* * *
“We’ll need a new contract. Here.”
“Manager, are you alright?”
“Sign the contract. Here.”
“….”
A mechanical voice, completely flat.
Seo Jaewon took the pen the manager handed over, feeling like he was being swept into something.
[Quest Complete! Become Joo Youngha’s Guide.
Quest Reward: Loading…]
From the outside, it looked like a success.
He’d become Joo Youngha’s guide.
It was what he’d fought for—arguing with his superior to get it.
And it was necessary, if he wanted to keep Joo Youngha from causing more disasters.
But still…
Even though things had gone in his favor, it felt like he’d just stepped into something dangerous.
‘What the hell just happened back there…?’
In the moment, he hadn’t even read the contract properly—he’d just signed it.
Only after stepping outside did he glance through it.
At first glance, it seemed normal.
Reasonable.
But…
“So now, Jaewonie’s my Guide, huh?”
At the sound of Joo Youngha’s voice, Seo Jaewon looked up.
He was standing right in front of him, silent as a shadow.
The cold fluorescent light cast a harsh backlight, throwing strange shadows across his face.
But his pale eyes shimmered with an uncanny gleam.
He looked like a snake, quietly planning its next move.
Maybe because of his light pigmentation, Joo Youngha sometimes gave off an inhuman, uncanny aura.
His presence was undeniable—but there was always a distance too, like he stood just behind a thin veil.
Flawlessly beautiful, but who knew what was going on beneath that perfect surface?
“…Did you do it?”
There was no known ability to directly control a person’s mind.
But he had to ask.
Wasn’t it strange?
That manager’s sudden shift in behavior.
As if something had taken over him.
And Joo Youngha’s attitude—like he’d seen it all coming—was just as unsettling.
Their eyes met.
And Joo Youngha smiled.
“What?”
A smile sweet enough to melt on your tongue.
A smile that looked like there wasn’t a single thought behind it.
Some might call it an innocent face, but who knows what he’s really thinking inside.
He looked like a cat who’d eaten the parakeet and was now feigning ignorance.
“…Forget it. No point talking.”
Seo Jaewon turned his head away.
If this was all his doing, then there was no way he’d ever admit it.
Talking any further would only make his blood boil.
It was a lesson he’d learned after years of growing up with this guy.
There was too much to think about.
On top of that, in the corner of his vision, an inexplicable popup window kept blinking.
Ding!
A sudden alarm made Seo Jaewon flinch.
He glanced down—it was his phone buzzing in his pocket.
“Mobile Guide Registration Info…”
Nothing much.
Just a boilerplate welcome message, ending with an instruction to wait at his current lodging.
“Am I going to be moved to the Guide Dorms now?”
Most state-affiliated Awakened lived in dormitories.
It was free, and since Espers were paid barely anything during their mandatory service, it wasn’t a bad deal.
In his past life, Seo Jaewon had moved out of the Center after that incident to avoid gossip and side-eyes… but anyway, at this point, both he and Joo Youngha had been dorm residents.
Compared to the Esper dorms, the Guide dorms were newer and less populated—so supposedly more comfortable.
Sure, that was nice… but it didn’t exactly excite him.
“So I’m really going to live as a Guide now.”
He’d thrown himself into it with conviction, but it still meant his entire life was turning upside down.
The thought left him a bit uneasy.
Would he be able to do this well?
No—he had to, no matter what.
Whatever it took, this time around.
“…Let’s just go home.”
First, he needed to go back and calmly lay out a plan for life as a Guide.
Probably pack his things too, since a dorm change seemed likely…
Ding!
Another notification.
The new message shoved the Guide info aside.
[Room Reassignment Notice]
“Yup, let’s go home,” Joo Youngha said with a big, beaming smile.
The reassigned room was… Joo Youngha’s room.
Yep. Exclusive Guides share rooms with their partner Espers.
It was written at the very end of the contract, which he’d only now gotten around to reading.
“How was I supposed to know something like being an exclusive Guide even existed…”
Of course, that only applied if the Esper requested it.
“I’m happy Jaewon’s coming to stay…”
Which meant this guy, smiling innocently beside him, was the cause of all this.
No wonder he’d looked so pleased leading the way home!
What kind of ridiculous system was this?
Shouldn’t someone file a complaint?
