You're Scared To Believe I'm The One - Mawiiish - 징크스 - 밍과 | Jinx (2024)

“Joo Jaekyung!”

The file slammed into the desk with such force that the papers flew everywhere. Still, it did nothing to deter the 6’4 Esper reclining in a chair in front of said desk. Manager Park Namwook knew better than to start yelling, it was nearly impossible to get through Jaekyung’s thick skull but Namwook had thought they’d been through this enough times that the Esper had understood. Apparently not.

“Do you see all this damn paperwork? This is all because of you. You cannot under any circ*mstances have sex with the Guides!” Namwook said, trying to keep his voice calm. He was failing miserably.

Jaekyung raised an eyebrow as he shrugged. They’d already been through this so many times. How Coach didn’t get tired of these talks Jaekyung didn’t know. Not that he cared much. He was going to do whatever he wanted either way.

“How many times do we have to go over this? If you want that form of intimate guiding, start dating a Guide! That’s not against the rules!”

Jaekyung rolled his eyes but said nothing. He was used to these scoldings, there was nothing new to what Manager Park said, just as there wouldn’t be any disciplinary action or other consequences. Who would dare go up against Joo Jaekyung, the Emperor himself? The corner of Jaekyung’s mouth twitched upwards but he forced the grin back. There may not be any consequences but Coach had a habit of going on and on if Jaekyung was too co*cky.

“Don’t dismiss me like that!” Park barked. “You know as well as I do that these rules are here for a reason. If you like one of the Guides, why not just date them properly?”

“Like them? Why the hell would I like any of them?” Jaekyung scuffed. Guides were made for Espers, why the hell would he bother with feelings? It’s not like one Guide could take care of him, after all. Several were required to keep him satisfied and healthy. “And dating? Who the-“ One particular twitch of Manager Park’s left eye had him pause. No need to push anymore buttons today. He changed course. “Who has time for that?”

“You!” Park exclaimed. “Literally you! If you want a sexual relationship with a Guide, that is something you will have to make time for outside of work if you won’t go through the proper channels!”

“And who’s gonna protect the city in the meantime?” Jaekyung asked. “You know as well as I do that I’m indispensable.”

“We have other Espers.”

“None in my league though.”

Manager Park removed his classes and sighed. Even the strongest pinch to the bridge of his nose couldn’t calm his thundering headache. He couldn’t even argue with Jaekyung; there was a reason he was allowed to get away with his sh*tty attitude, even to the brass. He was simply that good. Problem was that the kid knew it and took advantage of the fact. Manager Park didn’t want to do this but the big bosses had given him no choice. Get Joo Jaekyung in line or else… He did not want to find out what they’d do if he didn’t comply. Park may be managing the most successful Espers in the guild but that didn’t make him invulnerable. They would not hesitate to fire his ass and he had kids to feed. Time for the big guns… Namwook took a deep breath.

“Suspension,” he finally said.

“Excuse me?!” That single word got Jaekyung’s attention. Gone was the lazy look in his eyes and he straightened in his chair. “What did you just say?”

“Suspension. Two weeks. You’re not allowed on company grounds and that includes the training facilities.”

“You can’t be serious!” Jaekyung slammed his palms against the desk as he stood. “I’m the f*cking Emperor! You can’t suspend me!”

“I’ve warned you countless times, Jaekyung.” He may be a manager now but Namwook had been an exemplary Esper in his younger days. There’s a reason most of the Espers just called him Coach. And as Jaekyung’s coach - as the one who discovered the little sh*t’s talent back in the day - he wasn’t afraid of him or his powers. Besides, despite his awful temper, Jaekyung would never actually harm Manager Park. “You know as well as I do that this is for your own good. I can’t keep holding a hand over you. You broke the rules, repeatedly, might I add, so you have to suffer the consequences.”

“You’re gonna regret this, Coach.” It wasn’t as much a threat as it was a reminder. The guild would have a field day with reporters if it got out that Joo Jaekyung wasn’t active, even if it was only two weeks.

“Probably. But it’ll be good for you. Try dating! Now you’ll have the time.”

“This is f*cking-”

“And,” Namwook said loudly. “This is your last chance. I mean it. If they catch you with another Guide, it’ll be over, Jaekyung. Nothing I can do from now on. Go through the proper channels, date the damn Guide before you pull them into a supply closet. The rules are for everyone.”

“This is bullsh*t,” Jaekyung spat. “You know it too! It was all f*cking consensual, what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that consensual to you might not be consensual to the Guides. The rules are set in place to protect you and them. You know better, Jaekyung, I know you do. I taught you as much.”

Manager Park wasn’t above using underhanded tricks to get Jaekyung to listen, and as weak as Namwook was towards Jaekyung because of their history, Jaekyung was just as weak towards him. It was probably his only weakness, although he’d deny having one until the day he died, the stubborn bastard.

Jaekyung grit his teeth. “What about the portals?”

“Nothing above level B has shown up on the radars,” Park said. “If there’s truly an emergency you know I’ll call. But for now-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jaekyung interrupted as he stomped towards the door. “For now you’re sidelining your best line of defense.”

Manager Park didn’t get to say a word before the door slammed behind Jaekyung. He guessed he should be lucky the hinges stayed on this time. It was going to be alright though. What could go wrong in just two weeks?

The suspension was bullsh*t. It was the old men’s way to exert their power - their nonexistent power. Like hell they could ever touch Joo Jaekyung. He was the reason the guild was doing as well as it was. Nobody wanted weak ass Espers to defend them. And the suspension didn’t do anything. Contrary to popular belief it wasn’t often that Jaekyung went looking for Guides willing to guide through sex. They came to him. Not only was he the most powerful Esper in Korea - if not the world - he also happened to be handsome and richer than most. And he never promised them anything he wouldn’t deliver; that wasn’t his style. The Guides all knew what they were signing up for. Because Jaekyung wasn’t an idiot - he had all his partners sign agreement contracts so they couldn’t pull that “he threatened me” crap that made the dating rules necessary at the company to begin with.

There was no reason for Jaekyung to threaten anyone with his powers. Esper or not, he would never lack willing partners. Willing and eager. Some even begging. So while he didn’t lack partners during his suspension, he was definitely lacking excitement. Half the fun of f*cking Guides was the secrecy of doing it at the guild. He may be physically satisfied but he was bored out of his skull. He hadn’t taken a proper day off in years and he preferred it that way. Jaekyung liked being busy, either with missions or even just training. But it’s not like an Esper could just start blasting sh*t wherever they wanted, not even when that Esper was Joo Jaekyung. Hence why he spent most of his time at the training facility connected to the headquarters. Which he was now banned from.

f*cking bullsh*t.

The irritation was boiling underneath his skin but even Jaekyung knew he couldn’t keep taking it out on Guides. They may be there willingly but nobody signed up to be his metaphorical punching bag. Well, some did, but in Jaekyung’s experience they always asked for more money afterwards and he didn’t want to deal with more complicated sh*t. Plus, he didn’t actually need much guiding these days, what with being suspended and all. Not that the sex wasn’t fun in itself but he could find any ordinary human if all he wanted was to get off. There were plenty of those lining up to suck his co*ck as well.

By day nine Jaekyung was fuming. There was not enough ass in the world to keep him from wanting to burn it to the ground. Two weeks. TWO WEEKS. How dare they suspend him for two weeks? He’d been screwing Guides for years and suddenly they wanted to draw a line? Make an example out of him? As if he was the only one doing it. He wasn’t even the only Esper in the guild f*cking around and they wanted to punish him? Someone must have gone directly to the top to blabber and Jaekyung knew exactly who. He never should have given that green haired bitch a chance. Kid wanted to be exclusive, and didn't want to sign a proper contract beneficial to them both. That in itself was fine, no harm, no foul, but then he’d wanted to be Jaekyung’s personal f*cking Guide, despite knowing the Esper’s stance on it. Guides were an outlet, a means to an end. There was no way he was going to spend his life with one single person, simply because their chemistry was alright. And it hadn’t been all that amazing; the sex was fine, the guiding was average. Nothing to write home about, and yet the moron had wanted them to be for life? f*ck that.

Jaekyung would bet his life savings that that whor* had run directly to the brass the moment he’d dumped his ass. He’d already heard rumors that he’d transferred to another branch, the f*cking coward. If he ever saw him again he’d tear him limb from limb. Jaekyung couldn’t believe he was being confined to his own damn house because of a bitter ex. This much drama for some guiding? It’s not like he’d maimed anyone and even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t actually kill an ex, he wasn’t that unhinged. Or stupid.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Had they really suspended him, Joo Jaekyung because of what a stupid Guide said? What could he have even said to piss them this much off? It wasn’t the first time Jaekyung had been caught so it couldn’t be that. The bastard must’ve said some truly horrendous sh*t for the old men to have dared punish him. All this sh*t just to, what? Teach Jaekyung a lesson? All he’d learned was to make sure the issue with the contracts was taken care of before he f*cked anyone. Or to shut up whoever dared go against him. Guide or not.

What made them think they were so damn special anyway? There may be fewer Guides than Espers but that didn’t mean there wasn't always someone ready to guide. That’s what the guild paid them for, it was their purpose in life. Espers put their ass on the line and Guides put theirs on a platter. It’s a give and take world, but because of one single Guide’s big mouth, Jaekyung had to get grounded like some rebellious teenager. He was a grown man, it was his choice who to sleep with. They were making a deal out of nothing. Imagine if he’d actually taken their advice and dated all the Guides he’d slept with. The guild would barely have any Guides left as soon as they broke up.

Jaekyung didn’t need a personal Guide anyway, what the hell would he go through that mess for? Like there was anyone in the world who could handle him alone. He’d rather go on rampage than be tied to one single Guide. Look where “exclusivity” had taken him. Suspension.

Complete and utter bullsh*t .

The world didn’t collapse from two weeks without Jaekyung to protect it, although it hadn’t been smooth sailing all the way. For one Jaekyung was about two seconds away from burning the entire city to the ground out of pure spite - and boredom. And secondly, there had been more portals than anticipated. They may not have gone above a grade B but even B level portals were tough enough when you had to clear seventeen in one single day. Manager Park had been minutes away from calling Jaekyung late that day until he’d received a call that there were a handful of guides on their way to help them out. He shivered to think what he would have had to go through with the higher ups if they hadn’t showed up. An emergency is an emergency whether or not their strongest Esper is suspended, after all. Luckily it all worked out in the end; the Guides on the battlefield being the most efficient the guild had to offer, led by a newcomer who seemed to match well with any and all Espers he came in contact with. Namwook would have to remember the Guide’s face for later missions. They could use a guy like him, what with his seemingly never ending supply of energy.

Before they knew it, the two weeks were up and Jaekyung was set to return to work. Namwook wasn’t nervous about Jaekyung being back as much as he was terrified of the consequences if the Esper didn’t listen this time around. The suspension was the last chance they had. He had had to beg for the higher ups’ understanding, citing Jaekyung’s young age and how the guild was thriving thanks to his hard work. Ultimately money speaks louder than any words Namwook could come up with. The brass wasn’t prepared to lose what Jaekyung brought to the company. Sponsors, investors, you name it. They were there thanks to the publicity Jaekyung and Team Black earned them. They couldn’t very well step up and tell the world that they’d fired their best Esper because he didn’t take orders well. It would cause a riot.

So, last chance. Namwook just hoped he’d finally gotten through to Jaekyung. He may have cited the boy’s young age but Jaekyung was turning 27 next year; they couldn’t keep using that excuse. But, Namwook thought, Jaekyung must have learned his lesson now that there had been actual consequences to his actions. Right?

Jaekyung strode towards the elevator, ignoring the stares as he walked past several groups of people too busy ogling him to conceal it. It apparently wasn’t a secret why he’d been off-duty for the past two weeks. Not that he cared what other people thought of him but he preferred to be able to walk two steps without people whispering behind his back. Then again, they’d always done that. This time the stares were just less hungry and more judgmental. He was used to jealousy and vicious glares, so although the reason may be different from usual, the eyes were the same. He could handle that the way he always did; by ignoring their existence.

He’d almost reached the elevator when two other Espers stopped in front of the doors as well. Great , Jaekyung thought with a sigh. He couldn’t even have a two minute elevator ride in peace. At least they hadn’t noticed him approaching yet. They were too wrapped up in whatever hushed conversation they were having.

“You know that new Guide?” One of them said in a quiet voice.

“You mean the old one?” Snickered the other.

Despite his initial irritation Jaekyung couldn’t help but listen in. They didn’t have any old Guides in the guild. Most Guides found the work tiresome in the long run and either retired as early as they were allowed or - more often than not - they became personal Guides for an Esper. Sometimes that included marriage, sometimes not. Either way, there weren’t any Guides over 40 at the facility. Jaekyung would know, he’d been with the guild for twenty years.

“Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean, did you see his ring?”

Jaekyung’s eyebrows rose. Ring? No married Guides would work in a public company. Unless they were married to an Ordinary but what were the chances of that? There was a reason most Guides paired up with Espers ever since both kinds started manifesting. It was a symbiotic relationship. At least that’s what Coach had always taught him. Jaekyung wasn’t sure if he agreed. It seemed more like a contractual relationship, if you asked him. Guides needed Espers as much, if not more, than Espers needed Guides. Where else would they get all their energy from? Not an Ordinary, that’s for sure. And there were far more Espers than Guides out there.

The government had a habit of trying to keep Guides unmarried as long as possible. For the sake of the planet, of course, and not because it was cheaper to have one Guide service a handful of Espers instead of having to pay them for f*cking their own spouse on the daily. Even Jaekyung wanted to scoff at that blatant lie and he wasn’t looking to settle down with anyone.

“He’s married?” The first guy hissed. Jaekyung couldn’t remember his name but he was fairly certain he’d been introduced before. “What the hell is he doing here then?”

“Apparently he was but his Esper died and he still keeps the ring on.”

“Well, there’s a mourning period-”

“Nah, man, apparently it’s been years!” The ding of the elevator had the guy pause just long enough to step inside. “And you know how he’s supposedly the best Guide the guild’s ever seen? Well, listen, he got kicked out of his old guild for sleeping with- Oh!” The low rank Esper finally noticed Jaekyung’s presence as he turned around to push the floor button. “Sir, good morning.”

“W-Welcome back, sir,” the other man said.

Idle gossip wasn’t exactly on Jaekyung’s list of favorite things to start his day out with but he might have to reconsider. He’d been so bored he’d even considered actually going out on a date with someone just like Manager Park had advised him to. But this new Guide seemed like a much more entertaining pursuit. What were the odds that this Guide knew of all the rules already? Even if he did, an older guy might be willing to break a few if someone like Jaekyung gave him just enough attention. If he was older and had been married already, he might even be able to teach Jaekyung a thing or two. Unlikely as it was, the thought alone was enough to intrigue him.

“What was this about a new Guide?” He asked, unable to keep the grin off his face.

The other Espers looked nervous but they couldn’t very well backtrack what they’d said - especially not when they were alone in an elevator with Jaekyung. It’s not like they could run away even if they tried. His main power may be fire but Jaekyung was known for his speed as well as his strength.

“Well,” one of them said hesitantly. “He started last week and apparently he works double shifts almost every day, so he should be in one of the guiding offices.”

“He’s only a B ranked Guide though, sir,” the other added. “So he’ll probably not be of much use to someone like you.”

They were right, of course. But still, Jaekyung couldn’t help but want to see this Guide for himself. A Guide with an even worse reputation than him? This could be fun…

Kim Dan fidgeted with the ring on his left hand. It gave him a sense of comfort to keep it on even though he knew there were rumors spreading around him. He didn’t care. He wasn’t here to be popular, he was here to work. There were debts to pay, utilities and hospital bills. He didn’t have time to worry about rumors. It wouldn’t do him any good either. He was lucky he’d gotten this job to begin with after the incident at his old workplace. Either Mingwa guild wasn’t picky about their Guides’ resumes - or lack thereof, seeing as his old work wouldn’t give him any references - or they simply didn’t care. Either was fine with Dan, he was grateful to get hired no matter the circ*mstances.

The work was the same as it was anywhere for Guides. Dan had manifested rather late in life compared to others but he’d somehow managed to work his way up to a B-rank in record time. He’d started in the lower ranks but when it was discovered that he was more or less compatible with any and all Espers he came in contact with, they raised his rank. It wouldn’t look good on paper to have a D-rank guiding their A-rank Espers. That part Dan couldn’t understand but he didn’t question it. That wasn’t his job. He was merely here to guide the Espers who came through the door and once in a while he was sent outside to support the different teams on their missions. It had been a hectic first day but he’d survived it. Just like he’d survive the rumors and the odd looks he was given for wearing a ring when he was very clearly not bonded to anyone.

Dan got pulled from his thoughts by two quick knocks on the door. He wasn’t technically supposed to start his shift for another ten minutes but he’d already prepared for the day so there was no harm in letting whoever needed guiding in.

“Come in,” he called. It was a good sign that this Esper was one who waited for permission to enter. Dan had seen his fair share of entitled Espers already and he’d barely been working at Mingwa for a week.

When the door opened, he turned around with a smile.

“Hello,” he said politely. “My name is Kim Dan and I will be your Guide to-” He stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. The Esper in the doorway was none other than Joo Jaekyung, Team Black’s most powerful Esper. No, not only on Team Black, he was most certainly the strongest Esper in all of Korea. What in the world was he doing on the B-rank’s guiding floor? “Today,” Dan ended softly.

“Kim Dan,” Jaekyung said, as if tasting the name. “I take it, you know who I am?”

“Yes, sir.” Who in their right mind wouldn’t know who Joo Jaekyung was? The man had been famous before he turned twenty, his powers manifesting earlier than any other on record. He was a fire wielding Esper, the strongest of his kind. The first S-rank Esper seen in years and with such impeccable control that he hadn’t been near rampage ever since manifesting. At least that’s what the rumors and tabloids said. Dan was pretty sure if there was a rank above S, Jaekyung would have taken that spot as well.

“Good,” Jaekyung said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “I need guiding.”

“From- from me, sir?” Dan questioned. There was no reason for an Esper of Jaekyung’s magnitude to seek out a lesser ranked Guide, no matter how desperate he was. And he didn’t look desperate at all. In fact, he looked completely relaxed.

“Do you see any other Guides in the room?”

“No, of course, but I just- sir, I’m a B-rank Guide, I’m not sure I’ll be of much help to you.” Dan may be compatible with most Espers but an S-rank? He’d never guided anyone so clearly above himself because what was the point in even trying? The most Jaekyung would get out of it would probably be a frostbite-like sensation in his fingertips, while Dan would be lucky if he got off with merely a headache.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Jaekyung plopped down on the couch and held out a hand expectantly. He wiggled his fingers around when Dan didn’t move. “Get to it, I don’t have all day.”

“Right, sorry,” Dan muttered. He sat opposite Jaekyung and took his hand carefully. He felt a vague jolt run through his fingers but ignored it; it was to be expected with their different ranks that there might be some issues with their compatibility. Still, Jaekyung had asked for guiding so Dan would do his best to make it as painless as possible. It’s not like he had the choice to refuse. Not if he wanted to keep his job, anyway.

Jaekyung’s hand felt large and warm in Dan’s and he was surprised by the lack of pain. Sometimes with large rank gaps the guiding could be uncomfortable for both Guide and Esper, but there was no stabbing pain or even the headaches he’d gotten used to over the years. Perhaps this would be a positive experience after all. He dared a glance at Jaekyung’s face and immediately focused back on their joined hands. The Esper was staring straight at him, like he was studying some sort of exotic animal. It made Dan’s skin tingle.

Dan felt just as nervous as he had when he guided someone for the first time; Jaekyung’s presence alone was nearly suffocating. But, Dan told himself as he wrapped both hands around Jaekyung’s, this was his job. Jaekyung may be intimidating but he was also just another Esper who needed guiding. Dan closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath before he let his instincts pull at the excess energy surrounding Jaekyung. He heard an almost inaudible intake of breath and wondered if Jaekyung was surprised by the lack of pain too. It seemed that their compatibility was rather stable if not entirely pleasant. Dan felt relieved. At least he wasn’t causing the Esper any unnecessary discomfort now that he’d had to settle for a Guide below his own rank.

It didn’t seem like Jaekyung needed too long of a session. There was clearly darker energies around his core but nothing worth being nervous about. Perhaps the Esper was used to starting his day with guiding, or maybe there were different rules for S-ranked Espers. Dan hadn’t worked with any before, never even met one face to face so he wouldn’t know. He wasn’t even sure he was supposed to guide Jaekyung but who in their right mind would refuse the golden child of the guild?

Jaekyung may not be a child anymore but his reputation went as far back as even Dan could remember. He’d been on TV since he was barely five. Any and all agencies and companies throughout Korea had tried to recruit Jaekyung when it was clear he was special, even for an Esper. When he’d first seen the young boy on TV, Dan had felt pity for the boy. Who would want to live their life surrounded by strangers who wanted nothing more than to take advantage of you?

Looking at Jaekyung now, it was clear that nobody could take advantage of him. Even just holding his hand for a few minutes let Dan know exactly how powerful he was. And the way he spoke, even the way he entered a room, told a story of a very confident man. Well, he wasn’t five years old anymore, Dan thought, so it made sense that he’d gotten used to a lifestyle where he was practically worshiped like a god.

Dan dared another glance at his face and once again had to lower his eyes immediately. Did the guy never blink? Dan felt like he was under scrutiny. Was this a test of some kind? He’d heard that Jaekyung would come back today, but he didn’t know where he’d been and he definitely hadn’t expected to ever run into him. Was this what he did, testing new Guides out to figure out their abilities? Or maybe this was the higher ups trying to rattle Dan. He’d gotten this job fair and square but he knew that the rumors about him may lead to the bosses changing their minds.

Dan shook his head slightly. He was being paranoid again. There was no reason to think that Jaekyung was here for anything other than guiding. So what if he was a little uncomfortable being this close to? That was Dan’s issue, not Jaekyung’s. Dan took a deep breath, hoping his sigh wouldn’t be audible to Jaekyung’s ears. This was work, and this wasn’t his old guild. There wasn't anyone after him. He’d be fine.

And with that thought he felt an almost pleasant buzzing in his fingertips. The darkness around Jaekyung’s core seemed to have vanished completely. Maybe their compatibility was okay, after all. That would certainly make Dan’s life easier. He wasn’t sure how Jaekyung would react to insufficient guiding, but he’d heard enough rumors to want to avoid getting to know firsthand.

“I think we’re done,” Dan said and then let go of Jaekyung’s hand, stretching his fingers out for a moment. The buzzing disappeared quickly.

Jaekyung couldn’t suppress his struggle for air completely. Luckily the Guide didn’t react so he’d concealed it well enough. Even if he hadn’t, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He’d never expected anything like this when he’d decided to visit the widow-Guide everybody was talking about. From what he could put together from all the rumors, this guy was apparently able to Guide any ranks, below and above him. Jaekyung hadn’t believed it for a second. There’s a reason people are ranked, it’s not just a random seating chart.

But there was no denying this. The tiny jolt when the Guide’s elegant fingers had wrapped around Jaekyung’s own, the pure euphoria coursing through his veins as the guiding started. Their compatibility was off the charts. Jaekyung had never felt guiding like this before. It didn’t just feel good, it felt incredible . Like getting into a hot shower after being outside in the snow too long. Prickly, warm and comfortable.

Safe was the word going through his mind. Jaekyung wanted to vomit at his own thoughts but he couldn’t find any other way to describe the feeling. It was like being enveloped in a warm embrace, pulling him from the bottom of the ocean and up to the surface, even though he’d never realized he was drowning.

Who the hell was this Guide? And what would Jaekyung have to do to make sure he had access to his guiding for the rest of his life? There was no way he would ever willingly give this feeling up. It was like he’d never been guided before, Kim Dan pulling years worth of dark energy from his core. Jaekyung couldn’t count the number of Guides he’d gone through over the years, never sticking to one for long even when he first manifested and they advised him to keep one Guide close by in case of emergencies. He’d never seen the point of that. But this Guide? Well Jaekyung may finally understand a little of what people had been telling him all these years.

The bright eyes peaked up at him before darting back down to look at their clasped hands and Jaekyung felt an unfamiliar tugging in his chest. Usually he wouldn’t have even bothered with such a pathetic display of guiding but even just their hands touching was enough to make him feel rejuvenated in a matter of minutes. Not that he was going to tell the Guide that; Jaekyung wanted the feeling to go on for as long as possible.

The way Kim Dan was sitting had his hair fall over his forehead and Jaekyung felt an odd need to push it away from his eyes. He swallowed the instinct, chalking it up to the unfamiliar guiding experience; like he actually cared if this Guide could see him or not. Still, it was annoying how he slumped over like he was trying to make himself appear smaller. He wasn’t big to begin with, why the hell was he folding himself over like that?

“I think we’re done,” the Guide said and let go of Jaekyung’s hand. He moved his own around as if shaking off a cramp. Interesting. “How are you feeling?”

Horny, Jaekyung thought but for once he didn’t say his immediate response out loud. Somehow he felt this guy would bolt for the door if he was too frank with him. Jaekyung ignored how empty and cold his hand felt and shook his fingers out, letting the relief spread throughout his body. He couldn’t remember when or if he’d ever been guided so thoroughly in his entire life.

“Sir?” Kim Dan questioned. His brows were knitted together in a small frown.

Was he worried he’d upset him somehow? Or maybe that the guiding had been insufficient? That couldn’t be it; Guides could tell when and how much an Esper needed guiding. There was no way he couldn’t tell that Jaekyung was more than satisfied.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Jaekyung said. His words seemed to lift an invisible weight off of the Guide’s shoulders. There was even a hint of a smile on his face. His rather attractive face, now that Jaekyung was looking properly at him. There really was no reason for him to keep ducking his head like he was afraid people would look him in the eye.

Old? Widowed? Fired for sleeping with too many Espers to count? Jaekyung did not give a f*ck about any of that even if it was all true. There was no way he would let anyone else touch this guy. This Guide was gonna be his, no matter what.

There was something about the way Jaekyung looked at him that had the hairs on the back of Dan’s neck stand up straight. There wasn’t any anger in his eyes although the Esper was quite blunt in his manner of speaking, but there was definitely something off about the way he was watching him. It was almost reminiscent of the way a predator would study its prey before attacking. Dan knew he was probably imagining it; he’d been on the receiving end of many such looks and at least Jaekyung didn’t say anything, he merely looked. Glared, more like, but Dan didn’t dare ask if he’d done anything wrong.

When Jaekyung didn’t move, Dan took it upon himself to get off the couch first. He busied his hands with rearranging some files on his desk. He’d probably have to pull Jaekyung’s file up on the computer too just to make sure the guiding was registered properly. He hadn’t exactly been expecting an Esper of his rank to stop by so he felt more drained than he would like. It had barely been twenty minutes since Jaekyung stepped into the office and Dan had an entire shift of guiding to do after this. He snuck a glance at the Esper to see if he’d left quietly - some Espers barely spoke to the Guides, Dan wouldn’t be surprised if Jaekyung was one of those who left as soon as they were done - but he was still on the couch.

“I hope you feel a bit more refreshed,” Dan said just to fill the silence. Jaekyung was still following him with those dark eyes of his.

“You could say that,” Jaekyung responded and then finally stood up.

Logically Dan knew that Jaekyung was much taller than him. At least four feet - although it was probably more like six. Yet he still felt a bit surprised at how much he had to crane his neck to look Jaekyung in the eyes when he approached his desk.

“Sir?” Dan asked, acutely aware of how weak his voice sounded. Even if Jaekyung was somehow unsatisfied with the guiding, he wouldn’t actually do anything to Dan… Right? Dan had heard too many rumors about this man already and he’d only been at the guild for just over a week. Surely he would’ve heard if Jaekyung had a habit of attacking his Guides.

“See you later, Kim Dan,” Jaekyung then said, tapping his fingers on the desk before turning around and leaving.

“Oh, uh, sure,” Dan found himself saying. There certainly was a more professional way to respond. He should’ve probably told Jaekyung that it would be better for him to go to the floors above this one if he wanted sufficient guiding but he didn’t think of that until Jaekyung had already left the office.

Oh well, what were the odds that Joo Jaekyung would come back to the B-ranked offices just because he had a semi-successful guiding session with Dan?

