DPGR 34

A look of betrayal washed over Jiho’s face. Dojin waved his hands, flustered.

“No, really—it’s fine. We can do the guiding tomorrow.”

“……”

“I mean it… I’m really okay…”

Jiho ignored his muttering. Instead, he quickly scribbled something down in his notebook.

[I’m not stupid. I already learned what safe guiding levels are.]

“……”

Faced with Jiho’s firm statement, Dojin shut his mouth. He realized there was no getting around it with lies anymore.

Jiho tugged on his sleeve—a silent, insistent plea to begin guiding right now.

His touch was gentle and cautious, but his gaze as he glared up at Dojin was sharp.

It was the look of someone who meant business. One more refusal, and Jiho really would scold him somehow.

Dojin had no idea how he’d be scolded—but the threat was there.

“Ahem…”

It was… cute. No, terrifying. Dojin barely suppressed the laugh that tried to escape at the wrong moment.

Even as he tried to keep a straight face, his mind was racing to figure out why Jiho had suddenly become so fixated on guiding.

Surely it had something to do with whatever conversation he’d had with Jiheon that evening—whatever it was he hadn’t been around to hear.

What did they even talk about…

He knew Jiheon wasn’t the type to say anything strange to Jiho, but when it came to Jiho, Dojin couldn’t help but get on edge.

He’d already realized he was becoming unusually sensitive about things—but even so, he couldn’t seem to calm the emotions swinging wildly inside him.

‘No matter what my teacher said, I should’ve stayed and listened.’

What on earth had they discussed?

Jiho looked now just like he had back when Dojin had rescued him from that illegal facility—clinging to him with desperate insistence, determined to guide.

It made Dojin suspect Jiheon had told him something about guiding after all.

“Did my teacher… say something to you?”

Dojin locked eyes with Jiho and asked. Jiho frowned, like he couldn’t understand why that topic had suddenly come up here.

And at times like this, Dojin couldn’t help but feel frustrated that Jiho couldn’t speak.

Even if he could, it’s not like Dojin could hear every detail of his day anyway. But still—

[Stop changing the subject. I’m not letting this go today.]

Jiho, uncharacteristically assertive, stared him down. For someone with such an adorable face, he sure knew how to deliver sharp words.

Dojin didn’t know whether to be proud of this sign of Jiho growing up—or miserable about the current predicament.

In the end, their silent standoff dragged on—until it became clear who had won.

Naturally, Jiho was the winner. Dojin, the loser.

“…Alright.”

How could he possibly refuse when his Pair Guide insisted on guiding? This was a fight he was doomed to lose from the start.

[Let’s go, then. Time to guide.]

Jiho held up another scribbled message, still in that slightly crooked handwriting of his.

Guiding. Right. Time to guide.

‘Wait, but… where are we going?’

When Dojin lifted a brow in question, Jiho pointed with one finger—like, how could you not know?—toward one particular door.

The door to the bedroom.

“…Ah.”

It finally hit Dojin that “guiding” had implications beyond just sitting around.

He quickly reached out toward Jiho in alarm.

“We’re only doing hand guiding.”

“…?”

“Remember? From the start, we agreed our Pair contract would be limited to holding hands.”

“…?”

The eyes looking up at him were wide and pure. Almost as if to say, Why?

At the time, he’d been so focused on finalizing the Pair contract that he hadn’t thought much of it.

But now, thinking about it again—it was kind of strange.

Why was he so insistent on only hand guiding?

Just one hug. One kiss. Even sex. Any of those would result in far more efficient guiding.

That thought must have been written all over his face.

Dojin hesitated, struggling to come up with a proper explanation, until finally settling on one.

“We have a high matching rate, don’t we? And you’re an S-rank Guide.”

Jiho nodded seriously.

“So, I believe holding hands should be more than enough.”

…Is it, though? Jiho tilted his head, uncertain.

Still, it looked like Dojin’s half-baked logic had partially convinced him. Dojin seized the opportunity to push his suggestion further.

“We’ll start by holding hands. If that’s not enough… then we can try a hug.”

Of course, if that’s not enough would be entirely up to him to decide.

