* * *

“Can just a change of clothes make such a difference?”

I stood in front of the mirror.

I was only wearing some loose brown pants, a shirt, and a blazer—nothing special, really.

But Elliot’s sense of style was incredible, and I looked more handsome than usual.

For months, I’d been barely surviving, sleeping my days away, but dressing up in fresh clothes suddenly made me feel much brighter.

“Let’s pay for this.”

“No, I’ll get it. I have money.”

“Heewoon, choose. Either you pay for it and give up guiding me today, or I pay, and we keep holding hands.”

“Why do you have to make it…?”

“You’re going to choose the second option, right? I’ll pay for this, please.”

“Ah….”

Before I could respond, he had already paid.

It wasn’t far to walk to the local clothing store, so compared to the previous suit, the price was modest.

The issue was more that I was someone who had ignored his calls for months and was planning to reject his proposal.

“This is my first time buying clothes from a place like this, but I really like it. Maybe it’s because it’s you wearing them.”

I thought about insisting on giving him the money, but the satisfied expression on Elliot’s face as he looked at me made it hard to push.

The feeling I sensed from his hand, holding mine again, had also become calmer than before.

“This is… really dangerous.”

This really… is a problem.

---

Elliot spoke to me calmly, but I’m certain he was shocked yesterday.

I remember him being in a general ward, but suddenly, the child had been moved to a VIP room.

“Just… don’t say anything about it. I did it because I wanted to.”

Since he’d bought me clothes, he’d seemed steady, but the slight sharpness of his tone made it clear he didn’t want me to bring it up.

“Wow, Huimang has grown so much.”

Hospital rooms aside, she’d grown a lot since I last saw her.

It had taken every ounce of her strength just to survive.

For the past year, she hadn’t grown from her newborn size.

But now, she was almost twice as big as I remembered.

Her complexion had visibly improved.

Though she was still asleep, her hands, eyelids, and mouth moved more actively.

I stared at her, mouth slightly open.

‘Yang Heewoon would’ve been happy to see her like this.’

The original Yang Heewoon was a quiet, somber type, but he always meant well toward Hope.

Just as I became the happiest person in the world seeing Eunsoo’s smiling face, I’m sure Heewoon would’ve felt the same seeing hers.

It made me feel both sorry and sad that, now that I had taken his place, he couldn’t see her smile anymore.

“She’ll grow quickly. Soon, she’ll be calling you Dad, speaking, and even walking.”

No—now wasn’t the time to feel sorry for a Yang Heewoon who no longer existed.

Beside me stood another person who cherished Hope just as much.

Elliot’s profile, as he gazed warmly at the child, was so far from the indifferent look he had when he first visited the hospital.

Which is why I needed to reveal my plan as soon as possible.

“I want to send Huimang for adoption.”

We stepped out of the hospital and found a nearby cafe to talk.

Elliot seemed to anticipate what I was going to say.

He kept suggesting we go to a better cafe, sit by the large window, or order more desserts, constantly deflecting. But I couldn’t hold back anymore.

As soon as the server left with our order, I got to the point.

“I’ve always intended to do this. I’m not someone who can take care of a child for life.”

Yang Heewoon, too, thought the same way.

He just wanted to help the sick child until she could be discharged and adopted into a good family. That was his goal.

It wasn’t just his failing body, but his temperament, finances, and life skills—all of it made him unfit to provide her with a good environment.

Despite the surge in orphaned children due to the gate phenomena and the increase in single-parent families, there were still biases.

Not only would she be an adopted child, but she would also be raised by a single man with no close relatives—a girl, at that.

The challenges of care as she grew would be one thing, but the scrutiny from others would be inevitable.

The child had struggled just to survive, so I wanted her to have as normal a life as possible after her discharge.

“I’m sorry for saying this so late. You’ve been roped into this situation, and I… didn’t realize you’d treat us so sincerely. I didn’t think it through. I’m truly sorry.”

I bowed deeply toward Elliot.

He remained silent, even as I finished speaking.

