The Horaitron Gate—that was the worst moment in Park Geonwoo’s life.

Since awakening, he had experienced countless Gates and even succeeded in conquering the Akar Gate, but nothing had ever been as horrific as the Horaitron Gate.

Park Geonwoo had never lived according to his own will.

His father was an ambitious man. But due to his low rank, he had been forced to give up many things. Though he eventually succeeded as a businessman and married into a prestigious ability-user family, the bitterness of what he had lost never faded.

So when his son, Park Geonwoo, awakened as an S-rank, he believed it was finally his chance to fulfill the dream he had failed to achieve.

“S-rank, huh?! You really are my son! Geonwoo, from now on, just do exactly as your father says. Then the whole of South Korea will be yours.”

“Can I become a general?”

His father had once wanted to be a general but said he had failed because of his rank.

At Geonwoo’s question, his father scoffed.

“A measly general? What a small goal. You could be president if you wanted. This father of yours will make you one! Just trust me!”

“Yes, Father.”

His father tried to turn Park Geonwoo into the symbol of Korean Espers—a hero admired by all. And Park Geonwoo, without much complaint, obeyed his father's words. He never really wanted to be a hero or a president.

“Always be polite.”

“Don’t swear. Don’t use crude slang or internet jargon.”

“The Center said they’ll create a special program just for you. Do your best and perform well. The current director will be replaced soon. The deputy director’s the one with real power—make sure you’re on his good side.”

“No need to join a guild. That’s for people with nothing. The moment you chase money, you move away from power. You belong in the Center. The people will cheer for a young hero who chooses patriotism over profit.”

“Yes, Father.”

There was nothing objectively wrong in what his father said, and nothing particularly difficult to follow either.

Above all, he was happy that his father—always busy with business—was finally paying attention to him.

Not long after awakening, Park Geonwoo became known as the “Nation’s Son.”

“You really are my son.”

His father was proud of him, and Geonwoo didn’t hate living under the praise and adoration of the public.

But the happiness didn’t last long.

Joo Seunghyuk, the youngest son of the Sungan Group’s chairman, awakened as an S-rank. At age thirteen—technically just eleven years old.

The media exploded, calling it the youngest S-rank awakening in Korean history. And upon hearing this, Park Geonwoo’s father flew into a rage.

“That brat, an S-rank?! Sungan must’ve played dirty! The chairman must’ve rigged the test to make his son look like an S-rank! Geonwoo, you can’t lose to trash like him! You hear me?! You’re my son!”

“...Yes, Father.”

“We need to find a Guide immediately! You need someone worthy of you!”

No matter how powerful an Esper was, they couldn’t use their full abilities without a matching Guide. Especially for S-ranks, finding a highly compatible Guide was much harder.

His father searched everywhere for a suitable Guide, but no one met his standards.

Then came the news: a new S-rank Guide had awakened.

The first in over a decade. The entire nation’s attention turned toward them. So did Park Geonwoo’s.

Lee Yeonsu was such a beautiful person. Not just in appearance. The way he took a deep breath, visibly nervous before the interview, his calm tone—everything about him was lovely, endearing.

“Father, what about him?”

His father had always demanded an S-rank Guide. No matter how good the other traits were, he rejected anyone of a lower rank. So Park Geonwoo thought this boy would be perfect in his father’s eyes.

But at his question, his father’s face twisted in disgust.

“Don’t say anything so ridiculous! That boy doesn’t come from a proper ability-user family. His parents have no decent jobs, and judging by how all his relatives are Betas, he must be a Beta too. A Beta Guide has limits. Even if his mana levels are high now, he’ll eventually fall behind. He’s nowhere near good enough to be your Guide.”

“But he’s the first S-rank Guide in ten years.”

“Exactly. One showed up after ten years, which means more will show up soon. Just wait. An S-rank Guide from a proper family—a superior Omega—will appear before long. No need to rush!”

“But...”

But I like him, Father. I really like that kid.

Park Geonwoo wanted to say that. But before he could even open his mouth, his father gripped his shoulder hard.

