Hee-young sat there in a daze, and Shin-yul kept pestering him for a kiss. Hee-young looked around blankly, unable to make sense of what had just happened.
“What… what did you just do….”
“Killed a monster. You said you’d kiss me if I caught one.”
He absolutely had not said it like that — but Hee-young was still too rattled by the horrifying sound from moments ago to even think about arguing back.
Really? He actually got it? Without taking a single step from where he was standing?
Too stunned for words, Hee-young stared at Shin-yul with his mouth hanging open.
Shin-yul, pleased to finally have those dark eyes looking at him, smiled with his eyes curved and reached out to tickle Hee-young’s cheek with his fingers.
“Mm, did baby get scared?”
Scared was an understatement — he was nearly terrified. By the ability to kill something unseen from a seated position, and by the utter lightness with which someone capable of such a thing carried himself. The two of them held each other’s gaze, each lost in their own separate feelings, until the shuffling footsteps of approaching teammates finally broke the moment. The others were visibly shaken too — clearly startled by the monster’s sudden roar.
“Team Leader, sir — are you starting to clear the area around base camp? Should we head out now? With you here the clearing will go faster, so it might be better to pull a small group and get started ahead of the others….”
At the words of Jeong-min, the previous team leader, Shin-yul gave a slow nod. Using the heightened sensory perception unique to S-rank Espers, he had already detected quite a few creatures. The closest one had been dealt with, but since they all needed to be cleared anyway, it made more sense to handle them quickly and come back — that was his read on the situation. With that decided, Shin-yul lifted Hee-young into his arms and patted him gently.
“I’ll go clear out the monsters scaring my princess. Give me a kiss when I get back. Understood?”
Peck — Shin-yul pressed a light kiss to Hee-young’s cheek, set him down on a folding chair inside the tent, pulled a few people together, and was gone in moments. Hee-young stared after their retreating backs, still frozen in a daze.
“Hee-young, how are you feeling?”
Ha-ram came over and handed him a cool bottle of water. Still trying to calm his nerves, Hee-young accepted it without protest and downed it in one go. He wiped his mouth roughly and looked at Ha-ram, his face still drained of color.
“Hah…. Hey, teach. Listen.”
“Yes? Go ahead.”
“Is it… normal for Espers to just — kill monsters from where they’re sitting? Just like that?”
“Hmm….”
Ha-ram smiled awkwardly. Of course not every Esper could do that. Even within the same telekinetic category, what just happened was only possible because of the S-rank. Ha-ram, worried Hee-young might form a skewed perception, chose his next words carefully.
“Not every Esper can do that, of course. Esper Han Shin-yul is S-rank — his physical capabilities and abilities are exceptionally developed, which is what makes it possible.”
“So what you’re saying is, he’s a lunatic.”
“A lunatic… ly capable person.”
Ha-ram laughed uncomfortably. Espers — S-ranks especially — all had their particular brand of madness, but that wasn’t something he could just say outright to a Paired Guide. Just as Ha-ram was about to continue, a series of sounds like a landslide came booming from the distance, followed by a non-stop stream of shrieking that could split your eardrums. The other team members at camp looked startled too, glancing around at the dust rising in every direction as something large crashed and fell, murmuring anxiously among themselves.
A sharp beep — beep — alarm went off from Hee-young’s watch. It was a warning that Shin-yul’s Guiding level was dropping fast. Hee-young checked the watch and went white as a sheet.
From what the teacher had said — whatever was wrong with his head — Shin-yul was the one with overwhelming combat power. That meant, at least with Shin-yul here, he could expect to survive with absolutely zero doubt in his mind. The ability to end an enemy’s life without even being able to see it — that was genuinely extraordinary. Hee-young felt that weak, desperate part of himself lift its head again, and he couldn’t stop the swell of hope rising in his chest.
He had been under enormous stress — the body that was the polar opposite of his own, and a situation more dangerous than even the changed environment he’d found himself in. If you’ve decided to do it, then do it — he’d been talking himself through it as though it were nothing — but he’d been at a point of despair, unable to do anything about what was happening to him and seeing no way to break through. Coming face-to-face with that absolute, overwhelming power had sent a single ray of hope flooding through him.
