The Princess and His Guide

On a large screen atop a tall building, a massive roar echoed.

Small groups of people hurrying along paused, one by one, and looked up.

As the man on the screen raised his hand, a monster the size of a house flew through the air and slammed into the ground.

“Kyaa!”

Thud-

A scream erupted from a group of girls in nearby high school uniforms. The tone was more excited than fearful.

“Wow, this is insane, for real.”

“The movement is unreal.”

But it wasn’t just the unknown female students who were spouting embarrassing reactions.

“Did you see that? That’s my afterimage, kid.”

A man clumsily mimicked the moment when a creature swung its thick tail to drag away the man who had blasted it away.

“Please, do that crap in your own bathroom, you bastard.”

His friend next to him, unable to bear the embarrassment, sobbed and buried his face in his hands. Fortunately, the screen changed, and he was no longer the focus.

“Other Espers have been deployed too.”

Unlike his other friends, Jaeyoung, who had been quietly watching the screen, narrated the situation.

“The princess is backing off to receive guidance.”

The saccharine nickname belonged to none other than the man who had sent the monster flying without even touching it. Though the meaning was anything but sweet.

No one knew exactly when Espers and Guides had come into existence. But they had appeared in the mass media about a hundred years ago.

Until then, those with special abilities were treated as “time bombs waiting to explode.”

However, in 1982.

Unidentified monsters appeared around the world, attacking and killing people. The monsters were violent and cruel, and “ordinary people” with “ordinary weapons” were no match for them.

When they failed to eliminate them in time, the Espers, who had been hiding their special abilities and disguising themselves as soldiers or police officers, stepped up.

Espers, who had thus boldly revealed their abilities, were now called heroes.

And the man currently on the screen was Jin Saheon, South Korea’s only S-class Esper and a world-class powerhouse.

“If he’s over there doing that, he definitely won’t be home, right.”

Saheon, nicknamed “the princess,” was actually Jaeyoung’s friend Haewoon’s older brother.

Dongjun, who had been nervous about running into him, looked relieved.

It was a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor, when he had been staring at the screen with sparkling eyes as if watching his favorite movie character.

“Why? Were you about to ask for his autograph earlier?”

Haewoon chuckled and mocked the frightened Dongjun.

But even he, as Saheon’s younger brother, couldn’t deny that his brother was an uncomfortable presence.

“So, when are we going? I’m hungry.”

Jaeyoung, who had been glued to the screen until now, grabbed Haewoon’s arm and whined.

It was right after Saheon’s image had disappeared from the large screen.

“I’m saying, let’s just go somewhere nearby and eat whatever.”

Haewoon flicked Jaeyoung’s round forehead with his finger.

“No way.”

Jaeyoung, cradling his reddened forehead, shook his head with a serious expression.

“Your house’s ttukbaegi stew tastes the best.”

The salty and spicy taste came to mind, and Jaeyoung swallowed hard.

“Seriously……”

Haewoon glared at Jaeyoung as if he were pathetic. But Jaeyoung didn’t give in.

“And my mom texted me to make sure I eat the melon she bought.”

Jaeyoung’s eyes shone resolutely, as if he had a great duty to fulfill. The “mother” he mentioned was none other than Haewoon’s mom.

“Why would my mom only text you that?”

Haewoon asked, scoffing in disbelief. Jaeyoung widened his eyes as if asking if he really didn’t know.

“Because you’re so gross, and I’m cute.”

Haewoon wanted to argue, but he had no response and tightly shut his mouth.

Even though they were both the youngest, Jaeyoung was affectionate and full of aegyo, as if trying to show that he was the beloved youngest of four siblings.

Ever since Jaeyoung’s family had moved next door when Haewoon was around eight years old, Haewoon’s mom had even wanted to adopt Jaeyoung in place of her two sons, who had no charm whatsoever.

“Hey, what are we playing today?”

“I’m providing the place, so don’t I get anything in return?”

“Nope, no way~”

“Ugh, you cheapskates! Then just go to a PC bang or something!”

“Hey. You got ramen, right?”

