# Chapter 14
“Why are you here? I told you your room is on the opposite side.”
Though Raon had just been released, his waist was caught again and Jaehwi’s head was placed on his thigh. Raon closed his eyes, yawned, and patted Jaehwi’s head with one hand. Move aside. I need to get up, get ready, and go to work, he muttered, but the arm around his waist tightened instead.
And the moment Jaehwi playfully buried his face in Raon’s lower abdomen, Raon instinctively grabbed his black hair with both hands and pushed him back.
“Ow.”
A cute exclamation escaped from Jaehwi, who frowned because of his hair being pulled hard. Checking Jaehwi’s condition was less urgent than jumping off the bed. Without looking back, Raon entered the bathroom, locked the door, and crouched on the floor.
A long sigh flowed from Raon’s mouth as he sat on the floor looking up at the ceiling.
This was a phenomenon that inevitably occurs in the morning. Raon’s face was flushed red as he insisted to himself that it was a natural physiological reaction that happens to any healthy man.
He wanted to deny it, but he kept responding to Jaehwi. He needed to take action before such absurd thoughts deepened. Though Jaehwi’s appearance matched his preferences, his voice was sweet, and the look in his eyes seemed deep, it was all his misconception.
It was a side effect of not having dated for a while, and from being in such an intimate position with someone for so long. Jaehwi was his younger brother whom he needed to protect. He was someone who shouldn’t be viewed from a different angle.
The heat from the hair dryer, which Raon was holding against his already dry hair, was realized too late as the strength left his hand.
Ah, hot. While quickly rubbing the hot part of his head, the dryer fell to the marble floor with a loud noise.
“Hyung?”
Seeing Jaehwi who suddenly burst in through the door, Raon could neither laugh nor cry. Where did your top go? You don’t have anywhere to go today, so why did you shower? Why is water dripping from your hair?
“My hand slipped.”
Raon carefully passed by him and left the bathroom as Jaehwi scanned him with surprised eyes.
“You scared me.”
Raon ended up laughing at Jaehwi’s actions as he followed him. Ten years ago and now, Jaehwi hadn’t changed, but Raon had. Jaehwi had always followed him. They ate together, slept together, and whenever there was a break, Jaehwi always sought him out, no matter where he was.
Jaehwi remained the same, but the biggest problem was that Raon’s heart had changed.
“As I said yesterday, stay here for a few days.”
Having finished preparing for work while deliberately ignoring Jaehwi who followed him, Raon looked up at Jaehwi who was standing obediently in front of him.
His eyes were like those of a puppy begging its departing owner to take it along.
“Can’t I go with you?”
“No, you can’t. I’ll send you a few catalogs through Jay a bit later, so please review them well. That’s all I’m asking you to do today.”
Raon stroked Jaehwi’s head as he nodded.
* * *
“This is already prepared? Are you sure it’s done properly?”
Raon clicked his tongue as he saw the file on his table and a person waiting for him as soon as he arrived at work. Nox was clearly an Esper that any organization would want to recruit. However, he hadn’t expected a draft contract to be ready so quickly.
“We plan to send a draft contract to Nox by the end of today. I know that’s not just us; other centers will do the same.”
“Since when do we share contract details with other centers?”
Raon tapped the table with his fingertips and didn’t hide his discomfort toward the person who had brought the draft contract.
“Nox is an exception to everything. We can’t apply the conditions we would for normal Espers. The team members have been working themselves to death to first match the conditions set by NCSC and then create a contract based on that. While the contract period or amount might differ slightly, I expect other places to offer similar terms to ours.”
Raon’s hand, which had been quickly flipping through the pages, stopped. One clause had caught his eye.
[Guide provision.]
“Guide provision?”
“Yes. We’re currently checking guides with A+ or higher ratings within the center, and according to Team Leader Hyukjin, we’re also looking into foreign guides who aren’t tied to any nation. We’re primarily targeting guides between 20 to 25 years old who haven’t formed a bond yet, but depending on the situation, we might consider a broader range…”
“Did you confirm this guide part with NCSC clearly?”
“Yes. We’ve confirmed that he hasn’t had a guide until now. While others are desperate to find the stabilizer he’s been taking, our side already has the stabilizer, right? The lab is analyzing its components, so soon we’ll be able to provide him with the same stabilizer.”
