Yoojin leaned his bike against the side of a two-story building. The mob boss leaned on the back entrance railing.
"You're late." The bulky gangster with a scar over his left eye raised a cigarette to his mouth.
"I got held up at my last delivery, but don't worry, everything is still warm."
Yoojin offered a charming smile, but got the creeps from him. He looked too stereotypical. Some of the mid-tier gangster did that to look tougher. Sung Hyunjae didn't have to do that, and Yoojin knew he was stronger than this guy.
Yoojin judged him to be B-ranked. Nothing impressive for a small mob boss.
He flicked the cigarette. "What're you doing down there? Do you expect me to eat in the gutter?"
Inside Yoojin's head, he was flipping him off. "I'm kind of in a hurry."
"Doesn't look like you have any other deliveries."
Yoojin glanced at his empty bike and bit the inside of his cheek.
"Are you not going to deliver my food? What kind of business are you running?"
This time, the gangster's voice snapped at him. Yoojin put on his professional smile and walked up to the back entrance.
"Sixty-five thousand won."
"That's a little high. Sure, you got the right order?"
Yoojin's smile threatened to crack. "Everything's right."
The gangster pulled out another cigarette and lit it, not with a lighter but with his esper flame power. Even if it was just to show off… it worked. Even lower ranking espers got multiple skills.
"I don't have my wallet on me. You'll have to come in."
Yoojin quickly offered, "T-that's alright, I can wait here."
The boss looked over his shoulder. "And let my food get cold? You really have no business sense, do you?"
Yoojin squeezed the insulated container and, against his better judgement, he followed the gangster inside. The business was all he had. He had two employees to take care of, and irreplaceable memories of making sunny side up eggs with his brother. Not to mention the debt.
The gangster took a long look at Yoojin and walked in.
The place was empty and dirty. Besides the big five mob families, small families would use places like this.
Yoojin had been so worried when Yoohyun first became a small mob boss. Gangsters were killed by other gangsters or monsters often, Yoojin went days without sleep.
After his parents left, Yoojin couldn't afford medicine for Yoohyun. Espers went through a lot of pain before awakening, and it was hard to keep Yoohyun from rampaging. Yoohyun would get terrible fevers and couldn't eat or sleep. Yoojin would sit by his side all nights, unable to do anything while Yoohyun withered in pain.
At first, becoming a guide was a miracle. All it took was holding Yoohyun's hand or a brief hug and the fevers would subside. Even if stabilizing an S-rank esper was draining, Yoojin never complained. Hiring a guide would absolutely bankrupt them. And it wasn't bad getting extra hugs from his little brother either, even if it was a little embarrassing.
… But there was a reason Yoojin opened a restaurant instead of joining a guiding agency.
Too distracted thinking about his little brother, Yoojin didn't notice two more espers had showed up.
"Umm, hello—"
The one in a black leather coat grabbed Yoojin and forced him to his side. Yoojin dropped the box of food and fell against him.
"Hey! Let go!" Yoojin gasped. The esper shoved his power into Yoojin.
Yoojin's tensed. Forced guiding. It hurt. Thick, corrupted power plunged into him. It was like breathing molasses.
"Boss, you're right. He's a guide." The esper grabbed Yoojin's face and shoved his nose into his neck. "Haha! He smells sweet, too. I can already feel my pent-up power draining."
YEAH! INTO ME!
Damn espers!
The weakest esper was stronger than the toughest unawakened, and guides were considered unawakened! Guides could only stabilize espers, but all Yoojin wanted right now was the power to punch them in the face!
Yoojin kicked the esper's legs, but he only hurt himself. "Let go of me!"
The boss laughed with a shit-eating grin. "I knew it. Body like that has to be used for something other than making deliveries."
Yoojin felt sick. The esper rubbed Yoojin's chest. "With him in our organization, we don't have to worry about limiting our powers or rampaging. We can dominate the West territory."
Yoojin spit in his face. "A crappy syndicate like you couldn't afford a dedicated guide."
The boss growled and grabbed Yoojin's collar. "You don't look like a dedicated guide. You look like a back alley guide. Guides like you that can't get into the Association or a syndicate have to beg for espers. You're probably stuck guiding F-rank espers. How many did you have to sleep with?"
