Episode 45: I Don’t Believe, I Don’t Buy, I Don’t Do (16)

A full week had passed since Sodam had so thoughtlessly uttered those words.

And the conclusion?

Baek Juyul had absolutely no concept of self-restraint.

“Hello, Esper Baek Juyul. Wow… it’s been such a long time.”

“Has a week really been long enough to call it ‘a long time’?”

“Yes, yes, very long, actually.”

No self-awareness. No understanding of sarcasm. No ability to speak nicely even once.

What the hell was she supposed to do with this protagonist bastard?

Sodam felt her vision blur with exhaustion.

Maybe it was because she had just discovered—right before entering the guiding room—that the reason the B-rank Guide no longer prepared condoms was because Juyul was bringing them himself.

That knowledge had burrowed into her brain like an itch she couldn’t scratch.

Now, all she could focus on was that bed… and Juyul’s damn pockets.

But bringing it up first would just make her look like the overly eager one, so she kept her mouth shut.

Her discomfort was obvious—she perched at the farthest edge of the couch, barely letting her weight settle, rubbing her neck as she hesitantly asked,

“So… just a kiss today too, right?”

“Why? You want to go all the way?”

“No, no, no! I already feel like I’m freezing to death after just one week without guiding!”

“So if you weren’t cold, you’d be fine with it?”

“……”

Not answering immediately was the worst mistake of her life.

Because her mind had already been circling around the topic since she left her house, that single nudge was all it took for everything—the sensations, the memories—to come crashing down.

And among the tangled mess in her head…

The small, unspoken truth she unearthed was—

‘Well… it wouldn’t be that bad, would it…?’

Which meant she absolutely couldn’t say it out loud.

But her silence already answered for her.

And just like that, the mood shifted into something heavier, thicker—something dangerously capable of pushing them past just a kiss.

As Juyul slowly leaned closer, Sodam bit her lip, shrinking into the corner like a prey animal with nowhere to run.

Then, a warm thumb brushed against her mouth, gently prying her lip from between her teeth.

At that moment, hot air ghosted over the tiny sliver of exposed gum.

The sudden awareness of it sent a shock through her system, snapping her out of the haze.

Her eyes flew open.

Before she could think, she grabbed Juyul’s wrist, blurting out in a rush,

“B-But… are you serious?”

“About what?”

“You said you wanted to get guided every day… but I heard that if I overdo it, I get a week off. That’s not true… right?”

While not as earth-shattering as the condom revelation, this was still shocking news to Sodam.

Because let’s be real—”overdoing it” only ever meant one thing so far.

Every single time she had been off work for a week, it was after having sex with Juyul.

So if she suddenly stopped showing up at the Association for a week, wouldn’t that basically be an announcement to the world that she had slept with Baek Juyul the week before?

But at the same time, refusing the offered “vacation” wasn’t an option either.

For the first three days, she’d be groaning in muscle pain.

And for the remaining four, she’d be fighting a soul-draining battle against the temptation to reconnect her gas just to survive the arctic temperatures of her tiny room.

Fine. Fine.

She could begrudgingly accept the shame vacation.

But being the sole person responsible for Juyul’s daily guiding?

That was a huge problem.

His silence was unnerving.

Sodam tightened her grip on his wrist and pressed further.

“You’re not planning to only get guided by me every day, right? That would basically make me your exclusive Guide—just without the contract.”

“That’s true. You’re right.”

“Phew… what a relief. I mean, it wouldn’t make sense for an Esper like Baek Juyul to rely only on an F-rank like me for guiding.”

As she visibly relaxed, Juyul’s expression changed.

A smirk.

A clear, unmistakable, condescending smirk.

For ten blessed seconds, her racing heart had calmed.

And then?

It skyrocketed all over again.

“Guide Maeng Sodam.”

“…Yes?”

“I was agreeing with your second point. There’s no contract except marriage, and I couldn’t exactly bring that up.”

“Huh? I don’t get it… Wait. You mean… that ‘Guide’ is…”

“Who else would it be but you?”

Sodam had spent an entire week tearing her hair out over the realization that she had replaced Han Dalam in the original timeline.

She had accepted that guiding was inevitable.

