* * *
Every time Haebom moved, Wonho had something to say.
If he didn’t move, that was also a problem.
“…So I work while you just laze around?”
Wonho’s expression hardened, making Haebom flinch.
He hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.
“No, that’s not what I meant… I’m not playing, I’m resting….”
‘Not that I have a choice, thanks to you!’
He swallowed back the complaint.
The only reason he was here in the first place was because he was Wonho’s guide.
Sure, being an S-Class guide held its own value, but his presence at the center was ultimately because of their pairing.
If he weren’t Wonho’s guide, he probably wouldn’t have been accepted so easily.
Instead, he might have continued risking his life diving into gates, searching for a way back to his original world.
That had been his goal—returning home.
But somewhere along the way, he’d gotten too comfortable.
Haebom glanced up at Wonho, who was twitching his eyebrows in annoyance.
This was all his fault.
“So I’m not allowed to rest?”
“No! You should rest too. If you’re going to rest, come lie down. Stop wandering around when you don’t even have anything to do.”
“…If you say it like that, then sure, I’ll lie down.”
Wonho, who had been raising an eyebrow, lowered it and obediently lay down next to Haebom.
He had been coming in and out of Haebom’s room for a while, seemingly waiting to be told to lie down.
Haebom glanced at Wonho lying flat beside him and made eye contact.
His bright red eyes seemed to gleam.
Haebom blinked several times in surprise as Wonho’s face gradually inched closer.
Beep—! Beep—!
“Ahh!”
“…Fuck.”
Startled by the sudden alarm, Haebom let out a yelp, while Wonho cursed under his breath.
He quickly sat up and checked the gear on his wrist, the source of the loud alert.
The alarm’s volume and duration depended on the danger level of the emergency call—it sounded almost like a warning siren.
Of all times, why did a Gate have to open now?
Annoyance flared up inside him.
“W-What…?”
Haebom trembled, startled by both the deafening alarm and how close Wonho had gotten.
He looked at him with wide eyes.
Wonho furrowed his brows but reached out, running a soothing hand down Haebom’s trembling back.
Though he didn’t say anything, it was as if he was telling Haebom it was okay, that he didn’t need to be nervous.
The warmth of Wonho’s touch helped Haebom quickly regain his composure.
“A Gate.”
“…A Gate? So, you have to go now? Do you want a quick guiding session before you head in?”
At the mention of the Gate, Haebom shot up from the bed.
The only Gates he had ever seen were the ones Wonho had completely wiped out, but even that was enough to leave a deep trauma.
His first concern was, of course, Wonho.
He had seen Wonho standing lifelessly inside a Gate before—there was no way he wouldn’t worry.
Wonho silently looked down at Haebom, who was worried about him before anything else.
He wondered if there was anyone else in this world who would put him first in any situation.
Whether it was a Gate opening, a monster appearing, or even an Esper criminal wreaking havoc, no one had ever worried about his well-being.
And yet, his tiny Guide did.
He didn’t know why, but that alone filled him with an unfamiliar sense of gratitude.
“…Hey.”
Just as he was basking in the warmth of Haebom’s concern, Wonho’s face twisted into a scowl—worse than when the Gate alarm had gone off.
Haebom had released his guiding energy.
And it wasn’t just a passive emission.
Haebom wrapped his arms around Wonho’s broad shoulders and channeled his guiding energy directly.
Wonho immediately pulled Haebom away, but despite himself, he couldn’t shake off the slight sense of regret.
“My name is Yoon Haebom. You know that, don’t you?”
Haebom pouted as he spoke, irritated that Wonho had called him “hey” instead of his name.
He was also annoyed that Wonho had pushed him away, which made his expression even sulkier.
“Yeah, Yoon Haebom. Stop guiding. Don’t you even realize your own condition? Who’s worrying about who right now? This is enough. I’ve gone into Gates even when my levels were worse than this.”
“…That’s not a good thing, you know.”
Haebom’s pout deepened.
He didn’t like what Wonho had just said.
The pain must have been unbearable—so bad it felt like dying—yet Wonho spoke about it as if it were nothing.
It had been a choice Wonho made to avoid burdening Choi Yoonseo, whom he liked, but in the end, he couldn’t endure the pain and chose death.
The fact that he had suffered such agonizing pain, yet spoke about it so casually, irritated Haebom.
And the fact that all of this was because Wonho liked Choi Yoonseo… that also annoyed him.
He didn’t even know why.
“Relax your face. I’m really fine. Look at this.”
Wonho showed Haebom the screen on his gear.
Even though he had told Haebom to stop guiding, he had still received a substantial amount.
Plus, having spent the night in the same bed as his highly compatible Guide, his levels were at single digits—something he had never seen since becoming an Esper.
He was in the best condition he had ever been in since his awakening.
He wasn’t sure how to explain that to Haebom, so he simply showed him the numbers.
Even his hair was as black as ink, a sign of perfect stability.
Of course, using his abilities would gradually turn it white again, but as long as Haebom was by his side, he could always return to his natural color.
He hadn’t thought it would matter, but seeing it now, he realized he had missed it.
Haebom had been teaching him a lot about himself.
“That’s a relief. But don’t suffer alone. If you’re in pain, tell me immediately, okay?”
“…Are you asking to have sex?”
“No! That’s not what I meant, you idiot! Just go to the Gate already…! Stop talking nonsense…!”
Haebom had spoken out of pure concern, but Wonho spouted nonsense in return, so Haebom immediately clamped his hands over his mouth.
Just a while ago, Wonho had freaked out over the changes guiding had on his body and ran away, yet now he could say something like that so casually.
If he was going to act like this, he shouldn’t have run away back then.
As Haebom glared at him, Wonho suddenly licked Haebom’s palm.
“Ew! Hey!”
“…I’m going. Stay put at home. And don’t even think about sneaking off to the Center again. It’s an A-rank Gate. It’ll take a while.”
Just as Haebom was about to grab him by the hair, Wonho quickly jumped out of bed.
Haebom scowled, shaking his hands in the air in frustration, but his expression soon turned to worry at the mention of an A-rank Gate.
Wonho ruffled Haebom’s hair.
“Don’t get hurt. Be careful. Avoid danger. Got it?”
Haebom knew it was pointless to say this to an S-rank Esper who fought on the front lines, but he still repeated it over and over.
The only thing that mattered to him was Wonho’s safety.
He didn’t care about anyone else.
Even if it was selfish, it didn’t matter.
Because nothing was more important than Wonho coming back in one piece.
Seeing Wonho in front of him made Haebom realize he needed to find another highly compatible Guide before returning to his original world.
“Did you hear me? Why aren’t you answering?”
“…Yeah. I won’t get hurt, so don’t cause any trouble and stay put, Yoon Haebom.”
He’s the one who always causes trouble—who is he telling to behave?
* * *
Cuties