"How many lives do you have?"

Joo Seunghyuk’s mana surged with a murderous chill.

Even if Kim Jun was only F-rank, he was still an ability user. He might not be able to see the mana’s wavelength or form like I could, but he could probably still feel that sharp killing intent.

But Kim Jun didn’t shrink back in the slightest. He held his ground and boldly shot back.

"Even if you subdue me with force, you still won’t win Yeonsu sunbaenim’s heart."

"Hah."

Joo Seunghyuk let out a laugh.

If only that were a smile that said, ‘You’re the first to treat me this way,’ and fell for him. Unfortunately, this was a death notice.

That wasn’t affection—it was a predator’s grin aimed at his next kill.

At this rate, Joo Seunghyuk really might kill Kim Jun.

If the main uke dies here, then the entire original story goes up in smoke.

I hurriedly grabbed Joo Seunghyuk’s hand.

"A-ah, no, it’s a misunderstanding. I-I like it."

"You like it?"

Joo Seunghyuk gripped my hand tighter as he asked.

"Yeah."

"Hyung, do you like me?"

"...Mhm."

Caught off guard, I ended up confessing to the main seme that I liked him—right in front of the main uke.

Something about this situation felt terribly off, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch a murder unfold, so I nodded no matter what.

"I’m not uncomfortable. So don’t fight, okay? We haven’t even started yet."

"Okay. If hyung wants it, I’ll hold back."

Joo Seunghyuk gently stroked my cheek. The sharp edge in his mana calmed down.

I gave an awkward smile and looked to Kim Jun.

"Jun-ah, you can get along, right? No fighting?"

"...Yes."

Kim Jun answered reluctantly. His lips were pressed into a tight line—I could sense his dissatisfaction.

He might seem gentle, but he was stubborn.

That personality was exactly what had made things between the two spiral out of control in the original story.

Ding-dong~!

Just then, a strangely cheerful chime sounded and the gate opened.

"Alright, let’s go."

I deliberately spoke brightly and stepped inside. The two followed me.

Things had gotten a bit twisted at the start, but it was fine.

As long as Kim Jun gave Joo Seunghyuk a guiding session, everything would be over.

I’d finally be free.

***

"Wow, it feels so real."

Kim Jun looked around in awe as he entered the first Gate Chamber. The way his eyes sparkled like a child’s was genuinely adorable.

Joo Seunghyuk and I were used to mock combat training by now, but for Kim Jun, everything must have felt new.

"Right? I was surprised too the first time I came—"

"Hyung, let’s go."

Joo Seunghyuk cut me off and grabbed my hand, then gave a cold command to Kim Jun.

"You stay here and wait."

Unless it was a special case, guides didn’t enter the gates during raids—for their own safety. (In fact, a lot of espers hated having guides around because they said they just got in the way...)

But this wasn’t a real mission. It was a safe simulated battle. In these cases, the general strategy was to leave one or two guides near the entrance just in case, and have the rest stick close to their espers for timely guiding.

Since our team only had three members, the most logical approach would be for me, as the S-rank, to move with Joo Seunghyuk and guide him, while Kim Jun, the F-rank, stayed near the entrance.

But that would make the whole point of putting the two of them on the same team meaningless.

"I’ll stay behind today."

"You will?"

"Yeah. My back hurts—I don’t think I can walk much."

"Your back? Ah..."

Joo Seunghyuk’s lips curled up.

So he did remember what he did to me last night. Even when I said I was in pain, he didn’t stop.

You were basically trying to kill me in bed—how can you smile about that?

I found myself glaring at him before quickly dropping my gaze. I had no desire to challenge a possessive yandere seme.

He’s terrifying...

But today would be the last of these degrading, shrinking days!

I was about to send the two of them off, when Kim Jun suddenly looked at me with concern and asked:

"Yeonsu sunbaenim, are you really in pain?"

"Ah, no, I’m fine."

"If you’re hurt, I could get you some medicine—"

"There’s no time for that."

Joo Seunghyuk grabbed Kim Jun roughly by the back of the neck, then turned to me.

"Hyung, I’ll be back soon."

"Be careful not to get hurt."

"Don’t worry."

Joo Seunghyuk smiled sweetly and walked deeper into the gate chamber. Kim Jun followed, more like being dragged along.

Even though I knew it was all a hologram, it really did feel like they were entering another world.

Finally, the main seme and main uke would get some alone time together.

Having completed my mission, I sat down on a rock nearby.

"Ugh."

All I did was sit down, and I groaned without meaning to.

At this rate, I might die from a broken spine before I ever get locked up.

Anyway, it’s over now.

