But more than embarrassment, pacifying the yandere seme’s wrath was the priority. After some hesitation, I squeezed my eyes shut and kissed him on the cheek.

“...That’s not a kiss.”

“Y-you’re too tall, so I couldn’t reach...! No! It’s not your fault—I’m just short...!”

Kissing at school, come on. Cut me some slack, dear yandere seme.

As I fumbled for an answer, Joo Seunghyuk let out a quiet laugh and patted my head.

He smiled.

I was finally free from the fear of getting locked up.

“You’ve got a break now, right? Want to get something to eat?”

“Yeah.”

“Got anything you’re craving?”

“Anything’s fine. I’ve got class after this, so even the cafeteria’s good.”

“Then how about sushi?”

“Sure. Sounds good. Want to go to Sushitei?”

The area around the Esper Academy was famous for its good restaurants—everything from high-end places to hidden gems known for value.

Sushitei was one of those popular spots. Since Seunghyuk had even brought me abalone porridge from there, he probably liked the place.

“Yeah.”

He nodded softly, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Thankfully, it seemed he liked the idea.

We went to Sushitei by the back gate. It was just past lunch rush, so the place was relatively empty.

As soon as we sat down, I spoke up.

“This time, it’s on me.”

Sushitei was a little more expensive than the average place nearby, but it wasn’t out of reach.

“You don’t have to.”

“No, I’m the hyung—I can’t just keep freeloading.”

In the original, Lee Yeonsu spent Joo Seunghyuk’s money like it was his own and met a miserable end.

Even aside from the original, constantly being treated made me uncomfortable.

“Alright. Then I’ll have this.”

He picked the Lunch Set A—the cheapest option on the menu aside from single sushi pieces and drinks.

“You can get something more expensive, y’know.”

“This one’s good.”

It was a choice made with my wallet in mind. Obvious to anyone.

“Still... Ah, how about this?”

I pointed to the two-person set next to it. It was pricier than the lunch options.

“Oh, it’s the Couple Set.”

“Ah—right...”

I’d only seen the price next to it and hadn’t noticed the word “Couple” until Seunghyuk pointed it out.

“Sounds good. Let’s get this.”

Joo Seunghyuk grinned brightly.

I was glad the yandere seme seemed happy with it... but I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

We ordered the Couple Set A. While waiting for the food, I handed him the envelope Jihui-noona had given me yesterday.

“Seunghyuk, this...”

“What’s this?”

“It’s the compensation money you sent to the Changwi Guild. Jihui-noona gave it back yesterday. The guild said it was partly their fault, so they couldn’t accept it. I meant to give it to you yesterday, but I forgot. Sorry.”

“Oh. I was hoping it’d be a love letter.”

“What?”

“Keep it. It was money I spent for you anyway.”

“No, I can’t. I’ll return the card and the money you transferred me, too.”

His eyes turned cold, and I hurried to tack on a follow-up.

“I’m not going to take part-time guiding jobs anymore. It’s just—the amount was so large, I felt uncomfortable. And I’m kind of scatterbrained. If I lost that card, it’d be a disaster.”

“You can lose it. That’s fine.”

“No, it’s not.”

No matter how scary Joo Seunghyuk was, I couldn’t accept money like that.

“Take it. We’re getting married anyway, so what’s the point of handing it back and forth?”

“...What?”

Marriage, he said. Please, yandere seme, keep terrifying words like that to yourself.

When I didn’t answer, Joo Seunghyuk’s voice dropped to a low murmur.

“Hyung, you’re not going to abandon me, are you? After taking my virginity?”

“N-no! I’d never... it’s just...”

“Just?”

“...I mean, your virginity is important, but you must have an ideal type or preference you’ve dreamed of, right?”

“What kind of preference?”

“Like... maybe you prefer women, for example...”

“I don’t care about gender.”

What would happen if I said I do care about gender? Would he pretend that night never happened?

“What about you, hyung?”

“I...”

“It’s okay. Say whatever you want. If you like women, I’ll just get rid of every woman in the world. If you like men, I’ll kill them all. If you like both, then I’ll kill everyone—just the two of us left. Then you’ll choose me.”

He spoke in a gentle voice, gripping my hand tightly. A chill ran down my spine, but I couldn’t pull my hand away from Joo Seunghyuk.

“It’s just you. Only you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah... but maybe it’s not the same for you. You awakened as an alpha, right? So maybe you’re drawn to omegas. For the record, I haven’t awakened yet.”

The higher your rank, the more likely you are to awaken as an alpha or omega. But I hadn’t. And I probably never would.

In the original, Yeonsu believed Seunghyuk didn’t care about him because he wasn’t an omega. That belief exploded into a huge inferiority complex once he learned that Kim Jun was an omega.

