None of the lecture content made it into my head.

Joo Seunghyuk had followed me all the way to Changwi Guild. He knew my bank account number. And just because he didn’t like the idea of me doing guiding work, he pressured the school.

As unhinged as Joo Seunghyuk was, would he really go this far just to mock someone he supposedly hated?

And on top of that, he gave me his card and cash. Sure, ten million won might be pocket change to a chaebol, but handing over his card carried a different weight.

Don’t tell me... the timeline’s been altered because the protagonist’s first meeting got messed up?

Originally, Joo Seunghyuk and Kim Jun were supposed to meet at the freshman welcome party.

In Guide’s Swamp, Kim Jun attends the welcome party with fluttering nerves—only to be blatantly ignored for being an F-rank Guide. Eventually, a senior pours champagne over his head.

Seeing that scene, Joo Seunghyuk is reminded of his own childhood and lashes out, knocking out the Esper senior on the spot before leaving the party.

Kim Jun follows him outside and thanks him, but Joo Seunghyuk doesn’t respond—he just gets in his car and drives away.

That was how their first meeting went in the original story. But in this reality, that night, Joo Seunghyuk slept with me.

According to Jihui noona, the party fizzled out soon after we left.

There was no bullying, no champagne incident.

The original plotline had been derailed.

But I wasn’t too concerned.

To be honest, Joo Seunghyuk hadn’t helped Kim Jun out of some sense of justice. He was just reminded of his brother by the Esper who was bullying Kim Jun and lost his temper.

In fact, Joo Seunghyuk saw Kim Jun—who dared to show up at a party despite being F-rank—as a pathetic, stupid loser.

Joo Seunghyuk only really started paying attention to Kim Jun after their second meeting. So as long as that encounter went as planned, the altered first meeting wouldn’t matter.

And besides, the plot's own inertia would probably steer things back into place.

But... what if that’s not the case?

What if everything changed the moment I slept with Joo Seunghyuk, the same night the story was supposed to begin? What if now, I’ve become the object of his obsession instead of Kim Jun?

Scenes from the original story flashed before my eyes.

Inside a brutal, unrelenting trash heap, Kim Jun discovers his sexual preferences and eventually finds a twisted sense of love and stability.

But not me.

I didn’t care whether the trash heap was cozy or cold—I wanted nothing to do with it.

“Yeonsu.”

“Y-Yeah...?”

Jihui noona shook my shoulder. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at her.

“What were you thinking about? Class ended a while ago.”

“Oh... it was just a difficult topic.”

I couldn’t very well tell her the plot of a novel, so I dodged.

“Yeonsu, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) can we talk for a sec?”

She glanced around as she spoke. The lecture had ended, but the classroom was still full of students.

I got up, since I had something to say to her too.

***

“Noona, I’m sorry.”

As soon as we stepped into an empty classroom, I apologized.

When I finally checked my phone this morning, I saw dozens of missed calls and messages—all from Jihui noona.

We’d had a brief phone call when I got back to the dorms, but she must’ve been worried sick.

“Don’t be. I should be the one apologizing.”

“No, what for? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I heard from Jihoon oppa. That mercenary bastard was harassing you. Oppa should’ve stopped it. I’m really sorry. What kind of idiot tries to run a guild when he can’t even protect one person?”

“Don’t be too harsh. That guy came out of nowhere—Jihoon-hyung must’ve been caught off guard too.”

That mercenary was a piece of work, sure. But it wasn’t like I’d taken the guiding job without knowing the risks.

Even in well-regulated companies and centers, sexual harassment cases happened all the time. With mercenaries, it was practically a given.

“There’s no excuse. Park Jihoon’s an A-rank—no way he couldn’t handle some B-rank merc. But apparently that guy’s got some clout in the merc scene, so Jihoon didn’t want to go too hard on him. He says he started the guild to break the corporate monopoly, but now he’s just watching mercenaries like a coward. Pathetic.”

She gritted her teeth. She wasn’t just pissed at the mercenary—she sounded totally disillusioned with Jihoon-hyung and the guild itself.

“Noona, are you okay?”

“What?”

“You’re not mad at me...?”

“What would I be mad about?”

“I messed up the guiding, broke the door...”

“Is that even worth mentioning? You were the victim—why are you worried about that? Honestly, you’re too nice for your own good.”

“Still... wasn’t it a hassle dealing with the injured merc?”

The guy’s arm had literally flown off in the guiding room. That couldn’t have gone over well at Changwi Guild.

But noona just waved it off.

“Not really. Joo Seunghyuk took care of everything.”

“...Joo Seunghyuk?”

