How About I Guide Myself Right Into Your Heart? || Joongdok - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

A hot cup of coffee sure had a magic about it; the bitter and sweet of it, cut by the cream, was just what Dokja needed during a stressful week.
And, as an added benefit, it seemed like he was finally getting along with the other staff at MinoGuild better.
No longer a fly on the wall, it was getting easier to be a part of some of the conversations he used to just eavesdrop in on. A lot of these conversations had initially been driven by uncontrollable curiosity from others in the company about the infamous Esper Yoo, but Dokja kept his mouth mostly shut, trying to adhere to the employee conduct policies he had agreed to when first joining.
But, here he was, standing with his freshly brewed coffee and one of the office workers he had managed to become quick friends with.
Her short hair was animated as she squinted her eyes at something Dokja had said.
It was just the two of them in the break room this particular day, and Dokja had definitely confided a bit more than he should have to Sooyoung about his experiences guiding the prickly Esper.
"I just don't get it. Guiding is a good thing, right?" Dokja wished he could understand the mindset of the Esper a little better. Maybe it would help him be more patient and careful during sessions.
"Okay, but get this," Han Sooyoung pressed her hands together by the fingertips, pointing them pensively towards Dokja, her eyebrows raised high in an intense expression, "imagine you had to pee, but you were only allowed to pee a drop at a time–"
"Okay, thanks." Dokja throws his half empty cup out," I think I'll head back."
"–I would rather just not receive any guiding at all!" She yelled out as Dokja walked briskly out the break room door.
As Dokja walked towards his office, he regretted not taking that half-cup of coffee back with him, despite the quick loss of appetite fueled by what was probably one of the worst analogies Dokja had ever had the displeasure of hearing in his entire life.
Once at his own space, Dokja tapped his watch screen to see if the schedule had changed.
It hadn't.
Yoo Joonghyuk's name remained bold and blinking in his timetable, reminding him of an upcoming session.
Dokja had low hopes for the Esper's attendance, but dutifully waited while scrolling his phone. As the minutes passed, Dokja's annoyance grew.
Why was it that Dokja was the one who would leave their sessions absolutely sick to his stomach, but Esper Yoo was the one acting pissy?
Even if Sooyoung was right, and guiding was a tedious task for the other, surely it was better than being on the verge of a rampage at all times?
Dokja heaved a sigh, looking at his watch and the beeping name glaring back at him from his wrist. This was the fifth booked session missed with no indication or cancellation from the team setting the top Esper's schedule.
Well, he couldn't be too upset either; this was also the fifth time he was able to scroll his phone during work hours without consequence in the past week. Dokja felt his mouth quirk up at the corners at the hilarity of the situation.
He had spent the last few days trying to shake down this elusive Esper– For what? The Esper was the one in need of guiding. Dokja couldn't believe he was going out of his way to secure a guidance with the other, especially since he would end up bed ridden and nauseous. If he had learned anything from the three times he had guided Esper Yoo, it was that the man was boiling over with a surplus of energy. Whenever he came in contact with Joonghyuk Yoo, he felt like he was touching someone feverish with heat–scalding, almost.
Dokja didn't particularly mind, though, as someone who was perpetually cold. The cool, dry office air didn't exactly help him keep warm.
As the name eventually ceased beeping on his wrist, Dokja took it as his sign to take another break. Maybe filling his stomach with coffee again would lend some warmth to his thin body.
As he stood from the couch and made his way towards the door, he slipped his phone into the slim pocket of his trousers. A single step from the door, Dokja swung the door open only to freeze in place, the towering figure of Esper Yoo Joonghyuk blocking the doorway.
Dokja paused, making the effort to shut his mouth that had been left hanging at the unexpected visitor. "What . . . brings you here, Esper Yoo?" He asked tentatively.
"Guiding." The answer was short and to the point.
Dokja blinked. Obviously he was here for a guiding, Dokja shouldn't have asked.
"Come on in." The smaller stepped towards the side, making room for the towering Esper to make their way inside the room. Dokja noted how the room felt viscerally smaller with the presence of the Esper, almost as his senses were warning him of something.
But Dokja wasn't going to get caught up in such preconceptions. He was sure he was feeling this way due to the influence of the other office workers and guides who would often pull him aside during breaks to speak negatively of the Esper in front of him now. If anything, Dokja could pride himself in his spotless history with HR. He trusted Han Sooyoung enough to not rat him out, of course.
With a smile, Dokja took a seat across the table from the Esper in need of guidance.
"I'm happy to help, Esper Yoo." Dokja continued to offer a pleasant smile, nodding his head with conviction.
The man taking up the cushioned seat ahead only looked back at the other questioningly, but Dokja paid it no mind. He extended his palm outwards for the other to grab.
It took a few moments, but the other eventually met his outstretched hand with his own, the rough skin causing Dokja to tense. The miniscule reaction resulted in Yoo Joonghyuk retracting his hand immediately.
Dokja felt apologetic seeing the other's wary expression. He needed to pull himself together and ensure the other was making progress. The extra pay for guiding this prickly Esper was the primary added benefit, of course, but Dokja liked feigning a sense of good will just as much.
He reached forward further, beckoning the broad-shouldered man to take his hand once again. The other did.
With closed eyes, Dokja focused his mind. It was easier than when Esper Yoo had been lying unconscious, because not only could Dokja do his best to slow the drain of energy, but Esper Yoo was conscious and could limit his release in tandem. It was an added layer of assurance that Dokja appreciated.
