HG | Chapter 1

When thinking of that man, the first thing that comes to mind is his eyes. Very deep golden eyes. His languidly opened eyes had particularly thick lines, and the corners of his eyes were raised, making his already strong impression even more pronounced.

And the shimmering haze around his eyes. The color was a golden hue, just like his eyes. At some point, Hakyung could see the golden haze surrounding the man. It was his ‘wavelength.’ A unique wavelength that every awakener, esper, and guide possesses.

The man was an esper. Korea’s first S-rank awakener. A man with contrasting nicknames as the greatest hero and the worst murderer in history.

Whatever he was, both nicknames felt distant to Hakyung. He had never seen the man’s exploits with his own eyes. He had only seen recorded footage through various media, but that was it. By the time Hakyung was old enough to understand, the man had already stopped his activities as an esper.

Therefore, to Hakyung, the man was closer to a different meaning than an esper.

‘…Father.’

The man’s name was Im Cheonghyeon.

He was Hakyung’s only family.

***

With a thud, he leaned forward. Fortunately, there was a locker in front of him, or he might have fallen without realizing it.

Hakyung turned to see who had suddenly hit his backside. It was Han Hee-gyeom from Esper Class A. He was familiar because they had attended the same middle and high school. Hee-gyeom grinned as he tapped Hakyung’s back after hitting his backside.

“Hey, hey, sorry about that. I meant to hit that bastard Park Junhyeok’s belly, but your chubby backside looked just like it.”

“……”

He would bet his body that Hee-gyeom had aimed for his backside on purpose. It wasn’t surprising since it happened often enough to forget. Hee-gyeom knew Hakyung wouldn’t retaliate, so he kept tapping him.

Without responding, Hakyung straightened up and closed the locker door. He had come to get his materials for the next class and ended up being harassed.

Who said it? That the other meaning of a new semester is excitement.

Wrong. The other word for a new semester is harassment.

He had hoped that now they were in college, the guys would calm down a bit. But as expected, people don’t change. Once a jerk, always a jerk.

‘…Tired of it.’

He gathered his materials and walked to the opposite side of Hee-gyeom. Of course, he didn’t expect to just walk away.

“Wow, what’s up with our Hakyung’s attitude? Ignoring someone who’s apologizing?”

“…Move.”

As expected, instead of letting him go, Hee-gyeom put an arm around Hakyung’s shoulder, pulling him close. Hakyung’s expression darkened even more.

Hee-gyeom leaned in close to his ear and sneered.

“Why? Are you annoyed because a worthless bastard touched you?”

“……”

“But what can you do? I’m more frustrated. Soon, you’ll be touching anyone for guiding, and if you sigh over this little touch, the people who’ve been waiting will be really pissed, right?”

“…Waiting?”

Hakyung regretted asking back without thinking. ‘Ignore the harasser.’ He had set this rule for himself, but Hee-gyeom’s absurd words made him break it, knowing he wouldn’t get a good answer.

“Yeah, you idiot. Didn’t you know people have been lining up early to take your virginity?”

Despite blocking his way and spewing dirty words, Hee-gyeom was shameless. His voice wasn’t even low. Even if he tried to lower it, everyone was an awakener, so they probably heard it.

“Haa… Look at Im Hakyung’s plump cheeks. You’re still a virgin, right? But since we’ve seen each other’s faces, put me in the candidate list for your husband, okay?”

Using his large build, Hee-gyeom pushed Hakyung against the locker and openly groped his backside. Then he brought his hand to his mouth and licked it long. He was a shameless piece of trash.

“……”

The group watching from a step back laughed among themselves, finding it amusing. Hakyung deliberately shifted his gaze beyond them. A few familiar classmates hurried past, fearing they might get involved. Some frowned at the harassers, but to Hakyung, everyone felt the same.

There are no allies, now or ever.

Han Hee-gyeom and his group, the bystanders who just passed, most of the freshmen were from the same school, specifically the same educational institution. Hanguk University Affiliated Specialised Ability School. The educational process continued from kindergarten to university, allowing direct advancement to the next stage as long as one maintained their abilities, whether an esper or a guide.

In other words, once you enter, you stay together from high school graduation to university graduation at the very least.

Hakyung awakened as a guide at 15, in his second year of middle school. His rank was F.

