“Then you weren’t late?”

“No.”

“That’s good.”

Joo Seunghyuk didn’t pry unexpectedly. No—actually, it wasn’t unexpected at all.

He never really cared when I was with other Guides. Even when I was with Jihee noona, he hadn’t gotten angry.

Same with Professor Choi. We literally got caught whispering to each other in class and all he did was give me the cold shoulder.

But Kim Jun... was the exception.

He hated Kim Jun. Just like how, in the original novel, Joo Seunghyuk despised the villainous sub-uke Lee Yeonsu, he now seemed to hate Kim Jun just as much.

No way... they didn’t actually swap roles, did they? If they were just rivals, fine—but a full reversal? That couldn’t happen.

I still hadn’t let go of that sliver of hope. That maybe, when the second semester started, the story would get back on track and Seunghyuk and Kim Jun would fall in love again, just like in the novel.

Sure, it was a little sad thinking about someone as kind as Kim Jun ending up with a yandere, but still... wasn’t an S and an M pairing better for both of them?

“What are you thinking about? You’re not thinking about some other bastard in front of me, are you?”

Yandere clingy bastard was sharp as ever. I hastily shook my head.

“Of course not! I was thinking about you! You!”

“About me?”

“Yeah. I heard you’re still refusing to take the compatibility test?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Do I have to?”

He shot the question back at me with such brazen shamelessness. Everyone’s in a panic because of you, and you don’t even care?

“Since you matched with me, you haven’t taken the compatibility test with anyone else. Maybe your Guiding rejection has ended. You might’ve recovered enough that you could match well with other Guides too.”

For all I knew, the timing of Seunghyuk’s recovery might’ve coincided exactly with when we did the test.

If that were true, then it wouldn’t just be our matching rate that was high. His matching rate with other Guides might’ve returned to normal too.

“So?”

“What do you mean, ‘so’? If the rejection’s gone, then of course you should—”

“I already have a Guide. So what does it matter if I get rejection symptoms with other bastards or not?”

“What?”

Why the hell am I your Guide? Flustered, I looked up at him—but under that cold, razor-sharp gaze, I couldn’t say a word.

“Don’t tell me you actually want to Guide some other bastard?”

“I-It’s not that. I’m just worried about you. It’s better to receive Guiding from multiple people. Your symptoms should go away as soon as possible—”

“Don’t worry. I’m never getting Guiding from anyone but Lee Yeonsu.”

He gave a short laugh, then kissed me on the lips. I jumped, startled, and glanced around.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“People are watching.”

We were in the dorm lobby, so there were a lot of people around. And some were definitely looking our way.

“So what if they are? We’re getting married anyway.”

“What?”

“Why are you so surprised? We already agreed, didn’t we?”

So he hadn’t forgotten. I’d been cautiously relieved that he hadn’t mentioned it since the press conference... but of course not.

“Oh, the elevator’s here.”

Instead of answering, I hurried into the elevator. Seunghyuk followed without a word.

“Thanks for carrying my bag today.”

As soon as we got to my room, I tried to get rid of him. But Seunghyuk walked in like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Well, if you want to come in, you’re coming in. I didn’t have the courage to kick out a yandere who’d barged into my room.

“Want something to drink?”

“Hyung... you’re not planning to take my virginity and just toss me aside, are you?”

His voice dropped into a chilly murmur. So much for changing the subject.

“N-No, I mean...”

“Hyung, let’s go to your parents’ house this weekend.”

“Yeah.”

After I got hospitalized, my family had been really worried. Especially my mom—she was so shaken that she even suggested I take a leave from school or quit Guiding altogether.

Even after I was discharged, she wanted me to rest at home for a while. But I couldn’t keep missing lectures, so I’d returned to the dorms.

They were still worried, so I was planning to visit home this weekend. I’d already told Seunghyuk.

“I’ll go with you. Let’s meet your parents and pick a date. How about it?”

Pick... a date?

Just the idea of asking for permission to marry you is overwhelming—now you want to set the date?

“Ah, that’s a bit...”

I might’ve been living like a yes-man out of fear of the obsessive yandere, but even I had my limits.

When I trailed off, his expression darkened.

“Why? Don’t tell me you plan to sleep with me and dump me. Not ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) even Lee Yeonsu could be forgiven for that.”

Come on, Seunghyuk, I even saved your life! You think it’s okay to threaten your savior? Couldn’t you cut me a little slack? Besides, this wasn’t even your first time, was it!

I knew he was lying, but I had no way to prove it. It was driving me insane.

Not that I saved him expecting anything in return, but wasn’t it a bit much that he hadn’t changed his attitude at all after I rescued him?

Still, you couldn’t expect common sense from a yandere. I hid my thoughts and forced a smile.

“That’s not it. I’m still a student, you know. I just recovered—if I suddenly said I was getting married, my parents would be shocked.”

“Then how about we get engaged first?”

...You really plan to go through with this, huh?

