Chapter 31: Skin-to-Skin, Heart-to-Heart

At Tae-woo’s answer, So-won’s expression brightened at once.

Before Tae-woo could change his mind, So-won hurriedly nodded.

As Tae-woo took off his clothes, So-won couldn’t tear his eyes away from him.

Because of the dark red veins concentrated around his heart, it looked as though there were holes punctured through Tae-woo’s body.

It was a sight he had seen once before in Tae-woo’s private room, yet the dull ache in his chest was unavoidable.

Worried he might be caught staring, So-won quickly removed only the thin top of his pajamas.

Compared to Tae-woo, his body—far removed from exercise, without a single defined muscle—felt embarrassingly inadequate.

Trying not to show it, So-won pretended nothing was amiss as he set the clothes he’d taken off down on the floor.

“Should we do the guiding on the bed?”

It was already late at night, and Tae-woo had just returned from a gate, so fatigue must have built up.

They decided it would be best to lie down and rest while guiding.

Seeing Tae-woo approach his side, So-won hesitated briefly before lying down leaning against him, just as he had during the guiding examination.

Settled between Tae-woo’s arms, So-won rested his head on his shoulder.

One hand that remained exposed was placed atop Tae-woo’s chest, and he pressed his body close, widening the area of contact as much as possible for guiding.

Tae-woo’s upper body was large, making it well-suited for close contact.

“—”

Perhaps because the clothing that had blocked the direct flow of waves was gone, Tae-woo’s waves felt heavier than usual.

At the unwelcome pain, So-won’s body instinctively tensed, but it wasn’t unbearable.

Feeling the tension in So-won’s body, Tae-woo spoke gently.

“If it’s difficult, you can stop.”

“N-no, it’s okay.

I’ll get used to it soon.”

Afraid Tae-woo might suggest stopping the guiding altogether, So-won hurried to reassure him.

Fortunately, after checking So-won’s condition once, Tae-woo didn’t press the matter further.

The guiding continued steadily.

At first, the violently surging waves were a heavy burden, but they calmed just as quickly.

As So-won had said, before long he adjusted.

Once he had some room to breathe, the emptiness at his back began to feel oddly lacking.

“It might work even better if you hold me too…”

So-won muttered softly.

Tae-woo recalled the time he had nearly hurt So-won by pulling him in too strongly without meaning to.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he made his decision.

“Then, excuse me.”

Tae-woo turned his body toward So-won.

Carefully, he placed a hand on So-won’s waist.

When his fingertips met the soft flesh there, Tae-woo paused for a moment, then gently drew So-won into his arms.

The skin brushing against his rough, vein-lined body was so soft it felt unreal.

On impulse, Tae-woo pulled the arm around So-won’s waist in just a little tighter.

Trapped in Tae-woo’s embrace, So-won shifted uncomfortably, but Tae-woo didn’t let go.

Tae-woo closed his eyes.

So-won’s breath touched his chest.

If he lowered his face just slightly, soft hair would brush against his lips.

The small body in his arms was warm and gentle, and the urge to hold him even tighter wouldn’t subside.

“Um… Tae-woo, how was the gate?”

Feeling awkward in the silence, So-won asked.

But Tae-woo, his mind stolen away by the So-won in his arms, couldn’t answer for a long while.

Since he hadn’t asked expecting a reply, So-won continued.

“I was anxious the whole time you were in the gate.

I kept worrying you might get hurt…

But at the same time, I was kind of happy—like I finally understood how the other guides feel.”

Worried.

Tae-woo opened his eyes, which he’d briefly closed.

Until now, he had believed that worrying about himself—someone who didn’t easily get injured or die, someone destined to eventually lose control and disappear—was a waste of time.

In truth, Tae-woo himself had never once worried about his own body.

“I… don’t get hurt easily.”

“I know you’re strong, Tae-woo, but… I can’t help worrying.”

Tae-woo managed to respond, but this time he truly found himself at a loss for words.

It was the first time someone had worried about him.

After meeting So-won, everything had been a first.

A peaceful daily life.

Days not spent writhing in pain.

A smile turned toward him, clear and bright.

All of it—all of it—was new.

His chest stirred uneasily.

Emotions he thought had long gone numb seemed to be slowly reviving after meeting So-won.

Perhaps because of that, his heart began to pound hard.

This was something that always happened when his condition worsened—but it was different.

It wasn’t painful or exhausting; it simply beat loudly.

The sudden, violent thudding of his heart left Tae-woo flustered.

***

After guide training ended, So-won stopped in his tracks on the way home.

Across the road, the Association building stood with its windows gleaming, drawing his gaze.

Naturally, his thoughts drifted to Tae-woo, who would be inside.

After returning from the gate, Tae-woo had received guiding for a single night and quickly returned to normal.

