What’s Mine

No—he had been about to brand him.

There was a sharp sound of air being sliced apart, and the man’s shadow vanished from in front of Jaeyoung.

“Hh—huff… huff…”

Jaeyoung’s entire body shook as he gulped for air.

The moment the crushing weight disappeared, his breath burst out as if a dam had broken.

“Who gave you permission to slobber over what’s mine.”

A cold, unwavering voice echoed through the restroom.

Panting, Jaeyoung lifted his head.

Saheon filled his vision, reflected clearly in his wide, pale eyes.

“Hyung…”

Jaeyoung looked at Saheon with unmistakable relief.

When someone you’ve always feared suddenly feels like they’re on your side, there’s nothing more reassuring.

Absurdly enough, right now, Jaeyoung felt that Saheon was on his side.

“Now you understand, don’t you?”

Saheon spoke as if to say I told you so.

At the out-of-nowhere remark, Jaeyoung blinked.

Fortunately—or unfortunately—Saheon didn’t stop there.

“This is the reality a Guide without a protector can end up in.”

Saheon’s smile stabbed into Jaeyoung’s eyes, painfully bright.

Jaeyoung turned his gaze toward the man who’d tried to assault him.

There was nothing visible, yet it looked as though something heavy was pinning him down, his body crushed flat against the floor as he struggled.

“E-even if you’re Jin—Jin Saheon, you can’t do this!

This is poaching!”

The man shouted fearlessly up at Saheon.

“Poaching?”

Saheon looked down at him with amusement.

“You’re talking as if Kim Jaeyoung belonged to you.”

The man, rubbing himself against the filthy restroom floor, flushed red with humiliation and shouted again.

“He’s not even a registered Guide!

I found him first, so at least respect the order—respect the order!”

He spoke of Jaeyoung as if he were some object dropped on the street.

That was when Jaeyoung’s frozen thoughts finally began to move again.

The man was an Esper.

He’d realized Jaeyoung was a Guide—and tried to guide him.

The blood drained from Jaeyoung’s body.

“Try taking him.”

Saheon wrapped his arms around Jaeyoung from behind, deliberately.

Unable to even move his own body, the man could only let out animalistic screams.

“What should I do with him?”

Saheon whispered, resting his chin on Jaeyoung’s shoulder.

His eyes gleamed with interest as they fixed on the man still waging a one-sided struggle.

The sound of Saheon’s voice at his ear lingered long after.

It was sweet enough to make his heart itch—like a devil’s whisper.

Jaeyoung swallowed hard.

“Please… punish him only as much as what he did.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Saheon clicked his tongue.

He released Jaeyoung and made a call.

“It’s me.

Get me that unhinged detective who handles sexual assault cases.

The victim statement will be written.

You write it.”

At the one-sided, commanding tone, Jaeyoung silently mourned the person on the other end of the call.

At the same time, he secretly supported Saheon dumping the aftermath on someone else.

He didn’t want to be involved anymore.

People arrived quickly and cleared the scene.

With a drink someone handed him, Jaeyoung finally spoke.

“How did you even know I was here?”

Saheon stared at Jaeyoung’s face as if debating whether to answer.

When Jaeyoung pressed him with an unwavering gaze, Saheon finally held out a tablet.

His expression was sour, like he already regretted the trouble that would follow.

The screen was filled with a map.

A red dot blinked over one particular building.

“…Is that me?”

Jaeyoung asked, already half certain.

Saheon nodded shamelessly.

“That’s how I found you.”

When Jaeyoung just stared at him, speechless, Saheon added defensively.

Even that sounded confident, which somehow made it worse.

“…Where is it?”

Jaeyoung’s voice was drained of energy.

Saheon reached out and rummaged through Jaeyoung’s bag.

What he pulled out was Jaeyoung’s smartphone—something he carried everywhere, even into the restroom.

“You planted it there?”

Without answering, Saheon removed the phone case.

Inside was a small tracking device.

“When did you attach this?”

“When I went to your room.”

“When did you even—”

Jaeyoung muttered in disbelief.

He’d thought he’d been on guard the entire time.

Abilities weren’t meant to be used like this.

“Since you know now, let’s make things clear.”

Saheon pulled something else from his pocket, looking almost pleased.

“I’m not asking you to sign the contract right away.

Carry this with you.”

“What is it?”

Since refusing would be pointless anyway, Jaeyoung decided he might as well know.

Again, Saheon didn’t answer verbally.

He stepped close and wrapped an arm around Jaeyoung’s neck.

Startled, Jaeyoung shrank back instinctively.

“It’s a beacon.

Press it hard if you’re in danger.

I’ll come to you—anytime, anywhere.”

Only after Saheon stepped away did Jaeyoung see it clearly.

A necklace with a simple ring attached.

