CRSV Ch 3

Haewon, eyes rolling back, snapped with a rotten expression. The corner of his mouth, curled up on one side, almost seemed like a sneer. In a moment of mental upheaval, he said something he shouldn’t have. He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth, but there was no taking them back.

“Seo Haewon.”

Seungwon warned Haewon with a stern expression and a rigid tone. But Haewon had no intention of backing down. Not at all.

Of course, he knew the words he’d just spoken were a mistake. They were said in a fit of anger, not something to say in front of his brother.

But… this was too much.

“I’m out too. No way. Sorry, but this really isn’t happening. A pair with someone like that? Cancel the contract.”

Jinheon joined in, growling. Seungwon calmly observed the two. After a brief moment of thought, Seungwon’s expression shifted to one of apology.

“That’s problematic.”

Then, with a smile that truly seemed troubled, Seungwon scratched the front of his eyebrow with his thumb a couple of times and let out a small sigh.

“Guide Chae Jinheon. You remember signing the contract earlier, right?”

Jinheon’s head whipped toward Hoonyoung. An uneasy feeling crept in. He had signed something earlier… but what about it? Hoonyoung subtly avoided Jinheon’s gaze.

Glancing at Jinheon and Hoonyoung, Seungwon drew attention back to himself.

“Hmm…”

With a soft hum, Seungwon slowly looked down at the watch on his wrist, then raised his head deliberately.

His face was still full of awkwardness and regret.

“By now, the transfer should be complete. The stock payment and tax processing too.”

Jinheon’s mind raced. So what? Was he saying to return the taxes too?

“It means you can’t back out now.”

Seungwon smiled regretfully. Jinheon, slightly flustered, took a step forward.

“Esper Seo Haewon says he doesn’t want it. I’ll return what I got.”

At Jinheon’s words, Seungwon lowered his eyes and slowly shook his head. The words that followed carried genuine regret, though their content suggested otherwise.

“The penalty for breaking the contract, as stated, is ten times the amount. I’ve already paid the contract fee, and if Guide Chae Jinheon wishes to terminate this contract, you’d need to pay the penalty.”

Jinheon’s expression hardened. Ten times? Ten times 100 billion? Hundred million, billion, ten billion, hundred billion. What came next… ten thousand billion?

One… trillion…?

With trembling hands, Jinheon grabbed Hoonyoung by the collar.

“Hyung. I think we need to talk, don’t you?”

Hoonyoung smiled awkwardly, desperately clutching Jinheon’s hands.

“Just let go for a sec. This is all for your sake, I swear.”

Jinheon, whose mind had already blasted off to Andromeda, let out a scoffing laugh.

“What kind of scam is this now, Team Leader Lee Hoonyoung?”

Jinheon seriously considered snapping Hoonyoung’s neck. His fingers itched. As Jinheon flashed a twisted smile, Seo Haewon tactlessly cut in.

“Aha. Hyung? What did you do? Where’d you dig up a guy like that? He thinks he’s Shim Cheong sold for three hundred sacks of rice.”

Now his fingers weren’t itching anymore. Seo Haewon’s infuriating nonsense was even more aggravating than Hoonyoung’s scheming.

Right. These fingers weren’t for twisting Hoonyoung’s neck. They were for folding Seo Haewon’s spine.

‘But why does he keep talking so casually?’

Jinheon let go of Hoonyoung’s collar with a thud and approached Haewon. His aura was menacing.

It was obvious Seo Haewon was younger than him. And in terms of awakening experience, Jinheon was the senior. Even Haewon’s friend Yeyeon respectfully called him “senior.” So why was this guy constantly…

The rigid instincts of hierarchy, forged through years of scrubbing the judo mat, began to dominate Jinheon.

He wanted to put Seo Haewon in his place, at least by age.

“Hey, why do you keep talking so casually? How old are you?”

“Hah…”

Haewon, dumbfounded, let out an irritated sigh. But Jinheon was dead serious.

“Hey, you know Shim Cheong but not the land of courtesy? Huh?”

Jinheon’s heated mind was a complete mess. Everything about this situation pissed him off. Falling for Hoonyoung’s ridiculous sweet talk.

And the fleeting illusion of gold bars. Having to pair with this rude jerk, and that jerk being the first to tear into him.

The fact that it was all his own fault, and that this young punk kept acting like a jerk.

Above all, the fact that he’d briefly thought this jerk was cute!

Sparks flew in Jinheon’s eyes. Haewon, whether aware of Jinheon’s state or not, just snorted and threw in a jab.

“Ohh… Right. You wanted honorifics, huh… Okay, Mr. Chae Jinheon? But if you’re sold, take the contract money and jump into Indangsu. Don’t loiter here polluting my house.”

“Seo Haewon.”

Unable to stand it, Seungwon stopped Haewon with a stern expression. Haewon ignored Seungwon and stood up.

