* * *
“Haa… Huff…”
Haebom panted roughly.
His urgency made the building seem farther away than it actually was.
Even after reaching it, he hesitated in front of the elevator.
It had stopped—probably because Hyunjoon’s rampage had damaged the power systems.
He had no choice but to run up the emergency stairs.
“Ugh, ngh… I’ll pass out before I even see Wonho…”
His terrible stamina struck again.
Despite exercising regularly, his endurance never improved.
Finally making it up, Haebom reached the corridor where his guide office was located—only to find unfamiliar figures standing outside the familiar door.
“Hello, Guide Yoon Haebom.”
“…Ah, yes. Hello.”
“I’m Im Haejoon, Center security staff. Esper Wonho isn’t in the warning or danger stage, so we’ve moved him to the guide office. We’re just on standby in case anything happens.”
A question seemed to flash across Haebom’s face—“Who are you?”—prompting Im Haejoon to calmly identify himself as a security officer and offer a composed explanation.
Though his demeanor was meant to be reassuring, it only made Haebom feel more urgent.
‘Why is he blocking me when every second counts?’
His brow furrowed sharply.
“There’s no need to worry. If you need assistance, just press the button—I’ll come in immediately. As I mentioned before, we’re not at a rampage warning or danger level. The readings are high, but still…”
As Haebom’s face turned pale, Im Haejoon began speaking a little faster, trying to ease his tension.
Still, Haebom’s expression remained frozen as he clutched the button Haejun had handed him.
“Step aside.”
“…Sorry?”
“I said move. I can’t get in and guide Wonho if you don’t. Isn’t your explanation over?”
“Ah…! Yes, of course. You can go in.”
Though Haejun hadn’t done anything wrong, Haebom didn’t appreciate him standing in the way when time was clearly of the essence.
Even though Haebom had never experienced this before, he could guess the level of pain Wonho was enduring—likely unbearable, even if it wasn’t technically a rampage-level situation.
It was irritating how Haejun acted like Wonho was some kind of ticking bomb when he didn’t even understand him.
Haebom brushed past Haejun and opened the door to the guiding room—though not without giving him a sharp glare.
“Ah…!”
“…Guide Yoon Haebom?”
The moment the door opened, Haebom staggered. And no wonder.
His office, which usually felt completely normal, now gave off a sense of vast, consuming emptiness, like a black hole.
It felt as if stepping inside would suck him in.
The energy waves radiating from within stung his skin like static.
“Are you alright?”
Haejun tried to catch Haebom’s swaying body—but he didn’t get the chance.
A hand shot out from the darkness of the office and yanked Haebom inside before Haejun could touch him.
It was like being pulled into an actual black hole.
SLAM!
Just as the door slammed shut, Haebom caught sight of Haejun waving his hand—whether it was a goodbye or a signal to press the button was unclear.
Haebom glanced at the button in his hand, wondering if he’d actually need to use it.
“…Bom. Yoon Haebom. Why are you looking somewhere else?”
Wonho’s low growl cut through the air as Haebom looked at the button instead of him.
‘Is he seriously jealous at a time like this?’
Haebom let out a brief, amused huff despite the oppressive energy waves and the heat radiating from Wonho behind him.
It wasn’t a situation fit for laughter, but he laughed anyway.
“Ugh… Haah… Yoon Haebom, Haebom-ah. Why did you take so long? I’ve been waiting…”
“Ah! Wonho, wait—loosen up a bit, okay? Hey…!”
Wonho let out a pained groan, and Haebom turned, preparing to begin guiding in earnest.
But the moment he shifted, Wonho must’ve thought he was leaving—he wrapped an arm tightly around Haebom’s waist and pulled him close.
The force was so strong it felt like his organs were being squeezed.
But Haebom couldn’t give up here.
He couldn’t guide properly in this awkward, standing embrace.
And even if he could, it wouldn’t be enough.
The more he twisted, the tighter Wonho’s grip on his waist became.
Eventually, Haebom let out a strained gasp.
“…Does it hurt?”
As soon as he heard the sound, Wonho released the pressure.
Haebom seized the opportunity to loosen his arm and turn around, moving quickly before Wonho could react.
“Stay still. Wonho, open your mouth—good. Just like that. Stay right there.”
“…What are you….”
Wonho tried to ask what he was doing, but Haebom interrupted before he could finish.
What came out of Haebom’s small, plump lips was enough to leave Wonho dumbfounded.
The fact that Wonho had even managed to stay conscious and coherent this long was a miracle.
Anyone else with readings this high would have long since passed into a full-blown rampage.
But Wonho had been suppressing his energy relentlessly, clinging to his sanity just to avoid losing control.
With Haebom—the only one who could bring him peace—standing right in front of him, holding back was harder than anything he’d ever done.
If he lost his grip now, Haebom could get hurt.
That was the one thing he couldn’t allow.
But Haebom, completely unaware of how close Wonho was to the edge, leaned in and pressed his lips to Wonho’s parted mouth.
Wonho had been trying to wait until the guiding drugs he’d taken kicked in—but the moment Haebom’s lips touched his, a rush of sweet guiding energy flowed in.
He clenched his fists.
Waiting was no longer an option.
He scooped Haebom up and headed for the bed.
Haebom didn’t resist—he slipped his tongue into Wonho’s mouth and began stimulating the inner membrane.
“Nh, mmph…!”
Haebom had started the kiss, but it quickly flipped—he no longer felt in control.
With how strongly Wonho was sucking, it almost felt like his tongue would be pulled right out.
But Haebom didn’t pull away.
As Wonho sucked and explored his mouth, his hands moved fast, tearing off Haebom’s clothes—not undressing, but ripping.
The uniform was made from a fabric that wasn’t easy to tear, but it still ended up shredded on the floor, leaving only his underwear.
Wonho ran his hands all over Haebom’s body, as if licking him with his fingers.
Everywhere his hot palms touched, Haebom’s body jolted in reaction.
“Ah! I—I can’t breathe…! Mmph…!”
Haebom tried to push him away to catch his breath, and only then did Wonho pull back just enough for him to breathe.
But as soon as Haebom inhaled and exhaled, Wonho’s lips returned.
Haebom knew Wonho was pretending to be okay when he clearly wasn’t.
The evidence was everywhere: his hair, now stark white, and the wild energy radiating from his body.
If Haebom hadn’t been there, that energy would’ve soon solidified into uncontrolled power.
Wonho’s warped waves would have frozen his own body first, then the room, and eventually the entire center.
No one knew how far the devastation of a rampaging S-rank Esper could go—because it had never happened before.
Even the recent Na Hyunjoon rampage might have ended much worse if not for Wonho.
He’d suppressed Hyunjoon’s out-of-control wave before it erupted into flames.
“Ah—! Wh-Why are you touching me there…!”
“Don’t think about anything else. It pisses me off. Just think about me.”
Haebom yelped from the sudden pain, his body arching instinctively.
Wonho had twisted his nipple, frustrated that Haebom’s mind had drifted elsewhere—even briefly.
It wasn’t that Haebom wasn’t focused on the kiss, but he couldn’t help it; Wonho’s overwhelming energy made it hard to think of anything else.
“Nh, haah…!”
* * *
