SOFTIE 49

“Do you really want to do that to a child who knows nothing?”

Lee Taeho stared at him with an expression that said he was being far too fussy.

“Do you know how… never mind. It’s not going to last forever, right? Getting a sudden erection while receiving Guiding?”

Yeonwoo stopped talking. There was only one thing he really wanted to know.

“Those are all symptoms that appear because your Guiding levels were insufficient. You’ll get used to it as you receive more. Hmm? Wait, you’re saying the reaction comes at a certain point during the Guiding? Not from the very beginning?”

“I told you earlier. It goes fine, and then… I don’t know myself. The reaction comes when Softy starts wanting to touch me a bit more.”

“Ah, right. You did say that.”

“It’s absolutely not because I’m sexually frustrated.”

As Yeonwoo pointed that out firmly, Lee Taeho’s eyes narrowed. That gaze wasn’t directed at Yeonwoo.

“How about the magic beast… Softy? He doesn’t have any thoughts in that direction at all?”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Lee Taeho scratched his head with a ballpoint pen, tilting it to the side. If a reaction occurred while receiving Softy’s Guiding, it’s general for the influence to be felt from the start. But for the body to react suddenly after being perfectly fine is strange.

Unless it’s intentional.

That’s how wavelengths that connect with each other work. A Guide guides an Esper, and an Esper can also draw out Guiding.

Someone of Seo Yeonwoo’s level was more than capable of reverse-guiding. I keep saying he’s a special fellow in many ways. But he’s not the type to do that. Lee Taeho glanced at Yeonwoo.

Which naturally meant it was the other way around. It meant the Guide was intentionally performing that kind of Guiding.

“That’s when you’re only doing Guiding, right? You aren’t doing anything else?”

“We aren’t! Stop making me say it over and over.”

As Lee Taeho remained silent, lost in thought, Yeonwoo’s brow furrowed.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Didn’t the Guide put you in heat on purpose?”

“…What?”

“If the symptoms didn’t appear as soon as you started receiving Guiding, then the Guide must have drawn them out. Guiding is an interaction. Doesn’t that fellow want to do that kind of Guiding with you? A prime example is when a Guide uses Guiding to make an Esper lose their reason and pounce on them. Hmm, is the example too extreme?”

Watching Lee Taeho contemplate which example would be most appropriate, Yeonwoo shook his head.

“Ha, there’s no way. What on earth would Softy gain from…”

“Maybe he just wants to do that kind of Guiding.”

As the conversation continued, Yeonwoo’s face turned cold, telling him to stop talking nonsense. However, Lee Taeho didn’t stop.

“Why do you think it’s not possible? In the first place, it made no sense for a magic beast to follow you so obediently. Didn’t he fall for you at first sight? Why do you think you Espers have such good looks? It’s to lure Guides. This is all scientifically proven.”

“…Living buried in texts has turned you into a novelist. Softy is a magic beast.”

“Still, he must have eyes to see.”

Yeonwoo fell silent as he suddenly recalled the handsome man Softy had transformed into. He certainly had eyes to see.

That said, it wasn’t proof that Softy intended for that to happen. Lee Taeho clicked his tongue, saying Yeonwoo was ignoring him after he’d gone through the trouble of telling him.

“Then I don’t know either. Whatever. The Guiding is going well, isn’t it? If you want to, roll around; if not, endure it. Suit yourself.”

Lee Taeho ended the conversation as if he were beyond irresponsible and no longer interested. Yeonwoo let out a sigh. It was good that the useless talk had stopped, but the more he chewed on it, the more it sounded persuasive.

Could it be that Softy really had no such intention…

Lately, he had been feeling that Softy was clinging to him strangely, watching for an opportunity to aim for something.

No, that’s not it. At least not that. He just likes Guiding. He’s liked it for a long time.

It’s best to think simply. It’s not something to think about in a complicated way. Or, he could just ask. Softy would give him an honest answer.

“Ah, but in the end, you didn’t say how you did it? It would have been impossible in that form, and if he didn’t turn into a human, then what, with tentacles… Mmph! Mm-mm!”

