# Chapter 2
How is it that his name is even Haseong? Because he was destined to appear in my life like a comet?
As a rule, when someone becomes blindly infatuated with love, they tend to find all sorts of childish pretexts to establish connections with the object of their affection.
Having fully recovered his physical abilities, Yeo Dowoon went around collecting information about Cha Haseong, steadily building a one-sided familiarity.
The man who visited his hospital room periodically to provide Guiding before leaving was a tall, handsome 24-year-old this year, a piano major who had graduated from a music university.
“So that’s why his fingers were so long and beautiful.”
Recalling the gentle touch that had wiped away his cold sweat, Dowoon smiled with a slack, dreamy expression.
He was holding both a hazelnut Americano and a vanilla syrup Americano in his hands, as these had been strongly recommended by the barista at the café Cha Haseong frequently visited.
However, Dowoon had never faced Cha Haseong in such a normal state before, so he was constantly pestering Ko Ijae, who was about to begin partnership training.
“He won’t be surprised if I suddenly show up, right?”
Ko Ijae, who had personally explained to Dowoon the proposition that “Cha Haseong is not your exclusive Guide but a Guide for all of us,” was feeling psychological distance from Dowoon’s unprecedented outrageous behavior.
“…He probably will be surprised, Dowoon. Just look at yourself.”
Dowoon was an Esper with abnormally fast physical recovery. However, hideous burns still remained on various parts of his face, and seeing his appearance would likely shock anyone.
“Should I wear a hat then?”
“…Well.”
“A mask too?”
Dowoon’s eyes, which had been inquiring with concern, suddenly flashed like those of a rabid dog.
Since that day when he experienced his first rampage in the ground-type dungeon, he had been focused solely on the existence of “Cha Haseong,” putting aside even his duties as an Esper.
While affection and longing for a Guide might be considered normal desires, in Dowoon’s case, he had gone far beyond normal. Because of this, Ko Ijae said with a shudder:
“You’re quite the crazy bastard. You should have studied for your GED that hard.”
“Why are you bringing up something so random, hyung?”
Dowoon quickly erased the clearly excited expression he had shown moments ago and replied. At his cold tone, Ko Ijae shrugged as if to say “I knew it.”
Certainly, the Yeo Dowoon he knew was a man who suited having his eyes lowered indifferently much better than bustling about excitedly like a lively child.
At the very least, shouldn’t the ace of Team Delta know to charge ahead like a swift beast when it comes to love, rather than acting subservient?
Regardless, Dowoon said halfheartedly:
“I’ll be going now, so let’s see if we can meet during late-night training.”
“You disrespectful punk, saying ‘let’s see’ to your senior…”
But Dowoon paid no attention to his words and ran off like a racehorse. It was amazing how he could keep the Americanos from spilling even while running at such speed.
Had three minutes passed?
Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the training room with a foolish, disheveled expression, quietly catching his breath.
The glass door, designed to allow people inside to see out but not for those outside to look in, felt especially frustrating now.
“Ah, I’m so nervous…”
Soon Cha Haseong would finish partnership training and come out.
Worryingly, he had been working continuously from 9 AM to 7 PM, matching with the Espers of Team Delta. Because of this, Dowoon couldn’t help but wonder if this place was an extraterritorial zone where labor laws didn’t apply.
Wasn’t Cha Haseong a civilian just a month ago?
If he was suffering from harsh training and having a hard time, Dowoon was willing to take responsibility and negotiate directly with the director of the headquarters.
“Hello, Guide Cha Haseong-nim. I’m Yeo Dowoon from Team Delta.”
After practicing his prepared line, he took a satisfying deep breath and stared intensely at the gradually widening gap of the training room door.
Finally, the decisive moment had arrived to confess his feelings to Cha Haseong.
If someone were to ask how he could feel love for someone he had never even had a conversation with, Dowoon would rationalize by answering that it was only a natural response to the person who had saved his life.
‘Here he comes.’
