The Main Character Killed The Villain

#027

‘What?’

For a moment, I doubted my ears, but Shin Haejun’s gaze was unwavering. From that mouth that had only hurt me before came… what? I’m the only one in his dreams?

‘Does he mean he dreams of killing me or something?’

I stared blankly at Shin Haejun. As I kept looking at his face with my mouth open, a faint blush appeared on Shin Haejun’s cheeks. Somehow feeling exasperated, I let out a sigh.

“What do you mean?”

I asked Shin Haejun, barely holding back my desire to leave this uncomfortable situation.

Honestly, I asked because it was so absurd, but I couldn’t help but feel the implications of the sentence “You’re the only one in my dreams.” Why is he saying something he should be telling Kim Sehyun to me? This was truly a strange – if I had to say, an emergency situation.

Shin Haejun’s lips twitched briefly at my question, then he closed his mouth as if at a loss for words. Then he immediately changed the subject and started asking a different question.

“Was there anything strange during your measurement test?”

“What?”

“Isn’t something wrong?”

By measurement test, he must mean the guide rank measurement test? I don’t understand why he’s suddenly talking about measurements. Surely he doesn’t think my rank isn’t F-rank?

‘That can’t be.’

I sincerely wanted to recall any evidence or situation from the measurement test. And I wanted to answer confidently.

But… there’s a big problem with giving an answer.

I have no memory. Because I’m not Lee Jaeha…

‘This is bad.’

I absolutely didn’t want not only Hyun Dowoon but also Shin Haejun to realize that something was strange about me.

‘Why is he suddenly asking about the measurement test?’

Today’s Shin Haejun was really strange.

Come to think of it, it was strange that he suddenly requested me for Team 1. Didn’t Shin Haejun extremely dislike me? Wasn’t that why he hated even seeing me?

As I was racking my brains, a thought struck me like a revelation.

Maybe… because of the kiss and arbitrary guiding in that dungeon, he wants to keep me close to torment me? Is he trying to attempt something like workplace bullying?

I’m already uneasy about being close to Kim Sehyun!

‘Wait, am I screwed?’

I looked at Shin Haejun with disbelieving eyes.

Thanks to my inventory, I can protect my body, but what on earth is this person’s reason for wanting me?

***

Haejun woke up with a start.

‘Ah, no… hnngh…!’

Strange sounds started playing in 360-degree surround in his dream.

In his vision, he saw a pink tongue peeking out past lips, with saliva stretching like silver thread.

This was already the dozenth time he had woken up unpleasantly, feeling a tightening sensation from his lower abdomen. And by dozenth time, he meant the dozenth time in one night. Shin Haejun, uncharacteristically, was suffering from insomnia.

It all started from that problematic S-rank Red dungeon.

‘With those small hands gripping my chest firmly.’

‘With that tongue sticking out.’

‘How did he know I like sweet things, smearing only sweet things on his face.’

‘If I knew it would be like this, I shouldn’t have thrown away that yuja tea. He made it thoughtfully, why did I do that?’

During the day, he sees Lee Jaeha clutching the yuja tea and whimpering, and at night, he sees Lee Jaeha with a lewd face begging him. Now he sees images of Lee Jaeha tempting him day and night.

Something was wrong. It was all because of Lee Jaeha.

Because of Lee Jaeha, whom he thought was nothing special, his face had become gaunt and dark circles had appeared under his eyes. He was thinking about him constantly, awake or asleep.

As this happened more frequently, the first to notice something was wrong was, of course, Kim Sehyun who lived with him. They didn’t share a room, but Kim Sehyun couldn’t help but notice Shin Haejun’s mood swinging up and down repeatedly.

Unable to bear it anymore, on the morning of the second day after returning from the dungeon, Kim Sehyun clung to Shin Haejun.

“Let me guide you.”

“You said your condition wasn’t good enough for guiding.”

“That’s why… let’s try contact guiding. It might be different.”

At the mention of contact guiding, the first thing that came to mind was, of course, Lee Jaeha’s face. Lee Jaeha’s image floated over Kim Sehyun’s pleading face. Shin Haejun finally realized how serious his condition really was.

‘If I try contact guiding, I could compare.’

Maybe this was happening because all physical contact was new to him. He knew it would be good to try with Kim Sehyun to find out. But somehow, he didn’t want to. He didn’t like the thought of anyone but Lee Jaeha touching him.

Caught in this dilemma, Shin Haejun suppressed his desire to smash the floor to calm his emotions and refused Kim Sehyun. It would be terrible if he accidentally smashed the floor and caused Lee Jaeha’s ceiling to collapse and crush him to death.

‘For some reason, this is bad.’

Why should it matter if Lee Jaeha dies? But the thought that it might happen made him feel like the blood in his body was boiling and circulating rapidly.

“I won’t. Not doing contact guiding was part of our contract conditions.”

At Haejun’s words, Kim Sehyun’s large round eyes filled with tears. It happened unconsciously.

“Why! I’m your guide! Why is it okay with him but not with me!”

Kim Sehyun’s expression and voice were dripping with resentment.

“If that’s the case, why did you contract with me instead of making him your pair guide!”

At Kim Sehyun’s words, Haejun’s mind went blank. Becoming a pair with Lee Jaeha?

Lee Jaeha becoming Shin Haejun’s pair guide. Somehow, it felt like everything was falling into place.

‘If we become a pair, I can hold that body and taste it again.’

And instead of seeing him push away and retreat as if it’s all over, he could see Lee Jaeha obediently nestled in his arms. Because they’d be a pair.