"HEY!" The boss reached under Yoojin's shirt. "Stop that! Even if I'm a guide, this is sexual assault!"
"Don't act high and mighty. Guiding works better with more skin contact. Aren't you used to this?"
Yoojin snapped his teeth at him. "How would you know how guiding works? You're too low ranking for even a—" The boss punched Yoojin in the stomach.
Yoojin coughed and fell over the esper's arm like a folded shirt.
"I feel a strong compatibility with this guide, Boss. We have a high sync rate." The esper leaned over Yoojin and rubbed his back. "You released a lot of power after he hit you. It felt great. We haven't had a guide in months and medicines just don't do the trick. You know what I mean?"
Yoojin glared at the esper in black leather, and he was sweating and getting dizzy.
Espers could use forced guiding, and it completely wrecked a guide's energy.
The only thing Yoojin could do was a guiding bust (a guide overwhelming an esper's limits and caused a force rampage) or negative guiding (when a guide steals/weakens the powers of an esper power). But it would be impossible to do it on one of them before the other two noticed.
"If you don't guide us, we can beat you until you release enough power to satisfy all three of us." When he lowered his face, Yoojin turned away. "Or we can take turns having sex with you."
The esper bit Yoojin's neck and Yoojin screamed. Yoojin thought he would let go if he pushed him, but his teeth clenched down harder.
The boss shoved Yoojin and the gangster to the ground. They sandwiched Yoojin between them, and both their powers crashing into him.
It was getting harder to breathe.
"Stop it!"
Forced guiding was used when a guide was unwilling or too weak to continue. It could seriously hurt a guide not strong enough to handle that level of power flooding them.
The esper in black leather raised his mouth off of Yoojin's neck. "Even if they fight it, they're unable to avoid guiding if—"
Metal chains scrapped over the concrete floor.
"Aughhh!" the third gangster fell with a golden chain sticking out of his chest. The other gangsters stopped, faces froze in disbelief.
"What the hell—Aughhhh!" The gangster, in black leather, choked as a gold chain squeezed his neck and dragged into a dark corner of the room.
SNAP!
"My, my, my. What a surprise." A familiar voice said. His footsteps approached in the quiet room. "I didn't think I would see my delivery boy so soon."
Sung Hyunjae stood over Yoojin and the boss.
Yoojin was about to quip, "It took you long enough," but Yoojin stared into that smiling face and he felt fear. This was the first time Yoojin had seen Sung Hyunjae angry, and the backlash of his rage filled the room.
"It seems like the flies flock to honey."
"B-boss Su-Sung… Sung H-Hyunjae…" The boss shook. Anyone would. Sung Hyunjae was much higher ranking than everyone here. And the way he had gotten rid of two of them in a second…
"I came down here to pass a message, but it seems like that won't be necessary anymore."
"B-boss Jupiter, I-I didn't know he worked for you. I would have never—"
"Why are you still holding him?" The coldness in Sung Hyunjae's words didn't match his smiling expression at all.
The gangster looked down at Yoojin in shock. He was kneeling between Yoojin's legs and still holding his arms. There would be bruises from his tight grip.
The boss released him so quickly, Yoojin's shoulder slammed into the floor.
"We didn't hurt him! We invited him here, and he came on his own. That's all it was. He should have told us he worked for you."
Sung Hyunjae held up his hand to stop the boss from talking. "Yoojin-ssi, come here."
Yoojin didn't think he should go near someone that pissed off. But he saved him. Yoojin stood, still nauseous from the forced guiding.
Sung Hyunjae grabbed Yoojin by the back of the neck and pull him against his chest.
Maybe it was because his body was still chaotic from the forced guiding, but he felt a glimpse of Sung Hyunjae's power… He was… god… Yoojin's legs wobbled. It was like a bottomless well, daunting and filled with highly volatile, concentrated energy.
He should've been terrified. But while pressed against Sung Hyunjae's tall frame, Yoojin realized his breathing was ragged and his skin felt cold. He moved closer to Sung Hyunjae and held on to the warmth he felt in his arms.
Sung Hyunjae pushed Yoojin's head against his shoulder.
"Don't peek," Hyunjae whispered.
