“Understood. Guide Kim Yeoul.”
Kang Hyeseong, who had hesitated for a moment, soon put on a slight smile. I really can’t win against him. He added like he was talking to himself and headed to the private bathroom attached to his office.
For now, he had succeeded in getting him to wash up. I need to kidnap him straight to bed as soon as he comes out. Yeoul, who had made a firm resolution, also quickly headed to the shared bathroom inside the office. After washing with warm water and even brushing his teeth, it felt like the fatigue that had accumulated in his body melted away to some degree.
As he came out of the bathroom drying his hair with a towel, he saw Kang Hyeseong, who had already finished showering. Wearing short-sleeved duty clothes with the letters of the Supernatural Security Bureau and training pants, he handed Yeoul a new t-shirt as well.
“I think I’ll have to move into the official quarters soon. Let’s go home sometime soon and pack some clothes and underwear.”
“Yeah. I’ll apply for quarters as soon as it gets light too.”
After changing clothes, Yeoul quickly headed to the bed in the office. Sitting down confidently as if it were his own bed, he patted the spot next to him and called out to Hyeseong.
“Hurry and come here. You need to sleep even one more second, hyung.”
“So forceful, our Second Lieutenant Kim Yeoul.”
Kang Hyeseong approached the bed slowly and leaned against the spot next to Yeoul. The refreshing scent of lotion he had just applied wafted from him. The moment their thighs touched, he could feel his body stiffen awkwardly.
‘Ah, wait a minute…’
This is… kind of dangerous, isn’t it?
Yeoul bit his lip hard. It had been a mistake to rashly call him to the bed, filled only with the desire to make him sleep.
Still, it couldn’t be helped. If it were the Kang Hyeseong he knew, if he told him to sleep and then left, he would definitely get up as soon as he disappeared and sit at his desk. And then he’d work through the night again… He couldn’t just leave him like that. Yeoul tried hard to calm his pounding heart and opened his mouth primly.
“Now hurry and lie down.”
“Our baby, should I give you a lap pillow after so long?”
“Ah, forget it. Hyung, now’s not the time for that kind of thing.”
When Yeoul got annoyed, Hyeseong laughed out loud. The sight of him laughing until his chest heaved was infuriating. He must be incredibly tired, yet he plays around whenever there’s a gap. Could there really be someone this sincere about teasing me?
“I’ll give you a lap pillow, so hyung, lie down here.”
Was it because he was annoyed at Kang Hyeseong, who was leisurely enjoying himself alone without knowing his anxious feelings? Yeoul boldly patted his own thighs. He wanted to turn it around on Kang Hyeseong, who endlessly treated him like a child, always saying things like “baby,” offering lap pillows, saying he’d put him to sleep.
Hyeseong, who had been watching Yeoul quietly, chuckled.
“Really? Then should I try lying on our baby’s lap after so long?”
…There’s no way Kang Hyeseong would be fazed by something like this. Yeoul watched him approach with slightly flustered feelings.
The moment his head, from which the scent of shampoo wafted up, touched his thigh, he could feel his body noticeably stiffen.
‘Ah… please… God.’
Regret flooded in within one second. I must be crazy… Why did I say something like that to Kang Hyeseong? Yeoul, who had squeezed his eyes shut, tried his best to think about other things. Maybe I should try to recall the lyrics of the military songs I learned during training…
“Mm… feels like it’s been a while since I’ve lain down.”
“A lap pillow? It has been… a while.”
“No, just lying down itself.”
Yeoul, who had been taking deep breaths inconspicuously to gather his wits, was shocked.
“What on earth does that… Protecting the country is important, but you have to live as a human being.”
“Right.”
His lips curved beautifully. On his softly smiling face, layers upon layers of deep-seated fatigue were piled up, so just looking at it made his heart ache dully. Without realizing it, Yeoul raised his hand and stroked his head.
“This is nice… Our baby is letting hyung rest like this too.”
“…Hurry and sleep.”
His heart felt like it would burst out, so it was impossible to maintain his composure. Kang Hyeseong saying something like this while lying defenseless on my lap…
Unable to bear it, Yeoul covered his eyes with his palm. When he covered his eyes as if stroking them, he smiled once more.
“Sleep well. …You worked hard today too.”
Yeoul greeted him in a whisper. Hyeseong slowly hummed, “Mm.”
“Yeah. Our baby worked hard too. I’m sorry, and thank you.”
His apology was conveyed honestly without any embellishment. Kang Hyeseong’s sincere voice melted away even the small knot that barely remained in his heart.
Without answering, Yeoul just quietly covered his eyes. He was afraid his heart, which was beating wildly as if it would explode, could be heard.
Soon, even breathing came. His chest rose and fell regularly. Only after confirming that he had fallen into a deep sleep did Yeoul carefully remove his hand. The fact that it took less than a minute for him to fall into a deep sleep made Yeoul’s heart ache.