In a ranking system starting from S, F-rank was the lowest level. Dungeon strategies recommended at least E-rank, so he was practically an ordinary person. Therefore, the rate of not registering as an awakener was higher for F-ranks, but Hakyung stubbornly chose to register and transfer.

‘Do you want to make new friends, dear?’

Even though his father, uncharacteristically, tried to dissuade him.

His usual tone, with his ever-kind smile, but the moment Hakyung heard the question, he naturally realized.

Father doesn’t want me to leave.

Or maybe he was reluctant about the life of an awakener itself. He often hardened his expression when mentioning ‘awakener.’

‘…Yes.’

He pretended not to understand, even though he knew his father’s intentions. It was cowardly to call it an excuse, but just this once, he hoped his father would understand. That his son had a reason.

In truth, Hakyung had a reason he couldn’t bring himself to say. Would he have wanted to live alone, away from his father? Especially not at an ordinary school.

‘Hey. You’re Im Cheonghyeon’s son, right?’

‘Wow. Crazy. Im Cheonghyeon’s son is F-rank?’

‘Why did an F-rank guide come here? Can you even guide?’

The school he stubbornly entered was hard to adapt to.

‘But doesn’t Im Hakyung’s face look amazing? His head is the size of a fist, but his facial features are killer. Looks like he only inherited his dad’s face.’

‘Doesn’t really look like him.’

‘Probably takes after his mom. Delicate and pure, definitely takes after his mom. But the combination is killer. Honestly, with Im Hakyung’s face, I think I could do it with a guy. Should I try on guiding practice day?’

‘Crazy bastard. Isn’t Im Cheonghyeon going to burn your dick?’

It was genuinely tough.

The way they casually mentioned his father’s name. Ignoring and belittling Hakyung for not meeting expectations. Even the hands that touched his body. He endured five years with the feeling of holding out in hell.

Hakyung hung his head low.

‘Now really… not much time left.’

He agreed with one thing Han Hee-gyeom said. That soon, anyone would be touching him.

‘Soon, I’ll have a partner….’

A guiding partner. Someone he would actually practice guiding with, not just pretend.

Of course, there were guiding practice sessions with partners during middle and high school. But it was guiding with a ‘balance controller’ in between, instead of direct contact.

The traditional guiding method is undoubtedly contact. It’s well-known that espers and guides have unique wavelengths, and only those with matching wavelengths can guide each other. The ‘balance controller’ is a device that temporarily raises the matching rate by disrupting the wavelength with drugs and mechanical signals.

After transferring to the special school, Hakyung learned about these guiding phenomena from the international awakener management organization.

Espers and guides each have independent wavelengths, and only those with matching wavelengths can guide each other.

In the case of ‘espers,’ when the energy accumulated in their bodies from ability manifestation overheats, they enter an overload state.

In the case of ‘guides,’ if their unique wavelength is left without meaningful interaction for a certain period, they enter an overload state. The overload phenomenon accompanies physical mutations, forced guiding contact, and other undisclosed phenomena.

From now on, we will refer to the guide’s overload state as <Heat>.

“Hey.”

The voice of the harasser pulled Hakyung out of his deep thoughts.

When he looked up, Han Hee-gyeom was grinning above him. He tapped Hakyung’s cheek with his finger as if he had found something interesting.

“Come to think of it, I heard something funny.”

“……”

Hee-gyeom spoke with gleaming eyes.

“Do you really spread your legs for your dad too?”

***

Thud, thud, thud – Bang!

“Ugh! Ugh….”

As soon as he returned to the dormitory, Hakyung vomited the contents of his stomach that he had been holding back. Do you really spread your legs for your dad too? The vulgar question had thoroughly churned his insides. He hadn’t eaten much, so all that came out was water and stomach acid.

“Ugh….”

His vision spun. It was fortunate that he didn’t have any classes afterward….

He didn’t want to lift a finger, but after rinsing his mouth, he went ahead and took a shower. Honestly, what he wanted to wash away wasn’t just his mouth or skin but his mind.

Under the pouring water, he finally admitted it.

‘I ran away….’

Han Hee-gyeom had hit the nail on the head.

