Aren't Guides Allowed to Bite Espers? - Chapter 6

Although he looked appropriately youthful and handsome for his age, his audacious mannerisms irritated me to no end.

“Wanna pair up with me?”

As if he had entrusted something, he casually proposed pairing up.

“You’re pretty.”

The sudden compliment was not well-received at all. Instead, it made me feel evaluated, which was uncomfortable.

When I remained silent, Yugeon awkwardly smiled and extended his hand, as if to shake hands.

It was a typical civilian mannerism. Most Espers, even upon their first meeting, didn’t request a handshake because they could unconsciously emit waves. If their first impression wasn’t good, it could affect their mood waves. However, Yugeon seemed completely unconcerned about that.

His first impression had been far from good, but I had tried to hide my waves and extend my hand because of Hangyul. But then…

Drip. Drip.

“Huh? Why is this happening?”

Crimson droplets fell. Blood was flowing from Yugeon’s nose. What had been falling drop by drop soon poured out like a tap had been turned on.

“Ah, darn.”

“…?”

I have no words for the fact that curses suddenly burst forth. But it was inevitable. As the scent of Yugeon’s blood intensified, my stomach churned violently. With each breath, my concealed primitive desires surged.

I wanted to bite him. To part that flesh, bathe my body in that bright red blood. I wanted to inhale with a sucking force, leaving bite marks on every inch of his body.

What about the blood deeper inside? It would surely be even sweeter.

In the momentary excitement, I became dizzy, and my body staggered, prompting Yugeon to urgently grab my arm for support.

“Why, why are you like this? Are you okay?”

In that moment, each of Yugeon’s and my cells that touched each other seemed to boil like a bubbling cauldron. I immediately slapped away his hand.

“Don’t touch me.”

I closed my mouth and held my breath for a moment. It seemed like Yu-geon was bewildered and didn’t know what to do. I left him like that and rushed out of the office.

However, in that brief moment, his scent had imprinted itself strongly in my mind. That was our first encounter.

I began to observe him closely after that. His scent wasn’t a misconception. It had the aroma that stirred my thirst within him.

I used to be fine with just consuming blood once a week to suppress my urges. But now, with Yu-geon, it all came crashing down. He was the one factor that could shatter my control.

So, I tried to keep my distance from others, maintaining my daily life as discreetly as possible. But this little stranger, seemingly unaware of boundaries, kept searching for me.

“Gu Sa-wol!”

“Don’t use informal speech.”

“Gu Sa-wol, I have something to say.”

“I have nothing to say.”

“Have you checked our compatibility rating? We’re destined, you know.”

“All destinies lead to death.”

“I’ll make sure not a single drop of creature blood touches your hands.”

But if I can’t feed, I’ll die, you lunatic.

“Wanna go eat ramen? See some cats? Butterflies? Goldfish?”

“Can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Gu Sa-wol!”

“Gu Sa-wol!”

“Gu Sa—”

“Why do you hate me so much? At least tell me the reason!”

I held it in.

Until I exploded.

“Are you asking because you really don’t know?”

“Of course! You say nothing, and you—”

“You smell.”

“What…?”

“You smell to me.”

Those words were sincere. Well, almost everything I said to Yu-geon was sincere, but among them, this was the most genuine. It was the fundamental reason I pushed him away—because he emanated a “delicious scent.”

Even though I had pushed Yu-geon away countless times, he was like a resilient spring, always bouncing back to me.

But when I told him he smelled, he looked completely shocked, even more so than when I had cursed at him initially.

I didn’t reveal everything, but for some reason, I felt a sense of relief as I walked away. I remembered his dejected expression before bed that night, and for a moment, I almost felt sorry for him.

Nevertheless, the thought that he wouldn’t bother me anymore gave me the satisfaction of a peaceful night’s sleep.

If that wretch ever approached me again, I was ready to speak even harsher words. Perhaps I could say something like, “Your breath makes me want to suffocate,” or “Your childish personality isn’t my type.” I had been preparing rejection lines in my head for a while.

“Hey, what’s so funny that you’re laughing to yourself while eating? Something good happen?”

“No, it’s just something that made me laugh.”

“What’s so funny? Tell me too.”

“Never mind. Let’s finish eating quickly. I’m a bit tired today.”

That day was the one day a week when I went to consume blood. It was the act of drinking the blood of a living creature, a vampire’s meal.

Among Cremen, they used the slang term “meal” when they were going to drink blood. So naturally, when they were going to have an ordinary meal, they would say, “Let’s go have a meal.”

It was a subtle difference, but it was enough for Cremen to notice whether someone was a Creman or not. I had met Emily in the same way.

Cremen preferred human blood, but they could suppress their urges by drinking creature blood if needed. Following her recommendation, I visited a restaurant that secretly sold creature blood.

The restaurant catered to both Cremen and human gourmands who enjoyed the unique flavor of creature blood, which they drank like wine. To the average person, it seemed unremarkable.

However, it was not entirely legal, so the restaurant had a complex and maze-like layout, with each dining area separated into private rooms.