Episode 50. Giving Up Isn’t Just for Counting Cabbages (2)

The weight of the word emotion coming from Juyul’s mouth felt entirely different from how Sodam would have meant it.

It wasn’t just the kind of concern a parent had for their child—it was as if they saw him as something dangerous.

As that realization struck her, Sodam’s expression shifted.

Juyul noticed and let out a small, bitter smile.

“An Esper’s rampage is directly tied to their emotions. The more intense, the hotter my emotions become, the closer I get to becoming a disaster. No one knows that better than he does, so of course, he reacts more keenly to my problems.”

“……”

“Anyway, you just need to do your job well. If you do, nothing will happen.”

Juyul spoke as if it were no big deal.

But to Sodam, those words couldn’t have been more burdensome.

No matter how much he tried to soften it with explanations, it all boiled down to the fate of the world being in her hands.

…Seriously, maybe the real crazy one here isn’t me but Baek Juyul.

If he at least explained what that bad experience with an F-class Guide was, maybe she could avoid it.

Instead, he was telling her to walk blindfolded through a minefield while acting like it was no big deal.

Swallowing her frustration, Sodam sighed and muttered,

“I’m only going to do exactly what I’m told. If I step on one of your landmines without knowing, that’s entirely on the Association President and you for not explaining things properly.”

“…Right. As long as you stick to that, you won’t ever step on one.”

“That’s the problem! What the hell does that even mean?!”

She had tried to be understanding.

She had accepted that he probably wasn’t talking about it because it was a sensitive issue.

But this was just too much.

It was so frustrating that even Sodam—who had been willing to let it slide—couldn’t hold back anymore.

Clutching her head in both hands, she groaned, her expression scrunched up in pure exasperation.

Watching her, Juyul let out a small chuckle.

The more Sodam didn’t resemble that person, the more at ease he felt.

For the first time, he found himself wanting to prove the Association President—and his father—wrong.

But it was time to stop watching her struggle and pull her out of it.

Knocking deliberately loud on the door, he changed the subject.

“This house isn’t very welcoming to guests, is it? How much longer are you planning to keep me standing here?”

“Oh, um… Do you have to come in? Can’t you just go back?”

“You were the one who said your housing needed to be properly taken care of, Guide Maeng Sodam. I need to assess the current situation first if I’m going to do that, don’t you think?”

Cornered from every angle, Sodam let out a long, drawn-out sigh that sounded suspiciously like a curse.

“Just… don’t comment on anything. I warned you.”

“I’ll take it into consideration.”

Unfortunately, Baek Juyul’s Sodam’s House Tour started falling apart the moment he stepped inside.

At 185 cm, with a muscular build, he barely fit through the narrow entryway.

But he was willing to overlook that—she had warned him, after all.

Then, he got a good look at the state of the place.

And any thoughts of understanding completely vanished.

Juyul wasn’t reacting to the scattered clothes that Sodam was frantically trying to tidy up.

No, his focus was on the completely untouched kitchen—
A sink so dry it looked like it had never seen a single drop of water,
A gas stove so spotless it was almost suspicious,
Cooking utensils stuffed into a corner, so abandoned that he couldn’t even guess the last time they had been used.

There was zero sign of actual life in this space.

His brows furrowed deeply at the sight.

Noticing his expression, Sodam let out a loud, exaggerated cough.

“AHEM! Didn’t I tell you? It would’ve been better if you just left.”

“……When was the last time you cooked?”

“Huh? Uh… Last month, I made instant ramen in the microwave?”

“I meant real cooking. Something that actually requires a flame.”

“Hmm… Well, not that I recall.”

Hearing her response—so ridiculously in line with her own name (Sodam, meaning ‘bright but naive’)—Juyul felt a headache coming on.

Suppressing a sigh, he massaged his temples before asking,

“I’m just asking out of curiosity, but… what’s inside that fridge?”

“Probably water… and… water… and… more water?”

That was it. That was the absolute limit of what he could tolerate.

He knew that it was impossible for her life to change dramatically in just a day after clearing her debt.

But the fact that she didn’t even seem to have the will to change?

That was a serious problem.

Without a word, Juyul grabbed Sodam’s wrist and dragged her out of the house.

Stumbling after him, barely managing to slip on her shoes in time, she blurted out in disbelief,

“Wait, wait—what are you doing?! If you want to go somewhere, go by yourself! Why are you taking me?!”

“Guide Maeng Sodam.”

“…Yes?”

“The reason you keep collapsing isn’t because of Guiding—it’s because you live like this.”

“…Okay, but did you really have to phrase it like that?”

“If a healthy person lived the way you do, do you think they wouldn’t get weaker?”

“…I mean… they probably would…”

She agreed with him—deep down, she knew he was right.

But she was not about to admit that out loud.

