First of all, if he could offer an excuse?
Asher hadn’t planned for this. He really hadn’t.
Of course, after seeing Suhyeon—who usually reacted indifferently to everything—rush over to that annoying blue-eyed Shin Hajin just because he saw a scratch on his face, Asher had planned to get hurt himself.
Or at least do something to earn some sympathy.
But it wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Meaning, he never intended to let his guiding levels drop so recklessly that he’d collapse right in front of Suhyeon.
Since nearly going into a full rampage as a child, Asher was an Esper who acted more sensitive than anyone when it came to guiding. In fact, his sensory perception was incredibly acute.
The pain that gnaws away at one’s sanity as guiding levels drop—Asher Delveron loathed that feeling more than anything else.
He thought he’d be fine.
Even though his levels had dropped to 50% after closing the gate, today was officially the last day he could spend time with Suhyeon.
Asher himself wasn’t quite sure when he had started genuinely enjoying training this light-brown, squirrel-like man whom he’d originally approached just because he was captivated by his guiding scent.
The point was, Shin Hajin wasn’t the type of person to fall for the same trick twice.
Asher knew that after today, it would be extremely difficult to manufacture more time where he could meet Suhyeon regularly without interference.
His plan was simple: finish the training quickly, and since it was the last day, flirt with Suhyeon properly regardless of whether Shin Hajin was there or not.
He hoped Suhyeon might reciprocate—though the odds were low—and then immediately meet Lee Jaeram or someone else to top up his guiding.
He never expected his levels to plummet so instantaneously.
Usually, he wouldn’t have taken such a risk, but he just didn’t want to lose a single minute of the time he could see Suhyeon.
“……Ah, dammit.”
Asher detected the anomaly just as Suhyeon entered the simulation.
Stumbling and then collapsing onto the floor, Asher cursed through furrowed brows.
His vision was entirely red.
A pain as if someone were slowly chewing on his entire body surged through him.
His abilities, which usually obeyed his will, leaked out and crackled violently.
‘This is… a bit dangerous.’
—……sher, Asher!
—The ward…… sher!
A light-brown afterimage filled his blurry vision.
It seemed a pleasant voice had called his name.
And the next moment, when he regained consciousness, Asher thought he had gone mad.
A blue sky that shouldn’t be visible inside a training hall.
Beneath it stretched a meadow swaying gently in the breeze.
White wildflowers were in full bloom, and he was lying buried among them.
No, that wasn’t right. Blinking foolishly, he saw Suhyeon panting with a hand on his shoulder.
The vast training hall was filled with a sweet scent.
What he’d seen earlier was a hallucination sparked purely by his own senses reacting to the guiding.
His green eyes, brilliant with light, shook as they stared blankly into the air.
A serene peace settled over his entire body.
It was a tranquility he had never experienced before.
No matter how much guiding he had received, no matter how strong the guide was, no one had ever given him this sensation.
It was so peaceful and quiet that he felt he could do anything without needing anything in return.
It was sweet.
Intoxicated by this drug-like sensation, Asher didn’t see Hajin approaching, nor did he see Suhyeon stumble from exhaustion and collapse into Hajin’s arms.
BOOM!!!!!
Asher’s eyes, which had been blinking like a fool, snapped open when a fireball struck the wall he was leaning against, causing a thunderous roar.
Survival instincts rang an alarm through his chills, and his body moved reflexively.
Whoosh! Crackle!!!
Blue and purple lights tangled, creating explosions of various sizes.
Perhaps because he was moving while not fully conscious, the flames he failed to block poured over him.
As he narrowly twisted his body to avoid the remaining attacks, Shin Hajin’s face was suddenly thrust right in front of him.
“Oops.”
Feeling a bead of cold sweat roll down his spine, Asher lurched backward.
Shin Hajin’s expressionless, statue-like face wasn’t much different from usual.
But his eyes—those blue eyes that didn’t look human were shimmering with murderous intent.
It was an expression Asher had never seen directed at him, despite their relationship being something akin to colleagues.
Sharp blue light erupted into the air once more, surging forward as if to swallow him whole.
Zzzzzzt!!!
But this time, Asher didn’t fail.
With his abilities pulled to the surface in peak condition, he was confident he could block whatever Hajin threw at him.
……Though it was true he was in the wrong.
Asher wasn’t ignorant of why Shin Hajin was this angry.
He had a conscience.
