WTSG 3

The Beginning of Temptation (3)

“So, about the house. Should I move in or not?” Tae Ijae asked, unfazed by Kang Junwoo’s blatant stare, and just went on saying what he wanted to say. Kang Junwoo let out a short sigh before answering Tae Ijae’s question. Since he had already agreed, and because assignments that required them to work as a pair could come in even in the middle of the night, it was more efficient for them to stay together 24/7.59ddcc86a1315404

“Move in.” As soon as Kang Junwoo finished speaking, Tae Ijae stood up and checked his watch. “Should I come here after finishing up my assigned area? Or will you give me your home address?”4601f2fc36d87799

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“What time do you think you’ll be done?”7230ac97bb2a3af6

“Around six, maybe? It could be earlier.”49f75ce0e09d72f2

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“Then, you can come here.”837d4f822315fefe

“Okay. See you in the afternoon then.” Tae Ijae, who had been mixing informal and formal speech all along, suddenly switched to polite speech as if nothing had happened and walked out.9fb9b2a49db55746

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Left alone, dd125cce34 Kang Junwoo 6fc299e283 sat blankly b8c2415282 on the 76022684bc sofa, blinking 1b1ef59de3 his eyes.5f2ceca6430e84fe

The guide room, now 6284a8728d silent, seemed just as a401162b7b it always did, as 7061ccb79c if Tae Ijae had 580bebbede never been there. If not for a58bc42044 the cup of 955f4d5cb4 coffee left where 5d7bf73dfb Tae Ijae had 82d4ee2930 been sitting, Kang ceb2c0d528 Junwoo might have 921900e6bd thought he had 900d77a614 dreamt the whole f8cb8edb13 encounter. Taking a deep db846d0b27 breath, Kang Junwoo 223871d755 rose from the 5da79301cb sofa.b5481e53580203d9

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Pairing with Tae Ijae… The resolve he had made to never pair or be exclusively assigned to anyone until he resigned crumbled so easily that it seemed insignificant. Perhaps it was the thrill of being chosen by Tae Ijae, who had never accepted guidance from anyone before. Or maybe it was the contract clause that stated he wouldn’t be responsible for guiding.9c524bc5d543dbbb

Kang Junwoo was curious to feel how unstable Tae Ijae’s energy waves were, but if their pairing led to a fallout and a cold war, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t repeat past mistakes. His tendency to treat others as invisible when angry was something he couldn’t change, no matter what. Therefore, the clause that absolved him of responsibility for guiding was enough to ease his mind a little.38dbcc2ed30c769a

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He wasn’t incapable of learning, but since no one could predict human affairs, being cautious wouldn’t hurt.30a1a71d38024d70

***9dc051d12b0d26ad

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Tae Ijae arrived at the guiding room just before seven. His body bore the marks of battle, with monster blood and dust smeared here and there, and his eyes glowed a faint golden hue. As someone with light-based abilities, Tae Ijae’s eyes would shine gold as he neared a berserk state. Kang Junwoo recalled a time when he had seen Tae Ijae’s eyes turn a deep gold, a sight so eerily fitting with his appearance that it left him staring in awe. It was unprofessional for a guide to be so captivated by the precarious appearance of an Esper on the brink of losing control, but back then, Tae Ijae had drawn the attention of all guides and Espers alike. It was all because of Tae Ijae’s exceptional presence. ed5cedfe29b1daae

He seemed on edge back then too, and now he looked slightly unstable again, which was concerning Kang Junwoo. “Are you alright?” he asked. 3de02f29f789a399

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The news of his pairing with Tae Ijae had spread quickly, and every Esper who came for guidance today had asked if it was true, leaving Kang Junwoo more exhausted than usual. As he massaged his shoulder with one hand, Tae Ijae, who had helped himself to a coffee from the fridge without permission, looked at him and asked back, “Are you alright?”386d5570a55fb404

It seemed this brat hadn’t learned how to properly distinguish between informal and formal speech.bccd27b63c2569ab

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“Is it tough because of all the guiding requests? I heard you only do level one, so why do you look so tired already?”3ee0efb7461b109d

“It’s because it’s almost time to leave work. And today was a bit…”6526bcba264629e1

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“A bit?”69ac048ece351d9e

“I got a lot of questions because of us being paired.”33e349b30cdba685

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At Kang Junwoo’s words, Tae Ijae nodded once with an “Ah” and took another sip of his coffee. Kang Junwoo, sitting on the sofa and looking over the paperwork he needed to finish before leaving, glanced sideways at Tae Ijae, who was absorbed in his phone. The way Tae Ijae held the straw of his cup of coffee in his mouth while focusing on his phone was oddly sensual and decadent.6731e705ef5d6747

