* * *
As Haebom continued making clueless sounds, Wonho sighed, grabbed his small head with one hand, and pulled his own arm free from beneath it.
Haebom had thought the pillow was unusually hard—turns out, it wasn’t a pillow at all.
It was Wonho’s arm.
He blinked multiple times, struggling to grasp the reality of the situation.
“Go wash up. No… can you do it alone?”
What kind of question was that?
Haebom turned to stare at Wonho.
Was he joking?
But Wonho’s expression was dead serious.
Then, it hit him—he hadn’t noticed it before, but now he was suddenly aware of his body’s condition.
As he recalled what happened, his face grew unbearably hot.
There was no way he should be feeling this fresh and clean after what had happened.
He hadn’t realized it last night because he was too out of it.
“Wait, hold on…!”
Since Haebom wasn’t saying anything, Wonho seemed to decide that he really couldn’t wash himself.
He leaned in as if to pick him up.
Panicked, Haebom pressed his hands against Wonho’s shoulders, pushing him away.
Not that it did much—Wonho barely budged.
The only saving grace was that he at least stopped moving.
“What.”
“…Did you bathe me?”
Honestly, Haebom didn’t even want to ask.
Whether it was Wonho or someone else, the fact remained—he hadn’t washed himself.
He pushed against Wonho’s shoulders again, but it still had no effect.
Wonho frowned at the question, more confused by its intent than bothered by it.
“Did you expect to wash yourself while passed out? Why are you asking the obvious?”
Ah… A quiet groan slipped from Haebom’s lips.
He buried his face in his hands, utterly mortified.
Shit, shit…!
He barely held back the urge to curse aloud. Wonho, watching Haebom’s reaction, furrowed his brows even deeper.
He had no idea what was going on with him.
Was he still not fully awake?
Wonho was starting to doubt what Jin Seyoung had told him—that Haebom had simply passed out from exhaustion.
The more he saw, the harder it was to believe.
“What is it? Say something. Do you need a doctor?”
“Nooo… no, I’m fine. It’s nothing… It’s just… really embarrassing. I just want to be alone for a bit…”
Haebom pulled his hands away from his face and instead buried it into the bed.
Then he peeked up at Wonho.
His expression clearly said, ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’
But Haebom had no room in his head to care about that.
He was too overwhelmed by the desire to disappear into thin air.
As he slowly squirmed under the covers, trying to hide, Wonho sighed before finally sitting up.
“…Wash up and come out.”
He had no idea what Haebom’s deal was, but since he wanted to be alone, he’d give him space.
If he stayed, Haebom would probably just keep hiding under the covers.
The sound of the door clicking shut signaled Wonho’s departure, and Haebom cautiously peeked out.
“Haa…”
Confirming that Wonho was gone, Haebom let out a long sigh.
In his 21 years of life, he had never felt this humiliated before.
Tears pricked at his eyes.
Last night… it had just been the mood.
Yeah, he’d blame it on that.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.
But the real issue was what came after.
While he was unconscious, Wonho had washed him.
Fed him.
Even gave up his own bed for him.
And to top it off, they weren’t even lovers, yet they had slept in each other’s arms with his head on Wonho’s arm…
What the hell was this?
He understood that in a world where Espers and Guides coexisted, physical contact was common.
But even then, there were rules.
Deep-level guiding was only allowed between bonded pairs, and even if they were paired, the Guide could refuse.
‘We don’t even like each other…! Ugh…!’
Besides, Wonho had someone he liked.
Haebom had seen it—when Wonho looked at Choi Yoonseo, the female lead, his expression was full of discomfort.
And honestly, if he were in Wonho’s position, forced to see the person he liked in a relationship with someone else every day, he’d feel just as miserable.
It wasn’t just uncomfortable—it was heart-wrenching.
And on top of that, Wonho had to have another person as his guide, so it was only natural that he wasn’t pleased.
Thinking about it that way, Haebom’s mood gradually sank as well.
He had been burning with a sense of duty to guide Wonho, but now he felt like an unnecessary obstacle in the love between these two.
Of course, it wasn’t as if the female protagonist, Choi Yoonseo, and the sub male protagonist, Wonho, were actually going to end up together.
Knock, knock—
“…Huh?”
The only people living in Wonho’s house were Haebom and Wonho.
Since Haebom was currently wrapped up in a blanket like a cocoon on Wonho’s bed, there was no doubt that the person knocking was none other than the owner of the room—Wonho, who had left earlier to give Haebom some space.
“Are you actually washing up? Hurry up and get out here. If you take any longer, we’re going to the hospital, just so you know.”
“Ah! No, no! I’m really fine. I’ll wash up now.”
Panicked at the thought of Wonho barging in, Haebom quickly sat up.
The sudden movement after lying down made him a little dizzy, but it was bearable.
As the blanket that had been wrapped around him unraveled, an inexplicable sense of embarrassment crept in.
Without hesitation, he dashed into the bathroom.
As soon as he disappeared inside, the firmly closed bedroom door silently opened.
Wonho, who had stepped in, gazed intently at the spot where Haebom had been lying on his bed before shifting his eyes to the bathroom door.
His crimson pupils swirled with a mixture of unreadable emotions.
“What do you want to say?”
“…Huh? Huh? Me? I don’t have anything to say! Hiccup…! Ahem, hic! Haaa…”
Haebom, who had been sneaking glances at Wonho across the table while eating, was startled when he realized his own behavior and let out a hiccup in surprise.
Wonho frowned slightly before pouring a cup of water and placing it in front of Haebom.
Attempting to hold his breath to stop the hiccups, Haebom chugged the water down in one go.
“Drink slowly.”
But by the time Wonho spoke, the glass was already empty.
Feeling embarrassed, Haebom carefully set the cup down and let out a deep breath.
Fortunately, thanks to the water, his hiccups stopped.
The real problem was the way Wonho was staring at him, as if daring him to speak if he had something to say.
“You…”
Beep—
“…Shit, haah…”
Just as Wonho was about to say something to Haebom, his communicator started blaring loudly.
He knew from experience that the louder the alarm, the more urgent the situation.
He had never heard it make a quiet sound, so he had no point of reference, but considering how it was hurting his ears, it must have been quite loud.
“Hey, don’t go to the center today. I’ll let them know.”
“But I’m not sick?”
“No, you are. So just leave it alone and go upstairs to sleep.”
With that, Wonho tapped his communicator to silence it and headed upstairs.
Not long after, he came back down, now dressed in his uniform.
* * *
