Watching Juseung-hyeok’s back as he walked side by side with Kim Jun made me feel strangely unsettled.

I was about to head toward the west parking lot, but instead, I sank down onto a nearby bench.

No way... don’t tell me the original plotline is starting to activate?

In The Guide’s Abyss, Kim Jun is continually looked down on for being F-rank. He eventually collapses from extreme stress. That’s when Juseung-hyeok takes him back to the dorm.

Kim Jun takes off his stiff uniform and begins to change clothes, and Juseung-hyeok, watching him, thinks, “This guy’s an omega? Surprisingly nice body. His pheromones aren’t bad either.”

And then, just like that, he pounces, and they spend the night together.

...No way it’s headed in that direction again, right?

No. That’s a ridiculous thought.

Juseung-hyeok called Kim Jun “this thing.” He didn’t even treat him like ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) a person.

Earlier today, he looked at Kim Jun—but that was just a glance in the direction of someone standing nearby, not something meaningful. And even now, it’s probably just because Kim Jun’s bigger than me physically that he offered to take him back instead.

I know. I do know. No matter how paranoid someone is, no one would seriously doubt their partner’s feelings over something like this.

And yet, knowing all that, I still couldn’t calm this anxious feeling.

Is it because I know the original plot?

Or because we went through a rut cycle together?

Or... is it because I’m a beta?

They say a lot of alpha–beta couples break up after going through a rut cycle.

During that rut, I couldn’t satisfy Juseung-hyeok.

He never said anything—but I could feel it, instinctively.

All throughout the rut, he was yearning for something. And until the very end, I couldn’t quench that thirst.

No—I never could to begin with.

What Juseung-hyeok wanted was probably the body and pheromones of an omega. No matter how much I tried, as a beta, that wall was impossible to overcome.

And Kim Jun, though overly eager, is still an omega. If they go into that dorm room together... and if the original storyline takes over, and their pheromones attract each other...

All those romance movies and novels where plot logic goes out the window came rushing into my mind.

The ones where even characters with lovers, or spouses, suddenly change the moment they smell each other’s pheromones—and the story repackages it all as fate. As if the current beta partner is nothing more than a temporary obstacle to “true love,” just because they don’t have a matching pheromone.

And it’s not just fiction. It happens in real life too. I even remember some nutjob filing a constitutional complaint saying he shouldn’t have to pay alimony because his affair was “destined,” since it was pheromone-induced and not cheating.

Ugh. People like that are trash.

Wait a second. Why am I so pissed off right now?

If Juseung-hyeok chooses Kim Jun, I’ll finally be free of this obsessive bastard. Ever since I got entangled with him, that’s what I’ve wanted more than anything.

So why does this make me feel so uneasy?

Why does it irritate me just to see him glance at someone else? Why does it make me anxious knowing he’s alone with another person?

Why does the thought of him telling me it’s over fill me with such bitter helplessness?

There are a hundred reasons to believe Juseung-hyeok won’t leave me—but even a single tiny seed of doubt was enough to make my heart race.

“Yeonsu.”

A sudden voice made me lift my head—and I saw Park Geonwoo’s face.

“Geonwoo hyung...”

“Why do you look so down? Did something happen?”

...Did I really look that gloomy? All I did was imagine Juseung-hyeok might leave me...

“It’s nothing. I was just... thinking.”

“I see. It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has. Are you feeling better now?”

“I’m fine. Fully recovered.”

He gave his left leg a few taps. Guess Juseung-hyeok was right—he really had injured his leg.

“I’m glad. I should’ve at least visited you. I’m sorry.”

“No need. I wasn’t accepting visitors anyway. And you were abroad during break, weren’t you?”

So he must’ve seen the article about me and Juseung-hyeok being in Aquilus.

“Yeah. I was. Still... I’m glad to see you looking well.”

“Thanks for worrying about me.”

“Of course...”

After that short exchange, an awkward silence settled in.

The truth was, I didn’t feel comfortable being alone with Park Geonwoo.

Why did he smear his pheromones on me that day?

He did it without even asking.

Sure, Juseung-hyeok did the same. But we’re in a relationship—one where even talks of marriage have come up. And anyway, you can’t really expect common sense from someone with obsessive tendencies.

But I had no such relationship with Park Geonwoo. And there was one more thing that kept nagging at me...

“You haven’t been at the dorm lately—did you move out?”

He sat beside me and asked.

“Yeah...”

“Oh, really? I was kind of looking forward to living in the dorms with you.”

“You’re still living there?”

“Yeah.”

“I see...”

The conversation died again.

When he brought up the dorms, I wondered if he might be trying to apologize for the pheromone incident. But he kept chatting like nothing had happened.

“Yeonsu, have you decided what you want to do after graduation?”

“Not yet.”

“I’m planning to join the Inspection Division at the Center.”

“The Inspection Division?”

The Inspection Division monitors crimes committed by ability users.

Ordinary police who can’t use mana obviously struggle to handle crimes involving abilities. That’s why the Center’s Inspection Division exists—to oversee such cases, conduct direct investigations, and, if necessary, detain suspects.

