# Chapter 11
## 2. Red Signal
For someone who was forcibly put to sleep, he managed to stay unconscious for quite a while.
Yeo Dowoon sat up, shaking off his drowsiness, and glared at the empty space beside him where Kwon Jeonghoo had certainly been lying. Whether he’d already left for work or whatever else, Dowoon was just relieved not to have to face him. If he’d had to deal with him first thing after waking up, his physical and mental stress would have doubled.
“I’m exhausted…”
As Yeo Dowoon dragged himself to his feet, he was about to splash cold water on his face when he discovered several reddish marks on his neck and abdomen, making him shudder.
The spots where that lunatic Kwon Jeonghoo had firmly planted his lip-stamps were now discolored in vibrant hues. Though water wouldn’t wash them away, he still scrubbed them vigorously with soap out of frustration.
Yesterday, he was certain Jeonghoo had only touched his neck, so he couldn’t fathom why his stomach was in such a state.
“Perverted bastard.”
He couldn’t pinpoint when exactly Jeonghoo had become such a pervert, leaving him with nothing but distrust. Yet when he thought back, it seemed Jeonghoo had always been somewhat perverted, which made the realization even more disheartening.
He recalled when they lived together in Jeonghoo’s unnecessarily spacious officetel. After returning from a company dinner, Jeonghoo had reeked of sour alcohol and pulled him close by the waist, asking for a kiss on the cheek.
Back then, he truly believed it was just a drunk habit, but if he were to classify that as mere drunken behavior, it would be unfair to other drinkers who enjoyed alcohol properly.
“How pathetic is my life…”
As Yeo Dowoon emerged from the bathroom, roughly drying his wet hair with a towel, he suddenly froze as though struck by frostbite.
Drip, drip. Water droplets ran down his neck, working their way between his well-defined abs and smooth waistline before dissolving.
His eyes, which had been sharply narrowed while thinking about Kwon Jeonghoo, instantly softened as they took in the figure before him.
“G-Guide-nim…?”
Yeo Dowoon stammered, hastily covering his bare skin with the towel.
There stood Cha Haseong—someone he’d only dreamed of seeing, the ever-handsome and lovable Cha Haseong, the same Haseong who would smile gently with lips pressed against an ice barrier—right before his eyes.
His ivory-colored knit sweater complemented his brownish hair like a work of art.
Perhaps because he’d frequently seen him in tight-fitting training clothes recently, Dowoon couldn’t tear his gaze away from Haseong in civilian attire as he asked:
“…Is this some kind of mental manipulation?”
He couldn’t let his guard down. Kwon Jeonghoo’s mental manipulation was far more extensive than he’d thought, so after being thoroughly deceived once, he now questioned reality with tension.
Moreover, observing Cha Haseong’s glossy appearance, like a hologram, made everything feel even less real. Dowoon awkwardly walked over and quickly gathered the clothes he’d scattered around, putting them on.
Cha Haseong, who had been quietly watching this scene while seated in a folding chair, spoke rather flatly:
“Your neck is showing.”
“…”
“The kiss marks. Weren’t you trying to hide them?”
His voice was as cold as the north wind. Because Haseong had such fair coloring, Dowoon thought he might vanish like a hallucination, and he licked his dry lips.
No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t a product of mental manipulation but the real Cha Haseong. The same Haseong he’d been desperately pining after for years.
Pretending not to notice the gaze scanning him thoroughly, Dowoon approached the bed with awkward steps. Throughout this, Haseong’s damp stare continued uninterrupted.
Thank goodness he’d put on pants before coming out.
If he’d emerged wearing just his briefs, or worse, completely naked in his primordial state, his heart sank at the thought of how he would have handled the shame.
But why had Haseong suddenly appeared in his hospital room?
While Dowoon was thrilled to see the face he’d missed, his inability to grasp the situation bred anxiety. Just as he was pretending to tidy the bedding while stealing glances at Haseong:
“Dowoon-ssi.”
A warm touch, seemingly melting the deep-rooted coldness inside him, stroked down Dowoon’s spine. Dowoon, who had been bending over to grab the blanket, was startled as if struck by lightning.
When his skin had made contact with Kwon Jeonghoo, it had felt hot and painful, but as Cha Haseong’s fingertips grazed his skin, his body naturally relaxed, and a sense of peace washed over him.
