Chapter 4

Hee-beom hurried down the stairs after leaving the lecture hall.

His mind was racing.

His last class had run long, and now he was cutting it close to his tutoring session.

On a normal day, he would have had time to grab a rice ball or something.

But today, he wouldn’t even have time to stop by the convenience store.

“Ah… a cigarette.”

Reaching the first floor, Hee-beom frowned.

So he wouldn’t be able to smoke either.

There was no place more comfortable to smoke than the school’s designated smoking area.

Missing a meal wasn’t as bad as missing a cigarette.

Clicking his tongue, Hee-beom ruffled his bangs roughly as he stepped outside.

The moment he did—

A wave of clamoring noise crashed over him.

“…….”

Hee-beom paused.

A crowd had gathered in the small plaza in front of the engineering building.

At a glance, there had to be over a hundred people.

But Hee-beom barely raised an eyebrow before looking away.

Whatever was happening had nothing to do with him.

Whether it was a celebrity, the president, or even a Gate opening—

None of it was his problem.

He turned to avoid the crowd.

Just then, a group of students exiting the building began chattering loudly.

“What the hell? Why are there so many people?”

“Did something happen?”

“Yo, yo. Kwon I-young is here.”

“Huh? Kwon I-young? The S-Class Kwon I-young?”

“Yeah.”

The name lodged itself in Hee-beom’s ear without permission.

His steps halted.

Kwon I-young.

That balloon-like existence he had met two days ago at the association.

Without realizing it, Hee-beom turned toward the crowd.

But all he could see were the backs of people’s heads—

I-young was nowhere in sight.

“Why the hell is Kwon I-young here? Shit, did a Gate finally open at our school?”

“Oh, are we getting an emergency school-wide break?”

“Break incoming, break incoming.”

“But we didn’t get a disaster alert.”

“Hey, let’s go check it out.”

“Wouldn’t a Gate be dangerous?”

“If Kwon I-young is here, he’ll handle it.”

The students rushed toward the crowd.

But nothing was visible.

“Damn it, I can’t see shit.”

“Try pushing through.”

“Just shove your way in.”

A few guys started pushing, and the crowd began to split apart—

Like a colony of ants scattering.

Hee-beom narrowed his eyes.

Beyond the sea of black-haired heads, for just a second—

A pale face peeked through.

It was really him.

Kwon I-young.

“Fuck…”

Muttering a low curse, Hee-beom immediately turned around.

He couldn’t meet I-young.

He didn’t want to.

That was only natural—two days ago, when Hee-beom refused the Guide contract at the association.

At first, I-young had been shocked by his rejection.

Then, he had glared at Hee-beom.

And after that, he refused to let him leave, nearly shattering Jang Junho’s office door with just his gaze.

Hee-beom had been trapped inside, unable to leave until other staff members forcibly removed the door from the outside.

All while I-young floated beside him the entire time.

He couldn’t have been more of a lunatic.

Who knew what insane stunt he would pull today?

Avoiding him was the best course of action.

Just as Hee-beom took his third step away—

“Hee-beom-ah!”

A clear, bright voice pierced the back of his head.

Hee-beom froze stiff, like an animal struck by a bullet.

“Excuse me, could you all move aside? I’d like to pass through.”

I-young spoke smoothly as he cut through the crowd.

The people, as if hypnotized, instinctively stepped aside for him.

From above, it would have looked like a school of fish scattering to escape a shark.

Finally, I-young’s figure came fully into view.

He wore a crisp white dress shirt, paired with a luxury-brand tie subtly imprinted with its logo.

His pants were flawlessly pressed, without a single crease.

His shoes, also designer, were immaculate.

A breeze swept through, making his hair sway perfectly in the air.

And in his hand, he was holding something that—

Hee-beom couldn’t bring himself to look at.

With effortless movement, I-young arrived in front of him.

The same shampoo scent clung to him as always.

Hee-beom stepped back, as if the fragrance were toxic gas.

But I-young simply followed.