Because of how powerful and expansive their authority is, people have been calling for the division to be split off into its own independent agency, exclusively for investigating ability users.

If a high-rank esper chooses to join the Center, they’re seen as noble patriots choosing duty over money. That might be true for the average division—but the Inspection Division is different.

It wields tremendous power, keeping both ability users and guilds in check. It’s an elite track that opens doors into politics. It’s hard to get into, but for someone like Park Geonwoo—an S-rank esper and a world-renowned hero—it’d be a breeze.

So hearing that he was already confirmed for the Inspection Division before even graduating wasn’t surprising. But it was unexpected.

“That surprising?”

“No, not exactly. Just... unexpected. I thought you preferred fieldwork.”

If you go into the Inspection Division, your gate assignments naturally drop to a lower priority. Of course, they wouldn’t leave an S-rank esper sitting in an office forever, but he’d definitely have fewer opportunities to fight.

In the original story, Park Geonwoo was also supposed to join the Center—but he chose a field position, not the Inspection Division.

“While I was recovering in the hospital, I had a lot of time to think. Gate raids are important, sure—but so is monitoring the crimes of ability users. That’s another way to protect people.”

So he was saying the incident that landed him in the hospital wasn’t a simple DUI, but a deliberate crime committed by another ability user.

Even Juseung-hyeok had said the real culprit was still out there... And since we haven’t heard anything about an arrest, the investigation must still be ongoing.

“I heard the Inspection Division is hard to get into. That’s really impressive.”

“You should come too.”

“...Me?”

I thought he was just being polite. Like, “You’re S-rank too—if you want to, you could easily get in.”

“Yeah. I’d really like it if you joined.”

But his expression was serious. It didn’t feel like an offhand suggestion.

“Are you... scouting me?”

“Not exactly.”

He shook his head and looked straight into my eyes.

“Yeonsu, I want you to be my exclusive Guide.”

“...”

The proposal left me speechless.

“You don’t want to?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just... really unexpected.”

I never imagined Park Geonwoo would ask me to be his exclusive Guide. Sure, our compatibility score was decent, but he’d never seemed to like me. On a personal level, he’d always kept his distance.

“Why me? Is it just because of my rank and compatibility?”

“It’s not just that. From the moment I first saw you, I hoped you’d become my Guide.”

“...Is that why you rubbed your pheromones on me that day at the dorm?”

“That...”

His pupils trembled. Did he really think I wouldn’t know? Even after seeing Juseung-hyeok’s furious reaction that day?

“Yeonsu, it wasn’t like I meant to do that... My rut was starting, and I couldn’t control my pheromones properly...”

He started fumbling through a stream of awkward excuses.

“You should’ve told me beforehand.”

“I’m sorry. You rushed out so fast, I didn’t get the chance to explain.”

Honestly, I was angry. But if what he said was true, then maybe he couldn’t help it. I’ve heard that pheromone control gets tough when a rut is approaching. So maybe it really wasn’t intentional.

And I had rushed out. We hadn’t spoken since. So fine—maybe that was plausible.

But still...

“Then why didn’t you tell me the truth about the Holitron Gate incident?”

“...”

“The one who saved me that day wasn’t you—it was Juseung-hyeok, right?”

Back when I entered the Linked Gate with Juseung-hyeok, I had a strange feeling of déjà vu during the battle. Especially when I saw him strike down the boss monster—an image of him stabbing a Black Wyvern vividly flashed before my eyes.

It wasn’t just déjà vu—it was something I’d actually seen before.

And the only time I’d ever seen a Black Wyvern... was in the Holitron Gate.

Which meant I had seen Juseung-hyeok slay that monster—with my own eyes.

Still, even as that memory returned, I hadn’t thought much of it.

I already knew Juseung-hyeok had participated in the Holitron Gate raid.

Even if he’d been the one to kill the Black Wyvern, I figured the person who saved me must’ve been Park Geonwoo. That’s what everyone at the Center had said. Park Geonwoo himself had confirmed it.

But then—on the flight back to Korea, when I collapsed into Juseung-hyeok’s arms—I suddenly remembered his voice.

“You’re okay. You don’t need to be scared of something like that. I’m right here.”

...When had he said that to me?

I couldn’t remember. And before I could dwell on it, his rut started.

After it ended, when my mind finally cleared a bit—that voice echoed in my ears again.

“You’re okay. You don’t need to be scared of something like that. I’m right here.”

When had it been? I was sure it wasn’t after our first time together—I’d have remembered it.

Then when?

We hadn’t even had a proper conversation before then. So when had he held me gently like that? When had he spoken to me in that soft voice?

Eventually, I reached a conclusion—the Holitron Gate.

I had thought I’d lost consciousness the moment I fell from the wyvern. But what if I hadn’t?

What if something else happened after I fell—but I forgot because of the shock?

What if that’s when it all happened?

“Geonwoo hyung, please tell me the truth.”

The moment I mentioned the Holitron Gate, Park Geonwoo’s expression stiffened.

Just from that look—I knew I was right.

But that alone wasn’t enough. I waited for his answer.

After a long, heavy silence, Park Geonwoo finally opened his mouth with a deep sigh.