Chapter 26: The Lunatic’s Final Boss-Level Shamelessness

There were always these types.

Guys who showed up to the cleanup crew perfectly healthy just to get guided while sexually harassing the guide.

Lee Chae gripped the pad, deciding: one more touch and he was done playing nice.

Right then, the man slid a hand up his thigh.

Lee Chae slammed the pad down and glared.

“Don’t move. Touch me again and I report you.”

“Wow, acting all expensive.”

Guides weren’t toys to be played with.

Every time he met these assholes, he questioned the job.

Whether high-rank or low-rank, espers were all the same—except… why was Cha Haejin…

“Thank you. I feel so much better. Must be because it’s you.”

That sentence echoed in his ears the entire shift.

He worked like normal, yet felt like he was floating.

Espers getting guided kept saying his face looked feverish.

He touched his own cheek—actually burning up.

He ran to the bathroom and splashed cold water.

Even away from Haejin, the excitement wouldn’t fade.

Was it because of the “must be because it’s you” praise?

Or was the abnormal reaction just refusing to stop?

“Holy… it’s completely gone?”

“F*ck, japchae is no joke…”

Jin-woo and Jae-hyung spoke at the same time, staring at the perfectly healed leg.

They’d thought it would take ages, yet a short guiding left no trace.

“Told you. That’s our Lee Chae for you. He hovered his hand so close to my leg, teasing me, burning my soul… kheugh…”

Classic proud boyfriend mode.

At first they were amazed by the recovery speed, then slowly exhausted by the bragging.

“And then his fingertips finally—! I almost died. So this is why espers are obsessed with guides.”

Technically the fingers never actually touched—just hovered extremely close.

But the guy who always insisted on the pad had used bare hands.

Tremendous progress.

Just thinking about it made his body hot again.

“Electricity shooting through my whole body, blood rushing backwards, heart stopping—”

They hadn’t even been able to speak back then.

Ears red, avoiding eye contact, throat dry from holding back the urge to kiss.

“Enough. What would playboys like you know?”

Jin-woo clicked his tongue in pity.

“If your heart stops you die, moron. Stop the bullsh*t.”

“Yeah, it’s my first time seeing hyung like this—interesting, but it’s a bit much.”

“Much? It felt so f*cking good, that’s why. Oh right! Dog Jin-woo, I have a favor.”

Jin-woo narrowed his eyes (What kind of bullsht is coming now?*).

“Don’t curse me with your eyes, dog Jin-woo.”

“Caught me? Then stop the bullsh—”

Before he finished, Haejin cut in.

“Getting hit by a monster on purpose works, but it still feels bad, so you scratch me up a bit.”

Both Jin-woo and Jae-hyung’s jaws dropped.

Haejin grabbed Jin-woo’s arm and begged.

“I thought about it—no other way to get skin-to-skin contact. Our ice prince heard I was hurt and came running, worried, touched me… If I get injured like a hundred times—”

Jin-woo headbutted him before he could finish.

“You lunatic! Snap out of it! How are you less mature than little japchae?!”

“…What?”

“You think japchae fell for your pathetic trick?”

“…”

“He pretended not to notice. Idiot! He works at the cleanup crew, right? You know how many guidings he does a day? Oh wait—you’re an S-class, you wouldn’t know or need to know.”

Haejin sulked under the sharp criticism.

“So what…”

“When you see monster wounds every day, you learn patterns. This level of injury = this much damage, this much defense… You know that, right?”

“…I do.”

“Yeah, you’re only an idiot when it comes to japchae.”

“I don’t know, f*ck. The moment I see Lee Chae my brain empties, I feel like he’ll run away if I don’t do something fast, I’m going insane from anxiety—what am I supposed to do? Even if it’s like this—ow!”

Another headbutt, harder this time.

“This bastard keeps hitting hyung-nim’s head?”

Jin-woo raised his fist again.

“You deserve it. Thinking that way about someone you love—is that normal? To me you just look like a dog in heat.”

“…”

The blunt words shut Haejin up.

Wanting to “do” Lee Chae, wanting to lock him up—maybe it really wasn’t normal.

He’d never felt this before.

But the “proper” love people talked about didn’t have to be the only way, right?

Love was different for everyone.

In this insane world of insane monsters and people going crazier by the day, normal love felt out of place anyway.

While Haejin was lost in thought, Jin-woo tossed out:

“Today proved Lee Chae doesn’t completely hate you. So stop planning to wound a healthy body. Go say you’re grateful and want to buy him dinner. Or ask him to a movie.”

“Kheuk, playboy experience pays off. Solid strategy!”

Haejin jumped up and headed to the bathroom to get ready.

He’d already forgotten Lee Chae’s “rest today” instruction.

Lee Chae spotted Haejin waiting in front of the cleanup crew and froze.

Even with monster-level recovery, shouldn’t he be resting the same day he was injured and guided?

“Hi?”

“…”

Lee Chae ignored him and walked straight.

Haejin casually matched his pace.

Lee Chae stopped, sighed, and stared.

“No pride?”

“What’s that?”

“I ignored your greeting. You’re supposed to be offended.”

“Why would I be? People ignore greetings sometimes.”

He hadn’t planned to talk, but the more he learned, the more question marks appeared.

Did Haejin really have no pride?

Every esper Lee Chae had met treated pride like oxygen.

They had power, so they looked down on others and did whatever they wanted.

Ignore them a bit and they’d back off like nothing happened.

But the more Lee Chae ignored Haejin, the clingier he got.

Never once properly angry.

Was that why he was curious?

Or…

“Are you always this lenient?”

Haejin turned and stared.

The sculpted face broke into a perfect smile.

The irritation that had been rising melted away.

Am I weak to pretty faces? No way—not with this lunatic.

“No way… only with Jung Lee Chae is everything okay. As long as you don’t get hurt or do contact guiding with another esper.”

“Then if I want you to leave me alone, I just have to get hurt or guide someone else? You’ll hate me and stop chasing?”

“In that shitty scenario, I wouldn’t need to chase.”

He really seemed to mean it—no prideful puppy act.

“I’d just kidnap you, lock you up, and make you my exclusive guide.”

“You do realize that’s a crime?”

“Yeah.”

He answered brightly.

“But that’s the least dirty method.”

“…Why?”

“I have no plans to give you up, the situation’s already happened, so I’ll use any means. The easiest is telling headquarters I won’t hunt without you.”

Goosebumps.

He might actually do it.

“But f*ck, I’ve got esper pride. That’s too cowardly.”

“…”

“Too embarrassing. If I’m gonna do it, I’d rather kidnap you so you can’t leave, or cry and beg on my knees for you to only look at me—that’s way more manly and cool.”

His voice was soaked in laughter.

Lee Chae raised an eyebrow to avoid falling for the nonsense.

“Anyway, Lee Chae-ya.”

“…Don’t call me that. I’m scared of what comes next.”

“You guided me every time I got hurt. I’m so grateful I can’t just let it go. So let’s eat and watch a movie. How about it?”

“Why the hell would I watch a movie with you? Don’t overreact just because I pitied you once.”

Lee Chae snapped.

Haejin smiled softly and placed a hand on his head.

Last time this happened he’d sworn to get angry next time.

Yet again—he failed.

This is driving me insane.

Missing the timing to be angry was bad enough, but then the bullshit began.

“I won’t pick anything dirty.”

What is wrong with his ears.

Speechless, Lee Chae glared.

Haejin looked back innocently, as if he’d done nothing wrong.

“Who said dirty movies were the problem? Watching a movie with yo—”

“Oh. So dirty is okay! Got it. Noted.”

“No—f*ck—listen—!”