What the hell kind of bed is this big?
Clicking my tongue at its size, I edged closer to Cha Gweonwoo—who looked small and almost cute compared to the massive mattress. His long lashes, damp with sweat, caught my eye.
Was he having a bad dream?
Cha Gweonwoo, sir!
The way his eyes had snapped toward me the moment I called his name—reddening at the corners—kept flashing through my head.
How awful must it have been, someone forcing their way through his mind, digging up memories he least wanted to face?
If it were me—say I was sitting in a crowd, and someone rooted around in my head only to drag out the memory of when I was nine and my seatmate said “let’s go out” and I’d stupidly said yes, only for her to dump me the next day with, “I thought about it and I like Ji-hyeok better, let’s break up”—I’d be pissed too.
Staring at him, I bowed my head closer. The doctor had hammered it in often enough: a guide has a duty.
Thump. Thump. My heart beat too fast, too loud. I froze.
Heart, what’s your deal? Is it guilt—like I’m about to do something bad to someone sleeping?
I gulped, staring at his face shadowed deep.
Kim Doweon, get it together. This isn’t something dirty. It’s sacred, like CPR. You’re not going to let someone die, are you?
I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my lips to his. Then, textbook-style, counted.
One.
Two.
…Three.
I pulled back fast. He hadn’t budged, still sleeping peacefully. If anything, his face looked more at ease. My chest lightened a bit.
“Okay. Guiding done.”
I muttered, wiped my lips off with my wrist, and rolled myself all the way to the edge of the bed.
A groan slipped out of me like an old man getting his first Thai massage. Ugh, ugh… This mattress was killer. Like being buried in clouds. It was sucking me in. I wriggled around until I found the comfiest position.
But what I forgot, sleeping beside Cha Gweonwoo, was that my sleep habits were anything but normal.
I don’t know how long I’d been out.
I woke with that clammy, wrong feeling like I’d wet the sheets. My head didn’t feel cushioned but hard.
Hm. Did I fall on the floor? Wouldn’t be the first time. I patted around my head, but the “floor” wasn’t flat.
Huh? Then what was I lying on? Lifting my head, I saw—
Fuck!
I’d been sleeping with the back of my head on Cha Gweonwoo’s stomach.
I jolted up, bowing like some drunken middle-aged man wandering the street.
“Ah, Cha Gweonwoo, sir, I’m sorry… so sorry.”
His hand had ended up on my chest, so I carefully returned it and rolled myself to the far side again.
Even clinging to the edge, though, when I woke again I was hugging a hard pillar.
Conveniently, in my dream I’d been climbing a beanstalk like Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, so half-asleep, I nuzzled my cheek against the “pillar” and tried to drift again.
Wait… what kind of beanstalk?
The thought struck like lightning, even groggy.
After a long blink, like I’d put in eye drops—
Fuck!
The precious “pillar” in my arms was Cha Gweonwoo’s thigh.
I flailed back, shocked like I’d just been slapped. Holy shit. What was I doing?
Slapping my own cheek, muttering curses, I started crawling awkwardly across the bed. That’s when a hand clamped around my ankle. My heart crashed to the floor.
What the fuck is this?
I turned, eyes wide. It was Cha Gweonwoo—still asleep—gripping my ankle.
“Ugh—!”
Without opening his eyes, he yanked. His grip was terrifyingly strong. I couldn’t even struggle, dragged like a doll caught on a hook. My face smacked right into his solid chest.
“Ugh!”
Pain shot through my nose like my bridge had shattered. He didn’t even twitch.
Was this an attack? Was he trying to smother me to death?
Pressed against his chest, I couldn’t breathe.
I muffled pleas into him, but he only tightened his hold, arms locking me in.
Why the hell, asleep or not, was he doing this?! What did I even do?
“Mmph!”
I flailed nonstop in his arms, but his hand slipped up under my T-shirt like a snake over a wall. Goosebumps ran down my whole body.
He pinned me easily with one heavy leg and clamped down harder.
His cold hand touched my bare back. The chill reeked of death. I shoved him with all the strength I had left.
“Pwah!”
I finally wriggled free, gasping for air with my head turned aside. My vision swam.
But before I could catch a full breath, his strong arm wrapped around my waist.
In a blink, I was dragged back into his chest. Eyes bulging, I clenched my teeth inside.
If you try anything, I won’t let it slide. If you try anything, I really won’t. I’m not some pushover guide. I’ve got willpower. I’ll only guide when I want to!
But thankfully, Gweonwoo didn’t move again. Just slept, breathing slow and steady. I waited, listening, looking for a chance to slip free.
“…Cha Gweonwoo, sir?”
I whispered his name after a long silence. No answer. Good. Now was the time.
I shifted my shoulder, preparing to wriggle away.
But he only pulled me tighter, as if to say don’t even try.
“Goddamn it…”
I finally went limp.
A guide trying to muscle against an esper was laughable. We weren’t even in the same weight class—me lightweight, him heavyweight. It was eggs against a rock.
“Fine. Take all my energy.”
I wriggled until I found the least uncomfortable position against his iron-hard body. His pull on my energy was urgent, voracious. I could feel it draining straight out of me.
He was a starving plant. I was the soil. He was the straw. I was the juice. Muttering like that, I blinked once under heavy lids.
“Ah, running out of juice…”
Then my eyes shut like I’d fainted.
Whatever. I’m sleeping.
***
Where am I? Who am I?
When I opened my eyes again, I thought I’d died under a pile of rebar. Something was crushing me flat.
Even awake, I hovered at death’s door awhile before habit had me check the summoner for date and time. I’d have sworn I’d slept a week, but only a single day had passed.
The weight on me… I winced as last night came back.
Like rescuing a plover from inside a crocodile’s mouth, I carefully slid my hand out from beneath his stomach. Managed to free even my pinky and froze, checking his face. Luckily, still asleep.
“Cha Gweonwoo, sir, could you… maybe scoot over? Just a little…”
I coaxed him, nudging carefully. Miraculously, his body rolled aside with my touch.
I scrambled out, sighing in relief.
Sitting on the bed’s edge, I braced on my shoulder and groaned. Felt like a boulder had been dropped on me.
“Ah, I’m starving…”
My stomach roared like I hadn’t eaten in days. I dragged myself up, yawning wide. My mom always said I wouldn’t notice even if someone carried me off in my sleep—guess she was right. Something bumped my foot. Glancing down, I saw my T-shirt crumpled like a rag on the floor. No clue when it had come off.
“The hell?”
I hooked it with my foot and pulled it on.
Clothes or no clothes, though—
“Food…”
I was one step from going feral with hunger. Body heavy, stomach empty, no energy left. Probably because Gweonwoo had leeched past my limit all night, guiding however he pleased.
“There’s gotta be a food request system here.”
Rubbing my eyes, I pawed at the touchpad under the wall clock. Found the meal request button at last.
I ordered food for both of us and was about to hit confirm when the little bell icon at the top blinked. Visitor request. Sender: Kang Juhui.
I rubbed my chin, then set visiting hours for two hours later. Food came first.
The meal arrived quickly. If it had been hotel-style scraps of bread and jam, I’d have lost it—but thankfully, it was a full, proper Korean set.
“Cha Gweonwoo, sir, want to eat?”
I asked the air politely, waited a beat. No answer—sleep trumped food, apparently.
“Then I’ll start first, okay?”
Asked again, just for form’s sake.