Sodam stubbornly feigned ignorance, but Juyul simply scoffed—like he could see right through her.

Without another word, he continued leading her forward.

It was only when they reached the car—a car so absurdly high-end that it looked completely out of place in this neighborhood—that Sodam realized how completely off her game she had been.

She had been so shaken up by the Association President’s words that she hadn’t even thought about the possibility of Juyul showing up.

I was more rattled by that meeting than I thought… If I had been thinking straight, this should’ve been obvious!

As she sat there, lost in self-blame, Juyul suddenly leaned in—his face way too close.

Her mind jumped to the worst conclusion.

Wait, don’t tell me—was he so disgusted by my house that he refuses to even do Guiding in there?!

Her fingers curled into fists at the thought.

But then, the image of that damn contract flashed through her mind.

With a long exhale, her fists slowly unclenched.

She closed her eyes, trying to suppress her irritation.

The space between them thickened with tension—so much so that their breaths nearly mingled.

And then—

Click.

“Guide Maeng Sodam. Open your eyes.”

“…Huh? Oh—okay, okay.”

“I hate to disappoint you, but I wasn’t going to kiss you.”

Juyul’s amused voice snapped her out of her spiraling thoughts.

That’s when she finally realized—

The thing pressing against her chest wasn’t him.

It was the seatbelt.

Embarrassed, Sodam rubbed her fingers against the thin strap before mumbling,

“…I wasn’t even thinking about that.”

“Really? So you closed your eyes because you were afraid of the seatbelt?”

“…Let’s just go with that.”

Pouting slightly, she turned her attention away.

Meanwhile, the car smoothly pulled out onto the road, heading straight for a clearly predetermined destination.

Maybe it was because it was around dinner time, but the streets were packed.

The heavy traffic made the silence stretch on longer than necessary.

Unable to stand it, Sodam finally spoke.

“…So, where exactly are we going?”

“My house.”

“…What? Just like that? Out of nowhere? Why?”

“I already told you—if even a healthy person would get sick living in that place, how much worse do you think it is for someone as weak as you?”

“…I’m not that weak…”

“I’ll admit you’re not weak… when the day comes that you don’t pass out after sex.”

“……”

That was low. And completely factual.

Sodam struggled to find a comeback.

But simply following him to his house in silence didn’t sit right with her either.

There were too many red flags—
The fact that the distance between her and the male lead was shrinking at an alarming rate,
The looming potential for deeper Guiding sessions,
And the undeniable fact that this situation was veering dangerously close to the kind of relationship she absolutely had to avoid.

She was desperately wracking her brain for a way out when—

Growl.

Her stomach let out an embarrassingly loud rumble.

“…Ahem.”

“When was the last time you ate today?”

“Um… Lunch, I think? I had pork cutlet at the cafeteria…”

“…At least eat something for now. We’re almost there.”

Juyul casually reached into the console box and pulled out a container of chocolates, handing it over as if this were completely normal.

She accepted it automatically, popping one into her mouth without thinking.

The moment it melted on her tongue, a deep, intense bitterness spread through her mouth, making her eyebrows scrunch up.

“Ugh, what is this?!”

“You don’t eat it for the taste. It’s just a habit.”

“…Maybe next time, stock up on something sweet. You know, they say people get nicer when they eat sweets.”

“Oh? So you don’t particularly like sweets, then?”

It was true—Sodam wasn’t really a fan of overly sugary things.

She almost nodded automatically.

But then she froze.

Wait a minute.

Wasn’t that a roundabout way of saying I have a bad personality?

Her eye twitched as she let out a sharp laugh.

Then, without hesitation, she grabbed another chocolate from the container and pushed it against Juyul’s lips.

“I personally think Esper Baek Juyul actually likes the taste of these. I’d feel bad eating them alone—so here, have one.”

Juyul smirked at her childish attempt at retaliation but didn’t refuse.

Instead, he leaned in and took the chocolate straight from her fingers.

And just as she was about to pull her hand away—

His teeth lightly grazed the tip of her finger.

Followed by—

A faint, wet, lingering sensation.

A touch so subtle that it could have easily been accidental.

But Sodam jerked her hand away as if she had been burned.

She had been the one to start this.

So why did it feel like she was the one getting played?

She rubbed her fingers furiously against her palm, but no matter how much friction she created, the sensation wouldn’t fade.

There was no way in hell she was going to let him see her flustered.

Determined, she turned her head away.

But the moment she did—

Her own reflection in the car window betrayed her.

Her face was bright red.

Screw this.

It’s just the city lights reflecting on my face.

She stubbornly repeated it in her head over and over.

It’s just the lights.

Even when they arrived in the well-lit parking lot and she still looked just as flushed, she told herself the exact same thing.

It was just the damn lighting.