Kang Soyoung had shown Yoojin the setup she had made for Peace while Yoojin had been at the Association's Guiding Department. It looked like she really cared for the little monster, and Peace looked extremely happy as well. Peace no longer attacked Kang Soyoung when she took care of him, but it seemed he still gave her a hard time. Unlike when he was with Yoojin.
Kang Soyoung had made a little play kennel and sleep area to keep Peace occupied when Yoojin was away. She talked about how she took him to the garden as well and how he chased some birds. Some of the stress Yoojin didn't realized he was carrying vanished. He had never known an esper who didn't try to kill a monster as soon as they saw it. Maybe it was because Peace was so adorable, but also Kang Soyoung was very sweet.
Peace seemed happy and wanted to play with Yoojin. The little monster even nudged Yoojin's hand, showing it wanted to be petted.
Yoojin complied and petted him, but noticed something abnormal. Monsters didn't need to be guided. That's what separated them from espers, but Yoojin's powers had been acting weird lately and seemed to latch onto the small monster before vanishing. Not really doing anything, but it was still bizarre.
Yoojin wondered if monsters could be guided.
Peace's ears perked up.
The building shook and something close to an explosion sounded. Kang Soyoung jumped to her feet and reached for Yoojin, leading him to evacuate.
"Wait!" Yoojin shouted. He let go of Peace and pulled out of Kang Soyoung's grip and ran down the hall. There was something familiar about this power.
Yoojin ignored Kang Soyoung's concerns and headed towards the loud crash and breaking walls. Powers crashed around them like crazy and rippled through the building. He noticed a few guides huddled away from the source of the powers and came to a sliding stop in front of them.
"What's going on? Is there a monster attack?" Yoojin asked the guides.
One of them shook their head. "No, it's an esper fight. One of them might be close to rampaging."
Yoojin looked at the crowd of guides. "Then why are you all staying here?"
The guide looked at him in disbelief. "We can't do anything while they're rampaging! We're waiting for Boss Hyunjae, or one of the other high-ranking espers, to stop them first."
Yoojin frowned and flicked his tongue against the back of his teeth, feeling the pulse of power like a familiar touch. "But one of the fighting espers is Boss Sung Hyunjae. What if he's the one rampaging?" A new worry filled Yoojin. He had been the only one guiding Sung Hyunjae. What if he rampaged because of him?
"You… can tell?" The guide squinted her eyes at Yoojin.
Yoojin shook his head at the cowering guided. After another loud crash, Yoojin turned toward the source of power and took a step. Kang Soyoung and the other guide grab Yoojin's shoulders to stop him.
"Yoojin-nim, that's too dangerous," Kang Soyoung pleaded.
"Hey, new guy, are you crazy? Let the espers handle it!"
"The espers?" Yoojin had seen how they handle other espers's rampages. They would just beat each other near death until they couldn't move and then have a guide and a healer patch them up. It was so bad for the espers. Yoojin tried a different approach. "Do you really think there's someone else in this building who can stop Sung Hyunjae if he's rampaging?"
The guides and Kang Soyoung looked uncomfortable.
"… Riette is still gone… and Noah is still recovering from his rampage…" One of the other guides whispered.
"I don't know…" Kang Soyoung said. "I can find Evelyn."
"Can you find her before Sung Hyunjae destroys this building? Or can you handle it if he attacks?" Yoojin asked her directly. "I can. I'm his guide."
The other guides stared at Yoojin, and the whispers started. He was the new guide that showed up out of nowhere with no license and was now guiding the top boss. It would cause a stir under any circumstances, but it just reminded him how everyone used to whisper about him before.
Kang Soyoung still looked unsure, but slowly released his arm. He headed to the room that was bursting with the familiar energy of Yoohyun and Sung Hyunjae and shoved the door open. Furniture was smashed, the sprinklers soaked everything, and black flames flowed over the water. Neither one of them were close to rampaging, they were just fighting.
"Yoojin-ssi? Is something wrong?" Sung Hyunjae asked. They both looked at Yoojin like he was the one acting irrationally while they were the ones fighting.
Yoohyun and Sung Hyunjae both looked a little disheveled but not injured. The water had soaked both of them and left their hair and clothes wet.
