The moment Jeong Haram finished speaking, Shinyul effortlessly lifted Huiyeong and settled him onto his lap.
Huiyeong immediately struggled with his entire body, desperately resisting.
Even as he repeatedly kicked Shinyul in the ribs, the solid body beneath him didn't budge in the slightest.
Grabbing onto him, Huiyeong shouted frantically,
"Wait! Fuck, hey! Wait! Please, just stop for a second!"
"Are you embarrassed?"
"Ahhh! H-Hey! H-Hey!"
Seeing those golden eyes move right up to his face, Huiyeong hurriedly nodded.
He tightly covered his own mouth with both hands, eyes wide in alarm.
"You're adorable."
Chuckling to himself, Shinyul gently nibbled Huiyeong's plump cheek before turning to Haram.
"Could you step outside for a moment?"
Huiyeong violently shook his head at Haram, desperately signaling for him not to leave.
"Um..."
Those doe-like eyes stared at him with such earnest desperation that Haram's resolve weakened.
What am I supposed to do...
He'd already received a brief explanation about Huiyeong's condition from the staff assigned to the pair.
They'd told him that, aside from his delusional symptoms, his relationship with his Matching Esper was good.
When they'd first entered the Guiding room, Huiyeong had even been peacefully nestled in Shinyul's arms.
Because of that, Haram had decided to skip ordinary physical-contact Guiding and begin directly with mucous membrane Guiding.
In truth, even teaching mucous membrane Guiding during training was unprecedented.
As long as the Matching rate was high enough, Guiding normally started the instant the pair touched.
Most couples naturally progressed to kissing without difficulty.
Training usually focused on things like long-range Guiding or controlling Guiding output.
Telling someone,
"Now try kissing,"
like he was teaching a child how to walk...
...was a first even for Haram.
The reaction, however, was far more intense than he'd expected.
Looking at the two of them, Haram could only wear an awkward smile.
One had a delicate face that looked on the verge of tears, trembling all over.
The other stared with lazy amusement, his sharp golden eyes resembling a predator watching its prey.
Didn't they tell me their relationship was good?
That entire team is insane too.
He silently blamed himself for believing them when they'd laughed heartily and declared,
"They may not look like it, but they actually get along great!"
while confidently giving him a thumbs-up.
"Let's... pause for a moment."
"H-He said stop! Hey! He told you to stop! Listen to your teacher, damn it!"
"But he told us to kiss first."
"But now he's saying stop!"
Huiyeong's face flushed red as he fumed.
Still trapped in Shinyul's embrace, he twisted and struggled without mercy.
Finally, Shinyul reluctantly loosened his grip.
Huiyeong fled several steps away, his hair now completely disheveled.
Glaring fiercely, he barked,
"And you, Teach! I came here because you said you'd teach Guiding! Then all of a sudden—kiss? You're supposed to be an educator! Reflect on yourself!"
"...Excuse me?"
Haram blinked in confusion.
Why exactly was he supposed to reflect?
Still shouting angrily, Huiyeong cautiously edged toward the Guiding room's door.
If anything happens... I'm running like hell.
Despite Huiyeong's painfully obvious intentions, Shinyul simply smiled.
Haram, meanwhile, wore an increasingly troubled expression.
Running away from an S-rank telekinetic Esper was impossible.
More importantly...
Running away would never solve problems with a Matching Esper.
Without proper communication and agreement, the one placed in danger was always the Guide.
Haram sighed.
He genuinely had no idea where to begin teaching.
"First... Esper Han Shinyul. What's your current Guiding value?"
"I don't know. Princess, what are you standing over there for? Come here."
"...Sigh. Guide Yu Huiyeong? Could you tell me the Guiding value?"
"I don't know! What the hell even is that?! Look at him! His eyes have gone completely crazy! Worry about that first!"
"...Ha..."
After letting out another deep sigh, Haram forced a smile.
"I promise I won't make you do any Guiding right now. Please come over here. Trust me."
After considerable coaxing, Huiyeong finally approached.
Haram checked the watch on his wrist.
90%.
An exceptionally stable number.
Turning toward Shinyul, Haram said,
"Esper Han Shinyul, today I'll be conducting the lesson with Guide Yu Huiyeong alone. Would you mind stepping outside for a little while?"
"No."
"...Sigh."
"Get out! Get out!"
As Huiyeong shouted at the top of his lungs, Haram quietly contacted someone.
Moments later, the employees assigned to Shinyul and Huiyeong flooded into the room and immediately began coaxing Shinyul.
Truthfully, Shinyul had a mountain of unfinished work waiting for him.
The employees were practically delighted by Haram's call.
One after another, they listed all the tasks that still required Shinyul's attention.
Meanwhile, Huiyeong bounced up and down beside them.
"You're busy! You've gotta go!"
Shinyul frowned deeply.
Even so, he slowly rose to his feet.
Their circumstances were so unusual that the Center had already removed Shinyul from active duty for an extended period.
But they'd reached their limit.
The Matching registration was complete.
Shinyul's condition was now the best it had ever been.
The Center was growing desperate.
No one said it aloud...
...but the pressure on the employees had undoubtedly become enormous.
