* * *
Noticing the unusual change in expression, Kang Taewon furrowed his own brows and pulled out his beeper, which had also started vibrating.
The moment he read the contents, his face contorted like a beast.
“…An S-class Gate just opened? Fucking hell. What kind of bullshit is this? We just had a Red Gate a few weeks ago, and now S-class?!”
With Kang Taewon radiating barely restrained fury, Kim Sungchan glanced at the two warily.
When he pulled out his own device with the hand not used for treatment, he too had received the same call.
[An S-class Gate of unknown attribute has appeared in the Incheon region. All Espers nearby are to report immediately.]
Kim Sungchan looked just as baffled.
A Gate appearing without any warning again—thankfully it wasn’t another Red Gate, but it was still an S-class.
That didn’t make it much better.
“This fucking shit… Ugh. An S-class Gate with unknown attributes means the whole team’s getting called in. And it’s not even a Red Gate, so we’ll be stuck inside for god knows how many days. Fuck!”
Kang Taewon’s eyes shifted to Go Yeonwoo.
As long as it wasn’t a Red Gate with monsters spilling outside, they’d have to go inside the Gate to clear it.
The higher the rank, the longer it would take.
The thought of having to leave Go Yeonwoo alone—especially when his body was already overloaded and barely holding together—was infuriating.
If something happened while they were gone, even briefly…
“Fucking hell… And I’m here stressing over some dumb fuck like a goddamn cunt.”
Kang Taewon felt disgusted with himself—terrified that some pathetic little fucktoy might die.
It was humiliating to feel this way.
Why the hell did he have to awaken as an Esper who couldn’t live without a Guide, only to end up in this kind of shit?
Rage flooded his vision red.
“…Damn it. This is pissing me off.”
Han Jihyuk let out a sharp breath and looked at Go Yeonwoo.
Past Kim Sungchan, who seemed hesitant, he could see Yeonwoo lying on the bed.
His complexion was terrible.
Go Yeonwoo’s body was slowly wasting away, and it got under Han Jihyuk’s skin.
He’d thought it would be fine—Yeonwoo may have awakened as a Guide, but his body was still that of an Esper.
So he hadn’t held back using him as a damn cunt battery.
He was planning to keep Go Yeonwoo permanently underground—both as punishment for killing Woo Jiyoo, and as his own personal guiding tool and fuckhole.
And yet now, it looked like even that might not be possible.
The thought made him increasingly irritable.
His emotions were harder to control than usual, and it soured his mood even more.
Despite the oppressive tension between the other two, Kim Sungchan still hadn’t removed his hand from Yeonwoo.
He’d slowed the treatment down, sure, but Han Jihyuk couldn’t be unaware that today’s session was already long over.
Under normal circumstances, he would’ve pulled away by now.
But maybe, in this situation, he could get away with staying a little longer.
Anyone watching would think he had a death wish, but Kim Sungchan decided to take the risk.
He had to go into the Gate like the others anyway—so he figured he might as well indulge in Go Yeonwoo’s exquisite guiding while he could.
Who knew when he’d get the chance again?
As Kim Sungchan exhaled with barely contained excitement and gently rubbed his hand over Yeonwoo’s chest—
BANG!
The door burst open as if it were about to explode off its hinges.
Shin Heesung stormed in and, without hesitation, hurled Kim Sungchan aside and wrapped his arms around Go Yeonwoo.
“Ugh!”
Kim Sungchan groaned in pain as he crashed into the wall.
Meanwhile, Shin Heesung whispered something into Yeonwoo’s ear.
“I’m not going. I’m not going. I’m not leaving my cunt behind…”
His repeated whispers were deranged, and Go Yeonwoo’s brows drew together in irritation as he twisted his body.
“Let go! What the hell are you doing barging in and freaking out like this?! So annoying.”
“I’m not going. Go Yeonwoo, I’m not going.”
“Go or don’t—I don’t give a shit, so just shut up and get off me!”
“Okay. I won’t go. Don’t worry.”
“…Crazy bastard.”
Yeonwoo, exasperated, gave up trying to talk and slumped back.
His body clearly wasn’t in good shape—it lacked any energy or strength.
When Shin Heesung hugged him tighter, Yeonwoo immediately flinched again.
“That hurts, Shin Heesung!”
“Okay.”
“Fucking mutt.”
“Woof.”
“…Are you fucking insane?”
With a sigh of disbelief, Yeonwoo gave up trying to reason with him.
Meanwhile, Han Jihyuk approached Kim Sungchan, who was still groaning against the wall.
When he noticed the shadow falling over him, he looked up—and his face paled.
“Wh-what? I just extended the treatment, that’s all! I wasn’t trying anything weird, seriously—”
“How long can he hold out?”
“…Huh?”
“If we go into the Gate, how long can Go Yeonwoo survive without guiding?”
“You mean… how many days he can last without guiding at all…?”
Han Jihyuk didn’t respond, only stared coldly down at him.
The look was so frigid it made Sungchan swallow hard before finally answering slowly.
“I-I can’t say for sure, but… if it goes past five days, his body might… it might rupture…”
“Come again? His body would rupture? Should I rupture yours instead?”
“C-can’t breathe—urk!”
Before he could finish his sentence, Kang Taewon had grabbed him by the collar and lifted him into the air.
Normally, Han Jihyuk would’ve stopped him, but this time, he stood silent—lost in thought.
Five days.
An average S-class Gate took about a week to clear at best.
Technically, if they pushed themselves nonstop, they could clear it in under five days…
But the fact that the Gate’s attribute couldn’t be identified bothered him.
There were too many unpredictable variables.
Even someone like Han Jihyuk couldn’t guarantee how it would go.
If he miscalculated and the mission went longer than five days…
His eyes turned toward Go Yeonwoo, still wrapped in Shin Heesung’s arms.
His complexion was pale, his weak, trembling body painfully fragile.
Still staring at him, Han Jihyuk finally took out his phone when it buzzed again.
Just as expected—it was Lee Dohoon.
He must’ve been summoned too and immediately realized the mess they were in.
When Han Jihyuk answered, Lee Dohoon’s voice came through.
[So, what’s the plan? I assume Kim Sungchan got summoned too?]
“Yeah. He said the max Yeonwoo can hold out without guiding is five days.”
[…Five days is cutting it close. We could make it if we push hard, but S-class Gates are so unpredictable.]
“Exactly. That’s why I’m still deciding—whether to bring him or not.”
[I’d rather bring another esper and stick them next to Yeonwoo… No, that won’t work either. Even a sane bastard would start panting like a pervert after just one round of guiding from our Yeonwoo, huh? Of course it wouldn’t work. No damn way.]
The smooth voice coming through the phone carried an eerie chill.
[What kind of insane whorehouse did you even find, suggesting we share him…? I must be out of my mind.]
Kim Sungchan had proposed sharing Go Yeonwoo with other espers as a solution, but not a single one of them agreed.
They were all fixated on settling it among the four of them—even if it meant putting Yeonwoo in danger.
There wasn’t a single esper out there who’d willingly hand over their guide to someone else.
[From what I can see, Jihyuk’s already decided to take you with him, hasn’t he? Or am I wrong?]
“Frankly, that’s the better option.”
* * *
