NOVEL NEXT 5
On the surface, it seemed like Hyung had won the argument. After all, I wasn’t the kind of person to stubbornly ignore someone who was genuinely concerned about me. When I reluctantly backed down with a half-hearted attitude, Hyung visibly relaxed.
Unaware of the plan forming in my head.
He insisted we keep everything secret—even from Mom and Noona—saying the fewer people who knew, the less chance the information would leak. That naivety of his was almost cute.
I turned down Hyung’s offer to help me wash, took a shower, and grabbed a quick meal. Afterward, we settled into the living room, holding hands and chatting quietly.
He’d always acted gently around me, but now, even just holding hands seemed to make him genuinely content—his expression was softer than usual. I’d heard what it felt like, what it was supposed to mean… but I’d never truly understand until I experienced it myself.
Not long after, Mom and Noona returned home together, apparently having met up outside.
“You’re home, Mom. You too, Noona—welcome back.”
“Our baby!”
Noona’s tired face lit up like the sun. But her joy quickly turned to shock.
“What the—? You don’t look well.”
“Eun-soo, are you feeling sick?”
Mom stepped closer, scanning my face. I smiled faintly and shook my head.
“No, not at all.”
But Mom’s expression turned doubtful. I guess it was hard for her to believe, considering I’d been frail and sickly ever since I was little.
Eventually, as if to get to the bottom of it, she looked over at Hyung. He silently took her coat and said nothing. I slipped an arm around her shoulders and led her to the sofa.
“How was your business trip?”
“It went fine.”
Noona followed us, still wearing that worried look. With Hyung taking the last seat beside me, the whole family was finally gathered together.
I took the lead, asking about Mom’s time in England and how Noona was holding up after another night shift—trying to steer the conversation away from my health. It was a clumsy attempt at deflection.
Noona picked up on it right away and stared at me intently. So did Mom, sharp as ever. Even Hyung, always quiet but especially so today, seemed suspicious in their eyes as they glanced between the two of us.
“You two…”
“Don’t tell me you fought?”
Even as she asked, it was clear they didn’t really believe that. Everyone knew Hyung and I had never once clashed.
Hyung rarely showed affection openly, but with me, he was always especially kind. And I always followed him, looked up to him. Anyone could see how close we were—though as of yesterday, that closeness had deepened in a way they couldn’t begin to imagine.
If it came to that, the situation would be worthy of a trashy drama soundtrack playing in the background.
Still, I figured they’d eventually come to accept it.
The eldest, who had suffered for so long, was finally being saved. Even if his savior was the youngest—his own baby brother whom they’d all showered with love while raising him… The bond of Esper and Guide was an immutable reality. They might struggle, but eventually, they’d convince themselves it made sense.
How long that acceptance would take, though, I had no idea.
“Honestly, I can’t even picture you and Oppa being at odds… but the vibe’s kinda weird right now. Something did happen, didn’t it?”
Noona pressed again with an uneasy look on her face.
Hyung and I fell silent at the same time.
We’d decided not to tell the family that I’d awakened as a Guide. Neither of us were particularly good at lying, so we’d simply opted to say nothing at all.
Mom and Noona exchanged glances. When we didn’t offer up anything, they stopped pushing.
At dinner, they acted like everything was fine. The mood had turned strangely positive—probably because Hyung was doting on me even more than usual.
Was this what it looked like when someone fussed over you quietly? He wasn’t even touching his own food and just kept piling side dishes onto my plate. I had to stop him.
“Hold on, Hyung. I can feed myself. You should eat, too.”
“Okay.”
The real mother blinked in mild confusion at the fake mother bird’s behavior. Noona shot him a side glance, looking downright dumbfounded. If she found out about Hyung offering to bathe me earlier, she’d probably lose it.
Ding!
…Huh?
[A sub-quest has been triggered.]
[Lets fulfill the sexual fantasies of Espers!
Plain, clinical Guiding is just boring. Why not make it more satisfying and enhance the efficiency of the bond while you’re at it?
Through a pleasurable connection, both the Esper and the Guide experience amplified enjoyment during contact.]
[Here’s a tip for your quest!]
[Each Esper’s preferred sex keywords
Cha Eun-hyuk: bathtub, sleep-play, force’
Common keyword: More than five hours]
Huh……?
I stared at the system windows for a long time, not even blinking, then slowly turned to look at Hyung.
He was calmly chatting with Mom.
“Eun-hyuk, the in-ear monitor you switched out last time—is it working okay?”