"S-see-see?" the boss pleaded. "He's perfectly fine. No harm don—"
The chain links snapped and something slashed on the ground. The boss's body dropped to the floor. Yoojin flinched, but kept his head down.
Sung Hyunjae sighed loudly. "This does not help my patience."
Yoojin lifted his head. "What?"
"Nothing, Yoojin-ssi. Let's get you out of here." Sung Hyunjae smiled, and the rage Yoojin had seen behind those golden eyes faded. Sung Hyunjae ran his hand over Yoojin's hair in a calming manner.
Yoojin nodded, but then remembered what the boss had said and stepped away. "Wait. Why did he call you Jupiter's boss?"
"Hmm? I didn't hear that." He touched Yoojin's forehead. "Were you hurt worse than I thought? I can call for a doctor or healer. Which would be better for a guide?"
Yoojin recoiled. Hyunjae had heard that.
Even if he was a low-tier gangster, he still worked for a powerful family, and they were always looking for guides. And Yoojin wasn't registered as a guide, so he didn't have the Association's protection if he went missing. If Hyunjae told others that Yoojin was a guide, would something like this happen to him again?
"You're mistaken." Yoojin looked around at the dead bodies. His breath hitched, and he stumbled. "I'm n-not…"
Hyunjae reached out to steady him.
"Hey, you bastard, let go!"
Hyunjae readjusted his grip on Yoojin and flex his fingers around the smaller man's arm. Suddenly, Hyunjae clasped Yoojin against his chest, restraining him easily with almost no effort.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Let go!"
"There, there," Hyunjae said to comfort him. "There's something on your neck."
"Wha—Ahh!"
Hyunjae bit Yoojin's sore neck over the other bite mark. Was he just like the other gangsters?
"You bastard," Yoojin grumbled, and tried to get out of his grip. He felt stupid for even remotely trusting another esper. They were all the same.
Sung Hyunjae released his neck and took a deep, fully body shuddering breath. He closed his eyes and held Yoojin even tighter in his arms. "I had to erase the taste."
The two bites ached. Yoojin glared up at Sung Hyunjae. The gangster looked too damn pleased with himself, almost drunk.
"Fucking, let go. Now."
Hyunjae frowned, like the thought never crossed his mind.
Take Me as Yours
Sung Hyunjae's body moved on its own. Han Yoojin was a guide. It was perfect. Sung Hyunjae was holding his guide. Could this be why espers went mad for their guides? Even though Yoojin was safe in his arms, he still felt the murderous intent running through his veins. He killed those men too quickly.
Hyunjae watched Yoojin's lips move as a slew of insults flew his way. He heard none of it over the celebration in his head. He had found his guide. He had been content with slowly reeling Yoojin into his grasp, but that was before he found out he was a guide. Now…
"My apologies, Yoojin-ssi." Sung Hyunjae's voice was perfectly apologetic.
"Bullshit! If you really meant that, then let me go!"
Sung Hyunjae smiled. "How could I let my guide go after he nearly fell? Is embracing me so bad you would rather risk your safety?"
"D-don't call it that! And I'm not your guide!"
"Then I'll make you my guide. Whatever you want, name it."
"Don't fuck with me! A low-tier member like you can't afford a dedicated guide, and I know what happens to unprotected guides in mob syndicates."
Sung Hyunjae frowned. His little cat was already hissing with his back arched. If he did anything more, he might not only lose the progress he made but also Yoojin's trust.
But he found it physically impossible to let go. One of the strongest espers in the world had trouble opening his arms. It would have been a sight to see if anyone else was here.
His little delivery boy wouldn't be strong enough to fight back. The tempting thought to imprison him, like Evelyn said, replayed in his mind. Something must have shown on Sung Hyunjae's face, because Yoojin paled.
"If your boss finds out you're hiding guides for yourself, you'll be in big trouble."
"Would you rather belong to Jupiter's boss? Considering your past, I thought you would want nothing to do with another mob boss."
Yoojin lowered his eyes. "I never told a soul about what I saw, and I'm paying off my debt."
Hyunjae rested his head on top of Yoojin's. "And I've told no one that it was you who witness the incident nor pressed you about your debts."
"You… you bastard."
"Han Yoojin treats me so cruelly while I only do my best for him. If you keep hurting my feelings, I'll have to let you go to my boss..."