It took every ounce of Jaekyung’s self control to stop himself from reaching out for Kim Dan. He knew better than to ambush a Guide who hadn’t shown interest in him (yet) but he’d never had trouble keeping his hands to himself like this before. He stretched his hand out before he realized what he was doing and tapped his fingers on the desk between them to keep from actually reaching over the table and grabbing the Guide’s collar. Why the hell did he have to look so innocent? And why did he keep rubbing his fingers over that damn ring on his hand? Was he really hung up on an ex? How pathetic could you get? There were clearly better options for him; some right in front of him. The only one that mattered was right in front of him anyway.

Jaekyung bid a quick farewell to the Guide before going for the door. If he stayed much longer he was pretty sure he’d do something he’d regret. And there really wasn’t much in his life that Jaekyung regretted. It was a waste of energy. It was better to just own up to his own choices and behavior. It gave him a reputation as a difficult person to work with but nobody ever complained because of his flawless results. Besides, who really cared what a few morons had to say about him?

Jaekyung spared one last glance at Kim Dan before he closed the door behind him. Okay, so maybe he could make an exception with this one Guide. He’d tread a little more carefully than usual. At least for a few days. Jaekyung was sure it wouldn’t take longer than that for Dan to throw himself at him, just like all the other Guides. He was, after all, the Joo Jaekyung.

He pressed the elevator button and didn’t have to wait for more than a few seconds. He was ready to take the stairs if he had to share breathing space with people like those two Espers from earlier. As soon as he’d interacted with them, they’d barely stopped talking. When the elevator doors opened, Jaekyung was almost pleasantly surprised though. Coach Park was looking at him like he’d just seen a ghost.

“Mornin’, Coach,” Jaekyung said as he entered the elevator.

Coach Park did a double take but quickly recovered. He knew Jaekyung would be back today, he just hadn’t expected to meet him in the elevator. And was it just him or did it look like Jaekyung was actually in a good mood?

“Good morning,” Namwook muttered, a tad disturbed. It was nearly unheard of to have Jaekyung greet someone first and with a smile too? Something was off. “Why are you looking so chipper? And why are you coming from the B ranked- no, what did you do? Who did you do?!”

“I didn’t do sh*t,” Jaekyung snapped. He sighed and then softened. This was Coach, after all, and it was Jaekyung’s first day back in two weeks. He could be the bigger man, in more ways than one, for once. No need to have Coach up his ass from the minute he got here. “I got guiding, that’s all.”

“That’s all?” Namwook narrowed his eyes at him. It wasn’t an unprovoked suspicion.

Namwook couldn’t remember the last time Jaekyung just “got guiding” and even if he could, he wasn’t sure Jaekyung had ever smiled after a session. Licked his lips, puffed his chest out, looking like he’d just been in an orgy, yes, that was normal. If he’d been forced to go through a normal session like anybody else he’d be frowning, gritting his teeth or even cursing out the Guides, but smiling? Genuinely smiling? Namwook wasn’t used to the sight. Jaekyung grinned. Smirked, even. Smiling like a normal human being wasn’t really what he did most. He’d stopped doing that before he reached the age of ten. Which was probably why it both freaked Namwook out and made his chest ache from old memories.

“I just told you,” Jaekyung said, beginning to sound a little annoyed.

“Well excuse me for finding that hard to believe,” Coach sighed. “Why here though? The Guides on the A ranked floor start work now too. Did they make you wait too long again? You know you could do with being a little more patient with them. The offices opened literally-” Namwook looked at his watch. “Seven minutes ago.”

“I was just curious,” Jaekyung said with a shrug.

“Curious?” Coach frowned. “Curious about what?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Jaekyung said and this time it was with an actual grin on his face. He exited the elevator before Namwook could even comment on it.

“Wait, J-Jaekyung, come back here. Curious about what? What did you do?!” Heaven forbid the stupid brat made issues the first hour he was back from suspension. If he hadn’t been a master at compartmentalization, Namwook would’ve lost all his hair by now, looking after this insufferable man child. That, and his beautiful wife and children made sure he knew to keep his work at work. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from running after Jaekyung. The little sh*t better not ruin his hard work already!

Dan was exhausted. Who knew starting your day with guiding an S-class Esper would drain your entire body of all its energy before noon? Dan certainly didn’t. But he was a fast learner and made use of his lunch break to grab a quick nap in one of the vacant offices. The couch there was more comfortable than the bed at home anyway. He still hadn’t gotten around to finding a new place to live even though the demolition would start by the end of the month. Dan knew he had to get their things packed, find a new place to live and make sure the loan sharks wouldn’t get the new address as easily. Easier said than done, of course. There was a reason Dan had taken double shifts the past week. He needed to have enough money for at least the interest of the loan before he dared show his face at home. And what point was there to be home these days, anyway? Grandma wasn’t there, she was stuck in a hospital bed.

Dan’s chest ached just thinking about her. He’d promised her she’d come back to their home as soon as she got better but it was yet another promise he couldn’t keep. Along with getting a well-paying job, getting rid of all their debts and to stop guiding on the street. Well, the job he’d somehow managed to get although it wasn’t at the guild he thought he’d be working at. It didn’t matter. He’d keep all his promises as soon as he’d made enough money to avoid another black eye. He couldn’t very well turn up at work all beaten up. Nobody would want an injured Guide to take care of them, he knew that much. It wouldn’t send a positive message about the guild and he’d most likely get fired - again - if it happened repeatedly.

Dan curled up on the couch and squeezed his eyes shut. It was going to be alright, it was going to be fine. He just needed to work a little bit harder for a little bit longer. The pay was decent and he had yet to meet anyone who treated him worse than he was used to. There were rumors, sure, but he could handle those. As long as grandma got better, he could handle anything.

Mr. Joo stopped by the next morning as well, taking Dan by surprise. Once again he was there a handful of minutes before the guiding offices’ official opening hours and once again Dan couldn’t make himself tell Jaekyung to wait. He knew Jaekyung had said ‘see you later’ but he didn’t think he’d meant it. Even if he had, showing up the very next day was a bit much. What kind of work had Jaekyung done to be in need of guiding so soon? It wasn’t his place to ask such a question though. It was his job to provide guiding for whoever came through the door and asked. And so Dan swallowed down his surprise and put on a professional smile.

“Good morning, Mr. Joo. How may I help you?”

“I need guiding,” Jaekyung said and immediately sat down on the couch. He was certainly comfortable in the space, Dan would give him that.

“Of course,” Dan said and this time he didn’t hesitate as long before he sat next to him. Jaekyung wasn’t wiggling his fingers at him this time so Dan took it upon himself to grab Jaekyung’s hand. He probably had better things to do, seeing as he was getting guiding this early in the morning. It would be better to get this over with quickly.

Dan had always thought that the stronger and higher ranked Espers could take their time with whatever assignment or schedule they had. He hadn’t bumped into anyone this morning except for a handful of Guides getting ready for the day. Even though the offices opened at 7 sharp, it wasn’t often that any Espers showed up before 9am. They were allowed to get to work later than others, they were the ones saving the world, after all.

And yet, here Joo Jaekyung sat, at 6.50am, looking like he was ready to take on the world before the rest of the guild was even fully awake. It was admirable in a way, Dan thought. Even the strongest had to have some issues but so far he hadn’t heard or seen anything in Mr. Joo. Rumors were really just rumors.

“I’ll start now,” Dan said as he wrapped his hands around Jaekyung’s. It was just as warm as the day before. Warm but dry, like his entire body just ran naturally hot. Dan had seen Jaekyung on the news more than once so he was aware of his abilities; it made sense that a flame Esper would run hotter than most.

“Do your thing,” Jaekyung responded, looking almost bored.

And so Dan did. If you’d asked his professional opinion, Jaekyung could’ve gone at least another day without guiding, even if he had to go to a higher ranked portal and fight later. But nobody asked Guides of Dan’s level such questions. Besides, Jaekyung knew his own body and schedule better than Dan ever would, so he’d trust his request for guiding. Still, it was actually quite nice to be able to finish Jaekyung’s guiding in a few minutes.

“All done,” Dan said. He quickly let go of Jaekyung’s hand, not wanting to make the Esper uncomfortable. He didn’t exactly look like the type to enjoy someone holding his hand.

Jaekyung flexed his hand between them and then nodded to himself. Dan wasn’t sure what it meant but at least he looked satisfied so it couldn’t be a bad thing. Perhaps Jaekyung was just a man of few words? Dan could relate.

“How do you feel?” Dan asked, hoping a smile would disarm the grumpy looking Esper. Well, grumpy might not be the right word, but Jaekyung hadn’t smiled once in the two sessions they’d had. He wasn’t frowning but there was a tense feeling to his expression.

“Fine,” came the response. Not unkind but not quite warm either. A man of few words, then. Dan would take note of that; no need to come up with smalltalk.

“That’s good. If you feel any discomfort or you feel like you need more guiding than usual, it could be because of your high rank. Please let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to do differently.”

Most Espers were fine with the physical contact of holding hands but some preferred a hand on the shoulder, or even for the Guide to have their hand held. It was usually a dominance thing - which Dan guessed might be the case with Jaekyung too - or simply the Esper’s personal preference. Dan wasn’t sure Jaekyung would come back again but in case he did, he’d like to be prepared.

“You’re good,” Jaekyung told him as he stood from the couch. “I’ll let you know.”

“Of course, sir.” Dan might’ve added more - perhaps a ‘have a nice day’ if he was brave enough - but Jaekyung left as quickly as he entered the room. Not exactly the most polite man Dan had ever met but not the rudest either.

He still didn’t understand why Jaekyung came to him in the first place but it’s not like Dan could just turn an Esper in need away. Even if it seemed like Jaekyung didn’t actually need guiding as much as he wanted it. Far be it for Dan to judge an Esper’s choices though. He tidied up his desk and then went to the receptionist to figure out how many Espers were on his schedule for the day. Jaekyung’s guiding hadn’t been too draining but he could still feel the toll it had taken on his body. He suddenly understood why S-classes had their own Guides - there was no way it’d be sustainable to keep up with guiding both Jaekyung and his usual Espers every day.

And yet somehow here he was, day five of Jaekyung’s morning visits.

To say Dan was tired would be a damn understatement. At this point he was starting to get frustrated. Why the hell would an Esper of Jaekyung’s rank come see him? And every single day? Even Dan could tell that his smile was getting more and more forced by the day. There were literally dozens, if not hundreds of other Guides, most of which were much more capable than Dan, so why the hell did Jaekyung keep coming back?

At first Dan had tried asking some of the other Guides on the floor. Perhaps Jaekyung was being punished with insufficient guiding? It sounded too childish to be true and the few Guides who were nice enough to actually talk to him said the same thing. They had no idea why Joo Jaekyung would come to their offices. He’d never done that before. They also told him - some with a little bit of bitterness in their voices - that Dan should be happy with the situation. Guiding Jaekyung was an honor after all. Dan wasn’t really sure he agreed. There was a reason they were all sorted into proper ranks and it wasn’t to mix and match however they pleased.

So far Jaekyung had been… Dan wouldn’t say pleasant exactly, he really didn’t know him well enough to use that particular word, but he hadn’t been actively rude. He was a little curt and blunt when he spoke, what little he spoke, but that was fine. He seemed genuinely satisfied with the guiding which was why Dan gathered up the courage to talk to the Esper on the seventh morning. As per usual Jaekyung showed up before anyone else and Dan was glad he’d gotten into the habit of going to work earlier than most, even when he took the time to go home and sleep.

“Sir,” Dan said hesitantly after their guiding. He wanted to speak to him before he disappeared out the door. There was something akin to annoyance in his eyes when he turned to look at Dan.

“What?” Jaekyung asked. Even curter than usual. Great, Dan had apparently picked a bad day to voice his opinion. No going back now though.

“I was wondering if it wouldn’t be better for you to go to the A-ranked Guides? If it’s an issue of their opening hours, I’m sure they’d be more than happy to accommodate your needs.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Uh,” Dan stuttered. “Because… Because you’re here every day, sir.”

“And?”

“And… if you require guiding every day even without going on missions it would seem that the guiding you’re receiving isn’t sufficient. I’d be happy to talk to one of the higher ranked Guides, I know there are very few S-ranks but I’m sure they’d be able to find someone that would fit your needs better.”

“Better than you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is that what you want?” Jaekyung asked. There was something off about his expression. Like he was trying too hard to look bored or indifferent even. Dan knew what it looked like when someone was trying to hide their feelings with indifference and while Jaekyung was doing a good job, there was something in the set of his eyes, the tight way he clenched his jaw.

Perhaps he’d inadvertently insulted Jaekyung with his suggestion. That was not his intention at all. But it wasn’t sustainable for either of them to continue like this. Dan was exhausted before the day even began and not just because Jaekyung was intimidating to even be in a room with, even though he barely spoke. It was the way he kept staring at Dan that made him nervous. And Jaekyung clearly wasn’t satisfied if he kept coming back day after day. Finding another Guide would be the best solution for the both of them.

“I just think it would be most beneficial for you, sir.”

Jaekyung tilted his head slightly as if studying Dan closer. It made his skin heat up, being under such intense scrutiny. It’s not like Dan was trying to be difficult, quite the opposite.

“I’ll get exactly what I need from you,” Jaekyung then said before he turned and left.

Dan was left standing by his desk with a frown on his face. What in the world did that mean?

How dared Kim Dan suggest he find someone else? Like Jaekyung would ever waste his time on something he knew to be futile. He was Joo Jaekyung, the Emperor, the first S-rank Esper seen in well over twenty years. He always got exactly what he wanted. He’d been fighting his own battles since he was seven years old, there was no way he was going to lose to a mere Guide, no matter how amazing his guiding was. Kim Dan would be his, Jaekyung would make sure of it.

The problem was that Dan wasn’t like any Guide Jaekyung had ever met before. There was no hunger in his eyes as he looked at Jaekyung. Fear and uncertainty, sure, Jaekyung was used to that from pretty much everyone around him, but it didn’t usually end there with Guides. If it was anyone else they would’ve already thrown themself at Jaekyung. It was frustrating seeing no change in Dan’s expression no matter how many times they met.

He’d never been one to actively search out rumors, especially because he was usually the main topic at any given time, but Jaekyung found himself casually asking around about Kim Dan. He listened in on conversations he would usually roll his eyes at, because how else was he supposed to figure this guy out? He was all professional smiles and jittery movements. Except when he was guiding. God, Jaekyung could get off on his guiding alone. And he apparently wasn’t the only one, which pissed him off more than he was willing to admit.

Despite the gold digging widow, who sleeps around rumors it was clear that Kim Dan was sought after by any and all Espers. Jaekyung wasn’t the only Esper above B-rank who was visiting the Guide. And he wasn’t the only one who’d like to experience a more… intimate form of guiding with Dan, if he was to believe the rumors. But the Guide had turned each and every Esper down when they’d suggested as much as even getting a drink together. That part Jaekyung was quite happy with - he didn’t drink himself, so he’d never used that excuse and he liked that Dan hadn’t fallen for it. The part Jaekyung didn’t like was the fact that there were so many greedy bastards trying to get their hands on him. There was no way he’d let anyone else take away what was his.

It was around this time that he heard another rumor, this one peaking his interest even more than the others. The Espers in the changing rooms were so God damn loud that even if he hadn’t meant to overhear their conversation, he still would’ve been able to hear every word loud and clear. Jaekyung stayed at his locker for a few minutes longer than he usually would. It didn’t seem like they’d noticed him as they kept talking loudly.

“It’s no use, man, he won’t give you the time of day,” one guy laughed.

Damn right, Jaekyung thought. He’s not going to even breathe in your direction when I get my hands on him. No way I’m letting these lowlives touch a hair on my Guide.

“How do you know? I might be exactly his type,” the other joked.

Jaekyung grit his teeth. If Dan hadn’t thrown himself at him yet, there was no way he’d go for some second rate Esper. Nobody had that bad taste. Jaekyung was everybody’s type.

“Even without the whole dead spouse thing, he won’t go out with anyone. Not even just to have a little fun.”

“Come on, everybody’s got needs.”

“Not this one. I’m telling you, dude, he’s apparently got so much debt to pay off that he’s pulling double and triple shifts. The guy doesn’t even go home to sleep.”

Oh? Now this was news to Jaekyung. He’d heard about the double shifts, it was the main reason he went to see Dan in the morning; he wanted him as well rested as he could get. But if the reason he was doing overtime was merely because of money, there were easier ways to earn it. Specifically, there were more pleasant ways to earn much more than what the guild was willing to pay. All Jaekyung needed to do was find a way to bring it up without sounding like a complete douchebag. He’d been told once or twice he often came across as insensitive and rude and as much as he wasn’t willing to change his personality for anyone, he didn’t actually want the Guide to reject his offer. His guiding was too sublime to let go of.

“What the hell? Does the guild know?”

“I heard that’s why they allow him to work so much.”

Well, that’s about to change, Jaekyung thought. He slammed his locker shut and took slight pleasure in seeing the other two Espers flinch as he walked past them. Now all he had to do was figure out if Dan really did have debts to pay. People were usually much more compliant if you had a few cards up your sleeve when approaching them. Who knew how easy Dan would be to convince if Jaekyung opened up with offering to pay off those debts of his?

First thing’s first. He’d have to do a little digging. Luckily for Jaekyung he had more than enough people eager to help him out. Hell, he could probably even get Coach on his side if he muttered those two famous words.

Personal Guide.

Taking days off this early after being employed didn’t sit well with Dan, but if it came down to his job or his grandmother, it was never a real question of what he’d choose. Nothing was more important to him than grandma. And the hospital wouldn’t call unless it was important. Dan’s manager understood, although she was slightly annoyed at the late notice. Dan had taken double shifts for two weeks straight though, so she was willing to cut him some slack. He’d asked for three days off, mostly because of grandma but also because he really needed to look into finding another place to live. On top of that he was more exhausted than usual, having guided not only as many B-ranked Espers as he could fit into his schedule but also Mr. Joo every single morning. And for some reason other Espers had started showing up during his breaks, asking to be guided. The workload was taking its toll on him; a few days off would do him good.

Besides, it wasn’t like he would go three entire days without guiding, he couldn’t exactly afford to sit still for that long. Whenever he had extra time he went to an alley that was known as a place for unregistered Espers to get much needed guiding. For a price, of course. They paid far more than the companies or even the government because they didn’t want to get caught and while Dan wasn’t proud of doing something that was technically illegal, he needed the money, and the Espers needed the guiding. He would much rather help these Espers out than see them all rampage through the city. He’d seen more than enough of that in his life; it was part of the reason his home was getting demolished. The area had had one too many rampaging Espers over the years and half the houses weren’t fit to live in anymore. While Dan understood, he couldn’t help but hope for the best through the years living there. Hoping hadn’t gotten him anywhere though. He was still in need of a new place to live.

The first thing he did after waking up and taking a shower was to go to the hospital. The night nurse had let him know it wasn’t looking good for his grandmother and that they’d appreciate it if he could come in sooner rather than later. When he’d asked if she was alright, they’d assured him she was. For now. It was those two words that had Dan ask for the time off.

Dan didn’t like hospitals for the same reasons anyone else didn’t like them. The sterile smell, the too-white walls, the hue of death surrounding the entire building. But more than that he’d never been to the hospital for a joyous reason. He’d been here with his grandmother the past few years, too many times to count, and before that he’d had to say goodbye to his parents in hospital beds as well. When he was younger he’d dreamed of becoming a doctor, someone who could help people, but then he’d manifested before he could finish school and that dream went down the drain. It had been alright though, because he’d still had his grandmother and their home. Who cared if he was a doctor or a Guide? Not his grandmother, that’s for sure. She’d tell him over and over again how she always knew he was special, but Dan was pretty sure she had to say that, with him being her only grandson and all.

It was as the nurse had told him. Grandma was barely awake these days and while she was more or less stable, it wouldn’t be long before Dan would have to say goodbye to her too. He wasn’t ready for it but he wouldn’t let himself cry in front of her when she opened her eyes and gave his hand a weak squeeze. She didn’t need to see him break down when she was barely conscious enough to recognize him.

Dan spent his second afternoon off looking at houses but there was no way he could afford any of the newly built places he was shown. The down payment alone was three months’ pay and he just didn’t have that kind of money to spare. Not with the thugs knocking him around if he was so much as half a day late with his payment. If only he had more hours in his day, he would take a second job, any job at all, but it was futile. He could barely handle the double shifts at work as if was and he needed at least four hours of sleep to be able to guide properly.

Even with the extra money coming in from his illicit guiding activities, Dan could barely make rent and pay the interest on his loans. He needed a miracle to happen and soon. But he knew better than to rely on childish hopes and dreams like that - he only had himself to rely on for this and so he got to work once again when nighttime fell. He’d originally wanted to go home and change first but he’d quickly changed his mind when he saw the small group of men in front of his door. The loan sharks were waiting for him and Dan figured he could forego the dark clothes he usually wore at the alley. Who in their right mind would show their face there if it wasn’t for the same reasons Dan was there? It’d be fine. Better than getting beat up because he hadn’t transferred this month’s interest yet, anyway.

There were more unregistered Espers than you’d think. The government paid handsomely for them to get registered and put to work, but of course the work came with tremendous risks, especially if you were a higher ranked Esper. It wasn’t hard to understand why some would hide their manifestation even if it was putting others and themselves in danger. It’s better to live off the grid or even fake your test results than to get killed by a monster from one of the portals that open up randomly in the middle of the city, right?

Espers couldn’t hide forever though. Guides were luckier in that aspect; if they wanted to appear normal, they simply had to avoid touching Espers in need of guiding. There was no risk of them rampaging or being a danger to anyone else even if they didn’t get properly registered. Guides didn’t have the same risks when it came to their jobs though, so there really wasn’t any reason to hide. Very few Guides were sent to the battlefields and even then it was only to take care of the Espers who’d overexerted themselves. And being an on-the-ground Guide paid extremely well because of the danger. There wasn’t much use for a B-ranked Esper during battle though, since they would have to be able to guide the higher ranks as well. Dan had looked into it when he first started at Mingwa; the pay was well worth the risk in his mind. Nearly triple what they otherwise paid their Guides.

There was nothing he could do about his rank though, just as there was nothing he could do about his money situation except work that much harder. Which was why he was standing in a dark alley, hood pulled up around his face just in case anyone he knew walked by. There would always be a risk of the Espers being undercover for the government but even then the punishment for guiding was nowhere near as harsh as the punishment for being guided. It was the unregistered part the government didn’t like, after all. That didn’t mean Dan wanted to get caught - if he couldn’t afford to pay off his loans, there was no way he’d be able to pay off a fine like that.

Dan did his best not to look directly at the Espers coming to him; he didn’t want to be able to point them out in case he was ever questioned, and the less he saw of them, the less chance there was of them recognizing him on the street later and vice versa. He held onto clammy hands, dry hands, shaky hands and exchanged as few words with the Espers as possible. They were even more nervous and uncomfortable with the situation than he was but they were the ones who needed it more.

It was late enough that Dan was thinking of wrapping up when a younger guy came towards him. There was desperation in his eyes which made Dan look away before he found himself worrying too much about this one particular Esper. The guy handed him money without a word and then pulled a worn glove off his hand. A repeat customer, it seemed. Dan took a deep breath and held the guy’s hand carefully. It was trembling.

There was a commotion on the main street and both Dan and the Esper he was guiding looked towards the end of the alley. There was no telling if it was the police or simply drunk people walking by. It was a Saturday, after all. It was better to stay alert. From what he could see, it just looked like a couple of guys shoving at each other. Still, perhaps it was time to go home if the night life was getting this busy. Dan focused back on the Esper and as soon as he was finished, the guy ran off without a word. This was why Dan asked for the pay up front. He’d been cheated out of too much money to not know any better by now.

“Get your hands off me,” sounded a familiar voice and Dan froze.

Oh no. It couldn’t be… But it was. When Dan looked towards the busy street again he saw him clear as day. Joo Jaekyung, hands in his pockets, sneering at some guy next to him. He raised his eyes and Dan immediately lowered his head and tugged his hood even closer around his face. He tried to blend into the stone wall behind him and waited with bated breath. The voices slowly faded out and when Dan looked up again, the alleyway was empty. He breathed out a sigh of relief. Luckily, Dan thought as he started his walk back home, it didn’t look like Mr. Joo had recognized him.

There was no way Jaekyung wouldn’t recognize those bright eyes anywhere in the world. It didn’t matter that the Guide had pulled his hood up and turned away, Jaekyung had already seen him. Now what would a respectable Guide from a respectable guild do in a seedy alleyway this late at night? There was only one answer but Jaekyung would never have thought a guy like Kim Dan would be one of those Guides. It was an open secret that some Guides earned money by guiding unregistered Espers, sure, but it was usually the same kind of Guides and Kim Dan did not fit the mold. Not only was Jaekyung surprised, he was slightly pissed as well. So this was what he’d been up to? After he’d gone awol from work the past two days Jaekyung had figured he’d needed a few days off. He’d never heard of any Guide who worked as much as Dan did. Not that he’d ever cared enough to ask before.

He hadn’t wanted to ask this time either but when he’d shown up at the B-ranked offices only to be met with a locked door, he’d been pissed. How dare he not show up when he knew Jaekyung was coming? He’d been so angry he’d burned off half the training area when sparring with Yosep later that day. It wasn’t until Coach smacked the back of his head and told him to take it easy that Jaekyung had come back to his senses. So what if he’d missed a day? Dan would be back tomorrow and by then he’d be begging Jaekyung to f*ck him on that very same couch they’d been sitting on every day for a week.

Except the little piece of sh*t wasn’t at work the next day either. This time Jaekyung waited until the receptionist showed up and asked where Kim Dan was. The lady was practically salivating just being near him - the natural reaction if you asked Jaekyung - and had eagerly told him that Guide Kim had taken a few days off. She’d then added that if he was in need of guiding, she’d be more than happy to help him out. Even if he’d ever been interested in women, this one wouldn’t have done sh*t for him. He wanted Dan and he’d get him.

Jaekyung smirked. Gone was his anger. So the little thing was guiding Espers on the side, huh? This could be useful information to hold on to. Now he just needed Kim Dan to get his ass back to work so he could finally get him where he wanted him.

Monday morning came both too quickly and too slow. Dan hadn’t dared go back to the alley on Sunday just in case he’d run into Mr. Joo, even though it was unlikely that he’d even seen Dan. It had been dark and Jaekyung had better things to do than look closely at Guides hiding away in alleyways. At least that’s what Dan hoped. He was a little nervous to see if Jaekyung would show up and when the clock striked 7 and he wasn’t anywhere in sight, Dan finally relaxed a little. His days off had probably made the Esper realize he’d be better off with a higher ranked Guide. That suited Dan just fine. There was no reason to push his luck; he’d barely escaped another beating thanks to the money he’d earned during the weekend but he knew the thugs would be back before he knew it. He needed to focus on his work.

The first Esper came to see him around 8am and after a quick guiding - and Dan rejecting his offer of getting drinks later that night - he poked his head out of his office to ask the receptionist if he had time to go grab a cup of coffee before the next Esper showed up. He didn’t get that far though because he collided with a broad chest when he opened the door. Flinching back, Dan looked up, only to be face to face with Jaekyung. A smiling Jaekyung. He really was very handsome but especially when he smiled. Even if it was a rather co*cky grin. And wasn’t that a sight that had goosebumps break out on Dan’s arms.

“Oh,” Dan gasped, taking another small step back. “Uh, good morning, sir.”

“You gonna let me in?” Jaekyung asked even as he shoved his way through the door.

“Right, yes, of course,” Dan muttered as he had to sidestep to avoid getting trampled on. How big was this man? Dan wouldn’t be surprised if he had to go through doors sideways with how he shoved his way through. “Come on in.”

Instead of going directly for the couch, Jaekyung stood in the middle of the room, arms folded over his chest. He was looking around like he was searching for something or maybe trying to figure something out. There wasn’t much to the office; it wasn’t even Dan’s personal office, he just used it during his shifts. There weren’t enough offices in the building for every Guide to have their own. So there was no reason for the Esper to be curious about anything in here. It was just an office, like any other.

“Do you like it here?” Jaekyung asked out of the blue.

Dan gaped. Where did that come from? Jaekyung never did smalltalk, not even once during the entire week they’d seen each other. And what was he talking about? Like it here? Where? The office? The guild? He wasn’t sure what Jaekyung was referring to but he couldn’t very well say that. Jaekyung didn’t seem like the most patient man.

