# Chapter 90
“It’s already gotten so late.”
It was late at night. The examiner looked out the window as he spoke to Yoo Jiwoon. They were in the ward where Dohyun was staying. At the examiners’ request, Jiwoon had been exclusively handling Dohyun’s guiding for several days now.
“Still, it’s fortunate. The wavelength readings have stabilized.”
The examiner let out a slight sigh of relief as he spoke. Dohyun’s once-erratic wavelengths had now calmly settled down thanks to S-class Guide Yoo Jiwoon’s help. Because of this, his wounds were also healing faster.
“It’s all thanks to Guide Yoo Jiwoon.”
It was literally true. The examiner spoke with an expression that seemed both grateful and apologetic to Jiwoon, who had been working so hard until this late hour.
“It’s nothing. I’m doing this because I want to help.”
Jiwoon responded with a kind smile.
For a moment, the examiner’s expression softened. The situation had been chaotic since S-class Guide Lee Jaehee had disappeared. At a time like this, Jiwoon’s cooperation was absolutely invaluable. How could he not be grateful when someone like him said such things?
Moreover, though he spoke lightly of it, Jiwoon had been visiting this ward every day for the past few days to provide guiding. And not just for Dohyun. He provided guiding to any Esper who needed it, regardless of who they were. Even without being asked, Jiwoon would readily step forward to help whenever he saw an Esper struggling.
Despite the fact that his guiding energy was likely unstable since he had only recently awakened, making it quite taxing for him to use his abilities, Yoo Jiwoon never showed any sign of dislike. Perhaps worried that people might feel sorry for him, he didn’t even show any signs of struggling despite clearly overusing his energy. He only ever showed a bright smile.
‘No wonder the Espers are crazy about him.’
For a moment, the examiner, despite not being an Esper himself, understood how the Espers felt. Recently, Yoo Jiwoon had been receiving a lot of attention among the Espers. Who wouldn’t like an S-class Guide with the purest guiding energy who also had such a gentle and beautiful personality? Even he, who wasn’t an Esper, felt this way.
“Ah, come to think of it.”
Perhaps because of this, the examiner wanted to take care of him as much as possible.
“Guide Yoo Jiwoon.”
The examiner recalled something he could do.
“How are you feeling? Have you still not shown any signs of manifestation?”
Although he had been regularly checking Jiwoon’s physical condition, his desire to care for him made him confirm once more. It felt a bit awkward, as if he might be asking too often, but this was the only way he knew to look after him.
Moreover, in Jiwoon’s case, the manifestation was being delayed beyond the typical period, so more frequent checks were necessary.
“Not yet. I don’t seem to be running a fever or anything.”
The examiner nodded slightly at his words. Judging that the Alpha suppressants he had given previously would be sufficient since most Guides manifest as Omegas, the examiner handed Jiwoon a newly developed Omega suppressant. An S-class Guide would likely have stronger pheromones. So it was only natural to keep providing suppressants like this.
“Thank you.”
Jiwoon expressed his gratitude with a sweet smile. The examiner smiled back in response, then got up, saying he would go check on other patients. He left Jiwoon’s ward to move to another ward.
Jiwoon watched the examiner for a moment, then lowered his gaze to the suppressant in his hand. Soon, his gaze shifted toward the window. He could see the S-class exclusive building where Choi Geonwoo and Lee Jaehee were. At the same time, the smile that had been on Jiwoon’s face slowly faded.
After lingering there for a while, his gaze lowered to Dohyun’s face. Slowly, following Dohyun’s body, Jiwoon’s gaze stopped at his legs.
And then.
Crunch-!
The medicine packet containing the Omega suppressant in Jiwoon’s hand was crumpled.
“Oh? Guide Yoo Jiwoon?”
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind Jiwoon. But Jiwoon wasn’t surprised. He had sensed the wavelength just before hearing the voice. Jiwoon naturally slipped the crumpled suppressant packet into his inner pocket.
At the same time, he composed his expression. Creating a surprised face, he turned toward the source of the voice.
“Oh?”
It was a face he couldn’t possibly fail to recognize.
“E-Esper Lee Minhun, right?”
Jiwoon spoke as if trying to recall. In response to Jiwoon’s words, the other person showed an incredibly bright expression. He seemed pleased that Jiwoon remembered him.
Jiwoon smiled back at Minhun.
‘Lee Minhun.’