‘If I wear this around, am I never getting a girlfriend?’

Jaeyoung stared at the pendant with conflicted eyes.

A very on-brand worry for a guy his age.

Still, survival came before romance.

“…What’s the price?”

Even though he already knew the answer, he had to ask.

Saheon’s lips curved slowly upward.

“Guiding, of course.”

Jaeyoung let out a quiet sigh.

It was expected—but that didn’t make it easy to accept.

It felt no different from becoming Saheon’s Guide, contract or not.

“Since it’s not a formal contract, we’ll keep it at stage one.”

Saheon added quickly, as if he’d anticipated Jaeyoung’s protest.

“There are stages to guiding?”

At the innocent question, Saheon frowned.

“I’ll have to teach you about Guides while we’re at it.”

“Isn’t that a loss for you?”

Knowledge was power.

The more Jaeyoung knew, the more leverage he’d have.

If he stayed ignorant, Saheon would have the upper hand.

“If all I needed was a charger, machines would’ve been enough.”

Saheon snapped irritably.

That answer eased Jaeyoung’s tension just a little.

“Okay.

Then let’s do it like that—for now.”

“If you change your mind, say the word.

I carry the contract with me.”

“You carry the contract?”

Jaeyoung asked, incredulous.

“What if your mind changes while I’m gone to get it?”

“Of course I do.”

Saheon was far more calculating—and devious—than Jaeyoung had thought.

Jaeyoung resolved to live much more carefully from now on.

Saheon’s gaze drifted idly through empty space.

Countless people passed in front of him, yet his posture never changed.

To others, he might’ve looked like someone with nothing better to do.

In reality, a fierce internal battle was raging inside him.

He’d just returned from closing an S-class dungeon at the request of the American Association.

Even with two American S-class Espers assisting, it hadn’t been anything like the leeway he enjoyed back in Korea.

Just in case, he’d received first-stage guiding through a machine.

Still, the boiling energy in his gut felt ominous.

Sitting still and waiting for Jaeyoung, Saheon focused on restraining the turbulence inside him.

That concentration was soon broken.

A man was dragging a woman by the wrist when she stumbled, unable to keep up, and fell.

The commotion happened right in front of Saheon.

“f*ck—why aren’t you getting up?”

“It’s too fast… please… just slow down a little…”

The woman sobbed as she pleaded.

Saheon’s wandering gaze locked onto the man.

“You’re crying?

What did you do to deserve tears, huh?

You think this’ll make me go easy on you?”

“No, I’m sorry.

It’s my fault.

Please.”

Passersby slowed, whispering among themselves.

“Right.

It’s your fault.

But you did this last time too.

Why do you keep repeating the same mistake?”

The man’s anger seemed to ease slightly.

He crouched to meet the woman’s eyes.

“Hey.

Who else do you think would date a woman like you?”

The woman flinched, nodding frantically.

Saheon scoffed.

“A woman who can’t cook, can’t act cute—

The only thing barely worth tolerating is s*x, so shouldn’t you at least be useful there?”

Terrified, the woman glanced around secretly.

People were everywhere.

But they only stared, filmed, or walked on.

No one stepped in.

Saheon watched with the same detached gaze he used for television.

“You won’t do it?

Say it again.

Say you won’t.”

The man picked up a book lying on the ground.

The hard cover was thick, its edges sharp.

With all his strength, he hurled it.

The book tore through the air toward the woman.

People screamed, sensing disaster.

Then—silence.

When the pain never came, the woman cautiously opened her eyes.

What she saw was the back of a man catching the flying book with one hand.

“What the hell are you?”

Saheon said nothing.

“You f*cking her too?

I knew it—from the way you were smiling like that.

You look like the kind who seduces every guy she meets—”

“You’re loud for something that looks like gum stuck to asphalt.”

“W-what—!”

The low voice carried terrifying force.

The man froze, unable to move.

“J-Jin Saheon…!”

Saheon pulled his arm back—

Then threw the book with the same force the man had used.

The man shut his eyes tight.

“I thought you were bold, trying to kill someone in broad daylight.”

Saheon smiled faintly.

The book drifted down like a feather, landing softly on the man’s head before dropping to the ground.

The man couldn’t move until it hit the floor with a dull thud.

“If you’re ugly, at least be kind.

I don’t know who’d ever pick you up.

Your mouth reeks like a sewer—keep it shut.”

Saheon bent down and picked up the fallen book.

Mud from the previous day’s rain smeared its cover.

With a look of disgust, he tossed it into the man’s arms.

“At least study hard.

A person should have something going for them.”

After delivering the insult like advice, Saheon glanced at the woman indifferently.

As he turned back toward the bench, he stopped short.

People who were clearing up the scene stared at him in confusion.

He was just standing there—

Yet his ears looked like they were twitching, alert like a rabbit’s.