“Hello, Hee-beom-ah. Have you been well?”

One step.

“I missed you.”

Another step.

“Would it be okay if I hugged you?”

This time—two steps.

Even back at their last meeting, Hee-beom had felt it—

I-young’s way of speaking was peculiar.

Like a harmless stalker.

Like a highly functional yet wildly inappropriate member of society.

Like a helium balloon with a face.

Like a bright-eyed pervert.

“…….”

Since Hee-beom didn’t respond, I-young pressed his lips together, then let out a soft sigh.

Then, without warning—

He thrust out what he was holding.

“Ah, this is a gift. I bought the most expensive one. Isn’t it pretty?”

“…….”

Hee-beom’s eyes scrunched up.

Because what I-young had shoved toward him—

Was a bouquet of flowers.

Not the small, delicate, pastel-colored kind.

No—

It was a ridiculously oversized bouquet, stuffed entirely with fist-sized roses.

To make things worse, it was covered in gold dust—

Which, to Hee-beom, felt like it was scraping his eyeballs just by looking at it.

“…….”

He just stared.

It was the first time since his elementary school graduation that someone had given him flowers.

He had no idea how to react.

By then, people had started to slowly creep closer toward I-young.

Even students exiting the building naturally joined the crowd.

“Whoa, what the hell? That’s Kwon I-young?”

“His skin is crazy white.”

“Damn, he’s hot.”

“He’s got that unreal beauty.”

“Up close, he actually looks human. So different from how he looks on the news.”

“Duh, he is human, dumbass.”

“But who’s the guy standing in front of him?”

“No clue. A student from our school?”

“Why is he giving him flowers?”

As those words hung in the air, the sound of camera shutters clicking followed.

Occasionally, flashes went off.

Hee-beom’s eyes tightened further.

He hated attention.

He hated photos even more.

Without thinking—

He grabbed I-young’s hand.

“Let’s go inside first.”

Hee-beom grabbed I-young and dragged him into the building.

Fortunately, I-young followed obediently.

Behind them, the crowd let out an awed gasp, though Hee-beom had no idea why.

Since it was already past 5 PM, the engineering building was mostly empty.

The lecture halls were vacant as well.

Striding across the corridor with his long legs, Hee-beom pushed I-young into an empty classroom.

After a quick glance down the hallway, he closed the door—

But didn’t lock it.

For his own safety.

Because he had no idea what I-young might try to do.

Now that the chaos had settled, Hee-beom relaxed his tense shoulders.

Then, he turned to face I-young.

“…….”

For some reason—

I-young was smiling.

Not just his mouth—his eyes, his eyebrows, his entire face curved into a wide grin.

“Why… are you smiling like that?”

Only after speaking did Hee-beom realize—

Something soft and warm was clinging to his hands.

I-young was fiddling with his fingers, kneading them like clay.

His pale fingers were tightly wedged between each gap of Hee-beom’s own, making it look downright disturbing.

The moment Hee-beom tried to pull away—

I-young stepped in closer and asked,

“Can you touch my face too?”

“What?”

“Your hand.”

Before Hee-beom could even respond, I-young pressed his cheek against the back of his hand.

His soft, pale skin squished against it.

“What the fuck….”

Hee-beom’s jaw tensed.

The warmth of someone else’s skin against his own felt deeply unnatural—and extremely uncomfortable.

“It feels so good. I love it. My Guide is the best….”

I-young closed his eyes, exhaling a satisfied sigh, as if he were savoring the sensation.

Meanwhile, his hands continued to stroke Hee-beom’s palms, tugging his fingers, tracing the edges of his nails.

……Both hands?

Hee-beom glanced at I-young’s hands.

Just moments ago, he had been holding a bouquet.

Where did it go?

Only when he looked up did he realize—

It was floating mid-air.

“Ha…”

The slowly drifting roses were downright eerie. Now he understood why the crowd had gasped—

The bouquet had literally followed them in midair. There was no doubt about it.