"Did you not think that he might have struck first to prevent anyone from revealing he was a guide?"
That was also Joo-hyun's first thought as soon as he heard Ga-ram's words.
"Even so..."
Joo-hyun stubbed out the cigarette against a tree. He didn't need more injuries when his guiding was already insufficient.
"Anyway, something feels off. Be careful."
The lighter clicked open with a strangely addictive sound. Fixing his gaze on the lighter, Joo-hyun spoke.
"Could it not have been a simple matter of bad timing?"
"What?"
"He manifested and got the test results before meeting you, and somehow..."
His voice trailed off. He knew it was a ridiculous excuse, but the words came out before he could think.
There was nothing to gain from defending Cha In-ho. With Ga-ram's information, the best course was to be more vigilant and stay hidden, so why was Joo-hyun stammering out excuses for Cha In-ho? Regret washed over him like a wave, but there was no way to take back what he had said.
Joo-hyun, who never dwelled on inevitable matters, fell silent.
"You... Never mind. I would have probably said the same."
"What? Why start speaking only to stop? It's irritating."
"I just thought, you really are an esper."
Having said that, Ga-ram shook his head slightly, a resigned smile on his face. For some reason, the gaze that looked down at him held such tenderness that it made him feel emotional.
"Do you think I would be a guide, not an esper? Take off those rubbish lenses. You can't even see properly."
Despite the irritable words, Ga-ram didn't respond as he usually would. He just widened his eyes and muttered with a lifeless expression.
"A foul-tempered runaway esper and a suspicious guide. Perfect match. Hope you stay together for a hundred years."
There was no need to mention it was a one-year contract. If Ga-ram found out the matching guide would disappear in a year, he would definitely tease him relentlessly.
At that moment, a voice from the communicator in Ga-ram's pocket announced that the mission was completed. Finally, the mission was over.
Watching the large wings retreat quickly, Joo-hyun rubbed his face dry.
* * *
Joo-hyun's signed contract stated: guiding twice a week, on days of Cha In-ho's choosing. It meant that just because he came back from a mission battered, he couldn't receive guiding right away.
Knowing this, he couldn't help but feel regretful. Originally, it was normal to have nothing at all, but humans are indeed creatures of greed.
Joo-hyun washed away the filthy dust with cold water and looked into the vertically cracked mirror. His eyes were much darker than usual, and his skin was pale due to significant blood loss.
His arm, marked by the belt, showed a hideous wound where the flesh had been torn by a monster's horn. Guiding would heal it quickly, but there was no one to guide him at the moment.
With familiar skill, Joo-hyun wrapped a bandage tightly around the wound. The pressure made his fingers tingle, but it was much better than bleeding out and running out of control.
Barely able to stand with his oddly weakened body, Joo-hyun rested his forehead against the mirror. The cold surface seemed to slightly alleviate his headache.
He didn't know when Cha In-ho would come. It was still Wednesday, and Cha In-ho had last come on Monday.
"Hopefully, not Sunday..."
With his head spinning, Joo-hyun swallowed something. Perhaps it was anger, perhaps pain, perhaps tears. He didn't know, except that it tasted awful.
* * *
Cha In-ho came on Saturday. Entering the guiding room with his usual neat and handsome face, he widened his eyes as soon as he saw Joo-hyun. Skipping any greeting, he approached and grabbed his hand, clearly concerned about his condition.
Even with a frown, a pretty face remains pretty. That thought crossed his mind vacantly.
"Have you caught a cold? You look terribly unwell."
"There was just a troublesome mission."
With a hardened expression, Cha In-ho stepped back and began to scrutinise Joo-hyun from head to toe. Joo-hyun, lacking the energy to protest, slowly removed his outerwear under the searching gaze looking for injuries.
"When was the mission?"
"Wednesday."
"...You've been enduring the pain from Wednesday until now?"
Knowing that guiding would heal him, he hadn't worried, but the wound on his arm had festered. Cha In-ho carefully unwrapped the blackened bandage. The exposed wound was gruesome, but it wasn't anything new to Joo-hyun.
"You..."
Cha In-ho seemed to want to say something but soon fell silent and focused on guiding. The faint scent from Cha In-ho enveloped him as he gently held Joo-hyun's arm.
