranger compared to the man Nabin knew.
“S-Somin, this isn’t what it looks like…”
“Hyung, I’m really disappointed in you.”
Seeing tears brimming in those sky-colored eyes froze Yishin where he stood. Any excuse he could make was useless—the red bruises around Nabin’s pale neck spoke louder than words.
Somin’s hands fluttered anxiously over the marks before he hauled Nabin onto the bed.
But even to his gentle touch, Nabin recoiled in terror, curling into himself, shaking violently. His face was so stricken he didn’t even seem to recognize Somin, shrinking from him as if he were dangerous.
Violence was something one could never get used to. Even if he’d been treated like a person for a while, he always knew that to Yishin, he was nothing but a guiding machine. And facing that violence again after so long tore away his reason.
“I-I’m sorry… please… don’t kill me… I don’t… want to die…”
“Nabin-hyung, it’s me, Somin. You’re safe now. Hhhk…”
It was something Somin had never seen in his life. He had never seen Yishin—always endlessly gentle with him—use violence. Never seen him use it on someone so fragile. Never seen someone’s eyes go empty with terror, begging desperately for life.
It was all new. Too new. And once the tears came, they wouldn’t stop.
“Ah, fuck. Tae Yishin.”
Han Jigang returned from his mission, stepped into Nabin’s room, and understood everything at a glance.
He didn’t know why Somin was there, but Nabin’s condition told him exactly what Yishin had done. Drooling, begging for his life over and over—Nabin was a wreck.
After Kim Su-hyun’s death, Nabin had fallen apart. Jigang had spent endless effort piecing him back together. And now, in one moment, Yishin had destroyed it all.
Boom! Crack!
“Ghhk!”
Yishin, still reeling from Somin’s accusing gaze, was lost in panic. He didn’t even try to block Jigang’s sudden strike and took it head-on.
Jigang hadn’t held back. His flaming fist hurled Yishin against the wall, burning his clothes to ash and branding a charred fist mark deep into his abdomen.
Had he not been an S-rank Esper, the blow might have torn him apart.
Blood dripping from his mouth, Yishin wiped it away with the back of his hand and clenched his jaw, ready to retaliate.
“…Stop.”
But Gong Min entered the room, halting the fight on the brink.
Somin had often seen Jigang and Yishin bicker, but never like this—never trading blows laced with killing intent. They had always restrained themselves for his sake, keeping their fights out of his sight.
Now, as they feared, Somin’s face had gone deathly pale. Hiccups shook his body. Shock rippled through him so strongly that both Jigang and Yishin forced down their bloodlust.
“Hhic… M-Min-hyung…”
With trembling arms, Somin reached out for Gong Min. Relieved, Gong Min crossed the room at once.
He cradled the boy, patting his back until his sobs began to calm.
“Yishin-hyung tried to kill Nabin-hyung…”
Somin clung to his neck, pouring out his grief. Gong Min had expected as much, but hearing it spoken aloud sent a chilling gleam through his brown eyes.
Yishin clenched his teeth under Gong Min’s savage glare. Jigang wasn’t the only one furious—so was Gong Min. At him, not the guide.
So it’s all my fault again, huh.
It was all because of Nabin, yet everyone turned on him. The unease he’d felt since the day Nabin entered the mansion had finally come true, swallowing everything whole. Yishin shot Nabin one last cold glare and stormed out.
Jigang didn’t stop him. Right now, Nabin mattered more. Trembling violently, he was still trying to crawl away. Jigang pulled him close. But Nabin, panic-stricken, didn’t even recognize him and thrashed in his arms, nearly snapping Jigang’s last threads of restraint.
“Gong Min, take Somin out.”
Without argument, Gong Min carried Somin from the room. Nabin’s state was dire, but Somin’s breathing was already faltering. He had always been frail, especially in his lungs. A shock like this often threw his breathing into chaos.
Even Healing Espers and expensive potions hadn’t changed his constitution. Now his breaths rasped, his pale face burning red.
“Let’s get you some medicine.”
“What about Nabin-hyung…?”
When had they grown so close? Even as he struggled to breathe, Somin worried for Nabin. Gong Min glanced toward the dark hall behind them, then turned without hesitation toward the stairs.
“Han Jigang will take care of him.”
As Somin leaned weakly against his neck, Gong Min kissed his temple. His eyelids drooped, heavy, on the verge of sleep.
Gong Min wanted just as badly to check on Nabin. But holding Somin close, he forced the urge down. Jigang was still there for Nabin. Right now, Somin needed him more.
After nearly being killed by Yishin, even Jigang frightened Nabin into hiding under the blankets. Each time, Jigang had to bite back the fury throbbing at his temples, forcing himself to approach with patience, so Nabin might heal.
“Nabin-hyung…”
But truthfully, it was Somin who played the greater role in helping Nabin return to himself. Unlike Jigang, he acted as if he’d already chosen to befriend him wholeheartedly.
Maybe meeting the infamous guide and finding him so different from the rumors had endeared him. Whatever the reason, he and Jigang worked together, caring for the fragile Nabin with devotion.
“I brought porridge. Just one bite, okay? Please?”
Compared to the S-rank Espers, Nabin’s panic attacks lessened when Somin was near. Maybe because he was of similar build, or because he carried none of that suffocating aura. Whatever the case, he often accepted food straight from Somin’s hands.