These Esper-centric policies seriously needed reform…
Seo Jaewon sighed, realizing he was already complaining like a model Guide.
“…Even if the room is stupidly nice.”
Joo Youngha’s room, a floor above, was a place Seo Jaewon had visited before.
Though calling it just a “room” was a bit of an understatement.
Standard Esper dorms had one room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
But Joo Youngha—clearly receiving special treatment—lived alone in a three-room suite.
Unlike Seo Jaewon’s room, which faced another building, this one even had great sunlight.
He had been jealous of it before.
That didn’t mean he’d wanted to live there with him.
“No, wait…”
Honestly, sharing a room was practical.
That’s the whole point of being “exclusive,” isn’t it?
Especially with his guiding efficiency being low, spending more time together made sense.
And it also aligned perfectly with his goal of managing Joo Youngha more thoroughly.
Even teammates didn’t necessarily spend all day together.
On busier days with training or missions, they might be together eight hours.
Add two more hours for meals—since it was Seo Jaewon’s job to feed this guy—and you’d get ten hours.
If they had separate rooms, Joo Youngha would be out of sight for more than four hours a day.
That was way too long.
He needed to be within sight at least 21 hours out of 24, and within earshot for the remaining three.
So, sharing a room dramatically cut down on that time apart.
It would even make dragging him out in the morning for missions and training easier.
“Maybe… this won’t be so bad?”
Well, aside from the fact that he’d be living with a would-be murderer…
But as a roommate, it might actually be tolerable.
He’d either be listening to music or calling over a girlfriend—basically just quietly doing his own thing.
Still, Seo Jaewon couldn’t help asking:
“Why’d you even ask to live together?”
This guy? This weirdly sensitive neat freak?
It was hard to imagine Joo Youngha living with anyone.
Joo Youngha tilted his head, then replied with genuine confusion:
“You always end up in my bed anyway…”
“What—! That’s only because I had to drag you out of it!”
Seo Jaewon practically shouted, horrified.
This guy skipped out on everything.
Blowing off training was nothing.
He’d even ignored a late-night emergency call once.
Back in his previous life, part of Seo Jaewon’s deployment routine had been going to drag Youngha out of bed.
That one time he ignored the emergency call…
Seo Jaewon had shown up to his room.
He remembered the door code—12345—still worked, which had been ridiculous.
He entered and found Joo Youngha just sitting there, blank-faced.
No real excuse.
When asked why he hadn’t shown up, his answer had been:
“Did I really need to go too?”
…Seo Jaewon changed the password after that.
But even after being dragged out multiple times, Joo Youngha never bothered changing it again.
“I like it when Jaewon comes over.”
Seriously, what kind of standard was that?
Seo Jaewon shot him a suspicious glare.
“If we live together, I’m not going to leave you alone. I’m going to nag the hell out of you.”
Joo Youngha didn’t reply—just smiled softly.
That clueless, innocent grin made Seo Jaewon want to scream.
“…Whatever. It’s not like I can back out now.”
Feeling resigned, Seo Jaewon dumped the clothes he’d brought into the empty room.
Well, technically not empty—there was already a bed, a wardrobe, and some basic furniture.
At least they weren’t sharing the same room.
That was a relief.
He let out a breath and started organizing his things.
If this was unavoidable, he’d at least grumble from the comfort of a clean bed.
He put sheets on the bed, folded what little clothing he had into the wardrobe…
And the whole time, Joo Youngha silently followed him around, watching his every move.
“…”
Seo Jaewon tried to ignore him, but eventually the intense, unbroken gaze made him speak up.
“…Don’t you have anything else on your schedule today?”
“Nope.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Seo Jaewon raised his wrist to check the schedule for their Raid Team 4.
Then realized—his wrist was bare.
‘Right… Post-mission rest time is usually at least 24 hours.’
Though as the team leader, Seo Jaewon had never truly rested.
He used to write reports, evaluate mission outcomes, research tactical improvements…
After that, a bit of light exercise and a good sleep made the day feel complete.
Now that he was a Guide, that whole routine would probably change.
The thought made him feel even stranger.
Ding!
An electronic chime rang.
Seo Jaewon instinctively checked his phone—but there was nothing there.
Instead, a shimmering message popped up in the air before his eyes.
[Quest Reward Received.
‘Guiding Skill’ Acquired!]
“…Huh?”
* * *
