DPGR 61

The next day, well past noon—

A round lump under the blankets stirred.

It was Jiho, shifting for the first time after sleeping like a log for hours.

“Nngh…”

Maybe it was from all the crying he’d done in the middle of the night.

Unlike his slowly waking mind, his eyelids—puffy and swollen—just quivered without opening.

As he whined softly and rubbed his face into the pillow—

“Guide Jiho.”

“……?”

Jiho flinched and lifted his head.

With great effort, he pried open his heavy lids—only to see Dojin’s face filling his vision, lying beside him and looking straight at him.

And beyond that, the vaguely familiar yet unfamiliar view of the bedroom.

‘What the…? Why am I here…?’

He was sure he hadn’t fallen asleep in Dojin’s room. Had Dojin carried him here?

A question mark practically hovered above Jiho’s head.

Maybe it was the way his face had gotten extra round and puffy, but Dojin chuckled softly and kissed his squishy cheek.

“Did you sleep well?”

“……”

“Guide Jiho?”

“……?”

Jiho didn’t answer, just tilted his head, looking sincerely puzzled—wondering if this was still a dream.

And honestly, he had a point.

Wasn’t Dojin usually an early riser? He should’ve been out of bed long ago.

To find him still lying there, next to Jiho, was odd.

‘And he kissed me first thing…?!’

Is this a dream? Or did he eat something weird?

Now that he thought about it, Dojin had clung to him at some point during the night, waking him up.

He vaguely remembered swatting at Dojin’s shoulder in irritation—then hurting his hand from hitting too hard.

“Guide Jiho.”

Still blinking blankly, Jiho didn’t react until Dojin flicked his fingers right in front of his nose, snapping him out of it.

Startled, Jiho’s eyes went wide, and Dojin laughed quietly, kissing the corners of those wide eyes.

“Nnngh…”

“Why so dazed? Still not fully awake?”

“Nnngh…”

“Then shall we get up now?”

Dojin asked, his eyes curving into little crescent moons. For some reason, that gaze made Jiho feel… fluttery.

‘Seriously… what’s up with him?’

It felt like someone had tossed a pebble into a perfectly still lake.

His heart rippled.

His cheeks and ears were warming fast.

Jiho eyed the suddenly affectionate Dojin warily.

Then came to a conclusion.

…Is this because of the guiding?

Unlike him, who’d slept soundly, Dojin had dark shadows under his eyes.

He looked like someone who hadn’t slept at all.

But then again, his skin was strangely radiant, and his complexion looked great.

And that constant grin, the sparkle in his eyes—

He looked way too pleased. It had to be from the guiding last night.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

—Not really.

“Yes. You’re hungry. Let’s head to the living room.”

“……??”

Dojin, ignoring Jiho’s actual answer, lifted him up before he could even protest.

Jiho groaned and tried to push his shoulder, insisting he could walk, but Dojin refused to put him down.

“You’ll get hurt if you fall.”

“Nngh!”

“Yes, yes. Just a moment. I’ll set you down on the sofa. Is there anything you feel like eating? Should we go out for the first time in a while? You only had rice soup yesterday, so how about some meat today? Beef, maybe? Or seafood? Actually, let’s just get everything!”

Dojin rattled on like a man obsessed with feeding Jiho something delicious.

Was this also a guiding thing?

‘I’ve heard some espers get hypomania from guiding!’

At this point, Jiho was starting to worry that something really was off with Dojin—like some side effect.

He shoved at the clingy Dojin and grabbed his wrist, tugging it closer to check his watch.

“Hm? What is it?”

—Your guiding score.

“Oh. Want me to show you?”

Nod, nod.

Dojin, who’d been listing menu options nonstop until now, obediently tapped his watch and pulled up the numbers.

93%.

It was the highest guiding score he’d ever hit since becoming an esper.

Even to Jiho, who was experienced with guiding, it looked practically complete—near perfect.

O-oh no.

But while Dojin smiled in satisfaction, Jiho’s expression turned anxious.