Jiwoon remembered him.
‘The Esper who saved me in the gate.’
And.
‘The Esper who instinctively abandoned Lee Jaehee to protect me.’
How could he forget?
Jiwoon’s smile bloomed even more radiantly as he looked at Minhun.
***
Time passed slowly.
During this time, Jaehee, unable to grasp the situation after the gate conquest, had been confused and frustrated. He was afraid of the current situation, being alone with Geonwoo.
Because of this, he had tried everything to escape from this place. He had explored the inside of the building and had attempted to escape several times.
But all of Jaehee’s efforts had ended in failure. As if waiting for Jaehee to give up, Geonwoo had eliminated, one by one, every method Jaehee had found, right before his eyes. As if deliberately showing him that there was no way to escape, Geonwoo had taken away Jaehee’s hope.
During such times, although Geonwoo reacted sensitively to each of Jaehee’s actions, he had never once gotten angry with Jaehee. He simply suppressed his emotions with a smiling face and became even more obsessed with Jaehee.
In this process, Jaehee became increasingly distressed.
“This…!”
Jaehee felt his breath increasingly constricted. He wanted nothing more than to escape from this place where he was alone with Geonwoo.
“Let go, I said!”
It was the same now. Jaehee was cradled like a child in Geonwoo’s arms, who was sitting on the bed. This wasn’t Jaehee’s wish. Therefore, Jaehee roughly pushed away the hands reaching for him, trying to break free from his embrace.
But.
“You didn’t eat properly earlier either.”
Despite such fierce rejection, there was nothing Jaehee could do to change the current situation. The gap between Esper and Guide, even both being S-class, was so stark that it was almost laughable to consider them the same rank. Jaehee’s resistance was effortlessly thwarted.
“You might get dizzy again.”
Moreover, his body, still not fully recovered, was so physically depleted that Jaehee could barely support himself. His still-incomplete body cried out for time to recover.
Perhaps because of this, a stifling heat periodically dominated his body. The small heat felt like it was gradually growing.
In such a state, it was impossible for Jaehee to escape from Geonwoo, who stayed by his side 24 hours a day.
“See?”
Geonwoo’s hand touched Jaehee’s body.
“You have a fever again.”
Geonwoo frequently checked Jaehee’s physical condition like this. When he had a low-grade fever like this, Geonwoo would trap him in his arms even more persistently and wouldn’t let go.
In this state, Geonwoo held out a spoon in front of Jaehee.
Clack-!
Jaehee sharply knocked it away, glaring at Geonwoo with cold eyes.
But.
“Don’t you like this?”
Such rejection from Jaehee didn’t inflict any damage on the other person. His rejection had no effect at all. Not even the sound of the spoon that should have been rolling on the floor was heard.
“Should I bring something else?”
It was because Geonwoo had used his ability to stop the spoon in mid-air before it hit the floor.
“What would you like to eat, Guide-nim?”
Geonwoo treated Jaehee as if he were a child being picky about side dishes, acting as if he found it utterly adorable.
Even when Jaehee got angry, Geonwoo’s reaction was different from before. Jaehee’s anger no longer caused him any anxiety. He was no longer the Geonwoo who trembled at Jaehee’s every expression, movement, or cold word due to his lack of power. Now he had the strength to control Jaehee and do whatever he wanted.
Geonwoo carefully placed Jaehee down on the bed.
“I’ll make something else, so please wait a moment.”
As if Jaehee’s anger was invisible to him, Geonwoo showed a lovely smile and got up.
“……”
Jaehee clutched the blanket. During his time here, Geonwoo had been consistently like this. He handled Jaehee carefully like a doll and always showed a bright smile. He treated him kindly. But his touch was different. Though careful, there was no hesitation in the hands that oppressed and restrained.
Because of this, during his confinement here, Jaehee had to entrust everything to Geonwoo’s hands. His own will was not part of it.
‘Guide-nim, it’s okay. You don’t have to do anything. I’ll do it all for you.’
Jaehee ate his meals in Geonwoo’s arms, stayed in his embrace all day, and even bathed with Geonwoo. Not for a single moment did Geonwoo try to separate from Jaehee.
‘Esper Choi Geonwoo… please, stop!’
Resistance was futile. It didn’t change any outcomes. No words or actions could stop Geonwoo.
As days like this passed, the heat inside Jaehee’s body gradually grew stronger.
