“Th-That’s just... I was embarrassed...”

“You’re embarrassed of me?”

His voice cracked like a glacier at the North Pole—cold and sharp.

“No! That’s not it. If people find out we’re dating, they’ll start asking all sorts of questions and...”

“That’s embarrassing to you?”

I quickly nodded. In response, Joo Seunghyuk gave a small chuckle and stroked my cheek.

“Yeonsu, you’re such a baby.”

Being called a baby by someone younger than me should’ve been offensive—but I didn’t feel that way at all.

I was just relieved that the suffocating mana that had been strangling me disappeared.

“Class is over, right?”

“Yeah.”

Even as I answered, I wondered how he knew my schedule.

Did he check my timetable while casually saving my number on his phone that night?

I wanted to ask—but kept my mouth shut.

In mystery novels, supporting characters who act smart and “figure things out” always end up dead.

And this world was far crueler than any mystery novel—a brutal, suffocating story of confinement.

Provoking a yandere Dom in a BL world is a hundred times more dangerous than poking the true killer in a mystery.

“Shall we go on a date, then?”

“Uh-huh.”

***

We ended up at a restaurant called Pungyeon, located a bit off-campus.

One of the most famous restaurants in all of Seoul—apparently it required reservations made a year in advance just to get in.

Honestly, I was used to fancy restaurants as an S-class Guide.

I’d had plenty of opportunities to meet high-ranking people, and sometimes when someone casually suggested grabbing a bite nearby, it turned out to be a five-star hotel restaurant.

So I’d been to most of the famous places—but this one was new even to me.

A server guided us to a private room.

“The atmosphere’s nice.”

“I was going to bring you here the day before yesterday, but you were sick, so I pushed it to today.”

Guess the legendary reservation wasn’t that hard to get after all... or, more realistically, it’s just because Joo Seunghyuk is the youngest son of Seonghan Group and an S-class among S-classes.

But truthfully, I wasn’t thinking about the ambiance or food—I was focused on the price.

I’d reluctantly accepted the clothes this morning, but I didn’t want to owe anything else to the obsessive Dom.

I knew that in the original, Lee Yeonsu died a miserable death for abusing Joo Seunghyuk’s wealth and power like it was his own. How could I follow in those footsteps?

Still, the moment I opened the menu, I realized the truth.

This was not a place where splitting the bill was an option.

The cheapest thing on the menu—a Coke—was 50,000 won.

What, is it infused with gold? Mana? Is it a potion?

That was the most expensive Coke I’d ever seen.

While I panicked, Joo Seunghyuk casually smiled and pointed to a ridiculously expensive course menu.

“This course is the best one here.”

“Uh... sure. I’ll go with that...”

I nodded blankly at the numbers trailing behind the item name.

Once we finished ordering, Joo Seunghyuk reached over and held my hand.

“I missed you.”

We’d only been apart for what—three hours since he dropped me off at the dorm?

I was baffled, but my mouth responded on instinct to survive.

“Me too...”

His lips curved into a satisfied smile. Good—he must’ve liked that answer.

“School’s really getting in the way. Should we stop going?”

I swallowed hard.

Wait. Did I accidentally enter a dating sim game?

A dating sim with no dialogue choices. Just barely managed one answer, and now the next one was even harder.

Not to mention, Joo Seunghyuk was a serial confinement offender who once locked up Kim Jun for an entire vacation.

I had to answer this carefully.

“But attendance is important. A lot of professors don’t give credit unless you show up.”

“Grades matter to you?”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“You’re really diligent, hyung.”

Was that praise? Or a sarcastic jab at a bad lie?

High-ranking Espers usually didn’t care about grades. Most had placements set before enrollment, and their rank alone made them desirable hires.

Even a B-rank Guide with straight A+ would be outclassed by an F-grade A-rank Guide.

So me, an S-class, talking about worrying over grades would definitely sound like a poor excuse.

“Well, since I’m already attending, I might as well get good scores. Plus, it’s not my money—I’m going to school on taxpayer funds. I should try hard.”

At Esper Academy, all students had free tuition. Dorms and meals were covered too.

“You’re the first person I’ve met who worries about that.”

“Haha. Really?”

I smiled as sincerely as I could. I wanted to seem like a model student who cared about taxes.

“Then should I destroy it?”

“...What?”

“If I knock down a few buildings, they’ll have to shut school for a while, right?”

“......”

He’s insane. Absolutely unhinged.

