‘What, can’t everyone feel this?’
Maybe they didn’t know because they weren’t guides.
The waves were so violent that Han Seoha could hardly maintain his blank expression—it was unbelievable that the person wasn’t bursting through the door immediately.
‘Just from purely lacking guiding, the waves are causing this much chaos?’
He thought it was impressive they hadn’t gone berserk. Though it might be different since they were S-rank, he could guess that the pain the esper felt would be worse than what Han Seoha knew.
Han Seoha, who had braced himself for the door to open and an esper twisted in pain to appear, was flustered by Baek Uihyeon’s excessively neat appearance. The pure white uniform decorated with gold braiding that emphasized his tall frame and nicely broad shoulders even more, and medals positioned precariously above his taut chest, was ascetic yet paradoxically seductive enough to make even those without any particular thoughts look at him differently. To the point of feeling honored to see this for free.
“Wow, it’s Esper Baek Uihyeon…”
“Geez, look at the youngest showing their inexperience. Welcome, Esper Baek Uihyeon.”
“It’s been a while. Please call on me anytime.”
“We can’t do that when you’re so busy. By the way, your body seems to have gotten even better. You’ll need to get your uniform refitted.”
“No way, Team Leader! Really, absolutely not! It’s just perfect!”
Everyone burst into laughter at the situation where the youngest fearlessly stepped forward. Baek Uihyeon, smiling faintly as if joining them, was a handsome man as if drawn. Someone with a violent body yet giving a smile that seemed like it belonged in a public service announcement.
The waves still churned crazily as he shook hands with the team leader with a neat face.
“If it’s not rude, may I start the matching test? I have another appointment.”
“We know well that our Esper Baek Uihyeon is busy. Alright. I’ll contact them right away… Huh? Esper Baek Uihyeon!”
The moment the team leader’s “Alright” came out, Baek Uihyeon disappeared. More precisely, he rushed into the matching room at a speed too fast for ordinary eyes to follow.
Han Seoha, who had already braced himself, wasn’t surprised by Baek Uihyeon’s sudden appearance. As planned, his chin was grabbed and his head was lifted while maintaining a blank expression as if he had no interest.
“Hello. I’m Baek Uihyeon.”
“Ah, hello.”
Baek Uihyeon, who had been staring down at Han Seoha who deliberately swallowed his self-introduction as if surprised, asked gently without impatience.
“Since I’m an S-rank esper, it takes time to see the matching rate with just first-stage guiding.”
“Ah, yes. Since Esper Baek Uihyeon is S-rank…”
“Normally I’m not this rude, but I felt like your guiding would suit me well.”
The face of the hero he’d admired as breathtakingly handsome even when viewing through the window drew close. The moment Han Seoha, meeting the passion dwelling in the other’s eyes, belatedly shrank back as if realizing he would be devoured, Baek Uihyeon didn’t let him go.
The guiding started before their lips even touched. Han Seoha’s guiding met Baek Uihyeon like a faint, soft breath, then soaked in ticklishly gently when their lips touched.
Fuck. If his mouth had been free, he frantically chased the endlessly soft, shimmering guiding—enough that profanity unbefitting a hero would have burst out. He sucked, licked, and swallowed the soft lips, digging even inside. When he wrapped around the fleeing tongue and pulled it, it followed powerlessly, so he sucked it heartily.
Baek Uihyeon, who rarely touched a guide’s body first, actively drew out the shy, weak guiding of the A-rank guide prepared for him. The panting breath and trembling body in the process—he thought it was simply from being overwhelmed.
He was slow to notice that the feeble movement squirming beneath his body was rejection. However, the guiding energy that came over as their entangled tongues rubbed together thoroughly showed no sign of rejection at all.
He blocked Han Seoha’s movement by pressing their bodies together without putting in any force so as not to crush the chin he already held.
In the first place, to Baek Uihyeon’s senses, it was Han Seoha who had seduced him from the start.
Baek Uihyeon had already been impressed by the guiding that extended faintly from when the matching room opened. They said A-rank, and even though the energy flowing out was faint, he felt like he might be entranced.
When he released their entangled tongues while trapping Han Seoha with his whole body, the thin chest swelled as he panted for breath. Han Seoha’s face, which he properly saw only then, was flushed bright red with even tears welling up.
“Ah, right. You’re a new guide, but I lacked consideration.”
“Th-that’s not it, the kiss was too…”
“I still need to learn more. It’s not a kiss but second-stage guiding, or close-contact guiding.”
“I know that too.”