There’s nothing stupider than entrusting your life to someone else — but if that someone can kill monsters without even lifting a finger, maybe that’s a different story.
Hee-young watched the number on his watch plummet and shot to his feet, bouncing anxiously on the spot.
“Fuck, what do I do?”
“Pardon? What?”
“It’s already at 69%! Are you kidding me!”
Hee-young bit down on his lip in agitation. He had no idea what Shin-yul’s Guiding level had been before, so he couldn’t tell whether the rate it was dropping was normal or not. The despair he’d felt over his pathetically useless body gave way to frantic panic at the thought of losing the one thread of hope he’d barely managed to find. Whatever it took — if he Guided Shin-yul properly, surely everything would work out. Remembering how Shin-yul had looked practically at death’s door even at 50-something percent, Hee-young’s urgency spiked. If Shin-yul went down too, there was no hope left.
“Ah, Hee-young! About the Guiding levels — !”
“Hold on — where did they say the Paired tent was?”
“Pardon? Why?”
“Well I can’t just kiss him in front of everyone! I need to Guide him! It’s already at 69, now 68%, this is insane!”
Meeting Hee-young’s blazing eyes, Ha-ram found his finger pointing involuntarily toward one of the tents being set up nearby. The tents — made from Dungeon byproducts — were assembling themselves automatically at designated spots. Looking at the ones already finished, they were spacious and sturdy enough to pass as temporary lodgings.
Even in the chaos, powered purely by the sheer refusal to kiss anyone in public, Hee-young dragged his heavy body into a run — and went down in a spectacular stumble.
“Oh — Hee-young — !”
Before a startled Ha-ram could even rush over, Hee-young had already bounced back to his feet, marched up to a nearby team member while eyeing the tent still slowly assembling itself, and started loudly demanding to know how the thing worked.
Hee-young… 68% is genuinely perfectly fine….
Actually — does Hee-young really care about his Pair that much? Safety sensitivity… that could be it. Guides who deeply loved their Espers often couldn’t stand to watch their partner’s Guiding level drop below 70%. But then again, Hee-young had been so overwhelmingly negative about Guiding, and even today while struggling to walk he hadn’t leaned on his Esper even once — so that didn’t quite fit either….
Ha-ram hesitated, then stepped forward with the intention of explaining to Hee-young exactly what each Guiding level meant for an Esper’s condition. But then he caught sight of Shin-yul — who had appeared from somewhere without his other teammates, strolling leisurely toward Hee-young as if he hadn’t a care in the world — and the very next second, Hee-young grabbing Shin-yul by the wrist and yanking him straight into the just-finished tent. Ha-ram squeezed his eyes shut.
I can’t make sense of this situation at all.
Ha-ram tried desperately to understand Hee-young, pulling at his own hair, but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t — and finally collapsed into a folding chair like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
“Damn it… forget it….”
The other Guides who heard Ha-ram’s quiet curse turned to him with wide eyes. Ha-ram swearing? The Ha-ram known for being gentle and kind and composed….
Guide Yoo Hee-young really is something else…. Everyone’s misunderstanding only deepened.
***
Shin-yul — dragged along without resistance despite Hee-young’s feeble grip — was smiling brightly at the sight of the top of Hee-young’s round little head, but the moment they stepped inside the tent, his expression shifted in an instant to a pained, labored look, complete with quiet whimpers.
“Hee-young….”
“Yeah, yeah. Does it hurt? Are you, like, about to die?”
“Mm….”
Hee-young had been gaping around at the inside of the tent — a bizarre box that had somehow inflated itself and assembled into something resembling a studio apartment of about 25 square meters, complete with a wide bed, lighting, a bathroom, and even a shower — when Shin-yul’s moaning voice made him jolt back to attention. He grabbed Shin-yul’s face in both hands and searched it urgently.
He looked exactly as fine as before — but with his brows drawn downward, gazing up at Hee-young with mournful eyes and his thick lashes trembling pitifully, Hee-young found himself stomping his feet.
“Kiss me….”
“Okay, okay, yeah.”
Hee-young nodded frantically and squeezed his eyes shut. I’ve done it once already — how hard can twice be. Survival comes first right now.