“I’ll be going now.”

He knew it wasn’t out of malice but Lee Taeho’s pure curiosity, but that didn’t mean Yeonwoo had to put up with it. Yeonwoo covered the man’s mouth and stood up from his chair.

In the end, nothing was resolved. Yeonwoo was plagued by a headache. Even so, he couldn’t just not receive Guiding. That was the nature of the creature known as an Esper.

Every time he saw his gear maintained at a vivid green, his emotions were deeply stirred. He lightly touched the screen displaying the green color.

If the problem is me, I just have to endure it. That’s how it’s always been. But the problem is… if the one who intended it is Softy… what should I do?

“Does he think I don’t know about that kind of Guiding? Softy is different. He was different from those people…”

An S-rank Esper of Korea. At that time, the human rights of Guides were undergoing rapid changes, but there were still many Guides who succumbed before the absolute power of an Esper.

It was, in a sense, natural for Guides who needed the fence of a strong Esper to try their hardest to have Yeonwoo.

Furthermore, since he was a young child at the time, they mistakenly thought that if they easily elicited sympathy and showed a weak side, he would save them. In fact, Yeonwoo did save those Guides—just in a different way than they imagined. There were unpleasant experiences, but he was able to move past them.

But now, they pounce on him openly. To become the Guide of an Esper called a national hero. Since he refuses without even giving a chance to guide, there have been quite a few Guides who tried to force him down through Guiding.

It was an act committed out of the arrogance that Yeonwoo, as an Esper, would be helpless against Guiding. As unpleasant memories resurfaced, he clicked his tongue and quickly left the hallway.

He needed to go see Softy quickly.

A house that was once recognized only as a place to sleep had long since changed into a precious place where Softy waited and they lived together.

“Softy, I’m home.”

[Yeonwoo’s here? I was waiting patiently.]

Softy came bouncing all the way to the front door. Seeing Softy running toward him while cutely calling his name, his troubled heart melted away.

The house, which was always silent when he opened the door, was full of warm heat, and the noise from the TV could be heard.

It was something unimaginable before Softy arrived. Having opened his mouth to speak, Softy called out Yeonwoo’s name at every opportunity, as if he wanted to say all the things he hadn’t been able to say before.

It was simply amazing that he had been staying silent all this time when he was such a chatterbox.

[Did they say you’re okay?]

He had made up an excuse to Softy that he was going for a check-up. Because of that, Softy peeked at Yeonwoo with a worried face. Yeonwoo stared awkwardly at Softy. Lee Taeho’s words kept circling in his head.

He had thought about asking, but now that he was right in front of him, the words wouldn’t come out. What if he said yes? He’s already anxious because he can’t do it even now.

[Why? Did they say you’re really sick?]

“No. They said the problem is that Softy and I are too well-matched. My condition was also very bad… they said it’ll get better once I get used to it.”

[Then, we have to do it every day! It’s okay. I’ll do my best…]

Seeing Softy ready to dive in at any moment, Yeonwoo hurriedly stopped him.

“Softy, you see the pollution level, right? It’s in the stable zone, so you don’t have to do it. The Guiding from earlier was enough.”

[But that was just radiation. Contact is better than radiation.]

“It’s only good when you receive it when necessary. And that’s how the body gets used to it. If I receive Guiding when my body can’t accept it, it’s just a waste of energy.”

[Doesn’t a high pollution level mean you can receive more Guiding?]

“I’ve had enough. I have to give my body time to digest it, too.”

Yeonwoo felt a slight prick of conscience, but he pushed forward shamelessly.

It was an excuse that wouldn’t have worked on any other Guide, but to Softy, who was just learning about Guides and Espers, it sounded plausible.

[I want to do it, though…]

Softy went limp as if disappointed. Yeonwoo felt a cold sweat running down his back for some reason. Once again, the words Lee Taeho had said flashed through his mind—the suggestion that it might be what the Guide wanted.

Looking at him like this, it feels like it’s Softy who is addicted to Guiding, not me…