BP 25

In the dark room, the phone flashed and the ringtone sounded loudly.

“Ugh…”

Seung-hyun, barely pushing his upper body up with his arms, found that his head wouldn’t listen to its owner. It felt heavy as lead, almost dropping onto the sheets. Letting out a groan, Seung-hyun sat up and leaned his back against the wall. While rubbing his damp eyelids, he burst into a cough. He frowned, repeatedly clearing his throat. His throat felt scratchy and stinging.

“Yes. This is Ji Seung-hyun.”

[I’m downstairs.]

The man’s voice flowed heavily into his ear. Having stood up before he knew it, Seung-hyun first turned on the light. A harsh light shot into his eyes.

“I’ll be down.”

He ate porridge and did high-intensity physical training at the gym for an visit [unauthorized copy]our sitehour. His condition wasn’t great, but it was at a negligible level. Following the staff’s recommendation, Seung-hyun took the boxing class he had registered for, followed by the close-quarters combat class he had stubbornly applied for.

It was partly because he pushed his body harshly to get rid of distracting thoughts. How much effort had he put in to erase the anguish now dismissed as mere distractions?

‘Has something severely shocking happened recently?’

Of course, he crumbled at a single question from Daniel. Despite how much he had resisted and denied it, that one sentence did it. It was futile and disastrous.

There was only one way to bury the thoughts that rose like hangnails. It was to hope that time would pass without thinking about them at all. Though it was ignorant, Seung-hyun intended to stick to this method again.

He liked that when he focused on instructions and moved his body, there was no room to think. He immersed himself, grateful as long as he could vent the energy that would touch his memories elsewhere. Because he intentionally sought out hard and grueling tasks, he even received praise from the instructors for following along well for a beginner.

Perhaps because he had overtaxed his body for the first time in a while, his appetite vanished completely. After showering, Seung-hyun fell asleep immediately, having turned the ringtone and vibration to the maximum for the contact he expected in the evening. Thanks to that, Seung-hyun woke up immediately and answered Jae-il’s call without issue.

Get it together.

His exhausted stamina would be fine in a few days. He stretched his arms and legs wide. As blood circulated through his body, he felt a slight sense [visit [visit our site]our site]of refreshment. Shaking his head, Seung-hyun threw on an outer garment and grabbed the small bag he had prepared.

Thinking the night air was subtly cold, Seung-hyun hurried to Jae-il and bowed his head.

“Hello.”

The man’s gaze slowly scanned Seung-hyun from top to bottom. It lingered a bit longer on the hair that was sticking up because he had come straight from sleep.

“You’re here.”

* * *

Jae-il, sitting cross-legged on the bed, was speechless in front of the items Seung-hyun had laid out. He looked down in a neat posture with his hands resting on both knees, then quickly averted his gaze.

What am I seeing and hearing right now? His eyes, wavering with bewilderment, wandered aimlessly in the air. He thought his thoughts might clear if he didn’t look, but it was far from it, as this was the most shocking thing he had heard recently.

Still, Jae-il couldn’t keep ignoring Seung-hyun [visit our site]in [stolen content]front of him, so he turned his head. Straightening his back, he began to speak. His low voice was very cautious.

“So… with this.”

“Yes. You can just tie me up with it.”

Seung-hyun replied, holding up a shoelace. It was a very appropriate item he had found at a convenience store to control himself when he was unconscious. When Jae-il said nothing, Seung-hyun, thinking his explanation was insufficient, first tore open the packaging. A white lace slid softly onto Seung-hyun’s palm.

“I’ll block my mouth with this.”

“…….”

He rolled up a handkerchief that was next to the shoelace into a long strip.

“Tie my hands behind my back. I’d also like my ankles tied. If we do this, I think we can prevent me from saying strange things to the Esper.”

“…….”

The posture and gestures with which he resolutely explained what he had prepared were so polite that Jae-il, speechless once again, could only blink. What on earth was this kind of responsibility? What kind of thought process led to this? He felt he had completely misjudged the person named Ji Seung-hyun.

Jae-il’s slightly open mouth was blocked by a hand that came up quickly. He was extremely sparing with his words, not knowing what might pop out. In the face of Jae-il’s perplexed reaction, Seung-hyun spoke as if it were natural.

“I’ll start treatment as soon as the schedule is set, but for a while, it can’t be helped. I cannot control the actions that occur while I am asleep. I don’t want to make another mistake.”

“…….”

Glancing at Jae-il, who cleared his throat and avoided his gaze, Seung-hyun gripped the sheet tightly.

