Survive With the Max Level Guide

When news spread that I’d regained consciousness, my family rushed over, getting off work earlier than usual.

My sister threw her arms around me, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Do you even know how worried we were?”

“Sorry, Noona.”

I lifted the arm that didn’t have an IV needle stuck in it and wrapped it around her.

“Look at your face—half of it’s gone. It’s not like you had any weight to lose to begin with…”

“You’d been doing okay for a while, but lately things seem to be going downhill again.”

My mother frowned with concern as she spoke. I let my eyebrows droop in response.

“I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“…Eun-soo, sweetheart, have you been under a lot of stress lately?”

The cautious question hung in the air, halting the glance I’d just started to direct toward my older brother, who stood nearby with his arms crossed, silently watching.

Hmm. I guess nearly dying from overdoing it counts as stress.

“Not really. I think… I just stayed out in the sea too long. It’s been a while since I last went, and, cough, it was nice, though.”

My brother’s face briefly hardened with cold intensity.

My mother and sister didn’t notice it. They must’ve remembered the call I made while out getting air with Shim Tae-seong and seemed partially convinced by my excuse.

“Still.”

My sister tried to sound stern.

“I’ve told you again and again—if you feel even a little sick, tell someone right away. Thank god Oppa came early and found you. If he hadn’t, you might’ve just kept lying there all alone, right?”

“Okay. I promise I’ll tell you next time.”

“Don’t just say it.”

“I mean it.”

I rubbed my cheek against her shoulder. As my sister’s expression slowly softened, my mother gave a small shake of her head and smiled faintly.

Knock, knock.

A soft knocking sound echoed through the room. All eyes turned toward the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened quietly, and the attending physician stepped inside. After greeting everyone with a polite nod, he came over to me and started by checking my temperature.

“How are you feeling, young master Eun-soo?”

“I feel fine.”

“Your throat’s still not in great condition… and you’ve still got a slight fever.”

I studied his face as he checked the thermometer.

What the hell.

This was a completely different demeanor from earlier, when he’d bolted out of the room like he’d been threatened by my brother.

Now, he barely even seemed aware that my brother was in the room… as if he’d already forgotten anything had happened.

“The IV should continue until at least tomorrow. And even if your symptoms improve, make sure to take all the prescribed medication.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

I swallowed the evening pills he handed me with a sip of water.

…He’d seemed genuinely terrified earlier. Had he managed to pull himself together already?

There was something about it that rubbed me the wrong way. A vague, irritating sense I couldn’t quite place.

***

A cold winter drizzle fell from the overcast sky. Shim Tae-seong stood watching the attending physician as he left the estate.

“Not the best weather.”

A slightly husky voice, roughened at the edges, reached him. Shim Tae-seong, already aware of the presence, turned without surprise.

It was Cha Eun-soo, holding an umbrella. Even wrapped in a thick coat, he looked alarmingly thin.

“…Young Master.”

Shim Tae-seong strode over to him and gently took the umbrella handle from his hand.

“Is it really okay for you to be up and about like this?”

“Of course. It was just… a short bout of illness…”

His voice trailed off. As he took a closer look at Shim Tae-seong’s face, Eun-soo’s eyes widened.

“Your face, you’re hurt.”

“…It’s nothing.”

Thanks to an Esper’s exceptional regenerative abilities, the wound had mostly healed. But Cha Eun-soo’s eyes lingered on the faint scar with visible concern.

His slender fingers rose and lightly brushed Tae-seong’s cheek. At the touch, Shim Tae-seong slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.

“What happened to you?”

The genuine worry in his voice melted something inside him.

Shim Tae-seong took Eun-soo’s hand and pressed a kiss to those pale fingertips.

“It was just a scratch. I let my guard down. Don’t worry about it.”

More accurately, it had happened while trying to confirm Cha Eun-soo’s condition in person—an impulsive move that hadn’t gone unnoticed by a certain someone.

Still, there was no reason Eun-soo needed to know that.

That his brother and bodyguard—the very Espers he had once saved—had traded murderous intent behind his back, dishonoring his kindness with their hostility.

Cha Eun-soo didn’t seem to realize that the cause of this Esper’s injury was another Esper he knew very well.

He only fell silent, as if struck by a sudden thought.

His gaze, no longer calm and composed, dropped to the ground.

And in that moment, Shim Tae-seong suddenly realized—Cha Eun-soo’s mental state might not be as stable as it seemed.

Cha Eun-soo had awakened late, living as an ordinary civilian for a long time. Was he truly unbothered by the act of guiding his own brother?

…Up until now, Shim Tae-seong had naturally viewed everything from the perspective of an Esper. For an Esper whose wavelengths were rotting and decaying day by day, having a family member as their Guide wasn’t a problem. Had it been him in Cha Eun-hyuk’s place, it wouldn’t have bothered him in the slightest.

But if it were Cha Eun-soo…

“Young Master…”

He wanted to offer comfort. But he didn’t even know how to begin. After all, hadn’t he selfishly indulged in the kindness Cha Eun-soo gave so freely?

To say something hypocritical like, “If guiding makes you uncomfortable, you should stop,” was beyond him. He didn’t dare.

“…Bodyguard-nim?”

Cha Eun-soo quietly looked up at him as he trailed off mid-sentence. A faint breath slipped from his chapped lips, dispersing into the cold air.

What if he just took him away—To somewhere no one knew.