“All you have to do is follow your father’s lead. Understood?”

“Yes...”

Not long after, an article came out announcing that Lee Yeonsu would be signing an exclusive contract with Joo Seunghyuk.

“Looks like he was bought with money. That’s why you can’t trust the poor.”

His father criticized Lee Yeonsu. But Geonwoo felt upset.

So when news came out that Yeonsu had terminated the exclusive contract with Sungan, he was overjoyed.

“Lee Yeonsu rejected the exclusive contract with Joo Seunghyuk! So he wasn’t bought with money after all!”

He said excitedly, but his father shouted at him.

“It wasn’t a rejection, he got cut! The matching rate was under 50%, I heard. He chased the money and got humiliated for it.”

“But maybe it’ll match well with me! If we signed a contract—!”

“Don’t be stupid! It’s bad enough you awakened after that chairman’s son, and now you want to use the Guide he dumped?! What do you think people will say?! You planning to wear the second-place label for life?!”

“...I’m sorry.”

“Don’t ever bring it up again. You’re my son. My creation. Don’t disappoint me.”

“......”

“Why aren’t you answering?!”

“...Yes, Father.”

Geonwoo lowered his head unwillingly. But his feelings toward Yeonsu didn’t disappear so easily. He often searched up articles about him in secret.

Thankfully, Yeonsu was also rejecting other guilds. Maybe, just maybe, like him, he was planning to join the Center.

Park Geonwoo wanted to meet him. And the opportunity came sooner than expected—at a Blue House event, where both he and Yeonsu were selected as youth representatives to read statements.

“Hi, you’re Yeonsu, right? Nice to meet you.”

Am I even speaking properly? The moment he saw him, he froze. He was so beautiful. The difference between seeing him in person versus photos or videos was staggering. His calm tone, his neat aura—Geonwoo liked everything about him.

Throughout the event, all he could see was Lee Yeonsu.

His father had sternly reminded him to perform well since the president and top officials would be present. But Park Geonwoo could only focus on Yeonsu.

***

The media started linking Park Geonwoo and Lee Yeonsu together nearly every day.

Just mentioning their names in the same sentence boosted ratings, and articles with them got exponentially more clicks.

A handsome S-rank Esper from a prestigious ability-user family and a stunning S-rank Guide from a poor Beta household—it was a Cinderella story that tugged at the nation's heartstrings.

“How dare they push someone like that onto my son!”

His father was furious. But Park Geonwoo didn’t mind. No, to be honest—he liked it.

Lee Yeonsu continued to reject corporate contracts. And yet, he wasn’t accepting Center support either.

Some speculated that Yeonsu might be planning to sign an exclusive contract with Park Geonwoo. A few even released false reports saying the contract had already been signed.

“That bastard Yeonsu better not be getting delusions! He's nothing but a one-trick ranker—he needs to know his place! Be careful, son.”

“That’s not it. Yeonsu doesn’t think that way. If only the rumors were true.”

“What was that? Are you defying me now?!”

“Yeonsu and I have an 85% matching rate. There’s no better Guide for me than Yeonsu.”

Park Geonwoo was twenty now. No longer the child who found joy in simply receiving his father's attention. That didn’t mean he outright disobeyed him, but he was starting to feel increasingly suffocated.

Especially when it came to anything involving Lee Yeonsu—it became hard to breathe.

“He’s a Beta, damn it! I don’t care how high the matching rate is—what the hell are you going to do with a Beta guy?!”

It wasn’t uncommon for Espers to imprint with their exclusive Guide and eventually marry. On top of that, Park Geonwoo had been harboring feelings for Lee Yeonsu for a long time. His father knew this, which made him even more adamant in refusing to accept Yeonsu as Geonwoo’s Guide.

“......”

“Just wait a little longer. The Vice President of the Ability-User Association has a grandchild. They awakened as an Omega, and their mana potential is high—very likely to become an S-rank. The Vice President likes you. If everything goes well, your path will be set.”

“But isn’t their grandchild still in elementary school?”