The guiding assist devices wrapped around his body were uncomfortable. He planned to rip them off and leave the room. His body felt heavy, but not immobile.

He had no desire to stay in this cauldron of chaos any longer. The moment Haewon turned to remove the devices…

“Polluting… Polluting…?”

Chae Jinheon, who’d been blankly chewing on Haewon’s words, let out a deranged laugh and launched himself at Seo Haewon. His competitive spirit ignited.

“What the hell are you doing!”

Feeling a chill down his spine, Haewon quickly turned and kicked at the approaching figure. Jinheon, hit, stepped back with a smirk.

“You said to throw myself. So I did.”

Then he charged again. His grinning face looked completely unhinged.

Seo Haewon dodged in disgust.

“Who said to throw yourself here!? I said Indangsu!”

Despite deftly sidestepping, Jinheon swiftly pivoted back. Astonishing agility. Haewon swung his arm to fend off the charging Jinheon.

But his balance faltered, his knee catching on the bed. As Haewon tipped over onto the bed, Chae Jinheon pinned him down. A strange glint flickered in Jinheon’s eyes.

“Not bad, huh? Gonna throw myself here?”

“Argh, damn it!”

Crash-!

With a curse, Haewon pushed Jinheon with all his strength. Jinheon, shoved by Haewon, tumbled across the floor.

Haewon’s monstrous strength had grabbed Jinheon’s shoulder and pushed him away. No matter how big or athletic Jinheon was, he was a Guide.

Beating an Esper, whose physical abilities were enhanced by awakening, in raw strength was tough.

“Ugh… Crazy…”

Haewon, having pushed Jinheon away, shuddered. But Chae Jinheon was tenacious. Using a breakfall technique, Jinheon sprang back up, leveraging his body’s momentum.

Then, lowering his center of gravity, he eyed Haewon. His gaze, seeking an opening, was sharp. Remarkable focus.

This was familiar to Chae Jinheon. Watching for an opponent’s weakness, striking swiftly, never losing focus.

Haewon, on the other hand, had never properly trained in martial arts or combat. Unable to counter the recoil from pushing Jinheon, his body staggered.

Spotting the opening, Jinheon charged again, grabbing Haewon’s clothes tightly. Then he yanked him forward and slammed him to the ground.

“One point-!”

Triumphantly, Jinheon pinned Haewon down. His voice, shouting “one point,” was filled with gleeful exhilaration.

Meanwhile, Haewon, thrown flat on the ground, felt a pain so intense it stole his breath.

“Surrender.”

Jinheon looked down at Haewon smugly.

‘Surrender, my ass. Childish jerk.’

Coughing, Haewon flipped his body with all his might. Strength was Haewon’s clear victory. Reversing positions to pin Chae Jinheon wasn’t hard. But the body heat touching him was repulsive. Haewon scrambled to his feet.

Then he swiftly grabbed a chair, trapping Jinheon’s torso between its legs and sitting on top.

“Surrender, bullshit. You lost.”

It felt exhilarating.

‘All that, and he’s nothing…’

Haewon, who’d just called Jinheon childish, now childishly puffed up with pride. He smirked at Jinheon, who was panting and glaring from under the chair.

Clap, clap, clap.

From behind Haewon, Seungwon gave half-hearted applause.

“Well done. The guiding seems to have been very effective.”

At Seungwon’s satisfied tone, Haewon’s back stiffened. In his anger, he’d forgotten his brother was there.

‘Oh… I’m screwed.’

He’d been so focused on Chae Jinheon that he forgot everything else.

“Seo Haewon. You said you’d rather die than pair. Even with guiding this effective…”

Seungwon dragged out his words. Haewon braced himself for what came next. It didn’t sound like it’d be pleasant.

“If that’s how you feel, there’s nothing to be done. It’s your guiding.”

Haewon’s throat tightened. He was nervous. He knew better than anyone that Seungwon wouldn’t back down easily. They were family.

“But really. It breaks my heart to hear you’d rather die…”

Seungwon let out a long, regretful sigh as he approached. Then he pressed the recorder’s button. A small click sounded like thunder.

“And we’ve signed a pair contract with Guide Chae Jinheon. Guide Chae Jinheon will be your pair Guide.”

“Who decided that? Not doing it. I’d rather die.”

The recorder in Seungwon’s hand replayed their earlier conversation. Haewon squeezed his eyes shut. He hadn’t thought of Seungwon’s habit of recording during contract talks.

“Really, it’s so heartbreaking, I don’t know what to do. But if that’s your decision, our parents should know, right?”

Haewon froze, eyes still shut, pinning Chae Jinheon under the chair.

He knew how much his family cherished him. Always had, but especially after his regression.

