* * *
“Haa… Hah….”
As Wonho’s lips pulled away from his own, Haebom glanced at them, wondering, ‘Is it over now?’
He didn’t say it aloud.
He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t bring himself to ask.
The words just wouldn’t come out.
But Wonho didn’t stop there. Instead, he straightened up.
Haebom, thinking it was really over, felt both relief and… a strange sense of disappointment.
‘Disappointed? Why? What am I disappointed about?’
His head spun with confusion.
Ever since meeting Wonho, his mind had never once been at ease.
“…Stay still. Don’t move.”
“Huh? Why?”
Shoving his tangled thoughts aside, Haebom had started to push himself up, only to freeze at Wonho’s low, subdued voice.
He looked up at him in confusion.
Wonho, in turn, stared at Haebom—his lips red and swollen from the kissing, the skin around his eyes tinged pink.
And just from that alone, Wonho could feel himself hardening again.
There was no way he could just go home like this.
His hesitation was brief.
No, considering he had spent the last two weeks avoiding Haebom and relying only on controlled guiding sessions, perhaps it wasn’t fair to call it hesitation at all.
“This isn’t over yet. Guiding.”
He already had a perfect excuse to indulge his desire.
Honestly, he wasn’t sure if this burning hunger was purely about absorbing more guiding energy or if it was a raw emotion sparked by this small, animal-like man in front of him.
In truth, separating guiding from Haebom himself was impossible.
This was the first time in his life he had ever felt such an uncontrollable craving.
When he found out Haebom had guided another Esper, he had nearly been consumed by rage.
Espers were known for their volatile emotions, but Wonho had never felt strong anger before—not even when Choi Yoonseo, the guide he once thought of as his only match, had chosen someone else over him.
It hadn’t mattered.
As long as he could still be near her and absorb her calming energy, that was enough.
Even when she paired with Na Hyunjoon instead of him, he hadn’t cared.
But this… this was different.
Haebom, still in an awkward half-upright position, stared at him.
With a hardened expression, Wonho walked over to the table where Haebom had guided another Esper just moments ago.
His face remained stiff, but it didn’t seem like he was angry.
Maybe it was just the flush around his eyes….
Haebom swallowed hard, suddenly nervous.
Wonho picked up something from the table and walked back toward him.
Haebom, being close enough, saw exactly what it was.
“Why…?”
Wonho didn’t answer. Instead, he placed the object in Haebom’s hand.
It was the emergency call button.
Jin Seyoung had given it to him earlier, telling him to hold onto it while guiding, just in case he needed it.
Haebom blinked at Wonho, puzzled, and Wonho let out a sigh.
“You were supposed to keep this with you. Don’t tell me you weren’t holding it earlier? I’d like to believe you’re not that stupid.”
“…I was holding it. You’re the one who made me put it down.”
Haebom frowned at Wonho’s sharp tone.
He had kept the button in his grip the whole time—right up until the Esper left the room.
The only reason he put it down was because Wonho had walked in.
“…Idiot. I’m an Esper too, you know? Haah, fuck….”
It was ridiculous for him to be saying this when he had just been sucking on Haebom’s lips moments ago, but still—seeing Haebom’s blank expression made him let out another sigh.
Guides didn’t need to keep a safety button while guiding their paired Espers.
Because a paired Esper would never harm their own guide.
But that didn’t mean it was always safe.
Even Wonho himself had just acted without knowing whether Haebom wanted it or not.
He had kissed him first without hesitation.
“We’re paired.”
“Shut up and hold onto it. If you don’t like this, press the button. Someone will come help you.”
Of course, Haebom could just reject him outright instead.
But if just kissing him was enough to make him lose his mind, what would happen if they went further? He didn’t trust himself to stop.
Especially since he had already rubbed himself against Haebom once before.
Back then, he had barely managed to stop himself, caught off guard by how much his body reacted.
But now?
Now, he wasn’t sure if he could hold back at all.
He had already figured out how things worked.
When it came to anything physical, he was confident.
And this—this was no different.
For ordinary people, such things could be explained away as mere instinct.
But for an Esper, it was a matter of survival.
Haebom didn’t understand Wonho’s actions, but he still clenched the button tightly in his hand.
He didn’t think he’d actually need to press it.
The moment Wonho saw that Haebom was holding it, he swallowed his lips again.
There was no hesitation this time—only boldness.
And Haebom…
Haebom didn’t push him away.
He accepted the kiss, even as he wondered why he was so unaffected.
No, he wasn’t unaffected.
His heart pounded, as if he had hearts beating all over his body.
“Hngh…?”
A strange sound slipped from his lips as an unfamiliar sensation swept over him.
Cold fingers slipped beneath his clothes.
But… it wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar touch.
He had felt this kind of chill before.
Back inside that desert-like gate….
Even though Wonho’s mouth was scorching enough to melt his tongue, his hands were cold.
The contrast sent shivers through him, making him squirm.
Feeling Haebom’s little flinches, Wonho’s hands delved even deeper.
Since he was on the thinner side, Wonho could feel every single one of Haebom’s ribs beneath his fingertips.
Tracing along them, his hands slid upward.
Despite being so slim, Haebom’s chest had a surprising amount of softness.
Not much, compared to his own body, but enough.
Was it because of that?
Or was it something else entirely?
The sensation beneath his fingers was dizzying.
Had human skin always felt this soft?
Thinking back, ever since becoming an Esper, he had never paid much attention to the way skin felt.
Even with guides, touching them had always been painful.
Choi Yoonseo was no different—aside from the refreshing feeling she gave him, he had never felt anything else.
But now…
“Ah…! Hngh, hngh…!”
Haebom trembled as ticklish pleasure shot through him.
Haebom flinched as Wonho’s hand persistently traced over his body, starting from beneath his ribs.
It was definitely ticklish, but it felt different from ordinary tickling.
When his friends used to tickle him as a child, he would burst into uncontrollable laughter, but now, there was nothing funny about it.
If anything, it was driving him crazy.
Even though his words were muffled beneath Wonho’s lips, Wonho still understood what Haebom was trying to say.
But even so, he didn’t stop.
Because Haebom hadn’t pressed the button.
He couldn’t even say he didn’t like it.
* * *