Jaeyoung and his friends left, noisily chattering. It had already been three months since they became adults, but their conversations were no different from when they were in high school.

The group, who had been bickering and attracting attention all the way to Haewoon’s house, froze stiff as soon as they opened the front door.

‘Hey! You said he wasn’t here!’

The friends, who happened to run into Saheon passing by the front door with a glass of water, glared at each other and screamed silently. But Haewoon was just as frustrated.

“H-Hyung, what brings you here?”

In the first place, Saheon had been living in a government-provided residence since becoming an Esper, and later he had moved out to his own apartment.

He was someone who never came home unless it was a very special occasion.

“Hyung. You’re here?”

Among the frozen friends, Jaeyoung was the first to come to his senses and gave a polite bow.

Saheon smoothly raised one corner of his lips. At the same time, Haewoon realized the reason for his visit.

“Ah, hello!”

“Your greeting is quick, huh? I thought you were giving me the stink eye to go first.”

“Gasp.”

Jaeyoung, who received Saheon’s full attention, swallowed hard. Indeed, “the princess” had a terrifying mouth.

A cold shiver ran down his throat as if he had suddenly been splashed with cold water at the chilly smile.

“Of course not.”

Jaeyoung replied with a gentle eye smile. He tried to answer calmly, but his heart was pounding.

“Then we’ll be going now……”

“Hey, chapssaltteok.”

Gasp.

The group, who had been about to greet him and quietly disappear, simultaneously gasped and froze in place.

The person who had been called stopped with a truly displeased expression.

“Come here.”

Saheon gestured at Jaeyoung with his finger.

“Haewoon-ah, I’ll be back.”

Jaeyoung tried to ignore reality.

“He’s calling you.”

Even his younger brother, Haewoon, disliked his brother and pushed Jaeyoung away with a disgusted look.

“Should I go?”

Saheon, who had his hands in his pockets, looked like he was about to approach immediately.

His gleaming eyes showed that something even worse would happen if he moved himself.

‘You traitors!’

Jaeyoung glared at his friends, who had pushed his back, with tearful eyes.

“You guys can go ahead.”

“Yes, Hyung!”

“Thank you, Hyung!”

The friends, who had been granted freedom from Saheon, bowed deeply and quickly ran up the stairs.

“Follow me.”

Saheon, who had spat out those words, turned around and headed to his room first. Jaeyoung dragged his feet and followed him. His feet felt as heavy as if they were tied with heavy weights.

Saheon entered the room and sat on the bed.

“Sit.”

The spot where Saheon patted for Jaeyoung to sit was on his lap. Jaeyoung didn’t move from the doorway. And he bit his lip anxiously. Saheon, watching the sight, clicked his tongue.

“If you come, I’ll just end it with a hug, but if I go, I’m using my tongue.”

Startled by the explicit words, Jaeyoung looked back with a pale face as if someone might be eavesdropping. He closed the door with a bang and jumped onto Saheon’s lap.

It was a powerful action that made the bed creak, but Saheon’s body, being an S-class Esper, didn’t budge. As Jaeyoung hugged Saheon’s neck, their lips soon met.

“You said you’d just hug……”

As their lightly touching lips parted, Jaeyoung looked at Saheon, trembling as if he had been betrayed.

“I didn’t use my tongue.”

Saheon licked his lips with his tongue, wearing a satisfied smile like a well-fed lion. He was truly fulfilled.

“I saw you getting guidance earlier……”

Jaeyoung muttered with a sulky face. Avoiding Saheon’s gaze, his brown eyes rolled around. His desire to avoid it if possible fueled Saheon’s wicked heart.

“If you don’t like that, you can stick with me.”

Saheon sneered as if Jaeyoung had said that out of jealousy. Jaeyoung could only purse his pink lips and couldn’t say that it wasn’t true.

“I came all the way here because of you, so do your job faithfully.”

Saheon teasingly tapped Jaeyoung’s lips with his finger.

“You’re my Guide, after all.”

At those words, Jaeyoung approached Saheon’s lips with a helpless expression.

He was the hidden Guide of Jin Saheon, South Korea’s only S-class Esper princess.