Choi Taehun didn’t think the same way as the teacher. During those few days when he was swallowing his intense regrets, he envisioned the option of running away countless times in his mind.

But the reason Taehun didn’t choose that wasn’t because of some heroic mindset or excessive kindness. It was simply because he didn’t think he could be happy alone when everyone he had always known had fallen into misfortune.

The guide sighed before speaking.

“That’s right.”

“…?”

“Honestly, I want to quit everything. Ji Gwanyeong doesn’t even remember and just keeps saying unpleasant things.”

The Esper’s eyes, which had never shown the slightest tremor, now wavered slightly. However, Taehun, who continued speaking seemingly lost in thought, didn’t notice the change in the man’s reaction.

“That guy, Lee Hansol, seems to be good at turning my insides upside down with each passing day… Honestly, every day, I feel like I’m losing more of myself.”

Upon hearing the guide’s words, Lee Hansol, who had been sitting beside the teacher, gritted his teeth. He still couldn’t accept the pair sitting in front of him. To be honest, he had never imagined he’d see this moment again.

Yet now, the man who had previously been cast aside, the one who had once been matched with a ridiculously high rate, was sitting quietly beside the man, listening to his words. This wasn’t right. It was completely absurd.

The matching authority had been handed over to me. So, Ji Gwanyeong’s guide is me!

“But? Why are you sitting here?”

Choi Taehun suddenly realized that he felt as if he was counseling the teacher again, just like before. The situation felt eerily similar. The teacher asked questions, and he answered them.

Looking at the teacher’s face, filled with something other than mere curiosity or doubt, Taehun spoke.

“I like Ji Gwanyeong quite a bit. …Honestly, quite a lot. It’s just… like that.”

It was a strange answer. “Quite a lot,” yet the addition of “still” caught Ji Gwanyeong’s attention. He raised an eyebrow at the new premise in Taehun’s confession. This was a revision of the few memories Ji Gwanyeong had, a memory update about Taehun.

He said he really liked him. He really liked and loved him. But why add “still”? That wasn’t there before. As the thought deepened, Ji Gwanyeong’s frown deepened as well.

“Haha. Then, should we ask the Esper for a comparison? It’s only fair.”

Only then did Taehun glance nervously at his partner, unsure of the exact reason for his discomfort. He knew he’d said some things that had upset his partner, but when no response came, he had assumed his partner would just behave quietly today.

But, now, the guide was blinking blankly, lost in thought.

Taehun had no ability to analyze body language like an Esper would, but he was certain of one thing: He knew better than anyone else what kind of mood Ji Gwanyeong was in.

And now, it was clear—Ji Gwanyeong was upset. But why? The sudden shift in emotion caught Taehun off guard. He never imagined that a simple “still” could be the trigger.

Ji Gwanyeong tilted his head, and then, with a calm and steady voice, he began reading something like a script.

“Name: Choi Taehun. Age: 28. Birthday: May 1st. Blood type: O.”

The unexpected delivery of personal details made the guide want to ask what it meant, but Ji Gwanyeong quickly continued with the information.

“Major: Business Administration at ○○ University. Was class president in his third year and active in the advertising club. GPA: 4.18, interned at ○○○○ in the second semester of senior year. After graduation, joined ○○ company. He has five siblings: Choi Woojin, Choi Seungyu, Choi Jiyeon, Choi Mina, and Choi Jeongmin.”

“… Ji Gwanyeong?”

“His favorite food is noodles, dislikes cold food in general. So he likes noodles but doesn’t care for cold noodles and is quite picky about coffee. He likes basketball and has several basketballs stacked in the dorm, but hasn’t played yet. He also looks up fortune-telling and horoscopes, despite being a bit skeptical.”

“…”

“Want me to continue? I can go through the places and dates we’ve met in the last 8 months since the signing event.”

A word appeared on the large screen. Everyone stared at it with blank eyes, similar to Taehun’s expression. Everything Ji Gwanyeong had just said was true.

The Esper, who had no words, anxiously ran a hand through his hair, a frustrated smile creeping across his lips.