“Then let’s fulfill our duty. A-rank and above must actively participate in matching tests.”
“No, I…”
Guides who don’t know an esper’s pain make one anxious with their ignorance. Without waiting, Baek Uihyeon kissed him again. As expected, gentle and slow guiding soaked in wetly. The pain disappeared as if cool gel had been applied to a burn.
Were other guides like this too? What’s so important about a kiss? Should he have offered up his lips at least? But until now, in any case, there had been no guide who made Baek Uihyeon feel impatient.
With just a kiss alone, Baek Uihyeon was certain.
My guide. Precious and dear, mine. The incredibly gentle guiding was truly lovely.
‘Fuck, my tongue’s going to get pulled out.’
Since awakening in Han Seoha’s body, he had consciously tried not to curse or think negatively, but he couldn’t hold back today alone. After chewing firmly on a person’s lips, they were sucking as if to pull out his tongue—it felt like being devoured by a monster rather than a person.
Pain was pain, but he couldn’t miss this opportunity.
Han Seoha’s guiding ability wasn’t bad. No, it was rather good. The one with poor efficiency was Ryu Jaegeon’s side. Perhaps saying the compatibility was bad might be correct.
Han Seoha’s guiding was warmth. Warm and slow guiding. But Ryu Jaegeon was fire and preferred cool and fast guiding. Even so, the comfort given by the gentle breeze prepared only for him would have made the esper, who always suffered from lacking guiding, comfortable.
That was why he kept him around for a whole year despite finding Han Seoha’s guiding insufficient.
‘I expected it, but as expected, the compatibility with Baek Uihyeon is good.’
Solid earth. Firm, yet with the capacity to embrace water and air that could seep in. Just releasing Han Seoha’s guiding, it soaked in steadily and sucked it up.
‘Physically sucking it up too.’
No matter how hard he tried to push the body away, it was useless. If there was even the slightest gap, he would have struggled and at least asked the watching staff for help, but all he could do was wiggle his fingers and toes. His whole body was perfectly trapped beneath Baek Uihyeon’s flesh.
‘To think I’d end up kissing an esper.’
If he were to do it, he wanted to do it with Han Seoha. Sincerely.
Han Seoha, thinking of Han Seoha, put more strength into his body. He didn’t think of resisting. Instead, he trembled his tensed body as if scared or shocked.
Baek Uihyeon, pressed closer than anyone, was the first to notice and raised his head. As the wet lips separated with a sucking sound, Baek Uihyeon’s neat face showed puzzlement.
“Are you cold?”
“No, um, I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m ready yet.”
“It’s fine. You’re doing well even now. Excellent.”
“That’s not what I mean… sniff.”
When he touched the cheek of Han Seoha, who was streaming tears, Baek Uihyeon was puzzled by the flinching reaction. Why was he crying so sorrowfully when he’d been cooperating obediently throughout the close-contact guiding?
“I want to stop.”
“Guide-nim, just a moment. I’ll grant whatever you want. If you only wanted first-stage guiding, I’ll apologize.”
Without realizing it, Baek Uihyeon persuaded gently with a kind voice, doing his utmost. It was sweet enough that even the staff watching beyond the glass wall hesitated whether the guiding should continue.
However, what showed on Han Seoha’s face, his tears wiped by Baek Uihyeon’s hand, was sorrow. Only the sadness he’d shown after being abandoned by Ryu Jaegeon filled it.
“I can’t do it.”
At the frail guide’s small rejection, Baek Uihyeon felt an impulse for the first time.
If he took the guide still in his arms and disappeared just like this. If his always-insufficient guiding dropped to stable levels and he could exert his full power, Baek Uihyeon had enough ability to run away with his one guide for life.
Even seeing the eyes of the esper before him sink dangerously, Han Seoha pretended not to notice and squeezed out a trembling voice.
“Next time… if you give me just a little more time, I’ll definitely do the matching test again next time.”
“…If next time, when can we set an appointment?”
To Baek Uihyeon, who returned with clear eyes as if nothing had happened, Han Seoha answered with slightly—though only slightly—reduced trembling.
“Next… week? Ah, no. Next month.”
“How about two weeks from now? I’ll take vacation then.”
“Huh? No, no. For my sake, such…”
“I’ll value it more than any other appointment.”
“Ah…”
Han Seoha glanced at the staff as if gauging their reaction. When Baek Uihyeon turned around, everyone had pleased faces, to the point it seemed like some heartwarming atmosphere.
It would have been a happy ending if Yu Haneul, who appeared after that, hadn’t burst through the matching room door in the absurd situation.
