* * *
He had insisted everything would be fine, but now that the special isolation room was right in front of him, tension gripped Raon’s chest.
With his condition so deteriorated, Siwoo might no longer be the person he knew.
But even though Siwoo had pushed others away and caused injuries during the Blue Gate incident, he had never harmed Raon.
Recalling that moment, Raon clasped his hands tightly.
No matter what, he had to be the one to believe in Siwoo until the very end.
“Come in.”
“…!”
Inho’s calm voice echoed from within the room—it seemed he had judged it to be safe.
Raon quickly stepped forward.
The first thing that struck him was how large the room was.
To accommodate as much high-strength material as possible, the space had been built unusually wide.
Thanks to that, there was enough room for Raon and several guards to enter together without crowding.
“Siwoo.”
Raon tried to approach the figure restrained against the wall in a containment suit.
But Inho shook his head, silently warning him not to get too close.
Though Inho had deemed Siwoo quiet enough to be safe, he remained inside the chamber, just in case.
They would only let Raon near him once Siwoo awoke without showing any signs of aggression.
And calling it a “hospital room” was misleading.
There wasn’t even a bed or a single piece of furniture.
Siwoo, dressed in a suppression suit equipped with psychic inhibitors, was chained to the wall.
Even wild animals weren’t confined this harshly.
“Can I even guide him properly when he’s wearing a suit like that?”
“S-Rank espers can’t be stabilized with standard inhibitors. This is the only viable option.”
“Still, this seems excessive… Haah. Anyway, I understand. Then when will I be allowed to approach Siwoo?”
Raon looked as if he was about to argue but decided not to waste time.
Inho stepped closer to Siwoo himself instead.
He moved with extreme caution, as though approaching a wild predator.
Siwoo was silent, almost as if asleep.
Did they really need to be this wary?
But then—
Siwoo’s eyelids twitched, sensing someone nearby.
Slowly, his eyes began to open.
“Stop!”
As soon as Siwoo’s eyes met his, Inho immediately gave an order to the guards.
The guards trailing behind him froze at once.
Inho carefully observed Siwoo.
Raon, tense alongside him, stared into Siwoo’s pitch-black eyes.
His pupils, as always, held no light whatsoever—pure black.
But oddly, they looked unfocused.
Siwoo’s gaze briefly swept over Inho, as if uninterested, before it dropped to the floor.
“……!”
Then suddenly, as if he sensed something, his head jerked up.
His burning gaze locked onto Raon.
“Ah.”
Raon’s lips parted dumbly.
The moment their eyes met, he knew.
Siwoo would never hurt him.
No matter what happened.
“Step aside, Team Leader Inho.”
“But—”
“You still don’t get it? Siwoo won’t attack me. No matter what.”
“…Hmm.”
Inho stared hard at Raon, then shifted his gaze back to Siwoo, whose eyes gleamed intensely.
Clearly worried, Inho didn’t move.
Raon nudged Inho’s shoulder aside.
“Stop wasting time and just watch from there. With his levels so low, he can’t do anything unless he goes into a full-blown frenzy. He’s holding it together pretty well, all things considered.”
“……All right.”
Inho finally nodded, seeming to accept Raon’s reasoning.
He and the guards stepped aside.
Still, he didn’t lower his guard—his eyes remained fixed warily on Siwoo.
Raon paid them no mind and steadily walked toward Siwoo.
He ignored the quiet voices trying to stop him.
His eyes focused on Siwoo’s pale face, which stood out starkly from the restraints holding him down.
“I’m sorry, Siwoo. I was too late, wasn’t I?”
“……”
Siwoo didn’t answer. He just stared at Raon intently.
He didn’t seem fully conscious—more instinct than thought.
All that remained was the desire for his Guide’s guiding.
Raon slowly reached out.
He placed his hands on Siwoo’s cheeks and gave a soft smile.
Siwoo, eyes still dazed, stared back at him.
“Phew.”
With a quiet exhale, Raon activated his guiding energy.
When he first woke up, he had been suffering from a terrible headache and nausea due to overexertion, but now, thanks to the medicine the doctor gave him, the pain had subsided.