Usually, secondary gender awakens in your mid to late teens—so at this point, it was unlikely mine ever would.

“And we probably don’t have a very high matching rate either...”

“How do you know our matching rate?”

“Well...”

Seven years ago, we’d measured it while setting up Seunghyuk’s exclusive Guide contract. The result was 48%.

For S-rank Espers, if there was an S-rank Guide with 50% or higher matching rate, they were the preferred choice.

In other words, under 50% was considered less optimal than even a high-matching A-rank Guide.

I’d narrowly missed the cutoff, but Chairman Joo insisted a 2% margin could easily be bridged and pushed ahead with the contract.

He wasn’t wrong. Matching rates could shift depending on mood, condition, or time. A 2% margin was well within error range.

But contrary to Chairman Joo’s optimism, the match between Joo Seunghyuk and Yeonsu had worsened over the years. By the time we entered the Academy, the rate had plummeted to 37%.

That was the original’s story—but things likely hadn’t changed much now either.

Still, I didn’t want to bring up anything from seven years ago with my own mouth.

“I mean, it’s rare for S-ranks to have high matching rates with each other...”

An S-rank’s mana was like a jagged puzzle piece with a very unique shape.

If one person was lower-ranked, their mana could adapt to fit the higher-ranked partner. But when both were S-rank, the mana often clashed.

That’s why S-rank-to-S-rank matching rates were notoriously low—anything above 65% was considered excellent.

“Matching rate doesn’t matter. You’re the only one for me, hyung. I only want Lee Yeonsu. Nothing else matters.”

Joo Seunghyuk suddenly scooted to sit right beside me and wrapped me in a tight hug.

“Hyung, so stop worrying about all that.”

“...Yeah. I won’t.”

I forced a smile.

***

As soon as I got back to the dorm, I grabbed my old stuffed puppy and hugged it tightly.

“Woongie... what the hell am I supposed to do now?”

In the end, I hadn’t been able to return the money or the card.

I wanted to know how he found out my class schedule, or how he even knew I guided Sunwoo-sunbae—but I was too scared to ask.

The most hopeless part... was realizing I might have to be responsible for the yandere seme’s virginity for the rest of my life.

***

I opened my eyes, but everything around me was pitch black—like I hadn’t.

Was it still night?

No, that wasn’t it. This was Joo Seunghyuk’s ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) house. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, the curtains, the sofa—everything was black. It looked like night.

Why was I here?

I’d definitely fallen asleep hugging Minwoong in the dorm room. Had I been kidnapped by Joo Seunghyuk?

Startled, I tried to sit up—but my body wouldn’t move.

“Mmgh!”

On top of that, my mouth was gagged. I couldn’t even call for help.

Then the door burst open. Joo Seunghyuk walked in with heavy steps and asked in a chilly voice,

“Lee Yeonsu. Do you know why I brought you here?”

“Mmmph!”

“Oh, right. You can’t talk.”

Only then did he remove the gag, as if it had just occurred to him. My lips tingled, and I gasped for air—but before I could breathe properly, he grabbed me by the hair.

“Now talk. Why do you think you’re here?”

“I—I don’t know.”

Terrified, I shook my head. I’d been asleep in the dorm, hugging my stuffed animal. How could I possibly know what went on in the mind of a yandere seme?

“You don’t know?”

His voice chilled, and a heavy blow landed in my stomach.

“You really don’t know? You really don’t know?!”

There was no time to answer. The beatings came in rapid, merciless succession. The moment I registered one pain, another hit me. But I was too frightened to even scream.

Thud. Thud. Between the dull sounds of fists hitting my body and Joo Seunghyuk’s crazed interrogation, a soft voice interrupted.

“Sunbae, stop.”

Kim Jun held Joo Seunghyuk’s arm, trying to stop him.

“But Jun... because of this bastard, we had to take such a long detour.”

He struck my cheek in frustration. My face stung, and the blood in my mouth went down the wrong pipe, making me cough.

Not giving me a chance to catch my breath, he yanked my head up by the hair.

“I couldn’t find you because this bastard blurred my vision.”

“......”

Joo Seunghyuk’s eyes gleamed with a chilling light. I trembled in silence, unable to say anything, as Kim Jun wrapped his arms around him.

“But we’re in love now, aren’t we? That’s all that matters.”

Joo Seunghyuk stroked Kim Jun’s hair with his bloodied hand.

“Jun, I know you’re kind. But I’ll never forgive this bastard.”

Dark mana gathered in his palm. And even in this pitch-black room, the sphere of mana coming at me was darker than anything else.

I’m going to die.

If that mana hits me, I’m dead. But there was nothing I could do except shut my eyes tight.

Then, the darkness completely engulfed my body.