Yoojin couldn't believe Yoohyun would show up and not even see him. What was worse was these two S-Ranks were fighting in a building filled with guides and unawakened. Some of the walls were smashed, and the windows were broken. Did they want to demolish this building with all those people still inside?
"Why are you fighting?" Yoojin demanded, eyes narrowing and irritation filling his voice.
Sung Hyunjae glanced at Yoohyun. "Your brother seems to run toward danger instead of away."
"He'll do that."
"Ummm," Kang Soyoung stepped in the room. Sheepishly holding her head down and standing behind Yoojin. The water from the sprinklers slightly misting both of them. "I'm sorry, sir… He got away from me."
Yoojin glared daggers at Sung Hyunjae. He disliked the control Sung Hyunjae tried to assert over him, and making Kang Soyoung keep a watch on him, and the security he had around him at all times to keep him from leaving. He was going to be even madder if Sung Hyunjae got crossed with Kang Soyoung for this.
"It's alright," Sung Hyunjae called out to her. "You may leave."
Kang Soyoung took a cautious step into the room and grabbed the door. She looked at Yoojin like she was unsure to leave him here or not, so Yoojin waved her away.
The door closed and Yoohyun took a step toward Yoojin, then stopped. His eyes widened.
"What happened to your hand?"
The flames grew and evaporated some of the water, and the air became humid. Yoohyun turned back to Sung Hyunjae, his eyes glazing over in a red hue.
Yoojin stepped forward and waved both his hands in front of him as he approached his brother. Water sprayed over him, and his hair lay flat on his head. "It's coming off today! Nothing bad happened and it'll come off today. It was my accident anyway."
Yoojin noticed how Sung Hyunjae's eyes narrowed at him in displeasure.
Yoohyun turned back to Yoojin. "Did he do that to you?"
"No."
"Then who?"
Yoojin's mouth opened, but he didn't know what to say. It wasn't Noah's fault, but he wasn't sure his brother would see it that way. Should he say he fell and hurt himself?
"His name is Noah Luire," Sung Hyunjae answer, before Yoojin could think of an excuse. "He's an S-Rank who works here and has a specially in stealth and poison. He's currently away today."
"Sung Hyunjae!" Yoojin gasped. Yoojin knew Sung Hyunjae was still mad at Noah, but that didn't mean he could tell his brother about him. Did he think his brother was just going to leave the poor man alone after this?
"Noah Luire," Yoohyun said. Sounding like he was committing the name to memory.
"Hey!" Yoojin said to Yoohyun. "It was an accident. Leave Noah alone. It wasn't his fault." Why did Sung Hyunjae's glare harden? Stop trying to get my little brother into fights!
Yoohyun gave one last glare to Sung Hyunjae and rushed to his brother. "Hyung, are you really okay here? Has anything else happened? He hasn't forced you to guide him or done anything weird to you?"
Yoojin fought down the surprise from all the questions. What qualified as 'weird?'
His hand twitched to touch his neck to make sure all the marks were covered. He couldn't think of anything more embarrassing than his little brother finding out about what Sung Hyunjae and him have been doing.
"I've been fine. I've only been here two days."
"And you've already been to the hospital for a guiding deficit. What else has happened to you?"
Oh crap. He found out about that. Yoojin shook his head and smiled at his brother. "I'm really fine, Yoohyun. Nothing bad has happened to me."
"Hyung… would you rather stay with me?"
Yoojin blinked at him. He had imagined this for years. Being able to stay with his brother again was a dream. He could guide him like the old days, make sure he was okay, and help with the organization the way he used to.
"Wait," Yoojin's eyes narrowed. "You're not just going to lock me up, are you?"
"…"
"Yoohyun!"
"I want you to be safe."
"How can that be the only thing you think of? I'm the older brother. I should be looking after you, not the other way around."
"… did Boss Choi Sukwon threaten you?"
Yoojin looked away and rubbed his arm. "Yeah… but it's fine, I can…" Yoojin looked at Sung Hyunjae for some help, but he still looked unhappy with Yoojin.
"And is Diarma still bothering you?"
Yoojin shook his head. "No, I haven't seen him since… wait, how do you know that?" Yoojin thought he kept his debt with Diarma hidden. The handsy mob boss was creepy and, more than once, tried to step over Yoojin's boundaries. Even if Yoojin had owed him money, the mob boss was deviant and gave Yoojin chills.