"Damn you… No. I… I don't want to meet your boss. Ever."
"You're putting me in a position to lie to my boss."
Han Yoojin was so nervous his throat was dry. "I-I don't trust the mob."
Sung Hyunjae's arms tightened around Yoojin. "But you trust me?"
Yoojin hesitated, but nodded. Sung Hyunjae felt the slight movement where he rested his hand on Yoojin.
"Haven't I always protected you?"
Yoojin nodded again.
"Do you think I would let anything happen to you?"
"I don't know… if your boss finds out about me… that I owe him a debt—that I'm a guide. That I'm a guide who owes him an enormous debt!!!"
"Yoojin-ssi, be my guide."
Yoojin blinked up at him. "What?"
"Whether you guide me or not, I will protect you and handle everything. But don't ask me to let you go."
"But how? How can someone like you handle everything?"
Sung Hyunjae regretted telling Han Yoojin he had such an inferior position in Jupiter. It might be time for the Sung Hyunjae, who Yoojin knew, to be given a promotion.
"Have I ever done anything to hurt you?"
After a pause, Yoojin looked away. "I… I can't. I have people I need to protect. I have too much relying on me. I have to do this on my own…"
Sung Hyunjae watched Yoojin fight back tears. His guide was so cute and strong, trying to handle everything on his own again. From the very beginning, with his history with the mob, to his restaurant and multiple debts, and then witnessing the Jupiter's murder incident.
Yoojin tried to handle it all alone. So Sung Hyunjae never let anyone else interact with him. He wanted no one to see him like this.
Sung Hyunjae moved his thumb over Yoojin's cheek. Yoojin's breath shuddered.
"Let me take on some of this burden."
"I'm not much of a guide. I... don't know how effective it'll be for someone of your rank."
"… Do you know my rank?"
"… I can feel it. You're an S-rank."
"Yoojin-ssi is talented."
For some reason, those simple words made Yoojin's eyes sparkle, and he let his guard down. Slowly, Yoojin wrapped his arms around Sung Hyunjae.
Yoojin could have stopped there and Sung Hyunjae would have cleared Yoojin's debts and given him any reward he wanted. The small physical contact was worth a fortune to Sung Hyunjae.
Yoojin guided him.
Sung Hyunjae took his first breath of fresh air in months. The power inside him moved, but he didn't lose control. No explosions, no outburst, no rampage, pressure or pains. It was cleansing and cooling while being erotic and stimulating.
"Umm… Mr. Sung?" Yoojin shifted uncomfortably in Sung Hyunjae's tight hold.
"It's a natural reaction when receiving guiding." Sex was a very efficient way to stabilize an esper. But Sung Hyunjae never had an involuntary erection with guides. Guides made him sick. It always disappointed the guides, seeing how they couldn't turn Sung Hyunjae on. "Don't you feel anything when you guide espers?"
"I don't know… I haven't guide anyone sense my brother."
Hyunjae stilled. Yoojin had only ever guided one person before him. Did that mean he had never been with someone before…?
"Ah! Not so close!"
Hyunjae buried his head in Yoojin's neck. His hand dug under his shirt to touch his back and lifted him off his feet. The rush of guiding was amazing.
Yoojin had no hope of ever escaping Hyunjae now.
Family Ties and Shared Courage, They Shine Like Gold
Yoojin had to find a way to escape Hyunjae.
He made his way back to his restaurant with little energy left. Sung Hyunjae needed much guiding. The man's insides were chaos. Espers couldn't use their powers recklessly. The power built after too much use and condensed inside of them, tightening and tightening until they rampaged.
Guiding released that power, so they had full control again.
Did that crazy man never get regular guiding?
Wasn't that dangerous for someone so high ranking? Even if he was in a low position in the Jupiter syndicate, they should have had guides for their members.
Yoohyun was like that, too. He would go without guiding as long as possible. Unaware that it was harder for Yoojin to stabilize a highly concentrated buildup verse, relieving it two to three times a week.
Maybe Yoohyun just hated touching me that much…
Yoojin shook his head and entered his restaurant. There was too much he didn't understand about Sung Hyunjae to figure out, and thinking about his brother only made him more miserable.