Still, Jiho was an S-rank Guide with a 99.99% matching rate.

At the very least, holding hands for an hour or two should do the trick.

Dojin considered hand-holding to be casual contact. Light. Innocent.

He had no idea just how wrong he was.

But because Dojin had adamantly insisted that that was absolutely not happening, the guiding session ended up taking place on the living room sofa instead.

“Let’s start by holding hands, then.”

Sitting side by side, Dojin turned his upper body toward Jiho and held out his hand. Jiho tilted his head at the surprisingly compliant gesture, then followed suit and extended his hand.

Their hands met.

They were used to holding hands from time to time, but now that they were doing it for guiding, the atmosphere felt awkward beyond belief.

Jiho snuck a glance at Dojin’s face, then fidgeted his fingers before interlocking them tightly with Dojin’s.

Dojin flinched slightly at the touch but didn’t pull away or say anything.

And like that, the guiding began—through hands clasped tightly, no gaps between them.

I need to guide as much as I can, as quickly as I can.

Jiho recalled Dojin’s earlier words and assumed there were certain expectations being placed on him.

A 99.99% matching rate. And an S-rank Guide.

So when Dojin had said that holding hands alone would be enough, the comment had settled on Jiho’s shoulders as pressure.

He wanted to meet those expectations.

So, falling back into old habits from before the regression, Jiho began drawing up the invisible energy that circulated through his core and sent it pouring into Dojin.

“..…!”

A low groan suddenly came from Dojin’s mouth. Jiho had closed his eyes to focus, but at the sound, he opened them.

Dojin’s jaw was clenched so tightly the muscles stood out, his entire face flushed deep red as he squirmed uncomfortably.

“…?”

“W-Wait, wait—just a moment.”

The guiding came to an abrupt halt. Jiho, unsure of what had gone wrong, stared at Dojin in mild panic.

Dojin released his hand and took several deep breaths. Once he’d calmed down a little, he explained what had happened.

“The guiding energy came in way too strong.”

Jiho thought that sounded like a good thing—but nodded obediently anyway.

His expression clearly said I don’t get it at all, so Dojin went on to clarify.

“Do you remember the matching rate test we did?”

Nod, nod.

“Back then too, the guiding came in a bit too strong. The thing is… when guiding energy is too intense, Espers’ bodies tend to react… uh, sensitively. Ahem.”

Jiho still didn’t really get it. But he figured it was something like a… side effect from overly strong guiding.

Now that he thought about it, even during the matching rate test, he had consciously toned down the energy.

The Espers he’d guided before the regression had always loved it when he pushed hard—so this was all a little strange to him.

“This time, let’s start very gently. Bare minimum output.”

Dojin held out his hand again. Jiho took it without hesitation.

He spread his fingers wide and laced them with Dojin’s large hand—and Dojin visibly tensed, inhaling sharply.

They hadn’t even started guiding yet, but the fear on Dojin’s face was obvious.

Jiho began to worry. What if his guiding energy actually hurt this man?

Is that why… before regression, he only ever asked for hand guiding?

There was no way to know now.

“…It’s alright. Go ahead.”

While Jiho hesitated, Dojin finished bracing himself and gave the word.

Jiho nodded slightly, then closed his eyes again and began channeling the guiding energy.

Ssshh—

The energy swirling in his core slipped out smoothly, like obedient children following a teacher.

Jiho felt Dojin’s hand stiffen again and immediately reduced the output.

“Haa…”

Dojin let out a heavy breath. Jiho lowered it more.

Twitch—

Dojin’s fingertips trembled. Jiho decreased it even further.

And so, the process of constant guiding adjustment began. Jiho had never been taught how to fine-tune output like this, so it took all of his focus.

If he relaxed even a little, the energy would surge too strongly—he couldn’t let his guard down for a second.

Before long, sweat had gathered on Jiho’s forehead. His eyelids quivered faintly, and even the hand he held Dojin’s with had begun to sweat.

How much time had passed like that?

“…I think that’s enough for now.”

The voice that broke the silence was Dojin’s.

Jiho cautiously opened his eyes.

In front of him was Dojin, face slightly flushed, watching Jiho with visible concern.