Episode 41: I Don’t Believe, I Don’t Buy, I Don’t Do (12)

“Oh, anyway! I’m sorry for collapsing on my own so often. I’ll make sure to manage myself better so that won’t happen again!”

Something about Juyul’s increasingly cold demeanor and cryptic tone nagged at her, but she forced herself to ignore it. Calling him a crazy Esper or whatever—maybe he genuinely meant it as a question. Besides, aside from that, there was nothing in their short conversation that could have made him this upset. She figured it was just her overthinking things. She had no idea how much this small moment of carelessness would come back to haunt her.

“So, you’ve been practicing that hard. That means you can handle even deeper Guiding now, right? Isn’t that so, Guide Maeng Sodam?”

“Huh? Uh, um… I guess so?”

“Then let’s see just how good you’ve gotten.”

“I-I can’t do anything that amaz—mmph.”

Sodam’s lips, warm but trembling, met Juyul’s, smooth and cold like ice. Their starkly different body temperatures clashed, stealing warmth from one another.

The fact that the first thing they did upon her return after two weeks was crash lips was almost laughable. But given how desperate he must have been for Guiding, it made sense.

Two weeks had passed, and her heart, which once raced wildly at moments like this, had settled into something colder, steadier. That was probably why she could think so calmly about this situation now.

As she tensed under his unusually different attitude, Sodam finally let her shoulders relax. A slick sound accompanied the subtle sensation of Guiding flowing through.

The foreign feeling, unfamiliar after so long, made her body tremble ever so slightly. At that, Juyul, who had been intensely focused on the kiss, cracked his eyes open.

“What? Do you not like it?”

“Huh? No, that’s not it…”

“If you’re that uncomfortable, just think of it as work. Actually, no, it really is work, so you don’t even have to think about it.”

Every time he spoke, their lips shifted, the sensation of soft flesh pressing against firm teeth far too vivid. His voice, lower than usual, seeped into her mouth.

Whether it was work or not, she’d never really given it much thought. Caught off guard, Sodam hesitated to answer. That was when Juyul’s hand, which had been wrapped around her waist, slipped under her clothes.

Maybe it was because she had taken a break from Guiding for a while, but her body felt fine, and she had made the mistake of wearing nothing but a thin turtleneck. Startled by the sudden touch, Sodam instinctively pushed against Juyul’s shoulder.

Surprisingly, despite their close proximity, he pulled away easily.

It wasn’t that she had pushed him away out of discomfort, and she assumed he wouldn’t care much. But when she saw the expression on his face, the words tumbled out before she could stop them.

“No, it’s just… You touched me too suddenly…”

“Is it because of that man?”

“…Huh? What man?”

“His name was… Samuyeon, wasn’t it? What is it about a man who’s neither an Esper nor a Guide that you like so much?”

“Wait, wait, hold on. Why is Samuyeon suddenly being mentioned here?”

The fact that Juyul’s hand was still on her bare skin was no longer the problem. Why was that name coming out of his mouth, at this moment? Had the Association been keeping an eye on him as well?

If so, maybe she could use this as an opportunity to investigate the former owner of this body’s death more thoroughly. The mere thought of getting the Association’s help lifted a weight that had been pressing down on her chest.

But when Juyul saw Sodam’s face brighten at the mention of Samuyeon, his insides twisted. Just hearing that man’s name made her that happy?

Two people, lying in the same bed, yet running in completely opposite directions in their minds. Their thoughts finally aligned when they both opened their mouths at the exact same moment.

“So the Association is also suspicious of the cult—!”

“No matter how in love you are, you should still focus on work—!”

The moment they realized they were talking about entirely different things, with only Samuyeon’s name as the common denominator, silence fell between them.

Sodam, frowning at the word “lover” that had just come out of Juyul’s mouth, suddenly gasped.

“Wait, don’t tell me… You think I’m dating that guy?! Baek Juyul Esper, that assumption is way more disgusting than you touching me!”

“…You were holding hands in a secluded hallway where barely anyone passes. Of course people would talk.”

“Sacult? What’s that?”

“Ah… well…”

Where was she even supposed to start explaining this to someone who didn’t even know what a cult was?

As Sodam hesitated, rolling her eyes around, the grip on her waist tightened. Juyul, frowning for an entirely different reason, asked in a voice heavier with seriousness than ever before.

“Judging by the word ‘cult,’ is this some kind of religious group? How did you end up involved with something like that? Don’t tell me… you’ve been leaking my information to them…”

“No, absolutely not! I only saw that guy’s face for the first time then! I mean, what am I supposed to do when I wake up from death only to find out I was part of a cult?! Do you know how shocked I was when I read the diary and the will? And do you have any idea how terrifying it is to have someone you suspect of being a murderer casually talk to you like nothing happened?”

The moment she heard such an absurd, unexpected suspicion, the words exploded out of her like a bomb, tumbling out one after another.

Having finally voiced the thoughts she had been stacking up in her mind, she felt oddly relieved. But that relief didn’t last long—the mess she had made in front of her was now a mountain waiting to be dealt with.

