Hee-young’s legs wouldn’t stop shaking. The empty house, with no one in it, was unsettlingly quiet. The employees had explained that Shin-yul had to take care of backed-up work and had agreed to run an urgent Dungeon, so he’d be late — and then they’d personally seen Hee-young home themselves.
The fact that Shin-yul had gone to the Dungeon necessarily meant Guiding would have to be done. Unlike before, when he’d simply let Shin-yul cling to him and fawn over him, it now also meant that he himself would have to actively put his hands on another man’s body.
Ah, shit, I can’t deal with this. Should I just quit? He thought — but outside of here, there was no way to get information about Espers with special abilities. If he wanted to get back, he had to stay attached to this place no matter what.
In the darkened room without even the lights on, Hee-young had been chewing at his lip and fidgeting on the bed with restless anxiety before he snapped upright. No, Guiding isn’t a big deal. Right? He kept muttering to himself, pacing back and forth around the room. His watch let out a small beep. He glanced at it — the number 60% floated up in yellow.
What on earth is he doing that his Guiding level keeps dropping like this?
Having spent the remaining time learning the basics, Hee-young now understood the significance of the watch on his wrist. It really was the lifeline connecting a Guide and an Esper. Capable of tracking his condition even from a distance.
‘Below 20%, an Esper’s every sense becomes heightened and agonizing. From that point, daily life becomes difficult — and below 7%, it’s classified as a Rampage precursor. Once you’re in the precursor stage, Guiding medication is useless, and when a full Rampage sets in, the Esper loses all reason, sends their ability into overdrive, and self-destructs.’
Ha-ram’s voice came back to him, calmly delivering that terrifying information. That kid was literally living on borrowed time. A nameless sense of responsibility and pity welled up in him, making his chest feel heavy, his expression crumpling, long sighs escaping him over and over.
I’d rather just get into a fistfight. It was obvious that even throwing everything he had at Shin-yul with this body of his wouldn’t leave a scratch — but he’d have preferred that. It was a temporary job, sure, but being suddenly asked to give his body to keep someone alive made it impossible to gauge how much he was supposed to let go of, how much he was supposed to offer — and that uncertainty made everything feel hard.
Ha. A self-deprecating sigh slipped out. He laughed at himself for agonizing over it like some teenager. It’s just touching another man’s body. Someone would think I’m being asked to kiss him right this second. Hee-young snorted and kept repeating to himself that it wasn’t a big deal, like a mantra.
Shin-yul’s Guiding level had stalled at 58%, and by the time Hee-young had managed to mostly sort out his feelings, the front door rattled and swung open.
Hee-young, who had been sprawled on the bed, scrambled urgently to the entryway. He’d told himself to stay calm, but the moment he heard footsteps, his heart started pounding all over again.
“Hey, uh, yeah…. You’re back?”
“Wow…. My princess came out to greet me — this really feels like we’re married.”
“Sure…. You’re still running your mouth, so I guess you’re fine.”
He grumbled, but couldn’t stop staring at the face that looked more tired than usual. Unlike the bright, gleaming look of the morning, Shin-yul seemed a little worn down. More than anything, the way he was forcing a smile with drooping eyes looked like he was hiding pain — and Hee-young hovered around Shin-yul as he trudged inside.
At 58%, what kind of shape is he in? He’d figured 58% must be fairly manageable, since he’d heard that below 20% was when things got bad for Espers — but seeing Shin-yul looking more wilted than expected, Hee-young suddenly felt uneasy.
I know nothing about this world. Things that were obvious to everyone else were not obvious to him at all, and what was treated as common sense, he didn’t know at all. Shit, if I’d known it would come to this, I would’ve asked the teacher what the condition looks like at every 10%….
Hee-young chewed on his lip and quietly watched as Shin-yul shuffled off to the bathroom.
Unaware that Shin-yul had deliberately overexerted himself in the Dungeon and was intentionally groaning with a pitiful expression in front of him, Hee-young pulled at his own hair with anxiety.
That, that — he’s not going to collapse in the bath, is he? No, wait — actually, passing out might be better. No! Shit, what are you saying. Haven’t you broken that gangster habit yet? You were so set on living right, and you still ended up getting stabbed!
Hee-young was performing his own little one-man drama when the sound of water stopped and the bathroom went quiet — he scurried away, but when Shin-yul didn’t come out after several minutes, he crept back over and pressed his ear carefully against the bathroom door.