He was able to summon his energy more easily than expected.
Though he still felt hollow inside from using too much at the Gate, there was enough left to bring Siwoo back to himself.
“Ng—”
The guiding energy spread through Siwoo’s body.
As energy with nearly 100% compatibility flowed into him, Siwoo’s black eyes trembled.
His expression twisted—pleasure mixed with pain—as his delicate brows drew together.
Inside, Siwoo was a mess.
His levels, once so high, had already dropped significantly when he pushed himself too hard trying to find Raon in the Blue Gate.
And when the Gate merged at the end, he completely burned out, dropping even further.
He hadn’t received guiding in time and was now teetering on the edge of a full breakdown.
It would have been stranger if he’d still been fine.
What could Raon have done back then?
Should he have been stricter to keep Siwoo from pushing himself so far?
But knowing Siwoo, he wouldn’t have listened—no matter what.
That’s just who he was.
“Nngh… Hyung… H-hyung…”
“Yeah, Siwoo. I’m here.”
Finally recognizing him, Siwoo called out, and Raon smiled brightly.
Guiding him with just his hands wasn’t enough for a body in this bad shape, so Raon pressed his forehead to Siwoo’s.
This was the best he could do right now.
Once the immediate danger passed, Raon pulled back.
Siwoo’s face twisted, as if distressed by the separation.
Raon gently stroked his cheek to reassure him and then turned around.
“See? He didn’t attack me.”
“Uh… well…”
This time, even Inho looked taken aback.
Inho was a veteran—he’d seen plenty of high-level Espers whose energy levels had dropped like Siwoo’s.
And every single one of them had acted like a beast—lashing out uncontrollably, unable to recognize even their own Guides, attacking blindly.
Some even hurt their bonded Guides.
But Siwoo wasn’t like that.
Sure, he was more docile than most Espers to begin with, but Inho had assumed that in the moment someone touched him, he’d react just like the others.
Because every Esper had—until now.
Inho let out a hollow laugh and finally nodded in acknowledgment.
“Then if anything happens, call me right away. I’ll be close by.”
“Thank you.”
“Sigh…”
Admitting defeat in the argument, Inho sighed deeply, shaking his head as if utterly drained.
Just before leaving the room, he looked back and added in a teasing tone:
“There are no CCTVs in here, you know. Even if we installed them, they’d just melt if an Esper uses their powers or goes berserk. And the room is well soundproofed, so don’t worry.”
“Ah.”
As if he already knew what Raon might do in here, Inho winked at him.
There was only one way for a Guide to restore an Esper’s energy levels in one go.
“Call us when you’re done.”
With a wave, Inho exited with the guards.
Before coming in, he’d linked the room to his watch, so Raon could call him instantly if needed.
Since the watch was made from Gate byproducts, it wouldn’t break easily—even under Esper powers.
“Ahem, hmm.”
Raon cleared his throat awkwardly.
Before leaving, Inho had also removed Siwoo’s restraints.
And yet, Siwoo just sat there slumped against the wall, not moving an inch.
After watching him for a moment, Raon slowly approached.
At the sound of his steps, Siwoo lifted his head.
“Siwoo, are you feeling a little better?”
“……”
“You recognize me, right?”
Now that his restraints were off, Siwoo could use his powers again.
Raon still believed Siwoo wouldn’t attack him, but the lack of any response was a bit concerning.
Had the guiding worn off, and his levels dropped again?
But there were no alerts on his watch.
He’d muted the watch’s sounds so it wouldn’t startle Siwoo, but earlier it had been flashing like mad, warning about his condition.
Thanks to the recent guiding, the danger seemed to have passed—for now.
“Siwoo?”
Raon took another step closer.
Siwoo just stared at him blankly—like a predator waiting for its prey to come closer.
“—!”
The moment that thought flashed through his mind, Siwoo moved.
In the blink of an eye, he grabbed Raon’s arm.
Then he pushed Raon to the floor and climbed on top of him.
Raon now found himself staring up at Siwoo.
“Ah…”
As he looked into those jet-black, glassy eyes, Raon’s lips parted.
Finally, he could see it.
The desire buried deep within them.
* * *
