Could he actually be embarrassed?Raon’s eyes lingered on Siwoo’s reddened earlobes. Feeling the stare, Siwoo frowned and snapped his head away.As if that would hide the color. Raon smiled faintly and moved closer.“Come to think of it, Siwoo.”“W–what?”“Sometimes match rates rise unexpectedly. Do you know why that happens?”“...No.”Siwoo bit his lip as he answered. Raon kept smiling as he continued.“They say it can increase when a paired Esper or Guide feels affection toward the other.”“...”“Maybe that’s our case?”It wasn’t common, but there were cases like theirs where the rate changed after pairing. As Director Jang had said, it could go down—but when it went up, those pairs often ended up registering their marriage soon after.That was what happened when both felt strong affection; the system itself responded. It wasn’t scientific, but the pattern was undeniable.“T–that’s not possible.”“Hmm, right.”Siwoo’s voice was sharp, but his trembling shoulders gave him away. Raon let it drop before the poor kid exploded from embarrassment.He doesn’t even realize the rise might have been because of me... and now he’s blushing about it?Raon chuckled to himself.“Come on. Let’s get to the guiding room.”“...”At least the rising match rate was good news. Siwoo’s internal flow was still a tangled mess—yesterday’s mucosal guiding had helped, but after more than ten years of neglect, even a miracle couldn’t fix everything overnight.Inside the empty Guiding Room, Raon tugged the hesitant Siwoo by the wrist.“W–wait.”“What?”“I mean…”Stripped of his usual edge, Siwoo looked just like what he was—an inexperienced twenty-year-old Esper. Raon studied his pale face.He wasn’t soft-looking—no baby fluff on those cheeks—but the way he floundered in embarrassment made him seem far younger.“Y-you’re just going to hold my hand, right?”“...”Raon hummed, watching him tremble.Suddenly he felt like some sleazy adult coaxing a naïve kid with “we’ll just hold hands” only to do something indecent. The thought made him grimace.It was time to clear up the misunderstanding.“Actually, nothing happened last night.”“...What?”“Well, not nothing. You were in bad shape, so I performed mucosal guiding—”“Mucosal guiding?”“Yeah.”Siwoo’s pupils widened, shaking violently.Oh no. Don’t tell me that was his first kiss.Raon felt like screaming.Technically it was my first in this body too, but still...At least mentally he was older. He shut his eyes, suppressing a dizzy sigh.“Don’t get mad, okay? Your condition was critical. My wrist device was flashing red. Ask the guards at your quarters if you don’t believe me—they opened the door for me.”He tried desperately to explain. He wanted to say it was purely a medical procedure, but even he couldn’t make himself say that out loud.“I... don’t remember.”“Of course not. You’d taken suppressants—you were completely out of it.”“...”Siwoo’s silence stretched uncomfortably long. His face had hardened, expressionless again, the blush gone.Don’t clam up on me now… if he starts refusing guiding again, we’re back to square one.Raon reached a hand toward him—“Do it again.”“Huh? Do what?”He froze mid-motion. Siwoo’s glare burned with stubborn frustration.“I said I don’t remember. So do it again.”“Uh…”It took him a second to process. Then his eyes widened.“Mucosal guiding?”“Yes.”“...”Raon blinked. He’d expected outrage—not a demand for a repeat. Was he really that upset about forgetting?Maybe… because it was his first kiss?If Raon were in his place—first kiss stolen by someone he disliked—he’d have stormed out, not asked for a redo. But maybe forgetting it entirely was worse for Siwoo.He couldn’t understand him at all. Still, Raon had no reason to refuse. Frequent mucosal guiding would speed up recovery.“Alright, let’s do it.”“...”At his calm agreement, Siwoo finally showed a trace of «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» nerves. Maybe he’d realized what he’d just said.Before he could bolt, Raon moved closer, catching his arm.“Here, or sitting down?”“...Sitting.”“Sure, sure.”Before Siwoo could change his mind, Raon guided him into the paired chairs—two seats connected side by side for contact guiding. After seating him, Raon swung a leg over and settled on his lap.“W–what are you—”“Hm? You said sitting.”“I didn’t mean—”“Siwoo. You can’t exactly kiss from a distance.”“...!”Raon leaned down until their lips hovered a breath apart, whispering the words. Siwoo’s face flared crimson.“It’s fine. Stay still. I’ll handle it.”“B-but—”Raon gently patted his tense shoulder, cutting off whatever protest he’d been about to make. Then he cupped Siwoo’s cheek and pressed their mouths together without warning.“...!”Siwoo’s eyes flew open wide. The moment their lips met, he felt every hair on his head stand on end.“Ah—”He couldn’t think, couldn’t move—just gaped as Raon kissed him, steady and sure. Then instinct kicked in; his arms wrapped tight around Raon’s waist.Is this the guiding… or is it him?The rush of energy flooded through him, slick and dizzying. Somewhere through the haze he saw Raon’s face, eyes closed, calm and practiced.That thought made Siwoo’s fists clench. His nails bit into his palms.Who has he done this with before?Maybe not a man. Maybe a woman. Either way, it didn’t make him feel any better—only worse.Did he do this with the Team Leader too?The image of Seo Dojin flashed through his mind. Raon had chased him relentlessly once.He’d thought knowing the name might make it sting less. It didn’t. The feeling bubbling up inside him was unbearable.“Mm…”Raon broke the kiss just long enough to glance at his wrist device, checking Siwoo’s contamination readout.Siwoo’s jaw tightened.To Raon, even this was just work. No matter what meaning he gave it, that was all it would ever be. To him, Siwoo was just another Esper to manage.Heat surged violently through his chest. Half-leaning against the chair beneath Raon’s weight, Siwoo suddenly pushed himself upright.“Uh—?”The motion tipped Raon off balance. In an instant their positions reversed—Raon on his back, Siwoo looming over him.Raon blinked up, startled.“What…”“I’ll do it.”“Oh… okay.”He didn’t really care who took the lead, but the shift caught him off guard. Still, he nodded.“Mm—!”Siwoo’s mouth crashed down again. This kiss was nothing like before—clumsy, desperate. Raon grasped his shoulders, brows knitting.Not again!Whether drugged or sober, Siwoo was an aggressive kisser. Raon tried to push back against the tongue forcing its way in, muffled noises escaping his throat. It was like wrestling with a wild animal.“Ha—wait—”He managed to shove him off just long enough to gasp for air. Even during guiding, breathing was necessary, wasn’t it?But Siwoo didn’t seem to hear him. His dark eyes burned, the same fierce light as the night before.

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