"Pretty spacious house, isn't it?"
".It really is."
"That's one of the perks of living on the
outskirts. You get a big house, a wide yard,
and you're surrounded by nature.
" Sometimes I think about buying a mansion
in a place like this too. The city's just too
chaotic."
"Ah, yes.."
What pointless chatter. Hiding my irritation,
I forced a smile and replied.
I was currently standing inside a massive
standalone house located on the outskirts
of Seoul-not too far from the city center if
you wanted to get technical about it.
It was a colossal mansion, the kind that left
my jaw hanging open. Honestly, never in my
wildest dreams had I ever imagined
stepping foot into a place like this in my
entire life.
Yet the man walking leisurely ahead of me
spoke as if he could buy a mansion of this
scale at any time without a second thought.
It was seriously infuriating.
He knew exactly how much money I had.
That was because he was none other than
Jang Gijun, the Guide Association President
-the very person who had informed me
that my matching rate with Cha Jae-woo
was a staggering 97.8%.
Sigh. Right, you're the big-shot President of
the Association. You can probably afford a
dozen of these without breaking a sweat.'
Good for you, really.
Grinding my teeth at his infuriatingly smug
words, I readjusted the modest luggage in
my hands.
In truth, I didn't have the luxury to waste
time getting annoyed at his blabbering.
Every time I remembered that this mansion
belonged to Cha Jae-woo, my entire body
trembled violently. No way I could keep
caring about that nonsense.
It had only taken four days from completing
the quide assessment to setting foot in this
house. There was no backing out now.
Technically, if I returned the signing bonus
that was quietly tucked away in my bank
account, I could cancel the contract. But I
just couldn't bring myself to do it. Even
while calling myself insane, some foolish
part of me had ended up feeling sympathy
for Cha Jae-woo-someone I barely even
knew, whose face I had only ever seen.
You idiot. Who do you think you're pitying
here?'
T had to physically restrain my hand from
slapping myself across the face. Inside,
curses were spilling out nonstop.
"Should I address you as Mr. Lim Haeyul
now-or rather, as Guide Lim Haeyul?"
Jang Gijun's voice abruptly snapped me out
of my spiraling thoughts. At the same time,
a chill ran down my arms, raising
goosebumps.
I quickly shook my head.
"No, just call me Lim Haeyul."
"How could 1? You're a proper guide now."
"It's a good thing the house is this big for
you too, Guide Lim. Even though you'l be
living under the same roof, there'll still be
enough distance between you."
Then why bother asking if you're going to
call me whatever you want anyway?'
My resentment simmered again. Still, Jang
Gijun wasn't wrong, so I bit my lip and held
my tongue.
It really was a relief that the house was this
spacious. If the house had been smaller,
the distance between me and Cha Jae-woo
would've been that much closer-meaning
the risk of having my energy drained in real
time would've shot through the roof.
"That's true."
I finally managed to answer, though it was
terribly belated.
We had just crossed the wide, green lawn
and arrived at the front door. Jang Gijun
casually turned the doorknob. I had noticed
several security guards stationed at the
main gate, but surprisingly, the front door
itself wasn't even locked.
I guess with guards at the gate, they don't
bother locking it.
Still, a burglar could climb the wall, couldn't
they? No, wait-what kind of lunatic would
dare scale Cha Jae-woo's walls? I shook my
head vigorously, brushing away the useless
thoughts.
"He's probably on the second floor."
From the outside, the house had looked
warm and cozy despite its size. But inside,
it was eerily empty and desolate.
Afraid of getting lost in this vast, cavernous
space, I hurried to keep pace with Jang
Gijun, practically running after him.
For someone whose height seemed well
below average, he sure walked fast.
The second floor was at least a little better
than the first. There were multiple pieces of
furniture arranged around, and even a
painting hanging on the wall, hinting that
most of the living happened up here. Still,
the desolate atmosphere couldn't be
erased.
Jang Gijun strode confidently to the right. A
large door loomed ahead.
'Could that be Cha Jae-woo's room?
The feeling that it was hit me with
undeniable certainty.
"Esper Cha Jae-woo."
Unlike when we first entered the house,
where he seemed ready to barge in without
a second thought, this time Jang Gijun
showed a semblance of respect. He politely
knocked and called out Cha Jae-woo's
name.
No answer came, but there was a faint sign
of movenment inside. That seemed to be
enough-without hesitation, Jang Gijun
flung the door open.
'So much for being respectful.'
l immediately took back the thought I'd just
had.
"Gasp"
But my thoughts about Jang Gijun didn't
linger long. Because right then, what
unfolded before my eyes made everything
else scatter from my mind.
Right in the middle of the spacious room,
on a massive bed, was a veritable spectacle
of bare skin. It wasn't a bathhouse, yet here
I was, staring at half-naked bodies sprawled
across someone's bedroom. My mouth
hung open, utterly stunned.
"Esper Ch-Cha Jae-woo!"
Startled out of my wits, I didn't even have
time to check my expression. Even Jang
Gijun's voice sounded just as flustered as
mine. Apparently, he hadn't expected Cha
Jae-woo to greet us while tangled up with
half-dressed people either.
"You're here?"
As I fumbled awkwardly, not knowing where
to put my eyes, a languid voice drifted over.
I didn't even need to look up to know
immediately that it was Cha Jae-woo.
I had heard his voice before, through
various media. Low, deep, and so magnetic
that it perfectly matched his breathtakingly
handsome face. Now, I was hearing it live,
in vivid, overwhelming clarity.
"What... what exactly is this?"