“Uh, yes, of course,” Dan said. No need to sound ungrateful for the job he’d been given, although he obviously did what he could to earn it.

“Better than your old place?”

“My old-” Dan frowned. What in the world was going on? “I’m not quite sure I follow, sir.”

“I’m asking if you like this place better than your last job.”

Did he like a work environment where he wasn’t constantly groped and harassed? Where he didn’t have to defend himself from perverted Espers trying to force him to guide them through intercourse? Would he prefer working in an office with polite, albeit sometimes too eager Espers, instead of a place where his boss liked to “suggest” other ways he could apply himself? Was Mingwa a better place of employment than somewhere where he was constantly belittled and called a liar when he spoke up?

“Sure,” Dan ended up saying. There was no reason to suspect Jaekyung knew what had happened at his old job. Perhaps he’d heard the rumors and was unhappy with being guided by someone as dirty as Dan. Well, if he truly believed those rumors all the better. Then he’d most likely stop coming by every morning for guiding he didn’t actually need.

“Nothing to complain about?”

“Not at all, sir.” And even if there was, why would he complain to Jaekyung? He had a manager he reported back to, there was no reason to involve an unrelated Esper, even if Jaekyung was the face of the guild.

“Huh,” Jaekyung said and then he was seemingly satisfied with their conversation. He plopped down on to the couch as per usual but didn’t say anything even though it took Dan a few seconds to even begin moving.

Dan still had no idea what that was all about but he really wasn’t in the mood to ask questions he’d probably never get an answer to. This was the longest conversation they’d ever had and Dan was sure it wouldn’t become a usual occurrence. Perhaps Jaekyung had had a nice weekend and was in a good mood. It would certainly explain the almost-smile on his face. Dan shook his head. What did it matter anyway? He was here to do his job. Jaekyung was more than welcome to be in a talking mood. Dan sat down next to him and grabbed his hand. He was getting used to the warmth by now.

“I’ll begin,” he said softly.

Jaekyung hummed his acknowledgment.

For once it seemed like Jaekyung might actually be in need of guiding. Nowhere near the first time he’d stopped by the office but his energy was twisted and unstable even though Dan had guided him mere days prior. He hadn’t heard about Team Black going on a mission but he might have missed it in his haze of looking at houses, visiting the hospital and avoiding another beat down. Even if they hadn’t been to any portals it was clear that Jaekyung hadn’t been guided since their last session. The realization made Dan frown. There was no way an Esper who diligently came to Dan every single morning would go three days without any sort of guiding when he’d been so anal about showing up at the same time seven days in a row, even when he didn’t need guiding.

Dan stole a glance at Jaekyung’s face and immediately flinched. The Esper was staring straight at him, not even bothering to look away when their eyes met. Dan quickly lowered his head, focusing back on their hands but he couldn’t shake the feeling of those dark eyes burning into his skin. Why was Jaekyung looking at him like that? It was unnerving to say the least. He didn’t seem angry so it couldn’t be that Dan had done something wrong. But it wasn’t the same way other Espers looked at him either - even if it was, it had been an entire week already. If by some weird force of nature Jaekyung was interested in Dan, he would have asked him out for coffee or drinks by now. And despite knowing next to nothing about love and relationships Dan wasn’t delusional enough to actually believe Jaekyung would be interested in him. He was an S-class Esper, the best of the best, and he was a handsome man even outside of his abilities. Tall and strong, with a nice build and a beautiful, albeit a little cold, smile.

Yeah, no, there was no way. There must be something else Dan hadn’t considered. Maybe he was simply someone who stared intensely at whoever was guiding him. Perhaps he didn’t trust Dan and needed to take note of his every move. That seemed much more plausible than anything else. Dan’s shoulders dropped a little in relief. He couldn’t do anything about Jaekyung’s mistrust; the Esper had probably had his fair share of bad experiences with Guides, so it wasn’t like Dan could blame him. He could only do his job to the best of his abilities and make sure Jaekyung was feeling healthy and satisfied after he was done. That was the job of a Guide, after all.

The guiding took slightly longer than their last session but Jaekyung didn’t comment on it, so Dan figured he at least trusted him well enough to let him do his job properly. As soon as he was done, Dan let go of Jaekyung’s hand and turned to him with a professional smile.

“There you go, sir,” he said.

Jaekyung stretched his arm out, almost like he was inspecting his hand. He didn’t look dissatisfied at least, but he also wasn’t moving or standing up like he usually would. Dan took it upon himself to move first and went to his desk. He heard movement and expected to hear the door open and close in a moment but instead Jaekyung spoke again.

“So, Guide,” he drawled.

Dan turned around to see Jaekyung still sitting on the couch, his arms spread over the backrest. What in the world could he want now? Before he had a chance to ask, Jaekyung spoke again.

“I hear you’re willing to do anything for the right price?” He then said with a lazy grin on his face.

“Excuse me?” Dan said before he could stop himself. What the hell kind of question was that? And who was Jaekyung to ask something so personal? It sounded more like an accusation than a question.

“You heard me.”

“That’s-” Dan wanted to get angry but he was more confused than anything. “I don’t know where you heard such a rumor but it’s not true.”

“Oh?” Jaekyung’s grin widened. “Why were you guiding unregistered Espers in an alley this Saturday then? Were they all your friends? Or-” Jaekyung leaned closer, resting his elbows on his knees. “Are you so insatiable that you need four men to feel satisfied? Hmm?”

“That- I didn’t-” Dan spluttered. How long had he been standing there, watching him? He hadn’t even realized Jaekyung was there until the last Esper that night. Had he been there all night? Had he been watching the entire time? Why the hell hadn’t he said anything? And why was he bringing it up now?

“Are you calling me a liar, Guide Kim?” Jaekyung asked then. If it hadn’t been for the grin still present on his face, he might’ve sounded angry or even outraged.

“No, I- you must be mistaken, sir, I would never-” Dan tried, words tumbling out of his mouth in the wrong order. What could he even say in this situation? How was he going to get himself out of this?

“Never take money for guiding unregistered Espers because it’s illegal?” Jaekyung supplied, voice too sugar-sweet.

“No, I mean, yes, I wouldn’t-”

“I do believe we have an issue here, Guide. If I go to the big bosses with my claim and it turns out I’m wrong, well. That’s it, no big deal. But if it turns out they believe me…” Jaekyung trailed off, looking to the ceiling like he was getting bored of this conversation despite starting it himself.

Dan paled. He was going to tell the directors? There was no way they’d let him off with a warning. There’d be police involvement, an investigation and worst of all, Dan would get fired. How was he supposed to pay his grandmother’s hospital bills, let alone pay off his loans? There was no way he would be able to find another job if it got out that he’d been guiding unregistered Espers, and that was if they would even allow him to keep guiding.

“Please, sir,” Dan begged, not caring how his voice broke. He took a few steps closer, hands out as if he could physically stop Jaekyung from turning him in. “I- I can’t lose this job, I need the money.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to put you in such an awful situation,” Jaekyung told him. He almost sounded sincere. Almost. There was something in the way he was looking at Dan that said otherwise though. Something dark and almost sinister in his eyes. “I’m sure you had your reasons.”

“That’s- thank you, sir, but-” Dan frowned as he tried to make sense of the extreme swings in the conversation. Was he angry or upset or did he not care? Jaekyung wasn’t an easy man to figure out.

“But I need it to stop now.” Jaekyung stood from the couch but he didn’t come closer. Not yet.

“Wh- what do you mean? Why?” There was no reason for Jaekyung to get involved unless he felt betrayed or disgusted with Dan’s actions. And that much at least was clear; he didn’t find Dan’s actions repulsive but there was something he still hadn’t said. “It has nothing to do with you.”

“Oh, but it does,” Jaekyung said with a smirk. “After all, you’re going to be my personal Guide.”

“What?” Dan gaped.

“Are you going deaf in your old days? I said-”

“I heard you, sir, but that’s- that’s not possible,” Dan said quickly. What was Jaekyung thinking? He must be out of his mind. “For one we’re nowhere near the same rank and from what I’ve heard you don’t believe in-”

“I changed my mind,” Jaekyung interrupted as a matter-of-factly.

“What?” Dan felt like he kept repeating the same words, over and over, but he couldn’t have heard Jaekyung correctly. There was no way this man was actually trying to turn the situation around. Besides there was no way he’d have a change of heart just because of Dan. Their compatibility was good, sure, but it wasn’t worth tying himself to a Guide much lower in rank than himself.

Jaeykung sighed deeply, finally looking less confident and more frustrated. Dan was sure he didn’t enjoy this conversation any more than he did but then he should start by being more clear. What in the world was going through the Esper’s mind?

“I changed my mind,” Jaekyung repeated, less patient. “I want you as my personal Guide.”

That’s what Dan thought he meant, there was really no other meaning to his words, but that just didn’t make sense. There was no reason for Jaekyung to be this obsessed with a random Guide. “But sir, there are others far more-”

“I don’t care. I want you,” Jaekyung said, taking a few steps closer.

“I don’t think that’s even allowed, sir, and-”

“Nobody will object to it,” Jaekyung interrupted. Again. At least he’d stopped moving closer. “As you said, everybody knows I’m against getting a personal Guide. So now that I’ve found one I want, it won’t matter what rank you are.”

“Sir,” Dan said, exasperated. He really wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose to alleviate the headache he felt coming on. It was like talking to a stubborn child. He kept interrupting and he wouldn’t budge an inch nor listen to reason. It was the first time Dan had felt their age difference as something negative. Were all 26 year olds this confident? This hard-headed? “That’s all well and fine but I don’t think-”

“Personal Guides are paid nearly three times as much as regular Guides,” Jaekyung then said, studying his nails like he hadn’t just casually dropped a salary that could change Dan’s entire life.

“What?” Dan’s head snapped up. Three times? That would mean he might be able to actually find a house, maybe even get his grandmother into one of those fancy facilities that made their remaining time as comfortable and respectful as possible. He might be able to finally start paying more than the interest on his loans.

“Well, not other personal Guides, obviously, who in their right mind would pay someone triple to f*ck one person instead of a dozen?” Jaekyung huffed out a laugh. “But since this is a money issue I don’t mind paying properly for your time.”

“That’s-” The words Jaekyung had said finally registered for Dan. He clenched his jaw. Not again, he thought. He’d just gotten away from all that nonsense. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Mr. Joo, I am not going to sleep with you. Whether or not I’ll become your Guide, I will not do intimate guiding.”

“Because of that old Esper of yours?” Jaekyung inquired. When did he get this close? It would only take him a few more steps before he’d be pressed up against Dan’s front.

“Excuse me?” Dan took a step back but collided with the edge of his desk. There wasn’t anywhere to go if Jaekyung wanted to trap him.

“Look, I get that you’re sad or whatever, but he’s gone,” Jaekyung said with a wave of his hand. “I, on the other hand, am right here and willing to pay off that mountain of debt you’ve been accumulating. How the hell did you even end up borrowing all that money? You got a gambling problem? If you do, it stops now. I don’t want that sh*t in my house.”

“You-” Dan got pale, then his cheeks flushed red. It was hard to tell if it was from embarrassment or anger, he wasn’t even sure himself. How the hell did Jaekyung know about his debts? It wasn’t something he went around and told people about, not even the few other Guides he talked to. “I do not have a gambling problem, and even if I did, it wouldn’t be your problem, sir.”

“As my personal-”

“If I was to accept being your Guide, it would still not be your problem,” Dan said harshly. The anger won over the embarrassment this time around. How dare Jaekyung talk to him like this? “I have no intention of mixing my personal life with my professional one.”

“That’s gonna be a tough one to pull off, Kim Dan,” Jaekyung said, grin back on his face. How could he laugh about a situation like this? There was nothing even remotely fun about this. He was basically blackmailing Dan.

“And why is that?”

“Because you’ll be living with me.” There was no room for argument or doubt in his sentence which just pissed Dan off even more. Who did this guy think he was? Sure, Jaekyung was strong and he was technically in the right to report Dan but he didn’t have to be such a douche about it.

“I will not,” Dan said. He may desperately need a place to live but even he had more dignity than to accept this… offer of Jaekyung’s. He barely knew the Esper, there was no way he’d be sharing a home with him. Especially after this conversation. It was clear that Jaekyung had zero respect for him.

“Oh, but you will. What kind of personal Guide wouldn’t share living arrangements with his Esper?” Jaekyung asked, as if nothing Dan could or had said mattered at all. It was infuriating.

“We are not getting married, there’s no reason to live together,” Dan told him. Sure, it was a tempting offer to work directly for Jaekyung, the money alone was enough to have him consider it, but Jaekyung’s attitude made it a bitter pill to swallow. And if he had to swallow it at all, he did not want to do it on Jaekyung’s terms. There was no way that would end up well for him.

“Where do you live now?” Jaekyung asked. Something in his voice - almost like he was suppressing laughter - told Dan that Jaekyung already knew the answer.

“W-Well,” Dan hesitated.

“Thought so,” Jaekyung said and then headed for the door. “Have your sh*t packed by tomorrow morning, I’ll pick you up.”

“M-Mr. Joo! This isn’t something you can just decide on your own!” Dan followed Jaekyung even as he opened the door.

“Don’t worry, I won’t force you to get rid of that,” he nodded towards the ring on Dan’s finger. “Nor will I try to have any sort of romantic relationship with you. This is just a job, Guide Kim. And it’s this or nothing, because I have no reason to keep your secret if you’re just another B-rank Guide.”

Dan looked nervously at the half-open door. What if someone heard them?

“This is blackmail,” he said, voice soft. Did he really have no choice but to accept this?

“Call it whatever you want.” Jaekyung shrugged. “You’ll get paid more than whatever you make here, you’ll have a roof over your head and if you guide me with no fuss I’ll get rid of that debt right away. What do you have to lose?”

Only my dignity, Dan thought bitterly. Jaekyung didn’t wait for his response, he was already halfway down the corridor. Dan closed the door and slid down to sit on the floor, burying his head in his hands.

Could this day get any worse?

It could. It absolutely could. Dan didn’t think it was possible but when he was unlocking his door several hours later and a large hand yanked him back by his collar, he knew it was indeed possible. He knew better than to try to run when they’d already gotten a hold of him. All he could do was curl into himself as soon as he was thrown on the ground. The first kick to his stomach pushed all the air out of his lungs; even if he’d wanted to scream, he wouldn’t have been able to. And there was no reason to scream, nobody was around to hear him anyway. On the off chance that there was, this wasn’t exactly the type of neighborhood where people helped each other out. Not anymore.

“I thought I made myself pretty clear last time,” the gruff voice Dan heard even in his nightmares said. “Next time I see you, I want double the rate. We can’t keep doing this.”

“You- you were here yesterday,” Dan tried as he kept his hands over his head to protect it from the next kick. At least they allowed him to answer before attacking him further.

“So? Did I say we wouldn’t be back today?”

“No, but I- I don’t have the money right now,” he tried. It was futile. Even if he’d magically had the money, they’d still beat him up before taking it. He knew better than to try and talk his way out of it by now but the survival instinct was hard to push down. He kept his head down and tried to make as little noise as possible. Usually they’d let him off easier if they got bored quickly.

Dan was horrified that he knew things like this but he’d gotten used to their ‘visits’ over the years. They hadn’t started beating him up until he’d turned fifteen, and even then it hadn’t been half as bad as it was now. They deliberately tried not to break any of his bones so that he could still work but they didn’t always succeed.

At least there were only two of them this time and Dan got away with a light beating. Light being no broken bones but enough bruises that he couldn’t just cover them up with a long sleeve shirt. He’d have to wear an eye patch too, that much was clear as he prodded at the bruise quickly forming around his eye. He looked like a mess, even more so than usual. He sighed heavily. At least they’d accepted that the beating was all they were going to get out of him today. Finding him two days in a row? They must’ve been annoyed that they didn’t get the chance to knock him around yesterday.

When had his life taken such a turn for the worse? Was it when he became aware of the debt his parents had left behind? Or was it when he’d more or less agreed to sell himself off to Joo Jaekyung merely because he’d pay more than anybody else? More than Dan was even worth, probably.

The self-pity wasn’t an attractive trait and Dan tried his utmost best not to let it take over but some days were just too much, even for someone used to this sh*tty life. He fell asleep with half a pack of frozen peas pressed to his eye, hoping the swelling wouldn’t be too bad the next morning.

Dan should know better than to hope for anything at this point and as per usual fate didn’t grant his wishes. His eye was swollen both from the hit and lack of sleep and the black and blues around it wouldn’t be easy to cover up. He sighed as he found the eyepatch he’d had to buy last time this happened.

It wasn’t until he was faced with the empty duffle bag by the door that he remembered Jaekyung’s order to pack his things. Frustration sore through his body but it was gone as fast as it came. What would it help to get angry? He quickly shoved what little clothes he owned into the bag together with a few toiletries and his phone charger. There wasn’t much else left in the house at this point but Dan was certain he’d be back anyway. Jaekyung couldn’t keep him in his house forever. The Esper would have to get tired of housing a guest at some point. Even if he didn’t, this house was still Dan’s for the rest of the month. He’d come back for the few things he knew his grandmother wouldn’t get rid of.

He slung the duffle over his shoulder and locked the door before making his way down the steep hill to the main road. There was absolutely no way he was going to wait for Jaekyung to turn up; Dan had enough rumors about him already, how would he ever survive being spotted in the same car as Jaekyung? He’d make up an excuse if Jaekyung asked, although it wasn’t really an excuse. The guild was more than half an hour on foot and Dan didn’t have money to spend on bus fare even if they did drive this early in the morning. He wondered briefly where Jaekyung was living and how long it’d take him to get to work from there but chased those thoughts away quickly. Perhaps Jaekyung had already reconsidered. One could hope.

As with any and all hopes Dan had harbored lately, there was no such thing as Jaekyung changing his mind within a day. Still, there was a chance that he might be easier to deal with if they found mutual ground and respect for one another. Dan was good at getting along with people, why couldn’t he make the best of the situation with Jaekyung? Sure, he’d love not to work directly with the guy blackmailing him but he also knew that he was the one who chose to guide the unregistered Espers and in the end it was also him who would choose to accept Jaekyung’s offer, if only for the higher pay. And maybe, if luck was finally on his side, even for a moment, Dan could stop pulling double shifts if he was to be Jaekyung’s personal Guide. He had to look on the bright side, right?

At 6.37am the door to the office slammed open. Dan jumped from behind the desk, heart beating a million miles a minute from the literal jump scare.

Jaekyung did not look happy. Dan swallowed thickly. Maybe he should’ve given him a call after all. He could’ve asked the receptionist for a way to contact him yesterday but it was too late now.

“Good morning,” Dan said carefully. Better to start off right.

“You- The f*ck?” Jaekyung said in lieu of a greeting as soon as his eyes settled on Dan’s face. More likely the patch covering his eye.

“Oh, I, uh,” Dan stuttered. He should’ve thought of a proper excuse but somehow he’d been too worried about everything else to think of that. He gingerly touched his cheek, feeling the skin heat up under his fingertips. This was humiliating.

“You know what, I don’t care. Whatever that is?” He glared at Dan’s face, clearly referring to the hidden black eye. “It stops now. If I wanted to see you bruised, I would’ve done it myself.”

“That’s-” A horrifying thing to say, Dan thought as he gaped at Jaekyung’s words.

“Understand? I don’t want anyone damaging what’s mine.”

“Understood,” Dan muttered even as he felt anger and humiliation burn in his veins. Since when was it considered polite to refer to others as if they were inanimate objects? Not that Jaekyung had ever actually been actively polite.

“Now where’s the rest of your stuff?” Jaekyung asked as he eyed the duffle bag Dan hadn’t pushed all the way underneath the desk. “I told you I’d pick you up but you weren’t at home this morning.”

“I got here early.” Dan was horrified to think about Jaekyung standing in front of his home. At least there weren’t any neighbors around to witness it. “And this is it.”

“You don’t have any more sh*t than this? No wonder you didn’t need a ride.”

“I thought I’d go grab the rest later.”

“Good grief,” Jaekyung sighed. “I told you- Never mind. Be ready at 6, I’ll take you there.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Dan said quickly. He didn’t think they’d show up three days in a row but he was too used to being surprised by the thugs’ visits by now. He didn’t think he’d survive the humiliation of having Jaekyung seeing how they treated him.

“Like hell I do. I clearly can’t trust you not to run off if I leave you alone,” Jaekyung snapped.

Dan said nothing. What could he even say to that?

Jaekyung stared at Kim Dan even as he said nothing. At least he wasn’t denying it either. How the hell had he managed to get beaten up - because it was clear what had caused those injuries to his face - within twenty hours of them seeing each other? When Jaekyung had arrived at Dan’s address, he was surprised at the state of the area but it didn’t look like there were thugs stationed at every corner like he’d seen before in the more rural areas. He couldn’t imagine Kim Dan getting into an actual fight either though, he was way too much of a pushover for that. And, Jaekyung noted, his hands were unharmed. If it really had been a fight, his knuckles would have had scrapes or bruising and there was none to be seen.

Jaekyung gritted his teeth. Good thing he was moving Dan to his house today so nobody could lay their hands on him again; Jaekyung wasn’t exactly a fan of the beaten up look and there was a very small part of him that felt bad for the Guide. Not enough to say anything, God no, but enough that he’d like to get his hands on whoever had touched what belonged to him. There was no punishment harsh enough for damaging Jaekyung’s property. Especially when he hadn’t even gotten to put his hands on it yet.

First thing’s first though.

“Give me your phone,” Jaekyung ordered, holding his hand out expectantly.

“What for?” Kim Dan was looking suspiciously at him and Jaekyung nearly blew a fuse. Or set the office on fire. He was tempted; the walls would probably be able to keep the damage to a minimum.

“What f- do I look like I need to steal from someone like you?” He asked instead of turning the couch into a bonfire. “I’m putting my number in, you moron.”

“Oh.” Dan handed over his phone albeit hesitantly. He’d barely deposited the thing in Jaekyung’s hand before he took several steps back. As if that little distance would do him any good if Jaekyung really wanted to hurt him.

Jaekyung took one look at the small device in his hand and curled his lips in disgust. What in the world was he looking at? “You’re kidding,” he said.

“Sir?”

“What are you doing with such an ancient phone? It’s like seven generations past trash collection.” The screen was cracked several places, it still had physical buttons, what the hell was this? His family heirloom?

“It still works,” Dan said, sounding almost offended.

“It still- yeah, but there’s been newer models out for years , man. Last one came out six months ago, why haven’t you replaced it?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it.”

“It’s old,” Jaekyung said with distaste.

“It’s functioning,” Kim Dan countered, this time he was definitively offended.

“f*cking hell…” Who in their right mind would keep a phone that came out eight years ago? It probably couldn’t even update anymore. Jaekyung had a hard time wrapping his head around it. From what he knew, Guides were fairly compensated for their time; it’s not like this guy shouldn’t be able to afford a phone from this century even with all his debts.

He tossed the phone back after putting in his number, rolling his eyes when Kim Dan nearly dropped it on the floor. Not like it would do any damage to that ancient piece of sh*t.

“Make sure to pick up when I call,” he said. He’d been entirely too annoyed for anyone’s good when he’d shown up at Dan’s place half an hour ago and the Guide wasn’t there. Belatedly he’d realized he didn’t have his number but he hadn’t foreseen Dan not following his orders. He was not about to waste his time like that again.

“Yes, sir.”

At least it looked like Dan was going to obey his orders from here on out. He better. Jaekyung wasn’t known for his patience and he was not about to change that because Kim Dan was uncomfortable with getting a ride in his car or whatever his problem was.

“Meet me in the parking garage at 6,” Jaekyung said as he walked towards the door. “And don’t f*cking run off this time.” He didn’t wait to hear Dan’s answer before he left; he was sure he’d gotten his point across this time.

There was something Jaekyung had not foreseen; giving a sh*t about rumors that didn’t revolve around himself. He barely even listened to rumors when they were about him so he found himself slightly shocked at his own reaction to rumors that had nothing to do with him. Almost nothing, anyway.

He’d already heard all there was to imagine about Kim Dan’s background, nothing could really surprise him at this point but somehow Jaekyung found himself getting annoyed at the whispers he overheard throughout the day. They were outrageous but that wasn’t what annoyed him. It was because he didn’t actually know if they were true or not, despite his conviction that they weren’t. Jaekyung hated not having the answers to things he deemed important and for now Kim Dan was important. As important as a Guide could get. And Jaekyung wasn’t thrilled listening to the rumors spreading after Dan was spotted with that damn patch over his eye.

The worst part was that no matter how angry he got, Jaekyung couldn’t help but listen in on those sh*tty rumors. His gut told him they were wrong, all the rumors had to be fabricated, he’d realized that the moment he’d set eyes on Kim Dan. There was no way a guy who couldn’t keep eye contact for more than a few seconds was sleeping around with his bosses and coworkers without an ounce of guilt showing. His face was like an open book.

“So he slept with a married Esper?” Came that first whisper that had Jaekyung scuff. Who the hell was stupid enough to go for a married Esper? There was such a thing as bonding between spouses. No way any Esper would risk that kind of damage just to get laid. Divorce was a thing, after all.

“Didn’t you see his black eye this morning? That patch does nothing to hide it.”

Jaekyung froze. There was only one idiot dumb enough to walk around with a patch on his eye instead of just calling in sick. And apparently Jaekyung wasn’t the only one who didn’t buy the whole “I fell” excuse that Dan had told people who’d asked what had happened. It took quite the talent to fall into a fist, repeatedly by the looks of it.

“How low can you sink?”

“He should count himself lucky to just get a beating.”

“Imagine if he’d slept with the Guide instead, he would’ve been killed by now.”

No doubt about it. If an Esper found their Guide with someone else, there’d be hell to pay. Jaekyung could attest to that; it was the reason why he’d moved so fast. There was no way he’d let anyone else lay a single hand on Dan from now on, and that included guiding and f*cking. No way he was willing to share his Guide with anyone else, least of all any of these lowlives.

“He must have some insane skills in the bedroom to lure all those Espers into bed.”

Jaekyung gritted his teeth. It set him on edge just thinking about how many damn Espers had already f*cked Dan. He couldn’t care less usually but the way Dan almost shrunk away from any and all touch and looks, it seemed unlikely he’d been screwing around much. Jaekyung wasn’t usually into virgins, too much work, but there was just something about Kim Dan. And that something made Jaekyung want to set fire to the Espers talking sh*t about a guy they’d never spoken to themselves. Then again, it was only rumors, and Kim Dan was transferring to Team Black’s offices. Nobody could get anywhere near him there without making an enemy of the entire team and Jaekyung himself.

“That’s disgusting! And it’s no excuse for breaking a marriage apart!”

Jaekyung finally rolled his eyes. They clearly didn’t know what or who they were talking about. The skittish guy who stuttered if Jaekyung as much as glared at him would never have the balls to tear marriages apart. He turned around to leave, opting to ignore any and all rumors from now on.

“He should know better, what with him having been married and all.”

“Oh, but didn’t you hear? Some of the other Guides overheard him on the phone and apparently his husband isn’t even dead yet!”

Those words made Jaekyung stop dead in his tracks again. What?

“What do you mean?”

“He’s constantly on the phone with the hospital, so the husband is still alive!”

“How the hell can he go around sleeping with everybody else then?”

“A cheater and a homewrecker? God, he’s disgusting.”

Jaekyung wanted to strangle someone. Or burn them alive. At the very least knock them unconscious. He just wasn’t sure where his anger was directed. There was no way a square like Kim Dan would do any of the things they were accusing him of, but how could Jaekyung really be sure? There was that damn ring the Guide kept fiddling with, like he couldn’t keep his hand off it. He’d somewhat accepted it as something he was willing to ignore to have Dan as his Guide but if his husband was still alive, that was a whole other issue. Dan wasn’t bonded, otherwise he couldn’t work as a Guide, but that was about all that Jaekyung could confirm without any doubts.

Instead of burning the locker rooms to a crisp, Jaekyung took his anger with him to the training facilities. He didn’t kill anyone, which was more than he would usually promise when he was in such a foul mood. Even Coach left him mostly alone after Jaekyung had nearly spat fire at him for trying to make smalltalk.

Knocking a few other Espers on their ass took the edge off his frustration and by the time he pulled Coach to the side to tell him that Guide Kim had accepted his offer - no need to tell Coach all the details - Jaekyung was more or less back to his usual self. At least he didn’t have to listen to sh*tty rumors on his own team. They knew better than to run their mouths when he was near.

