It was for me, who would wake up in a few hours, or if not, a few days later. Ji Gwanyeong really wanted to see how I would react to that ‘foul play.’ It’s almost disappointing that I can’t see it. The Esper slowly felt his vision blur as if moisture was spreading and added in a low voice.

“Isn’t it quite embarrassing that all those intelligence-based Espers can’t defeat a single Esper and are still bragging about being the best intellect?”

“…Yes. I’m sorry.”

Oh Yeon clenched his fist and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

Giving up control was, as the teacher said, quite a dreadful experience. Choi Taehun passed out several times and gagged, trying to control every sensation from his head to his toes in the face of Lee Hansol’s overwhelming abilities. Each time, Lee Hansol ground his teeth and said, “This is why killing is the easiest,” but Taehun didn’t even spare him a glance.

Fortunately, the experimental conditions set by the guide were quite effective. Now, even Lee Hansol couldn’t show any signs of relaxation. The grueling task that only allowed him to drink water after 27 hours of frequent gagging was completed after 23 attempts. Taehun, drenched in cold sweat and exhausted, lay in the infirmary, laughing bitterly at the familiar number.

Twenty-three times. It was a number that seemed to mock himself, who had failed to match with any Esper for the past 23 years since he first manifested as a guide at the age of five.

The task of handing over control was tough during the process, but once it had fully transferred to Lee Hansol’s hands, it felt as if nothing had happened. There was no sensation of something falling from within him. He simply stared blankly, wondering if he was truly no longer paired with Ji Gwanyeong.

Choi Taehun spoke from his bed.

“…Um, Ji Gwanyeong…”

“He’s still recovering consciousness. You should rest more, Taehun.”

It was Miyeon.

She had completely disappeared for more than a day, but now, with her pale face, she had returned to the center. Miyeon, seeing the empty space beside her, took several deep breaths to hold back the suffocating feeling. The anger and guilt in her eyes were so intense that no one dared to speak to her. The only person who could tame her sharp energy and speak kindly to her was Taehun.

“Didn’t you expect it to take a few hours? But now it’s almost been two days.”

“This is the first time we’ve erased an Esper’s memory, especially the memory of 8 months. Originally, we just wanted to erase Taehun’s memories, but there was so much resistance, even in a fully anesthetized state, that we couldn’t approach it so delicately.”

Miyeon spoke gently to the dark-faced Taehun.

“I know it’s not much comfort… but the procedure itself went smoothly without burden for Ji Gwanyeong.”

“…Yes.”

Taehun had seen his lover only once from a distance.

The man, surrounded by researchers, was lying in the center, covered with all kinds of machines, in a place he hated. Each time he heard a faint moan from his lover, his heart would drop, and he quickly ran back to the infirmary.

Was I really no longer paired with Ji Gwanyeong?

Had Ji Gwanyeong completely forgotten me?

Taehun lay on his bed, staring blankly at the white ceiling. Oh Yeon, Miyeon, and occasionally the center director, Kwon Dahee, stayed by his side. The last to arrive was Oh Jinwoo. Taehun didn’t know what to say to him, so he just stayed silent, gazing at his slightly pale face.

Oh Jinwoo, after lowering his head at the gaze, stayed silent for a long time before speaking in a low voice. His words were the same as when he visited the official residence.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“Really, I’m sorry.”

Taehun couldn’t find the right words to respond, so he just fidgeted with his fingers and asked in a small voice.

“Is the pair with the guide… definitely over now?”

“…Yes.”

Oh Jinwoo once again scored a 17.9 matching rate in the test with Guide Park Seungwon. He stared at the matching paper I received for hours, running his fingertips over the numbers. As if he couldn’t believe it, as if he doubted whether the number in front of him was real.

Days passed by. As time steadily piled up, Choi Taehun slowly regained his strength.

Three days and nine hours later, after a long wait, Ji Gwanyeong opened his eyes.

“Ji Gwanyeong… Ji Gwanyeong is awake!”

Choi Taehun, who had been sitting at one corner of the central laboratory observing the Espers’ precise movements, suddenly jumped to his feet as if he had been bounced up. A more vivid expression than any he had worn in recent days appeared on his face, which had not smiled or frowned for the past few days.

In truth, over the past three days, Choi Taehun had been thoroughly drained.

More than the fact that Ji Gwanyeong had forgotten about him and that a month-long period had been given, what truly worried him was whether something had happened to his lover.

Taehun hurried ahead of the researchers, making his way to the central hall where his Esper was. Even though he had been in and out of this building since childhood, it felt strangely vast today. In the distance, he could see the white marble floor.

The Guide had never wished more than he did now that he wasn’t an Esper.

He wanted to see his lover, his Esper, so badly. His heart was pounding so loudly he could hear it in his ears.

“……”

Ji Gwanyeong, who had been sitting on the chair in the middle of the hall, slowly rose to his feet, as if he had been waiting. The slightly languid expression on his face was unmistakably that of a man Taehun knew all too well. As he stood, he had changed clothes, no longer looking like the last time Taehun had seen him.

