If he were to ask if there was more to explain, the truth is that there was nothing more. However! Oh Yeon couldn’t help but look at Choi Taehun, who was staring in surprise, eyes wide open. Ji Gwanyeong, interpreting the silence in his own way, simply nodded, saying “Then,” and quickly stood up. Miyeon, as if to stop him, followed him closely. The time she had spent here just a few days ago felt suffocatingly vivid, like a nightmare.

“Wait a minute. Ji Gwanyeong! This is an urgent situation! It’s a matter of life and death for over 600 guides!”

Miyeon shouted desperately.

Ji Gwanyeong, who had been walking toward the office door, glanced at her briefly. For the first time, there was something resembling emotion on the Esper’s face.

“That was a very clear explanation, Researcher Oh Yeon.”

“……”

“So, I am participating in some experiment right now…”

The remaining three Espers, excluding the teacher and Oh Jinwoo, took a deep breath. A sensation like having every cell in their body scrutinized, as if broken down and analyzed, overwhelmed them from head to toe.

Oh Yeon and Miyeon bit their lips, remembering the obsessive scanning they had experienced during their first encounter with Ji Gwanyeong. The feeling of having all their abilities torn apart by someone with overwhelming power was terrifying, as always. Ji Gwanyeong slightly tilted his head, raising an eyebrow as he observed the teacher and Oh Jinwoo, neither of whom could be clearly captured by his gaze. There was a distinct sense of displeasure in his eyes.

“You want permission to observe me like a lab rat, don’t you?”

Miyeon shook her head as if to deny that, but her voice failed to escape her throat. The sense of helplessness and fear was creeping up on her, like it was slowly coloring her mind. Oh Yeon placed a hand on Miyeon’s shoulder, stopping her. Even if the situation was urgent, there was no way to press someone like Ji Gwanyeong.

“I refuse. Do as you wish.”

With a smug smile, the Esper left the office without another word. Oh Jinwoo let out a heavy sigh.

Choi Taehun, though unsure of the exact details, sensed that his lover had done something that only other Espers could perceive. He realized that all the expressions of the Esper were entirely unfamiliar to him. He had never seen Ji Gwanyeong with such a demeanor or attitude before. The Esper he remembered from his memory disliked the center, but had never been so hostile. It was a moment that made Taehun realize just how much consideration he had received because of the pairing.

Taehun hurried after his lover, not intending to say anything. He just wanted to see him one more time before he left this place. At the sudden unexpected behavior of the guide, the other Espers quickly followed, wide-eyed, trying to catch up.

Taehun, barely out of breath, made it to the hallway that connected to the central hall, finally catching a glimpse of his lover. Ji Gwanyeong was walking out with a stiff posture, cutting through the waves of researchers.

“Ji Gwanyeong.”

He wanted to call out the name he loved so much. But before that, someone else spoke it aloud.

“Ji Gwanyeong!”

Choi Taehun’s face instantly froze like ice. He could tell who the person was just from the sight of the young man running to embrace the Esper, even before he could see his face.

“I just heard you’ve regained your senses, sorry for being late.”

“……”

“I really waited for you!”

Ji Gwanyeong liked to hold hands.

Especially, he loved holding hands with their palms pressed together, fingers interlaced. Even though it would feel uncomfortable at times, he always insisted on holding hands when they were together. Sometimes, when his palms became sweaty from nervousness, he would try to pull away in embarrassment, but the man would never allow it.

Choi Taehun unknowingly bit his lips hard enough that it almost tasted bitter. The Esper who had followed the guide couldn’t help but lower their gaze upon seeing that. They couldn’t even begin to imagine what Taehun must be feeling.

Lee Hansol noticed the guide looking down at them from a distance and, with a chuckle, grabbed Ji Gwanyeong’s hand warmly. It was truly unbearable for him to see them so close to each other every time.

“How do you feel? Isn’t it a bit boring here? Shall we go out?”

Ji Gwanyeong tilted his head slightly and looked at Lee Hansol, whose eyes were lower than his own. The warmth transferred through the palm touching his made everything else fade from his view. How long had it been like that? With a slightly hushed voice, Ji Gwanyeong finally spoke.

“…Are you the guide? The one who took over the match rate?”

“Yes, you’re my Esper!”

He had to get used to this. He had no choice but to get used to it. At least for the next month, he would have to see this scene.

Choi Taehun took a deep, almost ragged breath and squeezed his eyes shut. But at the very moment the world around him turned black, the central hall of the center was suddenly filled with a loud crash.

