* * *
Haebom didn’t know exactly what would happen if Wonho received even a little bit of guiding from him, but what he did know was that Wonho had been avoiding it—making things unnecessarily difficult for him.
Over the past week that Wonho had refused guiding, his hair had gradually turned gray, and just yesterday, it had started looking almost white.
Though, to be fair, he wasn’t sure if he had seen it clearly, considering he had been drunk.
But this morning, his hair was almost black again.
In the novel, Wonho’s white hair had been his signature, but knowing now that it was a result of his suffering made Haebom see it differently.
Honestly, black suited him way better anyway…
Shaking off his pointless thoughts, Haebom tried to ignore the sting in his thighs, his swollen lips, and even the faint bite marks on his neck.
But the more he tried to ignore them, the more they stood out for some reason.
He even squeezed his eyes shut to block them out.
However, once he stepped out of the bathroom, avoidance was no longer an option.
He pulled out the emergency medical kit Jin Seyoung had given him and searched for some ointment.
What kind of ointment was he supposed to apply on bites and friction burns on his thighs?
Sniffling, he mumbled to himself while dabbing on the ointment.
He was doing everything alone—drumming and dancing to his own misery, trying to forget his embarrassment.
“Phew…”
Once he finished applying the ointment, he forced himself into some clothes and stepped outside, where the cold air brushed against his cheeks.
The chill helped clear his head, if only a little.
Haebom had to sniffle all the way to the center.
He wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold or because he just felt like crying.
But at least… he had guided him.
Stopping by the café inside the center building, Haebom ordered coffee for Jin Seyoung and his team members, along with a strawberry juice for himself.
He balanced the five cups in both hands and made his way to the lab.
After coming here so often over the past week, he had naturally learned everyone’s drink preferences.
Yet, he hadn’t even shared so much as a single cup of water with his own Pair, Wonho.
“You’re here?”
The moment he stepped inside, Jin Seyoung greeted him with a bright smile.
Well, Seyoung and the team were always welcoming whenever he visited, but today, it felt excessive.
Seeing Seyoung’s unusually bright smile, Haebom flinched and instinctively took a step back.
In response, Seyoung grabbed his arm, tugged him inside, and shut the door behind him.
Haebom’s eyes darted around nervously.
“You brought coffee? Thanks. I actually got something for you too.”
“For me? What is it?”
Haebom tilted his head, but Seyoung only chuckled without answering.
Instead, he guided Haebom to his designated chair and placed a heavy plastic bag on the table in front of him.
It didn’t take long for Haebom to realize what was inside.
“I heard you drank yesterday, so I ordered some hangover soup. It just arrived right before you came, so it should still be warm.”
Inside the bag was a rich-smelling bowl of hangover soup. Seyoung explained that he wasn’t sure what Haebom liked, but since he usually ate meat, he went with bone hangover soup.
He hadn’t even noticed he was hungry, but the moment he smelled the food, the emptiness in his stomach became painfully obvious.
Thinking back, the only thing he had consumed yesterday was that alcohol.
Skipping dinner and going straight to sleep—it was strange that he wasn’t starving sooner.
The sound of him swallowing his saliva must have been obvious because Seyoung let out a quiet chuckle.
“Ahem, eat up before it gets cold.”
When Haebom shot him a glare, Seyoung finally tried to stifle his laughter, though the attempt wasn’t very convincing.
Sighing softly, Haebom gave in and started eating the soup Seyoung had gotten for him.
The warmth spreading through his body made him feel a little better.
“How did you know I drank?”
“Oh, Wonho came by at dawn. He didn’t leave work yesterday, you know? Anyway, he was so furious about you drinking that he scolded me for giving it to you. I’ve never seen him nag like that before—I thought I was dreaming.”
Seyoung shook his head at the memory.
In the quiet of dawn, a sudden loud bang had jolted him awake as the lab door burst open.
For a moment, he had genuinely thought a monster had broken into the center.
But no, the one who had stormed in wasn’t a monster—it was Wonho, who was just as intimidating.
His face had been dark, but otherwise, his condition seemed a lot better—his hair, too.
That was when Seyoung had realized Haebom had finally succeeded.
But the one who drank had been Haebom?
Well, not that it mattered.
To Seyoung, as long as the two of them got closer, that was all that mattered.
Who drank what wasn’t important.
Sure, Wonho had scolded him about the dangers of giving such a thing to someone who wasn’t an Esper, but Seyoung hadn’t been concerned.
He knew the substance had already been thoroughly tested and that Haebom wouldn’t suffer any dangerous side effects.
“When I ran the status check on him at dawn, his berserk levels had dropped a lot. Good job. Keep it up like that from now on.”
“Cough! Ack! Hhngh…!”
“You okay? Hey, get some tissues over here, quick.”
Hearing those words, Haebom, who had just stuffed a spoonful of soup into his mouth, choked violently.
Coughing and sputtering, he nearly spit out the broth.
A passing researcher quickly handed him some tissues.
His crisp white uniform was already stained red, but that was the least of his worries.
“Geez, you got it all over yourself. Go change—there are plenty of fresh Guide uniforms anyway.”
“…Okay.”
Haebom discreetly glanced at Seyoung, trying to gauge if he knew what had really happened between him and Wonho last night.
But Seyoung’s expression remained unchanged.
If he knew, he would have definitely teased him by now.
Suppressing a laugh, Seyoung barely managed to keep a straight face.
Between Wonho’s stiff reaction when asked about the guiding session and Haebom’s flustered response now, their secret was way too obvious.
Honestly, he had the urge to press for details about what kind of guiding had taken place.
It wasn’t out of a desire to tease, but rather because knowing precisely would help him understand what changes might occur in Wonho’s physical condition moving forward.
Wonho, who suffered from chronic guiding deficiency, of course, needed deep and intense guiding—but what he needed even more was consistent guiding.
Even if it was just light contact.
That was why, when Jin Seyoung first said that Wonho and Choi Yoonseo wouldn’t be forming a pair, he hadn’t interfered.
As long as there was steady contact guiding, Wonho wouldn’t spiral out of control.
Eventually, either Yoonseo would change his mind, or a new guide would appear for Wonho.
He just hadn’t expected it to drag on for a whole year.
“Eat slowly.”
He wanted to discuss Haebom’s guiding moving forward, but if they kept talking in his current state, he might end up with indigestion.
For now, feeding him was the priority.
* * *