“I-I mean, they raised me all this time. I can’t just vanish like that...”

“‘Vanish’?”

“I want to graduate, earn my own money, and do something nice for them first, you know? Before I get married—”

“I’ll give you the money.”

Like I could use your money! Who knows what hell would break loose if I ever touched it!

Right now, the black card and cash Seunghyuk gave me were sitting untouched, like cursed artifacts. I was living off a savings bond I broke open.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I just... I want to save up some of my own money. For a house—”

“You think I’d tell you to buy a house? Just bring yourself.”

With a soft laugh, he shut down my excuse completely. Why the hell was he so needlessly rich?

“Problem solved, right? What time on Saturday?”

You really mean to come to my house? No way. I cannot introduce you to my parents.

“U-Uh, Seunghyuk!”

I mustered my courage to shout, hoping to stop the situation from spiraling any further.

“Yes, hyung?”

“I was your first too!”

“Of course you were.”

His tone was oddly chilly, and my shoulders flinched at the sound. But I couldn’t stop now.

I clenched my fists and finally said what I’d held back for so long.

“You keep saying I took your virginity—but you took mine too. So we’re equal.”

“I’ll take responsibility.”

He replied so casually, it made my dramatic declaration feel pathetic.

“What?”

“I’ll take responsibility for you too.”

No, no, please don’t. I don’t need that kind of responsibility...

“Why...?”

Why would you take responsibility for me?

My voice cracked without me realizing. I really felt like crying.

“You took my virginity. Of course I have to take responsibility. I’m actually very conservative.”

Conservative, my ass. A hypersexual, old-fashioned yandere... even my stuffed dog Woongie would be laughing right now.

“Still, let’s wait a bit—”

“Wait until when?”

“Seunghyuk, why are you in such a rush? You’re only twenty. What if you get married now and meet someone even better later?” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

My plan to push back with the ‘mutual virginity’ argument had failed. Since it came to this, I decided to try reasoning with him. But he didn’t budge.

“That’s not happening. There’s only Lee Yeonsu for me.”

“But no one knows the future. You might meet someone better...”

“What kind of person is better than you?”

“Um... someone better looking, taller, more muscular...”

“You’re my ideal type.”

That’s not true! You like neat-looking guys with tall, well-built frames like Kim Jun! You called Yeonsu a flower with no scent. You said he was disgusting!

But no matter how much I recalled the original novel, I had nothing to say if he insisted otherwise now.

“Someone more capable, maybe.”

“Who’s more capable than you?”

“Rank isn’t everything...”

“Our match rate is ninety-three.”

Right. Unlike in the original novel, I, not Kim Jun, had the highest compatibility this time.

“Someone wealthier, then.”

“Hyung, do you think I need money?”

“No... but what if they’re a strategic match for your company—”

“I don’t need that crap. I can grow my business on my own.”

“......”

He crushed every one of my arguments. I had nothing left to say.

“It really is just Lee Yeonsu. If I lose you, I’ll regret it forever. Besides... my body doesn’t react to anyone else.”

Seunghyuk took my hand and placed it against his chest. I could feel the rapid pounding of his heartbeat.

“I can only breathe when you’re here. You made me this way. You have to take responsibility.”

“......”

Faced with the raw emotion in his eyes, I couldn’t say anything. And the moment I went silent, his expression turned cold.

“Or is that just an excuse, and you actually want to meet someone else? You can’t promise to love only me forever?”

“......”

No. It’s not that I can’t promise to love only Joo Seunghyuk forever... It’s that I could live perfectly fine with anyone but him.

But I kept that to myself and shook my head.

“No. I mean, who else could I meet that compares to you...”

“What do you like about me?”

“Huh?”

“What do you like? What part of me does Lee Yeonsu love?”

His face came in close. Staring into those pitch-black, icy eyes, I opened my mouth before I could stop myself.

“You’re handsome.”

And the second I said it, I realized I’d made a fatal mistake. That was the one thing I should never have said.

“You like my face?”

“Yeah.”

It felt awkward to deny it now, so I nodded slightly.

“That’s a relief. Maybe I’ll finally start to like my face too.”

“......”

He hated how much he looked like his mother. And as he grew older and started to resemble his father more, he hated it even more.

That was why he was always so sensitive about his appearance.

I would’ve preferred if he’d gotten mad when I said he was handsome. Instead, he looked unexpectedly sorrowful—so uncharacteristically sad for Joo Seunghyuk—that it reminded me of his past and weighed heavy on my heart.

On impulse, I kissed his cheek.

“W-What was that?”

He jumped, startled, and touched his cheek. This was the first time I’d ever seen him that flustered.

“Because you’re handsome.”

It was impulsive... but I didn’t regret it.

“You said you were shy.”

“I am shy. But you’re too handsome.”

Seunghyuk burst out laughing.

“If you’re gonna do it, do it properly. Did you forget what I taught you yesterday?”