After regressing, he’d lived with all sorts of mental issues, only starting to recover when he awakened. The rejection reaction to guiding made his family constantly worry.

Because Haewon refused guiding at all costs, they’d merged a pharmaceutical company to improve guiding drugs and built a research institute for awakeners.

It was always like that. Even at seventeen, before regression, when he’d insisted the whole family attend his entrance ceremony because he was the freshman representative.

To see Haewon take the freshman oath, his parents skipped a presidential lunch. His brother pulled an overseas business trip forward, arriving in Korea on a red-eye flight.

To attend Seo Haewon’s entrance ceremony. Because Seo Haewon had insisted everyone had to come. Being the freshman representative, he was so proud.

That’s why he regretted it more. Blamed himself more. If he hadn’t been so stubborn. If he’d gone to the ceremony alone. If he hadn’t led his family into danger.

Then they would’ve searched for Haewon no matter what. And saved him from that hell.

If they thought Haewon had died in that rampage, they’d have searched for his body, even a single bone fragment.

But Haewon had robbed himself of that chance. By killing his entire family…

Haewon’s breathing suddenly grew ragged. He felt a panic attack coming. Grief and despair flooded in, clogging his chest.

Haewon squeezed his eyes shut and focused on breathing to calm himself.

Chae Jinheon didn’t miss the chance. He’d been eyeing an opening from under the chair. Grabbing the chair’s legs, he lifted and shoved it backward. Haewon, sitting on it, crashed back with a bang.

“Hah!”

Chae Jinheon yanked Haewon’s legs straight and bit down hard on his calf.

“Let go of my leg, you jerk!”

As Haewon fell back, air rushed into his open mouth with a gasp.

“Cough, cough…”

The sudden rush of air made Haewon choke, his lungs aching. Clutching his chest in pain, he glared at Jinheon. The tears that had threatened to spill vanished.

Haewon shook his leg violently. But Chae Jinheon, far from letting go, pressed down with his arms.

Was this guy always this insane…?

Haewon didn’t know much about Jinheon. He knew Yeyeon endlessly praised him. Even that after becoming a Guide, Yeyeon hovered around Jinheon like a loyal dog, trying to get close.

But that was it. Jinheon was somewhat famous at the Center, so Haewon occasionally heard rumors. About 80% came from Yeyeon.

Even so, Haewon had no interest in wasting on food waste. No matter how much Yeyeon hyped him, food waste was food waste.

So he hadn’t expected Jinheon to be this freshly insane. This kind of lunatic…

Haewon grabbed Jinheon’s hair. Yanking it like pulling off a leech, he saw clear bite marks on his leg. A real leech. He’d really messed with the wrong guy. A restless anxiety swept over Haewon, sensing he couldn’t easily control this situation.

And the lunatic’s saliva was all over his leg. How could someone bite and make such a mess…

‘Damn it! Disgusting…’

It was a total disaster. His heated head throbbed with dizziness. A bomb had dropped into his quiet home.

Seungwon, watching Haewon and Jinheon, grinned.

“Guide Chae Jinheon. Shall we prepare the contract termination papers?”

Wiping saliva from his mouth and eyeing another opening, Jinheon reacted instantly to Seungwon’s words.

“No? Why would I? On second thought, I’m fine with this. I don’t have a trillion for the penalty either.”

Jinheon’s eyes gleamed. He looked truly unhinged.

“Great. Then you’ll be living with Haewon from now on. Please… take care of him. And no biting.”

Seungwon’s gaze landed on Haewon, furiously wiping his leg. Jinheon, looking at Haewon, grinned too.

“It’s a form of mucosal guiding, right? Let’s get along, Esper Seo Haewon!”

Chae Jinheon was shameless. Even more than Seungwon expected.

His audacity briefly threw even Seungwon off. Seungwon’s gaze lingered on Haewon’s distorted face, now busy wiping his leg with alcohol swabs.

‘Will this be okay? Better than dying, at least.’

It was time to steel himself. He was grasping at straws. Haewon collapsed often. Each time, Seungwon’s heart sank. Somehow, they’d always pulled through.

But this time, Haewon showed no signs of waking for weeks. The fear that he might die crushed Seungwon’s heart. That’s why he’d urgently brought in Chae Jinheon. He knew Haewon would hate it. But he had no choice.

And getting Jinheon to sign the contract had been no small feat for Seungwon. He’d thought it’d be easy, given Jinheon’s love for money.

But it was unexpectedly tough. For one, approaching Jinheon was hard. His de facto guardian, Lee Hoonyoung, was impenetrable. No matter the offer, he resisted. Seungwon had to dabble in complex political maneuvering.

Seducing Jinheon’s politician father, funneling funds, spreading information… After all that effort, he barely roped in Hoonyoung. Even then, it took more work. He’d devised plans up to Plan Z to convince a reluctant Hoonyoung to hook Jinheon.