In the original story, a lot happened between Joo Seunghyuk and Kim Jun, but what truly triggered his obsession was the guiding.

Their compatibility rate was 91%. For an S-rank esper, even finding a guide with over 80% was considered a blessing, but Kim Jun had over 90%.

Joo Seunghyuk was captivated by Kim Jun’s guiding and gradually fell into obsession.

Once he received guiding today, it would be over. He wouldn’t even spare me a second thought.

He might even come back asking me to guide him afterward, but that didn’t matter.

After receiving my low-compatibility guiding, he’d realize how much more he needed Kim Jun.

Everything would return to the way it was supposed to be starting tomorrow.

I felt bad for Kim Jun, sure, but the original novel said they both found happiness in the end. Kim Jun loved Joo Seunghyuk, and even found peace in the life of captivity.

And from what I’ve seen over the past few days, Joo Seunghyuk actually had more self-restraint than he did in the novel.

Maybe a lot had changed because of what happened seven years ago. After all, the villainous sub-uke Yeonsu who used to provoke him constantly was gone.

Even in the prophetic dream that felt like a foresight, Joo Seunghyuk and Kim Jun seemed to have a much healthier relationship than in the original.

If they get together now, maybe they’ll end up with a more peaceful ending than before.

If something extreme were to happen again, I’d help however I could.

I was the one who brought them together—it’s only right that I take some responsibility...

Boom!

A thunderous explosion shattered my train of thought. Of course it was Joo Seunghyuk.

Just the sound of his mana erupting was enough to tell how powerful he was. Even in a simulation, defeating an S-rank monster with pure mana, no weapons? All you could do was admire it.

But even for someone like Joo Seunghyuk, using that much mana would require guiding.

A few minutes passed, and the roar of mana finally subsided.

They were probably guiding now. This was it—my long-awaited freedom from the obsessive seme.

A strange bittersweet feeling welled up. No, not bittersweet—just sweet.

I corrected myself mentally, but then—

A massive wave of mana hit me.

"Aaaagh!!!"

A scream rang out, followed by blaring sirens. The hologram flickered out, and the gate chamber reverted to its normal state.

The gate disappeared, revealing a wide, empty space—and in it, I saw Kim Jun collapsed on the floor, with Joo Seunghyuk standing over him, panting heavily.

His black mana was pouring down like a waterfall, flooding the chamber.

No way... is he rampaging?

Shocked, I started to run forward, but then Choi Professor’s voice rang out over the alarm.

"Lee Yeonsu! Get out of the gate chamber immediately!"

For always being so composed, Choi Professor now sounded truly panicked.

Was Joo Seunghyuk really rampaging? If so, then he must’ve hurt Kim Jun.

I ignored the professor and dashed toward Joo Seunghyuk.

"Lee Yeonsu! Evacuate immediately! That’s an order!"

His voice boomed throughout the chamber.

This was a state of emergency—an S-rank esper rampaging—and he was trying to protect me, an S-rank guide.

But I couldn’t obey.

Joo Seunghyuk raised his hand toward Kim Jun, his eyes locked onto him. Black mana formed a blade-like shape at his fingertips.

If he swung that, Kim Jun would die instantly.

"Joo Seunghyuk!"

I cried out in desperation.

Joo Seunghyuk slowly turned his head. His eyes were unfocused, glazed over.

I hurriedly grabbed his hand.

The mana seeping from his hand lashed out at me. Blood dripped from our contact point, but I tightened my grip and tried to read his mana.

His mana was a tangled mess, thrashing wildly. It wasn’t too late—this wasn’t full rampage yet.

But it wasn’t safe either. If the mana exploded while still knotted up like this, Joo Seunghyuk could die.

I immediately began guiding. As I channeled my mana into him, his body devoured it greedily.

Just like when we were having sex—his mana was just as possessive.

"Lee Yeonsu! Cease ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) guiding immediately! Lee Yeonsu, I told you to run!"

Professor Choi was screaming now.

In response, the black mana on the floor lashed upward, wrapping around me like chains, as if to say: Don’t you dare run.

"Seunghyuk-ah, don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving."

I murmured softly, continuing the guiding. As I untangled the knots in his mana one by one, I finally found the source of it all: a foreign lump of crimson mana deep inside.

That’s the cause of the rampage.

But Joo Seunghyuk was already draining my mana, and guiding was pushing me toward depletion. My body was reaching its limit.

Still, I couldn’t stop here.

I had to remove the source—otherwise the mana would explode and kill him.

I pushed myself one last time and pulled out the foreign mana like an impurity.

But I had no time to feel relief.

Blood surged up from my throat, and I collapsed as darkness closed in.