Episode 36: I Don’t Believe, I Don’t Buy, I Don’t Do (7)
“That’s right. Esper Baek Juyul is currently in Europe, isn’t he…?”
“Oh, did you come in for a short break? I did hear that Juyul’s Guiding was quite challenging.”
“Ah…”
Before Sodam could even begin to explain, the ever-cheerful Seonghwa offered a plausible theory with a bright expression. The association, which operates under the principle of ability supremacy, would undoubtedly provide a few long-distance flight tickets for an exceptional Guide. If they would do that for an average Guide, it wouldn’t be surprising if they prepared a private jet for the exclusive Guide of the only SSS-class Esper, Juyul.
…Sure, if Sodam really was Juyul’s exclusive Guide, Seonghwa’s theory would make perfect sense.
‘The problem is that there’s no way that’s true…’
Unable to outright deny or confirm, Sodam simply nodded vaguely. Yet, the Esper in front of her remained firmly in place, as if waiting for her to personally confirm his theory by admitting she was indeed Juyul’s exclusive Guide.
There was even a strange hint of desperation in Seonghwa’s gaze as he stared intently at her face.
‘Why, though? Would it be a problem if I weren’t Baek Juyul’s exclusive Guide?’
In the original story, Juyul didn’t even have an exclusive Guide at this point. What “exclusive Guide”? This was the time when he refused even basic F-class Guiding because of Maeng Something-or-other. Despite that, he still managed to hunt down monsters just fine without ever going berserk. There was no reason for him to absolutely need an exclusive Guide.
The only thing that nagged at her slightly was—
‘Could it be because of that? The time he let me into the subjugation site? Is he clinging to this reality just because of something so trivial? As expected, S-class and above… they must have something seriously wrong in their heads.’
Although the theory left an unresolved sense of discomfort, it was the only explanation that made any sense of his desperation. There were only a handful of association employees present at that site, and no major incident occurred, so no one would hold it against them. But still, the idea that they might have let an impersonator into the site without proper verification lingered uneasily in her mind.
‘Well, it’s not like it makes much sense anyway, but let’s just go with that. How could you ever understand a lunatic?’
This wasn’t the first time events had deviated from the original storyline. If anything, she should have given up trying to make sense of things when she found “cult” or “cult leader” entries in the diary of this body’s original owner. And if anyone should be interrogated, it wasn’t Seonghwa, but Juyul himself.
After all, Seonghwa’s clumsy excuses made far more sense than Juyul’s persistent demands for her to Guide him.
‘And besides…’
It wasn’t easy to openly confess that everything he believed was a lie, especially when he looked so utterly convinced. Glancing up at his face, brimming with unwavering confidence, Sodam swallowed the truth that was about to spill out.
She shifted her eyes around for a while before meeting his gaze again, forcing an awkward smile.
“Haha… ha… But, Esper Cha Seonghwa, why are you here in this area? There doesn’t seem to be any particular reason for you to be on this side of the corridor.”
‘Even if I don’t know much, I’ve made sure to memorize the places I need to avoid. There wasn’t anything noteworthy on the internal map, and no one ever uses this hallway. Why did the second male lead show up here? I have to figure this out.’
Sodam wasn’t entirely confident in her knowledge. While she knew all about the path Baek Juyul took in the original story, the hardships he endured, and the heroines who stood by his side, her information beyond that was practically nonexistent.
‘Honestly, if Cha Seonghwa weren’t the second male lead, I probably wouldn’t remember him at all. No matter how much of an S-class Esper he is, the overwhelming perception is “still nothing compared to Baek Juyul.”’
Because of this lack of knowledge, Sodam had studied diligently, scouring the internet, searching for maps and documents, and persistently questioning the few people around her. Even with all her efforts—this perfect triangle of desperation—she still hadn’t been able to stop Seonghwa’s sudden appearance.
It felt like a harsh reminder that, no matter how hard she tried as someone who’d possessed this body, she couldn’t avoid being entangled with characters from the original story. That realization left her feeling uneasy.
While Sodam’s pupils trembled for a different reason than before, Seonghwa’s friendly response dropped in front of her like a pebble breaking the surface of a still pond.
“Oh? Didn’t you know? This is my exclusive Guiding room. …Well, I suppose you wouldn’t have been in a state to remember the path back then.”
“Ah… I thought it looked familiar. Now that you mention it, it makes sense. But it wasn’t marked on the internal map at all. Even when I asked my senior Guide, they didn’t say anything.”
