Churu for the Angry Guide

69

Squeak.

The mouse doll pressed under Siwoo’s shoulder made a pained sound. Despite this, Siwoo remained frozen, unable to move. He just blinked his large eyes silently.

Taebeom broke the silence.

“I just moved you.”

His low voice filled the room. Taebeom looked down at Siwoo with his pitch-black eyes and completely withdrew his hand. He had been staring at Siwoo’s pale face since before he woke up. For quite a while.

“Why, why…”

Siwoo, who had been gaping like a fish, finally made a sound. His hoarse voice was quite cracked, suggesting his cold had worsened. It was a natural result of eating lots of ice cream and falling asleep in the living room with the air conditioner on and no blanket.

Siwoo’s bright eyes, fixed on Taebeom, shook uncontrollably. It was the first time seeing him since that day. The day of the heavy rain. His last memory was of mounting him naked.

Siwoo’s cheeks turned bright red as the embarrassing memory surfaced. An intense shame washed over him, making his throat sting. Though Kang Taebeom was fully clothed, Siwoo had been naked. He had kissed him while completely bare, without even underwear, like a plucked chicken.

Goosebumps covered his entire body as he recalled that day. The sensation he had completely forgotten came back with shocking vividness. It felt as if every cell in his body was squirming, announcing its presence. Even the feeling of his mouth being full of a soft tongue vividly revived.

It had been Siwoo’s first kiss.

No. Siwoo blinked quickly and mentally corrected himself. It wasn’t a first kiss, but a first mucosal guiding. Strictly speaking, it was high-level guiding he had provided. It was completely different from the kind of kiss lovers share.

“Are you usually such a heavy sleeper?”

Taebeom, with his right hand in his pocket, asked. Just as Siwoo was thinking it was an out-of-the-blue question, he vaguely recalled a voice trying to wake him.

[Guide Han Siwoo, wake up.]

The voice he had heard while half-asleep hazily echoed. It was clearly Taebeom’s voice.

It seemed Taebeom had woken him up after he fell asleep on the sofa. Apparently, when he didn’t wake up after several calls, Taebeom had moved him directly. Wrapped tightly in a blanket to avoid skin contact.

“Don’t sleep in the living room.”

Taebeom coolly gazed at Siwoo, who was stiff with tension. Siwoo’s white form was reflected in his pitch-black eyes. It was completely different from Geonho’s bright eye color. Though the brothers looked alike, their auras were as different as their eye colors.

“If you’re sleepy, go to your room. This isn’t a private space.”

If Geonho was like the hot midday sun, Taebeom exuded a cool aura like the moon rising in the deep dawn. It was an overwhelming presence. Even Siwoo couldn’t hide his intimidation in front of him.

Siwoo, who had cursed even in front of gangsters, was strangely tense just from making eye contact with Taebeom. His mouth went dry with nervousness, even though Taebeom wasn’t emitting any wavelength.

“Cough.”

Siwoo, who had been warily inching towards the edge of the bed, burst into a cough. He shouldn’t have eaten that ice cream. He should have waited until his cold was completely gone.

After coughing for a while, Siwoo raised his head at the sound of receding footsteps. Taebeom had left the room without a word.

If you’re leaving, at least close the door. Siwoo glared at the open door as he painfully coughed. Lacking the energy to close it himself, he just lay there for a moment.

The coughing made his throat sting, and his head ached a bit too.

“Haa…”

As his body ached, he missed Kang Geonho enough to feel irritated.

That jerk. He resented Geonho for being so focused on work while he was this sick. It hurt that Geonho said he liked him but left him alone every day. Of course, it was comfortable being alone, but still.

“Bastard…”

His mind, weakened by the cold, made him resent the wrong person. It was all because he was sick. When your body is ill, even small sorrows feel bigger.

“Get up.”

A deep voice approached Siwoo, who had buried his face in the pillow and was breathing heavily. Surprisingly, it was Taebeom again.

Siwoo hesitated, then slowly raised his head. He was even more surprised to see Taebeom holding a glass of water.

Did he bring that for me? Since Taebeom probably hadn’t brought it just to watch Siwoo drink, Siwoo immediately stretched out his arm. He had been thirsty anyway.

“Sit up to drink.”

Taebeom said firmly, avoiding Siwoo’s hand. Thirsty, Siwoo quickly raised his upper body and reached out further. Only then did Taebeom hand him the lukewarm glass of water.

Feverish, even the lukewarm water felt cool to Siwoo. As the liquid seeped into his swollen throat, even the tension in his body melted away.

Just as he looked up feeling like he would live after emptying the glass in one go, he accidentally dropped the glass. It was because his eyes met Taebeom’s, who had been staring at him. The moment their gazes locked, the strength left his hand.

