* * *
But seriously—
“Joo Youngha, wait—just stop for a second.”
It was too much.
He couldn’t handle this.
Not at his current level.
Joo Youngha met Seo Jaewon’s eyes head-on and smiled.
His eyes curved slightly, soft lashes brushing like mink fur as he grinned.
“Nope.”
That bright smile—he looked genuinely happy.
Seo Jaewon had never seen that expression on him before.
“You little—”
You hated guiding!
Before he could finish cursing, the strength left his knees.
His vision went dark, like someone flipped a switch.
“This bed’s… so soft.”
Face buried in a pillow, that was the first thing that popped into his dazed mind.
“No wonder it looked expensive… good beds really are different.”
The mattress hugged his body in a way he’d never felt before.
He felt like he was sinking into it, like a stone dropping into water…
“Wait… is my body just heavy?”
What… was this?
His mind was hazy.
His eyelids felt like lead.
Normally, he’d wake up without an alarm—but this time, the sleep was too sweet.
His thoughts were slow and muddy.
Could it be…
“…Is this fatigue?”
His voice was hoarse, completely wrecked.
When he finally managed to check his phone, it was already 9 a.m.
He was stunned.
Not just a few hours—he’d been out cold for over twelve.
That wasn’t sleep.
That was passing out.
He couldn’t even remember crawling into bed.
Something must’ve happened during that guiding session with Joo Youngha… but at some point, his memory had just cut off.
“This is weird… really weird.”
He muttered to himself in a daze.
Could a human body even do this?
At his age, he should be able to go 72 hours without sleep and still clear dungeons.
But Guides were physically just average people—not Espers.
He had expected to feel a bit weaker, but… not this bad.
“So this is what being ‘normal’ feels like…?”
It was almost as shocking as the moment he realized he’d become a Guide.
“Nope. I can’t live like this…”
This wouldn’t do.
He was tired, frustrated, and grinding his teeth.
At this rate, he’d collapse at the dungeon gates, let alone keep up with Joo Youngha.
He had to find out what kind of physical training Guides did.
Starting tomorrow, he’d be up at 5 a.m. for morning runs—
With grim resolve, Seo Jaewon forced his sluggish body upright and rolled himself out of bed.
“I can do this. I can—”
He mumbled like a battle cry, lifting his head—
Only to lock eyes with a pale pair of irises.
“Did you sleep well, Jaewon?”
Joo Youngha stood motionless in the room, greeting him like it was nothing.
“AAAHHHH!”
Seo Jaewon hurled a pillow at him.
With his pathetic Guide strength, it didn’t even make it halfway before flopping to the floor.
The upside to living in the dorms was getting three meals a day—plus snacks.
But right now, Seo Jaewon didn’t even have the energy to walk to the dining hall.
So he forced himself to chew down some cereal he’d brought from home.
Joo Youngha sat across the table the whole time, ruining what little appetite he had.
“Is it good?”
“…Want some?”
A faint look of displeasure flickered across Joo Youngha’s annoyingly pristine face.
“You’ll eat anything, huh… Jaewon.”
“…”
Seo Jaewon briefly considered murder—but unfortunately, he didn’t have the strength for that either.
Still, he pushed himself to get moving and get things done.
He had received permission from the department head and signed the contract—but to start work as a full-time exclusive Guide, there were still procedures left.
And the strategy schedule was set to begin today, so he had to move fast.
First, he returned his Esper registration card and applied for a Guide license instead.
Then, using the temporary Guide ID provided at the desk, he took care of various administrative tasks.
Throughout it all, Joo Youngha stayed close to Seo Jaewon, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He didn’t lift a finger or contribute in any way—there was no reason for him to even be there.
At least the admin center staff seemed thrilled.
With his princely face and gentle smile, people who didn’t know any better were easily charmed.
“Is that really Joo Youngha?”
“Look at those proportions…”
Just by sitting there quietly, he drew all the attention in the room.
He was already a nationally recognized figure, and his striking appearance made him stand out even from a distance.
The plain waiting area suddenly looked like a showroom for a luxury brand with him in it.
‘He’s exactly the same as before,’ Jaewon thought, letting out a dry chuckle.
As he was gathering some paperwork, an administrative worker spoke to him from across the counter.
