Chapter 10: Relentless Pursuit

“Wow.”

A brutal truth-bomb he never saw coming.

Haejin spat a curse and instantly regretted choosing Jinwoo as his love counselor.

Jinwoo clutched his stomach and wheezed with laughter.

Just as Haejin raised a fist, Jinwoo wiped his face clean and turned dead serious.

“If the guy really rejected you because he has no time and no money, then the only way is to invest your own time and chase him. It’s not that he hates you, so if you keep showing up, his heart might soften.”

“…That could work?”

“Also tell your ‘friend’ he came on way too strong with the ‘let’s date right now’ thing. Tell him to spend a lot of time together first.”

“Got it. I’ll… pass it on.”

“Cool. I’ve got stuff to do, so I’m out.”

Jinwoo left.

For the first time in days, Haejin felt light. He flopped onto his bed.

He hadn’t gone to school or hunting for three days while waiting for Lee Chae, yet exhaustion finally hit.

Cha Haejin had never once failed to get something he wanted.

And a guide with this insane compatibility—who threw himself in front of danger to save a kid despite being D-class?

There was only one Jung Lee Chae in the entire world.

He had to have him, by any means necessary.

All that was left now was full-speed pursuit.

“I understand you’re a student, but showing up late every day puts us in a tough spot too.”

“I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again.”

The debris-cleanup crew—mostly C- and D-classes—was packed today.

Not because there was a lot of work, but because there were too many people looking for any work at all.

Lee Chae, at least being a guide, had tasks.

Low-rank espers just sat in the waiting room cracking pathetic jokes.

They weren’t even allowed near active gates; they only cleaned up after high-ranks finished.

Seeing them stuck in the same rut as him made Lee Chae’s chest ache.

“Jung Lee Chae, you made it?”

Inside the treatment tent, Yeojun waved.

Yeojun was a B-class guide who could’ve gone anywhere, yet turned down exclusive contracts with A-classes and stayed here.

He was sick of espers’ entitlement.

Everyone else called him spoiled; Lee Chae respected him more than anyone.

“A bit late. You must’ve been swamped alone.”

“It’s not that bad. The highest rank here is the same as mine, so no one treats me like trash. No contact needed either—pure bliss.”

“Still hard, though. It’s not too late to come study with me at university. If you become a civil servant—”

Yeojun grabbed Lee Chae’s hand and sent warm guiding energy through it.

The nagging stopped instantly.

“I’ll think about it. I’m just tired right now. Shall we work?”

“…Yeah.”

Whenever Yeojun held his hand, Lee Chae felt like crying for some reason.

Shared pain, or maybe something special in Yeojun’s guiding.

But today, even while receiving that warmth, another face flashed in his mind and ruined his mood.

After finishing the first round of guiding injured espers with Yeojun, Lee Chae went to collect his pay.

The supervisor’s face twisted the moment he saw him.

“Half today. You were late—no complaints, right?”

“…We’re not paid by the hour. There were way more injured than usual; I worked harder than normal. This isn’t what the contract says.”

Lee Chae didn’t back down.

He knew supervisors skimmed government cleanup funds.

The guy clearly saw a young D-class and thought he could steal more.

Lee Chae wasn’t having it.

“…What? Even a D-class thinks he’s a real guide now?”

“No, I’m just saying this violates the contract.”

The supervisor smacked Lee Chae’s head with the logbook.

“Little money-grubber. I was trying to be nice because you have it rough, and this is how you act?”

Lee Chae swallowed tears, snatched the envelope, and fired back.

“I’ll let it slide today. Sir, you’re old enough—maybe stop stealing from people poorer than you.”

He walked out, leaving the supervisor screaming obscenities behind him.

The clear sky above the ruined land only made him feel worse.

Back home, Lee Chae handed the envelope to his mother, skipped dinner, and collapsed into bed.

His hands were still shaking, heart racing.

When he closed his eyes, the guiding with Cha Haejin kept replaying.