To say Coach Park was thrilled would be an understatement. Jaekyung didn’t get what the big deal was. So what if Coach had tried to get him to listen to his complaints for the better half of ten years now? Ultimately it was Jaekyung’s decision whether or not he wanted to have a personal Guide. And he didn’t. Until now.

Which was probably why Coach was so hyped - if Jaekyung got a personal Guide, he wouldn’t have to worry about Jaekyung being found in yet another compromising situation with other Guides. It meant less meetings, less scolding from the directors and best of all it meant that Jaekyung was someone else’s problem for at least part of the day. Namwook wanted to kiss whoever was dumb- eh, lucky enough to be Jaekyung’s Guide.

“And you’re sure you didn’t pressure him?” Coach asked.

“For the third time, yes,” Jaekyung snapped, not an ounce of remorse in his entire body. Pressure, blackmail, he didn’t care what they called it. He was paying the Guide, wasn’t he? Triple, might he add, so it wasn’t like Kim Dan wasn’t getting proper compensation. “He agreed to be my personal Guide, end of story.”

“Okay, I believe you, it’s just- the kid’s new to the place, I don’t want him to be overwhelmed by the team dynamic.”

“He’ll be with me,” Jaekyung said.

“Nobody’s trying to take him away from you,” Namwook laughed. “I just meant that the boys can be a lot to deal with. Did you explain to him how it works over here?”

“He’s a Guide, he’ll figure it out.”

Coach sighed heavily. It was a sound Jaekyung was more than used to hearing whenever they spoke. He didn’t let it bother him. What did Coach expect him to do? Give Kim Dan the grand tour? He was there to guide Jaekyung, not to make nice with any and all employees. It wasn’t like his job would be that much different, he’d just be working from a different office. And living with Jaekyung, obviously. There was no way he wasn’t going to grab any chance he could to have Dan guide him.

“Did you talk to Executive Director Seohyun yet?” Coach asked instead of letting his annoyance slip out. Jaekyung was getting a personal Guide, this was a good thing. No more drama, no more rumors. And no more meetings with the board, trying to defend Jaekyung’s recklessness.

“Why the hell would I do that?” Jaekyung asked.

“Because you’re transferring one of his Guides to our team. I’m sure he’d appreciate a proper heads up.”

“Isn’t that part of your job?”

“You little…” Namwook muttered. The disrespect on this brat. “Fine, I’ll talk to him. You did have your Guide talk to his manager first, right?”

“Nah,” Jaekyung shrugged. “They’ll figure it out when he doesn’t show up for work.”

“Jaekyung!”

“I’m kidding! Jesus, don’t get your panties in a twist. I spoke to her yesterday.”

“You? You spoke to her?” Coach Park gasped and then immediately frowned. “She’s still alive, right?”

“f*ck off,” Jaekyung muttered under his breath. “I told her about the arrangement, she was more than happy to help with the paperwork.”

Namwook wanted to roll his eyes. Of course, she was. How the hell did half the employees at this guild still drool over this stubborn fool? He had terrible manners, an awful temper. The only good thing about him was his looks and Jaekyung wasn’t shy about using those to his advantage. The menace.

“That’s good,” he ended up saying. At least he didn’t have to figure that part out himself. “You’ll bring him tomorrow morning, right? I’ll make sure the team’s gathered for introductions.”

“Is that really necessary?” Jaekyung asked. “He’s not going to have anything to do with them.”

“Jaekyung,” Coach sighed. “He’s going to be part of the team, whether he’s your personal Guide or the team’s. You can’t just keep him locked away somewhere until you need guiding.”

Why not? Jaekyung didn’t think it’d be wise to say that out loud so he opted for rolling his eyes. If he wasn’t careful Coach wouldn’t let him leave until he’d done another one of his ‘you’re too irresponsible’ speeches. Jaekyung hated those. He wasn’t seven anymore. He knew how to get what and who he wanted. He knew who to be polite to and who he could ignore completely. He’d been a part of Mingwa for more years than he hadn’t and he wasn’t an idiot. He wasn’t about to risk losing Kim Dan just because he couldn’t play nice with some random manager or because he’d rather lock him away than do those damn introductions.

“Are you listening to me?” Coach asked, clearly having been going on and on while Jaekyung had heard absolutely nothing of what he’d said.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll bring him tomorrow morning,” Jaekyung said with a wave of his hand.

He was about to leave when Coach called after him: “Don’t forget you have the shoot with Heesung at 2!”

Jaekyung gritted his teeth. Choi Heesung. He hated having to spend any amount of time with the scumbag but it was important for both their companies to be shown working together without any animosity. Heesung was an Esper for Mingwa’s biggest competitor. The second best Esper in Korea, or so he’d like to think. Jaekyung and Heesung, being the face of their respective companies, were often forced to sit through interviews and do advertisem*nt shoots together. The two companies shared a PR team, courtesy of both their CEOs trying to keep a united front for the public.

Heesung was loud and too-friendly towards everyone. He was all smiles and charming words, even though he was just as bad as Jaekyung when it came to Guides. He just hid his intentions under the guise of dating all of them, despite having a new Guide under his arm every other week. Jaekyung hated his guts. He had to give him props for his abilities, second only to Jaekyung’s own, but that was about all the respect he was willing to show the guy. They had a victimless rivalry as long as Heesung stayed in his own damn lane.

Today that lane included Jaekyung though. He wasn’t much for the fake niceties but there was a reason he was as successful - and got as many so-called chances from the directors - as he was. He knew how to play ball. So he showed up to their shoot, did his poses, and didn’t bite Heesung’s head off when he slung an arm across his shoulders for ‘a selfie for the fans!’ although that one came a little too close.

“Why’re you here all alone today?” Heesung asked as they changed into their own clothes.

A photoshoot, advertising clothes, how pathetic could they get? Jaekyung wanted nothing more than to simply leave but he did have enough mind to stay until he was properly dismissed.

“None of your business,” he grumbled. Why must they share a changing room? Did everyone think they were the best of friends? Jaekyung had never given anyone that impression even though he was forbidden from telling Heesung what he really thought of him when they were in the presence of others. Coach’s orders.

“You didn’t bring that tiny cutie with you?” Heesung pouted, even going as far as looking over Jaekyung’s shoulder, as if he was somehow hiding someone behind him. “I wanted to ask him to go get drinks with us.”

“Tiny cutie?” Jaekyung frowned as he took a step back. Why the hell did he have to get so damn close? And there were no small Guides on Team Black, they were an Espers only team, there was only… “ Potato? He’s an Esper, you moron.”

“Oh, I know.” Heesung waved him off as he checked his reflection in the mirror.

“I see your taste has changed.”

“Nah, I just like this one.”

“Yeah,” Jaekyung snorted. “This week.”

“Hey, that’s mean,” Heesung said, no sign of actual offense on his face. In fact he resembled a hungry fox with that sh*t eating grin on his face. Jaekyung almost felt sorry for Potato. “I’m just a sucker for love.”

“You’re a sucker, alright,” Jaekyung muttered as he pulled his jacket on.

“That attitude is why you have no friends,” Heesung sing-sang at him as he followed him out the building. He waved goodbye to the photographers, two of which had already handed their numbers over to him. “And no lover either. I haven’t seen you at the club recently. You get dumped again?”

“Who the hell dumps a f*ck buddy?”

“Oh, come on, you’re not over that whole alone for life thing yet? You should try dating, it’s fun.”

“You’re f*cking more Guides than I am,” Jaekyung commented. “You’re not really a reliable source here.”

“I take offense to that!” Heesung fake-gasped. “I just happen to like sex and so do my partners. At least I don’t leave fainted Guides in supply closets.”

“That was one time,” Jaekyung rolled his eyes. When the hell was Coach getting here? If he had to spend one more minute with this eyesore he might actually combust. Or set his hair on fire.

“One time too many,” Heesung laughed. “So? You coming by the club later? You could bring that little sweetie with you.”

“Invite him yourself.” Jaekyung had better things to do than play matchmaker for Choi Heesung. At least he was sure Potato had better taste than to actually go out with this playboy. Even Yoon-gu had to know about his reputation, although he was a little naive.

“Oh, come on, what do you have planned that’s more important than the open bar? You know how many Guides need to rewind after a long, hard day.”

Jaekyung didn’t mean to answer; he didn’t owe Heesung anything, least of all any private information. They were reluctant coworkers at best, there was no reason to tell the idiot where he was headed. But Jaekyung did like seeing Heesung swallow his own tongue from shock.

“I’m picking up my Guide.”

“What? You just said you’re not going to the club. Did you find a new spot?”

“My Guide,” Jaekyung said with a smile that was all teeth.

“Your-?” Heesung looked confused before his mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious?”

Perfect timing too, Jaekyung thought as he saw Coach pulling up to the curb. He turned away from Heesung without answering and couldn’t help but smile when he heard him yelling after him.

“You’re not serious! Tell me you’re kidding! Hey! Jaekyung!”

To Kim Dan’s credit he showed up exactly at 6 in the parking garage. He was looking a little lost but as soon as Jaekyung flashed his lights, the Guide came running. Jaekyung hadn’t noticed before because of the Guide’s dress code but Dan’s clothing looked horrendous. The grey hoodie he was wearing had to be at least as old as that damn phone of his. He’d have to look closer into that whole debt thing, because who the hell couldn’t afford a proper jacket?

“Mr. Joo,” Dan greeted rather awkwardly as he sat in the passenger seat.

Jaekyung forwent the greeting and grabbed the duffle off of Dan’s lap and threw it in the back. It didn’t even feel like it was half full. Jaekyung bit down the remark that was about to leave his mouth. No, he was finally going to get the guiding he’d been wanting. He could keep his mouth shut for a few hours.

“Put your seatbelt on, we’re getting your stuff first,” he said instead.

“Yes, sir.” Dan scrambled to follow his order, gripping the seatbelt tightly with both hands.

Was he afraid of cars or something? Jaekyung didn’t have the mental capacity to both keep his comments to himself and care about such details, so he focused on the road. Once again he was reminded of what a horrible neighborhood Dan lived in as he slowed down in front of the several flights of stairs leading up to his home. Former home.

“I can get it myself,” Dan said before Jaekyung had even unbuckled his seatbelt.

“Suit yourself,” Jaekyung shrugged and leaned back in his seat. “Just hurry.”

He did not want to spend any more time than he absolutely had to in this dump. He was looking forward to a night full of intense… guiding. One look at his apartment and Dan would be on his knees, grateful and willing, Jaekyung was sure of it. Even just holding hands with the Guide had him satiated for hours upon hours, even after several missions. He couldn’t wait to see how he’d feel after actually f*cking Dan.

Jaekyung allowed himself a few moments to fantasize. Plan, if you will.

Then another few moments passed.

And then another.

Jaekyung looked at the uneven stairs but there was no sign of Kim Dan.

What the hell was taking him so long? Jaekyung drummed his fingers on the steering wheel for a moment before he finally stepped out of the car. How much sh*t could he possibly have to pack? This was why Jaekyung had asked him to be ready this morning; they could’ve skipped this part entirely and gone straight to his place.

He followed the same route he’d gone that morning; up the steps and through the tiny, filthy alleys. How the hell could anyone live here? He reached Dan’s house and frowned. The door was ajar and he heard voices from inside. Multiple voices. Who the hell was he talking to? They didn’t have time for this. If he had to say goodbye to anyone, he could use that ancient phone of his later.

Jaekyung shouldered his way through the doorway, intent on asking Kim Dan exactly why the hell he thought he had time to spare for nonsense like this. He didn’t get that far before he heard the Guide’s shaky voice, desperately calling out.

“I-I’ll pay more next month!”

Now what the f*ck was this? Jaekyung followed his Guide’s voice, but even if he hadn’t, there was no way to get lost in this sh*thole of a house. There were only two doors and one was clearly leading to a small bathroom, if it could even be called that. The other door was wide open.

“That ain’t good enough, kid, we need to see the money now. You’ve been so cooperative the past few days, I thought you’d finally learned how to handle yourself,” a gruff voice followed Dan’s terrified words.

Jaekyung didn’t like complicated situations and if this wasn’t one, he didn’t know what could be. He leaned against the doorway, so far undetected by the four men in the tiny room. Dan was barely standing, pushed up against a wall, hands up as if to protect his already bruised face. Ah. So he hadn’t been in a fight at least. Thugs ganging up on a person couldn’t exactly be described as such.

“Oh?” Jaekyung said, finally gaining the attention of both his Guide and the thugs. Dan looked, if possible, even more horrified at seeing Jaekyung. That ticked him off even more than watching three grown men gang up on his Guide. “So you’re the idiots who’ve laid your hands on my Guide?”

“Who the hell are you?” One of the thugs said. He was big and broad as an old school boxer. The leader, probably. “Stay out of this, punk. You here for money too?”

“Uh, boss, I don’t think-” The shortest of the bunch tried to interject.

“Who the hell are you calling a punk?” Jaekyung’s voice drowned the rest of his warning out. What made these lowlives think they could speak to him like that? Jaekyung pushed off the doorway, walking a few steps into the room.

“Boss!” The short one said louder this time. “That’s Joo Jaekyung! He’s an Esper.”

At least someone knew to show him proper respect.

“And?” The big guy scuffed. He wasn’t the least bit scared. His reaction almost made Jaekyung laugh out loud. The thug stepped closer and pointed a thick finger at Jaekyung’s chest. “Even Espers have rules. He can’t touch us. Can you, boy?”

At that last word he poked Jaekyung directly in the chest, like he was daring him to contradict his words. Jaekyung grinned.

“Even Espers are allowed to defend themselves,” he said. He swatted the offending finger off his person and the rage on the thug’s face was almost worth having to interact with these bastards.

“You think you’re tough just because you’re an Esper?” The third guy said. This one clearly took after their boss. Big and stupid. “Y’all are nothing but the government’s paid lapdogs.”

Those particular words had the grin melt off Jaekyung’s face. He was endangering his life for these pieces of sh*t? He’d gladly let the next portal open up and wait a minute longer than usual to respond if it meant these guys got eaten alive by the monsters on the other side. He may be used to having insults thrown his way, but that was usually by jealous Espers or Guides he’d screwed over. Those were people who somehow had a - stupid and meaningless but - reasonable reason to hate his guts. These guys? These guys had no f*cking right calling him any names except for ‘sir’.

“What? Cat got your tongue, oh mighty Esper?” The leader asked with a loud laugh. “Told ya, nothing but a big mouth.”

The moron then had the audacity to reach up and slap his palm against Jaekyung’s cheek. Like he was a child misbehaving who needed reminding of how he was supposed to behave. It was the same way those executive assholes used to treat him when he was a child who didn’t know how to speak up for himself yet. But he was not that child anymore and he didn’t need anybody’s damn help making sure these assholes knew not to f*ck with him.

“Remember,” he told the thug. “You hit me first.”

“Wha-?”

Contrary to popular belief Espers couldn’t rely on their abilities in any and all situations, just like different abilities couldn’t be used for the same purposes. Take now for example. There was no way Jaekyung could start a fire without burning the entire building down. It was old as sh*t. This was why training was so important for Espers; to be able to control their powers flawlessly but also so they were able to defend themselves and others in responsible ways.

Which was why Jaekyung opted for sending the thug flying out the window with a swift kick to the stomach instead of burning his face off. He wasn’t looking to get sued for excessive use of his powers.

Glass shattered everywhere and Jaekyung might have felt a tiny prick of guilt if the house didn’t already look like sh*t. He didn’t miss the loud shriek his Guide let out though, as he slid to the floor, curling in on himself. Jaekyung sighed. A f*cking coward. Good thing fighting wasn’t what he needed him for.

Jaekyung turned to the biggest of the other two and raised an eyebrow. Would the wannabe boxer turn tail and run? Evidently not. Jaekyung had to give him credit for his absolutely pathetic, but nonetheless brave attempt at an attack. He charged at Jaekyung, wrapping his oak-like arms around his middle and lifted him a good two feet in the air, clearly wanting to slam him back into the floor. He just didn’t factor in the part where Jaekyung was a fire Esper. He’d happily sacrifice his jacket to burn this guy’s arms straight off his body. He knew better than to do so, obviously, but he was tempted for about two short seconds. Then he made quick work of the gorilla, slamming his knees into the moron’s gut. As he bent over that same knee smashed into his face, the snap of his nose breaking making the corners of Jaekyung’s mouth tug up. It had been a while since he’s fought hand-to-hand with anyone not on Team Black. And most of his teammates didn’t put up much of a challenge for him either.

The thug went down, clutching at his bloody nose. Jaekyung was about to aim another kick to his face when he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. The scrawny thug had just smashed a bottle against Jaekyung’s head and he was holding what was left of it with a terrified look on his face. It took two swift punches to his face before he too was down on the floor. A loud groan could be heard from outside and Jaekyung brushed the glass off his shoulders before he went out the door. Better to fix this situation permanently before someone called the police and made an even bigger mess of things.

He approached the thug still on the ground and crouched down next to him.

“How much does he owe you?” He asked.

“W-What?”

Jaekyung sighed. Did he hit his head on the way out or was he naturally slow? Jaekyung didn’t have any more time to waste on these assholes.

“The kid,” he said, patience running thin. “How much does he owe you?”

The thug looked confused but fumbled for his phone. “T-This much,” he said and held the phone up to show an outrageously large but easily payable number.

Jaekyung snatched the phone out of his hand and promptly pulled out his own. It took him less than a minute to transfer the full amount.

“There,” he said, throwing the phone back at the thug. “Paid in full. Now, hands off him. For good.”

Jaekyung didn’t wait for a response before he walked back into the house. The two other idiots weren’t on their feet yet but he didn’t care about them. Where the hell did Kim Dan go? That’s when he heard sniffles coming from the bathroom. Jaekyung rolled his eyes and slammed the door open. Dan was huddled over, hands on his head. His entire body was shaking. Good grief.

“Time to go,” Jaekyung said. Dan didn’t move except to flinch at his words. Jaekyung gritted his teeth. For the love of God… He grabbed the back of Dan’s hoodie, yanking him to his feet. His very unsteady feet. Having had enough of this place before they even got here, Jaekyung wrapped an arm around Dan and hurled him onto his shoulder. The sniffles didn’t stop, not even when they left the house. No need to lock the door; like hell anybody would willingly go in.

“Now, Kim Dan,” Jaekyung said as he descended the stairs leading to his car. “It seems like you owe me for more than keeping my mouth shut.” The small whimper Dan let out was more than enough response for Jaekyung.

When they got to the car, Jaekyung unceremoniously threw Dan into the back seat. Like hell he was going to look at his crying face all the way home. If he wanted to see tears streaking his Guide’s cheeks, he would make sure it was because he was choking on his damn co*ck. He didn’t have time or energy to waste pretending to comfort him. He’d done more than enough already.

“Whatever else you need, I’ll provide,” Jaekyung said. It wasn’t meant as a reassurance but a reminder for Dan not to come back to this sh*tty neighborhood again. He didn’t wait for Dan to answer before he slammed the car door shut.

It took the Guide a good twenty minutes to stop sniffling in the backseat but at least he wasn’t outright sobbing. Jaekyung wasn’t sure he’d been able to put up with that. He was out of danger and the debt had been settled. Did he really have anything to cry about?

Thank God his building had an elevator because Jaekyung was certain that the Guide wouldn’t have been able to walk up even one flight of stairs on those unsteady legs of his. It was almost funny watching him struggle to make his way out of the car and to the elevator.

When they reached the penthouse floor, Jaekyung realized that the reaction he’d expected wasn’t going to come. Dan wasn’t looking at anything but his own feet, face red from all the crying. It would take a miracle for the Guide to notice the luxurious home he’d been invited into. Jaekyung sighed exasperatedly. There was no way he could f*ck the guy when he could barely stand on his own two feet. How long was he going to keep trembling like that? It wasn’t exactly a sexy look. If he was going to be shaking, Jaekyung preferred it to be because he was overstimulated from the sex they should have already been an hour into. He took one look at Dan’s clothes and decided a shower would be the best way to get the Guide to stop looking like a beat up puppy.

“Strip,” he said.

“W-What?” Dan stuttered, clasping that damn duffle bag tightly in his hands.

“You look like sh*t. Go shower,” Jaekyung said and then pointed to a door down the hall. “That’s your room, the bathroom’s across it.”

“Oh.” Dan’s shoulders sagged. He finally looked a little less haggard. “Yes, alright. Thank you, sir.”

Jaekyung watched him shuffle down the hall to his room. It had been one of two guest rooms that Jaekyung never used anyway, so he didn’t mind filling the space. At least not when it was going to be filled with Kim Dan.

Jaekyung grabbed a quick rinse himself. Just the thought of what was to come was enough to have his dick twitch in anticipation. f*cking finally he was going to get a proper piece of that fine Guide-ass. sh*t, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d went this long without f*cking someone. Guide or not, Jaekyung didn’t usually go long between partners. That part Heesung was right about, although Jaekyung would never admit it to his face. The asshole had enough of an ego as it was.

Toweling off, Jaekyung glanced towards the hallway. He couldn’t hear the shower running but he wasn’t expecting the Guide to stand naked in the hall waiting for him. He could be patient for a little longer.

Except a little longer quickly turned into another twenty minutes of Jaekyung pacing through his own home. What the hell was taking him so long?

Finally, Jaekyung marched up to the door to Dan’s room and opened it, hoping to find the shy thing trembling for an entirely different reason than earlier. Instead, he found him on the bed, sleeping.

Jaekyung ran a hand through his hair as he clenched his jaw.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me…” He muttered.

Dan woke up slowly, eyes swollen and head aching. He rolled over and buried his head in the soft pillow before realizing that he was not in his own bed. Well, technically this was his bed now but it was not the home he was expecting to wake up in. Yesterday’s memories flooded his mind and he sat up quickly.

He was in Mr. Joo’s house, he realized. Mortified, he remembered how Jaekyung had taken care of the thugs in his home and then brought Dan back to his place. Dan groaned and buried his face in his hands. How had his life turned so humiliating and terrifying so quickly? While he was grateful for Jaekyung’s help, he was more embarrassed by what the Esper had witnessed.

Dan sighed and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Nothing he could do about it now, except thank Jaekyung for his help. He looked around the bedroom, having been too exhausted yesterday to notice how huge it was. Jaekyung's house must be easily ten times the size of Dan’s if one bedroom was this big.

He got out of bed and pulled on his jeans and a clean shirt. He poked his head out through the door, trying to decide if he should find Jaekyung first or if the Esper would understand his need to brush his teeth first. Since he couldn’t see or hear Jaekyung, Dan tiptoed to the bathroom and made sure he was at least a little presentable. He hadn’t forgotten Jaekyung’s comment the night before about how sh*tty he looked.

The bruising around his eye had turned more black and yellow and the swelling had gone down significantly. Now, if only he hadn’t cried his eyes out yesterday, he might’ve looked better but he still opted out of the eye patch. Jaekyung had already seen the black eye, no need to try and hide it.

Dan found Jaekyung in the kitchen, already fully dressed and finishing up his breakfast. Dan felt his stomach object, he’d foregone dinner yesterday and despite not eating much in general he was starting to get hungry.

“Good morning,” Dan said tentatively.

Jaekyung finished his glass of water before he turned his head. He didn’t say anything, he simply stared at Dan. Well, wasn’t that just perfectly awkward? Perhaps they both wished yesterday hadn’t happened. It wasn’t exactly pleasant watching a grown man cry but once again Dan couldn’t change anything. All he could do was show his appreciation.

“Thank you for your help yesterday, sir,” he said carefully as he approached the table.

Jaekyung tilted his head slightly to the side and narrowed his eyes. He didn’t look angry, it was more like he was contemplating something. His sharp eyes roamed over Dan’s face and Dan found himself second-guessing if he should’ve worn the patch after all.

Jaekyung stood and Dan wasn’t proud of how he flinched. He knew Jaekyung wasn’t about to hurt him but images of broken glass and bloody noses ran through his mind. Jaekyung hadn’t even used his abilities and yet he’d been as terrifying as if he had set the entire house on fire.

“There are better ways to show your gratitude,” Jaekyung finally said.

“What do you mean?”

“With this mouth, for example.” His voice was low, a predatory smile on his lips. He stroked his thumb over Dan’s bottom lip. “We don’t have time for a proper f*ck before work but if you insist…”

Dan took a step back, his cheeks burning.

“Sir,” he said, hating how his voice shook. “I’ve already told you. While I am grateful for all that you’ve done, I won’t sleep with you.”

“You-” Jaekyung’s face was a cloud of anger but before he could unleash it - and Dan had no doubt he was about to - his phone rang. Dan had never been more grateful for a phone call in his life. Jaekyung glared at him for a moment but then picked up his phone. “What?!”

Dan watched as Jaekyung ran a hand through his hair, anger seemingly mellowing out but it was quickly replaced with unfiltered annoyance.

“Yeah, I know,” he said as he started pacing. “I told you, I know! I’m on my way. Yes. Of course, he’s coming with me!”

Another glare was sent his way and Dan shrunk back. The ‘he’ must be referencing him.

“Get ready, we’re leaving in five,” Jaekyung barked before turning back to his conversation.

Dan quickly ran to his room to grab his hoodie and phone. No need to make Jaekyung any angrier than he already was. He could always grab breakfast at the office like he’d usually do. There was no way Jaekyung wouldn’t allow him to eat, right?

“Kim Dan!” Jaekyung bellowed four minutes later and Dan ran to the entrance to keep up with him.

It was going to be alright. He’d go to work as usual, except he’d focus entirely on Jaekyung from now on. How difficult could it be?

Not difficult at all, Dan concluded, just different. Because he wasn’t walking to work, he wasn’t sore and aching, because he’d slept in a proper bed. Hell, he even felt well-rested for once because he’d slept nearly ten hours. He shouldn’t get used to it but despite Jaekyung’s sour attitude and weird obsession with sleeping with him, he was still grateful.

He’d make the best of the situation. Even if that meant having to learn how to deal with Jaekyung perpetually glaring at him from the driver's seat. He probably wouldn’t do that forever; surely not even Jaekyung was stubborn enough to be cranky an entire day because of such a small argument. They would talk it through properly later, Dan decided. There were so many things he’d have to address anyway, including his debt, what was another awkward topic on top of that?

Being Joo Jaekyung’s personal Guide was… surprisingly a lot less dramatic than Dan had thought. He’d imagined there would be fighting, screaming, maybe even severe consequences for him, an outsider daring to step foot onto the strongest Esper’s territory. Even as a fairly new hire Dan knew that being Jaekyung’s personal Guide was a spot that had been fought over since the man had manifested. First it had been his parents, trying to force Jaekyung to bond with certain Guides, people who would be good for the family and their reputation. Then, when that hadn’t worked, it was managers, coaches, friends even, who had tried to set Jaekyung up. He was unpredictable, a force of nature, and thus everybody wanted a piece of him. When he was old enough, there wasn’t a need for middlemen anymore; the Guides came to Jaekyung themselves, asking to bond with him or at the very least spend a night together.

It’s not like Dan wanted to hear Jaekyung’s entire life story from others, but he couldn’t walk two steps without hearing someone whispering about the Esper and it had been that way since his very first day. Jealousy, lust, anger; there were too many feelings in the soft spoken conversations for Dan to follow them all. One thing was certain though: there were always rumors about Joo Jaekyung floating around the guild. And now that Dan had been officially appointed his personal Guide, there was no way he wasn’t going to be a part of at least half of those rumors.

But that was just it. It was all rumors. There were even a few people who congratulated Dan, others going as far as to thank him for getting Jaekyung under control. Most of them were from Jaekyung’s own team and they were all welcoming and kind to Dan. It was not the treatment he was accustomed to and it took a while to get used to but none of Team Black’s members made a big deal out of him suddenly being appointed their team by proxy. At least not to his face. He was the only personal Guide directly affiliated with the team but it didn’t seem to bother any of the Espers.

If anything, Jaekyung was the most dramatic about the whole thing. And weirdly enough it was for the most absurd reason Dan could ever imagine. The Esper was still angry because Dan wouldn’t sleep with him, despite Dan having rejected that very idea several days before Jaekyung had saved his ass. Dan had no intentions of sleeping with anyone, Esper or not, but especially not Jaekyung who was now technically his boss. Well, partly his boss. Because it didn’t take a genius to see who the real boss was in Team Black. Just as Jaekyung was the face of the guild, he was also the face of Team Black, but it seemed there was at least one person who knew how to handle him.