Perhaps the skin-to-skin contact had been especially effective—his complexion even looked better than usual.

Filled with motivation, So-won had planned to focus on guiding over the weekend, but unfortunately, that hadn’t happened.

Tae-woo had said he still had work to handle and left for the Association at the crack of dawn.

Come to think of it, the regular checkup should be coming up soon.

So-won quietly counted the days.

Yes—it was approaching.

A month had passed since he’d become Tae-woo’s guide, and it would soon be his second regular examination.

A flicker of anxiety surfaced.

Lately, he had finally been doing something that resembled proper guiding, but since he’d started so late, there was no way the numbers would improve significantly by the next checkup.

At this rate, the results would probably be similar to last time…

Remembering the attending physician’s hardened expression as he’d reviewed the test results, So-won let out a deep sigh.

If they went into the exam like this, they might end up receiving pamphlets again—just like last time.

And this time, not only So-won, but Tae-woo as well.

Imagining himself bowing his head guiltily beside Tae-woo as he skimmed through something that was little more than a pornographic magazine made So-won’s heart start thump-thump-thump even now.

To prevent that worst-case scenario, he needed to increase guiding time starting today.

Conveniently, after finishing guide training, he had plenty of free time.

As long as it didn’t interfere with Tae-woo’s work, continuing to guide him in his private room whenever time allowed seemed like a good idea.

Would he be busy?

So-won fidgeted with the smartphone in his pocket.

Now that he’d actually arrived in front of the Association, memories of how busy Tae-woo had looked since returning from the gate made him hesitate to go inside.

He could just call and ask—but since he’d barely ever spoken with Tae-woo on the phone, even that simple act felt strangely difficult.

“Guide Lee So-won?”

At that moment, a familiar voice called his name.

Turning around with the thought that he’d heard it somewhere before, So-won nearly fled on the spot once he recognized the face.

“Running into you again.”

“Hello, Esper Choi Si-hyeok.”

If he’d known who it was, he would’ve pretended not to hear.

Turning toward the voice, he found Si-hyeok standing there, smiling at him with crescent-shaped eyes.

Calling a grown man over 190 centimeters tall “pretty” didn’t quite fit—but that was the impression he gave.

After offering a brief greeting, So-won unconsciously clasped his wrist, which still felt faintly sore where Si-hyeok had grabbed it before.

“What brings you to the Association?

Did you come to see me?”

Si-hyeok stepped closer, smiling warmly as he tossed out the lighthearted joke.

His dazzling looks were almost blinding.

So-won had seen him just days ago, yet it was still a face he couldn’t quite get used to.

“I’m here to see Tae-woo.”

“Tae-woo?

Ah—Esper Kang Tae-woo?”

Si-hyeok’s eyes widened as he asked again.

It was as if he was questioning whether the “Tae-woo” So-won mentioned was really the Kang Tae-woo he knew.

When So-won nodded, surprise spread across his face.

“You’re already close enough to call him that?

I’m jealous.”

“Haha…”

“Then why didn’t you contact me?

I was waiting.”

Ah—right.

The business card.

Only when Si-hyeok lowered his brows in disappointment did So-won remember the card he’d been given.

He’d slipped it into his pocket and completely forgotten about it.

“Well… I lost it.”

Since he’d never intended to contact him anyway, So-won made a convenient excuse.

He glanced over cautiously, worried the lie might be obvious, but fortunately, it didn’t seem like he’d been found out.

Instead, Si-hyeok reacted with open shock.

“What?

You lost it?

The card I gave you?”

So-won, who hadn’t expected such an intense reaction, grew flustered himself.

Maybe he should’ve said he forgot instead?

He regretted it slightly, thinking the truth might have gone over more smoothly.

“No way…”

Si-hyeok muttered quietly, his face stricken.

So-won shifted awkwardly under his gaze.

Because Si-hyeok appeared so often in the media, he almost felt more familiar than Tae-woo—but being around him was inexplicably uncomfortable.

More than anything, So-won wanted to leave and retreat to the quiet of Tae-woo’s private room.

He began desperately turning the situation over in his head, searching for a way out.

Should he say he needed to go to Tae-woo right away?

No—if Si-hyeok decided to follow him, that would be a disaster.

If Tae-woo and Si-hyeok ran into each other, things would be twice as awkward as they already were—and So-won didn’t want that.

He tried thinking of other options, but every path led to the same bleak future where he failed to escape Si-hyeok.

He considered slipping away while Si-hyeok was still out of it, but at the exact moment the thought crossed his mind, their eyes met.

Si-hyeok, who had looked utterly stunned just moments ago, had already returned to his usual easy smile.

“Well, if it’s already lost, there’s nothing to be done.

Since we’ve run into each other anyway—how about going to get a guiding test?”