* * *
Clatter.
Tremble, tremble.
Haebom stared silently at the violently shaking table.
After Wonho had stormed out of the matching rate testing room, Haebom encountered him again when he followed Jin Seyoung to his lab.
Despite making such a dramatic exit, Wonho hadn’t gone anywhere.
Seeing him sitting quietly in the lab almost made Haebom laugh, but he barely held it in.
And now, Wonho was bouncing his leg like there was an earthquake beneath them.
“Can you sit still? You’re making me dizzy.”
Jin Seyoung, unable to tolerate it any longer, finally spoke up.
Only then did Wonho’s trembling leg come to a halt.
He glanced down at his own leg, which had been shaking uncontrollably, then looked up—only to meet Haebom’s gaze.
In that moment, thud!
Wonho shot up from his seat, making a loud noise.
Unlike the heavy sofa from earlier, the lab chair toppled over pitifully onto the floor.
“Wonho! Ugh, whatever. The results are out anyway, so just listen, sign the contract, and get out of here.”
“…Okay.”
Jin Seyoung’s expression, which had been crumpled with frustration over Wonho’s erratic behavior, brightened the moment he looked at the printed test results.
If Haebom had to guess, the results must be really good.
What was Wonho’s matching rate with the female lead, Choi Yoonseo, again…?
“Look at this. I knew it would turn out well. Haebom, you see this number, right? It’s not just me, right? It says 99.99%.”
“Huh? 99.99%?”
“No way…!”
Both Haebom and Wonho shouted at the same time when they saw the results Jin Seyoung was holding.
No wonder Jin Seyoung had reacted that way—Haebom had expected a high number, but 99.99%?
That wasn’t a matching rate; it was practically a DNA test result confirming a 100% biological parent-child relationship.
But, of course, this wasn’t a DNA test.
Wonho snatched the results from Jin Seyoung’s hands and checked for himself.
Yet, the number didn’t change—99.99%.
Not only that, but the graphs of his wavelengths also showed signs of stabilizing.
Jin Seyoung took the results back from the visibly shaken Wonho, who was gripping the paper tightly.
When Wonho refused to let go, Seyoung smacked him on the back of his hand, finally making him release the sheet.
“I expected it to be high… but this is so high I don’t even know what to say.”
Sitting down between Wonho and Haebom at the round table, Jin Seyoung placed the test results and the pair contract in front of them.
Normally, they would undergo two weeks of training before signing a contract.
However, due to Haebom’s unique situation and Wonho’s deteriorating condition, they were skipping the training and proceeding directly with the contract.
Jin Seyoung explained everything thoroughly.
She wasn’t hiding anything, surprisingly.
“A unique situation?”
“…I explained it to you before. Did you forget already, Esper Wonho? It’s basic courtesy to remember what people say. But we’ll discuss that later—let’s finalize the pair contract first.”
Jin Seyoung spoke through clenched teeth, making Wonho avert his gaze.
Then, as his eyes met Haebom’s, he flinched again and looked away once more.
Jin Seyoung meticulously went over every clause in the contract.
The most important part?
The salary.
Guides received a fixed salary like public officials, with amounts varying based on their rank.
As an S-rank guide, Haebom’s salary was beyond imagination.
On top of that, he would receive 20% of Wonho’s earnings from entering Gates and dealing with monsters.
Jin Seyoung didn’t know the exact figures, but he assured them it would be a substantial amount.
Unlike guides, Espers didn’t receive a base salary.
They earned money only when they entered Gates or took on field missions.
Instead, their initial contracts came with enormous signing bonuses.
The contract outlined every little detail, and Jin Seyoung made sure not to skip a single point.
“…Wait, we have to live together?”
Haebom had assumed he’d be living alone since the government was creating a new identity for him and covering all his living expenses.
But he had completely forgotten about this part from the novel.
The female lead had moved in with the male lead after becoming his pair guide, essentially setting up a newlywed home near the Center.
Haebom recalled reading that scene and feeling utterly frustrated.
“The pair system requires you to be together 24/7. You can either move into Esper Wonho’s current home, or we can find a new place for the two of you. What do you prefer?”
Haebom, who hadn’t lived with anyone since middle school, could only blink in confusion.
The homeowner—the one who actually had a place to live—wasn’t saying anything, just frowning.
Technically, Haebom was the one who was homeless, so he figured he should go along with whatever the homeowner wanted.
If he asked for a separate place, Jin Seyoung would probably agree, but Wonho wouldn’t be happy about it.
After all, the one he had to live with wasn’t Jin Seyoung—it was Wonho.
So Haebom turned to look at him.
Wonho, still silent, furrowed his brows and kept glaring at the contract.
Jin Seyoung nudged him, and only then did he rummage through his pocket and pull out a keycard.
“Great. Haebom will move into Esper Wonho’s home. Now, you both just need to sign here.”
Haebom glanced at the designated spot.
Under ‘Guide: Yoon Haebom’, he was supposed to sign.
The Esper section contained Wonho’s name, ID number, phone number, and other personal details.
In contrast, Haebom’s section had nothing but his name.
His identity would take two days to be processed.
Without it, he had no phone number, no home address—nothing.
At least once he moved in with Wonho, he’d have an address.
“…I sign here?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Haebom knew he shouldn’t sign contracts so casually.
But right now, he had no choice.
Since he was going to be a guide anyway, he might as well help the Sub Male Protagonist survive.
Besides, he’d get a house and money out of it.
As he thought about that, another thought crossed his mind—maybe he didn’t have to go back.
Not that there was much waiting for him there anyway.
‘Not much? I worked hard to get that one-room apartment!’
He recalled the tiny apartment he had secured with the money he painstakingly saved through hard work.
Moving from a monthly rental to a lease had been far more difficult than he had imagined.
Finding a job as a minor had been even harder.
Remembering all of that made him long to return to his home.
Moreover, there was no guarantee he could live in this novel’s world forever.
Just as he had suddenly arrived, he could just as suddenly return.
Even Haebom had no way of knowing what would happen.
“Well, since the contract is official now, you two should talk. I’ll go submit the paperwork. Neither of you should go anywhere. Especially you, Esper Wonho—you’re living together as a pair starting today, so don’t even think about running away. You must talk! Got it?”
“…Yeah… Wait, what? Starting today? I—hold on…!”
Haebom called out desperately, but Jin Seyoung left without looking back.
In the end, Haebom was left alone with Wonho, and he felt more than a little burdened.
Actually, he felt extremely burdened.
* * *