“The fact that he hasn’t had a guide until now means there’s a reason for that, so the center is going to accomplish what even the government couldn’t?”
Raon held back his words. Hyukjin had said no one knew about the guiding that had occurred between Jaehwi and himself. But since he had no intention of becoming his guide, this part needed to reflect Jaehwi’s wishes.
“We’ll give him the choice of guide, but if he doesn’t accept, we can’t help it. However, being able to provide stabilizers faster than other places is a big merit. The guide provision will be a standard clause in contracts from all centers. It means providing the guide he wants. Thanks to this, the value of high-ranking guides has ironically increased.”
Raon, who had briefly bitten his left index finger, closed the file he was looking at.
Espers and guides. An essential relationship. Connections formed through this naturally developed into lovers and lifelong companions.
He ran his hand, which had a slight tooth mark on it, through his hair.
Twenty years old. It was an opportunity to provide the young child with a truly excellent lover and a person who was essential to him. Then his own unnecessary, absurd feelings would fade away.
He had determined to give the child the very best of everything. So it seemed he needed to call him in the afternoon and hand over the contract while having dinner at a nice place.
Only if Jaehwi contracted with MK Center could Raon personally select a guide who would be helpful to him. It was certainly not an easy task to find a guide who was similar in age, someone Jaehwi would like, of high rank, and with good compatibility. But in order to do even that, this contract had to be signed first.
“There’s a visit request from the research lab.”
“Refine the draft by this afternoon. I’ll talk to Nox directly and try to match any lacking conditions. And Jay, make a dinner reservation in a room with good security. I need to entertain Nox a bit.”
Upon hearing Jay’s words that came with a knock, Raon handed over the closed file and rose from his seat in good spirits. If it was Jaehwi, he would grant his request.
* * *
“Do I just need to sign?”
Raon let out a small sigh as he watched Jaehwi respond without even opening the file. From the perspective of the MK Center Management Team Leader, and as an older brother who wanted to provide him with a good guide, it was a very favorable situation.
But setting aside all emotional aspects, what Jaehwi was doing now was foolish.
“No. Read it carefully, word by word, letter by letter. That’s the first step.”
Ignoring his words, Jaehwi asked the approaching waiter to bring a pen first. Seeing this, Raon placed his hand over Jaehwi’s on the table.
“Why?”
“We have plenty of time, so let’s order food first and then read it slowly. Compare it with other centers, think about parts you might want to modify, and take your time to answer, whether it’s tomorrow or the day after. Have you received contracts from other places?”
“I’ll sign it now.”
“Min Jaehwi. This isn’t something you can change casually whenever you want. It’s not a contract that you can immediately cancel if you don’t like it, or terminate anytime by paying a penalty fee.”
Raon squeezed Jaehwi’s hand with his own.
But what he got in return was a smile. As if there was something very pleasant, Raon’s stern expression naturally softened at that smiling face.
“This feels nice. Hyung, are you worried about me right now?”
Raon slapped the back of Jaehwi’s hand and sat straight in his seat, moving his body back, in response to his words accompanied by such a clear smile.
“I always worry about you. If you sign without reading it now, you’ll regret it from that day on. I’m not just saying this.”
When the waiter, who had briefly left, returned with a pen, Jaehwi took it from his hand, still grinning. Then, humming a tune through his nose, he opened the file.
“I’ll have the course menu. What about you, Hyung?”
Since Jaehwi had ordered food so casually without even looking at the menu, Raon said he would have the same. Then he stared at the person in front of him.
Whether he was skimming through it or not, Jaehwi was flipping through the pages and precisely signing exactly where needed.
“That’s a draft contract.”
“I looked through all the other centers’ draft contracts this afternoon. Since the conditions are all similar, I’ll just go with MK.”
“Min Jaehwi. I told you to read it.”
Raon, with his chin resting on the table, spoke once more for Jaehwi who was in the midst of signing. He had already warned him countless times. Jaehwi didn’t know what clauses he had included in there. Perhaps they were clauses that might differ from other places.
“Hyung, I trust you. That under no circumstances would you do anything unreasonable to me. Of course, I won’t do that to you either.”
Raon snatched the file as Jaehwi, who had finished signing to the last page, closed it and spoke. Then he tore the paper right in front of him.
