* * *
“Where did he go?”
“Huh? Wonho didn’t tell you anything yesterday? That bastard… seriously.”
The next day, Haebom headed to the lab, only to be greeted with a bombshell from Jin Seyoung.
He had been searching for Wonho all morning, feeling guilty about yesterday’s incident, but the man was nowhere to be found.
When he checked his tracking device, it wasn’t working.
Panicked, he had rushed straight to the lab without even stopping by the Guide Center.
His tracking gear was probably malfunctioning… but that wasn’t the real shocker.
Wonho had entered a Gate at dawn.
Every Esper with a Pair was required to inform their Guide before heading to the field, especially when entering a Gate.
They had been paired for over a week, but because of Wonho’s disciplinary status, he hadn’t been allowed inside a Gate until now.
Haebom had let his guard down, assuming it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.
“…Is Wonho even okay in there?”
His words carried a deeper meaning.
For one, Wonho had once entered a Gate intending to end his own life.
Even if he no longer seemed suicidal, Haebom couldn’t be certain.
After all, Wonho no longer had to worry about making Choi Yoonseo cry because of him… but still, there was always a chance.
The second issue was Wonho’s condition.
Even though he had been receiving guidance from Haebom, it was only through radiation guiding.
Sure, last night they had done physical guiding, but that was a first.
Wonho’s state could deteriorate at any moment.
Even Jin Seyoung had recommended daily guidance, even if only for short periods.
The Guide Center was aware of this, so why had they let him into the Gate?
Well… the Center was a profit-driven organization.
It wasn’t like they prioritized individual well-being.
“Of course he’s not okay. I told them it was a terrible idea, but his Overload Levels dropped drastically this morning. You did a guiding session last night, right?”
“Ah… yeah… but…”
Just remembering last night made Haebom frown.
Maybe he should have just done a radiation guiding session instead of physical contact…?
He felt like he had made a huge mistake.
Wonho had probably run away to the Gate out of embarrassment.
If only he hadn’t been so reckless, Wonho wouldn’t have avoided him like the plague, and the Center wouldn’t have had an excuse to throw him into a Gate.
“It’s not your fault, Haebom. A Guide doing their job isn’t a crime. That wild horse of an Esper is the one who messed up. But… did something happen during guiding?”
Jin Seyoung gritted his teeth, recalling how stiff Wonho had looked this morning.
For someone who had only ever received radiation guiding, his reaction to physical contact seemed oddly extreme.
When asked about it, Wonho had clamped his mouth shut.
He wasn’t the type to share things easily, but it was clear something had happened.
Jin Seyoung had already been suspicious because of Choi Yoonseo’s recent return from a work trip.
But what really convinced him that something had gone down wasn’t Wonho’s reaction—it was Haebom’s.
The guy looked like he had ‘guilty as hell’ stamped across his forehead. His expression gave away everything.
“Well… you see…”
Haebom hesitated.
Could he even talk about this?
It wasn’t his body that had reacted—it was someone else’s.
Was it even okay to ask about this?
Then again, Jin Seyoung was Wonho’s assigned researcher.
Maybe he had the right to know?
Jin Seyoung didn’t pressure him and simply waited until Haebom finally spoke, voice low and hesitant.
“Ah… That’s probably because your matching rate is too high,” Jin Seyoung replied easily.
“There’s never been a Pair in Korea with as high a compatibility as you two, but we’ve seen cases where it exceeded 90%. It just means your guiding is working really well, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Jin Seyoung had to make an effort not to laugh as he looked at Haebom’s worried face.
It wasn’t uncommon for espers receiving their first guiding session to be overwhelmed by the intense pleasure that accompanied it.
That was precisely why proper guiding education was provided to espers—though, in reality, it was closer to sex education.
Since the pleasure induced by guiding could lead to an esper losing control and forcing themselves on their guide, such education was essential.
There were even strict laws in place regarding this matter.
The real issue, however, was that Wonho seemed overly flustered by Haebom’s reaction.
Hadn’t Wonho received the training as well?
Then it dawned on Jin Seyoung—Wonho had taken those lessons when he was still a minor.
No wonder he was struggling to handle this situation.
What a mess…
Letting out a deep sigh, Jin Seyoung recalled how Wonho had practically fled into the Gate.
The sound made Haebom dart his eyes around nervously, as if he thought he had done something wrong.
Seeing that, Jin Seyoung quickly reassured him that it wasn’t his fault.
This pair required more effort than most, but he figured it was his karma to deal with.
So, with a resigned sigh, he decided to step in.
“You can relax until Wonho comes out of the gate. Oh, while we’re at it, how about trying to guide another Esper?”
Jin Seyoung glanced at Haebom, who looked dejected, while contemplating how to handle Wonho’s sex education after he ran away due to the changes in his body caused by Haebom’s guiding.
Honestly, he hadn’t planned to suggest this so soon.
Haebom, as an S-class Esper’s guide, had no obligation to guide other Espers.
But Seyoung thought this might be the best way to help Haebom regain his self-esteem.
After all, the only Esper running away from an S-class guide’s guiding was his own pair.
“Another Esper?”
“Yes. Since your pair is Wonho, you don’t actually have to do it. But if you agree, the center will welcome you with open arms. Personally, I think experiencing it at least once wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Maybe then, that brat Wonho would finally realize how valuable Haebom is.
Seyoung didn’t say this out loud, only muttering it inwardly.
That idiot had suffered so much from the side effects of inadequate guiding after becoming an Esper, and yet he was treating this rare guide so carelessly…
He figured Wonho needed to see Haebom guiding someone else to finally get a grip.
Haebom hesitated for a moment before nodding.
But his reason for agreeing was different from Seyoung’s.
The salary for a guide was much higher than he had expected, and since food, clothing, and shelter were all provided, it had been on his mind lately.
Being a well-paid slacker sounded great, but… all of this was funded by taxpayers’ money.
Haebom was the type to worry about things no one else cared about.
On top of that, Wonho was outright avoiding guiding sessions, which naturally made him uneasy.
He had a rough idea of why Wonho was running away, but still, he couldn’t ignore it.
“I’ll go ahead and put in the application, then. Since you’re not his pair, you won’t be allowed to do anything beyond contact guiding. If any Esper acts inappropriately, just press this emergency call button. Of course, there’s also one in the guide office, but keep this with you during guiding sessions, okay?”
“Yes…”
Haebom gripped the emergency call button that Seyoung handed him.
Seyoung would screen the requests before they reached Haebom, but one could never be too careful.
Normally, he wouldn’t be this concerned about a guide, but for some reason, he couldn’t stop worrying about Haebom.
It wasn’t just because he was Wonho’s guide—there was something about him that made Seyoung anxious, like a child left alone near water.
Haebom had no official identity, which meant he had no real ties to this place.
Seyoung had been searching across the entire country for any records of him but had found nothing.
An S-class guide who seemed to have fallen straight from the sky.
If that wasn’t reason enough to be concerned, he didn’t know what was.
* * *
Oh my gosh, the site update is… I can’t use the accumulated mana jabeifbekab it’s okay, I’ll just be patient