#131
However, contrary to his expectations, Choi Hanseo found it difficult to get a chance to talk with Lee Eunseok.
Every morning when he tried to make a reservation using his tablet or phone, Eunseok’s guiding schedule was already full. Even when he logged into the app at exactly 9 AM, the situation was always the same.
He tried to create natural opportunities to meet, but that wasn’t easy either. Eunseok was always in the guiding room doing guiding, and he ate meals with the first team members in the cafeteria. It wasn’t easy to visit him after work either. It was considered quite rude to go to someone’s quarters after they had already left work, especially someone who had a proper partner.
“Secretary Lee,”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
“About Guide Lee Eunseok.”
“Yes.”
“I can’t seem to get a guiding reservation. Please arrange for me to receive guiding tomorrow.”
“…Understood. What time would you like?”
“The last time slot would be good.”
“Yes. I’ll arrange it that way.”
Secretary Lee, who had answered neatly, turned to leave. Choi Hanseo looked at Eunseok’s contract for a moment, then called out to Secretary Lee as she was about to turn the doorknob.
“Secretary Lee.”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
Secretary Lee turned back around.
“About Guide Lee Eunseok.”
“Yes.”
“It seems he’s seeing someone. Do you know who it is?”
“…Yes. I do know.”
Secretary Lee answered after a few beats. It seemed she was reluctant to say who Eunseok was seeing. Or perhaps she was very uncomfortable.
“How are they doing? Are they good together?”
“They seemed to be.”
Secretary Lee answered ambiguously.
Past tense, huh.
Choi Hanseo thought to himself.
“What about the partner? Are they a good person?”
“…I’m not sure about that.”
Probably not, then.
Choi Hanseo smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
He’s an S-class guide, no less. There’s no way anyone but himself would be suitable for Eunseok. From the nuance, it seems they’ve just broken up, or are about to. The partner is probably some A-class hunter nobody.
I should try to seduce him.
Choi Hanseo made that decision in his mind.
The next morning arrived.
Choi Hanseo went to work in high spirits. He immediately asked Secretary Lee, who had come in for a work report:
“Did you take care of what I asked yesterday?”
Secretary Lee’s face immediately clouded over.
“I mean about making a guiding reservation with Guide Lee Eunseok. Wasn’t it done?”
Having thought all day yesterday about how to seduce Eunseok, his tone came out somewhat stiff.
“I handled it as you requested. The guiding reservation for the last time slot was made normally. However…”
Secretary Lee trailed off for a moment, then quickly composed herself and continued in a businesslike tone:
“Guide Lee Eunseok rejected the guiding reservation.”
“…Rejected?”
“Yes. As you know, guides have the right to refuse reservation requests. Unless they’re on the verge of going berserk, even you, Guild Master, don’t have the authority to force guiding.”
“…Ha.”
Choi Hanseo let out a sigh, dumbfounded. An S-class guide rejecting a guiding reservation request from an S-class hunter. It was unthinkable.
“Shall we try making another request tomorrow?”
Secretary Lee asked carefully.
“Let’s do that for now.”
“Yes, understood. I’ll arrange for a reservation request to be made for the last time slot tomorrow.”
After finishing her words, Secretary Lee disappeared out of the office. Choi Hanseo checked his smartwatch with a frown. Thanks to receiving plenty of guiding from Eunseok a few days ago, his levels were completely stable. There was no reason to demand guiding.
“Unbelievable.”
Choi Hanseo muttered quietly, sinking deep into his chair. Then he thought about whether he had done something wrong to Eunseok.
Was the insertion guiding from a few days ago too rough? No. Because Eunseok was a miraculously encountered S-class guide, Choi Hanseo had treated him as gently as possible. He had clearly confirmed that Eunseok had climaxed several times and felt pleasure. So it couldn’t be because of that.
Then what could be the problem?
Choi Hanseo thought, tapping his fingers on the desk. But he couldn’t think of any action he might have taken to make the precious S-class guide resent him.
Something… felt strangely uneasy, as if things were going terribly wrong. It felt like he was missing some very important fact.
A guiding reservation request has arrived.
[Accept / Reject]
Choi Hanseo (S-class) : Rating (5.0) | More
Eunseok pressed reject, as he had done for the past few days.
Even though he had been rejected several times, Choi Hanseo was persistently making guiding reservations.
If he had regained his memories, he would have rushed over instead of making guiding reservations. Eunseok didn’t want to have any conversation with the memory-less Choi Hanseo, and there was nothing to talk about. Any conversation he wanted would probably be meaningless chatter trying to get along well with an S-class guide.
The first guiding reservation was with Kwon Eunchae.
As soon as he opened the door, an iced Americano appeared before his eyes.
“Ta-da! I bought it from the cafeteria.”
Kwon Eunchae said, holding out the coffee cup.
“Thanks. Come in.”
Kwon Eunchae skipped in and took a seat in front of the desk. She was holding her own strawberry drink.
“How was the gate yesterday?”
Eunseok asked, sitting across from her and taking her hand.
“It was okay. But I think I’ve already gotten used to clearing gates with wide-area guiding. Without you there, it felt uncomfortable having to adjust my levels and use my abilities.”
Kwon Eunchae complained without any pretense.
Because Choi Hanseo’s memories hadn’t returned, the first team had tackled an A-class gate without Eunseok. With Choi Hanseo out, Eunseok was naturally out too. In the end, all Eunseok could do these past few days was come to the guiding room and guide his assigned hunters. Eunseok was spending most of his remaining time exercising. At least when he was moving his body, he had fewer stray thoughts.
“The Guild Master… still hasn’t…?”
Kwon Eunchae asked carefully. Eunseok nodded silently.
“Since his memories flew away due to a shock to the head, I still think giving him another shock to the head would be good.”
Kwon Eunchae muttered, slurping her strawberry drink through the straw.
“But how can he not remember dating Eunseok oppa? No, even if he can’t remember, how can he not realize? Living together in the penthouse, the couple piercings… Anyway! I didn’t think the Guild Master was like this, but he really has no sense at all.”
Kwon Eunchae grumbled continuously, as if frustrated.
“Why don’t you just tell him, ‘We were dating! I’m your lover!’?”
Kwon Eunchae said, clenching her fist. Eunseok shook his head with a slight smile.
Choi Hanseo is an S-class hunter. The Choi Hanseo who was barely surviving with guiding from an A-class guide back then. What would happen if Eunseok, an S-class guide, revealed to that Choi Hanseo that he was his lover? He would probably welcome it with open arms.
Choi Hanseo was someone who could be caring and attentive if he set his mind to it. He would probably immediately shower Eunseok with considerable devotion. But Eunseok didn’t want such actions without sincerity or heart. Even if they met again like this, as long as Choi Hanseo didn’t regain his memories, Eunseok would always doubt his sincerity. And that would lead to self-deprecation.
“Ugh, it’s so frustrating.”
Kwon Eunchae beat her own chest, looking like she was dying of frustration. But she didn’t add any more comments.
Apart from having lunch with Kwon Eunchae and Moon Bora, Eunseok didn’t leave the guiding room. He didn’t want to run into Choi Hanseo, even by chance.
Of course, he knew that just avoiding him wasn’t the right thing to do. Assuming Choi Hanseo’s memories didn’t return, he would have to gradually establish a new, professional relationship with him.
As Eunseok was returning to his quarters after work, he hesitated. Choi Hanseo was standing in front of his door.
“Ah, Lee Eunseok-ssi.”
Choi Hanseo smiled at Eunseok with his eyes. The moment Eunseok saw his sweet-looking smile, he knew. This man was planning to seduce him right now.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
