The only one who ever reached out to him had died—... more>>

Even though Jiho had used up all his guiding energy for him.

‘If I’d stayed by his side from the start, maybe things would’ve turned out differently…’

Drowning in regret and self-loathing, Jiho collapsed.

When he finally came to, he found himself standing in the middle of the hallway of the illegal guiding facility where he had been confined until three years ago.

“Wh-what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

And at the end of the hallway—he was there.

Baek Dojin, wearing the same tight-fitting combat uniform as he had that day three years ago.

‘Baek Dojin died. I must be dreaming.’

Maybe this was the last time he would ever see Baek Dojin in a dream.

So Jiho clung to him desperately.

The warmth of the hand patting his shoulder was so comforting that Jiho wished he’d never wake up from the dream.

“Mm… huh…?”

But something felt off.

“I won’t do anything you don’t like. So don’t be afraid.”

Why… why wasn’t he waking up from the dream? <<less

Georg Hackenschmidt, a former soldier who once lived a wild life, is a man who easily gives his body but guards his heart closely. While on vacation in Marrakech, he meets Rose, a man whose face perfectly matches his ideal type. The problem? Only his face fit the bill.... more>>

“Truly a beautiful creature… but I just can’t do it.”

Despite his strong heteros*xual leanings, Georg gives up on s*x after seeing Rose’s naked body. The thought of embracing a man with something larger than his own was too much. The one-night stand, attempted with half-hearted enthusiasm, ends in failure.

Yet, for some reason, Rose keeps contacting him…

[I left Marrakech yesterday. Sorry for not letting you know earlier. Been swamped with work.]

With that message, Georg assumes he’ll never see Rose again and blocks him.

Or so he thought.

“Didn’t you say you left Marrakech?”

“As you can see, I’m still here.”

“Shameless, aren’t you?”

By chance, Georg crosses paths with Rose again. The complication? Georg’s new date, Pamela, happens to be Rose’s acquaintance. In the midst of this tangled love triangle, Rose makes an unexpected proposal.

“How about the three of us?”

Intrigued, Georg entertains the bold suggestion, unaware of what’s to come.

“Did you think I’d say no?”

“…”

“I’m into that kind of thing.” <<less

I possessed the villain, who is torn limb from limb by the protagonist in a fit of inferiority complex.... more>>

This was a consequence of killing his brother, so I did my best to keep him alive.

It was a bonus to get out of the job safely.

But how did it happen?

“Kulk, kulk…!”

“Mr Han, I’ll take care of everything.”

The protagonist has completely turned around. He couldn’t let go of me, his lifelong benefactor.

“I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

No, I’m fine, so please let me leave. <<less

The Emperor of the Arhen Empire, Marsilia. ... more>>

He was a flawless and ideal ruler—except for one thing.

For ten years, he had been unable to find his fated bond, the one destined to share his soul.

Then, a shocking report arrived from Aricto Prison, a facility that held the empire’s most dangerous criminals. Among them, a brutal mu*derer who had mercilessly slaughtered an entire noble family… was discovered to be the Emperor’s soulmate.

Marsilia abandoned all other affairs and rushed to see this person.

But the one he had finally found seemed utterly broken—his mind fractured beyond repair.

Worse yet, he rejected their bond and wished only for death.

Why does this fated connection, a blessing to others, feel like a curse to me alone?

Meanwhile, Yu Jaha, the Emperor’s newfound partner, wants nothing more than to die.

For reasons unknown, he had committed mu*der, and with no will left to live, he had resigned himself to death.

But because the Emperor’s soul mark was found within him was, he was forcibly kept alive—something he resented with every breath.

Yet, somewhere along the way, he realized something.

He could no longer tell if he wanted to live or die.

And the person clouding that decision the most… was none other than Marsilia.

—

“Are you crying?”

His large, warm hand cupped Jaha’s cheek. Instinctively, Jaha leaned into that comforting heat.

Strangely, he didn’t hate it. In fact, it almost felt like… solace.

The man, who likely understood nothing, slowly stroked his cheek.

His long, calloused thumb moved gently, tracing soft circles against Jaha’s skin.

A quiet laugh escaped Jaha’s lips. He frowned, yet he smiled.

It felt ridiculous—how familiar this man’s touch seemed, how oddly funny it was to see him hesitantly examine his face, as if puzzled by Jaha’s reaction.

