“I heard even in the U.S. that Joo Seunghyuk got into a fight over you.”

“...The article exaggerated it.”

I’d heard it had been reported in foreign press, but was the article that big after all?

Suddenly, I felt a wave of gloom. If it came to it, I’d even considered naturalizing, but... guess America’s out of the question now.

“Then, you’re not dating him, right?”

“...That...”

How should I even explain my relationship with Joo Seunghyuk? We were together practically every day, eating meals and sleeping side by side. Most people would call that dating, but I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. Anyway, same as always — those Esper bastards won’t leave our Yeonsu alone. I’m an Esper too, but I swear they’re all fucking nuts.”

“It’s because of my rank, that’s all.”

“You haven’t changed.”

“Huh?”

“That tendency to chalk everything up to rank.”

“Well, it’s the truth.”

The interest and praise aimed at an S-rank Guide should never be mistaken as belonging to the human named Lee Yeonsu. The original Yeonsu didn’t understand that — and that’s why he met such a tragic end.

You could find people like that easily in this line of work. If you wanted to do this job, you had to keep your center. Otherwise, you could collapse in an instant.

“After you graduate from the Institute, you’ll probably join a corporation or a guild, right?”

“Most likely.”

That had always been my plan. Once the events of the original story wrapped up, I’d planned to seriously start scouting companies and signing a contract. That plan hadn’t changed even now — as long as I could safely get away from Joo Seunghyuk...

***

“Thank you for the meal.”

As soon as we stepped out of the restaurant, I bowed my head to Hyeokjin-hyung in gratitude.

“Next time, I’ll treat you to something even better.”

“No need! It was really delicious. Next time, I’ll treat you.”

Hyeokjin-hyung reached out. He seemed like he was going to ruffle my hair but stopped halfway and just chuckled lightly.

“You little bean, talking about buying me a meal.”

“I’m all grown up. I’m an adult now.”

“You call this grown? You’re still a tiny bean.”

“I’m a Guide, though.”

My lips jutted out in a pout.

Espers were naturally physically gifted, tall, and broad-built. Hyeokjin-hyung was 188 cm, and even Chaea-noona was 180 cm.

It’s not that I was small — they were just too big.

“Haha. Alright. Let’s go, our precious little Guide. I’ll walk you back to school.”

“No, it’s right there. You must be tired, so go on and get some rest.”

“It’s fine. I parked in the school lot anyway.”

“Then... just up to there, please.”

We headed back toward school. The restaurant wasn’t far, so after walking about ten minutes, we reached the parking lot.

“Yeonsu, be careful heading back.”

“You too, hyung. Drive safe.” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

I waited for him to get in the car. But instead, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

“I’ll smoke one before I go. You head in first.”

“Okay, see you later then.”

Since I didn’t smoke, I turned toward the dorms.

“Yeonsu.”

Just then, Hyeokjin-hyung called my name.

“Yes?”

“If you ever need help, just say the word. I’ll always be on your side.”

...If I asked him right now to help me get away from Joo Seunghyuk, what would happen?

Would Hyeokjin-hyung stand by me? I hesitated, then slowly opened my mouth.

“Yeah. I will. Thanks, hyung.”

In the end, I couldn’t say anything. No matter how strong an S-rank Esper and mega-guild master he was, he was no match for Joo Seunghyuk. If anything went wrong, it could end up hurting hyung too...

I smiled faintly, bowed again, and walked off.

***

Do Hyeokjin watched Lee Yeonsu’s back as he walked away. He was tall now and carried himself like an adult. But having watched him since he was young, Hyeokjin still saw him as a cute little kid.

Not that every kid you see from childhood stays cute, of course.

Hyeokjin took a long drag from his cigarette and muttered quietly:

“Come out.”

At that, a man stepped out from the dark corner of the parking lot. Hyeokjin frowned when he saw Joo Seunghyuk.

“Didn’t expect the great Joo Seunghyuk to resort to tailing someone in person.”

“Why are you here?”

“Get in the car first.”

He stubbed out his cigarette and got into the driver’s seat. Seunghyuk sat in the passenger seat without a word.

As soon as the car door shut, Seunghyuk grabbed Hyeokjin’s right hand.

“Sorry, Seunghyuk, but I prefer Guides. I’m not into Espers.”

Hyeokjin joked, but the killing intent radiating from Seunghyuk didn’t ease in the slightest.

“I told you not to touch Lee Yeonsu.”

“I didn’t touch him.”

When Hyeokjin had instinctively tried to ruffle Yeonsu’s hair, he’d felt a terrifying wave of killing intent and hastily pulled back.

“Be careful. If you even graze a hair on his head, I’ll cut it off.”

