* * *
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“What difference would it make if I did?”
Siwoo replied bluntly to Raon’s grumbling question.
He had a point, but it didn’t feel good to hear it.
Ah, this is so T of him. Raon shook his head in mild exasperation and sighed.
“Come on, would it kill you to just play along a little?”
Of course, Raon wasn’t being entirely serious.
Siwoo seemed angrier than expected, so he was just trying to lighten the mood.
But Siwoo’s cold response made him feel even more pitiful, especially while injured.
“Huh?”
Raon hadn’t planned to keep whining for long, but Siwoo suddenly came to a halt.
Raon looked up at him, startled. Siwoo’s face was stiff and serious.
‘Did I push him too far?’
Worried, Raon carefully read Siwoo’s expression.
“Um…”
“…Ho.”
“…!”
Instead of scolding him, Siwoo carefully lifted Raon’s injured arm and gently blew on it.
Raon stared in surprise.
Seeing Siwoo’s unnecessarily serious expression, Raon couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
His face remained composed as usual, but his ears were turning bright red again, making it hard for Raon to suppress his amusement.
“You… pfft.”
“I’m not doing it anymore.”
“Wait—pfft—hold on. It really feels better, though.”
As Siwoo turned his head away like he was sulking, Raon quickly raised his hand to soothe him, but the pain made him wince again.
“Ouch.”
“See? That’s why I said I wouldn’t.”
Frustrated, Siwoo adjusted his hold on Raon and started running again.
The scenery blurred once more from the speed.
“It’s not like I’m seriously injured.”
“Just stay still.”
Though his wrist still throbbed a bit, it was nothing that couldn’t be fixed with some ointment and a few days of rest.
But seeing Siwoo panic like this, much like he did when Raon had been slapped by Myunghoon, made Raon feel oddly touched.
Even for a pair-bonded Guide, it was rare to be treated like a fragile porcelain doll.
Maybe it was because Siwoo was still young and kind.
He was certainly different from other Espers in many ways.
Not that Raon minded.
In fact, the corners of his mouth kept curling up into a smile.
Before long, they arrived at the infirmary.
Thankfully, since it was daytime, the military healer Espers were present, and Raon was able to receive treatment immediately.
“You’ve been getting injured quite a lot lately, Guide Han Raon.”
“Haha, I guess so.”
Raon sat tensely as the Esper examined him.
As Korea’s only S-class Guide, Raon was considered precious, so even minor injuries often led to probing questions.
Just like with the incident involving Myunghoon, even if Raon told the truth, the higher-ups usually smoothed things over.
So he played it vague. But the military healers, accustomed to dealing with patients, could easily tell whether an injury was from an accident or something else.
Raon couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“I’ll let it go this time, but if something like this happens again, I’ll have no choice but to report it to the Director.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Military healer and B-class Esper Lee Heesung warned him sternly.
Raon quickly bowed his head and expressed his thanks.
Heesung studied Raon for a moment.
Since Raon rarely went on missions or participated seriously in training, they didn’t often cross paths.
But Heesung had heard plenty of rumors—most of them unfavorable.
Yet in person, Raon seemed extremely polite and reasonable—so much so that Heesung had initially wondered if he’d mistaken his identity.
And after Raon’s remarkable achievements at the recent Irregular Gate incident, public opinion about him had begun to shift.
No matter how much people nitpicked, an S-class Guide was still different.
Heesung’s gaze swept over Raon’s face.
Now that he looked properly, Raon wasn’t bad-looking.
No, setting aside gender, he was actually quite attractive.
There were even rumors that a new team centered around Raon would be formed for future Irregular Gates.
Since healer Espers were rare, even a B-class like him might have a chance to be assigned directly to Raon’s team.
Guides tended to get injured easily, after all.
“Um, Guide Han Raon.”
“Yes?”
“I heard you’re forming a new team… Would you happen to need a military healer?”
“Hm.”
Raon was momentarily at a loss for words at Heesung’s sudden question.
Since guides are prone to injuries during battle, it was common practice to bring a healer esper along when entering a gate.
Raon had, of course, considered that as well — and already had someone in mind.
‘That someone being Park Dasom.’
Park Dasom, who had a high probability of reawakening as an S-rank healer esper in the next gate, was slated to become the guide team’s exclusive medical officer.
