* * *
“How is that the same thing, you idiot.”
“You’re lying in a hospital bed looking pale as a ghost, and you’re calling me an idiot? You said you were fine, but what’s up with your face?”
“What about my face? They said I can go home once the IV is done. Just wait a little, then let’s go home together.”
Wonho, who had been grabbing Haebom’s chin and turning his face from side to side in frustration, exhaled sharply through his nose at the mention of going home together.
He seemed a little calmer.
Relieved, Haebom reached out and gently patted Wonho’s head.
“Where were you?”
“Dealt with some monsters wandering the streets. Damn people, calling me out for nothing.”
At the soft stroking of his hair, Wonho quieted down and sat on the edge of the bed where Haebom was lying.
Haebom shifted his legs inward to make room but didn’t stop petting him.
Wonho seemed to like it, even leaning his head more into Haebom’s hand.
Haebom chuckled softly at the sight.
“You’re smiling? While lying in a hospital bed?”
Wonho gave him a side-eye, but Haebom couldn’t stop the smile from curling his lips.
After the IV was finished, a nurse came in to remove the needle.
During the whole process, Haebom could feel Wonho’s intense stare burning into him.
He didn’t want to admit it, but even after they got home, Haebom had to work hard to stop Wonho from going to find Lee Yeojoon.
Like a dog owner on edge because their puppy might cause trouble—Haebom had that exact thought.
And if Wonho ever found out, he’d probably throw a fit.
“Phew, I really tried to block it, but it didn’t work out. I guess from the guide team leader’s perspective, he lost a pair, but he’s desperate to use an A-rank guide like Choi Yoonseo as soon as possible.”
The next day, as soon as Taeyoung met Haebom, he started venting.
Right after pushing Haebom into the infirmary, he’d gone to confront the team leader—but it had been useless.
It seemed like that idiot Lee Yeojoon was one thing, but Choi Yoonseo had managed to sweet-talk the team leader.
A few months ago, Choi Yoonseo’s Esper pair, Na Hyunjoon, had triggered an outburst in order to receive guiding from another guide—Haebom.
That incident had resulted in their pair being dissolved.
Because Na Hyunjoon remained unconscious for quite some time, disciplinary action against Choi Yoonseo was delayed.
Her probation ended in just two weeks, and even after Na Hyunjoon woke up, nothing changed.
He covered for her, saying she had nothing to do with the outburst and that it was all his own doing.
Na Hyunjoon was re-evaluated as soon as he woke and was downgraded to a B-rank.
All because he tried to receive guiding from Haebom—he ended up losing his future.
Over half the money he had saved was paid as a fine, which was distributed as compensation to those involved in the incident.
Of course, Haebom, as the biggest victim, received the compensation money.
But he donated it to the orphanage as soon as he got it.
He simply didn’t want to use money that came from Na Hyunjoon.
Not that he needed it anyway—Haebom earned good money.
Since Wonho usually spent all of it, his bank account only kept growing.
Anyway, Na Hyunjoon, now a downgraded B-rank Esper, was demoted to one of the provinces where monsters appeared most frequently.
Choi Yoonseo, no longer paired with him, stayed behind at the Seoul branch.
It was possible only because they hadn’t undergone the bonding process.
Their matching rate wasn’t high enough for it to happen anyway.
So right now, Choi Yoonseo had not only lost her partner but had also been abandoned by her only friend, Wonho.
Haebom knew well that the one who had abandoned their only friend first was Choi Yoonseo herself.
And she seemed to be making full use of that situation.
Even if an S-rank Esper being demoted to B-rank was one thing, a center director wouldn’t just sit back and let an A-rank Guide transfer branches—bond or not.
“It’s okay. It’s just for a few days, right?”
“That’s what worries me—it doesn’t feel like it’ll just be a few days. So I’ve decided to stay with you too. Who knows what she might try.”
“You too, Hyung…?”
“What, don’t want me to?”
Haebom quickly shook his head. It wasn’t that he disliked it.
It just felt a bit burdensome.
Still, he didn’t show it.
Taeyoung had mentioned after the rookie training that he’d be doing gate training next, but Haebom knew he hadn’t planned for it to happen this soon.
That made him feel a little guilty.
It was entirely because of him that Taeyoung was being rushed into the role.
‘No, that’s not right. It’s not because of me—it’s because of Choi Yoonseo.’
Just as he started to feel guilty, thinking it was his fault, Haebom frowned and shook his head vigorously.
So hard, in fact, that his brown hair fluttered wildly, his whole body shaking.
Taeyoung had to steady him to keep him from toppling over.
“What are you doing?”
“Protecting my self-worth. Thanks, Taeyoung-hyung.”
Taeyoung asked what that even meant, but Haebom just gave a small smile and lightly shook his head.
Instead of blaming himself or feeling guilty, he decided to just feel grateful.
He hadn’t done anything wrong, after all.
Watching him, Taeyoung tilted his head in slight confusion, but figured it was better this way—Haebom had looked troubled earlier, so seeing him smile now was a relief.
He reached out and ruffled Haebom’s hair.
“Ah…! Hyung!”
Haebom, about to enter the training center as an instructor, threw a disgruntled look at Taeyoung for messing up his hair and quickly tried to fix it.
Then he opened the door and stepped inside.
“Hello, rookie Guides. Did you all rest well yesterday?”
As he entered, he noticed that the rookies looked much better than they had the day before.
But it wasn’t just them in the training hall.
Lee Yeojoon and Choi Yoonseo were there too—but Haebom decided not to pay them any attention.
“There was an incident yesterday, so the schedule got cut short. But let’s still do our best.”
“Yes! Sounds good!”
“I’ll try my best!”
Maybe because they were in better condition today, their reactions were more positive.
Haebom tried his best to ignore the four eyes that seemed to be watching him, glanced again to make sure the warning sign was posted at the door, and then firmly shut it.
Locking it too—he had gotten permission for that.
It was a precaution to prevent another mishap like yesterday.
“We’ll be doing shooting practice today and tomorrow, and on the final day, we’ll enter the virtual gate. Since we lost a day, we can only run the gate simulation once. If you want more, you’ll have to request it at your respective centers.”
With a chorus of “Okay!”
Haebom told them to close their eyes and turned on the simulation device.
With a mechanical whirr, the device powered up.
Every time he turned it on, it felt like stepping into another world—just like when he first came here.
The shooting training went smoother than expected.
Of course, Lee Yeojoon and Choi Yoonseo stuck out like sore thumbs, but Haebom did his best to ignore them.
And naturally, it was thanks to Taeyoung that Haebom could manage the session so smoothly.
Though it was Taeyoung’s first proper gate training, he had done shooting practice before and hit the targets decently.
* * *