It’s over 90%… He really is having a side effect!

Unaware of what Jiho was thinking, Dojin leaned in and planted a firm kiss on his cheek again, beaming with affection.

Same bed, different dreams.

***

For a while, Dojin focused solely on showering Jiho with affection.

At first, Jiho had tensed up, flinching at every touch. But like clothes slowly soaking through in a drizzle, he gradually began to adjust to Dojin’s constant displays of affection.

From time to time, he still glanced at Dojin with worry in his eyes or cautiously brought up the idea of seeing a doctor—

He’s probably just saying that because he feels awkward.

Dojin, unaware that Jiho was genuinely concerned about his condition, simply let out a soft chuckle.

But that bright smile didn’t last long.

Because over Jiho’s clear, concerned face, the images from his dream kept overlapping.

That dark guiding room.

The trashed space that looked like a dump, with cup noodle containers covering every surface.

And Jiho, emaciated and fading away in the middle of it all.

Dojin couldn’t get that image out of his mind.

He was starved for affection.

Yet even then, Jiho hadn’t reached out to take the hand offered to him.

Years of abuse had shriveled that child up inside.

Still… he’s so much better now.

The people around him, the situation—it was all so much more stable than before.

Dojin dared to hope that maybe he could help fix the parts of Jiho that had been broken.

He’s still a little awkward about it… but if I keep it up, Guide Jiho will get used to it eventually.

That’s why Dojin had increased their physical intimacy.

He wanted this Jiho—unlike the one in his dream who had been starved for affection—to be surrounded by warmth and joy, smiling from the overflow.

And there was one more thing.

Seeing how past Jiho had tried to fill his loneliness through guiding alone, Dojin had something he wanted to make clear.

That even without guiding, he’s still precious and important. Guide Jiho just hasn’t realized it yet.

To help Jiho see that, Dojin deliberately refrained from receiving guiding whenever he showed affection.

He made a clear distinction between guiding and emotional expression.

But just because he was gentle and doting didn’t mean Dojin went easy on him.

“Your posture’s off. Start again.”

“Nnngh…”

“Nope. That look won’t work. Let’s go for thirty more minutes. No—twenty.”

At that, Jiho shot him a wide-eyed glare.

Even so, he sighed in resignation and resumed his shooting stance.

His fingers, already worn out, trembled as he aimed. Dojin lightly tapped his arm.

“Again.”

“……”

“Eyes front. Focus.”

Lately, Dojin had been on high alert about the “A-Class Extra-Large Dungeon” he’d seen in his dream.

No telling when it might open, so I need to be prepared this time.

Not just any dungeon—an A-Class, extra-large one.

If it happened today, Jiho would absolutely insist on going in with him.

‘And this time, I have no reason to leave him behind.’

It wasn’t like that unexpected dungeon in Incheon.

This one was going to be assigned to Alpha Team.

If an official mission was issued and Jiho volunteered, even Dojin wouldn’t be able to object.

So if he had no choice but to bring Jiho in, then apart from protecting him, he also had to make sure Jiho could protect himself.

Bang—Bang—Bang!

“Stop.”

Dojin narrowed his eyes, staring at the distant target.

Three shots fired, but only one mark on the board.

And even that missed the one-point zone.

He glanced at Jiho. It was too far for Jiho to see the score himself, but he already looked dejected, as if he knew.

“…Hmph.”

His slumped shoulders looked especially small today.

Damn…

Dojin wanted to call it off right there.

But he swallowed the urge and steadied himself.

“You hit one.”

“……”

“Let’s keep going until all three land. A bit more practice, and you’ll get it.”

“……”

Jiho gave him another wide-eyed glare.

‘Liar! You said we’d only go twenty more minutes!’

Dojin pretended not to notice, nodding firmly instead.

“Come on. Back in position.”

“……”

“Now.”

Because Dojin always turned strict at the shooting range, Jiho ended up sulking by the end of the session again.

Bang—Bang—Bang!

The lights in the shooting range stayed on for a long time that day.