48 – TDG 48

“Which ​room ​did ​you ​say?”

“Room 1124…!”

‘I already ​told ​you!’ ​Seo ​Joo-won ​grumbled like a child, ​knitting ​his brows. Song ​Hyun-ho let out ​a ​stifled ​laugh, ​finding ​it ​cute how Joo-won ​was ​acting ​drunk, nestled comfortably ​in his arms as ​if he ​owned the ​place, with ​no intention ​of ​opening ​his eyes.

Using the ​key card ​he pulled from his ​pocket, he opened the ​door and entered the ​dark room. ​After ​turning on the lights and laying ​Seo Joo-won on the ​bed, ​he ​scanned ​the ​room.

It was an ​ordinary hotel ​business ​room. After checking ​the ​interior, including the closet and ​the bathroom, ​he ​returned to Seo ​Joo-won’s ​side. ​Joo-won ​remained ​motionless, fast ​asleep ​in the ​position Song Hyun-ho had placed him in.

He ​should have let ​him drink in ​moderation, but he couldn’t ​bring himself ​to stop him ​because ​the way Joo-won’s ​face grew flushed ​and relaxed ​was ​just too ​cute.

“Joo-won. ​Are you ​asleep?”

When ​he called ​out ​in ​a low, suggestive ​voice, ​only a ​petulant ​mumble ​of ​“Mm-hmm” came back. He clicked his tongue softly. No matter how much he trusted him, being this defenseless against an Esper was reckless.

Song Hyun-ho gazed blankly at Seo Joo-won’s face before reaching out. It was always fascinating to see how those Read on Read BL Novelspretty features were delicately packed into a [visit our site]small face that fit perfectly within the unauthorized copypalm of his hand. Just look at those thick eyelashes.

Below the straight, sharp bridge of his nose, his red lips—which looked as if color would stain one’s fingers upon touching—were parted comfortably as he breathed softly.

As Song Hyun-ho stared intently at Seo Joo-won, the memory of their first meeting suddenly resurfaced.

‘Hello. I’m the substitute Guide.’

It had been an incident where a newly awakened Esper in the city center was causing a commotion and threatening citizens. In such cases, a preliminary Guide was needed to calm the perpetrator, but coincidentally, the Guide who was supposed to come had been in an accident. They said there were no more available Guides in Team 1. The haughty Guides of Team 1 weren’t willing to do such menial work, so they had no choice but to contact Team 2, where a lukewarm voice had answered the phone.

When he explained the situation and asked if he could come immediately, the man had simply said he would and hung up without any hesitation or questioning.

An hour later, Song Hyun-ho was quite surprised to see the substitute Guide.

Setting aside the fact that it was a face he had never seen before, the man’s appearance was remarkably pretty, contrary to his voice. With a slender build reminiscent of an idol and a face with fair, fine lines, he stood out clearly even in the chaotic scene.

He wasn’t surprised simply because he was pretty.

Despite a youthful face that looked barely twenty, his demeanor was devoid of any tension. A relaxed air, as if he had spent ten years rolling around in the field, lingered around him.

Because that unique atmosphere radiated as Read on Read BL Novelshis own [Read on Read BL Novels]charm, Song Hyun-ho found himself [visit our site]unconsciously following his movements with his eyes.

The Esper causing the disturbance was finally apprehended. Song Hyun-ho pointed toward the man, who was being put into a transport bus with a brainwave disruption device attached, and explained.

‘You can go in and provide guiding now.’

‘Yes.’

As soon as he received the instruction, he headed straight for the bus. Flustered by his overly bold attitude, Song Hyun-ho quickly followed and added,

‘I can go in with you.’

The person confined inside was a vicious Esper criminal. Even when bound, they would commit all sorts of atrocities, so many Guides refused to go anywhere near them unless an Esper accompanied them.

However, this Guide was different.

‘It’s fine. I can do it alone; there’s no need to waste manpower.’

He waved his hand dismissively as if it were a nuisance and stepped into the bus with a light stride. Until then, Song Hyun-ho thought the Guide was only brave because he was young and naive to the ways of the world.

Not wanting to see a face filled with belated terror and tears, [Read on Read BL Novels]he unauthorized copyhad followed secretly, only to be bewildered [unauthorized copy]by the unexpected sight inside.

‘Fuck! Why won’t you untie this? I’m an Esper who awakened today! Why the hell should I follow laws made by insect-like bastards! The weak should naturally crawl—’

Slap!

The cheek of the Esper, who had been spouting nonsense, was struck without mercy.

‘You crazy bastard. Why don’t you realize that because of those laws, you didn’t die and only ended up detained? You ignorant prick, if you don’t know, then learn. Learn.’

Contrary to his delicate appearance, the Guide wasn’t scared at all; instead, he was clicking his tongue as if looking at the most pathetic creature in the world while pouring in guiding. It was real. Although the method was unusual—providing guiding while keeping the hand that slapped him pressed against the cheek—it was definitely guiding. ‘You, youuu!’ The rampaging Esper lost his momentum instantly as their waveforms mixed and slumped over limply.

Occasionally, exceptional Guides employ techniques to forcibly suppress an Esper’s rampage. He hadn’t expected this young Guide to be capable of that. It was a level of proficiency that was hard to believe even after seeing it firsthand.