“So, you’re quitting being an Esper?”
“Ah, yeah… pretty much.”
He had no ability left, so there wasn’t really a choice.
He’d accepted it intellectually, but saying it out loud left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“That’s a shame. I was actually a fan of you as an Esper.”
“…Th-thank you?”
Jaewon reflexively started to reply, then froze at the unexpected words.
A fan? Of me?
It was a word he hadn’t heard in fifteen years.
Not “I want to beat Seo Jaewon up”, but “I’m a fan of Seo Jaewon”?
“Wow, but seriously—you’re really good-looking! You’re even more handsome in person.”
“Th-thank you…”
Sure, he’d never been called ugly, but people often said he looked sharp and intimidating.
So this enthusiastic praise left him flustered.
Complimenting his face in front of Joo Youngha, of all people—it must be genuine.
‘So this was possible too, huh…’
He’d thought he didn’t care about what others thought, but surprisingly, it didn’t feel bad at all.
“It’s really too bad you’re quitting. But just speaking as a civil worker, being a Guide actually has better benefits these days! Here, here, check this part…”
Each document he received was practically the size of a book.
‘Huh. The base salary is higher?’
As an Esper, you had a mandatory service period where they deducted training costs, so the pay was lower in the beginning.
And while not especially meaningful, his higher rank now probably helped.
Plus, as an exclusive Guide out in the field, he’d get hazard pay and travel allowances.
It wasn’t quite like before his regression, but considering his years of service, the compensation wasn’t bad at all.
“…Just sign here, and you’re all set.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be rooting for you in your Guide work too! Oh, and… can I get a photo, just one?”
‘Wow. It’s been so long since anyone’s asked me for something like this.’
Caught off guard, Jaewon took a photo with the staff member and even gave an autograph.
He fulfilled some quirky requests, too.
Like forming a heart with his fingers, or writing someone’s name into the autograph…
“Um, if it’s okay… could we ask Esper Joo Youngha too…”
The staff’s timid voice brought Jaewon back to his senses.
Turning his head, he saw Joo Youngha sitting next to him, basking in the attention.
He sat there like a sculpture, chin propped on one hand in an elegant pose, eyes fixed on something beyond the counter as if he couldn’t hear anything around him.
There was a distinct, inorganic aura about him.
His champagne-colored eyes looked like glass—emotionless, detached from the world.
Jaewon momentarily lost his words.
That vacant gaze, as if nothing mattered, as if life itself bored him to death…
“…Esper?”
Snapped back by the staff member’s voice, Jaewon gave a polite bow.
“Sorry. We have to get going now.”
Then, deliberately raising his voice, he called out:
“Hey, Joo Youngha!”
He couldn’t bear to leave that silence hanging.
“…Let’s go. We’re running late.”
At the sound of his name, Joo Youngha slowly turned toward him.
And then, like someone had flipped a switch, he smiled radiantly.
His champagne eyes sparkled like soda, and his entire face lit up like fireworks—like a flower blooming.
“Okay, Jaewon.”
The hollow look from earlier seemed like a lie.
Jaewon felt like screaming.
‘This bastard can smile like that?! Or is this the fake smile? Seriously, what’s your deal, Joo Youngha…?!’
He wanted to grab him by the collar and demand answers—but there were too many eyes watching.
“Oh my…”
He could hear the familiar whispers from the admin center staff.
“So cute,” “He’s gorgeous,” “He’s too pretty…”
Joo Youngha didn’t react at all.
He just kept smiling brightly at Jaewon.
The earlier sense of boredom had completely vanished, like it had never existed.
“People say he’s rude, but he smiles just fine?”
“Eh, that’s all rumors. He’s probably just introverted.”
‘Introverted?’
Jaewon nearly burst out laughing.
Introvert or extrovert—those terms only apply to people who live in society.
Even being “rude” applies to people.
Joo Youngha was like a jellyfish, shimmering and drifting with the ocean current.
You can’t call a jellyfish introverted or rude, can you?
Unfortunately, the guy still had to function in society.
Despite having zero social skills—no, being downright antisocial.
Thankfully, Joo Youngha genuinely seemed to be in a good mood, trailing closely behind Jaewon with a bright smile.