Yoohyun had trouble speaking.
Sung Hyunjae sighed. "I'll give you a moment." They watched the gangster walk out, but he gave a last glance over his shoulder. "But this will be the last time I relinquish my guide to anyone."
"He's not your guide," Yoohyun said.
Sung Hyunjae ignored him and looked at Yoojin. "And don't forget what I said about you running away."
Yoojin stared at him, unsure of what he was talking about, when he remembered what Sung Hyunjae had said the first night Yoojin stayed here. How Sung Hyunjae had said he liked chasing Yoojin and would bring him back and punish him by…
He looked away and tried not to blush in front of his brother. Yoojin cleared his throat and told Sung Hyunjae to hurry up and leave already. The perverted gangster really did only think about sex.
After he left, Yoojin turned back to his brother and noticed the small injuries on him. Damn it, did Sung Hyunjae have to attack his little brother like this?
"Hyung, I'm sorry." Yoohyun said. "This mess is my fault. If I hadn't been born an esper, you wouldn't have had to come out as a guide."
Yoojin looked up from the small cuts and bruises on Yoohyun. Just because he was an S-Rank didn't mean he didn't need to be guided and see a healer. But Yoohyun's strange confession caught him off guard.
"What? What are you talking about?"
Yoohyun lowered his head. "Yoojin, the incident about the negative guiding…"
Yoojin swallowed. After a momentary silence, he said, "You mean Hiroki Juhyeok?"
Yoohyun looked up. "Who?"
"Oh," Yoojin cleared his throat. He really thought his brother knew about that. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
"Yoojin, I lied about you negative guiding me."
Yoojin stopped breathing. "What?"
"I didn't know what else to do. I tried to protect you but the other espers kept talking about you and… You never believed me about how dangerous they were." Yoohyun shook his head. "I did this and I… I…"
Yoojin took a step back. He almost stumbled on the wet floors. Blood was rushing in his head. Yoohyun looked so sad. This double-edge sword was already hurting so much. He had finally gotten his brother back, but he found out Yoohyun had lied about it all.
The humiliation, the shame, and years of thinking he had almost killed his baby brother were all a lie?
"I thought I really hurt you!" Yoojin's breathing came fast. "I tried to apologize for years."
"There was no reason to apologize."
Yoojin covered his mouth. "Yoohyun…"
"I'm so sorry for everything. I tried to make it up to you, but you returned everything I sent you and just put more distance between us."
"I didn't want your charity. I wanted my brother."
Yoohyun's lips thinned. "I'm sorry… I thought if I could just be strong enough I could protect you, then everything would be okay."
"I could protect myself!"
"Yoojin," Yoohyun's voice raised for the first time. "A guide poisoned you. An esper use forced guiding on you. Not to mention the ones who talked about kidnapping you."
Yoojin's lip trembled. "That… that… that was my risk as your guide. I accepted the responsibility. You're the one who has to hunt monsters and deal with rampages."
"Put yourself first for once and stop endangering yourself. I hurt you during my rampage, and if you hadn't had stabilized me fast enough, I could have killed you. Or what would you have done if I hadn't found out those espers wanted to kidnap you?"
Yoojin looked away and couldn't think of an answer. Even on Yoojin's last restaurant delivery, when the mob boss had attacked him, he had relied on Sung Hyunjae to save him.
Yoojin swallowed. His stomach had knotted and twisted. "Was I a bad guide to you?"
Yoohyun's eyes widened at the sudden question. "You are my only guide."
"Only? You have other guides now, right?"
Yoohyun shook his head.
Yoojin nearly screamed at him. How careless of him! "What? How can you…?"
"One day I will be the most powerful syndicate in the country. I'll be able to take care of you, and I'll ask you to guide me again."
"You crazy… you really… do you know how long that will take? Is that why you were near a rampage the last time I saw you?!"
Yoojin reached out to grab Yoohyun to check his levels, but Yoohyun stepped back. They did this again and again, and Yoojin wanted to curse at his brother for being so fast.
"You are the only guide I want touching me. And if you can't forgive me, I will understand."
"Are you crazy!? Why are you doing this?"
He shook his head. "You're not an object for any esper to just use for guiding. You don't have to do this if you don't want to. I care about you, but how can I ask for guiding when half my memories of you were you struggling through deficits?"