Shin-yul found the sight of Hee-young right in front of him, eyes closed, waiting obediently, unbearably endearing, and let out a quiet laugh.
“You do it, princess.”
“…What?”
Hee-young’s eyes flew open, the solemn expression shattering. You want me to kiss you? No, that’s a little….
As Hee-young’s face twisted with discomfort, Shin-yul scooped him up and nuzzled into his neck, wheedling and fussing like a child. Still holding Hee-young, he dropped down onto the bed with a thud.
“You said you’d kiss me. I killed a lot of monsters. Even though it was hard because my princess was scared, I killed a lot. Hm? I’m exhausted….”
Well, fair enough, but…. Hee-young agonized over it — then: screw it, damn it! If you’re a man and you said you’d do it! Isn’t that what Guiding is anyway! — and steeled himself, seizing Shin-yul by the hair as he rubbed his face against Hee-young’s neck like a puppy, and yanked his head back sharply. Shin-yul’s head snapped up, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“Open your mouth.”
At Hee-young’s words, Shin-yul parted his lips slightly. Hee-young’s eyelids fluttered — then he clenched them shut and pressed his mouth to Shin-yul’s. He slipped his small tongue inside and let their warm breath mingle. Once again, the energy inside his body stirred and poured out in a flood toward Shin-yul. The sensation of Guiding had grown more familiar with their frequent contact by now, but Mucous Membrane Guiding still set something boiling from deep within and made his head swim. Overwhelmed by the rush of intense sensation, Hee-young lost all composure and began urgently, desperately exploring Shin-yul’s lips.
Shin-yul too was breathless — flushed with the Guiding swelling through his chest and with the movement of Hee-young’s tongue against his own. Unable to hold back any longer, he pushed Hee-young down onto the bed, teasing and stroking the tongue in his mouth before pressing deeper, claiming the inside of Hee-young’s mouth and driving the kiss rougher and harder.
Shin-yul had a vague idea of why Hee-young had suddenly turned so eager. As with most Guides, Hee-young had probably witnessed an Esper’s ability and resolved to Guide him actively for the sake of his own survival. Some people criticized Guides for that kind of attitude — but Shin-yul didn’t care. Even if Hee-young saw him as a tool for survival, that was fine. As long as it meant Hee-young came to understand that there was no other option but him. Just as he is the only one for me — if I can be the only one for him.
That was precisely why he’d brought Hee-young to the Dungeon in the first place. Espers generally wanted their Guide to recognize their ability. Showing off a partner’s competence in a dangerous Dungeon was the fastest way to earn a Guide’s favor.
Shin-yul bit down hard on Hee-young’s lips. Hngh — Hee-young let out a pained moan. He ran his tongue slowly over the swelling, blood-beaded red lips, then bit into and swallowed Hee-young’s small lips all over again, continuing the kiss. He loved the way that small body, even as he marked it, offered its lips back without resistance.
***
“Hah…….”
“So the most recent research on the Dungeon ecosystem is… Hee-young? You are paying attention, aren’t you?”
Ha-ram said sternly, tapping the thick textbook with his finger. Hee-young, who had been staring into the void with unfocused eyes, managed to drag his gaze back to Ha-ram. The lips — swollen and crusted with dried blood — were unmistakably the aftermath of a rough kiss, which made it deeply awkward for both Hee-young wearing them and Ha-ram looking at them. Perhaps thanks to that, among all the Espers who had headed out for the first round of creature hunting, Shin-yul alone had come back looking radiant and glowing.
He said he absolutely would never kiss anyone…..
Ha-ram, unable to do anything with the mounting sense of betrayal welling up inside him, eventually decided to file it under oh, Hee-young must actually enjoy Guiding and move on — but Hee-young was reliving the moment he had initiated the kiss himself, and even gasped and enjoyed it, and suffering immensely. I’m fully complicit now. I can’t even pretend he started it and I just went along with it.
“Haah….”
“Hee-young, stop just sighing and —”
Just as Ha-ram was about to press him again, something came flying toward them fast from the undergrowth.
Thwunk — a spine-chilling sound rang out.