Because of that, Raon hadn’t planned to assign a military doctor to the guide team this time.
If Park Dasom were to awaken soon, it would only be awkward to bring someone else in temporarily, only to dismiss them later.
“Well, my paired esper is very skilled, so…”
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to give it some thought?”
“Haha, well…”
But Heesung was more persistent than expected.
Raon, flustered, tried to pull his arm free from Heesung’s grip.
Though it was just a minor bruise, he had kept his arm immobilized during treatment just in case.
Yet, even as a B-rank, an esper’s strength was nothing to scoff at.
As Raon struggled awkwardly, Heesung leaned in even closer.
And at that moment—
‘Thud.’
“I believe the treatment is over.”
Siwoo, who had been observing from behind, slammed his hand onto the table.
He didn’t seem to have used much force, but being an S-rank esper, the table shook violently.
Heesung cleared his throat and let go of Raon’s arm.
“Ahem, my apologies, Guide Han Raon.”
“It’s fine. If necessary, I’ll make a request through the Center.”
“Yes.”
There was no need to make an enemy out of a military doctor unnecessarily, so Raon answered with a polite smile.
It was a purely professional response.
“Let’s go, Siwoo.”
“…Yes.”
“…?”
However, when they stood up, Raon noticed how tense Siwoo’s face had become.
Puzzled, Raon left the infirmary together with him.
“The mission’s over, right? Shall we head to the guiding room?”
“Hyung.”
“Hmm?”
Raon flinched at Siwoo’s low voice and glanced at him nervously, feeling like he’d done something wrong.
“What is it?”
“…Are you planning to bring that military doctor onto the team?”
“No? I was just being polite.”
Raon quickly answered, afraid Siwoo might misunderstand.
At that, Siwoo’s stern expression softened slightly.
“Then why didn’t you just refuse clearly? Why leave it ambiguous?”
“Well, it’s hard to say something like that to someone’s face. And I’m sure he understood.”
“Still…”
Grumbling, Siwoo grabbed Raon’s arm — the same arm Heesung had just held.
Raon blinked at Siwoo, who still seemed unsatisfied.
‘So cute… seriously.’
Even when Siwoo blew on his injury earlier, Raon had already felt in danger.
But seeing him act jealous toward another esper made it even more precarious.
Raon placed his hand over the back of Siwoo’s.
“My Siwoo, were you jealous?”
“I wasn’t.”
“Even though we’re paired, you’re still jealous?”
“I said I wasn’t.”
Siwoo shook his head desperately, but his ears had already turned bright red, undermining his denial.
“Really?”
“…Ugh.”
When Raon leaned in even closer to ask, Siwoo flinched.
His dark eyes sank deeply as Raon whispered in a teasing tone.
“Shall we go to the guiding room now?”
“….”
Siwoo gave a heavy nod.
“Ah!”
As soon as the door swung open, Raon’s back hit the wall.
Luckily, Siwoo’s arm cushioned him, so it didn’t hurt, but the sudden movement made him let out a startled gasp.
“Mm.”
Siwoo, covering Raon’s lips with his own, seemed far more desperate than usual.
Raon reached up, wrapping his arms around Siwoo’s neck.
“Ha… mm.”
Their lips locked, and Siwoo sucked persistently at Raon’s mouth.
Not long ago, even kissing had made him flustered and unsure of what to do, but now all that awkwardness was gone.
Siwoo’s hot tongue slid between Raon’s lips, sweeping his mouth thoroughly.
He still had the habit of nibbling lightly, never pausing for a moment as he explored Raon’s mouth.
“Ha… mm, wait.”
“No.”
“Mmgh.”
The guiding room they entered was meant for contact guiding and light mucosal guiding.
These days, unless it was an emergency or the Center specifically requested it, deep guiding was rarely performed.
But Siwoo was far more aroused than expected, and as they kissed, their legs continuously pressed into each other in awkward places.
Raon, too, found it difficult to restrain himself.
‘Ah, screw it.’
Half giving up, Raon pulled Siwoo’s neck in tighter.
If the Center found out, he’d just have to endure some nagging from Seokhyeon.
“Mm… ah.”
“Haa…”
As they lost themselves in the kiss, Raon’s watch suddenly beeped loudly.
* * *