"If you cared for me, you shouldn't have thrown me away!"
Yoohyun looked at Yoojin with half-mast eyes. "If I would have asked you to stop guiding and step back until the espers forgot about you, would you?"
Yoojin opened his mouth, but the answer didn't come. How could he abandon his little brother? Deficits hurt, but not as much as knowing he couldn't help his brother when he was in pain. He was just a small kid when he awakened.
Yoohyun touched his shoulder comfortingly.
"Have I ever used negative guiding on you before?" Yoojin asked.
Yoojin waited a very long time while Yoohyun thought about it, and every passing second gave him chest pains. "Three or four times. Five or six at most."
Yoojin blinked and felt his heart drop into his stomach. How could relief and panic fill him at the same time? Relief he hadn't been draining his brother's energy his whole life and panic that he had done it SIX TIMES!
Six times!
"Six times?" Yoojin asked, his voice breaking.
"You never went to the hospital when you were in a guiding deficit. Sometimes when you were sick, I would crawl into bed with you. It was when you were asleep. When I touched you, it was like your skin absorbed my powers."
Yoojin looked at Yoohyun in horror. "When we were kids?!" Yoojin awakened as a guide at fifteen, and Yoohyun was ten. The thought of using negative guiding on a kid made Yoojin nauseous. "You just let me use negative guiding on you?"
Yoohyun shrugged. "You had made yourself sick trying to stabilize me. Sometimes I couldn't wake you up. I thought I was helping."
This crazy kid… didn't he know how dangerous that was!?!
"Hyung, I'm sorry for lying and hurting you. I didn't know what else to do, and I was scared you would get hurt again or someone would take you. But I ended up hurting you just like those other espers. You're my brother. You're the most important person in the world to me, and I'm so sorry."
Yoojin looked at his brother. He still loved him and just wanted to protect him no matter what, but it felt like his heart was being crushed.
"I… I need some time. And some space."
Yoohyun pulled his hand away, but Yoojin grabbed it. "You are my brother, but you can't imagine what it felt like to think I almost killed you, and what I've been through just to find out you've been keeping my negative guiding from me."
Yoohyun nodded. His eyes drooping. The sad puppy look brough a small half smile to Yoojin.
"Fix this," Yoojin said. "Make it up to me. Take better care of yourself. Start trusting me that I can take care of myself and stop worrying so much about me. No more secrets, and never lie to me again."
"I promise." Yoohyun said.
Yoojin frowned and finally wrapped his arms around his younger brother.
"Hyung?"
"Just hold on," Yoojin said, and rested his head on Yoohyun's shoulder. He wanted to guide him before he left. He didn't know when he would see him again and the world could be so cruel to espers.
His brother's condensed powers always felt cold to Yoojin. Cold and jagged, like a brick in an unstable house about to crash down on him. The coarse stone scrapped and cut into his hand and was heavy to hold. The room that was built poor with these bricks threatened to crumble down on Yoojin, and it felt so lonely and dark inside.
How had Yoohyun gone through his powers already? What had he been doing in the past two days? He really needed to get a guide. He was a mob boss now and could afford a good one.
Yoojin guided his brother and felt the returning warmth to him. Yoohyun, when guided, used to feel like everything warm in the world. Like cuddling under a blanket on a chilly day, sitting by a campfire at night, or even how the sun could turn the flowers with its gentle rays.
He couldn't let his brother leave without guiding him and bringing that warmth back to him. He was his little brother, and he still loved him.
Yoohyun wrapped his arms around Yoojin as well.
"You're a powerful guide, Hyung. I'm sorry I ever made you think otherwise."
Yoojin smiled, but he knew otherwise.
Memories: A Brief History of Hiroki Juhyeok
Yoojin said goodbye to his brother. His heart felt like it had shattered after hearing the truth. He sat on the partially burnt desk with his head hung down.
After Yoohyun had ruined Yoojin's guiding reputation, Yoojin was still determined to guide and went to the association to get his license. But someone tricked him into signing a dedicating guiding contract instead. He had to take a loan out to buy the contract back.
It really felt like the world never wanted him be a guide.
And what had guiding ever gotten him? Poisoned, forced guiding, debt, espers lying about how much they loved him. Yoojin had thought he hid those things well, but looks like Yoohyun had found out about all of it.