Walking slowly, Shinyul approached Huiyeong one last time.
He firmly held Huiyeong's chin.
Peck.
He kissed him on the lips and smiled brightly.
"I'll be back, Princess. Be good and study hard. We'll save the kissing for home."
"W-What...?"
Before Huiyeong could even react...
Shinyul disappeared together with the employees.
Everything happened so quickly that Huiyeong couldn't even find the chance to get angry.
He simply stood there blankly.
...Do they actually have a good relationship?
Haram tilted his head.
"Mr. Huiyeong? Shall we sit down now?"
Only then did Huiyeong realize his face had turned bright red all the way to his neck.
He breathed heavily.
That fucking psycho...
He kissed me...
Right in front of everybody...
You just wait until we get home.
Barely suppressing his fury, Huiyeong finally sat down.
Haram quietly began the lesson.
"Um... it seems like you're uncomfortable with physical contact from your Esper. Is that correct?"
"You think rubbing lips with another man is supposed to be enjoyable? You've got a pretty face, but you're just as crazy, aren't you?"
"...Pardon? Ah... um..."
Unable to think of a response, Haram merely opened and closed his mouth.
"Forget it. Just teach."
Huiyeong impatiently waved him on.
"I only suggested a light kiss because I'd been told your Guiding senses haven't awakened yet. Guiding becomes much stronger through mucous membrane contact, so Guides can clearly perceive it."
"I see. But why do I need to know that?"
Despite Huiyeong's sour mood and dismissive tone, Haram continued smiling gently.
"If you can't recognize when Guiding is happening, then in an emergency you won't realize it's working quickly enough."
He paused before continuing.
"Let's assume Esper Han Shinyul falls into an extremely dangerous condition and loses consciousness."
"As long as an Esper receives Guiding, any injuries or damage can immediately begin recovering."
"But if your Esper is unconscious and you can't even tell whether Guiding is taking place..."
"...then Esper Han Shinyul will remain in danger."
"He may never even get the chance to receive proper treatment."
"In the worst-case scenario..."
"...he could die."
"That's why Guides constantly monitor whether their Esper is receiving proper Guiding and whether their Guiding value has fallen."
Listening to Haram's calm explanation, Huiyeong quietly closed his mouth.
...Yeah.
Didn't think about that part.
Smacking his lips awkwardly, he frowned.
"Still... does it have to be kissing? Couldn't I just... I don't know... touch him a little until I eventually figure it out?"
"Hmm... because Guiding through mucous membrane contact is immediately obvious, it's the easiest method. Besides, once your Guiding senses awaken, even light physical contact afterward..."
"Look, Teach."
Huiyeong interrupted him.
"No matter how rough my life's been, you seriously think I'm gonna rub lips with some brat I only met a few days ago? And another guy at that?"
"This old man's gone his whole damn life without ever wanting to fool around with another man."
"But I don't have a choice."
"And neither does that kid."
"That's why I came here willing to put up with hugging and touching."
"So it's your job to come up with another method."
"I'm absolutely not rubbing lips with him."
Huiyeong lazily flicked the strings dangling from his hoodie while casually gesturing with one finger.
His entire attitude screamed college student who didn't want to attend class.
Watching someone who looked like that repeatedly refer to himself as an old man...
...Haram's lips twitched uncontrollably.
People...
They told me he was suffering from some mild delusions...
Looking at Huiyeong...
This was clearly far beyond mild.
Haram quietly sighed.
Of course, everyone desperately wanted Han Shinyul to finally have a Guide.
Still...
Dragging someone this sick here without explaining anything...
When had the Center become this inhumane?
He'll probably end up having unexpected physical contact with his Esper all the time...
Poor man...
Without realizing it, Huiyeong had somehow earned Haram's sympathy.
Seeing the pity that suddenly appeared in Haram's eyes, Huiyeong looked thoroughly bewildered.
What?
Did I say something that stupid?
The two silently stared at one another.
Then...
Both sighed at exactly the same time.
Damn...
Life's fucking exhausting.
Huiyeong ruffled his soft hair.
Watching him shake his head like a puppy drying itself off, Haram felt even sorrier for him.
I'll have to guide him properly myself.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke.
"Mr. Huiyeong."
"Then let's start by simply holding hands while continuing Guiding."
"First, I'd like you to become accustomed to your paired Esper, Han Shinyul."
"Developing your Guiding senses is essential."
"We'll take it slowly."
"Step by step."
"However, you must continue maintaining light physical contact, such as holding hands, so that Mr. Shinyul's Guiding value remains stable."
"The lower an Esper's Guiding value becomes..."
"...the greater the danger they're placed in."
"Please remember this."
"Now that you've become a Guide..."
"...your duty is to ensure Esper Han Shinyul's health and safety."
"Nothing more."
Of course...
Once Han Shinyul returned to his normal workload, simply holding hands would never be enough.
But even if Haram had to stage a one-man protest...
...he would buy Huiyeong as much time as possible until he adapted.
Having made that determination, Haram's expression became unexpectedly resolute.
Without realizing it, the slouching Huiyeong straightened his posture and nodded.
"Alright."
A warm smile of satisfaction spread across Haram's handsome face.