Thanks to this, Taehun felt as if he had just been struck. He had guessed that Ji Gwanyeong had probably pieced things together due to his meticulous nature, especially after he had asked about the signing event and the Gangnam terror incident. However, he never imagined that Ji Gwanyeong would know everything about the past 8 months they had spent together.

Taehun suddenly recalled the day his partner had disappeared all day long. However, it was hard to fathom how Ji Gwanyeong had come to know so much about him, given that the time they spent together was relatively short.

“I know Taehun better than you think.”

Now, Ji Gwanyeong’s sharp words turned toward the cause of this situation. He was genuinely upset, though he didn’t have the time to logically analyze the reason.

“Don’t ask annoying questions, ‘teacher.’”

“Aha, so you’ve been playing tricks.”

“Then, do you think I just sat there like an idiot?”

The teacher’s eyes narrowed in amusement.

A new variable has emerged. He is a man who enjoys variables immensely. No matter how much that Esper, Ji Gwanyeong, chokes Choi Taehun, it was strange that Taehun obediently followed him, but as expected, it was as such.

Leaving behind 8 months of information for himself, who had lost his memory, was quite a cute attempt. However, the teacher had long analyzed the monster.

Ji Gwanyeong, that man, was inherently cruel and violent, and as an Esper, he even tried to disregard the guide’s matching that should naturally be respected. Such a person wouldn’t be swayed by information he no longer remembered.

The teacher smiled and spoke.

“But no matter how well you memorize it, it’s just a list of shallow time periods, isn’t it? It doesn’t compare to memories.”

The teacher had no doubt.

In this experiment, that Esper was an absolute value. There were no variables. That was the right way to think. The teacher was certain. However, the teacher slowly tilted his head at Ji Gwanyeong’s reaction. This was a behavior he often displayed when he discovered something strange or interesting.

He was now checking Ji Gwanyeong’s “physical responses” a step ahead of the researchers at the center who were observing him. Restless eyes, tightly clenched fists, a voice that was less relaxed and more agitated, and a faint sigh.

It was strange. Everything was strange.

That wasn’t a reaction that should have come from him. Not from anyone, especially not from Ji Gwanyeong, that Esper. The teacher’s eyes opened strangely wide. Now, the Esper’s beautiful brow remained furrowed deeply.

Choi Taehun gazed at the scene in a daze. Until now, his lover, who had lost his memory, always showed a look as if some point of his emotions had been carved out. The way he looked at him, so dry and empty, was something Taehun found difficult to bear.

But now, it was different.

His deeply furrowed face was far from happy or joyful, yet it resembled the expression he used to show when he comfortably shed the skin of a monster.

Ji Gwanyeong had lived in the memories of Choi Taehun, who filled his mansion for fifteen days. Whether those memories were completely etched into his mind didn’t matter. He had just been following, chasing, and chasing after his memories of loving the guide.

And before he knew it, he had come to the last sentence he had written with great effort.

<I am this person’s Esper>

The Esper tilted his head and sighed deeply.

Now he realized. Right now, he was looking at his past self with an unbelievably happy expression and strangely joyful eyes, feeling envy. He didn’t want to admit that the 8 months he had engraved and memorized were just a simple sequence of time!

Everything he didn’t know felt so tempting.

Once he put all the pieces together, wouldn’t he change into the person he was 8 months ago? Would he someday have the same ease, the same relaxed smile, wondering when he could laugh that comfortably?

Could he also become a little happy?

Could he love like that, as he did during those 8 months… and could he be loved?

It was truly pathetic to feel inferior to the past happiness, while looking so twisted. A faint, hollow laugh escaped Ji Gwanyeong’s lips.

The teacher, watching the speechless Ji Gwanyeong, saw through the monster’s thoughts. The absolute axis of the experiment that he had believed would never waver had fallen. The teacher’s eyes began to shine peculiarly as he realized that.

“Ji Gwanyeong?”

“…….”

“Are you okay? Is there something uncomfortable…?”

Choi Taehun’s voice, which carefully followed, was full of concern. He worried whether Ji Gwanyeong might have experienced some delayed aftereffects from the conversation with the teacher.

