By Zephyria 
How upset Lee A-gon made Park Hae-jun when he saw him entering a hotel with another Assistant when he was his manager. Even though his heart ached as if it were scraped on asphalt, he even ran errands to buy a condom. Still, he couldn’t leave Lee A-gon’s side.
It was the same now. The thought of Lee A-gon meeting another Guide made his heart ache as if it were scraped on asphalt again.
Nevertheless, Hae-jun didn’t regret his choice back then. Even if he could go back, he would make the same decision. He believed this situation was best for them. Being apart. Lee A-gon needed to be separated from him.
“It’s quite cold today, isn’t it?”
Just then, an unfamiliar voice was heard. He turned around and saw a tall, awkward-looking Esper standing there.
“Yes, it’s cold.”
Hae-jun replied expressionlessly, roughly sweeping his hair back. Ha, a sigh escaped him. Had he been alone for only about five minutes? He thought it was his own space, but this time again, an Esper had followed him.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
“Wait, w-wait a moment.”
The awkward Esper grabbed Hae-jun, who was about to stand up. He didn’t just grab him verbally; he actually grabbed his wrist.
Hae-jun narrowed his eyes and stared at him, and the awkward Esper was startled and let go of his hand. Then, he fidgeted and made excuses.
“I’m sorry. Did I startle you too much? I, well. I’ve been watching you, Guide, since yesterday, but there were too many people, so I couldn’t talk to you. So, I was just getting anxious, and when I saw you going in here, I had something I really wanted to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Well… it seems like you don’t know.”
He was stuttering while sweating, so it seemed like he really had something to say. Hae-jun patiently waited for the man’s words.
“You shouldn’t be here alone. A Guide being here alone means any Esper is okay.”
The awkward Esper squeezed his eyes shut and spoke quickly. Hae-jun’s eyes widened. What?
“If a Guide who wants to have s*x but doesn’t want a serious relationship is in this room, an Esper comes in. And they do that, that thing, on this sofa.”
Hae-jun jumped up from the sofa. Oh, shit, this sofa was that kind of place?
Come to think of it, there were white stains here and there on the sofa. He just thought it was old, but if that was it…!
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
The awkward Esper was even more awkward, overwhelmed by Hae-jun’s energy, as he answered. Wow, Hae-jun clenched and unclenched his teeth.
“Thank you for letting me know. Then.”
Now that he knew the truth, he didn’t want to stay in this space for even a second. Hae-jun left the awkward Esper behind and walked away.
“Esper?”
Just before opening the door, Hae-jun saw the Esper’s gloomy profile. At that moment, Hae-jun thought that if it weren’t for that Esper, he might have been in a dangerous situation.
“Yes?”
“Would you like to have a meal with me?”
As soon as he asked that, the awkward Esper’s face lit up. He pointed to himself as if he couldn’t believe it and asked again.
“M-me?”
“Yes.”
Who else would it be, Hae-jun tilted his head. The awkward Esper came almost skipping.
“Yes, yes. I’ll buy you a meal. What would you like? What kind of food do you like?”
“Buy me a meal? Aren’t we just going to eat at the cafeteria anyway?”
“No, no. The executive dining room here is private.”
“There’s such a thing?”
He didn’t know. There was a private dining room.
“Yes, if you go with a Guide, the Esper can eat too.”
“Ah…….”
This place was truly Guide-centric. Even going to the dining room, an Esper couldn’t do it alone. It was only possible when accompanied by a Guide.
“Okay. Let’s go to the dining room then.”
Hae-jun left the secret room with the awkward Esper. A group of Espers who happened to be passing by noticed them and stopped in their tracks.
Regardless, Hae-jun paid no attention. The awkward Esper quickly followed behind Hae-jun.
The executive dining room, located in the research building, was quite a stylish space. Instead of receiving rations on a tray, you could choose the menu you wanted to eat.
Hae-jun ordered pasta. The awkward Esper was about to order pasta following Hae-jun, so he told him to order pizza. When the awkward Esper looked at him with a questioning gaze, he told him that they could share it that way, and the Esper was very embarrassed.
“Y-you’re going to share with me?”
“Yes. Do you not want to?”
“No, no. I’d like that.”
The two received their pasta and pizza and sat down at a table. The taste was decent. It wasn’t incredibly delicious, but it was worth the money.