“Yes. The team’s adjusted to it too, so we’re using it comfortably.”
“It’s working well, then. Since it hasn’t launched yet, make sure to report any issues right away.”
Bathtub, sleep-play, force…
Over five hours…
Maybe it was because I’d never really been interested in what Hyung’s sex life was like, but those keywords didn’t feel like they matched him at all. I was pretty sure he’d never even dated anyone.
Maybe they were inclinations even he wasn’t fully aware of. Either way… huh. Surprising in more ways than one.
“Eun-soo?”
Noona’s puzzled voice pulled me back to reality. I blinked and turned toward her.
“Huh?”
“You spaced out just now. Does your head hurt?”
“Ah… No, I’m fine, Noona.”
I shook my head sheepishly, wondering if I’d let too much show on my face. But Mom and Hyung immediately stopped talking too and turned to look at me.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Hyung asked in a low voice, his brow furrowing. I gave him a strained smile and shook my head.
“I told you, I’m fine. Really.”
“Then have a few more bites.”
“I’m full.”
“You barely ate anything.”
With all the concern pouring in from every direction, I was about ready to sink beneath the table. Maybe it was because I was the late-born youngest, but they’d always been a bit overprotective. Not that I minded, really…
I gave them a faint shake of the head to reassure them, even as my mind wandered elsewhere.
Those keywords weren’t bad at all.
Hyung… might be more compatible with me than I thought.
***
Night had fallen.
Despite the long day out and the exhaustion that surely followed, Mom and Noona were still in the study, going over work-related matters. They finally wrapped up and retreated to their respective rooms—completely unaware that the two brothers were still in the same room together.
As the house quieted, signaling their attempts to sleep, Cha Eun-hyuk—seated beside the bed—gently reached out and brushed his fingers across Cha Eun-soo’s cheek. His beloved baby brother had already drifted off into sleep.
On the outside, Eun-soo had kept up the act, pretending everything was fine in front of the family. But the truth was, his condition was far from okay. He barely touched his food and was clearly struggling with dizziness whenever he moved.
Hyung had wanted to call in their primary physician for an IV at the very least, but Eun-soo had refused—unwilling to worry Mom and Noona. So in the end, Eun-hyuk hadn’t been able to make the call.
Now, he had no choice but to make a difficult decision.
“Wait for me.”
I’ll come back once you’ve recovered.
He murmured the words softly as he ran a hand gently through his little brother’s hair.
In preparation for the tests he had to undergo tomorrow, he would need to disrupt his own wavelengths tonight. If he didn’t, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t lose control again once he returned home. In fact, things might get even worse.
After all, he’d already experienced Cha Eun-soo’s Guiding.
Even without physical contact, just seeing that innocent face again might be enough to make him snap. Of course, he intended to restrain his instincts as much as possible—but would that really be enough?
In the worst-case scenario, his little brother needed to recover his strength beforehand. If Eun-soo’s weakened body had to endure another episode of forced Guiding, it could genuinely put his life at risk.
That was why Cha Eun-hyuk hadn’t listened when Eun-soo told him to go get some rest instead of staying up all night again. Once he left in the morning, he wouldn’t be returning for several days—not until after Eun-soo had recovered—so he wanted to stay by his side for as long as he could.
So then, why hadn’t he warned Cha Eun-soo about all this in advance?
The answer was simple.
Because of his own selfish, shameful desire.
He’d told himself even he hadn’t expected to feel this way, but the truth was—he wanted to fully claim Eun-soo. To leave his mark on every inch of his younger brother, from head to toe. To be completely drenched in Eun-soo’s Guiding in return.
Even his own self-loathing was smothered by the depraved thrill of anticipation.
“I…”
A memory surfaced—of the man who’d killed without hesitation, driven by some impulse or need.
How was I any different from him?
If I’ll do anything to get what I want, doesn’t that make me a monster, too?
Pretending to be a good brother, pretending to cherish him, when really… it was just manipulation, to keep him from pushing me away.
His stomach twisted with nausea.
“…I’m sorry.”
Cha Eun-hyuk offered yet another apology to his sleeping younger brother, a boy now burdened with the weight of his desire.
As expected, there was no reply from someone deep in slumber.
It was a truly pitiful pattern—made even more ridiculous by how one-sided it was.
Leaning into the warmth of his brother’s small breaths and gently resting hand, Cha Eun-hyuk quietly wondered just how far his depravity would go.