Has he actually collapsed? Is 119 still 119 here? Wait, my phone…. Just as he was frantically searching for his phone, he heard laughter from inside — and then the door burst open.
“Argh, shit! You scared me!”
“Princess, isn’t that a little naughty? Hmm? Standing out here listening to someone shower like that…. You could’ve just come in.”
“Wh — what are you talking about? You, hm? You were stumbling around, hm? I thought you’d died in there….”
“You were worried about me. I went straight to shower without giving Hee-young a kiss first. I didn’t want to touch you with whatever grime I picked up out there. You’re really cute.”
Shin-yul laughed, barely wrapped in a thick towel around his lower half, shaking his damp hair dry. Hee-young recoiled and tried to escape, but in an instant his body floated up into the air and he was gathered into those solid arms. The dampness soaked into him.
“Hey, let go! Do you have a death wish?”
“Haah… Ajeossi. Give me Guiding. Okay? I’m struggling.”
Shin-yul whimpered and rubbed his face against Hee-young’s cheek. The Guiding that seeped over gently was so sweet.
There had been a time when the more he used his ability, the more it felt like something had been hollowed out of him — agonizing, unable to sleep. Even swallowing a fistful of Guiding medication left him feeling empty and simply hollow. At the end of those agonizing, wandering days of trying to fill the void inside himself — there had been Hee-young.
“You only call me Ajeossi when you need something.”
Hee-young’s expression was reluctant, but he didn’t push away Shin-yul clinging to him like a child. This was also the first time Guiding had been directly requested of him, and the worry and anxiety that had hit him the moment he’d heard the explanation about Guiding levels and an Esper’s incompleteness was playing its part too.
Shin-yul watched the Hee-young who had gone still in his arms with adoring eyes and walked toward the bed. A hand slipped slyly under his clothes and stroked along his slender waist — Hee-young’s body startled and squirmed.
“Shit! Hey! Can you not do too much?”
“Princess, did you learn about kissing in the Guiding class?”
“Did I get to? Ah, get your hand out before I rip it off!”
“Good. You should learn kissing from me.”
Shin-yul smiled and sat down on the soft bed with Hee-young in his arms. He settled the light body onto his lap and kneaded it freely, and the Guiding that swelled in response made him let out a satisfied sigh.
“Hey, hey. Look at those busy hands. Stop for a second.”
“Hmm? Why….”
“Ah! I said stop because I have something to do!”
When Hee-young snapped, Shin-yul stilled the hand that had been stroking bare skin. Hee-young roughly pulled Shin-yul’s hand out from under his clothes, scrunched his face, and steadied his breathing. He was the type who, once he made up his mind to do something, did it without complaint — so Hee-young neither looked away from the situation nor ran from it. Though he did need just a little time to prepare.
“Hmm? What are you going to do. Is there something you want to do?”
“Hold on, ha…. I’m a little worked up too, okay? Stay still. I’ll give you Guiding.”
Shin-yul’s golden eyes rippled and trembled. Holding back Guiding from the Guide who gave him complete peace was deeply agonizing — but for someone who had spent a lifetime enduring, this much waiting was nothing.
Fussing and going hoo, ha, hoo, ha to steady his breathing, Hee-young hesitated — then reached out and took hold of the large hand hanging in the air. The thick hand carefully clasped the thin, pale one, stroking the skin on the back, tickling with its fingers, then lacing them together.
Shin-yul’s slow movements sent a shiver crawling over Hee-young’s skin. Stay still, I was going to tell him off — but the expression on Shin-yul’s face, eyes drooping, whimpering softly, staring intently at their joined hands, looked so pitiful that Hee-young just closed his mouth.
The number on the watch blinked slowly — on, off, on, off — indicating that Guiding was in progress. The darkened room with no lights on relied on the glow of the bathroom light left on in the distance, casting a strange, hushed atmosphere.
Hmm, just holding hands doesn’t seem to be giving me a sense of Guiding at all. He wondered if this was working properly. The teacher had said that the sensation of Guiding was unmistakably clear and sharp — you couldn’t confuse it for anything else. Once that sensation opened up.
He tried closing his eyes and concentrating, but all he could feel in his hand was Shin-yul’s trembling grip and the friction of skin — so he scrunched his brow and let out a sigh.
“What are you doing? Hmm? More surface area needs to be in contact for Guiding to work properly…. I’m withering away here, Ajeossi….”