Fortunately, the glass didn’t break. Siwoo grabbed it again just before it hit the floor. But Taebeom had moved first, already gripping the glass. It was a speed only possible for an Esper.

“…”

Siwoo, who had unintentionally grabbed Taebeom’s hand, frowned and then looked dumbfounded. His furrowed brow gradually smoothed out.

“Why… are you cold?”

Siwoo gently pressed Taebeom’s left hand with a puzzled expression. The touch was so cool it barely felt human. More importantly, no guiding was being absorbed.

Before, even the slightest skin contact had transferred energy.

“Why is this…”

Siwoo’s pupils shook slightly with anxiety. The lack of guiding meant the matching rate had decreased.

“Wait a moment.”

Siwoo gripped Taebeom’s left hand and sent out guiding with all his might. Still, there was no sensation. His guiding just circled around Taebeom’s cold skin, unable to penetrate.

Could the matching rate have dropped in just a few days? Is that even possible?

“Let go.”

A sharp command fell. Siwoo flinched and immediately released his grip. In his confusion, he had touched Taebeom’s hand without permission.

“The, the guiding doesn’t seem to be working.”

Siwoo tried to explain but trailed off. Taebeom’s cold gaze made his voice grow smaller. He had only been trying to check the guiding absorption rate. But it felt like he had committed a grave mistake.

“I grabbed it by accident.”

He mumbled as if making excuses, avoiding Taebeom’s gaze. Though it hurt his pride to cower before him, his shoulders hunched involuntarily. Then he looked up at Taebeom again when he spoke.

“I know.”

Siwoo hadn’t expected such immediate acknowledgment. He thought Taebeom was angry just from his scary expression.

He was truly an inscrutable figure. All the Baekya Guild guys were strange, but the leader took first place. To Siwoo, Taebeom was the most puzzling existence.

He had thought Taebeom was a terrible person who hated his brother and beastkin, but…

“Medicine.”

“What?”

“I asked if you took your medicine.”

His brief utterances gave a strange feeling. The iron wall of wariness towards him began to loosen ever so slightly.

“Can I touch your hand again?”

Suddenly emboldened, Siwoo blurted out. He had a duty to know the condition of his assigned Espers in detail.

“I’ll just check if the guiding really isn’t working.”

The reason he joined the Baekya Guild was due to his high matching rate with Leader Kang Taebeom. If the matching rate had really dropped, he would likely be replaced by a much more skilled guide.

He didn’t want that. If he was going to leave, it should be on his own terms.

“Is it not okay? It’ll just take a moment…”

He stared intently at Taebeom until he showed a reaction. Taebeom neither avoided his gaze nor left the room. He just stood there motionless. With an utterly impassive expression.

Siwoo felt like he was talking to a wall. He needed to be told if it was a no or a yes. It seemed Geonho’s stubbornness came from taking after his brother.

Like true brothers. They had quite a few similarities.

Screech.

Just as Siwoo was secretly starting to grumble internally, Taebeom unexpectedly pulled up a chair. He approached the head of the bed and sat down.

Then he suddenly began unbuttoning and removing his jacket. Siwoo stared blankly at this with a foolish expression. He was too shocked to react.

“The secretary will deliver your work schedule soon.”

Taebeom continued speaking indifferently as he rolled up his left sleeve. As his left arm, covered in prominent veins, was revealed, Siwoo instinctively averted his gaze before looking back. His expression suggested he had noticed something.

“Time, place, intensity – do it all as you see fit. If you need anything, tell the secretary immediately.”

Taebeom’s left wrist was completely unscarred compared to other areas. Siwoo, who had been staring at this, suddenly scrunched up his face. It was because Taebeom sharply twisted his own left wrist. It sent a chill down Siwoo’s spine, feeling like he had witnessed an act of self-harm.

Then a clicking sound rang out, along with Taebeom’s calm voice.

“Yoo Jihan and Ha Seojun manage well on their own, so focus on taking care of Kang Geonho.”

Taebeom showed his prosthetic hand to Siwoo in detail. Then, as if asking if his questions were now answered, he briefly met Siwoo’s eyes before standing up from the chair.

“Are you going to keep staying here?”

He asked one last thing before leaving the room. The answer didn’t come immediately. Siwoo seemed too stunned to respond. He appeared to be in shock.

Taebeom maintained his indifferent expression as he closed the door.

The next morning, a lock was installed only on Siwoo’s door. A wardrobe and TV that he hadn’t asked for also arrived.

From this day, an even bigger question mark was added to Siwoo’s impression of the leader.