And that someone was Manager Namwook Park.

Manager Park was apparently also the one who’d been calling Jaekyung before they left, and he ran to greet them the moment they stepped into Team Black’s offices. They were in the building closest to the training facilities so Dan had never set foot in them before but the interior was very similar to the offices on the B-rank guiding floor.

“Guide Kim!” Manager Park greeted with a warm smile. “So happy you could join us. We’ve met briefly before but it was quite chaotic at the time. I’m Jaekyung’s manager, Namwook Park.”

“It’s nice to see you again, sir,” Dan said as he shook the hand he was offered. He vaguely recalled Manager Park’s face from his second day on the job; it had indeed been quite chaotic being called to the battlefield but Dan remembered the man as professional and nice.

“No need for the sir thing,” Namwook said. “Everybody calls me Coach, you’re welcome to do so as well.”

“Alright, Coach Park.”

“So polite,” Namwook joked. “How the hell did you wrangle such a good kid into working with you?” The last part was aimed at Jaekyung, who could burn through a wall with how hard he was glaring.

“It just kind of happened,” Dan was quick to say, trying to defuse the tension. It was his first day on the team, he really didn’t want any altercations.

“That’s how it usually goes with this one,” Coach said with a nudge in Jaekyung’s direction. Then he turned and showed Dan the way to the elevator. “Our team’s main offices are on the third floor, right above this building’s guiding floors.”

“Will I be stationed with the other Guides?” Dan wondered.

He knew each building had floors designated to Guides so that there was easier access but the Guides in this building were almost all somehow connected to one or two teams to make sure all Espers on the active teams were properly tended to. Since he was Jaekyung’s personal Guide, he probably wouldn’t be in the office with the rest of them but staying glued to Jaekyung’s side wouldn’t be professional. Perhaps they had an office out of the way he could set up in. He knew logically what a personal Guide’s responsibilities were but he’d never actually talked to anyone about what to expect. Was he just going to sit on his hands and wait for Jaekyung to need him? That didn’t sit right with him.

“Hell no,” Jaekyung was quick to interrupt. “You’re staying with me.”

“With us,” Namwook corrected, frowning at Jaekyung. “We have an office you can use if you need it and otherwise we’d like for you to be an integrated part of the team. There’s no need for you to be stuck on the guiding floor.”

The elevator ride is smooth and Namwook is good at keeping the conversation going. If it wasn’t for the six foot something giant with them, Dan would have said that ride was downright pleasant. Jaekyung didn’t interact with them but that didn’t really surprise Dan; before he started this whole personal Guide conversation, he didn’t think Jaekyung was much of a talker.

“The boys are getting ready for morning training,” Coach said as they stepped out of the elevator. “They should be about done now.”

Just as he finished speaking, a group of men came into view. They were all clad in workout clothes, shoving playfully at each other. Dan thought he recognized a few faces but he couldn’t recall their names.

“Mornin’, Coach,” some of them said, while the others greeted Jaekyung respectfully.

Jaekyung for his part mostly ignored the greetings, opting for a jerk of the head as he stomped his way over towards the locker room.

“You could at least introduce him properly, you brute,” Namwook muttered before turning to the rest of the team and clapping his hands together. They all turned their attention to their manager. “Guys, listen up. This is Kim Dan, he’ll be with us from now on.”

“Oh hey, Guide Kim, nice to see you again,” one Esper said with a big smile.

“Hello,” Dan greeted as he wracked his brain for the guy’s name. He came up empty. He wasn’t sure they’d ever introduced themselves properly but he made sure to listen for any names he wasn’t sure of. “Yes, I’m glad everything worked out well.”

“You saved our asses, Guide Kim,” Daehyun added.

Dan only remembered his name because he’d been the first one who needed guiding when he arrived at the scene. Daehyun and… Dan looked around to see if he could spot the young face he knew was on the team as well. Yoon-gu hadn’t needed much help in ways of guiding but he had made quite an impression with his enthusiastic shouting.

“I’m glad I could be of help,” Dan said honestly. As scary as the experience had been, it was also thrilling getting to help out on the battlefield. It gave him a proper sense of how the Epsers used their powers too, which was always fascinating. He was almost disappointed that he hadn’t gotten to witness Jaekyung in action. Although now he should have plenty of opportunities.

“Are we getting a designated Guide or what, Coach?”

“Jaekyung is,” Namwook told them. Technically Team Black were the ones who employed Guide Kim but seeing as Jaekyung had requested him as a personal Guide, Dan probably wouldn’t have much to do with the rest of the team in terms of guiding. Still, Namwook wanted him to feel welcome. And it was always good to have a Guide on hand in case of emergencies. As long as they didn’t get bonded, Dan would be free to help the other members as well.

Well. If Jaekyung would allow it. Judging from the sour look on his face as he came back, now in his own workout clothes, Namwook doubted that would be the case. The boy was weirdly territorial over Kim Dan already.

“Oh, okay, Jaekyung Hyung is- what?!”

“This is why I told you to talk to the team,” Coach muttered as he ran a hand across his face. Why was he always left trying to fix whatever Jaekyung had ruined this time? At least this wasn’t a complicated assignment.

“You can introduce yourself, can’t you?” Jaekyung asked as he raised a brow at Dan.

“Of course,” Dan said softly. He turned and bowed for the rest of the team. “I’m Kim Dan and I’ll be Mr. Joo’s personal Guide from today onwards. I look forward to working with you all. Please take care of me.”

“No need to be so stiff,” one guy said.

“Yeah, we’re all a team here,” another added.

“Welcome on board, Guide Kim!”

“Ah,” Dan tried to respond to all of them at once. They were all so loud and friendly. There really was no reason to call him by his title though, seeing as he was the only Guide on the team. They didn’t expect him to call them all by name and title, after all. “Dan is just fine.”

“Dan!” A chorus of voices called and Dan nearly flinched. It was a lot of attention for his first day. He glanced at Jaekyung who still looked somewhat bored even as his sharp eyes followed Dan around as he shook hands with the team. He made sure to keep his guiding in check; somehow he had the feeling Jaekyung wouldn’t be happy if he went around guiding the entire team when they hadn’t even talked about Dan’s responsibilities yet. Even if it wasn’t purposefully done.

“You guys know what this means,” Daehyun said loudly.

Dan blinked in confusion and turned to Jaekyung, who looked even more annoyed than before. He was about to ask what they were talking about when the entire team burst out in a shout that sounded like they’d rehearsed it:

“Team dinner!”

Dan couldn’t remember the last time he’d ever participated in a dinner with his team, or any team for that matter. They weren’t exactly tightly knit at his old workplace, at least he wasn’t with anyone there, so he hadn’t gone to any of theirs. Even back then he’d been constantly worried about his debts and he usually spent his evenings pulling a double shift or making his way to the alleys in the city.

This time though… This time the dinner was to welcome him so even if he’d rather not make too big of a deal out of it, he had no choice. The guys were all excited, save for Jaekyung, of course. But even the intimidating Esper followed the others as their day came to an end. Dan had spent most of the day getting acquainted with the team and how their usual days looked. Team Black was a large team, often divided up when going on missions. They had Espers ranging from B-rank and up to Jaekyung as the only S-rank, but most of the Espers were level As.

Dan had also finally signed his official contract, trying not to stare open mouthed at the pay like a moron. Jaekyung really hadn’t been kidding when he said he’d pay him triple. Dan’s official title on Team Black was Jaekyung’s personal Guide, but Namwook had made sure there was a clause in the contract that stated he would be allowed to guide the others in case of emergencies. There was no reason to bring him into the field if all he could do was wait around for Jaekyung to get tired or hurt enough that he’d need guiding. That just seemed like a waste of resources if you asked Dan - and apparently Coach Park too, since he’d been the one to make sure Jaekyung also accepted this part of the contract. He looked like he’d licked a particularly sour lemon but didn’t object.

After work the entire team filed out of the building in a big group, Dan hesitating a step or two behind them. He hadn’t ever really gone out like this, not even when he was still in school. He wasn’t entirely sure how to behave. As he followed the others, listening to their excited chatter, he was suddenly yanked back by the hood of his shirt, stumbling back into a broad chest. Jaekyung’s hand was still fisted in his hoodie as he looked down at him, frown firmly on his face.

“Sir?” Dan asked cautiously.

“Don’t get sh*tfaced. I don’t want to carry you all the way home again.”

“I-” Dan flushed bright red but before he could assure Jaekyung that he had no intention of getting drunk, he felt a hand on his shoulder, pushing him away from Jaekyung. The movement was much gentler this time.

“Don’t keep him all to yourself, you’ll have plenty of time with your Guide,” Namwook scolded Jaekyung as he pushed Dan towards the others. “Let the team treat him to a few drinks tonight. It’ll be good for Dan to get to know the others too.”

Dan hesitated but when Jaekyung didn’t do anything but tsk and start walking, he figured he was off the hook. This was Jaekyung’s team after all, there was no way he didn’t trust them to not go overboard.

At least Dan thought so until a few hours later.

When they reached the restaurant, Dan was dragged to a chair and shoved into it before he even had the chance to ask where to sit. He couldn’t help but look around for Jaekyung, but the Esper had been stopped at the entrance by a group of what Dan could only describe as excited fans. Young girls and boys, blushing and giggling as they asked for his autograph and a picture. Dan worried his bottom lip with his teeth for a moment. Would Jaekyung yell at them for disturbing him? He shouldn’t have worried at all; Jaekyung was a professional, after all. He may not smile brightly and offer hugs but that was part of his charm somehow, Dan figured. The whole “angry and mysterious Esper” thing he was known for. And he did sign the napkin and the phonecase he was handed and even stood still long enough for the girls to throw a peace sign up for their photo. It was fascinating to watch.

Dan found himself wanting to get closer, to hear how Jaekyung interacted with civilians but a large glass was thrust into his hands and he had no time to keep watching as cheers were thrown his way.

Dan wasn’t much of a social drinker to begin with but he could down a bottle or two of soju without any issues. The problem was that every single team member wanted to pour him a drink and soon he’d been drinking more than he’d been eating. He didn’t mind though, the others were nice and he had fun listening to the stories they were sharing.

“So she made sure my arm was back to business within ten minutes!” Daehyun was telling a story of how he’d broken an arm during training once, trying his hardest not to look too long at Jaekyung while he spoke. Dan could guess how he broke it without him saying anything even through the haze of booze.

“You guys rely on guiding for everything, huh?” Dan said. He wasn’t the most social guy but he’d never really had an opportunity to be either. Team Black was friendly and outgoing and they all made him feel welcome. Well, most of them, anyway.

“Well, yeah,” Daehyun said. “That’s part of the reason they’re with us, right?”

“Daehyun!” Namwook scolded. “You’re in the presence of a Guide, watch your mouth.”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you, Guide Kim.”

“Don’t worry, you didn’t,” Dan quickly reassured. Even without the alcohol, he wouldn’t have been offended. He was used to much harsher words being directly at him. And not just because he was a Guide. “I just meant that it might be good for you guys to be able to have some emergency knowledge.”

“Like what?” Yoon-gu asked curiously.

“Like…” Dan took a moment to think. “Like if you’re in battle without a Guide.”

“What would never happen,” four voices let him know at once. Even Jaekyung sent him a frown from where he was sitting. Good to know he was listening even if he did look like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“Okay, alright, then uh,” Dan thought for a moment. “What if in the middle of battle your Guide breaks their leg and can’t help you? What do you do then?”

Four clear responses fell simultaneously:

“Get the Guide to safety,” Yosep said with a nod. The man didn’t say much but when he spoke, he was calm and polite. Dan really liked him already. Level-headed and apparently still a very talented Esper even though he was more of a trainer now.

“Move the battle somewhere else if possible,” Coach answered.

“Have a lower rank Esper get to them,” was Daehyun’s response.

“Trust the team to finish the battle and get them out,” Yoon-gu said.

“Leave them,” came a second after the others.

“Jaekyung!” Coach exclaimed.

“What?” Jaekyung asked. “Aren’t the Guides trained to take care of themselves in emergencies so that we can focus on actually saving people? Why the hell would we bring a liability to battle?”

His words were followed by a stunned silence. It’s so quiet that even Jaekyung looked slightly uncomfortable. Or maybe he was just angry. It was hard to tell.

Huh, Dan thought. Sure, it wasn’t the most empathetic response but it was the most logical. And perhaps even the response that respected Guides and their abilities the most. It didn’t look like that was what the others were thinking so Dan found himself answering with a soft smile:

“You’re right, we are. It’s no use having us there if we can’t defend ourselves somewhat.”

There was an odd look to Jaekyung’s eyes as he listened to Dan’s response. He didn’t look more or less angry, but there was a minute shift in his demeanor. Dan wasn’t sure if he was imagining it though, because his attention was pulled elsewhere a moment later.

“Ah, b-but you sure seem interested in recovery outside of guiding, Guide Kim.” Coach was quick to change the subject.

“I wanted to be a doctor before I manifested,” Dan told them as he took another sip of his drink. The more he drank, the better it tasted.

“You’ve always been eager to help people, huh?” Namwook seemed almost impressed even though helping others was more or less a human instinct, if you asked Dan.

“You’re still kind of a doctor! You do treat Espers and save lives. If that ain’t a doc, I dunno what is,” slurred Daehyun. Apparently that last shot had gone straight to his head. He wasn’t the only one looking a little dazed though, the rest of the table was loud and filled with drunken talk as well.

“Yeah,” Yoon-gu chimed in. “You’re our doc, Dan!”

“Uh-oh, be careful there, Potato,” Daehyun laughed. “Jaekyung Hyung might kill you if he hears you call Dan our anything.”

“Nah, Jaekyung Hyung’s not that childish.” Yoon-gu seemed to be the only one not drinking heavily but even he nursed a cold beer. His cheeks were red but he was speaking clearly and with awe in his voice. Someone must be a fan of his hyung, Dan thought with a smile.

“The laser eyes in the back of your head say differently.”

“What?” Yoon-gu turned around and froze. Jaekyung was standing right behind him, arms crossed over his chest. When the hell had he moved from the other side of the table? “Oh, that’s- we were just goofing around.”

“Getting my Guide drunk on his first day counts as goofing around?”

“I’m not drunk,” Dan protested. He was mostly telling the truth. His tongue just felt a little weird in his mouth as he spoke. It was fine though because he was having a good time and Jaekyung was being a party pooper. Someone should fix that. “And I’m not your Guide. I’m everybody’s doctor!”

“Sure thing, doc,” Jaekyung said with a huff of laughter before he pulled a chair up to sit right next to Dan.

The rest of the team nearly had their eyes fall out of their heads. Did Jaekyung just laugh? After being corrected? By a mere Guide ? Doc Dan was something, alright.

Dan had absolutely had too much to drink. It wasn’t entirely his fault though; every time he put his glass down, it was filled to the brim within a few seconds, and who was he to reject the kindness of others? Especially when that kindness didn’t cost him a single cent.

“Why the hell do you keep fiddling with that thing?” Jaekyung asked suddenly, knocking Dan out of his thoughts.

It took him a moment to focus on what Jaekyung had said and then another to realize what he was talking about. Dan looked down to see his fingers twirling the ring on his left hand around. Ah, he was spacing out again.

“It’s important to me,” he said simply. No need to tell the Esper his entire life story, at the very least not when they were both drunk. Dan glanced at Jaekyung’s glass. Huh, that didn’t look like soju or beer. So maybe Dan was the only drunk one. The point was the same.

“The guy’s gone, right, so what good does it do to keep a reminder of him on you?”

There seemed to be more to Jaekyung’s words than what he was actually saying but Dan couldn’t quite pinpoint what he was getting at. What he could do though was focus on how Jaekyung’s eyebrows nearly met in the middle because he was frowning so hard. He didn’t actually look angry, more like an offended toddler having been told no for the first time in his life. The Esper clearly didn’t like it when he wasn’t in on every single thing, sulking like a child as he was. Dan chuckled at the mental image.

“You’re so stupid,” he said before he could think the better of it. He never would have dared talk to Jaekyung like this if he hadn’t been drinking heavily for the past few hours. With a pleasant buzz under his skin, he wasn’t too worried though. It was just a friendly chat between Esper and Guide.

“Excuse me?” Jaekyung asked, eyebrows high on his forehead. Oh, oops. Not so friendly, then.

“I said you’re stupid,” Dan repeated. Friendly or not, maybe Jaekyung just hadn’t heard him correctly. The restaurant was getting quite rowdy and loud. And it wasn’t like he was offending Jaekyung; he really was being stupid right now.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought you said,” Jaekyung huffed. He didn’t seem all that pissed which was a little surprising. “Now what the f*ck do you mean by that?”

“For someone so used to being gossiped about, you really believe everything you hear, huh?” Dan asked as he leaned closer. It was never nice to be reminded of rumors about oneself, so he didn’t want others to overhear them. Besides, even though Dan was willingly telling Jaekyung this, it really wasn’t anyone else’s business.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“This,” Dan held his hand up, waving it and the ring in front of Jaekyung’s face. The glowering eyes followed his movements carefully. “Was my grandmother’s.”

“So?”

“Don’t you think it’d be weird if my supposed husband gave me my grandmother’s wedding ring?” Dan asked with a laugh. It was almost adorable how confused Jaekyung looked. He really wasn’t following where Dan was going, was he?

“Supposed- what are you babbling about?” Jaekyung asked as he leaned back in his seat, clearly annoyed. “How drunk are you?”

“I was never married, silly,” Dan finally says through soft chuckles. “I don’t have a dead husband I’m trying to remember.”

Dan always found it odd how everybody assumed that he’d been married without ever asking him, and how they always supposed it was to a man. Lots of people wore rings on their left hands without even having a partner at all. Some wore rings as couples without being wed. There were plenty of reasons to wear a ring that didn’t involve someone’s husband being dead. He knew he’d never contradicted the rumors but that was simply because it was easier to keep to himself when people assumed he was off the market. The whole “dead spouse” thing only came later and by then Dan didn’t have the energy to walk around denying every rumor about himself. Besides, even with an imaginary dead husband, people were more respectful of his rejection than if he’d simply said he wasn’t interested. Whether that be in a relationship or a bond.

“The hell?” Jaekyung snapped. “Why didn’t you say that?”

“You never asked,” Dan said honestly. He was used to rumors being spread and while he understood the curiosity, he also figured anybody who actually cared would be mature enough to simply ask him if any of it was true. Jaekyung didn’t seem like someone who went around listening to rumors - or others talk in general, for that matter.

“Why the f*ck won’t you sleep with me then?”

“That, my good sir, might be because of that sh*tty attitude of yours.” Dan barely resisted the urge to reach out and boop Jaekyung on the nose. He looked so taken aback that Dan couldn’t help but smile. Finally got one over on him, huh?

Jaekyung blinked twice. Then he narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“Who would wanna sleep with someone who talks to them like you do to me?” Dan asked with a shrug. He downed the last of his drink. Even the Espers at his old job started out hitting properly on him before they demanded he sleep with them. Jaekyung hadn’t even pretended to be nice to get into his pants. “It’s not like you actually like me but at the very least you could try to act a little nicer.”

“You want me to be nicer to you?” Jaekyung was staring at him like he’d grown an extra head.

“It’s not going to kill you,” Dan muttered. He ran a fingertip over the rim of his empty glass. Should he ask for another? “You’re attractive but you speak to me like I’m something you’ve stepped in on your way to work. I’m older than you by three years, you know. Some basic respect wouldn’t hurt you. It might even up your chances of sleeping with me.”

It really wouldn’t. Dan had already made up his mind not to sleep with anyone until he had enough mental energy to put towards a proper relationship. But Jaekyung’s attitude still pissed him off. He could at the very least pretend to make an effort to win Dan over instead of acting like he was entitled to the Guide’s boy.

“You think I’m that desperate to f*ck you?” Jaekyung smirked at him. Contrary to his words of indifference he still filled up Dan’s glass when the Guide kept fiddling with it. He couldn’t be that angry then if he was willing to pour someone a glass of soju. Probably.

“I don’t see you talking to anyone else even though you’ve got a least…” Dan looked around, trying to steady his blurry vision enough to count. “Four pairs of eyes on you right now. I bet any of those people are willing to sleep with you even with your current personality.”

Truth be told, Dan had met much worse Espers than Jaekyung, but that didn’t mean that he was just going to lie down and take whatever he threw at him. Well, at least not as long as he had liquid courage enough to tell the Esper off. He might regret it in the morning but that was future-Dan’s problem.

“Well, I don’t want any of them. I want you.”

“Too bad,” Dan said and then downed the newly filled glass of soju. He was feeling mighty brave but maybe it had more to do with Jaekyung smiling at his words, and not actual courage. “I only sleep with kind people.”

At least that’s what he assumed he would, if he was going to sleep with someone. Who would sleep with a jerk willingly? Dan looked at Jaekyung, with his broad shoulders and glossy hair, swept off his handsome face. Alright, so someone might.

“So all I gotta do is play nice and you’ll get into my bed?” That same handsome face said and Dan wanted to roll his eyes.

“That’s not what I said,” he denied and then, because he felt like teasing Jaekyung a little, he added: “But it won’t hurt your chances.”

When else would he ever get a chance to poke fun at the strongest Esper in Korea without repercussions? Jaekyung seemed more amused than angry, so Dan figured he was safe.

Jaekyung didn’t know if he was pissed off or turned on. He definitely didn’t like watching Dan having drinks poured every other minute, but the way those golden eyes sparkled as he joked around and smiled was… something.

So this tiny thing grew balls the moment he had a few drinks, huh? Jaekyung didn’t mind playing along for a while, especially if it was going to benefit him in the end. He usually wasn’t much into drunk sex but anybody can push their preferences aside if it means getting a piece of fine ass.

The problem was that Dan was way too friendly with everyone, touching their arms, laughing at their awful jokes. There was no need for him to be this warm with everyone on the team. It was getting out of hand when even Coach got all touchy-feely with the Guide. Did nobody else realize they had work tomorrow? Didn’t they realize they were flirting with his Guide?

Jaekyung finally slammed his glass on the table when Yoon-gu was basically in Dan’s lap. There was absolutely no reason to be this close to his Guide, and Jaekyung could not give less of a sh*t about whatever they were talking about. He needed to get Dan home and preferably into his bed. Now.

“Alright, that’s enough,” he said, voice cutting through their laughter. “We’re leaving.”

“Boo, Hyung, you’re no fun,” Daehyun slurred. “Leave Doc Dan with us.”

“Like hell, you’re gonna end up passing out in an alley somewhere,” Jaekyung said and then turned to Dan. “And we wouldn’t want you in any more alleys, would we, Doc?”

His words seemed to sober the Guide up at least enough for him to look up at Jaekyung with a nervous expression. That was much better. His full attention should be on Jaekyung, not on these drunk idiots.

“Let’s go,” he said with a pointed look.

Dan immediately stood up on wobbly legs only to stumble when his foot got stuck underneath the chair. Jaekyung had seen countless people try to “fall conveniently” into him but this pathetic show was clearly not staged. Which was the only reason he didn’t dodge when Dan slammed face first into his chest. He did however sigh loudly and pull the Guide back by his hood. The guy should wear a handle on his neck so he’d be easier to lug around. A collar might look nice too…

“Don’t go too hard on the guiding tonight, guys!” The loud voice jolted Jaekyung out of his thoughts. He let go of Dan’s hood when he was sure he could stand on his own two feet.

“You’ve got work tomorrow!” The remark was followed by snickering and catcalling, which evidently went straight over Dan’s head because he looked more confused than embarrassed. How drunk was he to not understand the teasing? Jaekyung would’ve expected him to turn bright red at such comments. Although his cheeks were already flushed by this point so maybe he just couldn’t tell.

“Don’t worry.” Dan waved his hand around, nearly tripping again from the movement. “There’s no reason to guide Mr. Joo tonight.”

Oh, we’ll see about that… Jaekyung wrapped an arm around Dan’s waist and dragged him towards the exit.

“Mind your own business,” he threw over his shoulder as they left. His words did nothing to deter them, quite the opposite in fact. They all knew how he was; there was absolutely no way he wasn’t going to f*ck that sweet little Guide tonight.

At least that’s what he thought until he had to physically carry Dan to first his car, then strap him in and then carry him again to the elevator. Horny or not, there was no way he could get it up with such a sloppy drunk. At least not with his pride still intact. He wanted Dan to beg for his co*ck, not fall asleep before they even got started. Which was where this was headed, judging by the head lolling around on his back.

Jaekyung sighed as he turned towards Dan’s bedroom. There was no way he could get anything out of Dan at this point, least of all satisfying sex. The Guide was more or less asleep already and Jaekyung may be a bastard but he wasn’t into f*cking unconscious dudes. He threw Dan on the bed and turned to leave when he felt a tug on his shirt.

“Where’re ya going?” Dan asked, torso halfway off the bed as he clung to Jaekyung.

“Let go of me,” Jaekyung said, patience already wearing so thin he wasn’t sure how he hadn’t slapped Dan’s hand away yet. He was an Esper, not a damn babysitter.

“Oh, hi, sir,” Dan said, as if he just now realized who was on the other end of the shirt he was clutching.

“Get back in the bed, I’m not going to come pick you up if you fall on your face.” Contrary to his words Jaekyung still grabbed Dan’s hoodie and hauled him back on the bed. That handle would really come in handy by now. He yanked the offending shirt over Dan’s head for good measure. Everything smelled of booze and he didn’t want to worry about the Guide choking in his attempt at undressing himself.

“Is this you trying to be nice to me?” Dan slurred as he stared up at Jaekyung.

“What are you babbling about?” Not that he really cared at this point, he just wanted to go to his own room and shower before the stench of booze soaked into his own clothes. Jaekyung reached down to tug the comforter over Dan’s body when two delicate hands grabbed his face.

“I should reward you then,” Dan muttered and pulled their faces closer. He was stronger than he looked and he caught Jaekyung by surprise as he pressed his lips against the Esper’s cheek.

The kiss was sloppy and wet and over before Jaekyung had time to react. Dan slumped back on the bed and buried his face in the pillow with a grin on his face. Jaekyung stared at him for a moment before he abruptly straightened and left the room.

sh*t. How the hell did even a peck on the cheek make him feel better than f*cking half the Guides in the guild? He was going to go insane at this point.

Dan’s head was throbbing as he blearily opened his eyes. The light from the large windows had him shut them again, winching as the sun made his head ache even worse. How the hell had he even made it home?

Images of being carried over Jaekyung’s shoulder flashed in his mind and he groaned into his pillow. He couldn’t remember ever being this embarrassed. How could he act so sloppily? He wouldn’t put it past Jaekyung to chew him out as soon as he saw him and for once he wouldn’t blame him either. His behavior had been horrid and absolutely unbecoming of a Guide.

Sighing, Dan got out of bed. He frowned at the state of his clothes - where was his hoodie? He found it at the foot of the bed and as he bent down to pick it up, the memory of exactly how it had ended there slammed full force into him. Jaekyung pulling his shirt off wasn’t bad in itself, it was Dan’s actions that followed that had him clutch his chest in horror. Had he really kissed Jaekyung? Oh God, how was he ever going to live this down? After all his preaching about not sleeping with him, he’d gone and acted exactly like any other horny Guide wanting to get their hands on Jaekyung. He better find the Esper and apologize immediately.

Well, immediately after he’d taken a shower and brushed his teeth, that is. His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. How did he even manage to drink that much? It must’ve been the nerves. The team had been so nice that Dan hadn’t felt right rejecting any of the drinks they’d offered but still. He should’ve been more careful.

Dan poked his head out through the door, hands full of clean clothes. There was no sign of Jaekyung so he figured he was clear to get cleaned up before their confrontation. He ran to the bathroom across the hall, closing the door quietly behind him. He stripped quickly and stepped into the luxurious shower; if he ever had proper time he’d like to try taking a bath one day, it seemed such a shame to hurry through his routine when the facilities were so nice. It was a dream for another day though, because he needed to hurry and talk to Jaekyung so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding between them.

Dan lathered up his hair with fancy shampoo, courtesy of Jaekyung; he hadn’t brought any of his own stuff and he was honestly a little scared using any of the products. He could almost feel the money flushing down the drain as he washed himself. It was another reminder of just how different Jaekyung and his lifestyles were. When he rinsed his hair, he heard the door opening and froze. Jaekyung wouldn’t actually come into the bathroom while Dan was showering… Right?