No, it was ridiculous and embarrassing to feel this way just from watching him, but he was undeniably sexy. Seeing Tae Ijae with a straw in his mouth made Kang Junwoo wonder if this was a side effect of not having dated for too long or if it was simply because that guy’s face was excessively alluring.68012fe95ee18694

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“So, what kind of questions?”2e1469fe9ee8b4bf

“…Pardon…?”4deec9555c20cd38

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Caught off guard by the sudden question, Kang Junwoo paused his typing and looked at Tae Ijae. Even as he asked the question, Tae Ijae hadn’t taken his eyes off his phone, but now he slowly lifted his head to meet Kang Junwoo’s gaze.91c930987c620824

“What kind of questions did you get that made you look so tired?”6adfecb115642fb3

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His golden eyes shone with an eerie intensity. Kang Junwoo, feeling a tingling sensation at his fingertips for reasons he couldn’t fathom, swallowed dryly and turned his gaze back to the monitor.743dbb2d1f066482

“Just, you know, why did Tae Ijae Esper, request to pair with me? An Esper who used to shudder at the thought of a guide—what wind blew him to choose a guide? Are they perhaps dating or something… like that?” Kang Junwoo muttered to himself as if reporting to Tae Ijae, his hands constantly moving over the keyboard.83ab4df289999573

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Tae Ijae’s gaze remained fixed on Kang Junwoo.c9fcb1cb3ee9e3f6

“So, what did you say?”08b284ad3ecb028a

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“I said I don’t know. I have no idea why you requested the pairing. I have no clue what wind blew you to choose me. As for dating, absolutely not. Today was the first time I talked with Tae Ijae Esper.”3391960d081ad40d

“…That’s not true.”90066d25b365c72c

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“…Pardon?”e0acef5277e3ba7d

Kang Junwoo’s hands stopped their frantic typing on the keyboard due to Tae Ijae’s sudden denial.5241dde69ab5d07c

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“We’ve talked before. It’s not our first time today.”b7ac3daa736255df

“…Have we talked before?”6f16d4cfbb55b642

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“Is your memory bad, or is your brain just not working?”7068ccfd15c6ff40

“…Pardon?”e409a8c1299b958f

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“We talked on the anniversary day.”c0ce936339bd8507

“…Pardon?” Kang Junwoo asked again, causing Tae Ijae’s eyebrows to rise in irritation. Even that expression looked impeccably handsome, and Kang Junwoo couldn’t help but click his tongue inward. 3ff6fe2497e9c5f9

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Unnecessarily handsome, unnecessarily.2dec5245d08970f9

He had always 35b70fd02a been told he dbe39555af was handsome or 80a520b31a beautiful himself, but e31d3ae807 Tae Ijae seemed fb103ad088 to be on cb1681dc0f a completely different 654186660e level, making him 9b169be0cc feel a bitter 5d3079e01f taste in his 9c658ce572 mouth. He had ff23f7fe0b never felt 7615e514f6 inferior about a51b7d345e his looks 282d98a750 before, but 7389f261e7 for the 42fcf63eeb first time, bf2f0a1f0a he felt c1a7182887 a twinge ea9f342585 of inferiority.143d544cbc13e95e

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‘But, did we really talk before…? ‘074dff66a5bfad74

“Are you saying we talked on the center’s anniversary day?”e0d6b02ba3416f5d

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He remembered the center’s anniversary day. Tae Ijae, wearing a perfectly fitting suit, shone even more than usual. Most of the guides were either admiring or envying Tae Ijae’s appearance, and Kang Junwoo was no exception.978c94700f5e6e25

If they had talked then, there was no way he wouldn’t remember. He would have been too excited to sleep, replaying the conversation over and over in his mind every night.4aee9306780a9572

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“Intercom.”de9f467df2bdc25d

“…Intercom?”a5048d22ef877b8b

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“I used the intercom, remember? I said the third-floor terrace door was locked. You were the one who answered.”a70b79b366f290ef

“…Ah…!”487699171622918a

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Kang Junwoo finally remembered. He was about to 0e7cf5f92c leave the dull anniversary 38cdcdbe95 party when Tae Ijae, db0ef014e1 who had been the 0e06c1a966 eye candy of the 135821a47c event, suddenly disappeared. He thought he 08fd21ed77 might as well f474f3adfc finish his drink 6906369bb9 before heading out, 24ebf30879 so he went 6fd915e40b to the terrace b1fb67ff24 tucked away in 9f2bdf58ff the left corner. As he c5010192d0 looked down 958bc3426b at the eb51611dbd dark garden, 0ebdef0f66 sipping his 9af450ba60 drink, the f892d69186 intercom next e13875664f to the c23ae5321b terrace door 057d3bd6ad rang, and 38eb128c9d he answered 77dea640a8 it without a5cc0e7e7d thinking.a957acc29a0dfd94

