Chapter 32: The Lunatic Who Almost Kissed on a Bench

Haejin couldn’t tear his eyes away from the round eyes under stubborn brows and the chubby cheeks. He was seriously not normal.

He kept wondering why Lee Chae had suddenly switched to formal speech and acted so friendly.

What is this? Is he saying let’s date? Too shy to say it outright, so he’s putting conditions first and planning to imprint later?!

Having interpreted everything to his own convenience, Haejin’s lips curled up to his ears.

He repeated himself without being asked.

“From now on, no matter how shitty guides act, I’ll stay quiet. It means I’ll listen to you well.”

“Mhm.”

The air somehow turned fluffy.

Is this the moment for a kiss?

If he did it in public, Lee Chae would explode again, so Haejin scanned the surroundings first.

Miracle from the heavens—no ants, no people, broad daylight.

He fixed his gaze on Lee Chae just as Lee Chae casually licked his lower lip.

That alone made sitting still uncomfortable.

Haejin placed a hand on Lee Chae’s shoulder, cupped his chin.

Lee Chae looked up with wide eyes.

BEEEEEP—!

The bus to the cleanup crew blared its horn as it arrived.

“F*ck!”

“Why swear all of a sudden? It came right on time!”

Oblivious to Haejin’s near-death-by-frustration, Lee Chae stood up grinning like an idiot.

The doors opened. Haejin was about to let him board first—then Lee Chae suddenly grabbed his hand.

Haejin’s mood instantly soared.

He’d always trailed behind like a guilty puppy, but today he was boarding the bus together, openly.

Kissing can wait—anytime is fine!

Even after boarding, Haejin didn’t let go; he kept fiddling with Lee Chae’s fingers.

Lee Chae didn’t say a single sweet word the whole ride, but it was still good.

Because he could legally stare at Jung Lee Chae up close and replay the love confessions from earlier.

“I wish hyung wouldn’t even talk to other people.” “I like that we communicate well, hyung.”

The words echoed in Haejin’s head, distorted into pure sugar.

He wondered if he was dreaming.

Haejin watched Lee Chae disappear into the cleanup building with regret, then placed a hand on his pounding chest.

They hadn’t even done a goodbye kiss, yet he was this excited.

“Jung Lee Chae is japchae, japchae is delicious, delicious things are Jung Lee Chae, Jung Lee Chae is cute, cute things hamster…”

Muttering nonsense to himself, he turned to leave—when a chill ran down his spine.

The kind of intense energy you only feel at the entrance of a boss-monster gate.

Haejin stopped and looked around.

Not even a monster’s shadow.

Am I too sensitive?

It was the cleanup crew area—residual energy lingered, and his senses had been heightened because of Lee Chae, so overreaction was possible.

But the intensity was on par with what he’d felt in front of the library last time.

He couldn’t just ignore it and leave Lee Chae alone in a dangerous place.

Haejin abandoned his plan to go home and decided to wait a little longer in front of the building.

Inside the cleanup crew, Yeo-jun was already waiting.

Lee Chae greeted him as usual.

“Hyung, you’re early again today too.”

“…Yeah. You’re a bit late, though?”

The smile felt strangely mocking.

Unlike the usual relaxed clothes and warm welcome, something was off.

Did I do something wrong?

Couldn’t think of anything.

“Something unexpected came up. Sorry. I’ll come earlier from now on.”

“I never complained about you being late. You’re a student, it happens…”

Yeo-jun’s gaze was fixed on the shopping bag in Lee Chae’s hand, expression cold.

Lee Chae was flustered.

If it wasn’t about being late, then what…?

Yeo-jun had always been exceptionally kind and gentle compared to others, so this felt even weirder.

Lee Chae forced a friendly smile and lifted the bag.

“Hyung, something really infuriating happened yesterday.”

Yeo-jun’s eyes moved to his face.

“What happened?”

“Yesterday was a canceled class, but I was the only one without a phone, so I didn’t get the message. If I’d known, I would’ve come early.”

Yeo-jun tilted his head, looking surprised.

“So you went and bought a phone?”

The tone was clearly You, the ultimate cheapskate, bought that?

Lee Chae didn’t want unnecessary misunderstandings about Haejin, so he tried to brush it off.

“Yeah, well, is that a problem? I’ve lived frugally, so I can splurge a little.”

“The latest model?”

That was outright sarcasm.

Now that it was clearly picking a fight, Lee Chae couldn’t let it slide.

“Hyung, did I really do something wrong? Or did something happen at work today?”

“Huh? N-no…”

Yeo-jun visibly panicked and stuttered at the direct question.

“You’re really weird today. It’s not like you.”

Yeo-jun’s mouth twitched like he had something to say.

Lee Chae waited quietly.

After a moment, Yeo-jun looked him straight in the eye.

“You’ve been looking close with a famous esper lately. Cha Haejin, right?”

Ah. Busted.

Lee Chae’s face stiffened.

He hadn’t wanted this to come out.

Yeo-jun had said he came to the cleanup crew because he hated high-rank espers and refused exclusive contracts.

So this reaction was natural.

“He’s just a senior from school.”

“You two seem way too close for ‘just a senior.’ Plenty of espers have seen you together. That phone—wasn’t it bought by him?”

“N-no.”

The lie came out stuttered.

Yeo-jun sighed.

“Fine if it wasn’t. I was worried you might be another case.”

“What case?”

“My friend dated an A-rank esper. Thought it was real, but the esper had no intention of making her exclusive—just used her for guiding while getting proper guiding from an A-rank. I was afraid you were being played the same way.”

The question was blatantly asking if Haejin only wanted s*x, not guiding.

Even if it was Yeo-jun, Lee Chae couldn’t tolerate the insult.

“That’s too harsh. My rank is low, but sometimes matching rate rises for special reasons, not just rank.”

“What did you say?”

Yeo-jun took a shocked step back.

The reaction was far stronger than expected, making Lee Chae the confused one.

S-rank + D-rank perfect matches were rare, but not impossible.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Not surprised—worried. Cha Haejin is infamous for being twisted. And high-rank espers often treat guides badly…”

Lee Chae nodded slowly.

“Thank you for worrying. But I’m not becoming his exclusive, so you don’t need to worry.”

“…Exclusive? Cha Haejin is capable of that?”

“His energy flow was a mess from not getting guiding. Even I, a D-rank, could tell it was serious, so I guided him once. We got closer after that.”

Lee Chae tried to sound casual, but Yeo-jun shook his head.

“Look… I’m not saying this because I’m worried, but something feels off. S-rank and D-rank matching is possible, but only with S-ranks who’ve received tons of guiding and are used to it. And you know Cha Haejin wasn’t in that state.”

Lee Chae couldn’t exactly say that’s why I avoided him like the plague until now.

That would only deepen the suspicion.

He just wanted to end the conversation.

“I understand you’re worried. I’ll be careful.”

Yeo-jun’s face softened; he patted Lee Chae’s shoulder.

“Lee Chae-ya. You know how I feel, right? I only said it because I’m really worried. Didn’t mean to upset you… guess my personal trauma made me overstep.”

Yeo-jun bowed his head in apology.

Of course. Yeo-jun hyung would never cross the line.

He was originally considerate and warm.

Today was just excessive worry, nothing more.

“I know. That’s why I answered honestly.”

“Thanks.”

Soon, espers who’d finished cleanup began trickling into the treatment room, clutching injuries.

But today the wounds felt worse than usual.

Lee Chae swapped out three pads, guiding frantically.

He was already swamped, and Yeo-jun kept glancing over, making it impossible to focus.