Cha Haseong smiled slightly and said:
“You must have had a difficult time yesterday.”
The prickly remark allowed Dowoon to recall the moment when he had designated A-class guide Shim Woomin as his guiding partner.
Naturally, he could guess why Cha Haseong had come to his hospital room. Sighing with an “Ah,” Dowoon replied with embarrassment:
“You don’t need to feel guilty.”
Haseong had probably heard the rumor that Dowoon had frozen the entire dungeon to save him.
It wasn’t entirely inaccurate, but considering how Kwon Jeonghoo had tormented him all last night because of it, Dowoon resolved to personally hunt down and punish the rumor-spreaders after his discharge.
“I wasn’t injured because of you, Guide-nim…”
“Did you receive contact guiding from Woomin-ssi too?”
But Cha Haseong cut off the sentence Dowoon had carefully chosen without properly listening to it.
Standing in an awkward posture holding the blanket, Dowoon was flustered like a young bachelor when long fingers overlapped his hand.
It was probably all his imagination, but Haseong’s hand movements felt exactly like mature seduction.
“You said you didn’t want to with me.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he was trying to be considerate.
Moreover, Cha Haseong, as an S-class guide, could sufficiently calm Team Delta’s Espers without contact guiding, so unless one harbored ulterior motives toward him, there was no reason to request physical contact.
“Since Woomin hyung is an A-class guide… there were limitations without physical contact.”
Somehow, the lip marks left by Kwon Jeonghoo seemed to have been misinterpreted as traces of contact guiding, but since this appeared to be a positive outcome for him, Dowoon lied without difficulty.
He absolutely didn’t want to create misunderstandings about his relationship with his superior, especially with Kwon Jeonghoo.
Having kiss marks on his neck and stomach under the guise of contact guiding obviously wouldn’t look very pleasant, but it was still better than revealing that it was all Kwon Jeonghoo’s handiwork.
“…Woomin hyung?”
Cha Haseong echoed in a gentle tone. His voice was as sweet as if he’d taken a huge bite of dalgona candy.
“Shim Woomin-ssi must be older than me.”
The fingers that had been gently caressing the veins on the back of his hand soon changed course and moved down to his wrist. Every point of contact created bubbly sensations pouring down like fine sand particles, causing thirst.
More, I want more contact.
“…Guide-nim.”
As his heartbeat ran wild, Dowoon raised his bloodshot eyes to look at Cha Haseong.
Damn it.
Given his terrible condition, he suddenly became afraid and anxious that he might end up demanding something inappropriate from him.
“I’m in terrible shape today.”
Dowoon, filled with impatience, tightly gripped Haseong’s hand that had been teasing his skin. His heart pounded heavily.
He couldn’t hastily conclude whether he was resonating with guide Cha Haseong simply because he was an S-class Esper, or if there was an inevitable emotion being stirred by Haseong’s existence.
“So please leave for today. I’ll come back next time…”
Dowoon rambled on, completely unaware that he was the one holding Haseong’s hand to prevent him from leaving.
“I’ll… visit you again.”
Despite trying so hard to remain calm, despite all his efforts, it was unbearably frustrating that his mind and body surrendered after just one caress from the guide.
“You won’t come visit me.”
Cha Haseong then leaned over the mattress, as if trying to make eye contact with the head-lowered Dowoon. Drip. A droplet from Dowoon’s hair hit Haseong’s pale cheek before disappearing.
“Help me earn my living, Dowoon-ssi.”
Cha Haseong was the type who strictly separated professional and personal matters. There had always been no shortage of fools like Dowoon who desired him and pursued him, but none of them ever gained Haseong’s favor before giving up.
He maintained a clear boundary with Espers, keeping his distance as if he were repulsed by them.
“I’m your guide, Dowoon-ssi.”
But sometimes, he would frighteningly narrow that distance, planting foolish expectations.
Dowoon liked the plump aegyo-sal that rose whenever Cha Haseong curved his eye corners. He felt a protective instinct rise sharply from within.
Because you’re giving me a chance, giving me an opening. So I’m wrapped in delusion again.
“If you’re worried about making a living…”
Just as a conflict spread through him—thinking what’s the big deal if he’d already confessed ten times, whether it became eleven times or a hundred times—Dowoon, instead of his familiar confession, put unfamiliar money talk on his lips.
“I’ll pay you instead. How much is it?”
