# Chapter 28
“…Guide-nim…”
As Jaehee approached, Geonwoo felt immense relief. But perhaps because the tension left his body all at once, he staggered severely. His body, unable to maintain balance, began to collapse toward the floor.
Jaehee hurriedly caught Geonwoo’s falling body. Being careful not to let him fall, he seated Geonwoo on the bed.
At the same time, Jaehee also settled onto the bed alongside Geonwoo. This was because Geonwoo had grabbed Jaehee’s clothes and pulled him down. Jaehee’s body became trapped in Geonwoo’s embrace.
Sitting on the bed, Geonwoo wrapped his arms around Jaehee’s waist. He held Jaehee tightly so he couldn’t escape, and rested his forehead against Jaehee’s shoulder. While gently rubbing his head there, Geonwoo weakly called out to Jaehee in a small voice.
“Guide-nim…”
It was truly a pitiful tone. He looked so pathetic that anyone watching might think he had been neglected for a long time. Geonwoo called Jaehee’s name repeatedly with such a pitiful appearance. It was also a small complaint.
‘…Why did you come back only now?’
The anxieties that had been building up while waiting for Jaehee began to grow within Geonwoo, starting with this question. They were about to burst out completely randomly.
‘How long have I been waiting for you?’
‘I was scared you wouldn’t come back.’
‘I’ve been calling for you… why didn’t you come?’
‘Why are you just watching?’
‘You’re planning to leave again, aren’t you…’
But Geonwoo couldn’t voice these anxieties. They had accumulated too much, and he didn’t know which to choose. So he simply melted all his anxiety into the single word “Guide-nim” and let it out. Pressing his body close, he hoped Jaehee would understand how much he had suffered.
But Jaehee pushed Geonwoo away. Flinch! Geonwoo’s body stiffened. He felt rejected by Jaehee. Geonwoo tightened his arms around Jaehee. So that no matter how hard Jaehee pushed, he wouldn’t budge. So that he couldn’t escape from this embrace. He held him tightly.
Geonwoo whispered softly.
“Guide-nim, why are you… pushing me away? You said you’d stay by my side… you promised…”
Geonwoo’s voice trembled finely. Geonwoo was frightened. He was scared by the touch of Jaehee’s hands pushing him away.
‘Why is he pushing me away? Is he trying to leave again? Is he planning not to come back this time?’
All kinds of thoughts filled his mind.
‘Dohyun… he definitely called him that.’
Among his many anxieties, he found a cause and recalled a single name.
Of course, until Jaehee took the call, Geonwoo’s anxiety hadn’t been this severe. He had felt uncomfortable and anxious at the Guide’s appearance. He had felt intimidated and tense by Jaehee’s cold demeanor.
But it was anxiety he could endure. Because Jaehee hadn’t tried to erase their bond. Because the Guide who entered the room hadn’t performed Radiant Guiding.
Because he had clearly seen with his own eyes how Jaehee worried about him.
That fact had reassured Geonwoo. Even if he couldn’t understand what emotion that concern stemmed from, it at least gave him the reassurance that Jaehee would stay by his side until his body recovered. It helped him deliberately suppress the budding anxiety.
But after the call with Dohyun, things were different.
The talk about the bond that he’d overheard and the forceful tone directed at Jaehee. These things created a huge question in Geonwoo’s mind.
‘Who is he? Who could he be? Who is he to speak to my Guide like that and yell at him? Why is he talking about our bond?’
While these thoughts troubled him, when Jaehee finished the call and stood at the doorway without approaching, Geonwoo’s anxiety erupted.
‘Why? Why won’t you come to me?’
The joy that had filled his heart upon seeing Jaehee return instantly transformed into pitch-black anxiety.
So even though Geonwoo knew he still couldn’t properly control his body, he forcibly raised himself. He felt Jaehee would come if he did this. And that thought proved correct.
But after reclaiming him with such difficulty, Jaehee was now pushing Geonwoo away.
“…Guide-nim… no… don’t push me away…”
Geonwoo absolutely couldn’t let go. Strength naturally entered his arms holding Jaehee. He never wanted to be separated from Jaehee again. He couldn’t bear any more time without Jaehee.
So he imprisoned Jaehee with his body to prevent him from escaping. Restrained him with his entire body.
Then pat-pat, he felt small comforting taps from within his embrace. Jaehee had stopped pushing Geonwoo away and placed his hand on Geonwoo’s shoulder, gently patting it.
At that touch, Geonwoo flinched and slowly raised his head. He met Jaehee’s eyes. Geonwoo’s eyes were trembling mercilessly. Seeing Geonwoo like this, Jaehee spoke.
