By Zephyria 
I checked the sender and tilted my head, a question mark floating above me.
‘Why is this guy calling me?’
Anyone who heard it might call me heartless, but I was genuinely puzzled.
Until now, the Secrety members and I had never had a private phone call.
Not even a text message.
We lived in the dorm provided by the company, so we saw each other every day, and if we didn’t have to meet for schedule-related reasons, we were indifferent to each other.
‘But why is he calling…?’
I was genuinely curious.
I thought Secrety was finally getting its name out there a little… but the group’s recognition was still low compared to other popular idols who were well on their way.
It wouldn’t be difficult for me to go home alone, so I told them to go first.
‘Did I leave something at the Ability Measurement Center?’
Unless it was something like that, Ra Ho-yeon would have no reason to call me.
“Jae-ha, can I take this call for a second?”
Jae-ha glanced at my phone.
“…Is that one of the Espers who came to the Measurement Center with you today?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Answer it quickly. It sounds like they’re calling because they’re worried about you.”
I thought I saw a chilling aura flicker in Jae-ha’s eyes just now?
‘Nah, no way.’
I had even lowered the Corruption Level in his body through close contact Guiding. If the total amount of Corruption Level was 100, I lowered it from 20 to 25, so it must be a ridiculous delusion.
“What nonsense. They’re not that close to me. You should have seen the cold treatment I got when I first awakened.”
I joked and answered the phone, assuming it was a simple errand.
“Hello?”
As soon as I answered, I thought my eardrums were going to burst.
-Yeon Yujin, you. What the hell are you doing? Why aren’t you answering your phone? Do you know how worried Manager and we were? Some weirdo broke into the examination room and put us in a near-death crisis just a little while ago. That crazy bastard might still be out there, and a Guide who isn’t even an Esper is wandering around alone? What urgent business did you have that you ran out like that? Don’t you think about the people waiting for you?
“Ugh.”
I was nothing. Here was the real storm of nagging.
“Why are you getting angry?”
As if we were so close and affectionate.
I replied nonchalantly, and Ra Ho-yeon sighed.
-Haa… Never mind. As long as nothing happened to you.
“Were you worried about me or something?”
It was a question I asked because I thought there was no way.
Ra Ho-yeon was silent for a long time, then finally answered.
-…Yeah.
“Huh?”
I was even more surprised by the short but caring reply.
‘What’s wrong with this guy? Did he take something?’
No. Ra Ho-yeon was the team leader and the oldest Hyung, so he seemed like the type to be thorough in his self-management, so he wouldn’t touch anything like that.
‘Then why is this bastard acting like this?’
Until recently, he treated me like a worm crawling on the street, no, worse than a rolling pebble…
‘He’s been a little different lately, but I thought it was a purely business-like attitude?’
He even took care of ‘Yeon Yujin,’ who had been excluded from the schedule, first.
Did we build camaraderie from our experiences clearing Dungeons a few times?
While I was wavering alone, Ra Ho-yeon added quietly.
-…It’s not like we’re not supposed to worry about you. We’re in the same group.
“That’s… true, I guess?”
-So come back to the dorm quickly before it gets any later. We’re waiting for you.
It was an extremely common-sense thing to say, but why did I get goosebumps as if I had heard something I shouldn’t have?
It felt like the oldest of the chicks was urging me to come home on time because I was in danger.
‘Ugh, what a creepy thought.’
Even while I was dumbfounded, I was faithfully answering Ra Ho-yeon.
“…Okay. I’ll be there soon.”
-Okay.
The call ended.
‘How many times did they call?’
Curious, I looked at the call history and, wow, there were over 50 missed calls.
It wasn’t just Ra Ho-yeon who had called me. The other members had also left traces of contacting me in succession, as if trying to fill their assigned quota.
“It’s not like I’m a child who’s been let out near the water…”
Even if something happened, I wouldn’t die easily unless they tried to kill me. They were strange guys.
Anyone would think they were Espers with Guide dependency.
Anyway, I thought I should go back quickly, so I looked at Jae-ha, and Jae-ha smiled brightly.
