“I told you over and over—pair with Seo Dojin, didn’t I?!”“……”Raon didn’t even blink. He’d heard that line so many times over five years it could’ve been etched into his skull.It had been twenty years since Gates first appeared and people awakened as espers and guides.The national systems built over centuries had collapsed in mere years, reshaped beyond recognition. Korea was one of the few countries to rebuild with dizzying speed.But some things never changed—like the greed for power.Raon looked at Myunghun, veins standing out on his neck as he shouted, with eyes full of disgust.Twenty years ago, the first Gate opened in the middle of Seoul, killing thousands. When the survivors realized the only way to hold back the Gates was through the cooperation of espers and guides, the country’s major conglomerates had scrambled to throw their support behind the government’s new Ability Association.Hanmyung Group had been a second-rate company at the time—until its chairman’s children began awakening one after another as gifted espers and guides. Call it bloodline luck or freak coincidence, but their abilities skyrocketed the family’s influence.Among them, the S-class guide Han Raon had become the group’s crowning jewel.That was why Han Myunghun’s expectations of his son had always been suffocatingly high. He’d spent years pressuring Raon to tie himself to Seo Dojin, the President’s nephew—an S-class esper who’d awakened around the same time.The original Han Raon would’ve refused if Dojin hadn’t suited his tastes, but unfortunately for him, Dojin was his ideal type. He’d tried countless times to obey his father’s will.Now, though, it was Raon inside that body—a man freed from the system’s leash. Instead of Dojin, he’d chosen to pair with Siwoo, and Myunghun had clearly come storming in in a fury.“Please, just listen for a moment, Father.”Raon decided to calm him down and get him out as fast as possible.Trying to reason with Han Myunghun was pointless—he knew that better than anyone after living through the original Raon’s life. And if the man got truly angry, he could unleash absurd pressure on the Association itself.“I stepped aside on purpose,” Raon said smoothly. “Guide Lee Hamin’s match rate with Esper Seo Dojin may be ninety-five percent, but he’s still only a B-class. He won’t be able to handle it alone.”“So?”“So I’ll pair with Esper Yoon Siwoo for now. Once those two start to fall apart, I’ll be ready to take over. I used to interfere too much anyway—it’s better to let them strain themselves a little first.”“Hm.”“Just wait. Lee Hamin’s lack of ability will cause problems for Seo Dojin sooner or later. When that happens, they’ll terminate their pairing contract, and I’ll be there to take over as his exclusive guide.”Raon lied through his teeth without hesitation. Myunghun’s expression wavered. Time to drive the nail in.“You know how push-and-pull works, right? When pulling doesn’t work, sometimes you have to push away first.”“Hmmm…”He kept his tone even, confident, deliberate. Myunghun began to nod, completely forgetting that the real Han Raon had never once spoken this rationally in his life.“That… actually makes some sense.”“Of course it does.”“You’re not scheming something else, are you?”“Of course not.”Raon waved both hands, wearing an expression of pure innocence. Then he added, with a smile that perfectly mimicked the real Han Raon’s brand of cunning:“Just trust me, Father. I’ll bring you good news soon enough.”“Hm.”Still suspicious, Myunghun gave him a long, hard look—but in the end, he nodded.“Fine. I’ll leave it for now.”“Yes, sir.”Even as he left, the older man’s gaze lingered, skeptical to the last.Whew. Bought myself some time.It wouldn’t last long—Myunghun was too sharp and too paranoid for that—but it didn’t matter. Eventually the system would reactivate, and Raon would be dragged back into the role of the villain anyway. In that sense, what he’d just said wasn’t entirely a lie.He let out a quiet, bitter laugh.***“Um, Raon!”“...?”He stopped midway to the training hall, turning toward the voice.Lee Hamin was hurrying up to him.“What is it?”“Ah, um… huh?”At Raon’s flat tone, Hamin blinked—and his eyes went wide.“Raon, your face—!”“Ah.”Touching his still-warm cheek, Raon sighed.So that bastard really had hit him hard. The swelling was bad enough to startle anyone. Clicking his tongue, he replied lightly, “It’s nothing.”“Nothing? Who did this to you?”“...”Hamin’s soft, indignant growl reminded him of a tiny pomeranian bristling at a threat. Raon almost laughed.Right—Hamin had always been like this. No matter how cruelly the old Raon had treated him, he’d stubbornly reached out again and again, bright and unbroken. Even when the villain who’d tried to kill him lay dying, Hamin’s eyes had held nothing but pity.How can someone be that kind?Then again, he was the story’s main bottom—protected by plot and adored by the protagonist Seo Dojin. He’d be fine.“It’s someone you can’t do anything about, Guide Lee,” Raon said.“If we tell the Director, maybe—”“Not even the Director.”“Oh…”Guides weren’t military personnel like espers. For Hamin, the highest authority he could comfortably appeal to was Director Seokhyeon—but if he couldn’t help, that meant it involved the military above him. Hamin wilted instantly.Raon watched him deflate and asked, “So what did you need from me?”“Ah, well…”At this point in the original timeline, Hamin would never have approached Han Raon so easily. But lately, Raon had been responding to his polite greetings without hostility, and apparently that had given him courage.Hamin fidgeted like a nervous hamster before speaking.“You were heading to the training hall, right? If it’s okay, I’d like to train together.”He smiled shyly, as bright and disarming as ever. The main bottom’s natural charm—sweet, small, beautiful, the kind of face that made every protagonist’s heart tremble.It almost felt like a waste, letting that kind of charm get squandered on a doomed side-character villain like Han Raon.But right now, I don’t have to act like Han Raon anymore.In truth, Hamin was exactly Raon’s type—slender, delicate, soft-faced, adorably boyish. He’d liked that type even before all this.“Sure. Let’s go together.”“Really?”His whole face lit up. Raon nodded, expressionless.He wanted to keep his distance from the main protagonist, but there was no reason to avoid the main bottom. Shoulder to shoulder, the two headed for the training hall.“Identity check complete for Guide Lee Hamin and Guide Han Raon,” the staffer said, scanning their watches before letting them inside.Guides didn’t need brutal training like espers, especially during peaceful times when Gates were quiet. Still, they were required to maintain fitness and practice virtual-space simulations in case of emergencies.The real Han Raon had always hated training with a passion, so his recent diligence drew curious glances from staff.“I actually wanted to train with you for a while,” Hamin said.“With me?”“Yes. You’re an S-class guide—there’s so much I could learn—”“Hamin!”A sharp voice cut through his sentence.Raon frowned and turned. Someone was striding toward them, irritation written all over his face.The moment Raon recognized him, his expression darkened even more.

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