BOOM!
For a moment, Taehun doubted that the sound had been his own heartbeat thundering in his chest. But even with his eyes wide open in confusion, he couldn’t make sense of what had happened in those few seconds he missed. The hall was filled with a chilling silence. No one spoke, and there was no sound of movement.

No, to be more precise… only the sound of someone panting in the silence could be heard intermittently.

Taehun swallowed dryly and stared at the young man who was slammed against the high wall of the hall, as if he were a mannequin. The researchers couldn’t believe what they were witnessing. It was so surreal, they wondered if it was all just a dream.

The teacher’s face contorted sideways as he observed the ‘experiment’ unfolding before him.

“…H-huh, huff, gasp…”

Lee Hansol, who had collided so hard that part of the wall was crushed, twisted his limbs as he gasped for breath. His face was turning red from his neck upwards, unable to breathe, as if something was blocking his airway.

Ji Gwanyeong stared up at the guide who had been slammed into the high wall. His gaze fell on the scars running from Hansol’s neck to his shoulder.

The fresh, red scars clearly showed signs of a deep cut, likely from something very sharp. It was the work of the Esper himself.

“Who did this?”

Ji Gwanyeong asked in a deliberately calm voice, directed at the helpless Hansol. His voice resembled the kindness often heard in interviews with the top star Ji Gwanyeong.

“Seems like I did it. Though I don’t really remember.”

“Huff, ugh, ahhh!”

“…Like this. Is that right?”

The Esper knew the marks he had made well. Therefore, even when he drew over them once again with his invisible power, he was able to cut them cleanly, just like before. A low sigh escaped Oh Yeon’s lips as he watched.

Now that Lee Hansol had gained control, if Hansol died, it would be as if Ji Gwanyeong died as well. He was not a guide who would give up his match with Ji Gwanyeong. Because of this, Oh Jinwoo frowned and quickly jumped up.

Though he didn’t want to, just like before, he had to save Lee Hansol once more. Ji Gwanyeong silently observed as Oh Jinwoo, who was helping Lee Hansol, didn’t interfere with the process. It was as if an old scene was being replayed unintentionally.

However, this was the first time for Choi Taehun to witness this. His Esper was truly attacking someone, and now he was witnessing it firsthand. Lee Hansol’s red blood flowed down the wall. The murmurs of the stunned researchers finally erupted after a short moment.

“I told you! If that guide dies, Ji Gwanyeong, you…”

Oh Yeon, who had rushed down to the central hall, spoke roughly to Ji Gwanyeong. But before he could finish his sentence, a chillingly cracked voice cut through.

Lee Hansol, whose eyes were bloodshot and filled with pain, gasped for air with veins standing out on his forehead. Despite his struggle to breathe, he gritted his teeth and spoke.

“You are… my… Esper…”

“…”

“Why… are you…”

Ji Gwanyeong merely glanced at Lee Hansol, who was surrounded by researchers trying to treat his wounds. Meanwhile, Choi Taehun was beginning to realize, through his skin, that his Esper was the strongest predator in this pyramid. This was something he hadn’t known before.

Gwanyeong walked steadily toward Lee Hansol, the sound of his polished shoes clicking against the marble floor. The Esper researchers, who were trying to stop the bleeding from Hansol’s wounds, couldn’t hide their tension at his approach.

The Esper showed no affection in his eyes as he looked down at the young man who had identified himself as his guide. Hansol realized this and clenched his fist tightly.

The match with guide Choi Taehun was clearly his now.

Clearly, it was his, yet this Esper…

“Even so, someone like you can’t hold my lifeline, can you?”

A faint smile finally appeared on Ji Gwanyeong’s lips. But it didn’t seem happy at all.

“I’ve saved you twice now. As you’ve realized, I really hate guides who try to interfere. So…”

The Esper stomped on the back of Hansol’s hand, which had gripped Taehun’s hand. Hansol let out a scream of agony. His once refined, pleasant face, usually adorned with a bitter smile, was now completely distorted.

“Ugh, huff, h-hah, aah!”

“Don’t ever refer to me like that again. If you want to set up an interesting experiment, it’s better to show some respect.”

Ji Gwanyeong looked down at the unconscious Hansol for a few more seconds, raising an eyebrow before slowly scanning the people in the center who were now focused on him.

The eyes of the monster briefly landed on the stiff-faced Choi Taehun as well. The perfectly handsome face, which could have been described as flawless, soon returned to its indifferent expression.

Taehun tightened his legs, his knees trembling from the tension.

D-30, the month-long experiment had begun.