No, strictly speaking, the answer to his question was ‘no.’ Hakyung had never had an abnormal relationship with his father. Yet, the reason he felt exposed was because of the imagination that lingered in his mind.

Imagining a large build pressing down on him, touching him. Perhaps even breaking him….

Under the cold water, Hakyung let out a faint moan.

‘No….’

It was almost a tearful plea. Then, someone inside him suddenly asked.

What?

‘Anything.’

Why not?

‘Because it can’t be.’

The questioning voice seemed to be his own and also his absent father’s.

A man named Im Cheonghyeon, a man like himself.

He realized that referring to him as ‘a man’ was already a sign that something was wrong, but Hakyung was at a loss as to where to begin fixing this situation. The memory that had taken root deep in his heart had sprouted into something strange, and memories were a particularly tricky opponent unless they disappeared.

Rustle, rustle….

See? Even though I say no, it keeps coming to mind on its own….

What good is it to be hit by painful water? My mind is wandering on its own.

The rustling sensation. It was a gentle, quiet hand stroking his head. A large hand, big enough to cover his head lightly, ruffling his thin hair.

At this point, Hakyung had no choice but to become a prisoner trapped in his memories, forced to watch his own recollections.

***

Some memories remain vivid as if they happened yesterday, even after a long time has passed. For Hakyung, the day he awakened as a guide was one of those memories.

It was a strange day. Until then, he hadn’t shown any signs of a cold or any symptoms, but his condition fluctuated wildly from dawn. He described it as fluctuating because he would suddenly have a fever, then feel cold, feel nauseous, then suddenly feel hungry, repeating in cycles. In short, it was an unpredictable state.

While his physical condition changed from moment to moment, Hakyung couldn’t fully sleep or wake up, groaning in between. He was buried in his bed, drenched in cold sweat, occasionally drinking the water his father brought to his lips, and drifting in and out of short naps.

After some time.

Hakyung suddenly felt a gentle touch stroking him. Rustle, rustle. Every time his bangs were brushed aside, there was the characteristic rough noise of hair. However, having been in a daze for so long, he couldn’t immediately tell if it was reality or a dream.

At first, he thought it was a dream, and he judged it as such.

‘A little more….’

‘More?’

‘Yeah….’

The deep voice resonated as if it were echoing from deep within his chest. Even in his sleep, Hakyung clearly recognized it as laughter.

‘Laughter?’

Just in case, he struggled to open his eyes slightly, and there were golden eyes right in front of him. Unique eyes he had seen all his life. Also, a strong, striking face that was hard to look away from once you met it.

‘…Father?’

‘Son. It’s been a while since you acted spoiled, so it’s nice.’

In a teasing tone, Hakyung lowered his gaze. Even in his drowsy state, he blushed with embarrassment. Only then did he realize that he had audibly pleaded, ‘A little more.’ The word ‘spoiled’ was spot on.

Already fifteen. In his second year of middle school.

It had been over a year since he changed the way he addressed him from ‘Dad’ to ‘Father.’ He was shocked when he realized that none of the friends he made in middle school called their fathers ‘Dad.’ They didn’t even kiss their fathers on the lips or fall asleep hugging them.

I still like it when Dad… no, Father hugs and strokes me.

His father’s build was exceptionally large. He had heard that he was an extraordinarily skilled esper.

Espers with developed physical abilities tended to be larger in build the higher their rank. Of course, not all were like that, but at least his father was the most robust and perfect physique Hakyung had ever seen.

Naturally, being large meant he was heavy too. Hakyung liked being embraced in that heavy and solid embrace. It made him feel completely at ease and helped him sleep well. Since his skin was slightly cool, being wrapped up together under a blanket felt like paradise on earth.

When he thought he had to stop doing that, he felt so drained….

Unlike his father, he remained as small as a bean even after becoming a middle schooler, and he couldn’t seem to build any muscle. A small, skinny boy. That pathetic appearance was his current state.

That’s why he speculated that the sudden painful phenomenon might be growing pains. There were cases where people suddenly grew several centimeters overnight, after all.

Honestly, being the son of ‘that’ father, it didn’t make sense for his growth to stop here. The more he thought about it, the more he believed it was growing pains.

The only problem was,

‘It feels… good.’

The touch stroking him felt excessively good.