“Yeah. Someone from his side came and took the merc away. Paid for damages, too. Even added compensation for the guild uniform and buttons. What’s with that guy, though? Why the hell did he specifically reimburse for buttons? Does he have a thing for them or something?”

“...Probably not.”

Was that because I said something about it? No way... did he really think I was a button maniac?

“Anyway, the Seonghan Group’s filthy rich. Just the button compensation alone could’ve funded a brand-new guiding room.”

So Joo Seunghyuk had made proper reparations. At least now I could look noona in the eye again.

“That’s a relief.”

“What’s so relieving about that, you softie.”

Noona smiled and handed me a white envelope.

“What’s this?”

“Compensation from Joo Seunghyuk. It doesn’t sit right with me that we almost got you hurt. We can’t accept this. Give it back.”

“Just keep it. The door was wrecked, wasn’t it?”

I remembered the door Joo Seunghyuk crumpled like a sheet of paper.

“If anything, we owe Joo Seunghyuk. He did what Park Jihoon should’ve done.”

She wasn’t wrong. As extreme as it was, he had stopped me from being assaulted.

“Then give it back to him.”

“I tried. But he wouldn’t take it. His secretary said if I was really set on returning it, I should give it to you.”

“To me?”

“Yep.”

Not even from Joo Seunghyuk himself, but from his secretary?

That meant... the secretary knew about our relationship?

The theory that the main bottom had changed after our first night together was becoming terrifyingly plausible.

While I stood there frozen in fear, Jihui noona tucked the envelope into the pocket of my coat.

“Noona!”

“You give it back. By the way... what’s going on between you and Joo Seunghyuk?”

“Well, uh...”

Considering the storm he kicked up at the guild, of course she’d be curious.

I knew she’d ask—but I had no idea what to say.

“So, you two made up?”

“Huh?”

“Those clothes—he bought them for you, right?”

She’d noticed my outfit was different from usual. Sharp-eyed, as always.

“...Yeah.”

“So you really patched things up?”

“When did we ever fight in the first place?”

We hadn’t even had a proper conversation before that first night together.

At best, we’d exchanged polite greetings in passing.

“To be honest, it was practically war between you two. Because you turned down his exclusive contract.”

“I didn’t turn it down. I just gave up because I wasn’t good enough.”

Who dares say I rejected the yandere Dom? That’s a terrifying accusation.

Of course, I had rejected him—but I didn’t want it known that way.

Whenever people brought it up, I went out of my way to correct them.

“If you’re not good enough, then every Guide in Korea should quit.”

“I’m serious. I’ve said it before—I wasn’t skilled enough. Joo Seunghyuk’s a special case. I really couldn’t measure up.”

“Jeez, you’re humble to a fault.”

“It’s not humility...”

“So you’re close now, right?”

She cut off my excuses with a smile that said, That’s enough, I get it.

“Uh...”

Close? Far from it.

“So, what’s your relationship with him?”

The question was more direct this time.

“......”

We’re not... anything.

But after everything that happened at the guild—plus the fact I was wearing clothes he bought—who would believe that?

I was still searching for an answer when a low voice spoke from behind us.

“Why can’t you answer?”

That voice—no way—

I slowly turned around and locked eyes with a devastatingly handsome man.

Joo Seunghyuk.

He strode over and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

“Hello, Park-sunbae.”

“Oh, hi.”

He greeted Jihui noona politely—while grabbing my hand.

I wanted to yank it away, but I remembered what happened in the original novel.

The more Kim Jun resisted, the more ferocious Joo Seunghyuk’s obsession and possessiveness became. One wrong move here and I might flip the switch on a full-blown yandere meltdown.

Sure, that was Kim Jun’s story, and I was just the villainous side character... but I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

“My hyung owes you a lot. Thank you.”

“Oh no, I should be thanking Yeonsu instead.”

...Wait. What the hell kind of conversation is this?

Why are you thanking her on my behalf?

I stared at Joo Seunghyuk in shock, only for him to smile and kiss me on the cheek.

“A-Ah, I just remembered something urgent—I should get going.”

Jihui noona was clearly flustered and tried to bolt.

“Noona!”

“Have a nice date!”

I called after her, but she just winked knowingly and left the classroom.

No. Noona, wait. That’s not it!

I wanted to chase her down and clear up the awful misunderstanding. But I was rooted to the spot—Joo Seunghyuk’s mana was seeping out cold and heavy.

“Yeonsu, why won’t you answer? Why are you hiding what we are?”

His words were clipped. He was clearly annoyed.

The original Joo Seunghyuk was the type of obsessive Dom who treated confinement like breakfast. One wrong move, and I’d be locked up for sure.