“We need to talk,” came Jaekyung’s smooth voice, barely muffled through the glass doors to the shower. Okay, so he apparently would.

Dan flushed bright red. Even though the glass was frosted it felt like Jaekyung could see straight through it. How were they supposed to have a proper conversation like this? Jaekyung may not feel embarrassed about standing naked in front of someone but Dan felt exposed in every way as he turned off the water.

“Um,” Dan hesitated. “I’m in the shower, sir.”

“I can see that.”

How stupid of him to assume Jaekyung would have normal standards about when to have conversations in his own house. He couldn’t have waited five minutes for Dan to exit on his own? Then again, that might have been worse. He could’ve walked in when Dan was still naked in the bathroom and not hidden behind the safety of the glass walls.

“And you still, uh, want to talk?” He asked tentatively. “Now?”

“Why else would I be here?”

Dan didn’t want to answer that particular question because it would mean having to voice the thoughts in his head. The thoughts he had about what type of man Jaekyung was and exactly how little Dan trusted him to keep his hands to himself.

“Right, of course, sir,” Dan was quick to agree. He poked his head out of the shower and looked around for his towel. On the counter. Of course, it would be out of reach. Dan made a mental reminder to make sure to keep the towel on the shower door’s handle next time. “Um, could you...?” He let the question trail off as he glanced pointedly at the towel.

Jaekyung rolled his eyes but threw the towel to Dan, nonetheless.

“You don’t think I’ve seen everything there is to see already?” He asked.

“I- we didn’t-” Dan stuttered as he quickly wrapped the towel around his waist. His cheeks felt like they were on fire. He’d had clothes on when he woke up and he couldn’t remember ever being naked in front of the Esper but what if he’d somehow forgotten more of what happened yesterday?

“Would you relax? I’m not going to attack you,” Jaekyung snapped. “That seems more your department, anyway.”

His usual frown was replaced with the hint of a smirk and Dan felt all the blood drain from his face. Oh God. The kiss yesterday was not something they’d discussed beforehand. Jaekyung may want to sleep with him but he’d never said anything about kissing. Did he think Dan had done it to tease him? Or worse, to hint that he wanted more?

“I’m so sorry about yesterday-” He started but Jaekyung interrupted him.

“I don’t care about that, just don’t get drunk near me again.”

“Yes, sir,” Dan agreed immediately. Like hell he’d ever risk doing that again. He shuddered to think what could have happened. What if Jaekyung hadn’t just put him to bed? It’s not like Dan could say much when he was the one who initiated, even if he was drunk. He knew what Jaekyung was after, after all. But then he couldn’t help but wonder: “What did you want to talk about then?”

“Here.” Jaekyung held out his arm, dropping a device in Dan’s hand when he reached out. It looked like a fancy watch.

“What’s this?” He asked curiously. He’d never really been the watch-wearing type and this looked far too technical to be a regular watch.

“A Guide tracker,” Jaekyung told him simply.

“A- a tracker?” Dan asked, turning the watch around in his hand. Was he so untrustworthy that Mr. Joo had to keep track of where he went? It made sense, he supposed, seeing how Jaekyung had caught him in the alley. But he had no reason to go back there anymore, not after his debts had all been paid off. And they had been, Dan had checked several times, but his accounts hadn’t been touched and he hadn’t heard anything from the loan sharks. It may only have been a few days but they would’ve reached out by now if they’d wanted more money.

“It’s a communications device so I can get a hold of you when I need to,” Jaekyung explained, looking annoyed at having to do so. “And you can use it to locate me.”

“Oh. Okay,” Dan said. He probably should’ve known that but he’d never had anything like this at his old job. Then again, he’d never been anyone’s personal Guide before. Maybe it was standard equipment when it came to Team Black’s Guides. “But aren’t these super expensive?”

“Now you ask,” Jaekyung smirked. He leaned against the door, looking amused. “Like that’s the most expensive thing I’ve gotten you.”

“Ah, no, I’m, I’m sorry,” Dan stuttered. He really didn’t need a reminder of how much he owed Jaekyung already. “Speaking of, um. What about my debt?”

“What about it?”

“You- you paid it all off, sir,” he said carefully. He didn’t want to sound ungrateful but what could you really say to the man who threw around insane amounts of money like it was nothing, when it would’ve taken Dan an entire lifetime to pay it back?

“And?” Jaekyung raised an eyebrow as he looked down at Dan, eyes sliding down over his chest.

His wandering look made Dan remember exactly how exposed he was. He really should get this conversation over with so he could get dressed. Preferably without Jaekyung in the room. That predatory glint in his eyes was back and Dan really did not want to figure out if he really was imagining it. Judging from Jaekyung’s past behavior and words, Dan would be in for the fight of his life if he gave Jaekyung too many openings.

“And I’ll pay you back, of course, I just-”

“Do I look like I need money?” Jaekyung interrupted. He was back to glaring daggers, as if even the thought of Dan thinking he was in need of anything was a blow to his ego. It might’ve been almost endearing how he didn’t want to lose face if it wasn’t for the fact that a pissed off Jaekyung was anything but endearing.

“No, sir,” Dan said quickly. It wasn’t a lie. Anyone with eyes could see that Jaekyung was well off, even without having a room in his house.

“Exactly,” Jaekyung said, seemingly satisfied with their talk. He turned to walk out the door, with a last lingering look over his shoulder. “You can pay it off… as my Guide.”

At least he hadn’t said “with your body”. And it wasn’t exactly a “no rush” comfort, but it was probably the closest Dan would get from Jaekyung. After all, he’d decided to pay it off himself, Dan hadn’t asked him to do it. That clearly wasn’t the point he was trying to make though. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes as he looked up and down Dan’s naked chest before leaving the bathroom.

Dan breathed out shakily. He wasn’t entirely sure what just happened. Was this just Jaekyung’s way of reminding him of his place? The longer it took him to pay back the money, the longer Jaekyung had something to tether them together. But even if Dan somehow managed to pay it all back, there was still the incident with the unregistered Espers. Dan sighed deeply as he finally got around to drying off. How was he going to survive being Jaekyung’s Guide? He looked at the watch in his hand before closing it around his wrist. No need to panic yet. Jaekyung had seemingly forgiven him for his indiscretions last night. They were starting out with a clean slate. Somewhat.

All Dan had to do was make sure Jaekyung was satisfied with his guiding without giving in to his never ending “requests” for more. He’d been doing the same thing at his old job and it wasn’t like Jaekyung would force him into more physical guiding. How hard could it be to stay by his side until his debts were all paid and the Esper decided to keep quiet about the illegal guiding?

Even Dan could see that he was grasping at straws to keep his sanity but what else could he do at this point? He’d already made a deal with the devil, he might as well follow through.

Things were calm for quite a while. So calm in fact that Dan felt like he’d gotten a deal too good to be true. There were barely any expectations of him. Jaekyung drove them both to work and despite his less than welcoming attitude, he didn’t make Dan stick to his side at all times. It would’ve interfered with the Esper’s training and work too, so it made sense. He was oddly territorial but Dan figured that must come with the whole “personal Guide” part of the deal.

They started each day with guiding, just as they had when Jaekyung was still visiting him in the Guide’s offices in the other building. If there was a mission for the team, Dan was more than happy to guide the others as well, just as a precaution, if they needed it. So far there hadn’t been any portals above a class B and there had been no reason for him to join them in the field. He still had the tracker on, making sure to check it in case Jaekyung called for him, but so far all Jaekyung had asked of him after a mission was more guiding. Not that he needed it, really, but Dan had mostly gotten used to the Esper’s weird requests. It was almost like he wanted guiding just for the fun of it.

And, of course, Jaekyung never tired of hinting - or outright stating - that he wanted to have sex with Dan. It was like he was obsessed with the thought, despite being guided any and all times he asked. Dan had no idea how he didn’t give up after all this time; it wasn’t like Jaekyung was lacking suitors. In fact many Guides “accidentally” found their way to Team Black’s offices just to catch a glimpse of the Esper. Dan knew Jaekyung was famous in the guild, he’d have to have been blind not to notice, even before Jaekyung sought him out, but it was different seeing it in person.

It was an odd sensation having to see what was essentially his colleagues - although in name only - running their hands over Jaekyung’s arms, asking him for drinks or simply suggesting they find somewhere more private. Each and every time Jaekyung rejected the advances but the more time went on, the more he seemed to… prolong the rejections. He was always glancing at Dan, like he was daring him to interfere. Daring him to put those Guides back in their place.

A small part of Dan, a part that he most certainly wasn’t ready to look too closely at, did feel slightly offended at all the attention surrounding Jaekyung. Dan was his Guide, everybody knew, so why were they still lining up, nearly on their knees begging for Jaekyung’s attention? Or, Dan soon learned, a little more than his attention . What they wanted from the Esper had nothing to do with guiding. It was unbelievable how direct they all were, not an ounce of shame as they approached Jaekyung at any and every turn. Even when Dan was right next to him on their way to the car! He knew it wasn’t his place to tell them off but it was getting quite annoying having to dodge elbows if he was standing too close to Jaekyung when the Guides pounced on him.

“You’re awfully popular,” Dan muttered one day as they finally got to the car.

“Do I detect a hint of jealousy, Kim Dan?” And there was that sh*t-eating grin Jaekyung wore whenever he caught Dan frowning at all the Guides surrounding him.

“You do not.” At least Dan hoped it wasn’t jealousy. He did feel an odd sort of tightness in his chest and he was annoyed, sure, but it wasn’t jealousy. Why would he be jealous? It wasn’t like they were bonded to or actually seeing each other romantically, Jaekyung was free to take any of the Guides up on their offers. Or anyone else’s offers for that matter. Dan may be Jaekyung’s personal Guide but there were no rules stating that an Esper had to stick to their own Guide unless they were bonded. And even if there were, nothing in the rules prohibited Jaekyung from dating others simply because he had Dan.

His words did nothing to deter the Esper, even though he said nothing more about Dan’s supposed jealousy. At least not that day. The more smirks were sent his way, the more Dan wanted to point out if any of them were jealous, it wasn’t him but Jaekyung, but he knew that would just fuel the fire. Jaekyung took an odd pleasure in riling Dan up, whether it be with his annoying comments or those looks that seemed to burn straight through Dan’s soul.

Other than Jaekyung’s general obnoxiousness, there weren’t any issues on the team. All the Espers accepted Dan as part of the team immediately, some even going as far as to try and befriend him properly. Dan felt a little overwhelmed but it was nice, having someone to talk to without worrying about what they’d say behind his back. It didn’t seem like Team Black were too keen on gossip. Then again, their leader was Jaekyung, so they’d probably get in trouble if he heard them talking sh*t when he was so used to being on the other end of several rumors.

Something else Dan had noticed was that there were far fewer rumors regarding himself, which was odd. He’d expected more rumors to emerge when he became Jaekyung’s Guide but somehow he hadn’t heard any malicious gossip about himself even when he sometimes had to go back to the old building. It seemed like he’d been taken properly under Jaekyung’s wing and thus his protection. It made his heart beat a little faster at the thought of the Esper silencing whatever rumors were flying around. He’d even dared ask Manager Park about it because it felt almost like people were afraid to talk about him now - it was just a feeling he had, there was no proof, but there was an odd silence whenever he came into a room outside of Team Black’s territory.

“Jaekyung doesn’t like gossip,” Coach had told him.

Dan had started nodding, he’d gotten that impression as well from all the glaring whenever the Esper heard as much as an echo of a rumor in his vicinity, but then Namwook had continued: “Especially about his people.”

“His-?”

“His people, yeah,” Coach had said with a smile. “We’re a team and despite his sh*tty attitude, the kid takes care of his team. He cares for you guys, in his own way.”

Dan couldn’t exactly refute that statement because he’d seen it for himself. Sure, Jaekyung was ruthless in his training even against weaker Espers. He didn’t care if anyone got hurt because it taught them to either know their own limitations or to do better. And he wasn’t shy about telling people off, no matter who they were, if they pissed him off. But he was also the first one at the scene when a portal opened up; he was the one who’d glare at outsiders when they would mock Yoongu for his height or lack of skill, even if Jaekyung himself would do the same. And it was also Jaekyung who made sure Dan got to work on time, who made sure he was included, albeit in his clumsy I-don’t-care roundabout way.

It seemed that Dan’s reputation only got better the longer he stayed on Team Black. And even though Jaekyung wasn’t shy about reminding him exactly who he should be grateful towards, he didn’t mention the incident with the unregistered Espers again, nor did he press him about his debts. That part was a bitter pill to swallow and Dan made a point to transfer a part of his ridiculous pay back to Jaekyung’s account. The Esper had glared at him for it the first time.

“Don’t you have something better to do with that money?”

“I need to pay you back,” Dan told him. “And thanks to you I still have money for the other things I need.”

Jaekyung had tsked and rolled his eyes but this was ultimately something Dan would not budge on. He was used to paying his debts by himself and there was no way he was going to be indebted to Jaekyung for the rest of his life. At least not financially. He would probably never be able to properly repay him for getting rid of the thugs, but he was going to try.

Of course, the peace couldn’t last forever. Dan had been lulled into a sense of calm, working with Team Black and Jaekyung. Most of his worries had dulled to seemingly nothing - at least most of the financial aspects. He still had his grandmother’s hospital bills to take care of but thanks to his ridiculously high salary, even that didn’t bankrupt him as much as it used to. Although with Jaekyung’s busy work schedule, Dan couldn’t go see her as often as he’d like. She may not be awake much but he would still like to be by her side as much as possible.

Which was why he gathered up the courage to ask Jaekyung for a half day. There hadn’t been any dangerous missions, at least not dangerous enough that Team Black couldn’t handle it with ease, so he felt fairly secure in requesting a few hours to go see his grandmother. He wasn’t quite sure how Jaekyung would react to the request though, seeing how he insisted on them going to and from work together. It was like he was afraid Dan would suddenly disappear one day if he didn’t keep an eye on him at all times. To be fair, Dan could somehow understand that fear; if he’d ever lent anyone a huge amount of money, he wouldn’t want them out of his sight either.

“Sir, may I have a moment?” He asked carefully when he approached Jaekyung in the living room. He didn’t want to disturb the Esper when he finally had a moment to relax but he also didn’t want to spring it on him at the last second.

He usually respected Jaekyung’s alone time in the evenings, instead staying in his room or spending time in the office, if the Esper didn’t explicitly ask him to join him in whatever he was doing. He’d quickly realized that Jaekyung’s only real hobby outside of working out was watching movies at night. Tonight it was an old black and white movie, one that Dan hadn’t seen, but then again, he’d never really had proper free time to spend on watching movies or doing much else besides work.

“What is it?” Jaekyung asked without turning around. He seemed tense somehow, like there was something on his mind. Dan was curious but didn’t want to pry.

“I have an appointment tomorrow morning,” he said instead of asking Jaekyung if there was something wrong. It really wasn’t his place to try and cheer the Esper up and he wouldn’t even know where to begin if it was.

“So?” Jaekyung finally turned to look at him and Dan was struck once again by how handsome he was. He always wore glasses when watching TV to protect his eyesight and they made him look even more attractive than usual. Not that Dan would ever voice those thoughts out loud, it was merely an observation.

An observation that had him avert his gaze, hoping the low lighting in the room would hide the way his cheeks were heating up. He’d been having way too many thoughts on Jaekyung’s appearance lately, it was becoming a problem. He thought back to his first crush in sixth grade and promptly shut that train of thought down. He wasn’t going to go there.

“So,” he said, trying to hide how flustered he was. “If you’d like guiding before then-”

“I’ll be fine,” Jaekyung interrupted and turned back to the TV.

Dan took the dismissal easily and went to his room. There was clearly something on the Esper’s mind but just like Dan wouldn’t want Jaekyung to ask about his odd behavior, he wasn’t going to ask about Jaekyung’s thoughts. At least not until the Esper made it clear that he wanted to talk to Dan about it. They weren’t really there yet, if they’d ever get there. Besides, it wasn’t that big of a deal to skip guiding once. He trusted Jaekyung to know when he needed proper guiding, even if he did have a habit of wanting more than he needed. He would be fine skipping one session.

Jaekyung was anything but fine.

He was frustrated and annoyed and f*cking horny out of his mind. Not only did he have to watch that fine ass walk around half naked in his own home, he also had to deal with the constant need to touch Dan, guiding or not. Which would have been f*cking fine if the man would budge just an inch in his damn rejections. But somehow Jaekyung had chosen the only Guide in the entire world who did not want to f*ck. Jaekyung wasn’t even sure he jerked off, that’s how prudish he was acting. It was driving him borderline insane. There was no persuading the Guide. Jaekyung was pretty sure he would have to be on his deathbed before Dan would sleep with him. If dying from blue balls was possible, he was halfway there already.

Sure, Jaekyung could just find someone else to f*ck and it wasn’t like he hadn’t considered it. But the thought of finally getting Dan in his bed - or couch, or desk, or up against the lockers in the changing room, at this point Jaekyung wasn’t picky - crying and begging was enough to have him reconsider. He had offers, they were always there, but the only reason he didn’t outright tell the Guides to f*ck off was because Dan had started frowning as he watched them interact with Jaekyung. It didn’t take a genius to see that the Guide was upset, even if he wasn’t willing to admit it.

Jaekyung didn’t care if it was actually jealousy or simply Dan being territorial; all he cared about was that the Guide better start acting on it or Jaekyung would lose his f*cking mind. When he’d decided he wanted something, he was going to get it. Whether that be fame, fortune, or that stupidly innocent Guide of his. Did Dan want him to beg? At this point Jaekyung was almost willing to ask nicely .

Yeah, no. Dan would give in eventually. The only problem was whether or not Jaekyung could keep his hands to himself that long. Contrary to the rumors going around the directors’ offices, he didn’t need to force anyone to do anything, but he may have to change tactics at this point. If he had to watch Dan pad around barefoot in nothing but a t-shirt that was three sizes too big and those ugly-ass boxers of his one more time, he was sure he’d take him against the nearest surface with no regard of the consequences.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he missed the first time Coach called him. Of course, today would be the day they had to rush out on another mission, several portals opening up on top of each other. At least Dan had asked for the day off, so he didn’t have to worry about bringing him along - or being distracted by those stupidly innocent eyes watching him.

What started as relief very quickly turned to frustration. Today of all days the portals were not only several times bigger than usual, they were also higher levels than they’d seen the past few weeks. Jaekyung wasn’t worried, he could handle this and more if need be, but he hadn’t anticipated spending more than five hours in the field, using more of his powers than he had in what seemed like years.

When another monster-infested hole opened up and Coach informed him via his earpiece that this was a level S portal and to be careful, Jaekyung was about ready to blow a fuse. What the f*ck was going on today? He would’ve taken that damn guiding yesterday if he knew this was going to happen. Yet he didn’t want to give Heesung the satisfaction of having to call for backup. At this level the only other Esper they could call was that bastard, despite him being from a different guild, and Jaekyung wasn’t about to lose face just because he’d been at this for hours. He could handle a single S-class portal by himself.

He ignored the telltale signs of excess power use and set another monster aflame. So what if his eyes were burning and his body felt heavy. He grit his teeth and kept the flames coming, burning everything within reach to a crisp. There was a reason he was known as Korea’s strongest, there was nothing he couldn’t do. He ignored the calls from his team, powering through the tightness in his chest. He knew how to handle this, he was Joo Jaekyung. As f*cking if he would ever need anyone’s help.

He’d rather rampage than rely on somebody to save his ass.

Dan ran through the halls as fast as his feet would take him. He’d gotten the call less than half an hour ago but he knew he couldn’t waste a single second. He’d never yelled at a taxi driver before but he was freaking out. Manager Park had called him frantic, asking when he was getting to work, throwing words like “near rampage” and “stubborn moron” around, and Dan had panicked. He’d never heard Coach this desperate and the feelings had mirrored in Dan before he knew it.

He barely said two words to Namwook when he burst through the doors, only nodded his head and kept running when he signaled where Dan could find Jaekyung. He didn’t even have to open the door before he felt the immense heat radiating from it. He swallowed nervously before pushing the door open, peeking inside carefully. You never knew with Espers on the verge of rampage and Dan figured that would be especially true with an Esper like Jaekyung.

Still, as soon as he laid eyes on him, Dan couldn’t help but run into the room, slamming the door shut behind him, his own safety be damned.

“Sir!” He exclaimed.

Jaekyung looked awful. His eyes were bloodshot and his usually dark irises were flashing yellow every other second, pupils blown wide. He was barely keeping himself upright on the couch, shoulders slumped even as he glared at Dan. It almost looked like his body was steaming even in the brightly lit room. It felt like a sauna and Dan had a hard time catching his breath.

“Mr. Joo, you’re close to rampaging!” He said, as if Jaekyung hadn’t already realized. Namwook had used the words of course, but Dan hadn’t expected it to be this bad. He’s never seen Jaekyung so… weakened. “Why didn’t you call for me sooner?”

Dan would’ve come faster if he’d known it was this serious, if he’d been informed earlier. Why didn’t they inform him about the portals? Why didn't they include him in the mission if they knew it was going to be this bad? He was Jaekyung’s Guide, they should have informed him that the Esper was in such bad shape before they’d arrived back at the guild. Frustration was taking over and Dan took a deep breath. He needed to focus.

Jaekyung tsk’ed but said nothing. He’d always been a man of few words in front of Dan but it looked like he had physical difficulties speaking with the way he was clenching and unclenching his jaw.

Dan knew the clear signs of imminent corruption but he didn’t know Jaekyung well enough to know what he was experiencing physically himself. It didn’t take a genius to see that he was doing his best to hold back the excess energy that was threatening to spill from his body though. The sight of his Esper so… guarded and yet somehow vulnerable had something squeeze inside Dan’s chest. He pushed it away, focusing on the situation at hand instead.

“I’ll- I’ll start guiding you immediately,” Dan said and dropped his bag on the floor. “Is that alright, sir?”

Jaekyung clenched his jaw again before finally opening his mouth. Dan wasn’t imagining it this time; literal steam protruded from between his lips as he spoke.

“That’s what I’m paying you for, isn’t it.”

It clearly wasn’t a question but Dan still nodded. Sure, it was his job but nobody liked being touched without consent.

He reached for Jaekyung’s clenched hand. His skin was hot to the point of it radiating heat before Dan even touched him. He was worried he might actually get burned, but this was what he got paid for, that was true. And Jaekyung wouldn’t purposefully hurt him. Probably. He swallowed thickly.

Dan grabbed Jaekyung’s hand and flinched. It immediately felt like fire was swirling inside his veins, from their point of contact and spreading up his arm and chest. While he’d never described guiding as outright pleasant, like many other Guides and Espers might, this was on another scale in itself. He almost longed for his usual headaches and sore body.

“Ugh.” Dan tried to breathe through the discomfort. The pain was dulling by the second but that didn’t mean it was pleasant at all. “Sir, I don’t think this is efficient, maybe we should call for an A-ranked Guide.” Dan would’ve said more but a large hand grabbed his shirt and yanked him closer.

“You,” Jaekyung hissed, eyes ablaze. “Are my Guide.”

Dan shifted his eyes between Jaekyung’s. They were still glowing sporadically. The guiding wasn’t working fast enough; they needed something stronger.

“In that case,” Dan muttered. He didn’t want to go down this road but Jaekyung was right. He was his Guide and Jaekyung was his Esper. It had been his choice, forced as it may have been. If he had any pride as a Guide, he couldn’t let his Esper suffer like this. Jaekyung was strong but he was only human too. “Please excuse me.”

Dan let go of Jaekyung’s hand, ignoring the way the Esper’s head shot up as if to yell at him and grabbed both sides of Jaekyung’s head.

“Sorry,” he muttered for good measure before he pressed their lips together gently.

It was common knowledge that the most efficient way of guiding was through prolonged physical contact, the more intimate, the better, but it was the first time Dan had felt the need to kiss an Esper. With their level differences it made sense that kissing or intercourse would be the best solution for guiding but that wasn’t how Dan preferred to work.

Used to work, as it turned out. Because he couldn’t very well let Korea’s strongest Esper rampage just because he wanted to save his first kiss for someone special. In terms of strength Jaekyung was special. He just also happened to be a prick most of the time. None of this registered in Dan’s mind though, not until much later, because he’d barely made contact, feeling Jaekyung freeze for less than a second before he was hauled on top of the Esper’s thighs.

He gasped at the sudden move, leaving his mouth open for Jaekyung to slip his tongue in. It was just as hot as the rest of him, and Dan tried to pull back, just to pull in a quick breath, but Jaekyung’s arms wound around his waist, keeping him close. Dan’s hands settled on his shoulders, holding on for dear life. He was trying very hard not to notice how oddly gentle Jaekyung’s hands were as they held him. And he tried even harder to ignore the swoop he felt in his stomach. The burning sensation soon dulled to an almost comforting warmth and Dan felt his eyes slip closed. The last thing he saw was those piercing eyes, looking at him through heavy eyelids.

Jaekyung kissed just like he did anything else; fiercely and with a burning passion. His lips moved against Dan’s, taking the lead effortlessly. He seemed almost desperate as his tongue moved, mapping out the entirety of Dan’s mouth. The Guide may never have been kissed before but even he could tell that Jaekyung was a good kisser. It wasn’t something Dan had ever thought he’d get to experience and yet here he was. His thoughts were an odd mix of elation, pleasure and confusion.

Jaekyung’s hands were much more tender and gentle as they roamed over Dan’s back than he had ever imagined the Esper capable of being. Shivers ran down his back at the soft touch. It was like Jaekyung was afraid to grab on too tight; worried he’d somehow break Dan in his search of guiding. In his search for pleasure. Jaekyung ran his hands up between Dan’s shoulder blades and down to the waistband of his pants, pushing the Guide closer so their chests were pressed together. There was a stutter in the Esper’s movements before he clutched at Dan’s shirt, nearly ripping it apart from the sheer strength of his grip.

One hand slid up his back and long fingers wrapped themselves around the back of Dan’s neck, tilting his head so their lips fit together perfectly. A soft groan left Jaekyung’s lips as he licked more forcefully into Dan’s mouth. It was like he was trying to bury himself in the Guide, pulling him impossibly closer on his lap.

Dan could barely breathe.

It felt like Jaekyung’s heat enclosed the both of them, shielding them from the rest of the world as his excess energy flowed through his skin and into Dan’s body. It was probably the reason why Dan didn’t feel embarrassed as he let himself get carried away in their shared breaths. The tingling feeling in his stomach spread up through his spine, making him squeeze his legs around Jaekyung’s thighs. It elicited a nearly animalistic growl from the Esper as he clutched Dan even tighter.

At some point the warmth started feeling good, like a warm blanket thrown over his shoulders. The burning of Jaekyung’s enormous energy in his veins changed to a prickly feeling, almost ticklish in nature, like a heated caress. It felt like feather soft movements against his skin, leaving him covered in goosebumps. It wasn’t until Jaekyung’s hands cupped his ass, that Dan finally pulled back with a high pitched squeak. Jaekyung’s lips immediately went to his jaw, sliding down his neck, leaving behind a trail of hungry kisses. His hands got more forceful, pulling at his shirt so they could access the naked skin underneath.

“Th-that’s enough,” Dan panted, trying to put some space between them. He couldn’t even move back an inch with the strong hands holding him close. A very small part of him - the same part he’d been shoving away for a while now - wanted to press even closer, to let Jaekyung finish what he’d started. He knew better than to let it consume him though.

“You started this,” Jaekyung growled against his neck. He nipped at the skin and licked over the marks he left behind, almost purring in satisfaction.

“I-” Dan swallowed hard. “I was just guiding you, there’s no need for-”

“No need, my ass,” he said with a squeeze to Dan’s backside. “Or yours.”

“We- we’re all done now,” Dan muttered, trying his hardest not to notice the bulge he could feel rubbing up against his ass. Oh God, what had he done? This wasn’t what he’d been trying to do. He really just tried to guide Jaekyung properly! Even in his own head the words sounded like a lie but he really didn’t want to analyze that right now.

“I say when we’re done,” Jaekyung said against his skin, annoyance dripping off his words.

While one hand stayed on his ass, the other slid around his back, gripping his shoulder so there was no way Dan could move out of Jaekyung’s hold, lest he try to elbow him in the face. And even that wouldn’t work with their current position. A knee to the Esper’s dick might be the most effective method but Dan really didn’t want to think more about that particular body part than he was already doing. It was getting increasingly harder to ignore the way it poked at his ass. How big was it that he could feel the damn shape of it through his pants?