The strange sensations every time their hands touched, the heat and breath when he got close—everything felt vivid.

The way Haejin sometimes listened seriously despite acting like a tyrant, the way he’d honestly admitted his thirst…

It all swirled in his head, driving him crazy.

To shake it off, Lee Chae got up, sat at his desk, and organized the assignments he’d neglected because of that lunatic.

He scheduled tomorrow down to the minute.

Only then did the chaos in his chest calm a little.

He overslept from tossing and turning all night, then rushed to campus.

The energy leaking from surrounding espers made him shrink instinctively.

Childish. It’s not even wartime—do they have to flaunt being espers like that?

He sneered and kept walking.

A sports car roared up beside him and stopped with a screech.

Lee Chae assumed it was unrelated and kept going—until a familiar voice called out.

“Guide-nim, you still have classes left—where are you running off to in such a hurry?”

He didn’t need to look to know who it was.

After yesterday’s mess and oversleeping because of it, he couldn’t let this guy mess with him anymore.

But then—

“Jung Lee Chae, exclusive guide of Cha Haejin, last night you—”

The nonsense forced him to turn.

Every passerby gaped like they’d seen a ghost.

“Now you look.”

Haejin acted like nothing happened, glaring at the crowd. “What are you all staring at?”

Then he casually slung an arm over Lee Chae’s shoulders.

Lee Chae stopped dead, clutching his forehead.

“I said we’re done.”

“I never answered that.”

Arguing would only drag it out, and the whispers—“Cha Haejin has an exclusive guide? Never seen that face…”—were getting on his nerves.

He shut his mouth and speed-walked.

“Lee Chae-ya, smile a little. If people think my guide is ugly, I lose face.”

Ignored.

“If rumors spread that my exclusive guide is ugly, I’ll be embarrassed. I have a social image to maintain.”

You’re the one screaming bullshit in the middle of campus, and you’re worried about image?

The words nearly escaped, but he swallowed them.

Come to think of it, he’d always ignored other espers completely, yet somehow always reacted to Cha Haejin.

That was the problem.

From now on: total ignore, same as everyone else.

He walked in silence.

“Why are you ignoring me? At least answer. Ex-clu-sive-guide-nim?”

That’s just wind. It can’t disturb my calm heart.

Haejin, clearly pissed at being ignored again, grabbed his arm and yelled,

“Jung Lee Chae, if you keep acting like this—”

Lee Chae slapped a hand over Haejin’s mouth.

He thought he didn’t care about stares, but this level of insanity was too much.

“Shut up while I’m being nice.”

He growled, then let go—he couldn’t keep covering the guy’s mouth in public.

“I only act like this because you keep ignoring me when I’m trying to date you. Lee Chae-ya, I just want to be close.”

“I told you I’m not dating you. I even gave up my book because I never want to see you again. I have zero interest in being friends. So stop the nonsense and leave me alone.”

“See? Talking face-to-face like this is so much better. Keep answering like this from now on.”

“I really hate you.”

Lee Chae turned away, revolted.

Whatever nonsense came next, he wouldn’t look back.

Thankfully Haejin shut up and just followed like a puppy.

“As expected from a top student. That’s how you say ‘I love you.’ I love you too, Lee Chae-ya.”

Lee Chae repeated inwardly:

No matter what he says, I won’t turn. Whether he follows or not, I don’t care. Treat him exactly like every other esper.

He locked his gaze on the humanities building.

He could feel eyes stabbing into him because of the lunatic’s words.

The lunatic himself could be ignored.

The stares—not so easy.

“Krr… our guide-nim has such a pretty ass. That backside is just…”

Lee Chae stopped dead.

Haejin, thrilled he finally got a reaction, beamed.

“Why’d you stop? Show me more.”

“You lunatic, how far are you planning to follow me?”

Better to ask something productive than waste breath.

“To the ends of the earth!”

Productive my ass.

Lee Chae glared with pure loathing and kept walking.

A terrible feeling told him this guy would follow him into every single class.

He was already sighing.