Ji Gwanyeong, lazily leaning his neck against the chair’s headrest, looked at Choi Taehun’s face, filled with concern. For the past 8 months, this guide had clearly been a part of his past.

But now, it was different. “Now” was different.

Choi Taehun couldn’t help but swallow nervously, as the man’s gaze, piercing him, made him uneasy.

“Come to think of it, there’s something I definitely don’t know.”

His voice was slow.

The teacher closed his mouth and began to memorize every response in front of him without missing a single one. Variables, variables, more variables were being added.

Ji Gwanyeong slowly extended his arm. The large hand of the man with big knuckles covered the guide’s hand. Surprised by the touch, Taehun almost unconsciously clenched his fist, but the Esper naturally relaxed it, intertwining his fingers with his.

The warmth of the young palm made contact. It was the same gesture that the teacher had mockingly imitated earlier. The guide, unable to respond to the Esper’s slow, firm grip, only bit his lip. It was the first physical contact since the experiment began, exactly fifteen days ago.

“Did you hold it like this?”

No one dared to speak or even breathe in awe. Although it didn’t match at all, Ji Gwanyeong quietly lingered over the lukewarm warmth for a while, then pulled Taehun’s hand up, leading him to stand.

In a daze, Taehun stood up, opening his mouth with a blocked voice.
“J-Ji Gwanyeong, s-sir?”

“Let’s go.”
“…Eh? But it’s not over yet.”
“No need. Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
Taehun glanced between the confused faces of the researchers, the teacher, and Ji Gwanyeong, feeling flustered. The guide’s question was something everyone wanted to know. But now that the Esper had relaxed, he answered nonchalantly.

“A hotel.”

A brief response made a muffled sound somewhere. For a moment, Taehun thought it was his own heart speaking.

“Wh-why there?”
“Thirty-four, twenty-eight. Two adults of this age going to a hotel is pretty obvious, isn’t it?”

It was obvious. Really, obvious.

But Taehun had no intention of doing that “obvious thing” at all. Ji Gwanyeong turned his gaze toward the teacher, who was still looking at him and the guide with a strange expression. Now, there was no sign of vulnerability on the Esper’s face.

“I don’t know this at all.”
“…”
“Taehun during sex.”

Taehun couldn’t even close his mouth, staring at the impressive man in front of him with a blank expression. He wasn’t even embarrassed anymore. This unapologetic boldness, so familiar, was definitely something his lover used to have.

Ji Gwanyeong turned to the teacher, raised his eyebrows, and whispered with a smile.

“Really interesting, this ‘experiment’.”

* * *

This was Taehun’s first time riding Ji Gwanyeong’s private car.

To be more accurate, it was his first time riding such a foreign car, which seemed almost intimidating. Initially, Taehun, as a beginner in society, was more accustomed to driving affordable second-hand cars, in line with his income. The guide, seated in the passenger seat, started fidgeting as he fastened his seatbelt.

“So, how did you handle today’s events? What about the manager? The drama filming was really tough, and the schedule’s all messed up…”

“Taehun.”
“Yes?”
“Are you seriously worried about that now? You’re coming with me to roll around, and you’re concerned about that?”

Taehun involuntarily closed his mouth.

In truth, Taehun, who was acting uncharacteristically distracted, was feeling confused by the situation he had never even dared to imagine over the last fifteen days. He wondered if he was dreaming in the officer’s bed.

Nothing felt real. The guide slowly reflected on his situation.

<In front of the teacher and Lee Hansol, ‘the lover who has lost his memory’ is ‘holding his hand’ and taking him to a ‘hotel’ in a car.>

Even rethinking it, none of the elements in this sentence felt like something that could actually happen.

Thump, thump, thump.

As they approached their destination, the guide’s heartbeat grew louder. It felt like a sound that dried his throat, so Ji Gwanyeong licked his lips. In the silence of the guide, a heightened tension was conveyed.

