* * *
“I told you, I’m going to work out even if you don’t keep watch.”
Haebom shot a glare at Wonho, who was walking beside him.
Wonho glanced down at Haebom, then looked straight ahead again.
He didn’t bother denying that he was keeping watch.
As far as he was concerned, he wasn’t surveilling him—he was just watching over him.
He would never, ever admit it was surveillance.
This was the third day Wonho had followed Haebom on his way to the center like this.
Not once had that damn pager gone off…
Every time they have guiding session, he’d collapse, so Wonho insisted he build up his stamina and started tailing him to the gym.
After what happened last time, Haebom no longer did general guiding.
Now, the only reasons he ever went to the center were either to exercise or to use the lab.
It had also been three days since he last stepped foot in the office.
“Go on in. Oh, who are you meeting today again?”
“Guide Lee Taeyoung, who trained me, and also Guide Kim Jihyun and Guide Yoon Geonwoo. Just those three.”
Even though he’d already said it yesterday, Haebom didn’t seem to mind repeating the names one by one.
He knew Wonho wasn’t interested in any guides other than Choi Yoonseo.
That’s why he didn’t expect Wonho to remember any of the names anyway.
Still, since Wonho would have to continue socializing after he returned, Haebom repeated them out of consideration.
Of course, Wonho didn’t have the faintest idea of this thoughtfulness and remained indifferent.
“…Don’t go too far. Call me when you’re done.”
The only thing Wonho cared about was when Haebom would be coming back home.
Sure, he’d come if the pager went off, but if it didn’t, all he planned to do while Haebom was out was train—and then come pick him up.
“What’s the point of calling you? So you can come pick me up?”
“Yeah.”
“…Yeah?”
“I’m picking you up. So let me know when you’re heading home. Don’t go wandering around and get lost or something.”
Haebom stared at him, dumbfounded.
Wonho raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk, then leaned down and pressed his lips to Haebom’s slightly parted ones.
Already surprised that Wonho intended to come get him, Haebom’s already big eyes grew even wider at the unexpected kiss.
“Wh-What the…!”
Haebom quickly covered his lips with both hands and backed away, eyes full of alarm.
Wonho just reached out, ruffled Haebom’s hair, muttered “I’m off,” and turned to leave.
Left behind with his lips stolen and now completely alone, Haebom stood there blinking in confusion, unable to hide how flustered he was.
Once Wonho had completely disappeared from sight, Haebom finally came to his senses and glanced around.
Ugh—he let out a small groan through clenched teeth.
Of all people, his eyes had locked with Choi Yoonseo.
Why, out of the countless people around, did it have to be her?
Haebom didn’t want to get into anything with her, so he gave a polite nod and quickly walked into the building.
“I didn’t even do anything wrong, so why do I feel like I’m the guilty one…?”
Shouldn’t it be Wonho, the one who kissed him while supposedly liking Yoonseo, who felt this way?
He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what was going through Wonho’s head.
When he tried asking, Wonho had only answered with, “Why not?”
Haebom didn’t know if the problem was with him or with Wonho.
Feeling trapped in frustration, he went to the basement fitness center and doubled his usual routine.
The intense workout helped clear his head.
Of course, the trembling legs and aching muscles that came with it were unavoidable.
After showering, though, he felt refreshed.
He decided not to overthink Wonho’s intentions anymore.
It didn’t matter—Haebom had to return eventually.
In the world Wonho lived in, Yoon Haebom didn’t exist.
He was a nonentity.
Thinking of it that way, the light feeling he had started to sink again, like he wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground.
Rrrrr—
Thankfully, a call came in just then and pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts.
As he rubbed his still-damp hair with a towel in the locker room, he pulled out his phone.
It was Lee Taeyoung calling.
“Hello?”
— Guide Haebom, where are you right now?
Lee Taeyoung’s bright voice came through the receiver.
It felt strange, spending time with someone other than Wonho or Jin Seyoung for the first time in ages—though subconsciously, he didn’t count the times with Choi Yoonseo or Na Hyunjoon.
It went against everything he’d just been thinking, but it couldn’t be helped.
Even as he grumbled to himself internally, Haebom continued the call.
“I just finished working out. I’m in the locker room.”
— I’m in my office. I’ll head down, so meet me on the first floor, okay?
“Okay, sounds good. I’ll head up right now!”
Though Lee Taeyoung told him not to rush, Haebom, now fully snapped out of his daze, moved quickly.
He roughly towel-dried his still-wet hair and tossed the towel into the basket.
If Wonho had seen it, he’d definitely have scolded him—but he wasn’t here, so it was fine.
His hair was naturally curly anyway, so the messy drying kind of worked for him.
Still muttering self-justifications, Haebom got dressed and headed out of the fitness center.
“You’re here?”
Lee Taeyoung greeted him with a wave.
Haebom had tried to be quick, but he still ended up being the last to arrive in the lobby.
“Why didn’t you dry your hair? You’ll catch a cold. You might be young, but you’ll regret not taking care of your body later.”
“I’m fine. It’ll dry soon.”
Kim Jihyun clicked her tongue at the sight of his damp hair.
She was a bit older than Haebom, but not by much.
She reminded him to dry off next time, that there was no need to rush.
“Worry about yourself. Let’s go—I’m hungry. You must be hungry too, right, Guide Haebom? Especially after working out.”
Before Jihyun could scold him again, Yoon Geonwoo jumped in, cutting her off and asking Haebom with a grin. Haebom nodded quickly.
Thanks to Wonho’s efforts to make sure he had three solid meals a day, he wasn’t terribly hungry, but he agreed just to shift the conversation.
And so, the four of them left the center together.
It was the first lunch plan he’d ever made with colleagues—something he’d never done even in his old life—and it made his heart flutter a little.
Sure, technically, Wonho was a colleague too, but having a meal with him was nothing like this.
Maybe it felt different because these three hadn’t shown up in the novel he’d read.
Or maybe they had, just in passing.
A guide who walked by, or someone in a group background scene, something like that…
“This is weird…”
Even if they weren’t in the original story, this world was clearly based on the novel.
But within it, everyone had their own lives.
Just like how Choi Yoonseo and Na Hyunjoon felt like completely different people from the ones in the book.
Trying to shake off the tangled thoughts, Haebom walked with the others toward the restaurant.
“I’m so jealous you’re dating your Pair.”
* * *