Cold sweat trickled down her back, and her breath hitched before she clamped her mouth shut. Trying to laugh it off as a joke would have been pointless—Juyul’s expression was far too serious.

“So, uh… what I mean is…”

“In other words, you nearly died, woke up, lost your memories, and now you suspect Samuyeon of attempted murder?”

“……”

“That means this ‘cult’ must be a group that he’s deeply involved with. At the very least, he’s probably a bishop… no, a cult leader. No matter how many enemies you made before you lost your memories, it takes too much effort to eliminate just one person.”

“I mean… I do get the feeling that’s how I lived, but… hearing it put so bluntly makes me feel kind of weird…”

It was too late to take anything back. If she wanted to change Juyul’s mind, she would have to come up with a theory even more realistic than the truth. But what could be more realistic than reality itself?

With a throbbing headache, she let out a deep sigh, pressing her fingers against her forehead. Meanwhile, Juyul, lost in thought, suddenly lifted his head.

“You can forget about all that now.”

“…What?”

“I’ll take care of it. So just forget about it.”

“But there’s no evidence, and from what I can tell, that place seems to be extremely closed off…”

“So what? Are you planning to infiltrate them yourself and investigate?”

Even if Juyul hadn’t meant it that way, in Sodam’s ears, his words sounded like he was saying, You, of all people? Maybe it wasn’t exactly that, but it definitely carried a similar meaning.

Irritated by the condescension bubbling up in his voice, Sodam frowned and yanked him closer, knocking her forehead against his.

“There’s no reason I can’t.”

“…You’re not just making excuses to meet that guy, are you?”

“Absolutely not. I don’t like guys who smirk around like that.”

“Then prove it. Show me that’s not what this is.”

Juyul’s words made it clear what he expected from her. Sodam relaxed her furrowed brows and let out a small, amused smile.

To prove it, she kissed him—carefully at first, but firm enough that he could feel the sincerity behind it. As if waiting for that invitation, Juyul pressed forward, pushing against her with increasing intensity.

Her body naturally leaned backward, tilting further and further until the back of her head finally sank into the soft mattress.

Thud—

“Haa… I guess I’ll need to prove it even more clearly, won’t I?”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Looking up at him from below, he seemed completely different from when they were face-to-face on equal footing. Maybe it was because, for just a fleeting moment, his gaze felt ever so slightly warmer than before.

She tightened her arms around his neck, pulling him in, and as if he had been waiting for her permission, Juyul kissed her even deeper.

Juyul’s hand, now back under her clothes, moved without hesitation toward her chest. Pressing firmly over her bra, he kneaded her breast before pausing, lips still barely touching hers as he asked,

“Can I take it all off?”

“Only if you take yours off too. You always leave me undressed on my own.”

“…You really have a way with words, don’t you?”

Even though she had merely stated a fact, something about her response seemed to flip a switch in Juyul. His hands moved with urgency, as if provoked. When he struggled slightly to pull off her clinging turtleneck, he even looked a little irritated.

With Sodam now lying in just her underwear, Juyul stripped off his own knit sweater before immediately pressing against her again, arms pulling her into his embrace.

At first, she was a bit caught off guard. But the moment she felt his bare skin, shock gave way to something else—his body was freezing. Without thinking, she hugged him tighter.

Nibbling lightly on her smooth shoulder, Juyul murmured in a slightly muffled voice,

“You’re warm.”

“Well, I haven’t been Guiding for a while… Ah! Not so hard! That hurts!”

“Your skin’s just too sensitive. Hm, is this better?”

“Mmh… Yeah, I guess…”

The moment Sodam barely nodded in agreement, Juyul’s lips began their relentless assault, as if determined to leave no unmarked spot on her body.

His mouth trailed past her collarbone, down to her chest, stopping just above her bra. Lightly, he traced over the lace with the tip of his tongue.

“Ah, that… tickles…”

“This suits you better. Did you throw away the old ones?”

“What…? Ah, you mean my underwear…? No, I didn’t throw them away, they were still in good condition…”

“I bought you new ones. Wear those instead.”

“Oh, I did get some new ones, but… wait, those were from you?!”

Shocked, Sodam pushed against his shoulder, finally breaking the relentless attention he had been giving to her chest. His face, which had practically been buried there, finally lifted. As soon as he pulled away, a strange sensation rushed over her skin, where his warmth had been replaced by the cool air, making her shiver involuntarily.

But more than that, this topic took priority.

She could understand clothes. Given how filthy rich he was, she probably did look a little pitiful in his eyes. But underwear? That was a different story.

She had thought they were just generic, top-selling designs picked by some Association staff. Some of them had even pitied her for it.

But if those had actually been handpicked by Juyul…

“They say people give clothes as gifts because they want to take them off later. Seems like there’s some truth to that. Interesting.”

“There’s no way you really bought them just to take them off! Why did you even give them to me?”

“First, because your clothes were absolutely pathetic. Second, because the thought of you wearing something Cha Seonghwa picked out pissed me off.”

“…Ah.”

Wait.

No.

Not ah.

Her delayed reaction finally caught up to her, and she shot up, voice rising in disbelief.

“Wait, why is Esper Cha Seonghwa being brought up here?!”

 

 

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