Chapter 79: Borrowed Without Consent

“Where is this place?”

“Well… somewhere in the mountains, I guess.

I don’t know the exact location either.

It’s remote enough that there’s no signal.”

“So… I was kidnapped?”

“Kidnapped is a bit harsh.

Let’s say I borrowed you for a while.”

So it was a kidnapping after all.

So-won let out a long sigh.

Judging by the altitude, it would take at least half a day just to make it down the mountain, and he had no idea how he was supposed to escape from a place like this.

“Is your head okay?”

Si-hyeok suddenly asked about his condition.

So-won recalled the pounding headache he’d felt when he first came to in the bedroom and answered cautiously.

“My head?

It’s still a bit dizzy, but…”

“You’re not nauseous?

Don’t feel like you’re about to die or anything?”

“No.”

“That’s a relief.

I shook your brain a little to knock you out, but when you didn’t wake up for two days, I started wondering if I should take you to a hospital.”

“…What?”

Shook his brain?

So-won stared at him in disbelief.

He’d expected that Si-hyeok had done something to make him lose consciousness, but this was far beyond what he’d imagined.

Without realizing it, So-won raised a hand to his head.

No wonder it still felt so horribly unsteady.

…Wait.

“Two days?”

Only then did So-won catch the strange part of what Si-hyeok had said.

“The matching rate must be lower than I thought.

While Guide Lee So-won was unconscious, guiding didn’t work at all.”

“You’re saying I was out for two whole days?”

“If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve just brought you here quietly.

Wasted a lot of time because of that.”

“Th-Then… today’s date is—”

They spoke over each other, neither really listening.

The conversation went nowhere.

So-won couldn’t accept what he was hearing and instinctively rejected reality.

It felt like he’d blacked out for a moment and woken up again.

The idea that two full days had passed was impossible to swallow.

While So-won sat there, momentarily stunned into silence, Si-hyeok complained about how terrible his condition had become without guiding, but none of it reached So-won’s ears.

“So hurry up and try guiding me.”

Si-hyeok crooked a finger.

The moment he did, something yanked at So-won’s body, pulling him sharply forward.

He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact as he assumed he’d slam into the hard floor.

Instead, he collapsed onto Si-hyeok, who had been sitting on the sofa.

“Ugh…”

The nausea he thought had settled surged again.

So-won staggered, grabbing the sofa as he pushed himself upright.

When he lifted his head, clutching his forehead, his gaze collided with Si-hyeok’s blue eyes.

A vivid blue shimmer rippled through Si-hyeok’s pupils.

An inexplicable chill ran down So-won’s spine, and he froze, lips pressed shut.

Gradually, the light faded, and Si-hyeok’s eyes returned to their original brown.

Si-hyeok pulled So-won into a tight embrace.

Caught mid-motion, So-won ended up awkwardly pressed against him.

Zap.

A sensation both unfamiliar and strangely familiar flowed into him.

It was similar to the resonance he’d felt whenever Tae-woo’s condition deteriorated.

“Ah… yeah.

Real guiding really is better than machines.”

Si-hyeok’s resonance poured into So-won, moving through him indiscriminately.

The feeling was nothing like guiding Tae-woo.

It was different—and deeply unpleasant.

So-won grimaced.

He hated everything about this situation, hated the resonance coursing through his body.

Even so, Si-hyeok did nothing beyond holding him.

He didn’t force a kiss, didn’t try anything overtly inappropriate.

So-won wanted to push him away, but he endured it.

There were still too many unknowns.

He didn’t know where they were, whether two days had truly passed, or what was going on at all.

Instead of resisting, he decided to ask questions.

Somehow, it felt like Si-hyeok might actually answer right now.

“Esper Choi Si-hyeok… I’ve really been here for two days?”

“Yes.”

“Then… Tae-woo—”

“You don’t need to worry about Esper Kang Tae-woo.

He probably hasn’t even made it out of the Gate yet.”

For once, Si-hyeok answered clearly.

So-won nodded, recalling what Tae-woo had said.

The Gate was massive this time; it could take a long while.

It seemed Si-hyeok knew that as well.

“Then… will you let me go back before Tae-woo comes out of the Gate?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that.

But don’t be too disappointed.

It won’t take that long.”

Despite his words, So-won couldn’t bring himself to trust him at all.

Kidnapping someone in the first place already put Si-hyeok far outside the bounds of common sense.

“…If he realizes I’m gone, Tae-woo will worry.”

So-won murmured gloomily.

He worried about Tae-woo returning from the Gate and discovering he had vanished.

He had promised never to leave him no matter what.