Even if it meant a life on the run… If Cha Eun-soo could live free from the burden of his powers—If they could live, just the two of them…

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

A low voice cut through the space between them.

Cha Eun-soo flinched and turned his head.

“You should go back inside. You’ve been out in the cold too long again.”

Shim Tae-seong released the hand he’d been holding, his tone flat and devoid of emotion.

Before Cha Eun-soo could respond, Cha Eun-hyuk was already at his side, wrapping an arm firmly around his younger brother’s upper body.

Now both stood beneath Cha Eun-hyuk’s umbrella, leaving Shim Tae-seong alone beneath Eun-soo’s.

Uneasy tension flickered in Cha Eun-hyuk’s eyes as they met Shim Tae-seong’s dark gaze.

Just days ago, they had formed a reluctant alliance. But even then, Cha Eun-hyuk had remained deeply wary of Shim Tae-seong’s ability. It wasn’t an unfounded fear—Shim Tae-seong could abuse that power at any moment.

And just now, that very thought had flickered through his mind, however briefly. So the wariness wasn’t baseless.

A strange silence settled between them.

Cha Eun-soo glanced between the two men, a subtle flicker of amusement passing over his face—But the two, locked in a silent standoff, didn’t notice.

“He’s only just regained consciousness. Are you really not aware that he should avoid guiding for the time being?”

Cha Eun-hyuk’s voice was cold, his words clearly a jab about the physical contact from moments ago.

The one who reacted immediately wasn’t Tae-seong—but Cha Eun-soo.

“Hyung.”

He called out in surprise, locking eyes with him.

“…Did you know he was an Esper?”

“This time,” Cha Eun-hyuk replied.

“I found out in the worst way possible—because you guided him.”

Cha Eun-soo was met with his brother’s sunken, unreadable gaze.

“…!”

Cha Eun-soo’s lips parted slightly, his pupils trembling with confusion.

He looked like he was struggling to figure out how to explain himself. And finally—

“I’m sorry.”

The apology slipped out like a sigh.

Both Espers fixed their eyes on Cha Eun-soo.

“I brushed against the bodyguard by accident… and I could feel it—his condition was just as bad as yours, Hyung.”

“So I was the one who offered to help.”

The wind picked up, whipping everyone’s coats.

“But… maybe guiding someone else made you feel betrayed.”

So that’s why he was so angry that morning.

Only now did Cha Eun-soo seem to understand, looking up at Cha Eun-hyuk as realization dawned across his face. His long lashes trembled with guilt.

“But still…”

He gently rested his hand over the arm that was wrapped around his waist. His voice came out soft and steady.

“I still want to help him, Hyung.”

“Cha Eun-soo.”

“An Esper without a Guide suffers.”

Because of you, I know that better than anyone.

Cha Eun-hyuk clenched his teeth.

It wasn’t enough that he had stopped himself from lashing out at Shim Tae-seong. Now Eun-soo was asking for permission to keep guiding him.

And the reason…Was because he knew how much his older brother had suffered.

How could he argue against that? How could he oppose someone who was looking into the eyes of the very brother who had once hurt him so terribly—and was still offering a heartfelt apology?

“Cough.”

To make things worse, a small cough escaped from Cha Eun-soo. Cha Eun-hyuk snapped out of it immediately.

His brother’s face had gone pale, his skin cool to the touch. Getting him inside was clearly the top priority now.

Shim Tae-seong scowled at Cha Eun-hyuk, as if to say, What the hell are you doing, standing around?

Ignoring him, Cha Eun-hyuk tightened his arm around his brother and guided him away.

“Let’s go.”

The brothers walked off, leaving Shim Tae-seong standing alone on the wet tiles.

Once they stepped through the entrance and into the house, the warmth of the interior quickly brought a flush of color back to Cha Eun-soo’s cheeks.

“Hyung…”

“Shh. Quiet.”

After settling Eun-soo on the sofa, Cha Eun-hyuk went to brew a cup of hot lemon tea.

He returned and handed it over, his gaze locked firmly on his younger brother as he took the cup in his hands.

Strictly speaking, Shim Tae-seong receiving guidance wasn’t wrong.

An Esper’s power relied on the stability of their wavelength, and stability could only be achieved through guiding.

To wield power reliably at any time, regular guiding was undeniably the correct choice. But…

He knew it was irrational, childish even—And still, he hated it. It made him feel fucking disgusting.

“……”

Cha Eun-soo set down the cup, now warm from his hands, and looked up at Cha Eun-hyuk. There was a flicker of nervousness in his eyes, like he could sense the tension radiating from his brother like rising flames—but he spoke anyway.

“Hyung.”

“……”

“You said it yourself. That the most important thing to you… is me.”

He even reached out to gently grasp the fist his brother had clenched to suppress his emotions.

“It’s the same for me.”

His fingers, thinner but straight and steady, laced themselves through the larger hand that finally began to relax. Their entwined hands rested on the firm muscle of Cha Eun-hyuk’s thigh.

“No matter who I help… you’ll always come first, Hyung.”

He whispered the words as if baring the deepest part of his soul—the very thing Cha Eun-hyuk most wanted to hear.

His voice was tender, as if trying to soothe, but his gaze…His gaze shimmered with something far more dangerous, dazzling and disarming all at once.

The sweetness of it unraveled every tight muscle in his body. From where their skin touched, a slow, intoxicating heat began to bloom.

And just like that, Cha Eun-hyuk’s edge was gone. He stared at his younger brother’s face, utterly entranced, like a man under a spell.