“I would like… to keep sleeping together.”

Jae-il’s upright posture suddenly collapsed. Resting his elbows on his thighs and leaning his chin on his hand, his face alternated between contemplation and bewilderment.

“Other Guides bring it down to 5%, but your level is too high.”

“…….”

“If I can be of help, I want to add my strength, however insufficient it may be.”

The words were so honest and earnest.

“I know it might seem a bit eccentric…”

As Jae-il listened silently to Seung-hyun’s words, his thick neckline became prominent. It was the moment Seung-hyun’s interlaced fingers dug into his skin as he bowed his head deeply. Jae-il slightly turned his head and frowned with a look of displeasure. It wasn’t that anyone had scolded or reprimanded him, but the cowering appearance kept grating on his nerves. Jae-il spoke in a somewhat blunt tone.

“It’s okay to make mistakes.”

“…….”

“So let’s put those things away.”

As Seung-hyun remained still, looking down and rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand, Jae-il took the lace and handkerchief and placed them on the nightstand.

“I’m fine…”

“I’m going to sleep.”

Jae-il pulled the blanket over himself. A short sigh was heard from behind him.

Asking to be tied up. Saying he wants to sleep together. Ji Seung-hyun was spitting out incredible things without even realizing it. Jae-il closed his eyes tightly and pretended to sleep. He intended to ignore whatever was said. The man’s actions were beyond diligent; they were almost foolish. He didn’t want to be swayed and just go along with it.

A small voice flowed from Seung-hyun, who sat still for a moment. He sounded a bit gloomy.

“I’m sorry in advance.”

Jae-il did not respond.

Seung-hyun lifted the corner of the blanket and pouted. He thought it was indeed too much. But this was the only way. Who knew what he might do again? He likely had done something worse than just calling him stupid. He could tell by the man who had defended him, saying he hadn’t made a mistake to Daniel.

Seung-hyun craned his neck to glance at the lace and handkerchief on the nightstand. He could have just tied me up. Even if it looked a bit strange, the effect would be good. Seung-hyun swallowed a sigh and tried to soothe his disappointment. Seeing the back of the man covered by the blanket up to the crown of his head, his desire to persuade him once more shriveled.

“…….”

Carefully crawling under the blanket, Seung-hyun lay on his side, facing away from him.

He wanted to sleep with the man until he could perform proper guiding. He wanted to be of help, even just a little. He was truly sincere about that.

The hardships of an Esper that Joy had told him about far exceeded Seung-hyun’s expectations. He had simply thought they were strong and cool people; he never dreamed they were incomplete beings with a fatal weakness called Rampage. He only learned after coming here that the symptoms of Rampage, which he had thought of vaguely, were a level of pain that ordinary people could never endure.

It bothered him more because Jae-il didn’t show it. Others agreed that someone like Ha Jae-il must be struggling immensely, but the man himself was calm. However, it was all visible to Seung-hyun. The energy that couldn’t be hidden by numbers was felt entirely through his eyes and skin. Even now, in this moment.

Seung-hyun wanted the man to be more comfortable. He wanted to soothe those energies and, if possible, eliminate them completely. Then he felt he would be more at ease as well. It [Read on Read BL Novels]aria-label="Read on Read BL Novels">Read on [visit our site]Read BL Novelswas a natural instinct of a Guide toward an Esper, but not knowing that, Seung-hyun only fretted while looking at Jae-il’s energy.

‘Ugh, it’s cold.’

Because he was focusing all his attention on Jae-il, his own unusual symptoms were pushed to the back. Seung-hyun curled his body tightly against the chill.

* * *

Tonight was another fragmented night. The body heat clinging to his back kept scratching at his consciousness. Jae-il, thinking Ji Seung-hyun had pressed close in his sleep again, rubbed his sleepy eyes.

He had considered just ignoring him because he didn’t want to have an emotional battle with someone who just beamed at him even when threatened, but he felt the man’s body temperature was severely high. With stiff eyes, he touched the gear to check the level and time first. The Amplification Hazard Level was 19.9%, and the time had just passed 3 AM.

Next, he touched his forehead. His head was clear, incomparable to yesterday. The headache that had pierced his skull every time he woke up was definitely faint. This was all thanks to Ji Seung-hyun, who performed guiding as he pleased.

As Jae-il slowly turned his body to face forward, Seung-hyun burrowed in, as if he had been waiting. He curled himself up tightly between Jae-il’s armpit and arm. It was a brazen movement, seizing the spot as if it had always been his, but it was no longer surprising.