“You’re going back, right?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I wanted to talk longer, but I don’t think I can.”
“It’s okay. If you’re going to continue living as ‘Yeon Yujin,’ I expected it.”
“Ah, that’s right. Give me your number. I saw you contacting your colleagues with a burner phone earlier.”
When I held out my phone, Jae-ha tried to hand me his phone instead.
“You can just take this whole thing.”
“Hey, what are you talking about? Your colleagues’ contacts and everything else are saved there. If I take it and they get suspicious, it’ll be a big deal.”
“I believe you’d be okay.”
My heart ached as I watched his pale blue eyes curve into circles.
I was happy about the absolute trust I felt even though the Bonding was broken.
Jae-ha smoothed out my disheveled appearance and smiled.
“Then and now. You’re still my one and only precious partner.”
“…Still, refrain from handing over your entire phone. Just enter the number.”
“Okay, I understand.”
Jae-ha obediently entered the number he used to contact his colleagues on the keypad as I asked.
It hurt my heart that he didn’t write down his real name, just saved it as ‘Friend’ just in case.
“Call me anytime you need me.”
“You too. Oh, right.”
“Why?”
“Anyway, right now I’m in charge of those bratty Espers… Don’t insist on my Guiding only, and quickly find a Guide who’s a good match for you, even if it’s just temporarily. If you keep forcing yourself, your Corruption Level will only increase and it’ll be a big problem.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“Hey.”
“I don’t like what I don’t like. Ga-hyeon. I can’t back down on this.”
“…Then you’ll really die?”
“Before I die, if I show up in front of you like today, you won’t turn away, will you? Right?”
…That’s true, but.
The atmosphere felt a little different from the Jae-ha I knew.
The 20-year gap was long.
“Anyway… okay. Just don’t die.”
“Yeah.”
“Then goodbye.”
I turned around to leave, but Jae-ha grabbed me.
“Can I take you home myself?”
“I can call a taxi.”
“I just want to take you home if possible. I used a stealth artifact, and you know my ability is telekinesis.”
“The ride…”
“You’ve ridden it many times, you know I’m good at it.”
If it looked like he was begging with his eyes sparkling, was I crazy?
I reluctantly nodded at the irresistible request.
“…Okay. But this is the only time.”
The return to the dorm was swift. It was thanks to flying with telekinesis in Jae-ha’s arms.
‘He insisted on holding me.’
For Jae-ha, whose skill with his ability had surpassed its limits, he could have made me walk in the air like the protagonists of some anime… but he claimed that it would distract him and he wouldn’t be able to fly as fast, so I quietly snuggled in his arms.
Jae-ha’s arms, which I hadn’t been in for a long time, were firm and warm. It was the muscle of someone who hadn’t neglected training for even a second.
‘I wasn’t as good as Jae-ha, but I had a pretty muscular body too.’
I became depressed as I groped Yeon Yujin’s body, which was too thin and soft compared to my past life. I was also shorter than my original body. Judging from my experience training Guides in the past, Yeon Yujin’s body didn’t seem to be the type to build muscle easily, which made me even more desperate.
‘It’s a miracle that I survived again.’
People’s greed is endless. Jae-ha asked me as he watched me cry and laugh.
“What’s wrong since earlier?”
“No. I just think my current body is too terrible. It’s like a toothpick.”
“That’s not true. No matter what you look like, the fact that you’re strong doesn’t change.”
“…Who’s really monstrously strong. But thanks for flattering me.”
“I’m serious.”
“Oh my. You’re such a good guy.”
Jae-ha put me down and stared intently at the dorm I had arrived at, as if trying to imprint it in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“No. I’m just memorizing it so I can find you again later.”
“That seems dangerous. For both you and me.”
It was because I was an idol, and also because Jae-ha was on the run. The bratty Espers in the dorm could also sense Jae-ha’s presence, even if faintly, since he was also an Esper.
“They’re bratty Espers and we haven’t officially signed a partner contract, but it’s polite to be careful… If we’re going to meet, we should make an appointment and meet separately-.”
“If we’re not official partners, it’s okay, right?”
“Huh?”
“It’s not like we’re cheating.”