DPGR 41

Dojin flinched in surprise when he saw Jiho sitting on the couch.

“You must be tired. Why aren’t you in bed…?”

He trailed off, the unspoken question clear: Why are you waiting here?

Jiho shook his head. Instead of answering, he opened the notebook he had written in earlier and held it up to Dojin’s face.

[Let’s do guiding.]

Dojin let out an awkward chuckle. Jiho had done something similar once before—and back then, he’d been so caught off guard he hadn’t known how to respond properly.

“I’m okay tonight.”

His voice was firm as he turned him down.

Jiho narrowed his eyes and flipped to the next page of the notebook.

[No. We have to guide today.]

The message was clearly prepared in advance, as if Jiho had anticipated his refusal.

Dojin raised his eyebrows in surprise but didn’t back down. He shook his head again.

“No, really. I’m fine.”

Then, as if to cut off further argument, he lifted his wrist and showed Jiho the numbers on his watch.

Aside from a bit of light training, he hadn’t used his ability much lately, and his guiding level was still at 43%.

Low, sure—but not below the recommended threshold for mandatory guiding.

“This should last me a few more days just fine.”

“…….”

“You don’t have to do it until it drops below 40%. You’re tired too, aren’t you? Let’s just go to bed.”

There wasn’t a single flaw in Dojin’s logic. Judging by his face, he didn’t plan to cave like he had before, either.

Jiho tried a few more times to persuade him, but Dojin gently—yet firmly—refused each time with the same unshakable tone.

“Next time, okay? I really am fine tonight. Let’s save it for another day.”

“…….”

In the end, Jiho had no choice but to give in this time.

He sulked, quietly nursing his disappointment while mentally marking this as a temporary setback.

But the opportunity came sooner than expected.

Just a few hours later, in the depths of early dawn—

It was late—dawn’s dim light still hadn’t crept in. Jiho’s eyelids trembled gently as he stirred from his sleep.

“Nnngh…”

His brows furrowed briefly before his eyes fluttered open.

Jiho usually slept like a rock—once he was out, it was nearly impossible to wake him. But this time, for no particular reason, he found himself awake.

He didn’t need the bathroom. He wasn’t thirsty.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Jiho stared up at the shadowed ceiling.

Yaaaawn—

He let out a long yawn, then rolled over to try and go back to sleep—

—but just as he turned to his side, Dojin’s arm suddenly stretched across him.

That thick, solid arm wrapped around Jiho’s waist and pulled him close.

Before he could react, Jiho found himself tucked into Dojin’s chest, his back fully pressed against him.

What the…?

Jiho blinked in shock, only to feel Dojin’s other arm snake beneath his pillow and settle under his head.

“……?”

Still confused, Jiho lay frozen as Dojin, still half-asleep, nestled him into a proper cuddle.

“Shhh…”

Eyes barely open, Dojin gently patted Jiho’s stomach, as if trying to lull him back to sleep.

What’s going on?

It was all so natural—like he’d done it a dozen times before.

Startled, Jiho darted his eyes around but didn’t try to pull away. Instead, the embrace oddly soothed him, and he gradually adjusted into a more comfortable position.

As soon as he did, Dojin’s arms tightened slightly, drawing him closer still.

Their bodies were pressed together, Jiho’s back molded to Dojin’s firm chest. Feeling the heat and solid weight behind him, Jiho swallowed dryly and held his breath.

He didn’t want to wake Dojin.

As he lay there, Jiho could hear Dojin’s soft, even breaths by his ear.

And if he focused… he could almost feel the beat of his heart against his back.

That rhythm filled his senses, lulling him toward sleep—

Until a sudden thought jolted him awake.

Guiding!

Dojin was fast asleep, and Jiho was now wide awake.

Wouldn’t it be better to spend this time doing something productive?

And of course, the only “productive” thing Jiho could think of was guiding.

If I guide him while he’s asleep, wouldn’t that be perfect?

He pictured Dojin waking up the next morning and seeing his guiding level filled to 100%.

He’d smile, thank Jiho, maybe even ruffle his hair and call him amazing.

This is perfect. It’s the best time to guide.

Fully convinced, Jiho quietly reached out his hand.

He gently took hold of Dojin’s arm where it lay beneath his head.

At the contact, Dojin stirred slightly, reflexively lacing their fingers together.