“…Idiot.”
When you were this tired… You should’ve just accepted some guiding…
Yeoul looked at his face with emotions mixed with half resentment and half pity.
It had been a long time since he’d seen Kang Hyeseong sleeping. Usually, if he put him to sleep, he put him to sleep, but the reverse case was almost never.
“Sleep well, hyung. Don’t have nightmares… Have good dreams.”
After quite some time had passed, Yeoul greeted him in a small voice and gently placed his head on the pillow. Then he carefully tucked the blanket over his body. Yeoul, who cautiously lay down next to him, looked at his face for a long time until he drifted off to sleep.
***
“Come on, come on, our youngest.”
“Hurry and sit here. We have some things to ask you.”
It was right after the team meeting that they apparently held briefly every dawn. As soon as Kang Hyeseong left the R1 office to attend the rescue team leader meeting, the team members pounced on Yeoul eagerly.
When he sat down where he was led, he saw his seniors looking at him with curious eyes. To be honest, it was a little, no… very burdensome.
“Okay, let’s get right to the questions. How was the guiding with the team leader?”
“Second Lieutenant Kim Yeoul, who’s now practically family with our R1. Would it be rude if we asked such direct questions?”
They competed with each other to swarm like a school of piranhas. Yeoul, who had been sitting properly in his chair with a bewildered expression, finally realized why they were doing this.
“Whoa, whoa, everyone calm down a bit. Aren’t you all too excited? What if Yeoul feels uncomfortable?”
Seo Giwon said as if scolding them while making coffee. However, Yeoul smiled and waved his hand.
“Ah… no, sir. I actually wanted to ask the seniors various things about guiding too.”
“Right, right, go ahead and tell us.”
“Here, have a cup of coffee first.”
“Thank you!”
After receiving the warm coffee and bowing deeply, Yeoul slowly explained the whole story. All the team members listened to his words with focused expressions.
At the part where he collapsed after getting a nosebleed, everyone let out sighs of “oh dear.” Esper Seo Giwon even gently massaged Yeoul’s shoulder sympathetically.
“…But seriously, isn’t this crazy? Is this the prestige of an 85% matching rate…”
When Yeoul finished speaking, Hyun Junho, who had been listening quietly, let out an exclamation as if entranced.
“The matching rate is definitely king. How can you only get a nosebleed…?”
“Right? And he even has a chronic condition, doesn’t he, Yeoul?”
“Even the fainting wasn’t just a day or two, but one minute… seriously crazy.”
Yeoul couldn’t help but be a little bewildered as he watched them nod their heads one by one in agreement. He got a nosebleed and even fainted, so why this reaction…?
Seeing Yeoul looking puzzled, Guide Lee Bora began to explain in a calm voice.
“You learned that guiding is difficult if the matching rate is below 50%, right? But even if the matching rate exceeds 50%, if the rejection reaction is too severe or the gap in wave output is large, the guide’s body can be seriously damaged. They could faint for several days, and if it’s really bad, they could even die.”
Could even… die? Watching Yeoul’s mouth drop open with a shocked face, Guide Lee Bora waved her hand.
“Of course, if the matching rate reaches 85%, you can consider the possibility of death to be nonexistent. That’s probably why you proceeded with the guiding. With the team leader’s personality, if there was even the slightest possibility of that, he wouldn’t have laid a finger on you, right?”
“Ah… I see.”
That’s true. There’s no way Kang Hyeseong, who goes beyond protecting and sheltering him to trying to overprotect him, would make such a reckless move. Yeoul nodded seriously.
“Yeah. And it was even your first guiding, wasn’t it? That’s really good compatibility between you two. The other person isn’t just anyone, it’s the team leader. Impressive, Second Lieutenant Kim Yeoul.”
“Right. You’re really killing it, Yeoul.”
“Thank you…!”
Yeoul bowed his head gratefully to his seniors who patted his shoulders and encouraged him. Until yesterday, he had been a little resentful of himself for getting a nosebleed and fainting, but to hear that he did very well. His motivation and courage to do better surged again.
“But senior. May I ask you a question…?”
“Yeah, feel free.”
“How can I guide more efficiently?”
At Yeoul’s utterly serious question, Guide Lee Bora pondered with an “Mm,” then answered in a fresh tone.
“First of all, the grade is fixed so you can’t change it, and the gap from that is also hard to reduce. The only things we can do something about are the matching rate and rejection reaction.”
“Ah….”
“But the matching rate isn’t something that moves that easily. And if the rejection reaction is something the esper feels, there’s nothing we can do about it…”
Guide Lee Bora, who had been explaining up to there, faced Yeoul directly and tilted her head.
“Mm, the rejection reaction and matching rate are based on the relationship and emotions between esper and guide, but you two definitely aren’t lovers, right?”
