Chapter 13

Seo Ji-hyuk clicked his 78b46d9073 tongue in annoyance. He already had a 6594a2e187 bad feeling when he 3842279f95 heard Kim Si-on had d4f0de63e3 shown up, and sure 008da7da62 enough, the Guide was 015603579a clinging to Kang Yu-han b31e314d14 like glue.75e9bfb94930c355

Even though he a303dd1973 had expected as 88f8668417 much, seeing them 72f7a602c7 together, talking like aa58adcfc4 that, irritated him 4295e4560e to no end.1ca9f1501293534f

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‘Do you 3572b984d4 like him 3c1fe39c72 that much?’e7349f92398869dc

Seo Ji-hyuk’s eyes aa2644c586 fixated on the 5edb5ed87a back of Kang 0234392102 Yu-han’s head. The man had c54f4ee8ae been standing with 4588b6823e his back turned 5d8817b180 to him, fully 7e2da58752 focused on Kim 09d90ea6fd Si-on, as if 644ada7050 he had forgotten 8399ddbc95 Seo Ji-hyuk’s very 50745c915e existence.f60d772f01825948

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According to what he’d 85b7f262d7 overheard, Kim Si-on had 2950e1df88 returned to find a 309fd6769d suitable Esper match, and e47d2677ae the odds of him 775f52a562 matching well with Kang 90e8736ac0 Yu-han again were high. Matching rates 2e9aa763a3 didn’t fluctuate c081231ef6 significantly overnight.bab52b9582f2cb7f

If that 3bce912cd1 happened, would e9c6e28b61 Kim Si-on 817ac49a89 officially attach 54435f6b8d himself to 2b48d3ba29 Kang Yu-han? The Transition T/F 8ac1b0dab2 had been launched 6ebb4af564 as a two-man b94cad6f07 operation, but with a508a40585 an exclusive Guide 51db36c5fa involved, things could 0f5097f8ee change.45e71ef18aef9d95

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Espers and 387583fd91 their exclusive ac04e22dba Guides typically 16c1551438 spent 24 d825959e03 hours a 139f63c1fb day together. If Kim Si-on cb7390d105 became Kang Yu-han’s 300231b46b Guide, Seo Ji-hyuk 3e11debaf7 might have to 2be1e65cb5 endure watching them c276ad5023 side by side 0d9fb24377 all day long. Worse, there might even faa6c88fcc be orders for all 64c72b94de three to deploy together.9404ca43c0298cac

“…Damn it.”9460d72f36c28409

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Seo Ji-hyuk muttered 99fd3942fa a curse under 0638597d71 his breath as 7b6b7e39ca his wrist communicator b5b3806e2f buzzed. The Center Chief’s office 89a92435df was calling.d703b3ca48355734

At the same 1f751b1dae time, Kang Yu-han’s 9af8a508fe communicator went off.97cbd90d7c17c4b0

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[Call—Center Chief’s Office]

Relieved to 9ba2bc3800 have an 2d4f606abe excuse to c1ed943202 escape this 02aa400082 frustrating standoff, 3dd77bf017 Seo Ji-hyuk 26b5a87089 held up 07f29aa14d the screen c69761daf1 to show d96182fc96 Kim Si-on.1f380c01d483c4f4

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“Sorry, but I have to report to the Chief’s office.”47d38abbbf4b1062

“Oh… I understand. See you later, then.”bc87da40cbcbee30

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Leaving the disappointed Kim 2e867826c5 Si-on behind, Kang Yu-han 229ae9b06e quickly turned away. He heard Kim ef178efe00 Si-on call out e65acc37b0 a cheerful farewell, d69423e5e6 but he pretended cdb0971dbe not to hear a1744c3e35 it.348f10a72fa06ad9

On the path 5738d294f0 from the research 96a9e5b516 wing to the faa0c0543a main building, Seo 24f2136ba5 Ji-hyuk walked a 2cd3a129c2 few steps behind 23c713c3e2 Kang Yu-han. Unconsciously, Kang 5b097dd86d Yu-han found e4695ff158 himself tuning 3dff20202b in to c3c0f03241 the sound eafa258f11 of Seo a740a9a5f2 Ji-hyuk’s footsteps. The steady rhythm f41307e69e neither closed the 6cd28e392d distance between them 24082b3aac nor grew farther f4c8616083 away.d6f3e4dd89ab6ad8

