"There's nothing to do at this hour anyway. Just lie down and receive the guiding."
Eventually, Cha In-ho's warm hand wrapped around the back of Joo-hyun's hand. It was then that Joo-hyun truly realised he had narrowly escaped death.
Joo-hyun sometimes felt that he was living incorrectly. Like everyone else, he thought he should die eventually, but he found it strange that he was still alive. Normally, this thought would end there, but today, an unnecessary whisper followed. If he was living strangely anyway, perhaps living a bit longer wouldn't be so odd.
The guide continued to hold Joo-hyun's hand, gently stroking the back of it, while the sound of night insects drifted in from the pitch-black outside.
Joo-hyun didn't know when he had fallen asleep.
When he opened his eyes the next day, Cha In-ho was no longer there. The broken bone had healed overnight, and for some reason, his lips were slightly swollen. It seemed like he had dreamt something, but he couldn't remember what.
A delicate finger brushed the cheek of the sleeping person. It was a cautious, almost awkward touch, like secretly touching a displayed artwork or wiping dust off a shelf.
"I thought I'd feel relieved if you died."
Despite having poured hours of guiding within limited physical contact and looking exhausted, Cha In-ho's still beautiful face glowed in the moonlight.
The fingertips, sliding across the skin, eventually touched the cracked and scabbed lips.
"...But I don't."
When he closed his eyes, vivid scenes emerged. Spreading blood, red, pain, fear, anger, despair. The one who had been rampaging uncontrollably in a small hell was shyly smiling just a few hours ago.
In-ho placed his hand on the neck where the choker was firmly fastened. He applied a bit of pressure, but the esper showed no resistance. It wasn't strange since the esper was nearly unconscious, more like passed out than asleep. Just a little more pressure, and the esper who had survived the gunfire would easily die.
"What expression would you make if you knew that the guide that just had saved you, were to strangle you? What would you think and say?"
Oblivious to what the person beside him was planning, Joo-hyun slept quietly. If not for the faint sound of his breathing and the slight rise and fall of his chest, one could believe he was already dead, given his pale face.
When he received the call, In-ho was just about to start filming.
The first person to be contacted when an esper is injured is, of course, their matching guide. For that reason alone, In-ho, who had received the call, answered immediately that he would come, completely forgetting about the people waiting for him at the filming site.
The moment he saw Joo-hyun lying there, soaked in blood and clearly dying, he felt a sensation beyond words.
Yet, he did not cry. He didn't even shout, tremble, or shrink in anxiety. He simply ignored the dust and runaway esper's blood soaking into his clothes as he embraced the cold body.
When he looked up, the sky was dotted with stars that made his eyes sting.
The guide's fingers moved from the neck down to the shoulder, continuing along the skin. The runaway esper's arm was covered in scars. Large and small marks extended to the back of his hand, and he couldn't let go of that unsightly hand.
"Ha..."
The sigh of anguish that slipped from his lips reached no one's ears and dissolved into the air. It was that kind of night.
* * *
The photoshoot, which started in the morning, finally ended after the sun had completely set.
People who left everything to the model were rare, but a photographer who coached every small movement was quite tiring. Especially today, the photographer was passionately determined to capture him, making the day particularly exhausting.
Come to think of it, In-ho's manager had mentioned that despite initially rejecting the offer, the photographer had repeatedly contacted them.
Cha In-ho looked up. In the empty bathroom, the man reflected in the mirror had a disturbingly expressionless face. Lifeless eyes, gaunt cheeks, tightly closed lips. Beauty is an extremely subjective emotion. At least, In-ho thought so.
His persistent gaze, like Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection and drowned, held no feelings as beautiful as love.
The man who had been touching his smooth cheek changed his expression instantly at the sound of someone entering the bathroom. The small smile he put on exuded confidence and softened the atmosphere, causing the person who entered to blush.
In-ho passed the man who tried to speak to him and stepped outside. The work wasn't finished yet.
"Hello, In-ho. It's a bit awkward to say this right after meeting, but you really are handsome. You shine much more in person than on screen."
"Haha, thank you."
"Do you hear that often?"
"Well, I wouldn't say I hear it less often."
His playful response made the interviewer laugh.
She was said to be the sister of his agency's executive's niece's boyfriend's younger sister. Basically, they were strangers, but connections are connections, and that's why In-ho found himself sitting there for a magazine interview.
The young interviewer, still relatively new to the job, conducted the interview clumsily and uninterestingly. However, she didn't ask any blatantly annoying or offensive questions.
'It's a magazine interview, so even if it progresses slowly, it shouldn't be a problem.'
It was at that moment.
"What do you think about your matching esper, In-ho?"
Despite having been asking about his motto just a moment ago, the sudden question came without hesitation. If the interviewer's actions were written down, it would say she asked the question "with shining eyes."
In-ho slowly mulled over the question. Matching esper. Joo-hyun. What did he think?
"...It's hard to pinpoint because there's so much to say."
"Then just tell me one thing. The most characteristic part."
It was clear she was determined to extract information about the runaway esper he was matched with.
The fact that In-ho had matched with a runaway esper was known to almost everyone. However, no information about the esper had been revealed. Whatever he said, it would make headlines.
In-ho, looking up at the ceiling, created a peculiar atmosphere just by doing so.
Joo-hyun. It was too big, heavy, and bitter a topic to discuss here. Swallowing his saliva with a dry mouth, In-ho lowered his head.
A few days ago, Cha In-ho had almost lost him. Though he was stubborn, he blushed easily, and his pride was sky-high. Thinking about his matching esper, In-ho chuckled. It wasn't his usual gentle, clear smile, but a slightly twisted, yet stunningly beautiful one.
The interviewer's eyes widened.
"His smile is cute."
"Excuse me?"
"You'd understand if you saw it yourself."
How could I see that? Even without saying it, the interviewer's face showed her thoughts. In-ho, picking up on this, lightly waved it off.
His matching esper had quite a sharp impression. Perhaps due to his upbringing, he knew how to intimidate others with just his gaze.
But his smile stood out as remarkably pretty. His sharp eyes curved into crescents, and his lips, forming dimples, made him look very young and endearing.
Even when he tried to intimidate In-ho by narrowing his eyes and baring his teeth, it had the same effect. At least, to In-ho, it did. Whether Joo-hyun knew this or not—probably not, but In-ho had no intention of telling him.
The interviewer blinked rapidly, trying to gauge if what she had heard was true.
In response, In-ho recalled the day he had rushed to Block C. Seeing Joo-hyun lying there, covered in blood, had probably shortened his lifespan by three months.
Even if it was revenge for that, it was fine. The beautiful man, with a hint of mischief, grinned.
"He smiles like a cat that's caught a mouse."
That part hasn't changed at all. In-ho, who had swallowed words he couldn't share with anyone, leisurely picked up a cold coffee cup. Droplets of water ran down the glass surface, soaking his palm.
* * *
The released magazine omitted any mention of his matching esper. It wasn't what people wanted to read about, and praising a runaway esper might be unacceptable.
Not expecting much, he wasn't disappointed. He only had a slight curiosity about what Joo-hyun would say or how he would react if he read their conversation in the magazine.
Would he frown and tell him not to spout nonsense? Or glare at him with blushing cheeks? Or ask why he thought of him that way?
Then what should In-ho say in return?
If Joo-hyun looked up at him with eyes as red as ripe cherries, lips closed, not uttering any of his usual hateful words, what would he do?..
"...It's pointless."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself."
"You're so bland."
The manager, who had been sitting in the waiting room looking at his phone, leaned back into his chair again.