“Esper Choi Geonwoo. I’m not trying to leave. So let go and lie down comfortably. Your insides are in chaos right now. Your wavelengths are going wild and need to be calmed immediately. So lie down. It’ll be more comfortable than this position. You can barely use your strength anyway.”
Jaehee was right. Geonwoo’s body was shaking severely. The raging wavelengths were a problem, but coupled with the forced exertion, his body was becoming overloaded.
But Jaehee couldn’t push Geonwoo away. He couldn’t make Geonwoo lie down with his strength alone. So he gently coaxed Geonwoo to calm down and lie down.
“Come on. I’m not going anywhere, so lie down. That’s enough.”
At Jaehee’s words, Geonwoo met his eyes. He looked at Jaehee as if asking whether that was true. Jaehee nodded slightly and gently pushed Geonwoo’s body backward again.
Only then did Geonwoo relax his body. He obediently lay down on the bed as Jaehee guided him. Even so, he still wouldn’t let go of Jaehee’s wrist until the end.
In that state, Geonwoo slowly pulled Jaehee toward him. To come to him, to be embraced in his arms again. He carefully guided Jaehee, who was unbuttoning his shirt.
“Guide-nim… come lie down too…”
Jaehee, concentrating all his attention on suppressing Geonwoo’s wavelengths, was embraced in Geonwoo’s arms as he led him. Geonwoo didn’t take his eyes off Jaehee until he was in his arms. He acted as if Jaehee was the only person in the world.
When Jaehee lay down, Geonwoo embraced him and completely wrapped him with the blanket.
Only then could Geonwoo feel at ease. As the guiding energy flowed through their touching skin, a deep sense of relief came over him. The tension began to dissipate.
At that moment,
‘Ugh!’
Terrible pain struck Geonwoo. His eyes involuntarily contorted. Only then did Geonwoo realize that he was in pain. The wavelengths inside his body had been raging madly, but he hadn’t noticed. He hadn’t felt it at all.
When he felt relieved after holding Jaehee in his arms, the pain came rushing in all at once. The agony cutting through his body was vividly felt.
But it was strangely funny. Geonwoo felt good.
It hurt so much, but Jaehee was beside him. When he forcibly raised his trembling body that could barely maintain strength, Jaehee came to him instead.
All of these facts made Geonwoo happy.
‘To soothe this pain… my Guide came to me!’
That gave him tremendous satisfaction.
Moreover, Jaehee was trying hard to make him absorb even a little more guiding energy. His efforts to quickly soothe the pain gave Geonwoo an even greater sense of stability.
So Geonwoo decided not to mind that some of the other Guide’s guiding energy, which had remained in the room since yesterday, was entering through his opened senses. Because Jaehee had clearly said he wouldn’t erase the bond. He wanted to believe it. Looking at Jaehee’s worried expression, he thought it might be okay.
So Geonwoo accepted the guiding without resistance. Before long, he could feel his body becoming more comfortable little by little.
But such shallow stability soon began to crack.
‘Is it okay to trust like this without question?’
As the pain inside his body gradually subsided due to the guiding, anxiety rose up freely. To a degree that surprised even himself, Geonwoo easily fell into anxiety.
‘What if Guide-nim suddenly changes his mind while I’m feeling this secure? What if he says he’ll erase the bond?’
The anxiety continued to grow. Eventually, Geonwoo tried to close his opened senses a little.
As Geonwoo hesitated like that, trying to refuse the guiding, Jaehee melted away his anxiety. He gently stroked Geonwoo’s back, comforting him.
“I promised, didn’t I? That I wouldn’t erase the bond. So trust me and accept it. I’ll keep that promise, so don’t resist. Don’t think about anything else now, just focus on getting better…”
Those words reached Geonwoo and soothed his anxiety. Made him feel secure. Only then could Geonwoo fully accept the guiding without resistance. He found stability beside Jaehee.
As the pain gradually subsided, the question that had been sticking to his mind revived. The question that had made him anxious. It suddenly burst out of his mouth.
“Guide-nim… who is that person?”
At Geonwoo’s question, Jaehee, who had been focusing on guiding, raised his head. Geonwoo looked at Jaehee with a worried face.
“When you were standing at the doorway earlier, your expression wasn’t good.”
That was still the case. Though he seemed to be trying not to show it, anyone could see that Jaehee’s condition wasn’t good.
He hadn’t been like this until he left the examination room…
With that change, Geonwoo couldn’t help but ask.
“What did that person say to you?”
Geonwoo said this while examining Jaehee’s face. Then, suddenly, he frowned deeply.
“Did that person bully you?”
Geonwoo asked with a very serious face. He looked ready to go teach that person a lesson right away if the answer was yes.
Jaehee opened his lips to deny it, to say that wasn’t the case.
But Geonwoo’s words were faster.
“Trying to erase our bond… was that because of that person?”