After delivering his second warning, Seunghyuk finally let go. Hyeokjin frowned and stared at his hand. Even though he’d only been grabbed for a moment, the blood flow had been cut off — his fingertips had gone cold.

“Your damn temper... Anyway, I could feel your pheromones all over Yeonsu. Did he give you permission? Even if he’s a Beta, that doesn’t make it okay.”

He spoke like a concerned senior, giving advice. But the mana filling the car only grew colder.

Unlike Yeonsu, Hyeokjin couldn’t see mana directly — but he could keenly sense its wavelengths.

“Calm down. Are you going to make me disappear like you did that Esper from the Institute?”

“If you approach Lee Yeonsu.”

“Approach? I just bought lunch for a little brother I care about. Anyway, I’ll be careful from now on, so let it go this once. We’ve known each other how many years now?”

He clasped his hands together like he was begging. But Seunghyuk’s killing intent didn’t waver in the slightest.

“What did you say to Yeonsu?”

“You heard it. I told him if he needed help, I’d be there. If you cross a line, someone’s gotta stop you. And it sure won’t be Inho.”

“Don’t interfere.”

“I hope I won’t have to.”

“Cut the bullshit and get to the point. Don’t tell me you came back to Korea with nothing to show for it.”

“Calling your hyung’s words bullshit? Hah, manners really are dead.”

Hyeokjin grumbled, but Seunghyuk just stared coldly at him.

“Useless even as a figurehead.”

Muttering under his breath, Hyeokjin pulled out a photo from his inner pocket.

“Found traces of Joo Taehan. The real master of the YL Guild.”

Joo Taehan was Seunghyuk’s cousin — legally registered as his older brother.

Seunghyuk examined the photo with a blank face. It showed Joo Taehan, who had gone to study in the U.S. after that incident seven years ago.

Taehan’s eyes were vacant, his clothes and hair a mess. Syringes lay scattered across the table, and half-naked people loitered nearby.

“He’s completely lost it.”

“He’s high every day. Must be some massive aftereffects from that experiment. Looks like he can’t function without drugs.”

He was the man who had once dragged Seunghyuk into hell as a child. But even before the collapse of his enemy, Seunghyuk’s face showed no emotion at all.

Hyeokjin watched him. He was always like this. His emotions had long been worn down and hollowed out. Joy, sorrow, pain — all the normal feelings a person should have were missing.

The only time he reacted like a human being was when it involved Lee Yeonsu.

Seunghyuk handed the photo back with a blank face.

“Proceed according to plan.”

“...What about Yeonsu? Those bastards might target him. There’s no better subject for their experiments. He’s powerful, and on top of that, he’s your Guide. Taehan’s one thing, but especially your eldest brother...”

When Hyeokjin referred to Chairman Joo’s eldest # Nоvеlight # son, Joo Junghan, as “your brother,” a vicious wave of mana surged from Seunghyuk.

“Ah—sorry. That was my mistake.”

Before Seunghyuk could say anything, Hyeokjin bowed his head and apologized. Seunghyuk didn’t withdraw his killing aura as he spoke.

“Be more careful going forward. As for Joo Junghan — I’ll take care of him. Do Master, just keep an eye on Joo Taehan.”

He spoke firmly. Hyeokjin looked at Seunghyuk with concern but nodded without saying more.

“Got it.”

Seunghyuk stared at the photo of Joo Taehan with an unreadable expression before tucking it into his inner pocket.

***

I was reading in the dormitory.

But with every page I turned, my body felt heavier. That was because Joo Seunghyuk was hugging me from behind, burying his face into my back.

This bastard was always like this. No matter what I was doing, he clung to me like a leech. Ever since I got entangled with this obsessive maniac, even reading a single book had become a struggle.

And it wasn’t just a simple backhug — he was definitely slathering me with pheromones too.

There were even rumors going around the Institute that Joo Seunghyuk gave me pheromone showers. The gossip was so widespread that it naturally reached my ears. But since I was a Beta and couldn’t feel pheromones, I’d just ignored it.

I figured he’d eventually get bored and stop, and there was no point provoking this obsessive lunatic. That was my judgment.

But I was wrong.

Even after midterms ended and May rolled around, he was still giving me pheromone showers.

I couldn’t pretend not to notice any longer. I cautiously opened my mouth.

“Seunghyuk, are you... putting pheromones on me right now?”

I made sure to keep my tone soft so it wouldn’t sound like I was accusing him.

“Yeah.”

He answered immediately.

He was brazenly shameless. Even though he’d been caught red-handed rubbing pheromones on me, he didn’t look the least bit flustered.

Seriously, he was insane.