Jiho intertwined their hands and held on tight, closing his eyes to focus.

Haa—

Jiho took a deep breath, reaching inward to awaken the guiding energy sleeping deep in his core.

Following Sena’s advice to “push it hard,” he gathered the energy to a nearly overbearing degree and funneled it straight into Dojin’s body.

“……!”

The energy poured from his fingertips, spreading through the skin-on-skin contact.

Dojin’s body twitched, then gradually began to heat up. Jiho could feel the steady rhythm of his heart picking up behind him.

Huh?

That’s when Jiho felt something press against his backside. Confused, he shifted away from it, trying to regain focus.

Whatever it was, it was making it difficult to concentrate.

But even as he moved, the strange thing pressing into him only seemed to grow.

Eventually, Jiho found himself unable to keep his attention on the guiding. Frustrated, he reached behind himself, intending to just grab it and move it away.

The moment his hand made contact—

Whoosh—!

“Huh…?”

His wrist was suddenly yanked upward. His vision spun.

In an instant, Dojin had flipped him over, straddling him and pinning both wrists above his head.

Bracing himself so he wouldn’t crush Jiho, Dojin leaned over and, even in the dark, checked his face. A strained groan slipped from his throat.

“Guide Jiho…”

He was panting, like he’d just finished a sprint.

The abrupt shift in situation broke Jiho’s focus, and the guiding stopped.

Staring wide-eyed up at him, Jiho couldn’t say anything.

It took Dojin a second to come back to his senses—when he did, he quickly rolled off and let go.

“Sorry. But… what were you doing just now…?”

I was guiding.

Jiho mouthed the words like he usually did, but quickly realized it was too dark for Dojin to read his lips.

Frowning, he reached toward the nightstand, intending to switch on the lamp—

—but Dojin grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“Wait. Just… give me a second.”

“……?”

“Please, just… don’t turn the light on yet.”

He added the request softly, then hurried out of the bedroom.

Jiho watched him go, eyes wide in confusion.

What was that? Where’s he going?

He had a dozen questions, but Dojin had already disappeared into the living room.

It took a little while before he came back.

Click—

The bedroom light turned on the moment he stepped inside. Jiho winced at the brightness and squinted, but Dojin quickly apologized and came over to the bed.

He smelled faintly of soap.

Did he… wash up in the middle of the night?

Jiho tilted his head, puzzled.

Dojin looked down at him with a serious expression.

“Did you really guide me while I was asleep?”

Jiho nodded.

“…Haa.”

With a heavy sigh, Dojin ran a hand down his face, like a parent dealing with a misbehaving puppy.

The reaction was nothing like what Jiho had imagined. He drooped, disappointed.

“I told you—I didn’t need guiding.”

“…….”

That sentence felt less like a comment on his condition… and more like a rejection of Jiho’s very presence.

Jiho’s lips turned downward.

Normally, Dojin would’ve picked up on that and quickly reassured him. But this time, his thoughts seemed elsewhere.

Then he spoke again.

“It’s late, but I think it’s time we set up a bedroom for you.”

Jiho’s head snapped up.

His bedroom?

That meant… sleeping apart.

—Why? I don’t need my own room.

Jiho mouthed the words in a rush, but Dojin shook his head firmly.

“There’s no need to keep sharing a room now that your fevers have stopped. It’s better this way.”

Jiho had been getting better. With a regular routine, balanced meals, and consistent exercise, his health had improved a lot.

As long as he didn’t push himself too hard during the day, he no longer overheated or collapsed at night.

He still had the occasional nightmare, but otherwise, he slept well.

By all accounts, he didn’t need Dojin’s care anymore.

“This should’ve happened sooner. You’re twenty now.”

“…….”

“I’ll set up the guest room as your room. We can look at furniture after work tomorrow.”

Jiho stared at him with his lower lip pushed out in a sulky pout, still not understanding what this was all about. He didn’t respond.

It was his own quiet protest.

“It’s for your own good.”

But even in the face of Jiho’s rebellion, Dojin just kept saying things that didn’t make sense.

And he didn’t seem inclined to explain further.

“It’s late. Lie down.”

He gently guided Jiho back onto the bed and turned off the lights.

But instead of lying down himself, he brought over a stool and sat at Jiho’s bedside.

Jiho lay still, watching him with a confused expression as Dojin lightly patted his chest to help him sleep.