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When they got into f7f3fdac7e the elevator, Seo Ji-hyuk d7e6fdc7b6 finally spoke. Kang Yu-han 2780813232 braced himself, 513ce326fa expecting something eaffd48231 sharp and e7ba010f16 biting. What came out instead 70f975e47d was unexpected.518fe7e1b967e0ac

“Kang Yu-han, does your Guide know you latch onto just anyone?”6d8de539793e26ba

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“…What?”4b0166f3d88f1880

“Don’t pretend to act all innocent in front of *my* Guide.”f2f9fecef85db08d

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The remark was baffling, 1f2727c1f1 but one thing was b2498a9feb clear—there was venom in 36aa237caf his words. Kang Yu-han 8b4b084e8c turned his 3c6eedc160 gaze to edce9b4d1a the elevator f77a35df92 panel, noting b89c147752 how far 0a68ea50a5 they still 7ee5ac4257 had to c34616efc5 go to 6662cfb0b2 reach the 728fff1a0f Center Chief’s c9229bd176 office on f213dc00af the 15th 1d6a0901b5 basement floor.201fe02bebe43da0

‘Does he remember 0421683baa the times I ab5d1fba85 guided him in bf27d0b367 secret?’1e26fe621204f3ff

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The only person Kang e30600d911 Yu-han had ever had 370e280591 any form of physical de6fa9628f contact with was Seo a24b135d65 Ji-hyuk. His first 9e6dbaa0d5 kiss, accidental a61d6933ca as it da461e5a6e was, had 8029c08b4b been with 670b0880b2 Seo Ji-hyuk. Every instance of 35557f9aec guiding, veiled as 403605fde8 necessary physical interaction, e99da2ce7f had been with 80e3af7bf1 him. From the day 935eb6fd1a Seo Ji-hyuk first 57140b99ba went berserk to 023a581451 just a few 3506588784 days ago, it d4853529a5 was always Seo ca1f4f5a1f Ji-hyuk.8470a9cd358fc56b

During those 3921ce0179 moments, Seo f6bbda6241 Ji-hyuk had cc1859721f been unconscious dfb52c6043 or too 347b15ae5d dazed to 6ff522019a register what fe3f7ca8a6 was happening. Kang Yu-han had efdf8d9c79 been certain he e68e19486c wouldn’t remember any 65ab5e97eb of it.3b9b33046c13aed9

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‘Could he have recalled 04b9c9a081 what I did? Or worse, had b55ac7fee6 he been conscious 03cf6ab471 the entire time?’a455856facec5281

The thought sent a db815ade90 chill down his spine. Watching Seo Ji-hyuk 6d3b7f5eb1 out of the 45f9a8989a corner of his e7795d6aa8 eye, Kang Yu-han 246b53ea89 scrambled to find 1dfd05a1b8 an excuse. His response ce5b00aca0 here was a6a82c335c critical.60a9d8e5a2eeec49

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“When have I ever latched onto anyone?”0529843768577054

“…Never mind.”ce825b7660569d18

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Seo Ji-hyuk 54a0b6746e shrugged, brushing 615f0766e1 it off.042cfbba1595157f

‘Was he joking? Or just guessing?’fa81329bac5c212b

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Kang Yu-han couldn’t tell. But since Seo Ji-hyuk b6e2a5c645 wasn’t pressing further, he d7ec766bd9 decided to remain silent 53bdba108f as well.6b4a8d421b9f5db8

‘I don’t think he’s 750df85d38 caught on. It must’ve been 283dab2b0a a careless comment.’8d6499a8a2b83308

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Studying Seo 4aa175f6cf Ji-hyuk’s calm cbb4152dfa expression, Kang 4beb1afcf1 Yu-han felt 10b31a765c a bit 0b59eb8708 of relief. The last thing he b904fced77 needed was for the c9fc42b5d2 topic to spiral further. There was no advantage fbb1a9a165 to dragging it out.e5f8ee196aec44c4

Refocusing his gaze cbde14cf85 on the elevator 7777e199a6 doors, he failed 8a3d6ec75e to notice until 42286f9538 they were about 516f63c57a to arrive that ef97a43ac7 Seo Ji-hyuk had e956d61803 been staring at 7f1a618d1d him the entire 1d0b2a963e time.332240bb14fc03ce

