Chapter 52: Something Quietly Changed

Tae-woo remained perched at the edge of the bed, sitting exactly as he had when he first sat down, quietly watching So-won.

As So-won returned to his side, he noticed the guiding machine sitting beside the bed and paused in front of it.

He remembered the first night they moved into Tae-woo’s home, how he had attached the guiding machine, and asked:

“Do you want me to turn on the guiding machine?”

“No.

It’s fine.”

So-won froze, expecting Tae-woo to say yes.

The clutter of cables was inconvenient, but he had thought that receiving machine guiding alongside contact guiding would be better for Tae-woo.

Yet clearly, Tae-woo had a different opinion.

Now that he thought about it, So-won realized he hadn’t seen Tae-woo use the machine lately.

Recalling the nights since he had begun visiting Tae-woo’s room, he realized Tae-woo hadn’t once used the machine at home.

“Tae-woo, why haven’t you been using the guiding machine at home?”

“I didn’t need it.”

So-won furrowed his brows, puzzled, prompting Tae-woo to continue:

“Thanks to your guiding, So-won, I no longer need the machine.”

“But… I didn’t even know how to guide properly at first, so I probably wasn’t much help… I could only hold your hand.”

“No.

That was enough.”

So-won pressed his lips together and fell silent.

He felt a strange warmth in his chest, grateful that even his clumsy attempts to hold Tae-woo’s hand had been enough.

He simply nodded in response.

So-won stopped fidgeting with the machine and sat down on the edge of the bed.

He was close enough that a small movement would bring their shoulders into contact.

“Then… shall we guide?”

He slowly raised his hand, placing it over Tae-woo’s hand, and lifted his gaze.

Their eyes met for a brief moment, and without hesitation, they kissed.

Or perhaps it had been So-won who initiated it, since he had closed his eyes first.

It was a gentle kiss—not too soft, not too intense.

Their lips met with tenderness, tongues lightly intertwining.

When So-won seemed to forget to breathe, Tae-woo briefly parted their lips, allowing him to inhale.

“Mm…”

Each brush of their tongues sent tremors through So-won’s fingers.

His hand twitched against Tae-woo’s, reacting to every subtle movement, and he felt embarrassed at how easily his reactions were revealed.

They continued guiding, alternating with brief pauses, until late at night when Tae-woo’s condition had improved enough for them to return home.

So-won was exhausted from a long day of running around.

Tae-woo, having even visited the gate, must have been far more worn out.

He was sleepy enough that he could fall asleep immediately if he lay down, but Tae-woo’s condition wasn’t fully stable yet.

So-won entered his room with a determined expression.

“Where did I put it…?”

He rifled through the drawers, looking for something he was certain he had placed there.

The thinness of it made it hard to spot.

After digging through the cluttered drawer, he finally exclaimed, “Found it!” and pulled out a familiar pamphlet.

[Same-s*x (Male-Male) Guiding Tips – Adults]

So-won swallowed hard and opened to the first page.

***

His mind was still foggy, but warmth radiated from Tae-woo’s body.

The large frame in his arms filled the emptiness left by sleep.

So-won hugged him tighter and rubbed his face against the familiar form.

But whatever he was holding felt far too solid to be just a blanket.

“Huh…?”

Blinking awake, So-won’s eyes caught Tae-woo’s arm streaked with veins.

Sleep vanished instantly.

He nearly sat up with a start, but fortunately, his body was stiff and no commotion erupted.

So-won kept still, only moving his eyes.

The window was half-open, letting in a crisp breeze.

He finally remembered that he had opened it to clean the room and forgotten to close it.

The chilly air from last night’s rain had likely driven Tae-woo to cling for warmth.

So-won pretended to shift, testing the waters, but then paused.

…Should I just check Tae-woo’s condition?

Since he was already holding him, it seemed like a good opportunity.

Pretending to sleep, So-won monitored Tae-woo’s energy flow.

Given how rapidly his condition had worsened, the recovery was surprisingly quick.

His veins had returned to their normal, still state.

It was enough to feel reassured.

So-won quietly loosened his arms from around Tae-woo.

“Tae-woo, did you sleep well?”

He spoke as if waking up from sleep, hesitantly sitting up.

Tae-woo had already been awake, but the embrace kept him from moving, leaving So-won feeling embarrassed.

“What time is it?”

“Eleven o’clock.”

“Lunch is soon, huh…”

They had woken up later than usual.

Thankfully, Tae-woo hadn’t left for work without him.

Before bed, So-won had urged him to rest for the day to avoid another episode—and it seemed to have worked.

His stomach rumbled, empty from skipping dinner the night before.

So-won wondered what lunch would be.

Flipping through long-forgotten memories, he realized something:

We’ve never eaten together at home.

Since starting to come and go together to Tae-woo’s private room, they had occasionally shared lunch there.

But at home, they each ate separately at their set times.

So-won had never noticed the oddity—just habit.

He glanced at Tae-woo and thought, Should I ask him to eat with me?

Eating alone felt normal, but sharing a meal in the same house suddenly seemed strange.

“Tae-woo, do you want to have lunch together today?”

“If you want, So-won, then yes.”

“Okay.

I’ll contact them so we can eat together.”

So-won quickly sent a message.

Since he usually ate alone on weekdays, he worried that there wouldn’t be enough ingredients, but the reply came immediately: “Understood.”

Tae-woo, quietly watching the half-open window, spoke:

“So-won.”

“Yes?”

“I want to show you something.”

So-won tilted his head.

Without another word, Tae-woo led him outside.

As they stepped into the yard, So-won’s eyes widened.

“Huh?”

Two identical cars were parked in the driveway.

Looking up at Tae-woo, he explained:

“When you went home alone the day of the emergency call, I worried about you and prepared these.”

“F-for me?”

“Yes.

Drive them comfortably.”

Tae-woo handed him the keys resting on the hood.

So-won couldn’t hide his excitement; his grin stretched impossibly wide as he took the keys with both hands.

Between Espers and guides, material gifts were allowed.

Even if the car cost as much as a house, Tae-woo was accustomed to switching cars every few months.

It wasn’t unreasonable to accept a gift he had already purchased for him.

“You mentioned wanting a car like mine, so I prepared identical ones.

If you don’t like them…”

“No!

I love it!”

He answered before Tae-woo could finish.

He had wanted this car for a long time and couldn’t wait to explore it.

So-won’s excitement made him forget even his hunger.

He even persuaded Tae-woo to take a short drive nearby.

Once home, he realized he had dragged Tae-woo around despite his weakened state, but the excitement lingered.

***

So-won studied Tae-woo with a serious expression.

Since starting guiding, Tae-woo had gradually changed.

His stoic personality and quiet consideration of So-won remained unchanged.

He rarely initiated conversation and always looked out for So-won, just as he had when they first met.

Their daily routines—commuting together, returning home, guiding each other to sleep—remained constant.

The change So-won noticed, however, was in Tae-woo’s appearance.