He could feel the warmth of the other seep through into the bones of his fingers, spreading a zapping heat up his arm and into his throat. It wasn't always this intense with other Espers, and Dokja could feel the difference between ranks most certainly now as he had this chance to guide the top ranker. The guide opened his eyes slightly, peering down to where Esper Yoo's large hand lay on his own. His hand was noticeably pale in the other's tan hold, and Dokja could tell the other worked hard as an Esper. He could also tell that he was definitely underqualified for this.
But at least he was willing to do it. Bad guiding was better than no guiding, after all.
Dokja felt a bead of sweat trail down his temple, and a wave of vertigo inflicted him slowly as he continued to try and drain the overflow from the man across him. It felt like he was trying to drain the ocean. He could feel the dark expanse of energy the other was holding, and the longer he peered in, the less sure he became that there would be an end to it.
With this thought, Dokja tried to accommodate more, opening up to look deeper. With a furrow of his brow and a gasp of pain, Dokja was yanked out of his thoughts by the other pulling his hand away and getting up.
"That's enough."
Dokja was still sitting there with his hand stretched out dumbly, before shooting up as well.
"That was nowhere near enough, Esper Yoo." Dokja followed after as the other made his way to the door. "At least make sure you come back for frequent guiding sessions-" As he trailed after, Dokja underestimated the impact on his body from such a strained guidance, and tripped over the leg of the table before landing on his side right at Esper Yoo's feet.
The Esper simply stared down at the crumpled frame of Dokja before grunting and turning to step out the door.
With an embarrassed grimace, Dokja sighed into his hand. The other wasn't going to come back, was he?
— — — — —
— — — — —
He did, in fact, return.
But it took another week of imploring from the team assigned to the irritable Esper before Dokja got a glance of the burly man again.
But, alas, here he was, seated almost knee-to-knee with Dokja.
"So!" Dokja chirped in a cheery tone, legs crossed and leaned forward, chin propped up by a closed fist, "How are you this fine morning, Esper Yoo?" Dokja tilted his head to the side, having fun seeing the glare the other sent his way.
He didn't mind seeing such a sour frown first thing in the morning if it meant he would take the rest of the day off– and paid, on top of that!
Joonghyuk Yoo wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he didn't want to be here. Not once since they had begun guiding had the other even hinted at being thankful that Dokja so graciously agreed to put his poor body's health and wellness on the line to ensure the Esper was at least relieving some pent-up energy. (At least, this is how it's being framed by the workers flitting around Esper Yoo.)
The actual reason Dokja is so willing to guide the other is nowhere near as benevolent: he leaves work nauseous more often than not, so why not get it over with? He's getting paid way more just to hold hands with one prickly Esper – it's not a bad deal, honestly. And, the other finally gets some guiding, on top of that.
And so, with a sly smile, Dokja reaches a hand over, beckoning the other to do the same. With narrowed eyes, the wavy haired Esper places his hand atop Dokja's.
While Joonghyuk Yoo wasn't the talkative type, Dokja felt the itch to fill the silence. But he could tell that opening his mouth any further wasn't going to do him any favours with the sneering man across from him. Following his intuition, he kept quiet.
The silence wasn't all that bad, though. While guiding, he could use this time to peer up through his long bangs at the brooding man he was in close proximity to. He could note the sharp line his jaw took and the crick in the sides that gave away that he was annoyed to even be in the same room as Dokja. The furrow of thick, dark brows was the other tell-tale sign that Dokja's mere presence was not a willful part of his daily schedule.
He really was overdue for a haircut, though. The hair was poking into his eyes every time he tried to get a better look at the handsome Esper sitting across from him. At the very least, Dokja hoped the long dark fringe hid some of the shameless staring he had been doing.
The man was certainly good-looking, he'd give him that. Having such premium eye-candy was just an extra bonus he got from agreeing to guide the neglected Esper.
Dokja had definitely been zoning out, and when he came to, he realized Joonghyuk was looking back at him with twitching eyebrows. Blinking to get the irritating hair out of his eyes, Dokja sat up a bit straighter, a little embarrassed at getting caught. He used his free hand to swipe the hair away sheepishly.
"Just cut your hair if it bothers you so much."
"What?" Dokja opened his mouth dumbly, not expecting to be spoken to.
The other turned his head away again, no intention to repeat his words or humour Dokja with more conversation.
That's okay, though, because Dokja had heard him fine the first time.
As the minutes ticked on, Dokja could tell from the twitch in the other's brows and the relaxing of his jaw that the guiding was helping. The progress would be slow, but it was a good sign to see the other starting to feel some benefits. This was already the fourth time Dokja was guiding Esper Yoo. Any longer and he was sure the other would have weaseled his way out of sessions by asserting that there had been no progress.
It was also around this time, though, that Dokja could feel himself getting light-headed. The excessive heat from the palm of the Esper was starting to seep too deeply into Dokja's arm, and he was acutely aware of a space so deep inside himself begin to jitter and shake with the energy flowing in.
Yet, as he peered into the depth of the darkly dressed man across him, the ocean remained almost endlessly full and turbulent.
Dokja couldn't help the quiet groan of pain that left his lips and that was all it took for Esper Yoo to recoil and stand up to leave.
With a hand covering his face, Dokja let himself fall and rest his head on the armrest to the side of him. He turned his neck to catch a glimpse of a broad back leaving the assigned room.
Dokja snickered and turned back to press his head against the cool surface, missing the glance sent his way before the door was opened and closed.
Now alone, Dokja simply laid back onto the couch and shut his eyes, letting the waves of heat and nausea roll over him. He could be assured there would be no assigned guidings for the rest of the day, so closing his eyes for a while wouldn't hurt.
He couldn't know when exactly he drifted into sleep, but when he awoke, the sun appeared to be high in the sky, and a blue bottle of nausea medication was placed neatly on the glass table nearest to him.