But claiming the exclusive Guide position—a spot she had always assumed was reserved for the main heroine—was way beyond what she could mentally process.

Juyul, smiling like a predator who had just cornered his prey, didn’t even wait for her response before continuing.

“I’m considering what kind of deal might convince me to accept a contract other than marriage. I know you only care about money and my face. If there’s anything else you want, let me know anytime.”

“…That doesn’t even make sense. The Association—wait, wouldn’t they be against this? Don’t you at least need a C-rank Guide to make it worthwhile?”

“The Association’s only requirement is that I want it. And Guide Maeng Sodam—”

Juyul leaned in slightly, his voice dropping.

“—is perfectly capable of meeting that condition.”

“That’s not even a real condition, you insane people—!”

Grinding her teeth, Sodam glared at the door like it had personally wronged her.

And then—her expression flipped in an instant.

The look of betrayal and despair vanished.

In its place?

A pitiful, borderline scheming smile.

Still holding onto Juyul’s wrist, Sodam clasped her hands together desperately and asked,

“Esper Baek Juyul… is there any chance that in, say, a month or so, you might find another Guide that you bond with better? Maybe a higher-ranked one…?”

Juyul immediately shut down her hopeful stammering with a simple shake of his head and a scoff.

“Guide Maeng Sodam, let’s get one thing straight.”

He leaned in further.

“A few months ago, I never would have imagined myself getting guided regularly. Not once.”

“Well, for me, this still feels like a dream! So how about you leave me as a dream and find another Guide? I heard there are plenty of new high-ranking ones this round!”

“…And?”

Juyul’s brow arched ever so slightly.

Taking this as interest, Sodam grinned brightly and licked her lips, preparing to sell the idea.

Completely unaware that the only thing on Juyul’s mind was how badly he wanted to suck on the tongue peeking out between her lips.

“So,” she continued, voice light and persuasive,

“Wouldn’t there be at least one high-ranking, hardworking, pretty, and kind Guide who matches you perfectly?”

Juyul, without missing a beat, replied,

“You’re pretty too, Guide Maeng Sodam.”

“B-But I have no determination, a terrible personality, and I don’t even match well with you, Esper Baek Juyul!”

“I think you’re more than enough.”

Juyul’s lips curled naturally, anticipation bubbling up at the thought of effortlessly overturning Sodam’s argument.

Neither of them seemed to find it strange that, unlike a week ago, the roles had completely reversed—she was the one rejecting, and he was the one insisting.

“Normally, when I summon a Guide again just a week after a session, there’s a 99% chance they go completely silent on me.”

“…And the remaining 1%? How many people does that include?”

“Just you, Guide Maeng Sodam. Congratulations on breaking the 100% streak.”

“Hahhh…”

She swallowed the curse words threatening to spill from her lips—after all, it wasn’t worth getting on Juyul’s bad side.

But the sigh? That, she couldn’t hold back.

She had long since given up on clinging to the original story.

But what she absolutely didn’t want was to walk alongside Juyul down the path ahead of him—one filled with blood, suppression missions, and grotesque creatures.

Right now, it was late autumn, just on the cusp of winter.

Her apartment had no gas.

Even without guiding, she was at risk of freezing to death.

And if she had to deal with contamination on top of that…?

“At that point, the ‘Maeng-so-and-so Guide Death Incident’ might as well happen for real. Except, unlike the original story, the cause of death will be hypothermia.”

Even if Juyul was paying her, there was no way he’d offer enough to wipe out her billion-won debt in one go.

And the Association refusing to match her with any other Espers only solidified the fact that she would never be able to pay it off completely.

She had already made her decision—she’d settle just the debts that looked life-threatening and take the rest to the grave.

Let some other heroine deal with this icy landmine of a protagonist!

“No matter what, this isn’t right. Be honest—do you really think an F-rank Guide’s abilities even make a difference for you?”

Shaking her head, Sodam finally voiced the thoughts she had been holding back.

At this point, Juyul could have just accepted it and moved on.

But instead?

He sighed, sounding even more frustrated than her.

“Guide Maeng Sodam. You really need to learn just how capable you actually are.”

 

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