Taehun would never forget the expressions of the hotel valet and desk staff, who looked alternately at him and the man leading them. The sudden appearance of a giant star and a male companion without a reservation caused even their confident faces to falter!

His heart pounded loudly, and Taehun realized the fact that they were waiting for the elevator, clearly giving off the intent of their destination, in broad daylight.

The attention of others was a common occurrence after being with Ji Gwanyeong, but Choi Taehun felt hotter than ever. But this burning sensation was different from the previous embarrassment.

Their intertwined hands, clasped together, moved without a gap, adding warmth. The sensation of his thumb tracing the outline of his hand bones was so vivid.

Taehun unconsciously tilted his stiff neck back.

The Esper became bolder when they were alone in the elevator, with the hotel staff gone.

From the palm of his hand to the back of his hand, from the back of his hand to his wrist, where the bones protruded. The guide suppressed the excitement caused by the stimulating movements, clenching his teeth. The pleasant classical music filling the elevator no longer reached his ears. Only his heartbeat, frantic, was anticipating the approaching heat.

The impeccably dressed hotel staff member, politely opened the door and spoke. Choi Taehun listened blankly, or rather, he tried to listen.

“If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to call…”

Before the sentence was finished, a loud sound swallowed his words. The guide involuntarily closed his eyes at the roar, but he didn’t need to open them again. It was a scent he knew all too well. Taehun opened his mouth and intertwined his tongue with the man who had fallen upon him, without resistance.

To be more accurate, it would be better to say that he was completely aroused and clinging to him actively.

He couldn’t afford to miss even a single breath.

His hands were quick to undress him. They were both caught in the heat, unable to tell who would be the first, kissing frantically, unbuttoning his shirt, and throwing off his thin t-shirt. Ji Gwanyeong, teeth bared, bit the guide’s exposed nape. Taehun, instead of showing any displeasure, let out a soft, excited sigh.

Choi Taehun hugged his lover’s neck and clung to him actively. He ran his fingers through his silky black hair, kissed his delicate ears, his cheeks, and every reachable part of him. Ji Gwanyeong, clenching his teeth at the sensation, which was maddeningly soft, pulled down the guide’s pants.

His long legs, instead of the soft, yielding touch of a woman’s, were filled with firm muscles, tightly packed, fitting perfectly in his hands.

“Haa…”

He pulled down the underwear, revealing a member already showing signs of arousal. He ran his hand over the naked body, and the guide let out a trembling breath. His face, which seemed incapable of imagining lust, was flushed red, from his earlobes to his nape. It was a stimulation that made his lower abdomen tighten just by looking at it.

He kissed him again, his tongue deep inside, and lifted his hips. The guide, as if waiting for it, wrapped his legs around his waist, a lewd entanglement, something unimaginable from the Choi Taehun he had seen for the past two weeks.

The Esper, holding the slender body in his arms, moved, kissing him frantically. He wanted to see and touch every inch of the man clinging to him, from head to toe.

Choi Taehun, lying on the white sheets, was truly beautiful. Ji Gwanyeong, as if to devour everything he was “seeing” for the first time, parted his lips. The muscles, well-defined, despite his slightly lean frame, a testament to his consistent exercise, were delicious. A soft moan escaped Taehun’s lips as Ji Gwanyeong’s tongue slid down his collarbone, towards his chest.

Ji Gwanyeong, teeth bared, bit the already hard little nipple. Taehun, as if disliking the biting of his sensitive spot, hugged his lover’s head and gently touched his shoulder.

The guide liked to lick his chest, gently pressing and sucking around it. The Esper remembered the involuntary twitching of the man’s hips, which were tightly wrapped around his waist.

He went down, from the waist to the hips, to the well-shaped member, which was already leaking pre-cum, and the sight of his legs, which were involuntarily spreading, was lewd. Ji Gwanyeong realized, at that moment, that this sex, which was new to him, was a familiar act for him and Choi Taehun, over the past eight months.

It was a truly strange sensation.

It felt like something was suddenly taking over his mind, and the fact that this man with the clean-cut face was the one who had made him spread his legs and shake his hips was strangely satisfying.

“…Grab my legs.”