I’d told him that if his feelings didn’t change by the end of this semester, I’d wear the couple ring.

That wasn’t just about wearing matching rings. It meant becoming real lovers.

But all of a sudden, regret crept in.

Can I really handle this obsessive yandere...?

“Our class times are the same?”

“Yup. I matched mine with yours. Good job, right?”

Joo Seunghyuk beamed and wrapped his arms around my waist.

Seeing him look up at me, eyes sparkling, left me speechless.

He looked just like a dog wagging its tail, begging to be praised.

With eyes like that—even if he’d just committed a major crime—I wouldn’t be able to scold him.

“...Yeah. You did well.”

I patted his head.

Well, I guess matching schedules means I won’t have to wait alone during breaks. That’s good, isn’t it?

“But are you okay with it? You didn’t force yourself into lectures you didn’t want just to match me, did you?”

“No. They’re all classes I wanted to take anyway.”

“That’s a relief. Ah, I should head out now.”

On the first day of the semester, whether theory or practicals, it was tradition in our academy to attend all classes in full uniform.

I checked the time and hurried to fasten my uniform buttons, when Seunghyuk stood and grabbed my hand.

“I’ll do it.”

“No, it’s just a few buttons.”

“What if you mess up and your favorite button pops off? You can’t cry on your first day back.”

“....”

Maybe it was time I confessed that I wasn’t actually a button maniac.

But I stayed quiet.

Seunghyuk probably already knew. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He was just teasing me because it was fun.

While I kept silent, Seunghyuk fastened my buttons all the way to the top.

“Looks good on you.”

“Thanks. You look great too.”

Joo Seunghyuk always looked amazing in his black Esper uniform.

Well, let’s be honest—he’d look good in anything.

Even if I went back to the day of the freshman welcome party, I’d still end up telling him he was handsome.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah.”

We held hands and left the house.

Ever since realizing I was inside a novel, I had feared this very moment.

But now—even though today marked the true beginning of Swamp of the Guide—I wasn’t afraid.

Even while walking beside the man who killed Lee Yeonsu in the original story, I felt oddly at ease.

What exactly am I feeling reassured about?

That even if Seunghyuk suddenly feels a fated pull toward someone else like in the original, he probably wouldn’t kill me?

Or that his obsession wouldn’t disappear just like that?

I had tried so hard to escape from him, and yet... what was this feeling now?

My own heart was a mystery to me.

I didn’t even know what to call this feeling.

***

A black sedan pulled up at the front gate of the Ability User Academy.

Two months.

Had it really only been two months?

It felt like far longer since I’d been on campus.

So much had happened over the break.

“Do you feel good being back at school?”

“Yeah. What about you?”

“I like anything as long as I’m with you, hyung. I don’t want to be apart for even a second.”

So the school itself, not so much.

Well, at least he wasn’t talking about burning it down, so that was progress.

Unlike usual, Seunghyuk parked the car in the West Building lot, where the Guide lectures were held.

“Seunghyuk, you’re parking here?”

“Yeah. We’re going home together after your class, right? This spot’s more convenient.”

He declared that we’d be returning home together.

A fact we’d only ever acknowledged silently—now spoken aloud, set in stone.

“Why? You don’t like it?”

He watched my face quietly.

His black eyes trembled faintly, like he was afraid I might say no.

“No. Why would I not like it?”

“You really don’t?”

The corners of his eyes crinkled with a smile.

Even though his gaze was usually sharp, when he smiled like that, he looked just like a puppy.

Seeing how happy he was made me feel good too.

Honestly, I didn’t really feel like staying in the dorms either.

I liked being with Seunghyuk.

“Yeah. I was just worried it might be inconvenient for you to park here.”

“It’s not inconvenient at all.”

Seunghyuk firmly shook his head, squeezing my hand tightly.

Seeing those unwavering black eyes staring straight into mine, I was certain all over again—

Even though a new semester had begun, Seunghyuk’s feelings wouldn’t change.

“Come on, let’s go. You’re going to be late getting to the East Building.”

“I don’t mind being late.”

Well, I do...

I didn’t want him to be late because of me.

“Still, you can’t be late on the first day.”

“Fine. If hyung says so, then I guess I have no choice.”

He gave me a kiss on the cheek and unbuckled my seatbelt.