Jang Gijun's voice managed to stabilize a
little, though he, too, had turned his head
away in an effort to maintain some
semblance of composure.
Cha Jae-woo didn't answer right away.
Instead, I heard the soft rustle of sheets,
then the sounds of clothing being put on,
followed by heavy footsteps approaching
steadily.
Is Cha Jae-woo coming closer?'
The moment the thought crossed my mind,
I knew it was true. With every step he took,
my skin tingled with a sharp, buzzing
sensation.
"Since Lim Haeyul and Cha Jae-woo's
matching rate is extremely high, just being in
close proximity might trigger a reaction. But
don't worry-it wont result in actual guiding
unless there's physical contact."
'So this is that,
I realized, gritting my teeth against the
unfamiliar, uncomfortable sensation and
rubbing my arms.
Meanwhile, the heavy footsteps drew closer
and closer.
"What else? l'm guiding."
"You call this guiding?!"
"What choice do I have? Head's pounding,
stomach's churning, whole body's aching-
Matching rate or not, when it gets this bad,
you grab whoever you can, right?"
His slow, drawling tone made it sound like
he was drunk, but there was no smell of
alcohol.
My eyes darted everywhere before I finally
dared to glance up. Honestly, considering
his bare legs were visible up to the knees, I
didn't think I should look any higher. But
just then, I caught sight of the hem of a
robe, which gave me enough courage.
My gaze shot straight up to his face. And in
that instant, I met his eyes-he had been
looking at me the entire time.
A messy fall of black hair draped over jet-
black eyes, so deep it felt like l could be
sucked right in. My mouth hung open again,
helplessly.
Cha Jae-woo was nothing like how he
appeared on TV. No camera in the world
could capture even one-tenth, no-a
hundredth-of what stood before me.
It was clear to me now: when God made
him, He must have poured meticulous
effort into every inch of him, from head to
toe.
No words came out between my parted
lips. I had never in my life stood face-to-
face with someone like this. I was
genuinely starting to wonder if I was even
looking at a human being.
"I told you, didn't I? That I'd be bringing a
guide today."
While I stood there stupidly, unable to tear
my gaze away, my eyes locked deeply with
his. Somewhere in the background, Jang
Gijun's voice tried to cut through the
tension, but Cha Jae-woo didn't budge-his
gaze stayed firmly on me.
Belatedly, I shuffled back and lowered my
head. The top of my scalp prickled under
the intense stare. He was still looking.
Why the hell is he staring like that? My
heart's gonna explode.'
My heart pounded violently in my chest, and
I bit down hard on my lips to keep it
together.
Falling for a man's face like this-It was
pathetic. But honestly, it wasn't something
you could resist.
Anyone who saw Cha Jae-woo in person
would have agreed with me, no doubt about
it.
"Ah, right. The guide."
"...Esper Cha Jae-woo."
"Yeah, yeah. I half-listened. They said a
high-matching-rate guide showed up. That
it'd be soon. Bring him over. They're always
saying that crap-who'd believe it anymore,
you know? Naively?"
It wasn't alcohol, maybe it was drugs-Or
maybe that was just how he always spoke.
The words themselves were sharp and
grating, but his voice was so indifferent it
threw me off. Maybe it wasn't an act.
Maybe he had simply given up.
"They should have sent the matching rate
certificate already."
"i don't trust anything that comes out of the
Association's mouth."
"...This time, it's real. As you can see."
There was a simmering anger buried in
Jang Gijun's voice, though it was clear he
was doing everything he could to hold it
back.
Cha Jae-woo said nothing. I lifted my head
again, assuming by now he would've finally
looked away from me.
"...Ah"
But Cha Jae-woo's gaze was still fixed
squarely on me. Even while talking to Jang
Gijun, he hadn't once looked away. I could
feel my pupils shaking violently, scattering
like an earthquake under the pressure of his
stare.
Forcing down the instinct to flee, I barely
managed to meet his eyes. Those pitch-
black irises were utterly still, showing no
sign of disturbance.
"This is Guide Lim Haeyul. You seem
unaware, so let me tell you-the matching
rate is 97.8 percent."
Is this when I'm supposed to introduce
myself?'
As Cha Jae-woo's eyebrow subtly lifted, I
cautiously bowed my head. Even though my
skin was still prickling and my shoulders
felt strangely heavy, it was tolerable. Barely.
"Um. Hello. I'm Lim Haeyul.."
"97.8 percent?"
There was no response to my greeting.
Instead, for the first time since entering the
room, Cha Jae-wOo turned his head away
from me-to Jang Gijun-to confirm what
he had just heard, his voice thick with disbelief.
"Yes."
As soon as Cha Jae-woo showed a
reaction, Jang Gijun's attitude immediately
grew more assertive.
"From now on, Guide Lim Haeyul will be
living here with you-"
Wait, you're only telling him this now?!'
Outrage bubbled up but fizzled out before it
could surface. I didn't have the capacity to
focus on anything other than the tension
suffocating the room.
"Ugh!"
A large hand seized my arm. Cha Jae-woo
had grabbed me and yanked me forward.
I stumbled into him without the slightest
resistance. The world spun dizzyingly
around me, and almost instantly, everything
began to black out. I had always been
confident in my physical resilience, never
once having fainted before, but now I
understood with brutal clarity what it meant
to lose consciousness.
"My energy... my e-ner-gy..."
"Guide Lim Haeyul!"
Strength drained from my limbs, and my
mind slipped away fast. As my words-
mumbled like a dying man's last will-faded
into the air, Jang Gijun's panicked shout
echoed after me.
And absurdly enough, that was the last
thing I remembered.