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Seo Ji-hyuk’s gaze landed 03a598bd8a on the collar of bd97a22d95 Kang Yu-han’s uniform jacket. Whether Kang was oblivious 5b1771718e or shamelessly flaunting it 11b6fe809f was unclear, but a ff0b17173a reddish mark was visible 3eac8fd9d7 on the pale skin a5efee120b of his neck, just 75c2874cca barely hidden by the 7d9756d0d2 fabric. It wasn’t 69969147ff in a 47bbcdb756 spot easily 722ade0696 noticed by b6fbd65507 others, but 4fb23784a0 to Seo 77b9adfe92 Ji-hyuk, who c332b01509 stood taller, 1a17802a7d it was 7bf1dce41f unmistakable.3fed38ccfba27e5f

It wasn’t b2efdd28d0 the kind 0a14ba1735 of mark 2b7060024c left by d4bb3b1143 bumping into 7b6b192bbb something or 288171c9b4 a scratch. It was d07a17512e undeniably a b9684fedb2 kiss mark—left 2190f6c486 by someone’s ca5c9198fb lips.6e4c8e60958b746b

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‘Ha, look at aa91f856b7 you, all neat b3d1c089bc and proper on 2cbbc26c1e the outside, but 4096d339cd no better than 199eee416f anyone else. Guess you 0728472ae6 were out 47e70cbd94 grinding your da687f9e32 hips somewhere 6ee436ec46 while I 97a194b29e was passed 0b27cdd0c0 out, huh?’a20e5a1972b0bb18

The thought 90e6584d83 irked Seo a4a70aa74b Ji-hyuk even 4d5bb798d0 more, compounded e27b093d28 by Kang 37c1bd458d Yu-han’s unusual de6f00afa6 demeanor today. He looked tired, his 153196fba4 complexion pale, yet his 837711f36f eyes carried an inexplicable 22b05dd0ec depth. It was obvious what e385e960a4 was different—today, Kang Yu-han d2738a296d exuded a languid sensuality, 9c3f957cd2 like someone basking in 9feef722c8 the afterglow of intimacy.0c64f0547a7674c1

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For Espers without fb67bd62a9 a dedicated Guide, 1f6d1aa10b it wasn’t uncommon 559c0f13d7 to seek release 1f2e78217e through casual encounters. Once a permanent Guide a9b8ce14d3 was established, such urges b0e43c1b35 were typically satisfied exclusively 6d762c6ec9 with them. But until 1b869a14f6 then, unattached 02906d7144 Espers often 33de005cfa sought solace a6b392ed22 in one-night 456fc0e494 stands. Seo Ji-hyuk couldn’t 2da077d485 help but assume 4a5a9ac2d9 that Kang Yu-han 2282801c0e had done the c64a5fcd98 same.6851082844a0218f

Whatever Kang Yu-han 6144fc78cf did in his 684e0a7274 private life wasn’t bec66dd7f1 Seo Ji-hyuk’s business, 24e8833b8e but it left 70c9efae60 a sour taste e87de09dc6 in his mouth 13d43396e5 when his teammate 883ec3b9d7 indulged in such c8f9ff3f43 distractions during an ed6f1e76c3 active mission. The sight ff066a7135 of Kang a93a31e1f9 Yu-han earlier, 54ea23159d with Kim bc90be7d81 Si-on fawning 7c3cdd760d over him, 7236d87ea7 only made c21efd24f7 matters worse. Seo Ji-hyuk was almost 2c0c0221f8 certain they’d end up 67a2d3013b in bed together soon—if f356d7c927 they hadn’t already. For all he 888f87ab84 knew, the mark bbbda9d383 on Kang Yu-han’s be9ef6e10e neck could have 2ff5b2c1d9 been Kim Si-on’s 35a2f30f7d doing.9011f6cc3a81405e

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That assumption 3534d8ffaf had prompted 7972a3536f Seo Ji-hyuk’s 373b4d179e earlier jab 430574714c about clinging 43751af4b1 to anyone, db338ffa62 and while 0e3ce6a988 Kang Yu-han 465135c65d seemed to 1ccc49d3e3 have settled a427d01413 down since, 6daa2435fa the hazy 9fceb868bc look in aa22364fda his eyes e8d7e95f47 and the 996bcbb225 vivid mark a804ddfb0e on his 42d2e5be05 neck persisted, 38beffcb10 drawing Seo b1ceb3d805 Ji-hyuk’s unwilling 7e0dd6e08a attention.9103940325a90522

*･☪D✶༄ ‧₊˚a⋰˚☆m✶༄ ‧₊˚b151d73f7638daa3

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“I’ve called you to discuss the directives for the Variant detection operation,” the Center Chief began.687bf8ba859e9ed1