The moment we got out of the car, he took my hand again.

Seriously, he didn’t let go for even a second.

Among the students in white uniforms, Seunghyuk in his black one stood out dramatically.

Still, everyone pretended not to notice and hurried past us.

Then someone shouted my name.

“Yeonsu-sunbae!”

Kim Jun ran over to me with a big smile.

The moment I saw him, my heart dropped.

“Jun-ah...”

“It’s been a while, sunbae!”

“Yeah... it has.”

“I was really worried since I couldn’t reach you all break.”

“Sorry. My phone broke. But... did you get taller?”

Kim Jun looked much more mature.

He seemed taller, and his already-good physique had become even more solid.

The awkward, youthful aura he’d had in the first semester was completely gone.

He had become a proper man.

I used to think he was good-looking back then too, but now he even had this charismatic air around him.

Now I understood why the real plot of the second semester began here.

If Kim Jun had grown up this much, of course Seunghyuk would end up glancing his way.

His appearance, which had already been Seunghyuk’s type, had evolved even more into exactly his style.

As if saying: How could you not fall for this?

“I grew 2cm. Gained a little weight, too. My uniform’s kind of tight now.”

“Not weight—muscle. You’ve been working out?”

“Yeah. I’ve been training hard since I decided to become a combat-type Guide.”

He radiated youthful energy.

As his senior, I should’ve felt proud and supportive—but instead, a vague anxiety crept over me.

I slowly turned my head to look at Seunghyuk.

He was staring at Kim Jun.

Those black eyes, which had never contained anyone but me, were now filled with the image of Mainsu’s face.

My heart dropped again.

Why... why is he looking at him?

I stepped on his foot—hard.

Startled, Seunghyuk looked at me.

Well, of course he was surprised—I was a hundred times more shocked than he was.

Lee Yeonsu, what the hell are you doing?! How dare you get dirt on Lord Yandere’s shoes! Are you out of your mind?!

“S-sorry. My foot slipped.”

“Really?”

Even I knew how unconvincing that sounded, but Seunghyuk didn’t get angry.

“Anyway, we’re running late. You need to head to the East Building.”

“Yeah. I’ll go now.”

He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and walked off toward the East Building.

Feeling uneasy, I stared after him, and Kim Jun spoke up again.

“Sunbae, I... actually wanted to talk to you—”

“Lee Yeonsu!”

Before he could finish, Kang Inho came rushing toward me, calling my name.

I’d never seen him look so urgent before.

Was something wrong?

“Inho, what’s going on? Something happened?”

“What’s your first class?”

“Me? Gate Law 101.”

“Same here. Let’s go together.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Did he really run over just to go to class together?

It felt strange. Still, I nodded.

“Jun-ah, see you later.”

“Ah—yes, sunbaenim!”

I waved at Kim Jun, but Kang Inho cut in like he was in a hurry.

“Yeonsu, come on.”

“Yeah.”

Maybe he had something to say.

I followed Inho.

But all the way to the classroom, he didn’t say a word.

Did he just want to go to class together?

But if so, he was way too quiet.

“Inho, how was your break?”

“Fine.”

I tried [N O V E L I G H T] to break the awkward silence with a question, and he gave me a one-word answer.

In the end, we made it to the classroom without him saying anything else.

So why had he even called out to me?

***

At 6 p.m., there was a department-wide opening meeting for the Guide Division in the main auditorium.

The Espers were having theirs in the KR Building auditorium.

To be honest, I had no intention of attending when I came to school this morning.

I’ve never been one for big gatherings, and it’s not like I was a freshman anymore.

Why bother attending a second-year, second-semester meeting?

But then the Student Council President came to me in person and asked if I could attend.

I couldn’t say no to that.

When I was being slammed nationwide over the Aaron incident, the student council had taken my side, fully knowing they’d be hated for it.

When I said I wanted to repay them, they told me it was only natural—and even worried about me instead.

So if all they were asking for now was for me to attend a simple department meeting—of course I would.

When I explained the situation, Seunghyuk surprisingly agreed without much resistance.

He did add one condition though: “Don’t drink.”

But even if he hadn’t said it, I wasn’t planning on drinking.

Alcohol is my mortal enemy.

Still, despite my intentions, a problem soon arose—against my will.