* * *
Could it be… he’s embarrassed?
Raon quietly stared at Siwoo’s earlobes.
Feeling the gaze, Siwoo frowned and turned his head sharply.
As if that would hide his reddened ears. Raon chuckled and approached him.
“Come to think of it, Siwoo.”
“W-What is it?”
“Sometimes the matching rate goes up, right? Do you know why that happens?”
“…No, I don’t.”
Siwoo bit his lips as he answered. Still grinning, Raon continued.
“They say when an Esper or Guide feels affection for the other, the match rate can increase.”
“…”
“Is that what’s happening with us?”
It was rare, but people like Raon and Siwoo existed—cases where the match rate changed.
It often shifted after forming a pair.
Just like Seokhyeon had worried, some saw a decrease, but others experienced such a spike that they even rushed to file marriage registration soon after.
That was because they had strong feelings for each other.
While not a proven fact, it was the only logical conclusion based on circumstances.
“T-That couldn’t possibly be true.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Siwoo denied it through gritted teeth.
This time, Raon quietly stepped back.
Seeing Siwoo trembling slightly, he figured teasing any further wouldn’t be a good idea.
Not even realizing that the match rate might have gone up because of that, and blushing at the thought—it made Raon secretly think Siwoo was cute.
He chuckled to himself.
“Let’s go. You need guiding again today.”
“…”
At least the match rate had gone up—that was a relief.
Siwoo’s body was still a mess.
Even though Raon had guided him through the mucous membrane yesterday, a body that had gone over ten years without proper guiding wasn’t going to recover overnight.
Raon entered the empty guiding room and pulled the flustered Siwoo along.
“W-Wait a second.”
“What?”
“I mean…”
Stripped of his prickliness, Siwoo was just a young Esper.
Raon stared at his pale face.
At twenty, Siwoo didn’t have that fluffy baby face anymore—but he still looked young.
Especially now, flustered and unsure what to do with himself.
“You’re just going to hold my hand, right?”
“…”
Hearing that, Raon sighed deeply as he looked at the trembling Siwoo.
He suddenly felt like a horrible adult who had seduced a younger kid, saying “I’ll just hold your hand,” only to do something he shouldn’t have. Like trash.
He decided it was time to correct Siwoo’s misunderstanding.
Raon spoke with a serious tone.
“Hey, actually—nothing happened between us yesterday.”
“…What?”
“I mean, not nothing—but your condition was bad, so I had to guide you through the mucous membrane…”
“Mucous membrane guiding?”
“Yeah.”
But Siwoo’s mental state crumbled for a different reason.
At the mention of mucous membrane guiding, his eyes trembled.
Oh no.
Was that his first kiss?
Raon felt like screaming.
‘I mean, it was my first kiss in this body too…’
But mentally, he was more composed than Siwoo.
Raon closed his eyes tightly—he even felt dizzy.
“Just hear me out, don’t get mad. Your condition yesterday was really bad. My watch even lit up, okay? If you don’t believe me, ask the guards at your dorm. They were the ones who opened the door.”
Raon frantically tried to explain.
He wanted to say it had been strictly a medical procedure—but the words wouldn’t come out.
“…I don’t remember any of that.”
“Figures. You were on medication and totally out of it.”
“…”
Siwoo went unusually silent.
So Raon assumed he was angry.
His face had gone stiff again, like before, and his previously flushed ears were pale now.
This can’t happen again—what if he refuses guiding like before?
Just as Raon, growing nervous, reached a hand out—
“Do it again.”
“…Huh? Do what?”
Hand still outstretched, Raon blinked in surprise.
Siwoo was glaring at him like he was deeply wronged.
“I said, do it again. I don’t remember any of it.”
“…Oh.”
It took a moment to process what he meant.
After a quick mental rewind, Raon finally realized.
“Mucous membrane guiding?”
“Yes.”
“…”
He thought Siwoo would be disgusted by the idea.
But instead, he asked for it.
Was forgetting really that upsetting?
…It might be.
It was probably his first kiss.
And to have your first kiss with someone you don’t even like—that would upset anyone.
If it were Raon, he’d have stormed out in anger.
Maybe for Siwoo, not remembering was the more frustrating part.