After all that, it was a total circus. As Seungwon grappled with heavy emotions, another bomb dropped from Haewon’s mouth.

“Why do I have to live with garbage?”

‘That damn mouth…’

Seungwon instinctively pressed his forehead. A headache bloomed.

“Garbage?”

As expected, Chae Jinheon didn’t let Haewon’s words slide. He reacted instantly.

“Garbage!?”

A shout erupted from Jinheon’s mouth.

“You’re saying that to me!? Garbage? Food waste?”

Hah, hah, Jinheon let out hollow laughs, as if dumbfounded and speechless. Haewon, undeterred, snapped back. He’d been relentlessly venomous since waking, but still.

“When did we get close enough for you to talk so casually…? Has the land of courtesy frozen over…?”

Haewon kept dropping bombs. Bombs that crushed Jinheon’s pride.

“Hyung. This is really not it. Matching rate or not, his guiding really feels like eating food waste!”

A deathly silence fell over the room. Hoonyoung stared at the ceiling with a resigned expression, Seungwon turned away and sank into the sofa, and Jinheon froze, eyes locked on Haewon, looking dazed.

Jinheon broke the silence. Not with words, but action.

Suddenly, Jinheon hurled a pillow at Haewon. As Haewon swatted it away, Jinheon threw a blanket, then the bedsheet, a throw, clothes—anything he could grab.

Haewon got tangled in the barrage of fabric. He thrashed in the pile. As Haewon pushed the fabric aside, Jinheon approached and shoved him.

“Ugh!”

Haewon, barely poking his face out from the blanket, lost balance and fell back. Jinheon grabbed his collar and slammed his lips against Haewon’s.

Thud!

A literal lip collision. Their lips split, tasting blood. Chae Jinheon didn’t care. Before Seo Haewon could react, Jinheon shoved him away with the hand gripping his collar.

Haewon, stunned by the lip crash, started gagging. Jinheon gave him a taunting look, then whipped around to face Seungwon. His eyes gleamed. It was madness.

Chae Jinheon’s competitive spirit blazed.

‘Money or not, I’ll beat that jerk. Why should I take this treatment? What am I lacking…?’

All sorts of thoughts fueled his fire. He wasn’t lacking. Not at all! So what if Haewon was pretty? Did Instagram followers mean everything? I’m handsome too. I’m popular too! So what if he’s rich? I earn plenty! Jinheon’s brain cells rioted. Fired up, Chae Jinheon declared boldly.

“You saw that, right? Your brother going nuts, President Seo?”

Seungwon, dazed by Jinheon’s antics, nodded as if entranced by his intensity. Jinheon grinned confidently. I don’t give up easily!

“On top of the contract fee, throw in some gold bars. I’ll display them all over the house.”

Of course, competitive spirit aside, he couldn’t let gold bars slip away.

Seungwon, seeing Jinheon’s burning resolve, smiled with satisfaction. Every report Seungwon received praised Jinheon consistently. There were plenty of favorable remarks about him.

Like being a tenacious lunatic.

Of course, his evaluation as a Guide was the biggest factor. The fact that he never abandoned his assigned Esper, even in dangerous situations, was especially pleasing.

“Deal. But report progress monthly. I’ll pay based on results.”

Seungwon was a businessman. This was an opportunity. A golden chance for this project to succeed, a turning point. Jinheon, eyeing Seungwon’s satisfied face warily, added timidly.

“…One-kilo bars, right?”

Seungwon nodded generously with a smile. Jinheon’s face lit up. Chae Jinheon had zero confidence in losing to Seo Haewon.

“Hyung!”

This time, Seungwon cleanly ignored Haewon’s cry. His scream was nearly a wail, but Seungwon didn’t care. The winner of this round was Seo Seungwon. He calmly extended a hand to Jinheon. Now he had to pray this tenacious lunatic would save Haewon, become his true pair.

Seungwon didn’t know exactly why Haewon hated men so much. Since awakeners appeared, societal gender norms had blurred. Haewon had been fine with that originally. But at some point, he started freaking out and having panic attacks when men got close. At first, Seungwon thought Haewon, just out of middle school, had been through something traumatic. But no matter how thoroughly they investigated, nothing turned up.

It just happened one day. At first, it was panic attacks and seizures. But it got better over time, so they thought if men bothered him, he could just avoid them. Seungwon and their parents could ensure Haewon lived that way. Until he awakened.

But… who could’ve predicted Haewon wouldn’t guide with anyone? At first, they thought it was just the rejection reaction. Thankfully, he didn’t react to Yeyeon or a few female Guides.

But then matching became the issue. If there was no rejection, the matching rate was eerily low. They searched for someone with high matching despite rejection, but no one fit. The past three years had been a war.