As his silence began to feel like reproach, he crossed his legs and finally spoke.

“It’s fine. I’ll raise Huimang.”

He said it so casually that I actually felt worried.

He couldn’t let pride drive him into a choice he might regret.

This wasn’t a simple matter—a child and an adult could both end up hurt.

I spoke cautiously.

“Don’t decide right now. Think it over more carefully….”

Even after just a few months of living with Eunsoo, I had a better understanding.

Being a guardian, a parent, was no easy decision.

Eunsoo was nearly an adult, yet he still needed so much attention.

Raising a young child like Hope would be much harder.

Elliot, of course, had nannies, family members, and other staff to help, so his situation was different from mine.

But it still wasn’t something to take lightly.

Eunsoo had agreed to be a father figure, so maybe their relationship wouldn’t interfere with our… relationship.

That was something to hope for.

Even as I spoke, Elliot didn’t react.

Leaning back in his chair, he didn’t look at me; he just stared blankly down at the table.

“You say you’re careful, yet you never discussed this with me.”

“….”

“And now, you have the nerve to say all this? The moment you decided to send Huimang away without a word to me, you lost any right to speak about my choice. So don’t say anything more about it.”

Damn it. I had no words in my defense.

I clenched my fists.

“I’m sorry….”

“Enough with that. You—come here.”

“…What?”

“Guiding. We need to do it. You’re my guide, after all.”

“Oh….”

I was taken aback.

Telling him I wanted Huimang to put in adoption was as good as rejecting his proposal, his desire to be a father.

I’d worried he’d avoid guiding altogether today. Instead, he was eager for it.

“But… I suppose it’s necessary.”

There was no reason to refuse.

I placed my drink on the table and moved over to Elliot.

I thought he’d just hug me, but he pulled me onto his lap.

Then he used his thumb to lightly brush my lower lip.

I blinked, looking up at him.

“Are we going for a membrane guide?”

“Don’t want to?”

“No… not at all.”

After all the sleep I’d gotten, maybe my energy had recharged, or the potions had finally taken effect.

Either way, I’d managed to keep going so far.

But I didn’t know when sleep might strike again.

If we could take care of it quickly with membrane guiding, it was fine by me.

The thing was, Elliot usually didn’t prefer this kind of guiding.

And here we were, in a cafe, not even in private.

I looked up at his face, studying him.

He was expressionless.

His lovely cherry-blossom eyes simply gazed at my lips. His face revealed nothing.

In any case, there was only one answer.

“Let’s do it.”

He sat by the window, but the view didn’t show a busy street; it was secluded, and few people were around.

Each table had partitions, so there was no need to worry about anyone watching them.

Still… he felt tense.

It had been a long time since he’d guided anyone.

Meeting Elliot’s close gaze was difficult.

Noticing his trembling, Elliot wrapped one arm around his back, interlocking their fingers with a firm grip.

‘This… just makes me even more nervous…’

With his hands and body firmly held and Elliot’s face so close, he felt strangely bound.

But pushing away an Esper who needed his guidance wasn’t an option.

He closed his eyes first.

Their lips met, and as their mouths opened, their warm breaths mingled.

“Ugh…”

The moment their tongues touched, an icy sensation surged inside him, like an avalanche of cold pouring into his stomach.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, I… it’s okay. Just… faster…”

“Alright.”

The sensation of freezing from the inside out was so intense that his body shook involuntarily.

Seeing this, Elliot asked, concerned, but he was fine.

When he tentatively reached his tongue out first, Elliot smiled and leaned closer.

The process felt familiar, despite the pain like ice seeping through every inch of his body.

But Elliot held him firmly, allowing him to focus entirely on the guiding.

The real problem came unexpectedly—after the guiding ended.

He felt a wave of relief, thinking he’d managed to stay focused till the end, but then, shockingly, Elliot opened himself fully, letting a torrent of unexpected feelings flood into him.

The emotions felt seductive—sweet, warm, and dazzling, as if he were being bathed in radiant colors.

* * *