Jaha admitted it then.

This man, for all his dignity, was kind in his own way.

Maybe it was only because they were bound by fate.

Maybe this warmth was nothing more than obligation.

But right now, to Jaha, it felt like a comfort he desperately needed.

“I want to die.”

Jaha lowered his head and mouthed the words, knowing they would never reach the other man.

Then, he slowly lifted his gaze and stared at him.

Even if he found a moment of solace, the emptiness inside him was still too vast.

The wounds festering in his heart had not healed—they only continued to rot, slowly consuming him.

“But for just a fleeting moment… I think I might want to live.”

Jaha couldn’t understand himself.

One moment, he was drowning in despair, desperate to end it all.

Yet, in rare instances, when something—someone—eased that ache, he hesitated.

He kept that turmoil locked deep inside him, suffocating under the weight of uncertainty.

“What should I do?” <<less

An A-class Esper, Renault had been living a quiet life, avoiding unnecessary attention—until the arrival of Raven, an S-class Guide. Raven, who had never recorded a matching rate above 10% with any Esper, astonishingly demonstrated a 98.7% match with Renault, becoming his dedicated Guide.... more>>

Though Renault found Raven difficult to deal with, he set out on a routine B-class monster subjugation mission, only to face an unforeseen crisis that left him gravely injured. As Renault was on verge of going berserk, Raven whispered something strange. It was then that Renault finally realized—the boy he had once saved in the past was none other than Raven, and he was far from ordinary.

***

"You really don’t remember a thing, do you?"

Raven murmured, his voice laced with curiosity. For a brief moment, Renault’s pale face went utterly blank.

"...What do you mean?"

His voice trembled slightly as he asked. It felt as if Raven had seen right through the unshakable sense of déjà vu, the creeping unease Renault himself couldn’t quite place. As if he had just heard something he wasn’t supposed to.

"See? I remember everything about you—every last detail—but you? You forgot it all. Ah, how unfair."

"What are you talking about…? Forgot?"

"I'm starting to feel a little hurt, you know? What should I do about that?"

The way he grinned while claiming to be upset made it impossible to understand him.

He forgot about this brat? That’s impossible. There was no way he wouldn’t remember someone with such a striking appearance, those jewel-like eyes impossible to forget.

So why was this brat acting so sure? And why did Renault feel this inexplicable sense of discomfort?

"Oh well. Guess I have no choice but to remind you—piece by piece, until you remember everything."

.

"Cry for me—just like back then. I'll swallow it all whole." <<less

Sean, a famously handsome guy rumored to be a player, has actually never seriously dated anyone. Contrary to public perception, his attention has always been fixed on one person—his childhood friend, Lane Surf. Though they managed to attend the same university, they were in different departments and didn’t get to see each other often.... more>>

So when Sean finally met up with Lane over the weekend, he was caught completely off guard by what Lane said.

“I’m interested in someone. I’d appreciate it if you could help me out.”

Lane said he planned to bring someone named Dion to the party Sean invited him to. Sean was stunned by this sudden confession—especially coming from Lane, who’d always loved beetles a hundred times more than people. But that wasn’t the end of the heavy news.

“You’re not gay, but the person I might start dating could feel uncomfortable with how close we are. I just wanted you to know that.”

Lane, drawing a line and saying they couldn’t go back to how things were.

Lane, explaining that Dion—who seemed to be the polar opposite of Sean—was quiet, reserved, and not the type to socialize much. Someone who, by the sound of it, had never even dated before.

And for reasons he couldn’t fully understand, Sean felt a deep sense of melancholy.

⸻

“So you’re really an adult now, huh? Alright then, while we eat, tell me more about this Dion person. If he’s going to be the first person my best friend ever dates, I should at least know who he is.”

Lane, who had been silently listening, slipped out from under Sean’s arm. Brushing off the casual arm-over-the-shoulder gesture, Lane replied in a reluctant tone:

“I don’t think there’s any reason to explain it to you. It’s my private life.”

It was a very Lane-like response. If it had been Sean in his shoes, he’d probably be bragging and excitedly introducing the person to everyone. But Lane wasn’t like that. Still, even though it was a reasonable answer, Sean felt a strange sense of distance.

