“My Guide.”The words pressed down on Raon’s chest like a weight.He had lived as a Guide for five years since transmigrating into this world, but no one had ever called him that. No one had ever said it with that kind of warmth.No one had ever cared for the selfish, arrogant Han Raon.And yet you… you’re calling me your Guide.He could still hear the echo of Siwoo’s voice—hoarse, desperate—as he had called out to him in his dying moments, in that other life.Raon reached out and brushed his fingers through Siwoo’s dark hair.“Yeah,” he murmured quietly. “I’m your Guide.”And you’re my Esper.He didn’t say the second part aloud. The guilt sat too heavy in his throat.And maybe, he thought, this moment wouldn’t last long anyway.Raon smiled faintly, something bittersweet flickering in his eyes, and opened his arms.“Come here.”“……”Even if their time was short, he couldn’t leave Siwoo alone again.He wrapped his arms around the younger man, holding him as Siwoo clung to him, trembling and breathless.***“Ugh…”Blinding sunlight stabbed at Siwoo’s eyes.He grimaced and blinked awake. The sun was already high in the sky.He blinked again, dazed. His pupils, black as ink, seemed bottomless even in the light. His mind still wasn’t fully clear.“Ah.”And then it hit him—he’d almost died yesterday.Feeling like hell wasn’t new, but yesterday had been worse than usual. Maybe it was because of the stress, or because of Raon’s sudden, inexplicable change in attitude. Siwoo exhaled a long sigh.“...Haa…”He vaguely remembered seeing Raon in his dreams last night.Another cruel hallucination, probably. He was so damn tired of seeing that face even in sleep.“...?”Something felt strange, though. His head was clear.Even after taking the pills, the migraines usually didn’t stop—but right now, he didn’t feel any pain.Confused, Siwoo turned his head at a sudden presence beside him—then froze.“...Uh…”He went rigid.There, lying next to him, was Han Raon.The sunlight made his blue-black hair shimmer, outlining sharp features that were unmistakably his. It was Raon—clear as day.Was he still dreaming? He’d never had a dream this vivid before. His body trembled.“Mmh… hm?”The movement must’ve stirred Raon, because the man groaned softly and began to wake. His half-lidded eyes blinked drowsily.“Yawn… Siwoo. You’re up?”“W-why… why are you—”“Hm?”Raon finally noticed Siwoo’s expression—wide-eyed, completely panicked. He blinked back at him in confusion.Then realization hit.Oh. Yeah. This looked bad.They were lying in the same bed, facing each other in the morning light—and Raon was shirtless.Siwoo’s gaze darted over him, his eyes shaking violently.“Siwoo, it’s not what it looks like—”“Did we… do it?”“Huh?”Do it?Raon almost repeated it out loud before his mind caught up. Watching Siwoo’s shocked expression triggered the memories of last night.He’d tried mucosal guiding to stabilize Siwoo’s contamination levels. But the process had agitated the younger man, and Siwoo had… well, attacked him.He bit me like a feral dog.Siwoo, who clearly had no experience, had kissed him with unrestrained desperation—so rough he’d even left bite marks along Raon’s neck. If things had gone any further, there really would’ve been a misunderstanding.Luckily—or unluckily—the guiding had worked, and as his contamination level recovered, Siwoo’s body relaxed. The remaining drug effects had knocked him out soon after.Getting him to bed had been a nightmare; Siwoo was deceptively strong for someone with such a pretty face. By the time Raon managed to lay him down, he’d been dead tired himself—and passed out right next to him. The missing shirt? Just bad sleeping habits.Yeah, okay, I can see why he’d misunderstand.Raon rubbed at the sore spot on his neck where the bite had left a mark.“What would we even have done?”“I mean, um…”As an adult, he probably should’ve cleared the misunderstanding right away—but something about Siwoo’s flustered, lost expression was new to him. He’d never seen that look on the younger man before. The way his eyes darted everywhere but Raon’s, trembling like a drenched puppy—...God, that’s actually kind of adorable.He shouldn’t have thought that, but he couldn’t help it. Teasing him suddenly felt too tempting.Raon stretched with a faint groan. “Ahh, my back hurts.”