# Chapter 26
Each compatibility test took about 5 minutes. With 10 Guides coming today, that would be 50 minutes. Considering preparation time, it would take at least 2 hours. Even if he couldn’t watch it all, he could at least briefly see the Guides.
Walking faster than usual toward the testing room, Raon put on the glasses he had kept in his cardigan pocket and entered the adjacent control room.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
“I’ll just look at the Guides and leave. Haven’t you prepared yet? You should call me after everything’s ready.”
Raon pulled an empty chair next to Hyukjin, crossed his legs, and leaned comfortably against the backrest.
“The Guides are in the waiting room, and Nox is about to come up. You don’t have anything to do anyway.”
Raon, who was looking at the ceiling with his head tilted back, didn’t even respond to Hyukjin’s remark.
“Go in there for a bit.”
“Where?”
“The testing room.”
“No.”
“Let’s test the equipment. Go in and sit in the chair.”
When Hyukjin nudged his foot, Raon just slightly turned his head to look around before closing his eyes as if annoyed. He knew only essential personnel were in the control room and there was no one else to go in, but that didn’t mean he had to be helpful.
“Kang Raon.”
“……”
“Team Leader of the Management Team. Please cooperate. This isn’t just any task—we’re finding an excellent Guide. Can’t you make that much effort?”
Raon clicked his tongue at Hyukjin, who had switched from speaking casually as an acquaintance to making a formal request, and slowly stood up.
“I just go in?”
As the door from the control room to the testing room opened automatically, Raon entered with his arms crossed and slowly looked around. Behind two comfortable single-person couches were machines, but it was clear they had tried to create a cozy and comfortable atmosphere.
The door closed, and where the glass had shown the control room, a beautiful garden scene appeared, like a painting.
[Could you please sit down?]
So they can see in here from the control room, but I can’t see out? Feeling like he was looking at a well-decorated real garden through the window, Raon deliberately walked up to it and touched the glass. From the other side, he would just look like he was blankly touching the window.
“Quite realistic.”
[Mr. Kang Raon. Please sit in whichever chair you prefer.]
Not sure exactly where the sound was coming from, but hearing Hyukjin’s voice through what must be a speaker somewhere, Raon just nodded casually and sat in the nearest chair.
[Please put the wire next to you around your wrist.]
“Ah. Yes, yes.”
Seeing something like a bracelet, he put it on his wrist, and it automatically adjusted to fit perfectly. This time, was it nature sounds? The soft chirping of birds and the sound of wind brushing through grass filled the air subtly.
They must be starting with mental relaxation to maximize compatibility.
As he sat comfortably in the chair looking at the incredibly peaceful garden, he felt his body and mind relaxing. The chair was soft and warm, perhaps with a heating function, and when the distinctive smell of a garden emerged, a small smile appeared on Raon’s face. Even if it wasn’t just for testing, having such a space at home to rest would be quite nice.
“How long do I have to do this?”
[Just stay like that a little longer. It’s comfortable, isn’t it?]
Hearing Hyukjin’s voice immediately after speaking, Raon closed his eyes comfortably.
Hyukjin lowered the lighting in the testing room to allow Raon to rest more comfortably while arranging the order of today’s Guides. For the Guides, it was a one-time test, but for Nox, it was quite a bothersome and tiring test. Above all, his cooperation was essential.
“Can we get results in less than 5 minutes?”
[In cases of really good compatibility, the readings come immediately, taking less than a minute. Conversely, in cases of complete incompatibility, the results are also immediate. The problem is with borderline cases, which can take 10 minutes or more.]
A researcher quickly answered Raon’s question.
“Then it won’t take up to 2 hours.”
[Probably not.]
“When is Nox coming?”
Hyukjin, who had confirmed that Raon’s readings were steady, was about to stretch and stand up when he stopped. Something dark and large was standing next to him.
“What is it?”
With his arms crossed, looking at Raon resting through the window, a low sound came from his mouth.
“Equipment testing…”
Hyukjin didn’t stop Jaehwi, who entered the testing room before he could finish his sentence. He needed to get them both in the same space to conduct a simple test, and this opportunity had just fallen into his lap.