“Why him of all people!”

Kim Sehyun cried loudly and tried to hit Shin Haejun’s chest. Easily dodging it, Shin Haejun tilted his head.

“Ah, right. There’s a way for him to become my guide.”

It was as if a new option that hadn’t existed before had appeared.

Shin Haejun’s face brightened. And conversely, Kim Sehyun looked at Shin Haejun with a face full of despair.

***

Leaving behind Kim Sehyun who was wailing about how this could happen, Shin Haejun rushed to the Awakened Center.

Thinking about it calmly, Lee Jaeha was Center Director Hyun Dowoon’s pair guide.

‘If Lee Jaeha was F-rank, there’s no way Hyun Dowoon would have asked to be his pair.’

Above all, Hyun Dowoon wasn’t the type to create a guide who would receive regular guiding. There must be some other factor at play.

‘No, first I need to keep him by my side, pair or not.’

That seemed to be the only way to satisfy him. Haejun went to Hyun Dowoon and persuaded him using the center’s rule that “all awakened must work regularly.”

Usually, pairs move as a set. However, in rare cases where an Esper or guide can’t be active for a long time due to injury or some other reason, their pair might be temporarily dispatched elsewhere.

Espers are more likely to go berserk if they don’t receive guiding for as long as they use their power. And because guides are always in short supply, there were Espers without pairs. If there was no reason for a guide to guide their pair Esper, the principle was to guide an Esper without a pair.

‘You’re not the type to let personal feelings interfere with public duties, right?’

Hyun Dowoon, who had said he couldn’t send his pair guide to a dungeon without him, crumbled at the accusation that he was giving preferential treatment to his own people just because he was the Center Director. In the end, they were able to reach an agreement that he would only do guiding by holding hands.

The Center Director was a person who was very attached to rules and principles. Because of this, Haejun had thought he was an old-fashioned guy, but this time it worked in his favor.

And the moment he saw Lee Jaeha under this pretext, Shin Haejun’s mind lit up like a lightbulb. It had only been two days since he’d seen him, but he suddenly realized how much he had wanted to see Lee Jaeha.

“Was there anything strange during your measurement test?”

“What?”

“Isn’t something wrong?”

No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense for Lee Jaeha to be F-rank.

The guiding he had received before, no matter how he thought about it, couldn’t have been F-rank. If it wasn’t, he thought there was no way it could have been more ecstatic than what he’d done with Kim Sehyun.

Shin Haejun looked at Lee Jaeha, who seemed to be thinking hard, wondering if it wouldn’t be better to have his rank re-measured.

“Why do you need me? You have Sehyun.”

When asked about his rank, Lee Jaeha thought for a while and said something else. He seemed certain that there was no way his rank could be wrong.

The moment Lee Jaeha said that, Shin Haejun remembered Kim Sehyun crying, “Why him of all people?” Right, why did he need Lee Jaeha specifically?

Haejun looked at Lee Jaeha’s pale face, pondering the reason anew.

“I’m saying this sincerely. Come to our team. In return, if you come, I’ll keep protecting you and make you my person.”

Although he was the one who needed Lee Jaeha, Haejun had learned throughout his life as a member of a group how to elevate himself when negotiating. Because of this, he couldn’t honestly say, “I want you to come, become my person.”

No, he was afraid that Lee Jaeha might completely see through him. Even if he had to put on airs, Shin Haejun wanted Lee Jaeha by his side.

“Is it because of my items? The ones you saw in the dungeon?”

Items? Shin Haejun only then recalled Lee Jaeha’s strange abilities.

Dozens of reasons why Lee Jaeha should be by his side came to mind, but among them, Lee Jaeha’s abilities weren’t a consideration at all.

He did think ‘It would be good if he’s not F-rank but a higher rank, then I could really make him my pair guide,’ but strangely, Lee Jaeha’s abilities weren’t considered in his desire for him.

“Come to think of it, I thought you’d ask about that right away, but you didn’t. Dowoon checked that first.”

Lee Jaeha tilted his head as if finding it strange.

Suddenly, Haejun’s gaze was drawn to the light brown hair falling gracefully. Looking at the angle of the falling hair, Shin Haejun had the strange thought that ‘this is the most perfect parabola.’

His body tingled every time those somewhat resentful, sorrowful light brown eyes met his.

‘I don’t care what your abilities are.’

More than thinking he had to form a pair, Haejun just wanted to keep Lee Jaeha by his side and call him his person.

But for Shin Haejun, who had always prioritized ability, this was a very strange thing. He had chosen Kim Sehyun because he was the S-rank guide with the highest matching rate. As soon as the matching rate test results came out, he immediately bound Kim Sehyun with a contract.

And now, Lee Jaeha had amazing abilities regardless of his guiding ability. If he had been in his right mind, he would have verified those abilities as soon as he saw them and immediately kept him close.

‘The order is different.’

Wanting to keep someone close after knowing their abilities and only noticing their abilities after wanting to keep them close were completely different things.

“Why?”

Lee Jaeha asked, genuinely puzzled.

“Yeah, why didn’t I question that?”

Haejun muttered blankly. Lee Jaeha’s eyes wavered.

The moment he saw those wavering eyes, Haejun had another realization as if he’d been hit hard on the head. Instantly, his whole body tingled, and he felt heat rising throughout his body.

A sensation he thought had nothing to do with him. But by this point, he couldn’t help but understand.

The reason he had been constantly dreaming about him and wanting to keep him close was purely because of this feeling.

Shin Haejun said with a flushed expression:

“I think I like you. Let’s date.”