The series of sensations, brushing his sweat-soaked hair, wiping his sweat, and patting his back, were too vivid. Thump, thump, thump, thump. Even the sound of his heartbeat was so loud it felt like a drum was being played right next to his ear.

Hakyung tried to force his drowsy consciousness to close. Instinctively, he felt that he shouldn’t go any further. But as always, ‘thoughts’ had legs of their own that even he couldn’t control, and they moved ahead on their own while he hesitated.

‘I wish Dad… would hug me tighter.’

Hug me so tightly that I can’t breathe and touch me elsewhere too.

‘Haa….’

A languid sigh escaped. The pleasant sensation, which was already good, spread wider, and a tingling current arose from every place he touched. It wasn’t an illusion. The small lightning was even getting stronger.

His consciousness, which had been hazy all along, suddenly snapped awake when the lightning grew into a thunderbolt.

Suddenly, his hair stood on end. It was literally as if he had been struck by lightning; his mind and skin tingled. But if it had ended there, he would have just been surprised.

‘……!’

‘Dear?’

Hakyung groaned inwardly. Don’t call me…. He swallowed the words that rose to his throat along with his saliva and struggled. He had to get away from his father. No,

He had to get away from ‘Im Cheonghyeon.’

The realization struck like a bolt of lightning.

‘Ah, down there….’

Underneath his thin clothes, the place that should have been quietly asleep twitched and stretched.

Was it because he was sick? Because it was hot? Because he was suffocating?

His inner defense mechanism bombarded him with questions. Whatever it was, it seemed to be trying to prevent him from realizing it further. But his instincts were simply stronger.

‘Ugh….’

No, it can’t be.

His consciousness and sensations slipped through his fingers like sand, no matter how hard he tried to stop them. Thud, thud, thud! The sound of his heartbeat was now as loud as thunder. Hakyung opened his eyes wide. His pupils wandered anxiously. Embraced by his father, feeling good from his touch, and getting an erection.

He was out of his mind.

Father… no, Dad… oh, no.

‘Dear, what’s wrong?’

Im Cheonghyeon asked.

‘……’

Hakyung couldn’t answer. If he opened his mouth now, he felt certain that a moan of pain would escape instead of a clear answer. It wasn’t a guess; it was a certainty.

Dad. I think there’s something wrong with my body.

Is this what happens when you get growing pains? The urge to ask his father suddenly surged. When he forcibly suppressed it, tears welled up. He let them slide down. They weren’t the kind that could be stopped just because you told them not to come out.

It seemed even Cheonghyeon found it strange when his son suddenly clammed up. He held his young son tightly, as if putting him to sleep, and pressed his lips to his forehead.

‘Hakyung… you have to speak for me to know.’

It was the final blow.

Hakyung squeezed his eyes shut. Below his waist… was fully erect. It was at a stage where he could no longer pretend to ignore it. He had felt his father’s caring touch as something sexual.

After a long or short period of avoidance, when Hakyung opened his eyes again, a different spectacle unfolded.

Golden haze.

The golden energy surrounding his father was spread very widely, like gold dust or smoke. Hakyung naturally realized.

‘…Wavelength.’

This was his wavelength. The unique wavelength of ‘Esper Im Cheonghyeon.’

Why could he suddenly see this? How did he know this without learning it? The answer to the question wasn’t difficult to find either.

The strange fever. The unpredictable physical condition. The body reacting to the touch of his father, no, ‘esper.’ All the phenomena pointed to one thing.

He had awakened as a guide.

***

Swoosh—

After forcibly watching a memory as clear as yesterday, Hakyung returned to reality. He didn’t know how much time had passed. He was still standing under the cold water. His stomach continued to churn, and his skin was so cold that it felt numb.

“Guide….”

The small muttered voice was cracked and hoarse. That damn guide. Hakyung looked at the floor with gloomy eyes.

After awakening, everything proceeded quickly. Rank measurement and awakener registration. Transfer. Moving.

I felt my father’s touch ‘that way’ because I was a guide, and I was relieved for a moment. But soon, Hakyung faced a certain fact.

Getting aroused by his father’s touch. The heat that wouldn’t subside. The growing thirst, hoping it would be resolved to the end.

All these phenomena pointed as clearly as the awakening.

I might want to have sex with my father.