“That voice was Tae Ijae Esper’s?”7f4d4ad82306208d

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He hadn’t known at all. It was just a man saying that the third-floor terrace was locked and asking him to press the blue button below the intercom. The tone was quite commanding, and he thought it was rude at the time, but now he understood why it had seemed so.10be28c488a038bd

“But how did you know it was me?”c272d96fafc07125

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Kang Junwoo 301058eb6e tilted his 6928500c33 head in 17fbca059e confusion, not 88302df52a knowing that 5c5a9e222c it was 088572728d Tae Ijae c23420e353 Esper. Tae Ijae 80e84a6816 replied with fdb917bd9f a remarkably b44a25e628 calm expression.eb2d0828d4e35999

“I’ve heard it a few times since then.”bcb477dc99dd6611

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Kang Junwoo looked at 3d92987c55 Tae Ijae.a857a4b21d1e50e7

“Or rather, I overheard it.”33e2738024609e2b

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“……”d7628842db6dcb80

“I quite like your voice, Kang Junwoo guide.”1f40e45b7893c0df

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In that moment, Kang Junwoo’s heart thumped loudly.7ba6f000ed803091

—0662743598b5ba22

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**Esther’s Fund**743c2d70d534e7fb

“But don’t you need to bring your stuff?”68b933c6fe1997b6

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Kang Junwoo asked as a905221086 they walked towards his 2fb4bd3c57 home, which was in acb1d295f3 the building right next 4c74aa22fb door, after work. In truth, walking e02f937aaa side by side ba55728001 with Tae Ijae 4a91e84648 was so suffocatingly 38f6b211c8 uncomfortable and nerve-wracking c118df9cb3 that he blurted d693dee643 out the question.93f76e84297f5171

“Oh.”cd8a38ee0a471aeb

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Tae Ijae suddenly bd2da24ba3 stopped in his 82c3c20c5a tracks, as if 8f6d206089 just realizing he ccfe5941ee had nothing with 86756fbcda him.15f0491366f8e916

“I didn’t think about it.”53f0557a95512c09

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Kang Junwoo stared intently 5de5028a11 at Tae Ijae, who 43237db934 muttered while running his c6a2800a9c hand through his hair b38ac1bdba in frustration.ddf3d7373c3d9158

Feeling awkward, he offered a suggestion, noticing how tired he looked. It seemed unreasonable to ask him to travel such a long distance at this hour. “If you’re tired, you can borrow my clothes for tonight.”2cddb6f3f8dfd50e

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At this suggestion, Tae Ijae smirked and snorted. “Do you think your clothes would even fit me?”d6220fabec324fa2

Now that he thought about it, there was no way his clothes would fit someone much larger like Tae Ijae. He wasn’t small himself, but he hadn’t considered that detail.2c5ae5eda6a6ede4

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“What about dinner?” Tae Ijae suddenly changed the subject.c87b2d74c068a429

“…Pardon?”c716b171e0009f62

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“We need to eat dinner. Aren’t you hungry?”33dac45083be77fb

“Ah… I was just going to have something simple at home…”3e3771eb8d51ffaf

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“Oh, do you cook?”d5c91ab570215862

“Not often.”59096e90c4566f43

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“…Well, I’m curious about your cooking, but since we’re both tired today, let’s just order in. Just order whatever you want. I’ll be back soon.”36811393a62d2be7

Without waiting for Kang Junwoo’s response, Tae Ijae vanished in an instant. Despite saying he disliked teleporting so much that they should live together, he did it so casually that Kang Junwoo couldn’t help but chuckle incredulously.da48a767b438b0ce

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“Why does that guy keep switching between formal and informal speech?” he muttered to himself, bewildered, as he walked towards his home.8a65fdcaf8a928ed

It wasn’t until he reached his front door and opened it that he realized Tae Ijae didn’t know his address. Assuming Tae Ijae would call, he took his phone into the bathroom, waiting for the call while he showered.6d0c7180ff7e2a03

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‘What should I order for dinner? I don’t know what he likes, so I can’t just order anything. But why hasn’t he called yet? Does he not even know my phone number? ‘ 9a161b4826c39bf9

And it dawned on him that they hadn’t exchanged contact information.e8fbdc0b129b9f79

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With wet hands, Kang Junwoo picked up the phone from the bathroom shelf. He hadn’t saved Tae Ijae’s number either. 8a399d3c343e80fa

“Huh.” 66b4e168b691add3

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He was 5f76e507d5 at a 418d639105 loss for 95848ed40b words.8257ee694fe3caa5