After parting ways with noona, I headed toward the changing room to swap out of my uniform, only to get intercepted by Sunwoo Moon, an A-rank Esper.

“Yeonsu, can you do some Guiding for me?”

“Right now?”

“Yeah. I had to rush back after clearing a gate and going to class, so I didn’t have time for any Guiding.”

Sunwoo Moon was an Esper affiliated with KN Group, the second-largest conglomerate after Seonghan Group.

Where Seonghan was all about power and results, KN had a warmer, more people-focused image. Their Espers were treated well, so they usually received thorough Guiding, too.

“What made you rush back so quickly?”

“My next lecture was Esper Ethics.”

“Ah...”

“If I don’t pass that class this semester, I won’t be able to graduate.”

Just like Guide Ethics, Esper Ethics was a required course. And there were no exams—attendance alone determined the grade.

These mandatory pass-or-fail classes were the most dreaded by high-rank ability users. Grades didn’t matter—but if you couldn’t graduate, you were stuck at the Academy for at least six more months.

“Got it. Let’s head to the Guiding Room.”

“Thanks. You’re the best.”

We entered the Guiding Room adjacent to the training center.

It was easy for a Guide to handle an Esper of lower rank. But the opposite—a Guide doing Guiding for a higher-ranked Esper—was significantly more difficult and far less efficient.

To guide an A-rank Esper, you typically needed either another A-rank Guide, an S-rank, or two to three B-rank Guides with an exceptionally high matching rate.

But there had always been fewer Guides than Espers, and the higher the rank, the harder it was to find someone with a good matching rate.

The Academy’s top-tier Espers struggled with this constantly.

Since I was an S-rank, I often guided A-rank seniors—and Sunwoo Moon was one of them.

He sank into the black leather chair like he was collapsing. He must’ve been exhausted. When I reached out, he took my hand lightly.

We’d guided together many times, so we understood each other’s style well.

Plus, he was one of the more respectful Espers—never lewd, never clingy, never crossed any lines.

“I’ll begin now.”

“Thanks.”

As soon as the Guiding began, a smile spread across Sunwoo Moon’s face.

“Ah... feels like I’m alive again.”

“Let me know if anything feels off.”

“It doesn’t.”

He shook his head immediately.

“Yeonsu, when I first got into the Academy, it was hell. Honestly, I didn’t learn anything here—it was a complete waste of time.”

Anyone with South Korean nationality and an ability rank of C or higher was required to attend the Academy.

Barring extremely rare exceptions, you couldn’t get out of it. Refusing to enroll could even get you prosecuted.

Among high-rank ability users, there had always been grumbling about this forced conscription system—but there was zero chance of the rule changing.

“But once you arrived, things got better. If it hadn’t been for your Guiding, I might’ve dropped out.”

“You can’t drop out of the Academy.”

“I mean, that’s how much I hated it. When I think about how graduation is finally close, I get excited—but then I realize I won’t be able to get Guiding from you anymore, and it makes me a little depressed.”

“Doesn’t KN Guild have a lot of good Guides?”

“They do. But it’s not the same. It’s hard to describe, but... it’s like my whole body is getting purified...”

There was a subtle bliss on his face, a natural response during Guiding. Most people, at this point, lost their reason and gripped your hand harder or demanded closer contact.

But he didn’t move at all. He really was a gentleman.

“Yeonsu, what do you think about coming to our company after graduation? We’ve got plenty of Guides, so the pressure would be lighter. The protection and treatment are great, too. And honestly, part of it is selfish—I just want to keep getting Guided by you.”

Seonghan Group was the number one conglomerate, but everything revolved around the Espers. Guides were overworked and often neglected.

That’s why most Guides preferred KN Group. I’d been keeping them in mind too.

“I heard KN Group’s Espers have good manners. Is that true?”

“Hmm. Hard to compare objectively, but I’d say they’re better than me.”

If Sunwoo-sunbae was already that considerate, then what kind of saints did they have?

Maybe KN Group really was the better choice. Someone from the company had visited me last month, and their offer was pretty good.

“I’ll think about it.”

But no promises.

The original plot was already going off the rails. Who knew how things would change in a year? Until the entire story was over, I had to stay cautious.

“Just the fact that you’ll think about it is an honor. Anyway, Yeonsu, about the mock training...”

He smiled lightly and changed the subject. Probably afraid I’d feel pressured if he said more.

He really was a good person.

***

After finishing the Guiding and changing out of the uncomfortable uniform, I stepped out of the locker room—only to be met by the last person I wanted to see, though by now I really should’ve expected it.

“Hyung.”

The only person in the Academy who called me hyung—Joo Seunghyuk. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“What are you doing here?”

