"How much of a performance would be necessary? Would it create more of a sensation if the runaway esper caused a scene? Enough to overshadow the suspicion that you've been hiding the fact that you're a guide all this time?"
However, Joo-hyun was not considerate enough to spend a week in custody for someone he saw for the first time.
He'd never meet Cha In-ho again anyway. Soon, Cha In-ho would leave with the gossip of having met a runaway esper, and Joo-hyun would continue living his days as he always had.
Having finished his thoughts, Joo-hyun stubbed out the burnt-down cigarette butt against his wrist.
To justify himself, it wasn't that he enjoyed the pain. Nor was it to draw Cha In-ho's attention. It was simply a habitual action. He couldn't even remember the first time he smoked; it was in his childhood. Initially, he did it to punish himself, and it became a familiar routine.
He got hurt so often that this level of injury didn't even register, and with guidance, such wounds disappeared quickly. Besides, there were no ashtrays in the guiding room.
The people in Block C were already used to it, and more importantly, they were too busy enduring their own personal hells to tell Joo-hyun to stop. So, he was genuinely surprised when Cha In-ho suddenly stood up and shouted.
"Shin Joo-hyun!"
Cha In-ho approached with a frown but stopped without reaching him.
Given that he'd probably read the file detailing Joo-hyun's entire life, it wasn't strange that he knew his name. But calling him so familiarly was indeed odd.
While Joo-hyun hesitated, unsure of how to react, Cha In-ho had already stepped closer, lowering his head with a hardened expression. His distorted gaze was fixed on the wound on Joo-hyun's wrist.
Noticing this, Joo-hyun grinned. His sharp eyes softened, his cheeks lifted, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
"Oh, have I finally upset you? Am I going to prison now?"
Joo-hyun tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes. The red eyes of the runaway esper gleamed with mockery. Considering Cha In-ho was a normal person until recently, rather than being trained as a guide from a young age, it wasn't surprising he wasn't used to seeing injuries right in front of him.
Since Joo-hyun rarely had the chance to meet 'normal people', he had just teased him lightly. Despite the strangeness, Cha In-ho didn't seem like a bad person who would deliberately badmouth Joo-hyun to the staff just to spite him.
However, instead of looking annoyed or flustered as Joo-hyun had expected, Cha In-ho, with a resolute tone, asked, "I need to provide guiding; may I touch you?"
Joo-hyun paused, exhaling slowly. The serious look on Cha In-ho's face made him think as if it were the most natural question.
"How much of a performance would be necessary? Would it create more of a sensation if the runaway esper caused a scene? Enough to overshadow the suspicion that you've been hiding the fact that you're a guide all this time?"
However, Joo-hyun was not considerate enough to spend a week in custody for someone he saw for the first time.
He'd never meet Cha In-ho again anyway. Soon, Cha In-ho would leave with the gossip of having met a runaway esper, and Joo-hyun would continue living his days as he always had.
Having finished his thoughts, Joo-hyun stubbed out the burnt-down cigarette butt against his wrist.
To justify himself, it wasn't that he enjoyed the pain. Nor was it to draw Cha In-ho's attention. It was simply a habitual action. He couldn't even remember the first time he smoked; it was in his childhood. Initially, he did it to punish himself, and it became a familiar routine.
He got hurt so often that this level of injury didn't even register, and with guidance, such wounds disappeared quickly. Besides, there were no ashtrays in the guiding room.
The people in Block C were already used to it, and more importantly, they were too busy enduring their own personal hells to tell Joo-hyun to stop. So, he was genuinely surprised when Cha In-ho suddenly stood up and shouted.
"Shin Joo-hyun!"
Cha In-ho approached with a frown but stopped without reaching him.
Given that he'd probably read the file detailing Joo-hyun's entire life, it wasn't strange that he knew his name. But calling him so familiarly was indeed odd.
While Joo-hyun hesitated, unsure of how to react, Cha In-ho had already stepped closer, lowering his head with a hardened expression. His distorted gaze was fixed on the wound on Joo-hyun's wrist.
Noticing this, Joo-hyun grinned. His sharp eyes softened, his cheeks lifted, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
"Oh, have I finally upset you? Am I going to prison now?"
Joo-hyun tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes. The red eyes of the runaway esper gleamed with mockery. Considering Cha In-ho was a normal person until recently, rather than being trained as a guide from a young age, it wasn't surprising he wasn't used to seeing injuries right in front of him.
Since Joo-hyun rarely had the chance to meet 'normal people', he had just teased him lightly. Despite the strangeness, Cha In-ho didn't seem like a bad person who would deliberately badmouth Joo-hyun to the staff just to spite him.
However, instead of looking annoyed or flustered as Joo-hyun had expected, Cha In-ho, with a resolute tone, asked, "I need to provide guiding; may I touch you?"
Joo-hyun paused, exhaling slowly. The serious look on Cha In-ho's face made him think as if it were the most natural question.
He thought, 'I'm the esper, and you're the guide, so ultimately, you're the one who holds the leash regarding this wound.' No one had ever asked a runaway esper for permission to touch them for guiding. Joo-hyun, accustomed to violence rather than mere physical contact, blinked rapidly.
In Cha In-ho's back pocket, hesitantly extended hand in the air, was a taser similar to the ones the staff usually carried. It was, of course, far more painful than a small cigarette burn.