While the method of guiding isn’t strictly defined by a manual, he had never seen anyone provide guiding in such a manner in his entire life. That impressive sight was etched into Song Hyun-ho’s mind.

The Guide’s name was Seo Joo-won.

A Guide who possessed the trifecta of striking looks, guts, and skill. Seo Joo-won kept lingering in Song Hyun-ho’s mind. Even after several days, the afterimage wouldn’t fade, so he thought about calling him, only to be surprised again by the news that he had entered a dedicated assignment.

Coming out as a substitute usually meant he was a rookie who had just joined the company and lacked calls, so he had been very puzzled unauthorized copyby that level of experience and the fact that he was on a dedicated assignment. Then again, since he was exceptionally handsome, some frivolous visit our siteS-rank might have fallen head over heels and snatched him up quickly. At that point, he felt a strange sense of competitiveness and wanted to know who had taken him.

‘And that’s how I ended up here.’

Seo Hyung-shik’s words, asking him to keep an eye on his son, echoed in his ears.

He had only recently learned that Seo Joo-won was his son. Only Head of Department Kim Yoo-hwan and a few high-ranking officials knew the truth, and Song Hyun-ho had only found out by chance.

Despite having a father who was a Minister, Joo-won never bragged or acted superior; instead, he spent his days working and receiving the same salary as any other employee. Rather, he seemed to wish that the fact remained unknown, so Song Hyun-ho didn’t make a show of knowing.

With Minister Seo’s approval, Song Hyun-ho was receiving real-time reports of Seo Joo-won’s clock-in and clock-out records. He had been so shocked when a clock-out was suddenly recorded around one in the afternoon. Before he knew it, he found himself blindly following Seo Joo-won’s car. Thanks to that, his entire afternoon schedule was canceled, but he didn’t mind.

He hadn’t been told to provide close protection, and there was no need to go that far, but it was because his heart told him to.

What was actually distressing was when he found Seo Joo-won sitting by the beach, bursting into tears like a soul-lost person. Since Joo-won was always a capable and confident person, he had never even imagined him crying. Judging by the context of the events, he could guess the discord with his Pair Esper, Han Ji-hyuk.

Watching Seo Joo-won from a distance, unable to stop crying for a long time, his fists clenched for no reason.

Compared to himself, this person was too small and fragile. He felt as if Joo-won might break like a porcelain doll if he applied even a little pressure, so he didn’t dare reach out. While immersed in these fleeting emotions, Seo Joo-won suddenly frowned.

“…Ji… hyuk.”

Was he not asleep? When he approached to check, he didn’t seem to have woken up. It was a simple sleep-talk.

Heat welled up in his tightly closed eyes. Stunned by the teardrops that flowed down his cheeks as soon as they gathered, Song Hyun-ho carefully touched his cheek with his fingertips. Then, as if sensing something, Seo Joo-won turned his head toward him, grabbed his hand, and sobbed softly.

“I’m… sorry….”

Song Hyun-ho felt as if that single teardrop had exposed his heart to a shotgun.

To call a name and apologize even in his dreams; he could feel that Joo-won had been pushed much further than his usual confident self. He was certain that the questions asked at the lounge were all related.

Song Hyun-ho thought of Han Ji-hyuk, who had brought about this situation. What could a man who had everything possibly lack that he would make a person end up like this? He noticed a flashing light from Seo Joo-won’s phone, which had been tossed onto the adjacent mattress. A call had been coming through continuously to the phone, which had been on silent mode.

Picking up the phone, Song Hyun-ho checked on the sleeping Seo Joo-won once more and left the room. He didn’t want to wake him with the sound of a phone call.

As soon as he pressed the answer button, an urgent voice poured out.

• Hyung, where are you?

Song Hyun-ho’s eyes hardened sharply. Seo Joo-won’s not-yet-dry tears were still on his hand.

“Han Ji-hyuk.”

• …Team leader?

The tone suggested, Why are you holding that phone? However, at this moment, he was in no mood to explain kindly.

“Come pick up your Guide right now.”

He simply told Han Ji-hyuk the location of the hotel and hung up. Even while replying that he would be there soon, the fact that he still showed wariness toward him was irritating. If the person was that precious, shouldn’t he have treated them accordingly? No matter how young the brat was….

He felt he understood why Minister Seo Hyung-shik hadn’t entrusted his son to Han Ji-hyuk.

Swallowing the bitterness rising in his throat, Song Hyun-ho returned to the room and stopped in his tracks. In the next moment, wondering if he was in the wrong room, he opened the door again to check the room number. It was definitely Room 1124, and the luggage and jacket scattered inside were definitely Seo Joo-won’s.

However, the person was gone.

Seo Joo-won, who had been lying on the left bed, had vanished without a trace.

Even if he had been standing with his back turned, there had been no sound of the door opening. Above all, he was not the type of person who wouldn’t notice if the door opened.

He checked the bathroom and the closet again. He searched under the bed, but it was in vain. No matter how much he searched, there was no space in this small room for Seo Joo-won to hide. A person asleep from drunkenness couldn’t have soared into the sky or sunk into the ground, so where could he have gone?

Song Hyun-ho flung the door [Read on Read BL Novels]open as if to break it and rushed into the hallway. In the narrow [visit our site]hallway, unauthorized copythere was no one except him.

There was only silence.