At least up ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) until now, he’d only shown up after my classes ended. This was the first time he came in the middle of my schedule.

“What do you mean, ‘what am I doing here’? I missed you. Don’t you miss me, hyung?”

He was smiling with his mouth, but his eyes were ice cold. On the surface, it sounded like innocent whining, but having read the original, I knew exactly what this bastard was doing.

He was revving up the engine of his obsession. I had to tread carefully here.

“Of course I missed you. I was just surprised, since you came into the training center without even wearing a uniform.”

“I wanted to see you.”

“I see.”

It was clear now—Joo Seunghyuk knew my entire schedule inside and out.

“What were you doing just now? Your class ended a while ago, didn’t it?”

His cold stare didn’t let up. He already knew—he was just testing me.

Now I understood why he showed up so suddenly. He’d found out I guided someone else.

“I don’t care if it’s Guiding or whatever—don’t let any other bastard touch you ever again.”

His voice echoed in my head.

This wasn’t even a part-time job, but it didn’t matter. They don’t stick the word 狂 (madness) onto obsessive seme for no reason. This guy was not the type to tolerate such things.

What do I do? How should I play this?

I thought of that time in the original when Kim Jun guided a sub male lead and ended up getting locked up for a mini-confinement arc.

After some hesitation, I opened my mouth.

“Oh, we had a shooting drill today. Since it was the first session, it ended early, and I was heading back when I ran into Jihui-noona.”

“Senior Park?”

“Yeah. I was just about to leave when Sunwoo-sunbae asked for Guiding. He’d just rushed back from a gate and didn’t have time for a session because of his mandatory class.”

I laid out every detail of what happened today.

Kim Jun was a quiet character in the original. Strangely tight-lipped. His silence often led to misunderstandings and fueled obsession.

Even after getting confined, he wouldn’t speak up. And the one time he decided to, he was gagged and ended up suffering even more.

While reading Guide’s Swamp, I’d constantly thought: He’s so pitiful, but come on—just speak!

His whole identity was built on “frustrating uke” and “oblivious uke,” but even so, it was excessive.

So I decided to do the opposite. Rather than stay silent like the main uke, I would tell this obsessive bastard everything.

“He usually never makes personal requests, but he looked really desperate. So I helped out in the Guiding Room.”

“Is that so?”

Joo Seunghyuk’s thick eyebrows twitched. I couldn’t tell what that meant.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“You don’t like it when I do Guiding.”

“You remember what I said?”

The ‘you remember’ in his sentence had this ominous weight.

“Of course I do. How could I forget, coming from you?”

How could a mere side character forget the words of the obsessive yandere seme?

“It was during training, so I had no choice. But I should’ve been more careful. I’m sorry.”

Even though I hadn’t actually done anything wrong, I bowed my head and apologized anyway.

But the cold gleam in his eyes hadn’t faded. What more could I do? Should I get on my knees?

I was still searching for the next move when a sharp voice cut into my ear.

“So you’re Guiding other guys even during training?”

Of course, you lunatic.

“Yeah. It’s school policy.”

The Academy existed somewhere between military and university. If you refused to guide without a valid reason during training, you could be disciplined.

“Maybe I should just blow this place up.”

Joo Seunghyuk stared up at the training hall like he was seriously considering it.

“If you blow it up, we’ll just train somewhere else. Might end up doing more Guiding, especially if it’s out on an actual gate.”

“That can’t happen.”

Joo Seunghyuk grabbed my hand.

“Was it this hand you used to do the Guiding?”

“Yeah. Just held hands. Very lightly. That’s all I ever do—just hands.”

He pressed down on my right hand with his thumb. The touch was filled with displeasure.

“I washed my hands. Used sanitizer too.”

“Good job.”

“Seunghyuk, want me to guide you too?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I mean, only if you want to.”

I blurted out whatever I could think of to calm him down—then immediately backpedaled.

Joo Seunghyuk was S-rank. Even though A-rank Espers were already difficult to guide, S-rank was on another level entirely.

We were both S-rank, but our matching rate was low.

In the original, Joo Seunghyuk hated receiving Guiding from Lee Yeonsu. But his father, Chairman Joo, forced him to because they were both S-rank.

The more he was forced to receive Guiding, the more he grew to despise Yeonsu.

If I guided him now, I might earn that same revulsion. Which would be great, honestly—but I didn’t want to risk it while I was still in the danger zone.

“I don’t hate it. Of course I don’t. But it’s something precious, so I want to save it.”

“Okay.”

“Then... give me a kiss.”

“H-here?”

“Yes.”

His eyes were still cold. He wasn’t over it yet.

I looked around. There wasn’t anyone nearby.

What do I do...