"Ahjussi!" A young girl with short hair and bright blue eyes sprinted from the back of the small, six table dining area. She wasn't awakened yet, but Yoojin could tell when she did, she would be a powerhouse.
She was already producing power, and Yoojin would stabilize her every time they hugged. It was almost a subconscious reaction at this point. He had remembered Yoohyun's growing pains before he awakened, and Yoojin wanted to avoid those for Yerim.
Yerim grabbed Yoojin's arms and yanked him into the restaurant.
"Where have you been?" She demanded. "I set you off with five deliveries and you know how long you've been gone?"
"Yoojin's back?" Myeongwoo stuck his head out of the kitchen. His worried face had a smear of flour across his cheek and he wore a pink apron with a little duck. "Yoojin, are you alright? We were about to call the police."
"Ugh! You guys are worrying over nothing." He tried to push Yerim back, so she didn't pull down his collar. He had pulled his collar up and his choker down to hide the bite marks. They were too embarrassing to explain.
Yerim leaned in suddenly. "Aren't you the one who said the delivery routes are too dangerous for me and Myeongwoo to go on?"
"Yes… but—"
"And who came to my apartment concerned when I was late for work last week?" Myeongwoo, whose side are you on???
"That's because—"
"Wasn't there a monster attack earlier this week?"
"But-"
"And it's really late. Didn't you tell me the chances of being kidnapped increase at night?"
"But I'm an adult."
Yerim shook my hands. "And you skipped lunch, and I know you haven't eaten yet."
Were they my parents?
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for worrying both of you."
Yerim wasn't convinced. "Next time call. No! should you call after every delivery?"
Yoojin patted her head. "I'll call if I know I'm running behind. Is there anything else to do tonight?"
They headed to the kitchen. Myeongwoo set the prep dishes away and Yerim washed. Yoojin had the inventory book in one hand and the account book in the other.
"Oh! A man came looking for you," Yerim said.
Yoojin froze, but didn't look up. "What did he look like?"
"Hmm... Old, I guess. Serious face. Tall, too. Lots of scars. He wanted to see you, but left when I said you were out. Didn't leave a message or anything."
Myeongwoo shook his head. "I got a bad feeling from him, Yoojin. He dressed like a gangster, too."
Yoojin set down the books.
"Yoojin?"
"Ahjussi?"
"Hey, you guys have been working hard. How about we get some after-work drinks?"
Yerim jumped. "Drinks?"
"They serve non-alcoholic drinks."
Her expression crushed, but she perked up again. "As long as I don't have to finish these dishes."
"You still have to finish, Yerim. Here I'll help too."
Yoojin walked them both home after a few drinks and a nice dinner together. The mention of the strange man visiting set him on edge and he at least wanted to see them both home safe. He couldn't tell them about the gangsters, he didn't want them to worry. They already had too much to take care of on their own.
Yoojin lived above the restaurant in a simple one-bedroom apartment.
He stood in front of the mirror and pulled his choker aside. The black choker was a simple design with a blue gem in the center. It contrasted the two red bite marks. He poked them and flinched. Ouch. Why did Sung Hyunjae have to bite him over the same spot?
Stupid espers. They didn't know how much this hurt. The crime rate against guides was high because they didn't have a way to protect themselves.
Yoojin washed his face and grabbed a bottled water from the fridge.
"Meorw?"
"Hey, Peace. Did you think I forgot you?"
The orange, fox like monster rubbed his face against Yoojin's leg. It was illegal to harbor monsters, but Peace had been so good to Yoojin that he couldn't report him to the Association.
Yoojin pulled out a few dishes and mixed chicken, rice, veggies, and an egg for the small monster, who gladly eat it up.
After it was done, it yowled and placed its paw on Yoojin's knee, asking to be held. Yoojin picked up his little monster. All his problems faded away once he held the warm ball of fur. They headed to bed.
"What did you say to me?"
A high ranking esper stood in front of Yoohyun's desk. "The mafia family Yoojin used to owe money to visited him today. Han Yoojin wasn't there, so he left."
The esper set down the surveillance pictures. There showed an unmarked car and a man who carefully hide his face while he entered Yoojin's restaurant.
"I thought you reported my brother paid off that debt. Why is he back?"
"Umm—at this time… we're not sure."
"Then what are you doing here? Find out what he wants with my hyung."