I did my best to reason with him like a normal person—because I did not want to be investigated as his accomplice.

“What if someone gets hurt?”

“What if no one gets hurt? Is it ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) fine then?”

Insane.

“They’re public buildings. Paid for with taxes.”

“Then I’ll cover the cost.”

Utterly insane.

“Don’t. What if you go to jail?”

I held his hand tightly.

Please, obsessive Dom-nim, I beg you—no large-scale crimes. Especially not on my behalf. I just want a quiet life.

“True. That would be a hassle.”

Thankfully, he seemed convinced. Even a yandere Dom with no fear apparently didn’t want to go to prison.

“If I get dragged into an investigation, I’ll have less time with you.”

“......”

“I don’t want to be apart from you—not even for a minute.”

“......”

That was, hands down, the scariest thing I’d heard all day.

“You feel the same way, right?”

“Yeah.”

Feeling a chill down my spine, I nodded. Joo Seunghyuk smiled and interlaced his fingers with mine.

“Every time I touch you, it’s strange. You’re a Guide, but I can’t feel any mana at all.”

I always sealed off my mana flow when I wasn’t guiding. It was a unique ability only I had.

“Do you want guiding?”

He shook his head.

“No. If I did it now, I think I’d get too excited. And that’d be a problem here, wouldn’t it?”

“......”

So he’s already excited?! 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

I pulled my hand away instinctively.

I’d just slapped away the obsessive Dom’s hand without thinking. Shit.

But just in time, the door opened and the food arrived.

“That looks delicious.”

I wasn’t just saying that to cover for myself—it really did look delicious. The plating was clean and elegant, and the aroma was incredible.

For a moment, I pushed aside my fear of the obsessive Dom and took a bite.

“Wow.”

The taste made me gasp in awe.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah. It’s really good.”

Definitely worth the year-long wait.

After seeing the Coke price, I’d figured this was some rip-off with a famous chef’s name slapped on it—but this was on a different level.

It wasn’t food—it was art. The best I’d ever had.

Maybe the chef priced the Coke at 50,000 won to discourage people from ruining the experience with soda?

Maybe they didn’t want to sell it at all. There was no way a chef this good would price Coke that high just for profit.

The food was so good, I even started defending the Coke. As I kept gasping in awe, Joo Seunghyuk let out a quiet breath of relief.

“Good.”

“Huh?”

“It’s our first date. I wasn’t sure where to take you. I’m really glad you like it.”

“......”

His cheeks were a little flushed. He looked so shy and sweet that I felt strange all over.

“I like it. It’s really, really good. I’d eat it every day if I could.”

“I’ll make sure you can.”

“Ah, no! That’s not what I meant—”

He just smiled. Please don’t tell me he’s planning to kidnap the chef.

“You need a balanced diet. A mix of Korean, Western, Chinese, and Japanese is ideal.”

“Okay. Just tell me when you want something.”

“Sure. I will.”

“Now eat.”

“You too.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Throughout the meal, Joo Seunghyuk stared at me the whole time.

His gaze was so intense, it made it hard to eat. But it also made one thing very clear.

Whether it was because of that night, or because he wanted revenge for what happened seven years ago, or for some other reason—I didn’t know.

But one thing was certain: Joo Seunghyuk wasn’t planning to let our relationship end as a one-time thing.

In the original, he’d slept with plenty of people. Sometimes for guiding, sometimes just to vent his urges, or to make Lee Yeonsu mad.

There were still tons of rumors floating around about him sleeping with Guides even now. So I assumed his interest in me was just for mockery or temporary amusement. I hoped so.

Even when I started seeing signs that I might’ve taken the main bottom’s place after that night, I forced myself to ignore them.

But now, I couldn’t anymore. I had to face it.

Joo Seunghyuk was fixated on me. His obsession had turned toward me.

It was a hopeless situation where I might end up trapped in a cozy trash heap—but there was still one last sliver of hope.

“Seunghyuk.”

“Say it again.”

“Huh?”

“My name. Say it again.”

Did I say something wrong? Nervous, I carefully repeated his name.

“...Seunghyuk.”

“I love it when you say my name.”

His eyes crinkled gently. That soft smile made something stir in my chest again.

But I couldn’t fall for it.

That face belonged to a man whose everyday routine was violence, whose hobby was confinement, and whose special skill was murder.

I mentally recited the long list of crimes Joo Seunghyuk had committed in the original story to keep myself grounded.