Beep, beep-beep.“……”“……”The sound froze them both. Their lips parted, a thin line of saliva stretching between them.It wasn’t an emergency tone—just a standard call alert. Since it was Raon’s device that had gone off, odds were high it was Director Seokhyeon.Still, whatever it was, he needed to answer quickly. Raon instinctively reached for his wrist.Tap.“Huh?”“Check it later.”“No, wait—hmph—”Siwoo’s hand covered the watch, cutting him off with another sudden kiss. Raon tried to protest, but his words dissolved against the insistent press of Siwoo’s mouth.This is how bad habits start, Raon thought faintly, even as he found himself unable to push him away.Chup, chup. The damp sounds filled the small guiding room. Siwoo’s tongue dragged against his palate, teeth catching at his lips until sparks ran up the back of his skull.Espers were supposed to feel pleasure during guiding—but was the same true for guides? Raon wondered hazily, half-gone in the dizzying rush.Beep-beep-beep!“…!”The repeated alert jolted him back. At some point, Siwoo had undone the buttons of his uniform and was mouthing along his throat.“Hah—enough. We need to stop.”“Don’t want to. Just a little more…”“Ugh, no more.”Raon forced himself to steady his breath and raised his wrist. His voice came out rough.“This is Han Raon.”—What were you doing that it took you so long to answer?“I was guiding.”…I see.A brief silence, then Seokhyeon continued.About that new team you reorganized. If you’re available, how about meeting everyone today?“Today?”It wasn’t a bad idea, just abrupt. Seokhyeon seemed to anticipate his hesitation.Headquarters is pressing for the guide-team training to start immediately. Everyone happens to be off duty right now, so it’s the best time.“I understand.”No wonder—an Irregular Gate changing color for the first time in years had everyone on edge. The mere fact that Alpha-1 had struggled to subdue it would be enough to rattle the higher-ups.Raon nodded, even though the director couldn’t see it.“All right. I’ll be there shortly.”Good. Esper Yoon Siwoo… is with you, I assume? Bring him along.“Yes.”He ended the call and exhaled a long, heated breath. The timing couldn’t have been worse.“You’re really going?”“Of course.”“What about my guiding?”Right—this whole thing had started because they’d meant to do mucosal guiding. He’d lost his head and forgotten entirely.“We’ll finish later, okay?”“Tch.”Siwoo’s dissatisfied huff made Raon smile. He leaned in to brush a quick kiss across his lips before he could stop himself.It’s fine. We’re paired now—getting along’s a good thing.Reassured by the thought, he straightened his collar and stepped out of the guiding room.***Everyone in the conference room looked tense.Raon’s newly formed guide team consisted of five members including himself: fellow Alpha-1 guide Lee Hamin, Alpha-2’s Hyun Juwon, Alpha-3’s Kim Taehyuk, and Park Dasom.Why me?Dasom was the most bewildered of all. She still didn’t understand why she’d been summoned.She had awakened as a guide at a young age, but only reached B-rank. That wasn’t bad given how few guides existed, but compared to the A- and S-ranks sitting here, she didn’t belong.At least Hamin, also a B-rank, had an S-rank esper with an excellent match rate. Dasom didn’t even have that.I’ve worried so much my head hurts.Her stomach twisted with nerves; she could barely eat.Click.“…!”The door opened. Only two people could be entering now.“Well, looks like everyone’s here already.”Raon stepped in, his face still faintly [N O V E L I G H T] flushed, an embarrassed smile tugging at his lips. All eyes turned toward him.Yeah, they definitely did it.Every esper in the room was experienced enough to guess what had delayed him. The soft curve of Raon’s swollen mouth, the faint color along his collarbone, and beside him, Siwoo’s faintly scowling expression—none of it left much to the imagination.Clearly, they’d been in the guiding room when Seokhyeon’s call came through. The team members collectively pretended not to notice the red marks peeking from Raon’s collar.“Nice to meet you all. As you know, I’m S-rank Guide Han Raon.”He introduced himself first, eyes sweeping the room. Every member he’d selected was here.His gaze lingered briefly on the anxious Dasom before moving on. Because guides needed protection, espers were also present—fewer in number, since Siwoo alone covered much.“All right, let’s start with introductions.”“Ah, yes.”The guides rose one by one to introduce themselves, followed by the espers.“Alpha-1 Team, S-rank Esper Yoon Siwoo.”Siwoo spoke curtly, sitting back down. Next came a broad-shouldered esper with an easy grin.“Hello! Alpha-3 Team, A-rank Esper Lee Yeojoon. Looking forward to working with you!”His booming voice filled the room. Raon smiled faintly—Yeojoon looked exactly as he remembered.Alpha-3 hadn’t been a spotlight team; most of its espers were A-rank or below. Aside from their guide Taehyuk, they rarely appeared in reports.But Raon had chosen Yeojoon for a simple reason: his ability meshed perfectly with Siwoo’s.Even before regression, I’d thought it was a waste.Yeojoon’s power was lightning. Combined with Siwoo’s water, the two could create devastating synergy.And with his bright personality, he got along easily with everyone—including Siwoo, despite being a year older. They’d even attended the same university; Raon remembered hearing about him more than once.“Uh, hello. I’m C-rank Esper Song Minjae…”The next esper’s introduction came out haltingly. A mental-type, C-rank. Whether it was his low grade or just his nature, he looked painfully shy.Well, he doesn’t even belong to a formal team. No wonder.Unlike the others, Minjae and Dasom had no special assignments. Mental-types were rare and valuable, used all over the Center, but the pressure seemed to crush him.“Um, excuse me…”“Yes, go ahead.”“C-could you tell me why I was chosen for this special unit? Maybe there’s been a mistake…”He asked in a small voice, shoulders hunched. Raon met his pale face calmly.“No mistake. I personally requested you, Esper Song Minjae.”“Me? But… why?”Minjae looked genuinely baffled. Raon gave a faint smile.Everyone here probably thought of one name when it came to mental-types—Na Taegun.If Raon had built a special guide team, with a protection unit attached, surely the mental esper should’ve been Taegun.But Raon had no intention of that. Not just because of their personal friction.“You all know what happened inside the last Irregular Gate, yes?”“Ah—yes. The Center shared the report.”“Then you also know that the guides and espers were separated for a time.”“Yes…”They nodded, still unsure how that connected to his choice.“When communication is cut inside a Gate due to interference, mental-type espers are the only ones who can maintain contact. They’re vital for relaying signals between isolated teams.”“Oh…!”Dasom let out a small sound of realization, and Raon nodded to her.“Esper Na Taegun is excellent, but he needs to stay at the front lines. That means another esper has to remain with the guides to handle emergencies.”In other words, Taegun and Minjae would serve as twin relays within the Gate—Taegun for the forward assault team led by Dojin, Minjae for Raon’s rear support unit.At last the reasoning clicked, and the team members nodded in understanding.

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