Ji Gwanyeong’s gaze slowly scanned the people entering the central hall. It was as though he was checking if anyone he recognized was among them.

When Ji Gwanyeong’s eyes met Taehun’s and stayed for a few seconds, Taehun truly felt the meaning of the phrase “heart sinking.”

The dark eyes were no different from the ones that had kissed him just days ago. However, the Esper’s weary eyes slowly shifted from Taehun to the side and beyond.

For the past few days while waiting for his lover to wake up, Taehun had repeatedly told himself and reaffirmed that this would be hard to believe and hard to accept, but he had to calmly face the reality. If he wavered or faltered, it would only benefit the teacher and the Guide.

But the moment he personally experienced that awkward truth, it gripped his heart much more chillingly than he had imagined. Taehun realized.

“The man in front of me truly does not love me.”

“Esper-Guide National Research Center… Is that correct?”

It was a low voice that had been waiting for a long time.

It seemed to prove that he had been unconscious for several days; the voice was a little subdued. But on the other hand, it was surprisingly calm. Because of this, Choi Taehun, Director Kwon Dahee, and the other researchers were momentarily at a loss for words. That silence was based on one undeniable fact that everyone had just realized.

“Ji Gwanyeong has truly become a monster again.”

His gaze, scanning the researchers one by one, showed no confusion or emotion at all.

“Why am I here?”

“…Ah. Well…”

Director Kwon Dahee was the first to recover and quickly began to speak, but unfortunately, no words came from her sharp lips.

There was so much to explain. There was so much that even the intelligent Esper had no idea where to start. In truth, the fear that hadn’t quite faded yet was the deep truth behind it.

Having not interacted much with Ji Gwanyeong, she wasn’t sure what words to use or what expressions to make to not go against the man’s cold, observant gaze. Ji Gwanyeong, sensing her hesitation, raised an eyebrow. He didn’t remember, but no one here who saw that expression could not understand its meaning.

The teacher stood some distance away, looking like one of the researchers, tilting his head slightly and curling his lips into a subtle smile. He had no intention of influencing this “experiment” he had planned. Instead, he intended to watch as the test subjects played out the situation and reached their inevitable conclusion. Only in this way could accurate results be obtained.

“I will explain the situation. I am Oh Yeon, a researcher from the center.”

Oh Yeon flashed his center ID and nodded slightly.

The predator, who concealed his arrogant gaze with an air of casual composure, appeared to be withholding his true nature until he fully understood the situation before him.

Lee Miyeon and Oh Jinwoo, who had arrived and joined in the central hall, stood beside Choi Taehun. It was in case they needed to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

“Let’s move to my office.”

The director spoke in a careful voice.

The office looked almost identical to how it had been a few days ago. The only notable difference was that Ji Gwanyeong and Choi Taehun weren’t sitting side by side, and Lee Hansol was missing. Other than that, nothing had changed. The teacher, who seemed like the kind, gentle counselor Taehun had known, was smiling with a soft expression.

Oh Yeon took a deep breath before he began to explain the “8 months” in detail. Ji Gwanyeong only slightly twitched his brow at the part about my memory loss but listened to Oh Yeon’s words silently.

Of course, the explanation had been censored to some extent. Key details, such as Ji Gwanyeong saving “Guide Choi Taehun” at the Gangnam terror scene, their current romantic relationship, and that the middle-aged man sitting in front of them was the one leading this experiment, had been deliberately omitted.

Oh Yeon chose to cleverly summarize rather than explain everything. He said, “You had a pair guide with a matching rate close to 180, and now, an experiment is being conducted where the control of that pairing has been taken over by another guide.”

He knew very well that the man sitting in front of him, Ji Gwanyeong, was the “monster” he had met 8 months ago. Every word, every phrase had to be spoken with care.

Ji Gwanyeong noticed the subtle omissions but said nothing. He simply kept his lips sealed, much like when he had listened to the teacher talk about the “experiment” a few days ago.

“So, in this one-month experiment, if you were to pair with your original guide again…”

“……”

“You would be able to save many people who are being threatened by the ‘teacher,’ including their Espers.”

The lengthy explanation ended calmly. Oh Yeon finally took a sip of water to moisten his throat. Choi Taehun, though his lover hadn’t said a word, was so tense that his palms were damp with sweat. He exhaled a long, silent sigh. His heart raced so much that it felt as if his chest might burst.

‘Will he ask who the pair guide is? How should I introduce them?’ Taehun felt like his head was spinning with many different phrases.

But such worries about the guide were completely pointless. After a long period of silence, Ji Gwanyeong, who had been thinking quietly, spoke words that no one in the room had expected.

Even the teacher hadn’t anticipated them.

“I understand. May I leave now?”

“…What?”

“Is there anything else I need to know?”

Oh Yeon, who had been speaking fluidly, found himself at a loss for words.