With the sudden rush of warm guiding, the fatigue and pain that had consumed his body quickly receded. Unconsciously, Joo-hyun relaxed and buried his face in Cha In-ho's shoulder.
Worried about being pushed away, he was surprised when the guide didn't reject the injured esper. After a moment of tension, Cha In-ho slowly relaxed and cautiously wrapped his arms around Joo-hyun's back.
The embrace was very warm and comforting, even giving a rare sense of safety that was uncommon in Joo-hyun's life. Despite knowing espers shouldn't initiate contact as per the contract, he decided to momentarily forget.
The guide's warm hand patted his back. The headache noticeably decreased, perhaps due to the forehead contact. Ga-ram's words suddenly came to mind.
"Be careful with him."
"You should have contacted me if you needed guiding."
The soft, soothing voice interrupted his reverie. Joo-hyun, who hadn't done anything to be consoled for, asked while catching his breath like someone rescued from water or a fish returning to the sea.
"How?"
"Well..."
Joo-hyun had no way to contact Cha In-ho. He didn't know his contact details, and even if he asked the staff to call him, they wouldn't listen.
As the wound healed and the fluctuating waves calmed down, Joo-hyun lifted his head at the retreating touch of Cha In-ho. The clearer vision felt strangely unfamiliar, causing him to rub his eyes reflexively.
"Here is my personal phone number. Contact me anytime. I can't guarantee I'll always answer, but I'll try my best."
The sound of rustling paper suggested he was writing down his number. Joo-hyun briefly looked at Cha In-ho, who was holding out the paper.
He had guessed that Cha In-ho might have been a guide even before the news broke out. His guiding skills were too good to believe he had just manifested. However, having it confirmed by someone else left him unsure of how to react.
What was Cha In-ho's purpose? Why had he hidden the fact he was a guide and revealed it so late? Why had he come to this place specifically to match with a runaway esper like Joo-hyun?
"Whether it's a call or a text, it doesn't have to be only when you need guiding. Even if you just want to talk to someone."
His scarred hand took the small piece of paper. Cha In-ho's handwriting was smooth and neat, oddly familiar.
Among the espers in Block C, none had mobile phones, nor could they have one even if they wanted. As he searched for a response, Joo-hyun simply nodded silently. That seemed to satisfy Cha In-ho, who smiled with eyes that crinkled.
A suspicious guide. Cha In-ho might be a suspicious guide, but he was Joo-hyun's matching guide nonetheless.
Crumpling the paper with the famous actor's phone number, Joo-hyun shoved it into his pocket.
The resolve not to become attached to the guide was wavering from deep within. He couldn't pinpoint when it had started, but he distinctly felt it when he had faced death and then opened his eyes alive. The weary face that had held his hand amidst dried blood and dust often appeared in his dreams since that day.
Hiding his rising fear, the esper quietly closed his eyes.
"..."
"..."
The damp air, sticky against the skin, filled the room. It seemed like no one knew what to say. Joo-hyun felt the same. The news that Beom-gyu brought was incredibly sad, yet somehow familiar.
"Why isn't anyone saying anything? Noona, Hana, is dead!"
Beom-gyu shouted in a voice filled with anger, tears streaming down his face.
Hana had been a runaway esper who had been in Block C for about two years. She had gone on a long-term mission last week and never returned. Despite the sadness, no tears came to Joo-hyun's eyes. Perhaps it was because he was a heartless person.
"Don't you feel sad? Chae-kyung-hyung, Se-hwa-noona, and Hana-noona were all close. So why aren't you crying?"
"Everyone will die if cry every time, you'll die of dehydration pretty early yourself."
Beom-gyu's sharply spoken words made Joo-hyun snap his head up. Beom-gyu grabbed Joo-hyun's collar, but Joo-hyun raised his hand as if to stop him. Chae-kyung, who was standing nearby, tried to restrain Beom-gyu, but Joo-hyun calmly lowered his hand instead.
Beom-gyu's red eyes, filled with rage and pain, glared at Joo-hyun with deep resentment. It was the first time Beom-gyu, who had become a runaway esper before the torture of repeated battles, had lost a comrade.