Despite this, Joo-hyun found it amusing that Cha In-ho was worried about such a minor wound. Suddenly, he reached out and slowly wrapped his hand around Cha In-ho's hovering fingers. Even with a surprised expression, Cha In-ho's face remained beautiful, and Joo-hyun savoured the soft guiding energy spreading from his fingertips.
The small burn mark healed in an instant. Although his pride made him reluctant to admit it, the proper guiding he received for the first time in a while felt like a breath of fresh air. For a B-grade guide, the wavelength was distinct and pure.
"Is it alright now?"
As Joo-hyun released his hand and asked, Cha In-ho nodded, still looking somewhat bewildered. Noticing a small speck of dust on the tip of Cha In-ho's slightly swaying hair, it caught Joo-hyun's attention.
When Joo-hyun reached out, Cha In-ho flinched, startled by the sudden approach of the scarred hand. Then, click. The faint sound of a button being pressed was unmistakable to Joo-hyun, a sound he knew all too well.
Bang! The door burst open violently, and in an instant, Joo-hyun was pinned down, his face slammed against the table. The heavily armed staff efficiently and swiftly twisted his arms behind his back and secured them with thick chains.
The impact was so forceful that the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, seeping from his nose. Crimson drops began to trickle down onto the table.
"Stop! It was an accident!"
"Weren't you threatened?"
"No, it was just a mistake. So, please, undo this…"
Clutching the pager, Cha In-ho, now visibly upset, tried desperately to stop the staff. His furrowed brows and outstretched hand aimed at restraining the staff. Joo-hyun watched this scene until a blindfold covered his eyes.
"It's regulation, we have no choice."
With a gag in his mouth, Joo-hyun complied with the rough handling of the staff. His meeting with Cha In-ho ended that way.
Even after being returned to his room, still bound at the wrists and lying on the bed, Joo-hyun blinked absently. His eyelashes brushed against the blindfold, tickling slightly. The arm pressed beneath him ached from lying on his side, but at this point, such pain was trivial.
He spat out the blood that had run from his nose into his mouth and let out a breath too faint to be called a sigh. In the stillness and darkness that made it feel as if everyone in the world had disappeared, the esper quietly pondered.
"Did you get caught trying to touch him pretending to remove the dust?"
The recent guiding had felt exceptionally good. It was especially so because it was a guiding without any ulterior motives.
The guides Joo-hyun usually encountered would press the pager to punish him or amuse themselves, then mock the esper as they were dragged away. It was the first time Joo-hyun had seen a guide so flustered and apologetic, trying to stop the staff. Honestly, it was a bit funny. Watching him panic after pressing the button himself was amusing.
However, he would probably never see that man again. A wealthy celebrity had many options other than a runaway esper. Who would voluntarily step into such a dreadful place again?
Joo-hyun was genuinely fine. He was used to being left in this state overnight and to people looking at him with disdain. So, he simply hoped for a cigarette as he thought in silence until morning.
* * *
Joo-hyun was wrong. Cha In-ho was a stranger than he thought.
"From now on, I will be your matching guide, Joo-hyun. Please take care of me."
Cha In-ho spoke softly, extending his hand. Just as before, his cool, slender fingers with prominent knuckles were right in front of Joo-hyun.
Suppressing the instinctive desire to grasp that hand and indulge in the guiding, Joo-hyun turned his head away.
Beside him, a staff member was reviewing the esper-guide exclusive contract documents, and across from him, the man who had introduced himself as Cha In-ho's agency president sat with a stern face. When Joo-hyun looked back, Cha In-ho was still extending his hand, smiling slightly.
A runaway esper's matching guide. What anyone would have dismissed as a ridiculous rumour had become reality.
* * *
"Recently, there's been a lot of buzz about this news. How do you feel about manifesting as a guide, In-ho?"
"Haha, I'm still a bit bewildered, but I'm gradually getting used to it."
Cha In-ho smiled shyly as he crossed his long legs. Rather than appearing intimidated, he straightened his back and confidently raised the corners of his mouth.
"They say it's quite late to manifest as a guide, isn't it?"
"Yes. I was surprised too. I spent hours being examined at the hospital and the centre. Thankfully, everything came out normal."
"Wow, that's such a relief. It's said to be a rare case globally, so I can imagine how anxious your fans, as well as myself, were."
Cha In-ho squinted slightly at the interviewer's high-pitched chatter and then laughed playfully. The exchange was so natural that there was no hint of it being a pre-known question and answer.
The interview flowed smoothly. They talked about a film in which he had previously played an esper, and seamlessly promoted the current project he was filming. It was also a declaration that despite manifesting as a guide, his career would continue unabated.
As the interview was drawing to a close, the interviewer, flipping through her papers, feigned a surprised expression. Her acting was top-notch, pretending not to know what she clearly did.
"This just in: there's a hot rumour that In-ho has signed an exclusive contract with a runaway esper. Is it true?"
"Oh, has the rumour spread this far already?"
Cha In-ho slowly adjusted his posture. For someone answering a shocking question, his movements were remarkably composed.
He met the gaze of the interviewer, who appeared eager, and deliberately narrowed his eyes. Then, he subtly blushed and tilted his head. His expression, simultaneously shy and excited, made him look like an innocent angel.
"Since I've manifested as a guide, I thought I'd use it for a good cause."
His expression, posture, and tone were all carefully orchestrated. The same words could convey vastly different meanings depending on the surrounding non-verbal cues.
In an instant, Cha In-ho transformed from a guide whose late manifestation was questionable to one who, out of his own volition, sacrificed himself to guide a notorious runaway esper. He became a guide who was naïve but brave and kind.