That's why it was so surprising he didn't know about Hiroki Juhyeok.
Yoojin met the B-Rank esper, Hiroki Juhyeok, around the time he was turning seventeen, and he asked Yoojin to be his guide. But Yoohyun had just started monster hunting and needed extra attention.
The older esper had said he was drawn to Yoojin like no one before, that it was a fated pair, true love, and all the sweet words espers use.
Hiroki Juhyeok didn't seem like a bad guy. He even bought gifts for Yoojin sometimes. But one day, he grabbed Yoojin, tied him up, and started touching him. When Yoojin refused to guide him, he turned to forced guiding.
He still remembered how painful the forced guiding was. Then a single thought had popped into his head, 'would you like to try negative guiding?'
To this day, Yoojin had no idea how to use a guiding bust, and he hadn't even heard the term negative guiding before that day, but the feeling came naturally to him. He drained the esper of all his power, left him a husk of dried skin and jagged bones, and escaped. The sight stuck with him since then, and he had been terrified of guiding for months.
That was the first esper Yoojin had ever killed.
When Yoojin got home, Yoohyun worried about all the bruises and how sick Yoojin looked. Yoojin lied and said he fell at work and was coming down with a fever. Yoohyun was still a kid at the time, and it would just worry him.
There was movement by the door, and Yoojin looked up. Sung Hyunjae stood in the doorway. His expression was stoic, and he didn't say anything. Yoojin wondered what Sung Hyunjae would think if he told him the whole truth. Espers would never use a guide known for negative guiding.
Yoojin sighed. "If you stand there like that, people will mistake you for a statue."
Sung Hyunjae walked in and stopped when he stood over Yoojin.
"What?" Yoojin asked. "No witty comeback?"
The tall gangster tilted his head. "What do you want?"
"Me?"
"To be my guide. Name your price."
Yoojin laughed bitterly. "Do you think I'm just going to leave now that my brother told me the whole story? I'm noticing a trend of mob bosses lying to me, and I'm getting a little sick of it."
"I admit I lied to you, but you did to me as well."
Yoojin resisted yelling that him not telling Sung Hyunjae he was a guide was not the same as him not telling Yoojin he was the boss of Jupiter. But he didn't think the arrogant gangster would understand.
"I'm not above kidnapping, and a dark side of me wants to chain you up somewhere hidden," Sung Hyunjae said. "But I don't want you to hate me. I know how much your brother, that little girl, and even that chef mean to you, so I'm trying to act reasonably. But this anxiety makes it hard. Tell me what it'll take. Anything you want, and it will be yours."
Yoojin looked up at him. Was threatening to kidnap someone really him acting reasonable?
"What are you talking about? I've already said I'm your guide. I'm not going anywhere."
Sung Hyunjae had a soft smile on his face. He placed a finger under Yoojin's chin and lifted his head so he could place a kiss on his lips. The chaste kiss was enough to engulf Yoojin in the promise of warmth and strong guiding power. He raised his neck to return the kiss.
The kiss quickly evolved into more and Sung Hyunjae shoved Yoojin back. When the partially burned desk crumbled under Sung Hyunjae's strength, Yoojin yelped and clutched to him for support, his heart racing.
Sung Hyunjae held the small guide effortlessly while the desk dissolved into dust and muck. Yoojin looked around the destroyed office and grimaced. "Ah, I'm sorry about my brother… umm, I can pay for the damages."
Yoojin looked up when the gangster didn't answer. Sung Hyunjae's golden eyes stared at Yoojin.
"You can put me down."
"Yoojin," Sung Hyunjae said, lowering his head so Yoojin could feel his breath on his lips.
Yoojin quickly turned his head away. "Hey! How is this all you think of? Are you serious?"
"I'm always serious when it comes to my guide."
"You—ah!" Yoojin's eyes glazed over and he shuddered, Sung Hyunjae bit his sensitive neck. Yoojin's breathing came faster as Sung Hyunjae moved his hips against Yoojin's, working them both to hardness. He carried Yoojin out of the office, heading back to his room.
"Ah! Ah!" Yoojin moaned, gripping Sung Hyunjae's shoulders. Yoojin felt the kisses of the strong S-Rank esper cut through the cold and pain he was just feeling. But he couldn't let Sung Hyunjae continue at this pace. "St-stop. Kang Soyoung and the other guides will see us."