“What’s your name?”
He couldn’t keep calling him the awkward Esper, so Hae-jun asked for his name. The awkward Esper introduced himself awkwardly.
“I’m Esper Jung Han-sol.”
“I’m Park Hae-jun.”
“Yes, I know.”
They hadn’t even introduced themselves, but the Espers already knew Hae-jun’s name. No, they probably knew the names of all the three hundred or so Guides.
“…….”
And the meal continued in silence. Hae-jun didn’t mind eating quietly, but Jung Han-sol seemed very uncomfortable with the silence, his complexion turning white and red repeatedly as he fidgeted.
“I didn’t expect the base to be like this.”
Unable to watch any longer, Hae-jun lightly started a conversation. Jung Han-sol, relieved that he didn’t have to speak first, brightened up.
“Like what?”
“Before enlisting, I went to a site for Espers and Guides on the internet. From what I saw there, it seemed like the relationship between Espers and Guides was very bad.”
“Ah, that place.”
Jung Han-sol’s face clouded over. He seemed to know the place. Thinking it was a good opportunity, Hae-jun asked what he was curious about.
“Why do those people fight so much? And why do Espers want to meet Guides but also curse them so much?”
“Most of the Espers who curse there are probably C-grade or lower. Low-grades that aren’t even accepted by the military. When they are practically blocked from meeting Guides, they gather and vent their frustrations.”
For the first time, Jung Han-sol continued the conversation without stuttering or struggling.
“Proper Espers don’t go to such places. They try to win the Guide’s heart fairly with their abilities and charm. The people gathered there want Guides so badly but can’t even reach them, so they act like the fox and the sour grapes.”
It’s very low-class. Guide, please don’t go there again. There are more than a few Guides who have had a rough time there. Jung Han-sol added. He seemed genuinely worried about Hae-jun.
“Don’t go there even out of curiosity. Even if you don’t go to such places, you’re handsome, talented, and have enough ability to meet a good man.”
“Handsome, talented… so, a man like Esper Jung Han-sol?”
As Hae-jun jokingly added, Jung Han-sol’s fork fell with a clatter. He was so flustered that he couldn’t even retort and just stammered. His eyes darted around erratically.
“Yes.”
After hesitating for a long time in that state, Jung Han-sol nodded his head vigorously and answered. His face was redder than a tomato, and he was making a dignified expression as if he was exactly that kind of man.
‘Cute.’
Hae-jun thought nonchalantly. He had no intention of dating a man, but Jung Han-sol was cute. Not as cute as Lee A-gon, though. No man could beat Lee A-gon in terms of cuteness.
“…….”
Hae-jun put down his fork. Suddenly, he lost his appetite. Thinking of Lee A-gon reminded him of how cute he was. Then he missed him, and he was angry at himself for that.
The rest of the meal proceeded without conversation. Jung Han-sol was anxious, watching Hae-jun’s mood, but Hae-jun didn’t have the luxury to care about others.
“Hyung, is it true that you’re dating a male Esper?”
That evening, Heo Seon-woo, whom he met again, asked Hae-jun with a surprised face. Hae-jun quickly denied it.
“It’s not like that. I just had a meal with Esper Jung Han-sol.”
“What? There are rumors spreading that you’ve already had s*x.”
“Had s*x?”
Heo Seon-woo gestured by putting his right middle finger into a circle made with his left hand. Oh, sh*t, Hae-jun stopped taking off his coat and got annoyed.
“I didn’t have s*x. I just had a meal.”
It must be a rumor spread by the Espers who saw them coming out of the secret room. Hae-jun added firmly.
“I will never get involved with a male Esper. Ignore any rumors that come out in the future.”
“Yes, Hyung.”
Heo Seon-woo answered obediently.
Hae-jun didn’t care how the rumors spread. Having lived in the entertainment industry, he had seen how rumors spread and how they died down. Eventually, the truth would be revealed, so he thought he just needed to do well.
The Espers’ thoughts were different.
Four days into enlistment. Hae-jun felt the gazes surrounding him. It was always the case that Espers looked at him, but today the temperature of the gazes was subtly different.
Until yesterday, it was like fanboys wanting to hold the hand of a star, but today it was more like… malicious fans wanting to grab that hand and drag him down from the stage.