Lacking guiding, Haewon was often pushed to the brink of rampaging. Knowing the side effects of guiding drugs, they had no choice but to pump harsh drugs into him. It took a year to test matching with all female Guides. Hope dwindled.

After a year, they tested male Guides too. Haewon resisted fiercely, but their matching rates were even lower. Over three years, they checked every registered Guide in Korea.

With no matching rates emerging, they tested Jinheon out of sheer completionism. And hit the jackpot.

“Haewon.”

He was ten years younger. Seungwon had practically raised Haewon, born after a difficult delivery.

The night before Haewon’s college entrance exam, Seungwon stayed up until dawn reading him fairy tales. Even during overseas studies, he’d fly 28 hours for a single call from Haewon. He was that precious, that cherished. Even if it was tough now, Seungwon wanted Haewon to live. They say even rolling in filth is better than the afterlife.

Seungwon tightly grasped Haewon’s hand. Then, slowly bending his knees, he knelt before Haewon, resting his forehead on their clasped hands.

“Please. There’s hope. You can live. Okay?”

Haewon’s lips pressed tightly shut as he looked down at Seungwon.

He understood his brother. Seungwon didn’t know why male Guides were so repulsive. He couldn’t even guess why Haewon hated guiding. And Haewon didn’t want his family to even suspect the reason. He couldn’t demand blind understanding and support without explaining.

His family just assumed their youngest was more sensitive than others. When Haewon refused guiding, threatened clinging male Guides, or even threw punches, they tried to understand. He couldn’t force them to discard a miracle dropped from the sky.

To them, Chae Jinheon’s existence must feel like a miracle. Even if it felt like an unavoidable disaster to Seo Haewon. If only Seo Haewon could get better. If only he could be normal, then everyone could be happy. That was the crux of it. A low sigh escaped through Haewon’s teeth. His hand was wet with tears.

There was no need to drag everyone into hell together. He just had to endure. This hell was his alone, after all. And it wasn’t even that bad. Compared to that old hell. He’d endured ten years in that hell. Until he finally achieved his goal.

So he could endure. Things were incomparably better now.

Haewon grumbled in a flat voice, soothing Seungwon.

“Fine. I’ll do it. Why’re you crying at your age?”

“It’ll work out. Everything will be fine.”

Seungwon’s voice brimmed with uncontained joy and hope. Haewon gazed at him with a distant heart. Then, as if wiping away emotional debris, he slouched into a defiant posture. Crossing his legs and tilting his head, Haewon spoke discontentedly.

“So. What now? Live together, sleep together, form a pair?”

Forming a pair would somewhat solve the guiding issue. Pairing increased guiding efficiency. And allowed non-contact guiding. If only they could pair.

‘No way that’ll happen.’

Haewon was cynical. It was a doomed endeavor, and clinging to it felt absurd.

‘Well. Do I need to cling desperately? Just going through the motions is enough.’

His heart lightened. Narrowing his eyes, Haewon glanced at Jinheon. The lunatic was suddenly sitting there with an innocent face. Haewon’s mood twisted again. Seo Haewon’s venomous tongue revved up.

“But what do I do? I hate men. Can’t get it up. And even for a guy, isn’t that build a bit much?”

Deciding to endure didn’t mean Seo Haewon’s attitude went anywhere.

With an arrogant tilt of his head and a haughty gaze, Haewon scanned Jinheon from bottom to top. Then he fixed his eyes on Jinheon’s face, a slanted smile on his lips. Jinheon blinked innocently. It was infuriating. After a moment, Chae Jinheon stood.

Then he knelt obediently at Haewon’s feet. His finger pointed precisely between Haewon’s legs.

“Guess we’ll find out. Up or not. Wanna take off your pants? Or should I do it?”

Jinheon’s expression was pure as he blinked up at Haewon. In Haewon’s vision, Seungwon and Hoonyoung froze behind Jinheon.

‘Damn it.’

Haewon was speechless. He suddenly wanted to crack open Chae Jinheon’s brain. How did his mind jump to such nonsense?

With a bright face, kneeling and blinking, Chae Jinheon was inwardly cackling. He’d roughly figured out Haewon’s weak spots. Where he got riled up.

‘Young master, you’ve got a long way to go to beat me.’

Chae Jinheon was humming internally. He ignored the heated stares behind him. A born competitor, his only opponent was Seo Haewon. The audience didn’t matter.

Staring at Haewon’s face, Jinheon grinned wider. He slowly licked his lips. Then he leaned toward Haewon’s legs.

Thwack!

Haewon, panicking, grabbed Jinheon’s forehead. Too frantic to stop the approaching face, he didn’t even think about avoiding contact. The moment he grabbed, guiding energy tried to flow through. Lunatic… Haewon shoved Jinheon’s face away like throwing it.

“What the hell are you doing!”

“Was gonna take them off. With my mouth. Why? Not into that? Don’t like it sucked?”