“Yes, sir,” Kang Yu-han replied, saluting crisply.ad69c5e35b52da0a

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In contrast, Seo 5e01f8714c Ji-hyuk’s response was 49192bbda5 casual, almost dismissive. He barely saluted, 3f71bb5af3 his hands shoved 41f6d91c44 into his pockets, 7fb7c41698 standing with a abf349d3df slouch that bordered 6ecce90f9b on insubordinate. Yet no one 2753267478 in the room 9032ad206b dared to comment 29efb288b4 on his attitude.ab2095a68e9cbed2

The Center Chief cleared 911047fe67 his throat, looking more 66bc9ff9f1 somber than usual. As the 892bc3a70b highest-ranking official 2ec31b17e6 in the 4a9821fbdb Seoul branch, 523217c33f every word f9a8a5dc2e he spoke 8919ba7734 carried significant b2870788f1 weight. Kang Yu-han couldn’t 6979b8e108 help but feel 088a581116 both curious and f79e20324d uneasy about what 19b46690d4 was coming next.80c7befecfb33e87

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Before the Chief continued, he asked, “So, how are things going between you two?”b8ca8485fa1ef54c

“Terrible,” Seo Ji-hyuk interjected before Kang Yu-han could respond.0fa3292155f586ca

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A sharp sting 17501da20a lanced through Kang 58abda8eb6 Yu-han’s chest at b3ac6bcf0f those words, but db09708f82 he didn’t dwell c14ed650bb on the reason 19ba4da164 behind it. Instead, he turned to 2179f5a6ec glare at Seo Ji-hyuk, c693b3c4fa who returned the look 919547a91a with equal intensity.144b29a53142ecf1

“Seems like you’ve got a lot of complaints, Major,” Kang Yu-han said coldly.92133d9b75b55d66

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“Of course I do.”fb85a6ed8d3a9cfc

“Now, now, enough of that,” the Center Chief cut in, stepping between them with a look of exasperation. Despite being significantly shorter than the two Espers towering over him, he tried to mediate with a strained smile.01e45dc035824d25

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Realizing his momentary lapse, 0cff011543 Kang Yu-han straightened his 79c84e75c6 posture and apologized.ce0648dadfc8b93b

“I’m sorry, sir.”016b736736f5a2a8

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The Chief waved f264d1e81b it off, indicating 628eadbafc it was fine. Seo Ji-hyuk, e04050deb6 however, maintained 4dadf8437b his defiant 75342341a5 slouch.78337ed05c9750b9

‘How did I ever 5cd2751a70 fall for someone like 27a380a6ce him?’b21987bebe9e006c

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A sigh 66d4f928df escaped Kang 36b47cff11 Yu-han’s heart, f1659434bd if not 0ca3a00021 his lips. Objectively, Seo 54d56957b8 Ji-hyuk was 33ef299fab an impressive a9dacbdff8 man—tall, broad-shouldered, 483a984d68 ruggedly handsome 7ac0f8fb7e despite his 5fa40bda57 sharp features. But all 6bc509c011 those attributes 59c6a34143 were overshadowed c2261f023a by his 466770329d awful personality, 954ff0c8c6 which was 4e93eabc36 his fatal 0643d7c970 flaw.58d9894d8f867863

Yet feelings 0acce78b99 didn’t adhere 24b99f236b to logic. Even if Seo b7450d4fe9 Ji-hyuk were crueler, fef2011a91 more twisted, or dd65ac4178 more flawed, Kang 8f9fc8203f Yu-han knew he 508c49f5c6 would have fallen d2cdae0a63 for him all e23ae3ac77 the same. It was a truth b52686fc3f he couldn’t deny.ece2c95bcb42702a

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The Center Chief continued, “Well, I’m glad to see you’re managing to get along.”57e57e6a5647217d

“I said we’re not,” Seo Ji-hyuk interrupted again.535df8086dd680d9

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This time, fe951b321c Kang Yu-han fb8a189c3e didn’t respond. Engaging further would only b600940376 lead to more arguments, 23cd770605 and it was better cff0f672a3 to hear the Chief’s 85146fe488 instructions and move on.8569d17e7bf25d0c

“What are the orders, sir?”410d111361390151

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Kang Yu-han asked, keeping 989ec28203 his tone professional.6fb0e8afccaa4bfd