Raon didn’t really understand Siwoo.
But he had no reason to say no.
If he wanted to help Siwoo recover, mucous membrane guiding—being highly effective—was something he should be doing more often anyway.
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
“…”
When Raon nodded and accepted without hesitation, that’s when Siwoo visibly tensed up.
Maybe he was already regretting the impulsive request.
Before Siwoo could back out, Raon stepped in close.
He grabbed the hand that had been frozen mid-air and held onto his arm.
“Want to do it here? Or sitting down?”
“…Sitting.”
“Alright, alright.”
Not giving Siwoo a chance to change his mind, Raon quickly sat him in the chair.
It was a contact-guiding chair meant for hand-holding, with two seats side by side.
But after sitting Siwoo in one, Raon climbed into his lap.
“W-What are you doing…”
“Huh? You said we’d do it in the chair.”
“No, I—”
“Siwoo. How are we supposed to kiss from far away?”
“…!”
Raon leaned in and whispered just inches from his lips.
Siwoo’s face immediately turned beet red.
“It’s okay. Stay still. I’ll take care of everything.”
“Uh…”
Raon gently patted Siwoo’s shoulder.
Siwoo frowned and tried to speak.
But before he could say anything, Raon cupped his cheek and kissed him without warning.
“…!”
Siwoo’s eyes flew wide open.
The moment Raon’s lips touched his, it felt like his brain short-circuited.
“Ah…”
He could only sit there, dumbfounded, mouth slightly open.
As Raon kissed him skillfully, Siwoo instinctively wrapped his arms tightly around Raon’s waist.
Was this feeling just from the guiding… or was it Raon’s presence itself that was shaking him?
As guiding energy flooded into him, his brain felt like it was melting with sticky pleasure.
Siwoo mumbled internally.
Through the haze, he could make out Raon’s face, completely focused on the kiss.
With his eyes closed, Raon looked… like he’d done this a hundred times.
The thought made Siwoo clench his fists.
He didn’t dare hurt Raon, but he couldn’t stop himself from digging his nails into his own palm.
Who else has Raon done this with?
No—maybe it wasn’t even a guy.
But even the thought of it being a girl didn’t make him feel any better.
If anything, it made him feel worse.
Was it with Captain Dojin?
The most likely candidate Siwoo could think of was him.
Raon had chased after Dojin so desperately before.
He thought knowing the person might make it easier—but it just made him feel more disgusted.
The boiling emotion rising inside him left Siwoo shaken and confused.
“Mm…”
At that moment, Raon briefly pulled his lips away and glanced at his watch.
He was checking Siwoo’s metrics.
Seeing that, Siwoo’s face twisted with displeasure.
Even this act — to Raon, it was nothing more than part of his job.
No matter what meaning Siwoo might assign to it, in the end, it was just that.
To Raon, he was likely nothing more than one of the Espers he had to manage.
Suddenly, something hot surged up from deep inside him.
Siwoo, who had been half-reclined in the chair with Raon on top of him, abruptly sat up.
“Uh?”
Raon, who had been straddling him, tilted off to the side from the unexpected movement.
But in a flash, their positions had reversed — the view shifted, and now it was Raon lying on the chair, looking up at Siwoo with a bewildered expression.
“What…?”
“I’ll take over now.”
“Oh… okay.”
He didn’t really mind who took the lead, but the sudden shift caught him off guard.
Still, Raon didn’t let it show and gave a slight nod.
“Mm…!”
Right after, Siwoo kissed him again.
Unlike Raon’s earlier, more composed kiss, this one was a bit hurried.
Raon furrowed his brows, clutching Siwoo’s shoulders tightly.
‘Again with the excitement…!’
Whether it was the drug or not, Siwoo seemed to be the type to kiss aggressively.
Raon let out a crushed groan as he tried to push away the rough tongue invading his mouth.
It felt less like kissing a person, more like locking lips with a beast.
“Hah, wait…”
Left with no choice, Raon pushed Siwoo’s shoulder away again and gasped for air.
At the very least, they needed time to breathe.
But that thought seemed to be his alone — Siwoo’s dark eyes had that same intense, sunken gleam as they did yesterday.
* * *