Jinheon tilted his head, feigning more innocence. Then he laughed. Brightly. Like he owned the world. His voice was impossibly cheerful.

“Oh, maybe! You into something weird? Only get up for that? Sure. Some people are like that, I hear. Problem is, I’m not into that stuff…”

Jinheon tilted his head, pretending to gauge Haewon’s reaction. Then, as if resolved, he blinked exaggeratedly, spouting even crazier nonsense.

“Well, I’m the one sold, so I gotta adjust, right? You bought me, Esper Seo Haewon. Oh, you don’t like casual talk either…”

Haewon felt like he was losing his mind. It was practically a one-man show by Chae Jinheon, drumming and dancing. But he couldn’t think of a way to stop it. Sew his mouth shut? Meanwhile, Jinheon’s solo act continued.

“I’ll use honorifics. I can do anything you want. Should I call you Haewon-nim? Or Esper-nim? Oh, you’re into kinky stuff! Master? Queen? What’s your thing… Ears? Hands? Or feet?”

“…….”

“Oh, feet it is!”

As Haewon, speechless, searched for words, Chae Jinheon jumped to his own conclusion and lowered his head toward Seo Haewon’s feet.

“No! Nowhere! I don’t like anywhere! Get lost!”

Snapping out of it, Haewon freaked out. He yanked his feet onto the bed to hide them. Scrambling to tuck them under his hands, he covered them. Jinheon inwardly scoffed at Haewon.

“But shouldn’t I know your tastes, Haewon-nim? If you really can’t get it up, that’s a problem. We’re supposed to pair, right?”

Then he smiled prettily. It wasn’t just Haewon’s imagination that the smile looked unhinged. Between those lush, pretty lips, a tongue poked out. It touched the tip of Haewon’s foot, slightly exposed between his hands. Slowly, from bottom to top, it grazed. Haewon’s raised foot was perfectly positioned for attack. Jinheon was certain of his victory. So he delivered the final blow.

“Master, I’m ready! I’ll do anything you command! I’m good at everything, really.”

Haewon froze like a statue. For about 0.5 seconds. Then, screaming “Argh!” he scrambled to the far wall of the bed. Crazy, crazy, crazy! In his shock, Haewon caught Seungwon’s equally stunned face. Really crazy!

“…Get… out, hyung!”

Haewon shouted quickly. He didn’t want to bicker with this guy in front of his brother like this. He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he felt like he had. It was like the feeling of being caught masturbating alone in his room. But Haewon hadn’t done anything! It was all that guy’s doing! Chae Jinheon was just shamelessly grinning.

Instead, Haewon’s face and neck flushed with a burning red. He was embarrassed. No, mortified. No, he didn’t know. He couldn’t even describe what this feeling was. He just, just, just wanted to kick open the door and bolt out of this room.

At Haewon’s shout, Seungwon and Hoonyoung snapped out of it. Even for Hoonyoung, Chae Jinheon’s erratic behavior was unexpected. He was truly an unpredictable guy. Hoonyoung shook his head inwardly. Sure, he was the one who brought Jinheon here, but he didn’t want to witness any more of this nonsense.

Hoonyoung grabbed Seungwon, who still looked dazed, and quickly slipped out. Seeing Yeyeon standing outside with a doctor, he scooped them up and bolted. He wasn’t about to get caught in the crossfire of Chae Jinheon’s chaos. Every time Jinheon caused a scene, Hoonyoung was already worn out from cleaning up the mess, groveling left and right.

Haewon also swiftly moved to the foot of the bed. Then, faster than anyone, he sprang off the bed and stood at the door. Before Jinheon, still kneeling, could stand, Haewon grabbed the doorknob and warned him.

“Don’t follow me.”

Threatening even as he fled. Jinheon leisurely watched Haewon.

“Yes, sir! I’ll stay right here, Master~ I’ll wait for you~”

Leaving Jinheon’s cheeky voice behind, Haewon escaped. As fast as he could. Rushing into the guest room, Haewon locked the door and dove under the covers for extra cover. Only then did he pant alone, furiously pounding the pillow.

“Argh! What the hell is that guy…”

Sprawled on the bed, Haewon kicked the blankets wildly. He was furious. He hadn’t known Chae Jinheon was such a crazy lunatic! The only person who fed Haewon Center gossip was Yeyeon, and Yeyeon was a Chae Jinheon fangirl.

All she ever talked about was how Chae Jinheon went on some mission, how well he performed, what help he gave her, and how handsome he looked. So Seo Haewon had secretly thought Chae Jinheon was normal. Not some lunatic whose brain contents were a mystery!

But lo and behold, he turned out to be spectacularly insane. His toes tingled. It was where Chae Jinheon’s tongue had grazed. Should he just cut them off?

