“Teacher” requested a mid-term check.

The guide frowned slightly as he looked at the middle-aged man with a smirk on his face. This was the first time Choi Taehun realized that someone’s smile could be so unpleasant.

“D-15, there are exactly 15 days left, and I’m thinking of meeting with Ji Gwanyeong and Choi Taehun, the two of you.”

“…Understood.”

The teacher was sipping tea, surrounded by several Espers, almost as if they were his personal bodyguards. Of course, these Espers were research staff members from the center.

Their lives were under the thumb of the pair, and they took turns standing guard, watching over the teacher. Despite possessing powers that anyone might envy, they were powerless when faced with the death of the guide.

The researchers didn’t hide their hostility toward the teacher, who had led their comrades into such humiliation. The middle-aged man twisted his lips into a grin as he spoke to the man glaring at him.

“Choi Taehun. So, how’s the experiment going?”

“I believe I don’t have an obligation to report.”

“Ha ha ha! I see, I see. Let’s talk about the details when the time comes. Ji Gwanyeong should be coming as well.”

At the sudden mention of his lover’s name, Taehun unconsciously tensed up. The teacher, noticing this, chuckled quietly and left the reception room with a light step. The six or so researchers guarding the teacher followed behind him, their pale faces never once leaving Taehun’s figure.

Taehun understood the meaning behind their gazes.

<Guide Choi Taehun must make Esper Ji Gwanyeong his own within one month>. If he failed, the guide would die. Taehun mentally counted the remaining days.

D-19. The teacher’s “mid-term check” was just four days away.

“…Taehun, are you eating properly lately?”

“Yes. Really, I’m managing just fine.”

Miyeon, who had cautiously asked, sighed at the obvious lie.

Choi Taehun had noticeably lost weight. His face had become much sharper, and the clothes that once fit perfectly now hung loosely on him. The guide smiled at Imi Hyun and quickly bowed before rushing out the door. The faces of the researchers, their eyes drained of life, filled his mind.

I need to go to Ji Gwanyeong now. Taehun thought as he absentmindedly fiddled with the leather strap on his wrist, a habit he had developed since that day. But just as he was about to leave the reception room, someone was already waiting for him.

It was Lee Hansol, with bandages wrapped around his neck and a thick cast on his left arm. It would have been a severe injury for an ordinary person, but he, neither an Esper nor a guide, was already recovering rapidly. Taehun involuntarily frowned, then, pretending not to notice, quickly walked past him.

“…Wait.”

As expected, a voice called out, stopping Taehun in his tracks. He took a deep breath, exhaling it in a long, annoyed sigh.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

Taehun turned partially toward him and, for a moment, thought, ‘How old is he to be using that tone with me?’

“How did you become that Esper’s guide?”

There was a hint of fear in Lee Hansol’s eyes.

He believed that the most important factor between a pair was their “matching rate,” and that Espers were bound to be influenced by it. He had firmly believed this.

Oh Jinwoo, whom he had been with for ten years, was proof of this. Despite Jinwoo’s desperate attempts to kill him, Hansol had never been harmed because he was the only one who could sustain Jinwoo’s life.

But at some point, Jinwoo changed his approach. He began making efforts to die, but his survival instinct kept him alive, forcing him to continue a life of ten years, a life he couldn’t escape from.

That was the instinct of an Esper. The higher the matching rate, the more they would protect, love, and cherish their pair.

Even if they hated each other, they couldn’t let go first.

But Ji Gwanyeong was different. He showed no affection for his guide. Of course, as an Esper, he responded to the new, twisted things before his eyes and the calming sensation of past disasters. However, soon after, he chose to abandon that complete happiness in favor of maintaining his pride.

“That person… I mean, ‘that one,’ really…”

“‘That one’? Do you mean Ji Gwanyeong?”

“Yes. Is there something else?”

Taehun frowned openly at Lee Hansol’s words. Honestly, he didn’t like Hansol’s expressions and choice of words. After staring at Hansol coldly for a while, Taehun spoke.