“That’s not how this works,” Dan said firmly. He was the Guide, he set the limits. It was his body taking on Jaekyung’s energy, after all. If the Esper wanted anything more, he’d have to call for someone else. Even as he thought it, Dan felt torn. He did start this and if he pushed the surge of shame aside, he’d enjoyed it too, but kissing him didn’t mean he had to have sex with Jaekyung.

“It’s exactly how it works,” Jaekyung said, finally looking up at Dan. His eyes were back to normal, thankfully. “Your ass belongs to me, I’m the one paying for it.”

“I’m a Guide, not a prostitute!” Dan protested, outraged at Jaekyung’s choice of words. What the hell was wrong with him? This was no way to treat a Guide, or anyone for that matter. “Let go,” he muttered, pushing at Jaekyung’s arms, trying to get free.

“Would you sit still?” Jaekyung snapped, tightening his hold. When Dan kept struggling, he sighed heavily but didn’t let go. “What is guiding?”

“What?” Dan frowned. Was this some sort of trick to distract him? As if he wouldn’t notice Jaekyung’s wandering hands simply because he’d mentioned guiding.

“What exactly is guiding?” Jaekyung repeated. To his credit he didn’t move his hands, just held onto Dan so he wouldn’t move off his lap.

“I-it’s the process where a Guide stabilizes an Esper’s excess energy to make sure they don’t go on rampage and hurt anyone, including themselves,” Dan said, just as he’d learned when training to become a proper Guide. What did this have to do with Jaekyung’s damn attitude? They both knew what guiding was.

“And how do you do it?”

“By initiating physical contact with the Esper,” Dan said, exasperated. He was getting tired of this pop quiz. He started struggling against Jaekyung’s hold again, useless as it was. If the Esper didn’t want to let him go, there was no way Dan could fight his way out.

“And why do you do it?” Jaekyung asked, gaze so intense Dan couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. The Esper sat completely still, waiting for his answer.

Dan would never dare voice it out loud but the way Jaekyung was looking at him reminded him somewhat of a dog, waiting for its owner to throw it a treat. The comparison almost made him smile, until he realized that in this scenario the dog would be him and Jaekyung would be the owner. The way he was questioning him, trying to distract him and prompt him to say whatever he wanted to hear were all clear indications of how Jaekyung saw him. As someone who could be trained to do whatever the Esper pleased. He might’ve been angry if he hadn’t already accepted that this was just how Jaekyung was. He wasn’t singling Dan out, seeing him as weaker or inferior, that’s how he saw everyone around him. At least that’s what that small part of him, hopeful and warm inside his chest, told him.

“Because only Guides can?” Dan said slowly. He really had no idea where Jaeykung was going with this which just confused him even more.

“So, Guide Kim Dan,” Jaekyung grinned. “Why exactly can’t you guide me?”

“I can,” Dan finally snapped. “Just not like this.”

“Ah, that’s a lie. You can , you just don’t want to,” Jaekyung corrected. He was clearly amused, the bastard. If he was aware, why was he pushing the issue?

“In the end it’s up to me how I guide,” Dan said. And this is getting dangerously close to something other than guiding, he added silently.

“It’s up to me, you mean. I’m the one paying you.”

“That’s you treating me like a prostitute again.”

“A prostitute would be much less work,” Jaekyung shrugged.

Dan grit his teeth. This piece of… “Okay, that’s enough,” he said, pushing at Jaekyung’s shoulders. He’d had more than enough of this conversation and Jaekyung was clearly feeling better. There was no reason for him to stay seated on the man’s lap any longer.

“Wait, okay, I get it.” The arms tightened almost painfully around Dan’s middle before relaxing. Jaekyung let his head thump onto Dan’s shoulder, acting more clingy than the Guide had ever seen him. “Just give me a minute.”

“A minute,” Dan warned. He despised that familiar swoop in his stomach at having the Esper so close, because it was a testament to how he couldn’t just keep shoving his emotions down. Even so he didn’t push Jaekyung away. “That’s all.”

Having gotten a taste of Kim Dan’s more intense guiding was both a blessing and a curse. It left Jaekyung wanting more, so much more, and he’d expected Dan to be less stuck up about it now that they’d crossed that line once but once again the Guide did exactly the opposite. It was like he reveled in putting more distance between them and Jaekyung was on the verge of losing his sh*t.

Sure, he’d probably gone a tiny bit too far with the whole prostitute analogy, but it’s not like he stripped naked and shoved his co*ck in Dan’s mouth. Not that he hadn’t thought about it, but he was almost certain even Dan wouldn’t take that lying down. Which was frustrating in and of itself - which Guide in their right mind would say no to a piece of Jaekyung? Given willingly? At this point Jaekyung was convinced there was something wrong with Dan and yet he found himself waiting patiently like a dog for him. It made him both furious and frustrated. Who would’ve thought he, the Emperor himself, would be this obsessed with one single Guide?

He wouldn’t be so fixated if Dan would just give it up. Their compatibility was insane, Jaekyung made sure he had a place to live, money to spend. What more did he want? There was no reason for him to play so hard to get. Whose fault was it that Jaekyung was this desperate anyway? If only Dan did his job properly, they wouldn’t have to do this awkward back and forth dance. Too bad they didn’t really agree on what was proper guiding and what wasn’t.

One thing Jaekyung learned quickly after his too-chaste taste of what Dan had to offer was that the Guide responded best to the most odd gestures. He didn’t care for gifts as was evident when he paid Jaekyung back for the damn watch, despite it being more for the Esper’s benefit than Dan’s. He was also immune to any type of flirting which Jaekyung was glad he’d learned before he’d attempted that particular strategy. Watching Espers and Guides alike try to make a move on Dan was infuriating but the look of absolute indifference on his face when he waved them off was priceless. He may reject Jaekyung on the daily, but he never dismissed him with those stiff, polite smiles of his. No, Dan was still a stuttering, blushing mess when Jaekyung got too close. That had to be a good sign.

Gifts and flirting were out but Jaekyung slowly realized that Dan responded favorably to something as silly as spending time together. Not at work, no, but doing mundane things like grocery shopping on their way home. Somehow the Guide had taken it upon himself to make dinner for the both of them every night. Jaekyung had complained - he didn’t need a f*cking cook, he needed his Guide - until he’d had a taste of said food. He’d quietly accepted Dan’s offer without making further comments, which apparently made the Guide quite happy, judging by the soft smile on his face. He didn’t show that often in front of Jaekyung.

That is, until he suddenly did.

When they were in the car and Jaekyung actually answered the question of what he’d like for dinner. When he happened to hold the door open so Dan could walk through without having to shift things around in his hands. When he wouldn’t budge on the brand of cereal they were buying because he hated the off-brand kind, despite Dan insisting that it tasted the same. Even when he’d demand Dan sit his ass down instead of hovering around the couch when Jaekyung was watching a movie at night, he was met with that gentle smile.

As he said, odd gestures.

Jaekyung probably wouldn’t have even noticed it if it wasn’t for the fact that he could feel it in the way Dan guided him too. The more time they spent together outside of work, the better the guiding became. Jaekyung didn’t think it was possible but the proof was right in front of him. The sessions were quicker - which wasn’t necessarily a good thing, unless there was a mission waiting - and Dan looked less haggard after them. He’d even started cracking the odd joke once in a while. That part wasn’t exactly something Jaekyung would request if he had the choice but he did feel a sense of satisfaction at seeing the Guide lower his guard.

Everything seemed to go smoothly. Dan stopped avoiding his eyes and was much more relaxed in their sessions, both before and after. If Jaekyung didn’t know any better, he’d say the Guide was starting to enjoy it as much as he did. There was something slightly different in the way he was acting; the way he looked at Jaekyung with their hands clasped between them. He didn’t even flinch if Jaekyung sat close enough for their thighs to touch, although he never allowed more than that. Not yet, anyway. But Jaekyung was sure he was close to breaking. That was the only explanation for that soft look on the Guide’s face whenever their eyes met.

Of course, it wouldn’t last long. Jaekyung should’ve known better than to be lulled into a false sense of calm. There was always something or someone out to get either him or the entire team. He just hadn’t realized how he’d basically handed others his own weakness on a silver platter simply by making Dan part of Team Black.

The mental strength of an Esper had to be impenetrable. There was no room for doubt or worry when battling monsters and protecting civilians. Jaekyung knew this better than anyone and he had made it his mission never to be distracted by anything or anyone. He’d been more than successful. Until Kim Dan came along.

It started with a photo.

Jaekyung wasn’t someone who spent a lot of time texting, he preferred a quick call if he absolutely had to communicate through the phone. Which was why he frowned when one evening his phone buzzed on the coffee table. He was watching a movie, unwinding after another busy day. There’d been a large increase in portals lately and Team Black had felt the brunt of it. There wasn’t a single day they weren’t called out to deal with at least a handful of portals, which wasn’t too bad, at least life wasn’t boring. But it did mean less downtown, less time to train and less time at home.

Jaekyung didn’t appreciate being interrupted at night unless it was a legit emergency. Texts were not included in that. The number was unknown but the sender signed off with his name and place of work. Another f*cking reporter. Jaekyung didn’t know how they kept getting his number but if he ever found the one leaking it, he’d tear the guy apart.

His usual frustration was quickly replaced with burning fury. If he hadn’t trained for as many years as he had, he was sure he’d have burned his phone to a crisp in his hands.

Sure, he’d noticed Kim Dan taking more breaks, leaving earlier, taking off for a few hours during the day if he wasn’t needed. It was to be expected with all the portals opening up; he was a part of the team, but they didn’t always need him to stick around. As long as he was at the office when they got back, Jaekyung couldn’t care less what he got up to in the meantime. But this? This made Jaekyung want to march into the Guide’s room and shake him awake, demanding answers. He knew better than to do so, his anger would ultimately cloud his judgment, no matter what Dan’s excuse would be. And by now, despite all his fury and frustration, Jaekyung knew Dan well enough to know he would probably have a logical explanation.

The knowledge didn’t help his temperament at all. Sure, he knew it wouldn’t do any good to take it out of Dan, but a small part of him felt the bitter sting of betrayal as it had done so many times before. He shoved the feeling away as he set his phone back on the coffee table. He took a few deep breaths, just enough of calmness taking over that his exhale didn’t blow steam into the room any longer. None of what he was feeling was productive but staying calm amounted to nothing either. And it still left one lingering question on his mind. Why the f*ck was Kim Dan being photographed being all chummy with other Espers?

Something was off about Jaekyung. The Esper had started avoiding him with the flimsiest excuses. He had work outside the guild, he had more training to do, he was busy. This was the guy who was never afraid to speak his mind and yet the Esper didn’t elaborate or answer Dan properly when he asked if there was something wrong. He didn’t even tell Dan to mind his own damn business, which would have been a much more Jaekyung response than the avoidance he was exhibiting. Dan couldn’t very well keep asking when it was clear he wasn’t going to get a straight answer. Besides, it wasn’t like he had many chances to have a moment alone with Jaekyung these days. More often than not Jaekyung sent him home first and their usual shared meals dwindled to none, which meant that their time alone also declined.

If he’d been in his right mind, Dan would have noticed sooner. He would’ve seen the signs of the Esper distancing himself. But as it was, Dan had more than enough on his plate already; he didn’t need the added stress of trying to figure out why it hurt him so much to be ignored. He spent every free moment at the hospital; the doctors had finally told him there was nothing more they could do other than keep his grandmother comfortable, and it took all of his strength not to break down every single day he got to sit with her still breathing.

If he was completely honest, Jaekyung putting space between them was a relief at this point. They’d been getting along much better recently but that didn’t mean Jaekyung had given up on getting “proper guiding”, as he called it. Dan didn’t need to focus on fending off the Esper’s advances when he was busy trying to keep it together for his grandmother, so he was more relieved than worried about Jaekyung’s sudden change in behavior. It also gave him time to think. Or not to think, more accurately. Focusing on his grandmother’s health pushed those stubborn thoughts and feelings away and having Jaekyung out of sight helped too, although it felt more lonely than he was willing to admit.

He should’ve known it would blow up in his face. Everything always had to happen at once in his life. But even in his wildest nightmares he couldn’t have foreseen the events that transpired one after another. Fate had a habit of being cruel though, and it did not make exceptions when it came to Dan.

It started with a call from the hospital. Dan knew it was coming but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. He’d been there just the day before but anything could happen during the night. They needed him to come down, as soon as possible. That could only mean one thing. He informed Jaekyung that he was leaving and wouldn’t be at the office today before running towards the elevator. The Esper barely acknowledged his words, he simply grunted what sounded like a “whatever” and turned back to whatever he was absorbed in. He’d been on his phone a lot recently. Another thing Dan might have noticed if he wasn’t sprinting out the door.

When he reached the hospital, the nurse who’d taken care of his grandmother met him outside her room. She looked at him with such pity in her eyes that he almost flinched. This was it, huh? It took all his courage to push the door open. His grandmother looked just like last time he’d seen her, yet somehow so different. It was almost like she was asleep, but it was more than that. Like there was something missing even with all the machines surrounding her. She’d closed her eyes, fallen asleep peacefully this morning, but she wouldn’t wake up, the nurse told him. It was Dan’s decision whether or not to keep the machines on. The only thing that kept her breathing, kept her alive.

He felt his heart break in his chest, a pain as real as the time the thugs had broken one of his ribs. Only this was worse, so much worse.

How could he ever make that choice? This was his grandmother, his only family, the only person he had left in this world. What would he do without her?

“Take your time, sweetie,” the nurse told him with a sad smile before she left the room. She must’ve been through this countless times but she still showed him kindness and patience and for that, Dan was eternally grateful. He didn’t know what he’d do if they forced him to make a choice immediately.

He knew what he had to do, he just wasn’t ready to voice it out loud. Not yet.

He’d been in such a hurry that morning that he hadn’t put on his tracker; he’d just shoved it into his bag with the rest of his things before leaving. It wasn’t until his phone rang for the third time that he even registered the noise, too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice.

“This is Dan speaking,” he said, painfully aware of how broken he sounded.

“Guide Kim!” Coach’s frantic voice sounded over the phone. “Where are you right now?”

“I’m at the hospital,” Dan said, finally snapping his attention away from his grandmother. Coach Park sounded panicked which was very unlike him. From the short time they’d known each other, Dan had known the man to be calm, albeit a bit hot headed when it came to Jaekyung. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry but can you come to the office? Jaekyung’s in bad shape again and he won’t let anyone guide him.”

“Oh, yes, of course, I’m on my way!” Dan hung up and turned to his grandmother. “I’ll be back,” he whispered, squeezing her hand once, even though he knew she wouldn’t feel it. She was already gone. He just needed a little more time to accept it.

In the meantime there was someone else who needed him, someone very much still alive. Someone who could certainly keep Dan’s thoughts occupied just long enough that he wouldn’t break down completely. He was slightly ashamed at the relief that hit him when he exited the hospital; it wasn’t right for him to find any type of relief from his Esper being in desperate need of guiding after a mission. Still, Dan was grateful for the distraction even if this was just Jaekyung wanting more guiding than he needed again. Then again, Coach wouldn’t call him if the situation wasn’t serious. Espers weren’t known to refuse guiding, not even Espers as stubborn as Jaekyung, so something must have happened.

Dan took a cab, not wanting to risk getting to the office too late to be of help. He hurried into the building and when he exited the elevator, he headed directly for Team Black’s offices, figuring Jaekyung must be in the same room as last time. Dan only hoped he wasn’t as close to rampaging as then, because while he knew his role and was ready to do his job, he was not in the mood to play along with Jaekyung’s antics. Not today.

“Dan!” Namwook called as he caught him in the hallway. “He’s on the lower floor with the Guides, we couldn’t put it off any longer.”

“Oh,” Dan stuttered. Of course, today of all days had to be one thing after the other. Jaekyung couldn’t be happy being kept waiting. At least they had other Guides in the building so he wouldn’t have suffered much in Dan’s absence. He may have refused initially but even Jaekyung had to be rational in times like these. “Thank you.”

Dan hurried to the guiding floor. There was still a possibility that he could help. It hadn’t taken him more than half an hour to get here but he remembered how bad it was last time Jaekyung had called for him for an emergency guiding. Guilt tore at him as he hurried to the front desk, ready to ask where Jaekyung was. A loud scream sounded from further down the hall and Dan ignored the worried looks as he approached. Who else would make a Guide yell out other than his Esper?

The door was already ajar, so Dan pushed it open and entered. He was Jaekyung’s Guide, after all, he had a right to be there by his side. The sight that greeted him had him stop before he could even open his mouth to greet the room. A Guide was sitting on the floor, clearly having been shoved there by a wild looking Jaekyung. Two others were by his side, helping him off the ground, scared expressions on their faces. This was not good.

Those sharp, dark eyes snapped up to meet Dan’s own. They weren’t glowing like last time but there was something wrong about the look Jaekyung gave him. He looked furious and sweat was dripping down his face. It was somehow even worse than when he’d been close to rampaging; the raw emotion on his face twisting into a sneer at the sight of Dan.

“Where the hell were you?” The Esper snapped at him. Before he even had a chance to respond, Jaekyung continued: “As my personal Guide, you come when I call.”

“I- I’m sorry, sir, I was-”

“I don’t care where you were!” Jaekyung roared. “I needed you here and instead I had to get mediocre guiding from these morons.” He threw a hand out towards the three Guides who all flinched at his harsh words.

Dan frowned too, nowhere near as scared as the others but still uncomfortable with the way he was speaking. The Guides were simply doing their jobs and Jaekyung was lashing out as if it was their fault he’d overexerted himself. “Sir, there’s no need-”

“Your first priority is me, there is nothing more important,” the Esper barked.

Dan balked and felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment. There was absolutely no need for Jaekyung to humiliate him, least of all in front of other Guides. Did he not care about his own reputation at all? About Dan’s? Dan clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. He had to deescalate the situation somehow but Jaekyung’s words stung, today even more than usual. Dan knew Jaekyung could be cold but today of all days he couldn’t just let it go. He was already on the verge of a breakdown after the hospital visit and being scolded like he was a disobedient child wasn’t in his damn contract.

“Mr. Joo, I am not just a Guide, I’m a person too,” he said trying to remain calm. It wouldn’t do any good to start an argument here.

“The hell you are,” Jaekyung spat, making all four Guides in the room flinch at the anger seeping off his voice. “You’re my Guide, you do as I tell you when I tell you.”

Anger burned in Dan’s chest. He didn’t deserve this. He’d done nothing to prompt Jaekyung to be this cruel; he’d told him he wasn’t going to be in this morning, he’d abandoned his grandmother to come here. He had done everything and more than any other Guide would have done in his position.

“I came as soon as I could, there’s no reason for you to attack me like this,” Dan bit back, immediately regretting his tone of voice when Jaekyung’s eyes flashed.

It only took the Esper two long strides to stand in front of him, power radiating off his body as he towered over Dan.

“You are mine,” Jaekyung hissed before he grabbed the front of Dan’s shirt and pulled him close enough to slam their lips together.

Despite the slight sting to his mouth Dan was too shocked to do anything for a few seconds. He didn’t understand Jaekyung’s words; didn’t understand what he meant by them. What’s worse was that he didn’t understand his own reaction to those words, but he could push that away, like he’d done before. Because despite how Jaekyung might have helped him, the Esper didn’t actually own him. He wasn’t an object . Confusion mixed with his initial anger as Jaekyung pressed even closer.

Guiding, for Dan, came naturally. It was an instinct, not something he consciously turned on or off. If offered an opportunity his body simply responded unless he actively fought the instinct. And even though he hadn’t invited this particular opportunity, it was still one, nonetheless. Dan could feel how the excess energy humming in Jaekyung’s body was threatening to spill out, it was bleeding into his body through their kiss.

Their kiss.

Dan finally snapped out of his own head and slammed his palms into Jaekyung’s chest. When that didn’t stop him, Dan shoved with all his might, making Jaekyung stumble back a few steps. It was probably more the surprise than Dan’s actual strength that had him step back. Dan held a hand to his mouth, wondering if he was bleeding. The kiss had felt more like an attack than anything else.

“What the f*ck?” Jaekyung snapped.

“That’s my line,” Dan said, voice coming out high. He purposefully didn’t look at the other Guides in the room. He felt so humiliated having them witness Jaekyung’s outburst and his own subsequent retaliation. He was terrified by the thought of them seeing the feelings he’d been so desperately trying to hide, but more so he was scared of the repercussions of Jaekyung’s actions if they told others about his behavior. “What are you doing?”

“Taking the guiding you owe me.” There was a barely hidden growl in the Esper’s voice.

“That wasn’t guiding, that was assault,” Dan told him firmly. No matter how close they’d gotten or what feelings Dan may or may not have or even how far they’d gone in guiding before, it did not give Jaekyung the right to take anything from him.

“Assau- I kissed you!” Jaekyung looked like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. Then again, this was probably the first time anyone, let alone a Guide, had given him such grief about a single kiss.

But it wasn’t about the kiss itself. Dan knew he would’ve done what was asked of him, if Jaekyung had only asked. If he had shown enough respect for Dan to ask permission or at the very least be enough of a decent human being not to do this in front of other people. Hell, he would’ve probably done it without being asked if only Jaekyung wasn’t such a dick.

“In front of all these people without my consent!”

“Since when do I need your damn-”

“Sir!” Dan was quick to stop his outburst. No matter how angry or upset he was, there was no way to take back something like that. Especially not in a room full of Guides. Dan knew very well how Jaekyung was known to disregard Guides but there was still a line he shouldn’t ever cross. Not if he wanted to stay in the guild. And even though Dan was furious at the Esper, there was no way he would let him compromise himself simply because he was too angry to hear what he was about to say. Talking about Guides like they were objects, like they had no free will was not something Jaekyung should ever do, even if he was angry.

Jaekyung snapped his mouth shut but it looked like it took him a great deal of effort. The way he clenched his teeth was audible to everybody in the room, enough so that the other Guides were giving each other worried looks. It seemed like they didn’t trust Korea’s strongest Esper to hold himself back.

“Leave,” Jaekyung finally said.

“What?” Dan gaped. He couldn’t have heard that right.

“I said leave!” Jaekyung barked. “Get the f*ck out!”

“But you need guiding-” Dan wasn’t heartless enough to leave Jaekyung unstable like this over a mere argument but it seemed the Esper had other plans. It was clear that he was unstable but not enough to worry about a rampage. No, this was something else, but Dan didn’t know how to fix it. It made something in his chest clench painfully.

“I don’t need sh*t. If I need it, I’ll figure it out myself.”

“Mr. Joo,” Dan tried. He was Jaekyung’s Guide. He couldn’t just leave him when he clearly wasn’t feeling well. Even Coach Park had been worried; there was a reason Dan had hurried back to the guild. It wasn’t to fight or to berate Jaekyung in front of others; it was to help him, to guide him. To do his job and make sure his Esper was alright. To make sure Jaekyung was alright.

“Are you deaf? You want me to assault you again?” Jaekyung took a threatening step forward. It was clear that he was trying to scare Dan off - and it was working. The rage in his eyes was enough to scare even the toughest Esper. This was a man capable of fighting real life monsters, there was no way his threats wouldn’t seem real to a mere Guide.

“N-No,” Dan said shakily. He really didn’t, but he still didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to leave Jaekyung in the hands of others, no matter how capable they were. He was his Esper, despite the less than kind words he was spewing. But there was nothing Dan could say, that much was clear. Jaekyung glared at him like he wanted to rip his throat out, his eyes blazing. The look in his eyes hurt much more than any words he’d said.

“Then leave. Now,” Jaekyung spat before turning around. His broad back was tense, like he was preparing for a fight.

A fight Dan would lose before it even started. He swallowed down the sob threatening to spill, ignoring the horrified looks of the other Guides and left the room without another word. Why did it feel like he’d just been abandoned?

Things only went downhill from that day on. Dan could never have imagined his life falling apart like this. He’d come to expect the loan sharks, the hospital bills, hell, even the constant harassment at his old job. These were all things he knew how to deal with, how to handle and get through. But being ignored and brushed aside by Jaekyung when it was the Esper who held all the power in their relationship was not something he could’ve prepared for, even if he’d wanted to. He felt useless and pathetic, like he’d done something wrong even though all he’d done was stand up for himself.

It wasn’t right for Jaekyung to lash out at him but the more days went by, the more Dan started questioning his own actions. Logically, he knew he’d done nothing wrong, but he also knew Jaekyung. He knew how rash and explosive he could be. There should’ve been a better way to handle the situation or at the very least salvage it after. But Dan did not have even an ounce of energy left to seek the Esper out when he was so clearly being dismissed.

Gone were the quiet but comfortable rides to and from work. How Jaekyung had convinced Namwook to pick up and drop Dan off every day, the Guide didn’t know, but he guessed he should be grateful he wasn’t forced to walk every day. There were no more dinners with the odd comment from Jaekyung, a compliment wrapped in his usual indifference. The house was dark when Dan came home and it was silent when he woke up, even though he knew Jaekyung came home every day. Just not when Dan was awake.

It felt wrong to go to work but it felt even worse to stay home alone with his thoughts. Dan had to tell Namwook about his grandmother’s situation and while Coach had been sympathetic, it didn’t help the situation with Jaekyung. The Esper refused to even look at him, let alone let Dan guide him. Namwook offered to talk to Jaekyung but Dan insisted that he just needed some time. He didn’t elaborate; there was no need to tell him that Dan didn’t feel up to that particular conversation even if they got to it.

It was tough, watching Jaekyung leave Team Black’s offices, knowing he’d be getting guiding from someone else. It may have started as a form of blackmail but the Esper hadn’t voiced a single word about Dan’s illicit affairs even after their fight. Of course, there was no time limit to spilling it to the directors but somehow Dan was certain Jaekyung wouldn’t go that far. If he’d wanted to kick Dan out, all he had to do was say the word, but he still let him stay in his house and made sure he had a ride to work. It was confusing to say the least. Jaekyung was clearly still pissed, yet he didn’t do anything about it. He was avoiding Dan at every turn but he didn’t yell at him, kick him out of his house or even sneer at him. He just ignored him.

Dan wasn’t sure if that was better, if he was being honest. He’d almost rather the Esper blow up at him so they could talk it out. And yet, he didn’t initiate a conversation himself. The furious look in Jaekyung’s eyes still haunted him.

They were getting busier by the day and even without guiding Jaekyung, Dan had his hands full at work. Namwook took the opportunity to have Dan help out the other Espers before missions, making sure everyone was in the best shape. It relieved him that he could still be of use, even though he would much rather stick to Jaekyung; the man looked worse with every portal they closed. Nobody confronted him about it, but it was clear in the whispers going around the office that Dan wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.

He overheard Coach Park scold Jaekyung after a particularly tough mission; Namwook wasn’t happy with how Jaekyung was handling things.

Underneath the harsh words that any manager would direct towards their Espers, it was clear that Namwook was more worried than angry. He’d never seen Jaekyung take this many risks before and he’d certainly never heard about him refusing to be guided. It was a security risk, no matter how you looked at it. Jaekyung may be strong but he wasn’t invincible. He had to take care of himself properly.

“I’m fine,” the Esper said.

“You need proper guiding!” Namwook argued. “Let me call Dan to take a look at you.”

Dan felt incredibly awkward listening in and quickly found another route out the building. He had to go to the hospital and he really didn’t want to hear what Jaekyung was thinking, especially in regard to himself. Not now, not yet. He wasn’t ready for that talk even though he knew they had to get it over with and soon, otherwise Jaekyung would be in real trouble.

And then Dan finally had to make the tough decision to let his grandmother go. He didn’t go home the entire night, instead he held onto granny’s hand until the early morning hours. By then he knew he couldn’t postpone it any longer. She wasn’t coming back.

A small part of him wished Jaekyung was by his side. The Esper was always strong, a force of nature, someone solid and steady, despite his fiery temper. Dan would’ve given anything to have him lay one of those large, warm hands on his shoulder as he watched the team of nurses and doctors shut down the only thing keeping his grandmother’s body breathing. He knew she was gone, he knew there was nothing left to do, but it didn’t take away the pain and the immense sorrow soaring through him as he heard the machine flatline. The awful ringing sound seemed to go on forever, even after the machine itself was turned off.