Completely crestfallen, Haewon scrubbed his toes with tissue. Why had he run out? This wasn’t his usual room, so there weren’t any of his beloved alcohol swabs. So Haewon could only sulkily rub his toes with tissue. Scrub. Scrub scrub. Scrub scrub scrub.

He rubbed until his toes were red. Then, in a fit of frustration, he flung the tissue away. Why am I doing this! Haewon’s insides boiled. His body collapsed backward onto the bed. Sprawled out, he dragged his hands to cover his face.

God, I really don’t know what to do now.

Haewon didn’t want to die. But he hated receiving guiding just as much as dying. Yet when he came to after passing out, some guy was trying to guide him, spouting crazy nonsense… Haewon had lashed out in anger, but his opponent wasn’t easy to handle. It felt like a tsunami had swept through in an instant.

Where a tsunami passes, it always leaves a mess of wreckage. Haewon’s situation was exactly that. He didn’t want guiding, pairing was even worse, and beyond unwanted, it seemed impossible…

‘Should I try seducing him?’

Haewon suddenly had that thought. Seducing that lunatic with money, that kind of thought.

‘I want to break the contract.’

Haewon mulled it over. A trillion was hard to cover. Even Haewon didn’t have a trillion on hand.

‘If I could make him an accomplice, that’d be great.’

Haewon only wanted to receive guiding when absolutely necessary, right before death. Only before a rampage. Otherwise, he’d use guiding drugs like before.

That way, his family would be reassured, Haewon would be at ease, and wouldn’t Chae Jinheon be happy not having to guide? That was his calculation.

It was a shallow ploy. He didn’t want to die, didn’t want guiding, and the situation had changed… So he’d pretend to receive guiding, pretend to try forming a pair.

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. If only Chae Jinheon would go along, it felt entirely doable. But the brief swell of hope quickly fizzled out. That lunatic didn’t seem like he’d listen quietly.

For Seo Haewon, who had many secrets, keeping them was paramount.

The problem was that this regression had errors. He couldn’t predict what would happen next. And the biggest error in this regression was Seo Haewon’s condition.

His awakening was three years late, and his abilities were bizarre. Before regression, Haewon had two abilities. One was an excessively fast computational brain.

Haewon’s computational ability surpassed supercomputers. He could calculate the world. Numbers, time, energy, matter, probabilities… The present and near future of the world.

And Lee Jincheol saw something in it. The potential to fulfill his grand ambitions. If he used ‘this’ well, the Center could surpass the military and government and become the core. And he could stand at the top of that Center.

And Haewon had indeed fulfilled that ambition. The locations where monsters would flood, where dungeons were forming, how to efficiently use Center-affiliated awakeners… The past Center was built on Seo Haewon’s ‘computation.’

The Center’s past achievements were practically built on Seo Haewon’s corpse.

What made Lee Jincheol truly despicable was that kind of thing. From the start, he’d resolved to completely break Haewon’s mind. What he needed was a useful tool, not Seo Haewon.

Seo Haewon was seventeen. Bright and naive, raised without want, he was easy to break. Before he could recover from the shock of killing people, Seo Haewon was confined.

It was probably just a routine investigation at first. But once his abilities were revealed, the Center began a cover-up.

Seo Haewon was made out to have rampaged, killed everyone, and died himself. And Seo Haewon was ‘given’ to Lee Jincheol as an experimental subject. Like a reward.

But Haewon had another peculiar ability. ‘Synchronization.’ The Center was so fixated on his first ability that they overlooked Seo Haewon’s secret weapon.

It wasn’t an ability with immediate effects. But Haewon could slightly synchronize with the subconscious of other awakeners. And once synchronized, he could continuously send faint signals of his emotions and thoughts.

Haewon realized this by chance. Partly thanks to Kim Junhwan. Kim Junhwan occasionally brought Haewon, drugged to a stupor by Lee Jincheol, back to his senses.

“It’s no fun if you’re too much like a corpse.”

For that trivial reason. Lee Jincheol allowed it without much thought. One day, awakened by Kim Junhwan, Haewon realized he could mimic Kim Junhwan’s hypnosis to an extent.

He learned the pattern and, using his energy similarly, Haewon succeeded in synchronizing with Kim Junhwan. There were side effects. The more Haewon suffered, grieved, and despaired, the more Kim Junhwan’s subconscious absorbed those emotions, becoming more erratic.

But that was temporary. Haewon also learned to block synchronization when he wanted. He had plenty of time.

By Haewon’s calculations, it wasn’t his computational ability but that synchronization that was the world’s error. The reason the pre-regression world had to be rolled back.

Perhaps because of that, post-regression Haewon retained only vivid memories of the past, losing all his former abilities. Computation, synchronization.