For nearly their whole lives, they had never created this kind of separation between them. But now, it felt like something was splitting them in two. There were moments of Lane’s life Sean would no longer be able to access—not just as a best friend.

“I just wanted to mark the occasion, that’s all. I mean, this could be your first relationship.”

“Pretty sure you never told me about your first girlfriend either.”

The reply came flatly. Sean opened his mouth to respond, then shut it again. The retort rose to his throat, then sank right back down.

Well… contrary to what everyone thinks, I’ve never dated anyone either. <<less

After dying at the age of 30, I was reincarnated as the childhood friend of the male lead in a romance-fantasy novel.... more>>

The catch? That friend is a background character doomed to die young at 18 due to illness.

In the novel, the male lead develops trauma after the death of his childhood friend and goes on to reject the frail female lead—only to eventually fall in love with her and live happily ever after.

But why, out of all people, did I have to be that childhood friend?

Dying early was tragic enough, but leaving someone with lifelong trauma? That was something I definitely wanted to avoid.

I had no choice. Since things turned out this way, I’d have to make full use of the reincarnator’s virtue.

Plan A: Don’t get close to the male lead.

“Young master, if you become friends with me, you’ll definitely regret it.”

“I’ll never regret it.”

“…You just dropped the honorifics.”

“Friends are supposed to speak casually.”

My timid attempt evolved into a bold stance, but my stubbornness ended in utter failure.

Plan B: Run away before I die, so he doesn’t suffer a shock.

I did run away, but—

“Shit. Why am I not dying…?”

Something was definitely going wrong. <<less

The Leopold Team, composed of A-rank Espers from Sector 4, was led by Baek Eu-jin, an 11-year veteran healer-type Esper.... more>>

That is until an accident involving his team’s Guide changed everything.

An unprecedented event occurred: both an A-rank Esper and an A-rank Guide lost their abilities. The shocking incident sent Sector 4 into chaos, but Baek Eu-jin secretly celebrated, looking forward to a peaceful retirement.

But then…

“Choi Ran’s ability came back! And it’s a healing power! The same type as yours, Captain!”

Baek Eu-jin, who had been dreaming of a carefree, unemployed life, suddenly finds himself reawakening—not as an Esper, but as a Guide. To make things stranger, his and the Guide’s abilities seem to have switched.

Although disheartened at first, Eu-jin quickly adjusts to the comforts of a desk job as a Guide—one far easier than his days as an Esper.

He might have even been able to enjoy this peaceful office life, if not for Kwon Su-ho.

* * *

“Do you really like desk jobs that much?”

“Between the steady paycheck, safe work environment, and fixed hours, I’d say there’s no comparison.”

“… Fair enough.”

The man, surprisingly, agreed without much resistance. His quick acceptance made Eu-jin uneasy, and that unease was validated when Kwon Su-ho added something unexpected.

“In that case, I just need to make your job harder.”

“What?”

Rising from his seat, Su-ho tousled his hair messily, pressing his knuckles hard against his lips. His flesh turned red and swelled slightly under the pressure.

Satisfied, Su-ho ran his thumb over his reddened lips, then tugged at the black turtleneck he wore, as if regretting his choice of attire.

“I shouldn’t have worn this. If I’d gone with a shirt, I could’ve ripped a few buttons off.”

“What are you doing?”

“Getting ready to make things difficult for you, Baek Eu-jin.”

Su-ho’s deliberately disheveled appearance gave off the impression of a man who had just been through a heated make-out session.

With clear intent, he took long strides toward the Guiding Room door, leaving Eu-jin no time to stop him.

“Wait, no! Stop!”

Despite Eu-jin’s desperate plea, the doorknob turned, and the door swung open. The noise from outside flooded in as Su-ho stepped out and looked back at Eu-jin with a sly smile.

“I really enjoyed today, Guide.”

With an unmistakably suggestive glance, Su-ho shut the door behind him.

The Guiding Room fell silent once more. Eu-jin, stunned, muttered under his breath.

“That crazy bastard.”

Just as Eu-jin feared, the rumor spread like wildfire. <<less

Lee Su-hyeon is judged to be a Dual Awakened, even rarer than S-class Awakened, possessing both Esper and Guide abilities. However, due to his low rank, he's quickly overlooked by the public. Living quietly like a background extra, one day an unimaginable, dream-like opportunity comes his way. His guiding compatibility rate with Song Ji-hyeok, a newly recruited S-class Esper at the guild, turns out to be over 80 percent.... more>>

But life isn't so simple. Song Ji-hyeok openly ignores Su-hyeon due to his low rank...