“Honestly, I don’t think my situation is much different from yours, Lee Hansol. I couldn’t reject the matching rate either, so I became a pair with him.”

“…”

“Would you like me to say I got along with Ji Gwanyeong right away? That’s not the case. Of course, I wasn’t beaten like you were, though.”

“Stop showing off!”

Hansol shouted, his face flushed red in embarrassment. It was quite shameful for him to have received the matching rate and ended up in this state.

“Anyway, that person will eventually be mine, you know? My father doesn’t like Espers!”

“Lee Hansol.”

Taehun mentally replayed what the young man had said.

‘My father doesn’t like Espers.’ This implied that the teacher didn’t like Espers either. Taehun thought he might need to share this information with the researchers and clicked his tongue inwardly. However, such a gesture from the guide was unnecessary for the researchers. They had heard every word, even through the concrete walls of the reception room. They had been on high alert while with the teacher.

“Lee Hansol, you’d better remember that you’re just borrowing what’s mine for now.”

“…Ugh, you!”

“Do not ever call Ji Gwanyeong like that again, not within earshot of me. From what I see, aside from healing quickly, you don’t seem much different from me, so what kind of confidence do you have?”

A few of the researchers, listening to Choi Taehun’s words, thought to themselves. The man who seemed like the most polite person in the world had recently started to speak in a manner oddly similar to Ji Gwanyeong.

“Ah, and… don’t speak informally. It’s annoying.”

It was truly the case. If a few more sarcastic sentences were added, he’d be a dead ringer for Ji Gwanyeong. The researchers exchanged quiet glances, silently confirming that they were all thinking the same thing.

Ji Gwanyeong’s manager stifled a smile that seemed on the verge of escaping his lips and fixed his gaze on the empty floor. Of course, that was thanks to the actor he was in charge of and his lover.

The man, with a very neat and tidy face, opened his mouth.

“Ji Gwanyeong, what is your ideal type?”

“That’s crazy.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not in a position to be picky. Please tell me your ideal type.”

A deep sigh escaped the mouth of the man who rightfully held the title of Korea’s top star. His manager found it quite amusing to watch the two of them.

Today, Choi Taehun, who appeared much later than usual, remained in the same state. He seemed like someone who would receive more advances than make them, and as soon as he sat next to Ji Gwanyeong, he began to throw all sorts of overt flirtations. It was particularly amusing because such behavior didn’t match his sharp features and expression at all.

Of course, the response of my actor was also amusing. After a bold declaration, when the guide who had been following Ji Gwanyeong around since his morning schedule failed to appear, the man, who had been checking his phone every ten minutes, now tried to act dignified, which, honestly, seemed a little cute.

‘Cute.’

Such a word would have been absolutely unthinkable to use for Ji Gwanyeong exactly one year ago. Ji Gwanyeong, who would always flash polite smiles and use kind words whenever Choi Taehun came around, had completely erased that and pretended to focus on other things. But the manager knew better.

If Ji Gwanyeong had truly disliked Choi Taehun being around, he would have spoken to me long ago. In fact, he would have assessed the situation from the moment the drama filming began and pressured me. But Ji Gwanyeong didn’t do that. When Choi Taehun was preoccupied with other tasks, Ji Gwanyeong would quietly track him with his gaze, scanning him.

The man who had always been flawless began to show slight cracks in front of the guide. This didn’t mean mistakes; it meant that he was ‘becoming ordinary.’

“Choi Taehun is not the one.”

“……”

‘Still, it’d be better if he stopped digging my grave at this point.’

The manager thought. Choi Taehun, after hearing Ji Gwanyeong’s words, stopped moving and stared intently at the man’s face, who had rejected him so firmly. Although the Esper was slightly unsettled inside, he spoke his usual twisted words.

“Why, are you going to apologize for this again?”

“……No. I’ll just remember this.”

The manager, who had been married for three years after dating for four, knew from experience that what Taehun had just said was far scarier than an outright angry outburst. However, despite meeting many people, the sophisticated actor who lacked experience in ‘dating’ clearly didn’t understand the situation.