“Y-your back hurts?”“Yeah.”Raon nodded casually. Siwoo’s face went pale.“Should I… should I massage it?”“Huh? Really?”Raon grinned, quick to take advantage of the offer. “Sure.”Before Siwoo knew it, he was giving Raon a full-body massage.“Ah, that’s it. A little harder there, Siwoo.”“……”What the hell is happening right now?And… did I really sleep with him? With Han Raon?I don’t remember anything…He vaguely recalled some blurred image of Raon from last night, but not what actually happened. So he just followed Raon’s instructions mechanically—massaging, helping him wash up, tidying the room—until they both looked almost presentable again.“Good luck on your mission, Siwoo.”“……”“Don’t forget—we’ve got a match-rate check later. Don’t be late.”“…Yes.”Siwoo could only nod blankly as Raon patted his pale cheek twice and walked away. He moved like a robot.***He was too cute. I couldn’t help teasing him.Leaving Siwoo behind, Raon chuckled to himself.Yesterday had been chaos. The mucosal guiding had been an emergency measure, nothing more. It was purely medical.“Seriously though… how could anyone that cute expect me not to mess with him a little?”He laughed quietly, shaking his head.Seeing Siwoo flustered had made him look his age for once. For so long, he’d carried himself like someone much older—expressionless, stiff, always composed.Still, Raon knew he’d have to clear things up soon. If he let the misunderstanding fester, Siwoo would probably explode once he found out the truth. But until then… he might as well enjoy the peace while it lasted.Smiling to himself, he turned down the corridor toward his own quarters—“Ah—”—and bumped shoulders with someone around the corner.Reflexively, he bowed his head. “Sorry about that.”No response.Raon looked up—“...!”Seo Dojin was standing there, staring down at him with those unnerving turquoise eyes.Raon froze.They must’ve crossed paths because he hadn’t yet left the esper residence wing. Clicking his tongue inwardly, he moved to step past him.“Excuse me.”“I heard you formed a pair with Yoon Siwoo.”“……”That low voice stopped him cold. As much as he didn’t want to engage, they were both Alpha-1 members, and Dojin was his superior. He couldn’t just ignore him.“Yes. We signed the contract yesterday.”“Then what about Alpha-1’s guiding coverage?”“I’ll continue to oversee the rest of the team as well. Don’t worry.”Hamin hadn’t reawakened # Nоvеlight # yet, so Raon couldn’t hand everything over. Still, with Hamin assigned to Dojin, things should’ve been fine. Maybe Dojin was just being conscientious as captain.Or so Raon thought—until the man spoke again, his tone oddly sharp.“Shouldn’t you have reported that to me first?”“…What?”The edge in Dojin’s voice made Raon blink.Technically, he was right—it was standard procedure to inform the team leader. Raon bowed his head politely.“My apologies. The pairing with Esper Yoon Siwoo was something the Director had been pushing for a while. It all moved quickly, so I didn’t have a chance to brief you personally.”It was mostly an excuse. The truth was, Raon had simply wanted to avoid him.Besides, his direct superior was the Director, not Dojin. The Director would’ve notified Alpha-1’s leadership before finalizing anything. There was no reason for Dojin to be this irritated.Up until now, he’d barely acknowledged Raon’s existence at all. For him to confront him like this felt… strange.Raon narrowed his eyes slightly, suspicion flickering across his face.“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”He stepped to the side—but Dojin shifted, blocking his path. Raon frowned, forced to look up at him.“What is this about—”“Did you just come from Yoon Siwoo’s quarters?”The question was low, almost a growl.Raon blinked, caught off guard. Why the hell would he ask that?Dojin’s gaze trailed slowly to Raon’s neck, to the faint marks half-hidden by his collar—marks that even his uniform couldn’t fully conceal.His turquoise eyes darkened.

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