The first things to fill Dowoon’s vision were Cha Haseong’s broadly spread shoulders and, in contrast, his narrower waistline. His overall shape was an inverted triangle, but his chest was not at all thin, giving the impression of a well-toned body that was pleasing to the eye.
As he happened to be wearing functional workout clothes, even his dense muscles were clearly visible.
Though Dowoon himself had nothing to be ashamed of physically, Cha Haseong possessed an equally impressive physique, making Dowoon secretly admire him as a fellow man.
Gulp. Swallowing his dry saliva, Dowoon was about to walk over and offer the Americano when—
“Hello, Guide Cha…”
Cha Haseong literally brushed past Dowoon, treating him like an inanimate object. Twisting immediately from his outstretched arm position, Dowoon asked in a stiff voice:
“…Guide Cha Haseong-nim?”
Despite being close enough for their eyes to meet easily, Dowoon couldn’t get another look at those beautiful eyes, much to his disappointment.
All he was allowed to see was Cha Haseong’s solid back.
Uncertain whether he should pull out his introduction line, “I’m Yeo Dowoon from Team Delta,” or just shut up and wait, Dowoon awkwardly took a step.
The atmosphere had become so desolate that his heart constricted painfully.
“I’m sorry for coming without notice. I should have informed you beforehand, but I was in such a hurry to come right after being discharged that I didn’t think of it.”
“…Discharged?”
A delayed response came simultaneously. Picking up a banana-flavored protein drink from the pitch-black table outside the training room, Cha Haseong turned to look at him while opening the lid.
The white cap, which had popped up lightly, was being twirled around in his large hand. This was the moment when Dowoon finally came face to face with Cha Haseong. A cold gaze swept over Dowoon.
“Discharged…”
The voice and speech pattern were definitely those of that gentle person from the hospital, but the cynical gaze was not in the slightest.
With a slow nod and an “Ah,” Cha Haseong looked down at the coffees in Dowoon’s hands and said:
“I can tell you’re an Esper from Team Delta, but I haven’t memorized all the names yet.”
“…”
“Except for one.”
Brushing back his brownish hair, he smiled brightly. After taking a sip of his drink to moisten his throat, Cha Haseong continued to stare at Dowoon with an icy gaze and asked:
“Would you happen to be that Yeo Dowoon-ssi who’s been investigating me behind my back?”
Because of this, Dowoon had to turn over Cha Haseong’s response several times in his mind, wondering if the word he had heard was really “investigating.” The surface of the plastic cup was cooling his fingers.
It felt as if square ice cubes had been dumped all over his heart as well.
Dowoon couldn’t even give a proper response and just gripped the cup tightly.
“No?”
At this, Cha Haseong tilted his head curiously and asked. A sidelong glance seemed to seep toward Dowoon for a moment, but it was too fleeting to be certain.
Dowoon was staring into empty space amid the stifling silence, realizing that it really was “investigating” and feeling lost.
“…Yes, that’s me.”
Finally finding his voice, Dowoon lifted his face abruptly. Cha Haseong, who had been casually observing Dowoon’s firmly closed lips, smiled as if to say “please continue.”
Seemingly encouraged by this, Dowoon, who had been constantly reading the situation, hastily added:
“I apologize if I offended you. I was so eager that I failed to consider your position. I formally apologize.”
If Ko Ijae had witnessed this, he would have exploded with disbelief, wondering when this guy had started using such formal honorifics consistently.
However, Dowoon, with eyes sparkling like a calf’s, just stared directly at Cha Haseong and shared his honest feelings. His voice even contained a slight tremor.
“I truly had no intention of being disrespectful… I just wanted to learn anything more I could about you, Guide-nim. Because I wanted to become closer to you.”
Although “wanting to become closer” was too affectionate a statement to fully convey his darker emotions, it wasn’t entirely untrue, so he decided not to add anything further.
Drip, the sound of ice melting faintly escaped from near the Americano. As Dowoon, who had been quietly standing like someone awaiting a judge’s verdict, began to feel anxious—
After taking another swig of his protein drink, Cha Haseong asked in a calm tone:
“Since when did stalking become something you do to someone you want to get close to?”