Ji Gwanyeong let out a small scoff at Choi Taehun’s words and cast his gaze over several movie scripts. After the drama ended, Ji Gwanyeong was truly overwhelmed with love calls coming from all directions.

Although it had probably already spread everywhere that the filming of this drama had been quite precarious, investors seemed even more captivated by Ji Gwanyeong’s fame and the ‘Esper’ ability he possessed. Choi Taehun, feeling ignored by his lover, turned his head and buried his face in his phone’s screen.

To be honest, Choi Taehun was somewhat upset right now.

He used to come to the official residence all the time, restless and desperate to stay close, but now what? “Choi Taehun is not the one?”

The guide, who had been speaking eagerly, now sealed his lips and only stared at the phone’s screen. A comment he had heard earlier from Lee Hansol during the day suddenly resurfaced in the corner of his mind.

‘Still, that person is probably going to be mine.’

After finishing their dinner, the room where the three of them were resting became suddenly silent. It was the moment when it became obvious who had been responsible for the conversation up until now.

The manager glanced at Ji Gwanyeong, who was observing Choi Taehun’s expression, and realized that the day of reckoning for his actor’s tragic future was surely approaching.

“……Hmmm.”

“……”

“Phew.”

“……”

The guide began to entertain all kinds of negative thoughts.

He wondered if the reason Ji Gwanyeong had been able to become his lover was purely due to a high match rate. Choi Taehun, who was usually the optimist, found it difficult to maintain that positivity in the current situation. Taehun, ignoring even the small coughs and sighs from his lover, became even more dejected.

At that moment, Ji Gwanyeong, while observing Taehun, had a sudden realization.

‘He looks a bit thinner than in the photos at home.’

These days, when Ji Gwanyeong was alone in the mansion, he would blankly read and reread things about Taehun. Although he had already committed everything to memory, it had become a routine, almost a habit. As he chased after the memories of loving Taehun, sometimes he even felt strange, as if he had ‘experienced’ it himself.

Ji Gwanyeong recalled the most recent image he had of Taehun.

It was a dark photo left on his phone. Taehun’s jawline had certainly become sharper, and his collarbone, faintly visible, stood out more. Areas like his hands and wrists, where bones were more prominent, were also notably clearer. Overall, he had become noticeably thinner compared to before.

The ‘experiment’ had only started 11 days ago, and if you counted the time Ji Gwanyeong had lost consciousness, about two weeks had passed, and in that short time, Taehun’s weight had clearly decreased. Thinking back, Taehun had barely eaten any substantial food during dinner, only picking at light, easily digestible dishes.

Upon realizing this, Ji Gwanyeong swallowed a curse under his breath and crumpled a few pages of the script he had been holding. He was starting to dig his own grave and closing the lid on it.

At that moment, Taehun, who had been silent for a long time, spoke in a slightly subdued voice.

“…Ji Gwanyeong.”

“Hmm?”

For a brief moment, Ji Gwanyeong wondered if he had responded too quickly, but honestly, what concerned him more was the visibly deflated expression on Taehun’s face. It struck him how the man in front of him was six years younger than him.

“Do you have time in four days? It’s Friday at 2 p.m.”

“Why?”

“Well… there’s something going on at the center. It would be great if you could come.”

The forceful tone of demanding a new relationship within three weeks was gone, and now Taehun spoke cautiously and cautiously, looking for the right moment to ask. Ji Gwanyeong, about to respond with a simple ‘sure,’ was interrupted by the manager.

“We have a meeting with the film company that day.”

“…Ah.”

“Probably talking about work during the day, and then reviewing scripts over dinner. What should we do?”

At the manager’s words, the guide sighed quietly, and his once perfectly poised shoulders slumped. He lowered his gaze slightly, revealing his hidden double eyelids. Taehun sighed faintly and responded with a weak, “Well, there’s nothing we can do.”

Watching this, Ji Gwanyeong tapped the table lightly with his fingers and rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.