“If it’s your senior, there’s no way they wouldn’t know. This used to be a shared Guiding room with Juyul, but due to various complications, I ended up with an exclusive one. …Well, it’s understandable they might forget to mention it when they’re busy.”
‘No. I swear, that person didn’t forget or not know. It was 100 percent, no, 1,000 percent deliberate.’
That person—her so-called “senior”—was the only Guide Sodam could think of who would qualify for the title and who she could ask about the association. They were also the B-class Guide who had practically shoved her at Baek Juyul. When Sodam had asked them questions, clearly waving the internal map only provided to related personnel, they had said this:
“I’ll be very clear. Other than Baek Juyul’s exclusive Guiding room, there’s not a single place in this association I’m obligated to tell you about. Understood?”
Given their apparent distaste for the idea of a high-ranking Esper being connected with a low-ranking Guide like Sodam, she had specifically asked them about areas frequented by Espers, expecting a warning. Instead, their reply was laced with subtle venom, forcing Sodam to take detailed notes with the pen gliding across the mental notepad in her small head.
Exclusive Guiding Room ─ Absolutely X. Frequented by Baek Juyul.
Ground Floor (G) ─ Decent O. Guide waiting room. Unlikely Esper presence.
Floor Y ─ Tentative X. Esper waiting room. No major characters expected, but avoid just in case.
⦙
The S-floor, labeled with “O? X? Unclear,” was precisely where Sodam and Seonghwa found themselves now. It was marked as a floor with many empty rooms and supposedly devoid of people, making it seem like a safe bet. And yet, here she was, having escaped a deranged cultist only to run into an equally insane S-class Esper, Cha Seonghwa. Though she had thought the area seemed vaguely familiar, the repetitive interior design of the association’s building had misled her entirely.
She couldn’t tell if her luck was nonexistent or simply overflowing in the worst way possible. One thing was certain, however—the real culprit behind this absurd situation was someone else entirely.
“That B-class jerk! This is the kind of thing you should’ve told me! It’s not like I was planning to go there—I was trying to avoid it!”
Sighing in exasperation, she rubbed her dry cheeks, only to be interrupted by a hand suddenly extended toward her. Seonghwa’s hand, slightly damp, perhaps from his fire-wielding abilities, caught her attention. For someone like Sodam, who had lived with painfully dry, almost cracked hands since possessing this body, the sight gave her an oddly strange feeling.
Caught between staring at his hand and his face in confusion, she hesitated too long, and Seonghwa eventually withdrew his hand. When her gaze naturally returned to his face, the first thing she noticed was the visibly reddened skin of his neck.
“Ah, sorry. I sweat a lot because of my body heat. No matter how much I wipe it off, it keeps coming back. It’s fine in winter, but summer is especially bad.”
“I see…”
“Honestly, my fire ability can be such a pain. When there’s a heatwave warning, I feel like I’m melting and end up camping under the air conditioner all day. I’d go shirtless if I could, but obviously, that wouldn’t be appropriate, so I stick to sleeveless tops. I even requested permission to wear shorts, but they told me to maintain my dignity. Ha ha.”
Seonghwa rambled on, his neck now flushed to the point of turning dark. Beads of sweat ran down his smooth neck and pooled at his collarbone. Only then did Sodam realize the reason for his strange behavior.
Her eyes quickly darted away, and she cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Ahem! Uh, Esper Cha Seonghwa, I didn’t shake your hand earlier because of the sweat. I was just… admiring it, that’s all. I thought I’d clarify in case you misunderstood.”
“…Sorry, admiring it?”
“You know, since I’m guiding Baek Juyul Esper. My body… well, you can imagine…”
She trailed off without finishing her sentence and stood abruptly. She let out a small grunt, but before Seonghwa could react, she moved faster, as if she’d planned this all along. Without hesitation, she reached out and grabbed Seonghwa’s large hand with both of hers.
Her small, rough hands clasped tightly around his, which felt nearly double her size. Onyx-black eyes met amber ones in midair, locking in an unspoken understanding. Sometimes, a single experience spoke louder than a hundred explanations.
The moment their skin made contact, exclamations burst simultaneously from both of them.
“Wow, you’re so warm! Even warmer than back in Gunsan!”
“Guide Maeng Sodam… you’re even colder than before. What happened?”
Their contrasting remarks hung in the air, followed by a moment of silence. Yet neither of them let go of the other’s hand. Sodam was desperate, and Seonghwa was endlessly kind.
‘It’s definitely that cursed air conditioner. The hallway with that cultist was warmer, but this place feels like Siberia. Is it because of Cha Seonghwa?’
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