Suhyeon had almost been in danger.
Of course, the President or the Espers watching from afar would have restrained him first, but his sanity could have snapped regardless.
If it were the man in front of him, Shin Hajin—who was used to maintaining low levels—it might be different, but not for Asher.
He knew himself well. 40% was dangerous enough, but he had hit the 30% range as an S-class Esper.
It was a level where most guides wouldn’t have even dared to attempt guiding.
It wouldn’t be strange if Suhyeon declared he never wanted to see him again.
……Of course, that would make him very sad, and he didn’t think he’d just let that happen.
Fwoosh—!!!
“Whoa, crazy!”
Taking advantage of the split second Asher’s concentration wavered, a fireball flew toward his neck.
He dodged it by snapping his head back at the last moment, but what awaited the twisting Asher was Hajin’s fist.
He didn’t even have time to dodge.
CRACK!!!!!!
A clear sound, like a bone breaking, echoed.
Asher, knocked backward, sprawled onto the floor.
Hajin stared down at him with chilling eyes for a long time, then—
“……Ugh,”
As Suhyeon tossed and turned in his sleep, Hajin whipped around.
Throwing his gloves on the floor as if he’d touched something filthy, Hajin picked up Suhyeon and vanished.
A hollow sound escaped Asher’s mouth as he watched them go.
“Ugh,”
He’d been hit so hard he had to cover his face.
That son of a bitch, Shin Hajin; Asher could feel his handsome face swelling up without even looking.
“Ha, hahaha.”
But after a moment, Asher dropped his arms limply to the floor and began to laugh like a madman.
The refreshing feeling and sweet guiding surging through his body would make anyone laugh like that.
“Asher.”
That laughter didn’t disappear even as he was harshly scolded by the President and returned home alone.
Slumping onto his sofa, Asher covered his eyes with his arm.
With his vision darkened, he felt as if he could still sense Suhyeon’s guiding scent like a hallucination.
If he could hold Suhyeon in his arms and crave and take that scent whenever he wanted… if he could consume Suhyeon.
He suddenly felt a heaviness in his groin.
“Now I really can’t give up on you, Suhyeon.”
After a long while, his arm moved, revealing green eyes shimmering fiercely.
The sensation he’d experienced hadn’t vanished; it had taken root in Asher Delveron’s soul like a brand.
“……I…….”
Suhyeon woke up to the sound of someone murmuring.
But before he could blink and get his blurry vision to focus, he froze.
“……Hajin?”
Suhyeon was lying on Hajin’s bed.
That much was normal, but Hajin was pinned on top of him, looking down.
Their faces were too close the moment he woke up.
More than that, the blue eyes looking down at him were flickering with a dangerous light.
His own reflection was clearly visible in those trembling, round pupils.
He didn’t think he’d done anything wrong, but he felt as if he had.
Hajin’s face just before he fell asleep had looked ominous.
Was Asher okay?
“Suhyeon.”
Noticing the mood, Suhyeon tried to shimmy backward, flinching as he did.
“……Y-yes.”
He stammered involuntarily at the call, which was in a voice deeper than usual.
Hajin sighed and loomed over Suhyeon, who was as tense as a small animal facing a predator.
With their legs entwined and bodies overlapping, Hajin’s solid arms locked around Suhyeon’s body.
“You’re my dedicated guide, Suhyeon.”
The movement wasn’t much different from Hajin’s usual behavior—he was almost always stuck to Suhyeon—but the voice scratching out of his throat was rough.
Clear possessiveness and obsession shimmered in his tone.
He had felt it almost every day since starting training with Asher Delveron, but today was different.
It felt like Hajin would explode at the slightest touch.
“Um.” Suhyeon hesitated, uncharacteristically.
There wasn’t exactly a rule saying a dedicated guide couldn’t guide other Espers, and guiding Asher had been a real, honest emergency.
If he hadn’t done it, Suhyeon himself might have been in danger, so technically he hadn’t done anything wrong, right?
“You did something wrong, didn’t you?”
Noticing Suhyeon’s eyes darting around, Hajin sat up slightly to look down at him with a predatory gaze.
Fearing that saying “no” would cause Hajin to explode in a different way, Suhyeon decided to just nod quietly.
“Then today, you’re going to do exactly as I say.”
By the time Suhyeon realized something was very wrong from the fierce smile Hajin wore, it was already too late.
Not long after, Suhyeon was tied up.