Funeral arrangements had to be made, the last hospital bills paid, and he would have to figure out where to spread her ashes. She came from a small village near the beach and Dan thought she’d appreciate being laid to rest in the same place she’d told him about with a smile on her face and warmth in her eyes. There was plenty for him to do and yet he sat quietly by the silent hospital bed, tears sliding down his face. He knew his grandmother had already made most of her own arrangements with a small law firm, the only one they could afford, and it both relieved him and made him feel even more useless. He couldn’t even be there for her properly in her last moments.

It wasn’t until an alarm alerted him to possible evacuations that Dan stirred. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting in the hospital room but his back was aching and his throat was dry. He rubbed at his swollen eyes and looked at the notification on his phone. It let all citizens living near the city center know that there’d been portals opening up but that Espers were on their way.

The location of the portals made Dan’s heart skip a beat. It was right next to Jaekyung’s house. Logically he knew the Esper would be at work, most likely already on his way to the portals, whether or not they were near his home, but he still felt a chill run down his spine. With one last glance at his grandmother’s still body, Dan rose from the chair and exited the room. It didn’t take him long to flag down a nurse, letting her know that he’d said his goodbyes. She patted his shoulder and told him they’d take good care of her if he wanted to go home and get cleaned up. He merely nodded; there was no reason to tell her that he had to make sure his team was okay first. That Jaeykung was okay.

He’d stop by the office on his way home. They’d been asked to evacuate until the portals were dealt with, after all, so even if he wanted to, he couldn’t just go home. He got to the office just in time to catch the end of Coach yelling orders and the team getting ready. From what he could gather it was a cluster of portals and all the city’s strongest Espers were being deployed, no matter which guild they belonged to. It was an attack stronger and tougher than they’d seen in years and the city needed as much help as it could get.

Dan knew there wasn’t anything for him to do; in cases like these there were A-ranked Guides following them to the scene, keeping everybody safe. It wasn’t his place to offer to join them, even if he’d been in the right mindset to do so.

Namwook caught his eye and his expression morphed into one of sympathy. It wasn’t hard to guess where Dan had been or what had happened this morning. Still, Coach didn’t say anything and Dan was grateful for not having to explain to the entire team.

Before the team left, Dan hesitantly walked up to Jaekyung. The Esper looked tense and Dan didn’t like the heat surrounding him. It could just be Jaekyung gearing up for the fight but there was something in his eyes that told Dan this was something else. He had been guided by others for several days now so there was no way he was close to corruption but Dan still didn’t like the hard set of his shoulders. Like he was expecting to get jumped as soon as he walked out the building.

“Sir,” he said softly. His hand reached out towards the Esper before he was even thinking. His fingertips barely brushed against warm knuckles before Jaekyung retreated his hand.

He looked down his nose at Dan, his jaw clenched and his eyes hard. If he didn’t know any better it almost looked like Jaekyung was hurting too. It was a ridiculous thought; who could ever hurt Joo Jaekyung?

“I don’t need it,” he said, voice quiet but no less rough, before turning to follow the rest of the team.

I don’t need you were the words that echoed silently in Dan’s head as he watched them leave.

Dan figured it would be safest for him to stay at the guild until the worst was over, and he honestly didn’t have the mental capacity to figure out where else to go after the last few days. Part of him yearned for his bed while a bigger part of him knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until the team was back. He could barely sit still as it was and instead sought out the Guides on the lower floors; certainly they would be kept updated about the situation in case they needed to move out and help. He felt his worry like a stone in his stomach as he saw nearly every Guide gathered in front of a large screen. They were watching the news report of the fight. Their gasps and looks of horror made Dan swallow with difficulty. Jaekyung and the rest of Team Black were there. It couldn’t be that bad, right?

As he walked closer, Dan felt his stomach drop. The reporter was clearly trying to do her job but the camera couldn’t focus on her with explosions and chaos everywhere. What it did show was all of Team Black fighting for their lives, led by a furious looking Jaekyung.

He was as strong, his attacks as precise and deadly as always but there was something off about how he was moving. Something stilted and heavy about his limbs and Dan watched with growing horror as Jaekyung was slammed into a building, taking out half the windows in the process. He should’ve been able to dodge that. Dan felt a chill down his spine as the shaky camera caught a glimpse of Jaekyung’s face before he was hurling himself at the monster again. His eyes. They were glowing bright yellow.

Dan didn’t even realize he was moving before he was running out of the elevator when it reached the bottom floor. He couldn’t just sit and watch as Jaekyung got closer and closer to rampaging; with his abilities he would do more damage than even the portal and its monsters were doing.

It was impossible to find a cab willing to drive him downtown and he didn’t have the patience to argue so instead Dan found himself running down the street, the opposite direction everyone else was running. The evacuation was in full swing but the Guide barely noticed; he had to get to Team Black, to Jaekyung.

It felt like it took him hours to reach his destination, although it probably hadn’t been more than ten minutes. His lungs were burning but he kept pressing on, pushing through the exhaustion he already felt taking its toll. With his heart in his throat he skipped to an unsteady halt, trying to make sense of the chaos surrounding him. He couldn’t see Jaekyung anywhere but the entire sky was filled with smoke and there was so much noise Dan couldn’t even hear himself think.

Then suddenly, a familiar voice but through all the noise, yelling orders and berating reckless Espers. Dan looked to his left to see Namwook helping one of the Espers onto a stretcher.

“Coach!” Dan exclaimed as he ran to him.

“Dan, what the hell are you doing here? It isn’t safe for you!”

“Mr. Joo, he’s-” Dan gasped, trying to calm his erratic heart and catch his breath. “He’s not okay, he’s- his eyes-”

“We have Guides here for that!” Namwook said.

“I’m his Guide!” Dan snapped. At Coach’s stunned expression, he repeated, softer this time: “I’m his Guide. I’m supposed to make sure he’s safe.”

“What about your safety?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Dan, even on your best day, you shouldn’t be here,” Namwook said quietly. “With what you’ve been through…”

“I’ll be fine,” Dan persisted, a bit harsher this time. “Where is he?”

“Still up there,” Coach said, the worry clear in his voice. “He refuses to back down. He won’t even respond to me.”

“He’s going to kill himself at this point.”

“I’m afraid he doesn’t care,” Namwook sighed as he ran a hand over his face. There was no way to hide the worry in his eyes even as he tried to stay strong. “The stubborn fool…”

Dan opened his mouth to comfort the man, even though he knew words wouldn’t do any good as long as the fight was still going strong, but instead he found himself flinching as a large piece of debris soared past him. It slammed into an abandoned car several yards away.

Except it wasn’t debris. It was Jaekyung. Blood was pouring down his face, twisted in fury, and his eyes were glowing stronger than before. Steam surrounded his body, the edges of his clothes singed as he let fire erupt in his hands. He blasted himself off the car and back into action, leaving the vehicle dented and burning.

Dan’s eyes grew in shock even as Namwook grabbed his arm to pull him out of the way. There was no way to reason with a rampaging Esper, least of all one of Jaekyung’s level. He would keep fighting until he won - or lost his mind and life in the process. Dan knew as well as Namwook that there was nothing either of them could do, but he couldn’t accept just standing by and watching as Jaekyung killed himself.

Dan’s chest felt tight as he watched his Esper hurl himself at the monster, so much bigger than any Dan had ever seen before. Thankfully Jaekyung wasn’t alone but it was clear that he was leading the assault. Instead of standing around, burdening the already exhausted rescue team, Dan set out to help Namwook gather the wounded. Even if he’d wanted to, he wasn’t allowed to guide the injured; that wasn’t his job. But he could make sure they got to the Guides who were able to help them. All the while he kept an eye out for Jaekyung, hoping beyond miracles that he’d be alright.

The fight was long and difficult but Dan noticed how well the team worked together, even with Espers from other teams and guilds. When one Esper fell, another took their place, using their abilities to keep the monster in check as Jaekyung and another Esper, wielding ice where Jaekyung used fire, continued to attack. Dan recognized him as Choi Heesung, probably the only Esper to be real competition to Jaekyung’s title as the strongest in Korea. But even Heesung looked exhausted, ice covering his hands as he kept the monster in check, letting Jaekyung keep up his vicious attacks.

It took a long time - too long - for them to injure the monster enough to send it back through the portal, dozens of Espers working together to close it. What was left could only be described as a broken battlefield, cars and debris strewn everywhere. Still, Dan breathed a sigh of relief as he watched most of his team walk - and limp - back towards him and Namwook. That relief was short-lived though, as Dan realized he didn’t spot Jaekyung amongst them.

“Where’s-?” He tried asking when a burst of flames soared through the sky. It was followed by a flash of ice and loud voices. Dan didn’t think, he just ran.

Heesung stood behind a short wall of ice, a horrified looking Yoon-gu by his side. Both Espers looked worn out but mostly unharmed. There was a slight burn on Heesung’s face though and Dan’s eyes widened as he realized what exactly Heesung was shielding him and the younger Esper from.

“Dan! Don’t come any closer!” Yoon-gu called. “Jaekyung Hyung is rampaging!”

Behind the wall of ice Jaekyung’s flames were bright and powerful. His entire body seemed to be wrapped in them, making it impossible to see his face. Dan felt the knot in his chest squeeze even tighter. No, no, no.

Despite Yoon-gu’s warning, Dan felt himself walk closer, eyes never straying from the tower of flames in front of him. Twin looks of disbelief were sent his way, but before Dan could walk up to them, Namwook caught up to him and a strong hand wrapped around his wrist.

“Guide Kim!” Coach yelled, voice tight. “You can’t go near him now, it’s too late. The detention team is already on their way.”

Dan looked at Namwook and saw the fear in his eyes. He and Jaekyung had known each other since the Esper was a kid and Namwook had been an Esper fighting on the front lines, just like Jaekyung was doing now. There was so much hurt and worry etched onto his face but Coach still didn’t let go of Dan’s arm.

“He’s not gone, Coach,” Dan said despite evidence to the contrary. He just couldn’t believe it. Jaekyung wasn’t gone, he couldn’t be. Not him too. “Not yet. I can still save him.”

Finally, Dan pulled his arm free and ran past the wall of ice protecting them from Jaekyung’s flames. He wouldn’t let his Esper die.

“You’re insane!” Namwook yelled after him. “Don't do this!”

Dan knew it was stupid, he knew there were others better suited to help. But even if he failed, it wasn’t like he had a lot left to live for, was there? And if he could help Jaekyung get through this, stop the corruption before it was too late… Dan would do anything. He didn’t need to voice those thoughts and feelings he’d been pushing away out loud to know why he had to do this. He didn’t need a clear reason, didn’t need Jaekyung to be grateful and kind after. He just needed to save him.

The large flames seemed to die down, if only slightly when Dan came near. He knew it was probably more coincidence, Jaekyung running out of fuel, than it was a conscious decision, but he wanted to hope that somehow Jaekyung knew who he was. Why he was coming.

“Mr. Joo,” Dan tried. He hadn’t expected a response, but Jaekyung didn’t even seem to notice him approaching. This close he could see the bright yellow eyes, staring at nothing even as flames stood tall around him. “Jaekyung. Please, listen to me.”

There was no response and Dan felt frustration sore through him. Why the hell had Jaekyung not backed down when he’d noticed the signs of corruption?

It wasn’t unusual even for Espers with personal Guides to get close to rampanging, but the point of having their Guides with them was that they were close by to stop it. Jaekyung had gone on this stupid mission without informing him about the conditions and Dan would like to remind the Esper how absolutely insane that was. The portal was an S-level threat and Dan should’ve been by his side from the beginning, even if they had gone through a proper guiding session before the mission. Which they hadn’t. All because of that stupid fight. I don’t need it, my ass , Dan thought angrily. From the looks of it Jaekyung had needed guiding more than ever before so why had he been so stubborn? Hadn’t the other Guides made sure he was prepared for this fight?

Dan had too many questions and no one to answer them. Even if he had to throw himself into the flames to reach him, Dan would make Jaekyung give him answers. How dare he put himself and his team in danger like this? He tried to focus on the anger, pushing the worry and the immobilizing fear away. Just long enough that he could get to Jaekyung. Up close the flames looked almost welcoming, which was an insane thought but Dan thought it, nonetheless. It was like Jaekyung was inviting him into his embrace, ready to engulf him in his fire.

“Jaekyung,” Dan called again and this time he was sure he saw the flames retract. It didn’t make sense for the rampaging Esper to make way for him, even if he was his Guide but Dan didn’t want to think about that right now. Instead, he took another few steps closer, trying to shield his face from the heat. “Jaekyung, you have to calm down.”

As if Dan was the one controlling them, the flames flickered and spread out, leaving a small pathway to Jaekyung. He was still staring straight through Dan but at least the Guide could get to him without having to walk through literal fire. He stepped closer, flinching as the closest flames licked at his sides. Even as he reached out towards him, Jaekyung didn’t move or react.

When his fingertips brushed Jaekyung’s arm, Dan nearly screamed as he yanked his hand away. The pain was so intense, so strong that he almost took a step back just to get away from it. But he couldn’t run now, not after getting this close. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He thought of his grandmother and how she’d always believed you should help others in any way you could.

As he opened his eyes, he took at last look at Jaekyung’s expressionless face. He may be Korea’s strongest Esper but he was also just a man, like any other. And right now there was still a chance Dan could save him even if it was a slim one.

“You’re going to be okay,” he said quietly, hoping that the Esper could hear him through his rampage. Then he took a step forward and wrapped his arms around Jaekyung’s torso, pressing them together tightly.

Pain unlike any other he’d ever experienced soared through his entire body. It took every last ounce of energy to keep from screaming. It felt like his entire body was on fire, trying to take in all of Jaekyung’s excess energy. Dan grit his teeth and focused harder on getting all that darkness around the Espers core away, making it flow towards him instead. It was more than he’d ever taken in before, more than he was equipped to handle but he didn’t care. He couldn’t let his Esper die, he couldn’t just sit back and watch Jaekyung die. His tears evaporated before they could slide down his cheeks and he choked on a sob, biting back his screams as he focused on guiding.

It had to work, there was no way he was giving up.

Strong arms wrapped around his back and the pain increased tenfold. This time Dan couldn’t hold his scream back, it felt like his skin was burning off. Black spots danced in his vision and he felt his consciousness slipping, even as a heavy weight fell on his shoulder. The arms tightened around him and Dan whimpered, grabbing onto what was left of Jaekyung’s shirt as he tried not to faint.

It was too much, too painful, too hard. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t save him.

He was suffocating, his body fighting against Jaekyung’s energy. Through his haze of pain he didn’t notice how the flames had dwindled to embers around them, the temperature dropping as the seconds ticked by. He vaguely heard voices through the constant roaring of blood in his ears but he couldn’t make out what they were saying; it was taking all of his concentration not to pass out.

An impossible fight that he’d soon lose. But not before his swimming eyes finally found Jaekyung’s dark eyes, less sharp than usual, but no longer glowing. Dan breathed a sigh of relief before he felt his knees give out. He closed his eyes, hoping the fall wouldn’t be too painful. It already felt like every bone in his body was broken.

Instead of the hard fall he anticipated, he simply fell forward, held up by the same strong arms as before. He felt his cheek land on a surface softer than the ground he’d been expecting but didn’t question it. He couldn’t quite tell if he was still standing.

“What the hell did you do, you idiot?” A loud voice sounded right next to Dan. He couldn’t see the face properly through his half-closed eyes but somewhere in his foggy mind he knew that voice. “Hey, Dan, come on, open your eyes. I said- no, no, no, sh*t, someone get me a medic over here!”

He wanted to say he was okay, that they should focus on Jaekyung. He wasn’t sure he’d guided him completely, they needed to make sure he was safe, that he wouldn’t corrupt the moment Dan let go of him. Because he could still feel that familiar, powerful back against his hands, energy still flowing between them, albeit much slower. He wouldn’t be able to take much more though, they needed someone else to take over. He couldn’t get any words across his cracked lips as he felt his consciousness slip.

“Dan, please!” Was the last thing he heard before he succumbed to the quiet darkness.

Jaekyung felt like he’d been shoved through a meat grinder. Every cell, every fiber of his body ached. He was vaguely aware of people surrounding him, steadying him even as he pulled away from their hands. He could walk on his own, he wasn’t a child. His eyes felt like he’d been staring at the sun too long, vision blurry and spotty, but he made his way to wherever those insistent people wanted him to go. Another set of hands pushed at him and he growled, making someone pulling at his clothes flinch. Why the hell was he being undressed anyway?

“You need to let him go, sir,” a soft voice spoke and it was only then Jaekyung realized he was holding something in his arms. Since when had it been there?

“They have to take a look at him, Jaekyung.” This time Jaekyung recognized the voice. Someone he trusted, someone safe. He couldn’t focus on the face but he knew he was better off listening to this voice.

His arms felt like lead but he obeyed that familiar voice talking him through it as hands pulled at them, taking away the weight Jaekyung had clutched in his embrace. He felt oddly cold and off balance without it. There was more growling and once again the trusted voice told him to relax, take deep breaths. To lie down and let the strange hands look him over. He didn’t want to, he wanted that weight back, but he couldn’t find the words to inform them. Instead he followed the trusted hands as they pushed him backwards. He wasn’t sure if it was exhaustion or the needle in his arm but it took him less than a minute to fall asleep.

It didn’t take long for the rumors to start and even in his hospital bed, Jaekyung heard most of them. The door could only shield him so much from the noisy voices of Espers and Guides alike, walking up and down the hallways. Their every word dripped with disapproval, disgust and disbelief. There were even a few words of empty sympathy in between. But not for Kim Dan.

“Did you hear? About Jaekyung’s Guide?”

“Apparently he had Jaekyung pay him for guiding.”

“On top of his pay from Team Black? Disgusting!”

“He was guiding unregistered Espers on the side.”

“How greedy does he have to be?”

“That ring of his was probably fake too.”

“He left Jaekyung Hyungnim to die.”

“Too busy to guide his Esper.”

“Selfish.”

“What do you expect from someone who slept their way to a higher rank?”

“Apparently he couldn’t even Guide Jaekyung properly but he didn’t tell anyone!”

“So awful. To cheat his way into becoming Team Black’s Guide. Doesn’t he have any shame?”

“I heard he was guiding Espers from other companies too.”

“Instead of taking proper care of his own Esper? That’s awful.”

Jaekyung wanted to set the door on fire, if only to get them to walk by faster. Or silently. But as it stood he could barely lift his damn arms, much less set fire to a door. Not if he wanted to keep his sanity, that was. Both Guides and doctors had looked him over and they had no idea how he was still alive, much less with his mind intact. It was near impossible to guide an Esper through rampage and it was unheard of for an Esper of his rank. Coach had informed him that the containment team had already been at the scene, ready to take action. Ready to put him down. Luckily he’d regained most of his mind before then as was evident when he walked himself to the ambulance. The experience should probably scare him but what use was fear when he was still alive?

What he felt wasn’t fear, it was absolute fury. Where the hell was Kim Dan?

Jaekyung wasn’t exactly in a position where he could refuse guiding even if he wanted to but ever since he’d started having Dan as his personal Guide, any other guiding felt like being stabbed with tiny needles. There was no relief, no pleasure at all, just an annoying itchy sensation that somehow seemed to take forever to even do anything. It felt nothing like the guiding Dan provided him and there was no way Jaekyung would remain patient much longer. He’d been stuck in this sh*tty bed for two f*cking days, when the hell was his Guide going to get here?

Jaekyung was aware that it was Dan who had brought him back from the brink of corruption. He was also aware that that might have taken a toll on the Guide, seeing as their ranks were so different. But even if Dan needed a recovery nap, he should’ve been by Jaekyung's side by now. The Esper would’ve gone looking for him himself if he wasn’t confined to a damn hospital bed. He had no broken bones but his entire body felt like one big bruise - and that was after several Guides had come to treat him.

By the end of the third day, Jaekyung could’ve set fire to the entire hospital wing of the building. He was about ready to bite the head off the next person coming into his room if said person didn’t have Kim Dan in tow. What was so damn important that he couldn’t get his ass over here and guide him?

He was about to voice exactly how he was feeling when he heard the door open, but then he realized it was Namwook who entered and snapped his mouth shut. Coach would most certainly have some answers for him but he probably wouldn’t be very forthcoming if Jaekyung started shouting at him before the door was even closed.

Still, he wasn’t exactly known for his patience.

“Where is he?” Jaekyung blurted out in lieu of a greeting.

Namwook to his credit didn’t look put off by his words. He did look a little confused though, as he asked: “Who?”

“What do you mean who?” Jaekyung said, annoyance radiating off him. Who else would he ask about if not his f*cking Guide? It’s not like his parents were tripping over themselves to come see him. He was still alive, after all. “Kim Dan, of course. Where the hell is my Guide?”

“He’s not here,” Namwook said with a sigh. His shoulders were tense but Jaekyung didn’t have time to try and comfort his coach on top of his own issues. Mainly, the issue of where the hell Kim Dan was.

“Who the f*ck told him he could leave?” Jaekyung snarled. “I still need guiding!” And he would prefer it to be painless instead of what the pathetic Guides around here were doing to him. A-ranked Guide or not, no one could come close to the guiding Kim Dan provided.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Coach muttered. “Jaekyung, you nearly killed him!”

“What?” There was no way that could be true. Coach was being dramatic. Guides were literally born to handle Espers’ energy, even if he had been a little too close to corruption, there was no way he’d put Dan in any real danger. He would have heard rumors about that instead of the sh*t they were spewing in the hallway. No way the tabloids wouldn’t have ripped him a new one for putting a precious Guide in danger.

“He was unconscious for two days because of your rampage,” Namwook said with barely contained anger. “He’s a B-rank Guide! He’s not supposed to be able to handle someone like you on a good day and he guided you through a rampage! How ungrateful can you be!”

“It’s his job,” Jaekyung said, although a little hesitant this time. If he’d really done that much damage, there should be lawyers on his ass already. Namwook himself shouldn’t be able to stomach being in a room with him; Coach had always had a soft spot for Guides. Probably because he was married to one.

“It is not his job to sacrifice his own life for yours just because you’re too stubborn to get proper guiding before a mission! What the hell were you thinking?”

“What did you want me to do?” Jaekyung snapped back. Why the hell was he getting the blame for insufficient guiding? If Dan had done his damn job and not fooled around with other Espers, they wouldn’t have had any issues. It’s not like Jaekyung asked him to stop the rampaging, that was all Dan’s decision. And he dared send Coach to scold him like a child? No f*cking way. “He didn’t show up for our session, I can’t trust-”

“One time!” Coach bellowed, stopping Jaekyung in his tracks. “He didn’t show up on time once, Jaekyng! How many times have you been late or not shown up at all during your career? Did you even ask him why he was late?”

Jaekyung frowned. “Why would that matter? He’s supposed to-”

“His grandmother was in the hospital, you ungrateful brat! And she died. The only family he had left died and instead of mourning like a normal person, he ran to your side as soon as he could. What is wrong with you?”

“How the hell would I know that?” Jaekyung asked, feeling immediately defensive. Dan had spoken like she’d already died, there was no way Jaekyung could’ve figured that out. Besides, he’d been photographed with all those other Espers, there was no word of him actually entering the hospital to visit anyone. Not that Jaekyung had asked…

“You could’ve asked!” Namwook threw his hands up in frustration. “You could have asked him, Jaekyung, like any normal human being would. Instead you assaulted him in front of an entire room of Guides?”

“He said that?” Jaekyung felt his anger resurface. “I didn’t assault him, I-”

“Would you shut up!” Namwook yelled. The sheer volume of his voice had Jaekyung shut his mouth. Namwook took a deep breath and continued, calmer this time: “Guide Kim didn’t tell me anything, I heard it from the other Guides. Who didn’t understand how the hell you weren’t disciplined for it. It surprised me too seeing as this was your last chance. But Dan didn’t report you. Why do you think that is?”

“How would I know?”

“Because he cares about you. He comes running the second you call, he’s good with the other boys, he’s polite to the point that it’s too much.” Namwook ran a hand through his hair, the fight visibly leaving him as he continued, softer still: “You could’ve lost everything this time, Jaekyung. I’m not talking about your job or your reputation in the guild. I’m talking about your life.”

Guilt wasn’t something Jaekyung was used to feeling and if he’d been asked, he would’ve denied it till his dying breath. Yet he couldn’t help the slight twinge in his chest at Coach’s expression. Anger had a way of making way for worry with this man.

“Fine, okay, I get it,” Jaekyung muttered. It wasn’t like he was ungrateful, well, not entirely. He knew it’d been a risky mission and he knew he should feel happy to be alive. But how the hell was he supposed to celebrate it when he still felt like he’d been run over repeatedly by a truck?

“Do you? Really?”

“Yes, really,” Jaekyung snapped. Then he sighed and rubbed his eyes. It wouldn’t do any good to keep the argument going. They’d be here for hours and he didn’t have that kind of time if he wanted to get back on his feet. “I understand. Now, will you tell me where he is?”

“I would if I could.”

“What?” His anger rose again, although less ferociously this time. He was exhausted and frustrated; he didn’t need his coach to play these stupid mind games. “I told you I got it, I won’t yell at him or touch him but I need guiding! Look at me! I can barely move.”

“Jaekyung, I’m not refusing to tell you, I just don’t know,” Namwook told him. His shoulders finally slumped in defeat. “Dan quit.”

“He what?”

It was a miracle that the hospital wing still stood when Jaekyung left. He’d barely listened to a word Namwook had said following his announcement of Dan’s quitting. He’d demanded to be discharged immediately, he didn’t give a sh*t about the risks. Another painful guiding session had him on his feet and storming out of the building within the hour. Namwook had protested but there was no stopping Jaekyung. He was fuming, even more so than when he thought Dan was too much of a coward to come see him.

Who the hell did he think he was? Quitting without even talking to Jaekyung? It wasn’t like they’d be put in this situation again; even Jaekyung wasn’t cruel enough to ask that of him after being told Dan had been unconscious for two days. Still, he had better be ready to explain himself the moment Jaekyung stepped into his house.

It never dawned on the Esper that Dan could be anywhere else. He’d just gotten out of the hospital and he lived in Jaekyung’s home. He had nowhere else to go. So when he exited the elevator, he was entirely prepared to be met by those annoyingly bright eyes, asking for forgiveness.

Instead he was met by silence.

“Kim Dan!” He called out as he stepped further into the apartment. Where the hell was he? He should’ve come running the second he heard Jaekyung exit the elevator. He made his way into the apartment and called out again: “Hey, Kim Dan!”

There was no response.

Was he hiding in the f*cking bathroom or something? Dropping his bag on the floor, Jaekyung headed straight for the bathroom, which was empty. Then he marched to the office but it was clear from the dark room that no one had been in there in a while. The living room was empty too. Jaekyung huffed out an angry noise and stomped his way to Dan’s bedroom.

“What the hell are you doing? Who told you-” He was halfway through his rant - and the door - before he realized that this room too lay abandoned. What the f*ck? It wasn’t like the Guide had any other places to go, Jaekyung knew for a fact that that sh*thole he’d called a home before had been demolished a few weeks ago. He couldn’t have just up and vanished.

But gone was that ugly duffle bag that had held everything Kim Dan owned, the closet was as empty as the day he’d moved in. Jaekyung ran a hand through his hair, winching at the soreness in his shoulders. He’d only gotten the minimum amount of guiding done because he knew Dan would without a doubt offer to guide him the moment he returned home. Or he thought he knew.

Jaekyung found himself in the kitchen, irritation prickling under his skin. Was he just expected to wait the Guide out? Had he really run off? It wasn’t until he was about to go through the entire house a second time that he noticed a piece of paper on the dining table. He frowned but picked it up.

Dear Mr. Joo, it read.

I can’t apologize enough. I know the polite thing to do is say goodbye in person, but I figured that’s not what you would’ve wanted, so I’m writing you a letter instead. I’m sorry my negligence put you in danger. Today, I am stepping down as your personal Guide and moving out of this house. Thank you for your hospitality up until now.

I will make sure to continue paying off my debts to you, so you don’t have to worry about that. I hope you find a more competent Guide and that you feel better soon. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.

Jaekyung ran a hand over his face, clenching his jaw as he felt an unfamiliar sensation in his chest. It was an aching pain that grew with every step he took. He found himself in the living room, the note crumbled at the edges in his hand. Smoke began rising from the paper as Jaekyung’s powers buzzed in his veins.

“I feel like f*cking sh*t,” he muttered as he stared out through the large window overseeing the city.