“Hold on, just a second.”
Hee-young answered urgently, then grabbed the large hand and lifted it up close to his face.
“Hmm?”
Without answering Shin-yul’s puzzled sound, Hee-young glared at the large hand like he was trying to kill it — then parted his small lips slightly and took the long index finger into his mouth.
“Hng—!”
Shin-yul’s solid body jolted and shuddered at the Guiding that hit him suddenly and hard.
‘The more contact is made through mucous membranes, the stronger the Guiding will be. Try to progress gradually. Start by bringing the Esper’s skin into contact with your own mucous membrane — try it step by step.’
Following Ha-ram’s advice, he’d started by sucking the finger, but still couldn’t feel anything particularly intense. Is my tongue tingling a little? he wondered, and earnestly licked along the finger — and Shin-yul furrowed his brow, flushed red, and started to pant.
Acting like someone who’s tried it all, and yet. Hee-young inwardly snorted at Shin-yul’s surprisingly innocent reaction. As his soft tongue moved slowly over the finger, Shin-yul let out a heated breath and pushed his middle finger into the small mouth as well, pressing and grinding roughly. Whether the mouth was small or the fingers were long and thick, just two was already a full fit.
The sensation of something stirring inside his mouth made Hee-young grimace and try to turn his head away, but Shin-yul quickly caught his chin and held it in place, then even more slowly swept through Hee-young’s tongue, teeth, the roof of his mouth, and the inside of his cheeks.
“But you were listening in on my shower, and now you’re suddenly sucking my fingers…. How should I take this?”
Saliva was dripping down Hee-young’s chin, and his held face had gone red and flushed as he panted — Shin-yul finally withdrew his fingers and pressed a soft smooch to his lips, then licked up the saliva trailing down.
“Hey, wait, wait a second—. You’ve lost it! Wow! Hey! Wait! I’m sorry, Ajeossi was wrong!”
“Another ‘wait’? How long do I have to hold back? I can’t anymore. Hee-young, want to kiss?”
“No! Ah! Wai—!”
Shin-yul’s feverish lips crashed over Hee-young’s open, shouting mouth and swallowed him whole. The thick tongue that invaded in an instant pressed down on Hee-young’s small tongue just as the fingers had done, grinding and rubbing, mixing saliva together.
Hee-young’s eyes flew wide open. Not because of the act of kissing itself — but because a dizzying, sweeping sensation surged through his mouth like a wave, washing over him. He could feel an intangible energy, tingling and filling every part of his body, swelling and rippling — and through the tongues grinding together, the sensation of it flowing smoothly out, like a river running, was achingly vivid. The sensation of Guiding was truly impossible to mistake.
Flooded with Guiding, Shin-yul worked his tongue frantically and breathed out ragged and rough. The Guiding that filled him all the way to his heart made him run hot. Shin-yul pulled the light body tighter and drove his tongue harder. Hee-young was panting and moaning, his voice faint and thin, strength clearly failing him.
Ah, what am I going to do. My pitiable savior, caught in my hands. I have no intention of ever letting go.
Back when he’d been watching over Hee-young in the hospital, Hee-young would often drift off and then come back to declare he would leave this place, reclaim his body, return to his original world. Whether it was delusion or truth, Shin-yul didn’t care. Whatever it was — Hee-young would not escape him even in death. He would give Hee-young everything he had, and even Hee-young’s death would belong to him — Shin-yul thought this, and smiled.
Shin-yul slowly rocked his lower half and ground his hardened length against Hee-young’s body. Hee-young, who had been lost in the sensation of the kiss and the Guiding, finally opened his eyes wide and slapped at Shin-yul’s broad chest over and over.
Shin-yul stubbornly kept his tongue moving for a while longer before finally lifting his head — and a thin thread of saliva, like a silver strand, stretched between their lips before breaking.
“You, right now—.”
“Sorry, I’m hard. My princess is just too sexy.”
“You, crazy… bas—.”
Running so hot he couldn’t catch his breath, Hee-young was gasping with not enough air, vision spinning. The heat still lazily grinding against him below was so absurd that he heaved for breath — and then felt everything go distant and collapsed.
Shin-yul caught the limp body gently, and very slowly, at an unhurried pace, kept rocking and grinding his lower half against him through their clothes. On the pale, slender wrist dangling loosely — the number 78% blinked in green.