"Let me say this again, I have absolutely no intention of pairing up with you. So stop wasting your energy like this."

His expression was emotionless and calm. If he had sneered or acted arrogant, it might have sparked some defiance, but his matter-of-fact delivery made the impact even greater.

After maintaining silence for a moment, Su-hyeon barely moved his lips.

"But you heard what Manager Park said. The higher the matching rate, the more efficient the guiding..."

"I said I don't want to."

The sharp interjection made Su-hyeon's mouth shut automatically. Song Ji-hyeok let out a sigh and stared directly into his eyes again.

"You look like you don't understand, so I'll be frank. To me, a guide partner's rank is far more important than matching rate. Honestly, how dare a C-rank try to match with an S-rank? Have some self-awareness."

"......"

"I'll fulfill the period the manager mentioned, but that's it. Persuasion won't work, so you should give up."

It was perfect defense. He had somewhat expected this, but if the rejection was truly because of rank, there was nothing he could do about it.

'...Nothing. There's nothing.'

But still! He couldn't just quietly let go of this opportunity that had come his way. Throwing away unnecessary discouragements, he looked at Song Ji-hyeok with eyes full of determination.

"Since I'm your junior by both experience and age, I'll speak casually. While I can't change my innate rank, I'll do my absolute best. I'll make sure you won't be satisfied with anyone's guiding but mine, so be prepared."

Despite the bold declaration of war, the guy wasn't intimidated. Instead, he just sneered as if Su-hyeon wasn't even worth dealing with. <<less

Jungon, amidst a heated argument with his cheating spouse, suddenly experiences waves of memories from the “future.”... more>>

A year later, due to a conspiracy by his spouse Jeha and Jeha’s guide lover Sagyeom, Jungon suffers a tragic accident leading to paralysis. Abandoned afterward, he spends five years trapped within his own body before finally meeting his end at the hands of a monster near his home.

Recalling these memories, Jungon, deeply disappointed, demands a divorce from Jeha. Determined to verify if the future he’s seen is true, he seeks out his dedicated caretaker and savior, Kwon Shinhyun (top).

Meanwhile, Shinhyun, who has lived twenty years as an Esper without meeting a compatible guide with a matching rate above 50%, is on the brink of physical collapse from the continuous pain his abilities cause.

Miraculously, he meets Jungon.

Now driven to discard his self-centered nature, Shinhyun finds himself desperately wanting to hold onto his guide—even if it means feigning kindness.

* * *

‘Kindness.’

Just yesterday, the person who called him “nice” now called him “kind.”

Yet again, it was a foreign concept to him. Hearing words he’d never thought would apply to him from someone he’d just recently met was unsettling.

At that moment, a lightning-like realization struck him.

He finally solved the puzzle named Yoo Jungon.

Yoo Jungon was entirely fooled by Shinhyun’s flawless acting.

Completely oblivious to Shinhyun’s darker intentions to monitor and cling onto the first compatible guide he’d found in twenty years. <<less

I reincarnated as the youngest son of a conglomerate’s chairman. In a strange world where there are Espers this, and Guides that—whatever. I was planning to live a carefree life as a wealthy slacker, but then a quest popped up.... more>>

[Let’s protect the peace of the country!

There are Espers in dire need of your guiding. If they run wild, South Korea will be wiped off the map. Please guide them and protect the country so that it is safe.

Success: Survival

Failure: Death]

No, f*ck... I have no choice but to do it to live.

But the moment I saw the list of soon-to-go-berserk Espers that the system kindly provided, my thoughts changed positively.

They’re all exactly my type.

* * *

Leaning both hands on the desk, I tilted toward hyung.

"They say... espers feel the best when they are being guided."

Our eyes met, barely a breath's distance apart. Our exhales tangled in the space between us.

I turned my head and placed a kiss on his cheek with an audible smooch.

"It's only good when there's contact, right?"

"......"

His firm chest swelled, then sank with a breath.

A flicker of flame sparkled in his obsidian eyes. <<less

“I was taught that giving my life for my master’s honor is my duty.” ... more>>

Leandro Heather, the empire’s greatest knight.