As they headed to the raid center, he even tried to sneakily hold Jaewon’s hand.
“Let go, Joo Youngha.”
The moment their fingers touched, Jaewon felt something creepy crawling under his skin.
‘This little—he’s trying to sneak a guiding session in right now…’
He shook off the hand, but Joo Youngha just pouted lightly in his usual breezy tone.
“You’re so mean.”
“Deal with it. We’re entering the dungeon soon anyway.”
Some had suggested it would be better to undergo more Guide training or monitor his condition instead of jumping into a raid so quickly.
But Jaewon himself had insisted on getting back out there.
Because Joo Youngha had flat-out refused to go without him.
If they forced him, he’d probably just stand around like a useless prop.
Jaewon’s absence had already left a major gap.
If Joo Youngha dropped out too, it would be catastrophic.
‘And… I can’t leave him alone. Not after seeing those eyes.’
‘This time, I’ll keep a close watch on you, Joo Youngha.’
For myself.
For everyone.
And maybe, just a little… for you, too.
Jaewon immediately began drilling proper Esper behavior into him.
“You can’t just shove energy in like that during a dungeon.”
After being drained dry by Joo Youngha the night before, Jaewon knew better than anyone—this guy had never considered a Guide’s condition.
Even when he pushed him away, saying it was too much, Joo Youngha had kept pouring energy into him.
With nowhere to escape, he had even locked their fingers together and trapped him in his arms…
After being tormented all night, Jaewon had passed out.
His knees were still weak.
Guiding might be great, but who goes into a raid dragging a half-dead body…?
He couldn’t fight as a Guide, but he sure didn’t want to hold the team back either.
“Do you prefer doing it in bed?”
“Stop saying things people will misunderstand…”
God. Why did it already feel like he’d lost this argument?
Jaewon glanced around, panicked that someone might’ve heard.
And then—he flinched.
He’d been working here since his past life, so the place was familiar. But…
“……”
Something felt off.
More precisely, the way people were looking at him was different.
‘What is this? Why is everyone…?’
The glances from passing Guides and Espers were persistent.
Even a group just coming out of the training facility glanced at him and began whispering among themselves.
His shoulders tensed before he realized it.
Before the regression, he’d been an Esper for seventeen years—most monsters didn’t faze him anymore.
But people… people were another matter.
In his past life, Joo Youngha’s murders had been glossed over as accidents caused by a dungeon’s mental attacks.
But suspicion had ultimately turned toward him.
An Esper everyone had pinned their hopes on—EX-rank.
And the eternally second-place S-rank squad leader with decent talent.
An incident in a dungeon where no outside eyes could reach.
A death that raised too many questions…
Even to himself, it had seemed suspicious.
In the end, no matter how hard he pushed himself in the field—running here, running there—no one acknowledged him.
He was constantly compared to Joo Youngha, forced to hear whispers behind his back.
Even the smallest action would stir wild, malicious speculation.
And if he ended up on someone’s team, their distaste was plain as day.
Team bonds ran deep, for better or worse.
And someone who stabbed a teammate in the back? Instantly ostracized.
So once he was branded a traitor, he was constantly sent to the harshest assignments.
Communication broke down, and he could no longer rely on his teammates.
That went on for years.
So now, whenever attention turned his way, he couldn’t help but tense up a little.
‘Word must’ve gotten around that I became a Guide.’
An Esper suddenly turning into a Guide—it was definitely an intriguing event.
And on top of that, he’d reported to work the very next day.
‘Once my poor guiding skills are exposed, it’s only going to get worse.’
He could already imagine the same old tired narratives about his incompetence cropping up again.
Honestly… if he thought about it objectively… maybe even his teammates were thinking the same thing.
Now that he belonged to Joo Youngha, he was little more than excess baggage to them.
Worse, something they’d need to protect.
Maybe they were annoyed—one less Esper, and more work dumped on them.
No. He couldn’t think like this.
He knew he should stop, but his mind was spinning, out of control.
At some point, his feet had stopped moving altogether.
At that moment, a weight settled on his shoulder, and a warm breath brushed against his ear.
At the same time, a gentle voice stirred his thoughts.
“Scared, Jaewon?”
His heart dropped with a thud at the soft voice.
* * *