The way he whispered into Yoojin's ear sent a chill down his back. "I sent them away. I know my guide is shy."
"How can you think about going again?" Yoojin cried. Were all S-Ranks like this or should Yoojin really try to convince Sung Hyunjae to see a doctor or something?
"Did you guide your brother before he left?"
"Umm… yeah."
"And the chef?"
Yoojin felt like this was a dangerous question to answer. Sung Hyunjae seemed agitated still. The elevator doors opened and Sung Hyunjae slammed Yoojin against the walls.
"Tell me," Sung Hyunjae's gold eyes were all Yoojin could see. "How do you guide others?"
"I-I hold their hands or hug them."
Sung Hyunjae licked and kissed the side of Yoojin's jaw and neck. "I'm the only one who gets to see you come undone? No matter what esper comes for you, your body craves me?"
"You're so perverted."
The elevator doors opened to the penthouse. Yoojin and Sung Hyunjae didn't make it to the master bedroom before clothes came off, their beathing turned to rough panting, and their bodies were tightly entangled.
My Sweet Guide
Sung Hyunjae stepped out of the shower, drying his hair with a towel. He grabbed another towel, and an envelope fell out of the jacket he had worn that day. Sung Hyunjae picked it up and read the label.
Sync Rate Results
Esper Sung Hyunjae
Guide Han Yoojin
Sung Hyunjae glowered over the unopen envelope and closed it in a drawer. He brought the towel to bed. Yoojin was passed out, face buried in a pillow, and breathing deeply.
Sung Hyunjae sat next to him and touched his fingertips to his back. Yoojin didn't respond. His guide was sturdy, but Sung Hyunjae had gone too hard on him today.
He was starved for a guide, and struggling to hold back his full sexual desires from Yoojin. But if he ate him until he was full, he would devour the small guide in seconds. He had hoped to nibble at him little by little until he was satisfied. But even that created a new hunger. He wanted Yoojin more every day and wanted to claim him all for himself.
Not just guiding. He craved the way Yoojin touched him. Like the way Yoojin stared at his face and muscles. He would trace the lines on Sung Hyunjae's arms or stomach like they were the most fascinating thing in the world to him.
Sung Hyunjae enjoyed the way his guide's attention was all for him. He was easily embarrassed, but not timid in the ways he moved in bed. He seemed to want Sung Hyunjae just as much as he wanted him.
His small guide was different from others. Yoojin's guiding skills hadn't been made public and already espers and even other guides were becoming annoying. How many more would try to get in their way before he started killing them?
Sung Hyunjae moved his hand down Yoojin's spine, to his backside, and down his thighs.
"Mmph…" Yoojin moaned in his sleep. He was getting sensitive to this.
Sung Hyunjae spread his thighs apart and checked his condition. They had done it multiple times, two days in a row, but Yoojin didn't look hurt, but he was swollen. Yoojin had said they would use condoms before, but the thought hadn't crossed their minds during the night.
Sung Hyunjae would remove the cum out of Yoojin, but he preferred to leave it in. It was a small claim. Just like how the bite and kiss marks on Yoojin's white skin were clear evidence he belonged to Sung Hyunjae. He sighed and suppressed those desires. His greed was getting stronger.
"Umph…"
Sung Hyunjae pushed his fingers inside Yoojin and began removing the cum, but as he moved, he remembered every spot Yoojin enjoyed having touched. Not just his prostate, but there were a few spots he could tease and make Yoojin tear up from a low, intense pleasure. Or how Yoojin reacted to being stroked at different lengths and speeds.
"Mmm… nmph…" Yoojin's legs shifted and his hips buckled on the bed. "… ah…"
"Oops. You really have become sensitive." Sung Hyunjae hadn't meant to play with Yoojin in his sleep, and he cleaned up the mess Yoojin made as well.
Sung Hyunjae put the towel away and lied down next to Yoojin. He pulled the smaller man into his arms and kissed his head. "Yoojin-ssi. Yoojin-ssi," he whispered. "Tell me you love me."
"… I… lov… ou..… hy… unjae…"
Sung Hyunjae smiled and held him closer. "I love you too, Yoojin-ssi."
"…D…on't find…a better…guide…"