It was Jaynie who had taken the s*ave boy Leandro and made him a knight.

Jaynie, captivated at first sight by the arrogant yet naive boy, had fallen for him completely.

And so, he gave everything to support him. He gave his all, and yet...

Jaynie’s body fell limply onto the sofa, like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

He stared upward, his eyes wide open. Leandro stood above him, looking down. Those hands that had let him go—those strong, knightly hands.

Jaynie had always loved those hands.

“There truly wasn’t any significant conversation. But there was one thing His Highness Isota Elma said that stuck with me.”

“……”

“His Highness feared that Master Jaynie might kill him.”

‘Poison?’

Jaynie’s throat and nose felt numb. Something wet was rising from within him. If it wasn’t heat, then what was it?

“How could I stand by while someone I love trembles in fear? Surely, Master Jaynie, you would understand. After all, you’re the one who taught me that love makes people foolish, driving them to commit even the most selfish acts.”

Leandro’s voice seemed distant.

* * *

Jaynie was killed by his knight, Leandro.

And then, he returned to the past.

To the moment when he had first taken in Leandro. <<less

“I don’t need your hand, so f**k off, you son of a b***h.”... more>>

After tasting a bitter defeat in the Champions League final for the second time in his career, Jerim rejects the hand of the opposing team’s striker and previous teammate in the youth academy, Aaron, causing rumors of discord to swirl again.

In truth, their relationship wasn’t good, so it wasn’t just rumors—it really was discord. Since they were in different leagues anyway, he had never been particularly concerned about it.

“Let’s try to get along again, Jerim.”

…Until a month later, when Aaron came to the same club as him via free transfer*.

It was already infuriating enough to be on the same team with the guy who had humiliated him in the recent final, but to make matters worse, that guy happened to be his ex from way back.

And they had broken up in the most terrible way possible.

*Free transfer when a player’s contract has ended and they move to a new club without paying a transfer fee

***

[Benefits for Aaron Reyes if he naturalizes as a Korean]

– Ban Jerim

– Guaranteed number 9 shirt on the national team

– Free penthouse with views to the Han River in a residential complex (excluding management fee)

– Direct delivery of the day’s freshest seafood from Noryangjin Fish Market (once a week, king crab/snow crab once a month)

– Free entry to Lotto World (includes one companion, once a month)

– Free use of public bikes for life

⤷Hmm, isn’t using the bikes for free a bit too much??

⤷Damn, they’re even throwing Jerim in? If I were Aaron, I’d never pass up this opportunity. <<less

Kahyun, who had recently been promoted to director, tried to offer a small favor to a convenience store clerk he had been eyeing for a while but ended up witnessing a terrible traffic accident right before his eyes. ... more>>

He reached out to help Minjae, who was in a coma, for the sake of his company's image, but ultimately couldn't prevent Minjae's death, experiencing his first 'failure' in life.

Afterward, Kahyun, who suffered from insomnia and nightmares for a long time, finds himself returning to the day he first met Minjae.

Is this a dream?

Being a staunch realist, Kahyun wants to save Minjae even in his dreams to rid himself of his trauma.

However, something is wrong.

Even though he made sure Minjae stayed away from the road to keep him safe, Minjae still doesn’t wake up.

Minjae, seemingly grateful, keeps reaching out and approaching Kahyun, causing him confusion.

The more he gets to know Minjae, the less he dislikes him.

Kahyun gradually notices himself smiling more and more.

* * *

Kahyun silently looked at the face of this admirable yet stubborn young man.

When Kahyun showed signs of refusal, Minjae proactively spoke up.

“This time, I really will treat you. Don’t bring up the age difference, my status as a working person, or your status as a student.”

Seeing Minjae's serious expression as he tried to mimic a stern look, Kahyun let out a faint laugh.

No one had ever wanted to give him something so much before.

Unable to hold back his curiosity, Kahyun asked,

“Why do you want to treat me so badly?”

“Why, why, because...?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Minjae was at a loss for words.

The genuine confusion on Kahyun’s face made it clear he had no idea how much he had given Minjae, starting with bringing his wallet.

Minjae began to list reasons but stopped, mimicking Kahyun’s earlier words with a mischievous smile.

“Just because.” <<less