Following Vasily down into the underground parking lot, I spotted a familiar imported car. A few memories flickered—the car I’d ridden in several times before. He must’ve switched to another one not long after.
“Get in.”
“Yes.”
Sitting in the passenger seat gave me a strange feeling, as if I’d gone back to the days when I was still his guide. If I relaxed and slipped up—spoke too naturally, moved too comfortably—he might notice something was off. The thought alone was terrifying. I kept silent, reminding myself to be even more cautious in front of him, and quietly stared out the window.
Before long, we arrived at a restaurant I knew well.
'Ah, right. This place isn’t bad.'
I nodded inwardly as we entered. Thinking back, I realized that most of our meals together near the Association had probably been here.
Inside a quiet private room, the food was already set on the table. Steam still rose in soft curls, meaning it had just been served.
Vasily sat down naturally and said,
“Steak’s all right, yes? I also told them to prepare some seafood, just in case.”
“Yes. I’m fine with anything.”
“That’s good.”
The food, of course, was delicious. During those six years living under Vasily’s watch, we’d always eaten at high-end places. After returning to the past, no meal had truly satisfied me—so to taste this again now felt surreal.
I busied myself eating, but Vasily soon put down his cutlery after only a few bites and began staring straight at me. Was watching someone eat really that fascinating? His gaze made me so conscious that my hand began to slow.
Finally, I set down my fork and asked,
“Why are you staring at me?”
“Because it’s nice seeing Guide Kwon Gidam eat well?”
“…That’s a bit uncomfortable. You don’t have to stare like that.”
“Is that so.”
Vasily smiled playfully. His attitude was completely different from before regression, and I still couldn’t get used to it. Forcing myself to ignore his gaze, I started cutting my steak into smaller pieces.
After we returned to the Association, guiding resumed.
'…Damn it. The heat again…'
About an hour into the session, the symptoms came back. A throbbing headache, and the area around the suppression chip burned as if it might burst.
At this rate, I’d need two or three pills a day. Today was particularly bad, but if I took one now, the pain would surely return not long after. I had no choice but to grit my teeth and endure it.
The world seemed to spin. I couldn’t fight the dizziness and finally shut my eyes.
“…?”
When I opened them again, I was lying on the cot in the corner of the guiding room.
My mind was blank; I couldn’t clearly recall what had just happened. Then I noticed a cool sensation on my forehead. Blinking slowly, I realized—Vasily’s hand was resting there.
“Vasily?”
“You’re awake?”
“Why am I…?”
“You collapsed while guiding. You had a fever, so I was cooling you down.”
I was too startled to answer. Was this really the same Vasily who wouldn’t even glance at me when I was bleeding out?
But the chill on my forehead was real. I stayed silent for a moment before speaking quietly.
“…Normally when someone collapses, you call an ambulance.”
“Ah, do ordinary people do that?”
“Sigh…”
I shook my head. Expecting common sense from Vasily was pointless. I supposed I should be grateful he didn’t just leave me lying there.
No—maybe being abandoned would’ve been better. Thanks to his power, the fever had cooled, but the suppression chip beneath my skin was now searing hot from his touch.
“Do you have some kind of chronic illness?”
“No. Must’ve just been feeling under the weather.”
“I thought ordinary people dropped like this all the time. Guide Kwon Gidam, you fainted in front of me before too, remember?”
Now that he mentioned it, I had collapsed twice before him already. Vasily despised weakness; maybe he’d soon lose interest in me altogether. Hopefully, starting tomorrow, he’d stop showing up.
I checked the clock on the wall. Judging from the time, I must’ve been out for quite a while—it was nearly time to go home. But even after waking, my condition was still terrible.
I rolled my sore neck, thinking I needed to go home early and rest. The weekend was still painfully far away.
“I’m sorry for collapsing during guiding. I’ll be more careful next time.”
“It’s fine. The rank difference is big—it probably strained your body. I’ll make the sessions shorter next time.”
He spoke calmly. But the fact that he still didn’t say, “Let’s stop guiding,” proved what an absolute bastard he was.
Thankfully, Vasily didn’t stop me when I left the room. Back at my desk, I swallowed a pill and tried to steady my breathing. Just then, Jo Wooyeon, who’d also finished a temporary guiding session, caught sight of my pale face and rushed over.
“Gidam, are you sick?”
“No, just a little tired.”
“You look worse than ‘a little tired.’ Did you have too many sessions today?”
Since I hadn’t told anyone about Vasily’s request for a designated session, I forced a faint smile and dodged the question.
Then Wooyeon’s gaze shifted past me, and his eyes widened. What was he so surprised about? Curious, I turned—and froze when my eyes met those sharp, gray ones watching me from afar.
Vasily.
Even at this distance, his expression made it clear something displeased him. A warning light went off in my head.
Whenever Vasily looked that way, someone ended up injured—or dead.
My face hardened. As I approached, the air itself grew cold and heavy.
He’d been fine just a moment ago—why the sudden mood swing? I couldn’t guess the reason. What mattered now was getting him out of here. In this state, he was like a live bomb. If anyone provoked him, the entire floor could be wiped out.
“Esper Vasily, is something wrong?”
I asked gently, like coaxing a sulky child. But he remained silent, his expression dark.
I tore at my hair internally, until finally he spoke.
“I’ll take you home.”
“…What?”
“You don’t look well. Let me drive you. After all, you collapsing earlier is partly my fault.”
…What did he just say?
I stared, stunned. Vasily was not the kind of man who showed kindness to anyone. And even now, his cold eyes held not a hint of warmth—just that flat, distant gleam that made sweat crawl down my spine.
I wanted to refuse, but more and more people were staring. It was nearly closing time, and employees returning from sessions were murmuring at the sight of Vasily. The atmosphere was growing noisy; dragging this out would only make a scene.
“…All right.”
Reluctantly, I nodded.
Fine—look on the bright side. In this state, squeezing into a packed subway sounded like hell. A car ride home would at least be easier.
I quickly grabbed my bag and followed him out. Behind us, the office buzzed louder; people whispered and craned their necks.
As the voices faded into the distance, I sighed inwardly. They’d probably never know… that I’d just saved their lives.
In silence, we took the elevator down to the parking lot. I kept a wary eye on Vasily the entire walk to his car.
Unlike before, I was no longer his exclusive guide. One wrong move, and he could kill me. The only thing I could do was rely on six years of experience and pray I made it home alive.
Once I gave him my address, the car started moving. We sat wordlessly, the silence stretching on and on. I thought it would last until the end of the ride—but then Vasily suddenly spoke.
“I’ll be busy for a while, so I probably can’t come by. Don’t miss me too much.”
“Who said I’d miss you…”
The honest words slipped out before I could stop them. I shut my mouth too late, but instead of frowning, Vasily let out a soft, amused breath. Watching that faint smile, I felt a wave of weary disbelief.
When had his mood lifted?
Honestly, I’d never understand this lunatic. Trying to was just a waste of energy. I sighed inwardly. Still, at least I’d get home in one piece. That was something to be thankful for.