What remained was a body that couldn’t guide, telekinesis of unknown origin, and another error. Haewon looked down at himself with a heavy heart. Perhaps the worst error of all…

Telekinesis was quite useful. Especially for acting alone. But that was it. He still needed guiding… And strangely, the need for guiding came too quickly. Even without using his abilities.

That became Haewon’s clear weakness. The Center, controlling guiding drugs, exploited Haewon. Now that he had a Guide, they’d probably exploit him more. That damned Chae Jinheon was a Center asset. A high-grade one.

So, he absolutely couldn’t let Chae Jinheon find out. Anything. To never be used again, nothing that could be a weakness.

A faint grinding sound came from Haewon’s teeth. Thinking of Chae Jinheon brought a wave of reality crashing back. The vivid sensation of that wet tongue slithering like a snake.

‘Should I cut it off…’

A hollow laugh escaped. Haewon’s wishes were simple. To live ‘like others.’ And to never hurt his family with his own hands again.

Chae Jinheon’s hypocritical expression flickered before his eyes, making it hard to stay calm, but sitting here wouldn’t solve anything.

‘Know yourself, know your enemy, and you’ll win every battle.’

Haewon sprang up, searching for his phone. He planned to dissect that outrageous contract first.

“Argh!”

Damn it. In his haste to escape, he’d left his phone in the room.

‘God, nothing’s going right…’

Slumping back down, Haewon buried his face in his palms. He hadn’t heard Chae Jinheon leave. That meant he was still in the room, and they’d inevitably cross paths again.

“No way.”

Haewon, who’d been wallowing with his head buried, suddenly looked up.

“This is my house. That’s my room. That guy’s an uninvited guest.”

Haewon stood up abruptly. He’d fled first, but that didn’t mean he’d let his room be taken like this. Standing, his toes touched the floor.

“Ugh…”

The mushy sensation of that tongue vividly resurfaced. But he couldn’t stay a loser like this. Haewon strode confidently and flung open his room’s door. He planned to kick Chae Jinheon out first.

“Hey! How long are you…”

Bursting open the door he’d fled from, Haewon couldn’t finish his sentence. Chae Jinheon was peacefully asleep. In the corner, leaning against the wall.

His energy drained. It felt like he was the only one worked up, the only one making a fuss. Like a tantrum-throwing kid. His resolute determination fizzled out. What… How is he so thick-skinned…

He considered throwing him out but just grabbed his phone and left. The thought of waking Jinheon and starting round two exhausted him in advance.

‘Tiresome jerk…’

Grabbing his phone and some snacks, Haewon returned to the guest room and messaged Seungwon.

Hyung

Hyung. Send me a copy of the contract. What were you thinking, bringing a guy like that?

He was genuinely curious.

Try to get along. He’s not a bad person.

‘What does he know…’

All Guides are the same. With that narrow-minded thought, Haewon opened the contract file.

It was a meticulous contract. According to it, Chae Jinheon was practically Seo Haewon’s guiding slave. Scanning it with satisfaction, one clause caught his eye.

— Accompany during missions.

Haewon’s face twisted into a scowl. Since awakening, he’d only done the bare minimum of missions. He didn’t want to do anything for the Center, but they monopolized guiding drugs, so he had no choice. And to get assigned a Guide.

But he always acted alone. Never with another Esper or Guide. People annoyed him more than monsters.

I don’t want to accompany during missions. Change it.

Guide Chae Jinheon has a lot of combat experience. Go with him. The Center will assign more operations from now on. That’s the condition for Chae Jinheon’s exclusivity.

Haewon glared at Seungwon’s reply for a long time. The garbage came with a tumor. He chewed his lips, staring at the screen, then turned it off. Protesting would clearly be pointless. Tossing the phone to the corner of the bed, Haewon collapsed. His still-recovering body complained of fatigue.

His lips, bruised from the earlier collision, hadn’t healed, and the taste of blood lingered. Feeling the bitter, metallic taste on his tongue, Haewon closed his eyes.

A few clashes, bites, and fistfights counted as guiding, and sleep came easily. He keenly felt how deprived of guiding he’d been.

‘Matching rate of 80, huh…’

Was it because of the high matching rate? With this efficiency, daily fistfights might prevent rampages. Should he just live fighting every day? Such an irresponsible thought crossed his mind.

‘Tomorrow, I won’t fall for that idiot’s antics and take control.’

Today, he’d been too flustered and kept reacting, which was the problem. Thinking back, there was no reason to engage in pointless physical brawls.

‘I should’ve just ignored him.’

He was too angry to think of that. Making these resolutions inwardly, Haewon’s eyes grew heavy.

‘It’s subtle. What is it… What did I forget?’

Even with that thought, his fading consciousness slipped away. Haewon’s breathing evened out as he was pulled into unconsciousness.

Without realizing that Chae Jinheon’s guiding today hadn’t felt like food waste.