What if Tae-woo thinks I left because I hated him?

The thought made his chest tighten.

“Guide Lee So-won.

You said you were on your way to your parents’ house, right?”

So-won nodded quietly.

“Then just send them a message from your phone saying you’ll be staying there for a while.”

Si-hyeok pulled something from his pocket and gave it a small shake.

The moment So-won recognized the familiar shape in his hand, his eyes widened.

“That’s—!

That’s my phone!

Give it back!”

So-won lunged for it, but Si-hyeok lifted his arm effortlessly, keeping it just out of reach.

So-won flailed, desperately trying to snatch his phone back.

Then, abruptly, his movements stopped.

Not by his own will.

Panicked, he tried to pull his arm back, but his body refused to respond, as if it had completely broken down.

It felt as though control over his body had been stripped away.

He quickly realized Si-hyeok was using his ability to immobilize him.

He couldn’t open his mouth.

No sound came out.

Leaving So-won frozen like a statue, Si-hyeok calmly slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“If a message comes from Guide Lee So-won’s number, Esper Kang Tae-woo will believe it without question.

You know that too, don’t you?”

“…..”

“So staying away for a few days won’t be a problem.”

Si-hyeok whispered sweetly into So-won’s ear.

Though his body could move again, So-won couldn’t bring himself to speak.

He knew all too well that the future would unfold exactly as Si-hyeok described.

Like a stuffed toy, So-won remained limp in Si-hyeok’s arms, blinking dully.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but it felt like about an hour.

He’d tried to pull away once or twice, only to give up immediately when his body refused to cooperate.

Feeling even a shred of sympathy for Si-hyeok—for having lost his Guide—now felt pathetic and humiliating.

If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve gone to Busan with Tae-woo.

At least then someone might have witnessed the kidnapping.

Maybe Tae-woo would have found him sooner.

While Si-hyeok continued receiving guiding in silence, So-won said nothing.

Fatigue slowly crept in.

The longer the guiding lasted, the more drained he felt, as if his strength was being siphoned away.

After a long silence, So-won finally spoke.

“When will you let me go?”

“When I find a Guide.

I’ve expanded the search overseas, so if the Association does its job properly, I should find one within two weeks.”

“That’s… too long.”

“Just think of it as a vacation.”

So-won pressed his lips together, crestfallen.

Two weeks without seeing Tae-woo.

Leaving him alone all that time.

His expression darkened further.

What if Tae-woo’s condition worsens after this Gate?

What if he needs guiding and calls for him, only to get no answer?

Remembering Tae-woo struggling with guiding devices attached all over his body, So-won’s heart sank.

He prayed that Tae-woo would come out of the Gate safely.

And that when he returned home and saw the message Si-hyeok had sent while pretending to be him, he would believe it without suspicion.

That was better than Tae-woo thinking he had been abandoned.

If Tae-woo learned about the kidnapping, he might push himself recklessly trying to find him.

Still…

We were supposed to go see my parents together.

So-won bit down hard on his lip.

A long time had passed since the guiding began.

Checking his watch, Si-hyeok finally released him and stood up.

Curled weakly on the sofa, So-won lifted his head.

“I’m going out for a bit.

As you can see, the terrain here’s rough, so it’s dangerous for a civilian to wander around.

Just stay inside and wait quietly.

The nearest village is a long walk away, so don’t even think about running.”

So-won nodded.

Satisfied with his obedience, Si-hyeok continued.

“This is a mobile house I received as a gift not long ago.

It’s got a generator and running water, so it won’t be uncomfortable.

I’m going to pick up some necessities.

Do you need anything?”

“…No.”

“Then I’ll take care of it.”

Before leaving, Si-hyeok gave him a rough explanation of the house’s layout.

So-won listened halfheartedly, nodding without really paying attention.

Soon, the sound of the door closing echoed through the house.

So-won remained seated for a while before slowly pushing himself up.

By now, Si-hyeok should be far enough away.

Now’s my chance.

No matter how deep in the mountains this place was, he couldn’t just sit around.

Si-hyeok claimed he’d let him go in two weeks, but So-won couldn’t bear being separated from Tae-woo for that long.

And if finding a Guide took longer than expected, his return could be delayed indefinitely.

Before leaving, So-won searched the house for anything that might be useful.

Most of the rooms were nearly empty, filled only with brand-new furniture that looked like it had never been used.

It really did seem like a gifted mobile home rather than a place Si-hyeok had lived in.

At least, he found one thing.

His shoes.

They were tossed carelessly in the corner of the room where he’d first woken up, something he only noticed now.

So-won quietly slipped them on.

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