Chapter 9: Pride and Misunderstanding

“So if I say ‘let’s sleep together once,’ you’ll actually do it?”

All espers are the same, huh. You’re no different.

Lee Chae sneered inwardly, but nodded on the outside.

He’d get what he came for and vanish forever.

“Sure, one time. Give me the book first, then we’ll do it.”

Haejin let out a fake, exaggerated laugh, then turned dead serious.

“Nope!”

Is there a bigger baby on this planet?

Was trying to soothe him the wrong move? This guy was impossible.

“Then what the hell do you want? Stop making me repeat myself. Just say it straight.”

“Hmm… Jung Lee Chae needs his book… and the book is in my hand… what to do~?”

He spun the textbook by its corner like a total idiot.

Talking to a wall would be more productive.

Lee Chae swallowed the urge to scream and took a deep breath.

“I already said I’ll sleep with you.”

“I said no. Do you only know how to throw your body around, Guide-nim?”

Lee Chae’s calm, neat face twisted in an instant.

Live easy by contact-guiding. Just latch onto one esper and your life’s set, right?

He’d heard every filthy comment about low-rank guides his whole life.

He had worked his ass off so no one could say that to his face.

And now: Is throwing your body the only thing you know how to do?

Something inside him snapped.

Haejin sensed the shift and froze.

Lee Chae said nothing, but the air around him turned ice-cold and razor-sharp.

Haejin realized he’d f*cked up and started rambling.

“Uh, forget I said that. I only said it because you weren’t listening when I told you it was my first contact.”

Lee Chae laughed, pure disbelief.

Trying to clean up the mess after ruining someone’s mood: pathetic.

He wasn’t a complete moron if he understood words, so why the hell did he act like this?

Maybe that was exactly why Lee Chae was even angrier.

He crossed his arms and stared, daring Haejin to speak.

Haejin looked away and kept babbling.

“I get that your body’s hot for me, but I need a little preparation, you know? So let’s date first, take it slow, then move forward. Sound good?”

“You said you hate guides, and now you want to date one? Do you even have a brain?”

Haejin answered instantly, shameless.

“Yeah. If I want to get guided, I gotta date first.”

“Why the hell do I have to?”

“Because I like you.”

The words dripped with the arrogance of someone who’d never had to want for anything.

Lee Chae’s teeth ground together.

“I know I look easy to you, but do you think people’s feelings bend to your whims? Whatever delusion you’re under—”

The more he spoke, the angrier he got.

He exhaled sharply, then continued.

“You like me? Then try to look good to me. Stop blackmailing with my weakness first.”

But Haejin wasn’t really listening.

All he registered was pretty face saying pretty things.

There was a reason rejection felt sweet coming from this guy.

Every guide he’d ever met had been desperate to tie even the thinnest string to the S-class esper Cha Haejin.

This one was different; every word was logical, pushing him away with reason.

It was shaking something inside him he couldn’t control.

Haejin stared blankly, then finally spoke.

“How do I look good to you? What do you like? If I give you the book, will you date me?”

“No! You—”

Lee Chae shook his head, speechless.

“You keep playing hard to get, so I have no choice. You felt it too, right? How thirsty I was. You’re not gonna pretend you didn’t. An S-class with sh*tty matching rates and guide-phobia doesn’t act like this with just anyone.”

Lee Chae shut his mouth and actually thought about it from Haejin’s side.

Yeah… the thirst that day was insane. Like my throat was closing.

If an esper who never matched with anyone suddenly found someone with perfect compatibility, this behavior kind of made sense.

Understanding and accepting, though, were different things.

Lee Chae calmed his voice.

“Cha Haejin, our worlds are too different; you might not get it, but since you were honest, I’ll be honest too. I don’t have time for dating. I’m D-class; no future guaranteed. I’m the only breadwinner for my family. Tuition, living expenses; everything falls on me. Dating is a luxury I can’t afford.”

He said it calmly, face serene.

The words hit Haejin like a truck.

He’d always bulldozed through life doing whatever he wanted, right or wrong, because no one ever stopped him.

Now a guide shows up telling him he’s wrong, and somehow it didn’t feel bad.

He almost said “okay” on reflex.

He caught himself and asked instead:

“Do you hate me?”

Lee Chae sighed.

“Did you hear anything I just said? It’s not that I hate you. I literally have no time or mental space for dating.”

“I’m an S-class esper. Pretty famous.”

“So?”

“I have money and time. We can share. What’s the problem?”

The words stabbed straight into Lee Chae’s heart.

Crude, inconsiderate, zero empathy.

And he tilted his head like he genuinely didn’t see the issue.

Lee Chae exploded.

“Do I look like a beggar to you? You think I’m someone who’ll wag my tail the second you throw money? I was trying to end this nicely, but you’re even bigger trash than I thought. I don’t want to spend another second with you. Keep the damn book. I don’t need it.”

He turned and stormed out.

It happened so fast Haejin didn’t even move to stop him.

Haejin stared at the abandoned Guiding Theory textbook, grabbed his hair, and screamed internally.

After Lee Chae left, Haejin sat there trying to figure out what went wrong.

He’d known the guy had pride, but he still couldn’t pinpoint which part had crushed it.

Every guide he’d ever met would’ve killed to guide him; he paid way above market rate even for reluctant non-contact sessions.

Yet Lee Chae got furious when he offered to share money.

He said he was struggling, then rejected money?

Was it because he was D-class and felt inferior?

Or was it the “only know how to throw your body” comment that really hurt?

If it was the first, maybe fixable.

If it was the second… then he’d become the exact kind of person who buys feelings with money.

He thought and thought.

No money, no time… has to support a big family?

Then should I just eliminate the family? He shook his head violently. That would make him an enemy for life.

But straight-up giving money made him explode…

The door burst open.

“Little sh*t! Ever heard of knocking?”

“Since when do I knock?”

Jinwoo squinted.

“What were you doing alone?”

Haejin threw a cushion at him.

“Don’t get weird ideas. Your hyung is in deep thought.”

“About what?”

Jinwoo plopped down.

“You’ve been off lately anyway.”

Haejin stared.

Should I really ask this idiot?

He was about to give up and sleep when Jinwoo poked his side.

“Spit it out. Unless it’s family stuff, I can help. Especially dating; hyung’s an expert.”

Haejin’s eyes snapped open.

He cleared his throat.

“Okay, listen. This is about… a friend of mine…”

He retold everything that happened with Lee Chae, pretending it wasn’t him.

Jinwoo barely held in his laughter, face perfectly serious.

“So… the conclusion is your friend keeps getting rejected?”

“Exactly!”

“Is this friend ugly, maybe?”

“No! Insanely hot.”

“Hm. Has money too… then there’s only one reason.”

“Tell me!”

“Personality.”