They both insisted there had been no guiding between them, and even Aiden, an S-grade Guide who was present, said there was no guiding between them. But the rising readings that occurred whenever Jaehwi met with Raon couldn’t be faked.
Hyukjin signaled the researcher who was looking at him as if asking what to do to stay put, and he sat down comfortably. For accurate results, Jaehwi should also be wearing sensors, but the changes in Raon’s readings alone could provide some insight into their mutual relationship.
Entering the environment that was artificially created but well-made, with sounds and smells, Jaehwi looked around once. The space he had just been peering into through the window was decorated like a garden.
Jaehwi approached Raon, who had fallen into a light sleep rather than just resting comfortably, and his expression stiffened slightly.
Why is he wearing these horn-rimmed glasses when his eyesight isn’t even bad?
He didn’t like seeing Raon so defenseless, when he should be sleeping comfortably only in his arms, knowing that Hyukjin and researchers were outside.
He was prickly and sensitive, yet strangely defenseless in places like this. He was particular about eating, dressing, sleeping, and every aspect of daily life, yet showed carelessness in unexpected places.
He disliked having others close to him, yet at the club, he remained still when someone rubbed against him at close quarters. Like how he kissed deeply at the club but wouldn’t even give a light peck last night. What was it—he’d do it with strangers but not with someone he knows?
Deliberately turning his back to the observation window and sitting with bent knees and body in a position that could shield Raon, Jaehwi touched Raon’s slightly disheveled bangs.
“Raon.”
When there was no response to touching his hair, he softly called his name this time. Raon’s eyelashes seemed to lift slightly, but not wanting to wake up, he just breathed a little more deeply without showing much of a reaction.
“You told me to wake you up.”
A smile appeared on Jaehwi’s lips as he pushed aside the hair he had just neatly arranged. He moved his fingertips to rub Raon’s straight eyebrows and press his soft nose tip, and when Raon’s relaxed hand rose, he quickly pulled back.
Jaehwi took Raon’s hand, which had only brushed the air, and kissed his palm. As he held his lips against the palm that felt warmer than usual, perhaps because Raon was sleeping, Raon slowly opened his eyes.
“Hello.”
“…Hi.”
Whether he wasn’t fully awake or not, Raon smiled softly and closed his eyes again, but then they snapped open. He straightened his upper body, which had been comfortably leaning against the chair, and tried to shake off Jaehwi by pulling his hand away, but Jaehwi just grinned without letting go.
“Hyung, don’t curse. People outside can see everything.”
Raon, who couldn’t even shout because Jaehwi intercepted his words just as he was about to open his mouth with wide eyes, pressed his lips tightly closed.
Hyukjin and the researchers were silently watching Jaehwi and Raon. Until Jaehwi entered, Raon had shown stable waves and readings.
There was no physical contact, and they weren’t even very close. But the moment Jaehwi entered the same space, Raon’s readings gradually began to show a reaction.
Since Jaehwi’s back completely blocked Raon, those outside couldn’t be sure exactly what was happening between them.
Only…
“This is crazy,” a researcher muttered, and Hyukjin had to uncross his arms. He wasn’t sure how much physical contact there was, but it seemed to be no more than hand-holding at most.
“What percentage?”
“Since Nox isn’t wearing sensors right now, we can’t know exactly, but judging from Team Leader Kang Raon’s readings alone, it’s as if they’ve formed a bond.”
“…Nox’s stabilization level has increased. It was 32% just before entering the testing room, and now it’s 35%.”
Hyukjin uncrossed his arms and adjusted his sitting position. When combining the information coming from the sensors Jaehwi was wearing for stabilization level checks, looking for a Guide seemed pointless.
If they attached sensors to Jaehwi right now and had Raon perform radiative guiding, he felt he could bet his annual salary that it would show at least 90% compatibility.
But the problem was how to explain this…
“Is the test over?”
At Jaehwi’s question, Hyukjin pressed the microphone button in front of him.
[Yes. You may come out now.]
As soon as he answered, Hyukjin turned off the microphone and ordered the researchers to delete all the records that had just been made.