“They’re in middle school this year. And it’s only a six-year age difference. It might seem like a lot now, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° but in a few years it’ll be nothing. Besides, you’re going to Africa next year, right? You’ll be gone for a while, so just wait a bit longer. If the VP’s grandchild awakens, great. If not, someone else will show up.”

“Father, about Africa...”

“Just think of it like military service—two years and it’ll be over! And you’ll completely crush that damn chairman’s brat. How long are you going to be compared to trash like him? Once you succeed in the Akar Gate conquest, you’ll become a world-class Esper! You’ll be a dominant number one—Joo Seunghyuk won’t even be a shadow in your light!”

His father wanted him to be dispatched to Africa once he turned twenty instead of enrolling in the Ability-User Military Academy.

The media and public endlessly compared Park Geonwoo and Joo Seunghyuk. Geonwoo was honestly sick of it. Worse, among high-ranking Espers, Seunghyuk’s reputation was rising fast.

If he went to Africa, it would be a good chance to prove how different he was from Seunghyuk. But still... he didn’t want to be away from Yeonsu.

“You just have to suffer for two years! I can’t stand to see my son falling behind!”

“It’s time for the Gate raid, so I’ll be going now.”

Park Geonwoo bowed and excused himself.

His father constantly pressured him to draw a line with Lee Yeonsu. But there was no need.

Because Yeonsu had already drawn a line—one far sharper and deeper than anything Geonwoo himself could draw.

“I’m sorry... I don’t know why these baseless rumors keep popping up.”

As soon as he arrived at the Gate, Yeonsu was there. And before Geonwoo could even greet him, he was already apologizing.

It must’ve been because of yesterday’s dating rumor article.

“No, you don’t need to apologize for that.”

“Still... I’m really sorry.”

Yeonsu lowered his head, then went to sit quietly in a corner.

He was always like that. Unless he was apologizing for something, he never spoke first. He almost never called Geonwoo “hyung.” Always kept his distance.

Everyone else was desperate to get close to Park Geonwoo, but Lee Yeonsu seemed to have no interest at all. Geonwoo wanted to close that distance. He wanted to get closer to him.

***

Park Geonwoo decided to confess on Valentine’s Day.

He had already suggested a so-called “Yeonsu Agreement” to the other Espers around his age.

“Let’s not fight over Lee Yeonsu. Don’t bother him. Just receive guiding cleanly when it’s your turn—no clinging or pestering. No exclusive contract proposals, no imprinting offers, nothing that pressures him. Just wait until Yeonsu chooses on his own.”

On the surface, it sounded noble. But in truth, it was just a petty tactic to keep other guys away from Yeonsu.

Still, he didn’t want to keep hiding his feelings like this anymore. Watching Yeonsu apologize for the dating rumor—it hurt.

If the confession worked, he’d stay by Yeonsu’s side, and they’d attend the Ability-User Academy together.

It wasn’t the first time he had made up his mind like this. But every time, something went wrong.

At first, he thought it was Joo Seunghyuk interfering.

Geonwoo believed Seunghyuk was targeting Lee Yeonsu.

Whether it was out of resentment from the past, or because he hated the idea of Yeonsu becoming Geonwoo’s exclusive Guide after rejecting him, he didn’t know. But the way Seunghyuk looked at Yeonsu was dangerous.

But that suspicion didn’t last long. Even when Seunghyuk wasn’t around, things still kept going wrong.

This Valentine’s Day, he prayed that nothing would go wrong—but once again, everything got messed up.

The chocolates he had prepared for Yeonsu went missing. The raid lasted longer than expected because Seunghyuk insisted it had to be completed today. Geonwoo sprinted out the moment it ended, but somehow got lost—like space magic had messed with the building’s layout. By the time he escaped, Yeonsu was already gone.

But he couldn’t give up here. And the opportunity came sooner than expected.

A B-rank Gate facing a break crisis was discovered.

Park Geonwoo felt a thrill in his chest.

Not knowing it was actually an S-rank—the Horaitron Gate.

And that it would become the worst day of his life.