Episode 63. A Good-Bad Guy, a Just-Bad Guy, and a Weird Guy (6)

Now that he realized the petty sense of inferiority he had harbored was directed at an illusion of Juyul, his heart should have felt lighter—but strangely, it only felt more suffocating.

‘…I guess Sodam really doesn’t know me at all.’

The kindness and warmth she had described were just a facade. And even after revealing everything hidden beneath that exterior, Seonghwa still couldn’t let go of a lingering desire. After their conversation, the emotions he had kept buried began to stir wildly on their own. The longing that had been scratching at his throat finally slipped out of his mouth.

“You’re the one who chose her. It wasn’t Sodam’s choice, was it?”

“…Ha.”

“I wouldn’t hurt her the way you have. Whether it’s about your father, or about deep Guiding.”

“…”

“Don’t you think she needs to experience it with someone else, too, in order to decide what’s better? …That choice might end up being me.”

I’m pretty good at it.

That provocative line, delivered without a direct object, made Juyul’s face harden even further.

Nothing more needed to be said. Behind Juyul, countless shards of ice began to float into the air. In response, faint embers began to kindle behind Seonghwa. It didn’t take long for them to clash.

And so, one of the biggest obstacles Juyul had faced in the original story—his conflict with the Association—was wiped away entirely. This, of course, was something Sodam, deep asleep, couldn’t have possibly known.

* * *

It was three hours after an entire part of the island had been destroyed when Sodam finally opened her eyes again. The lukewarm water did nothing to satisfy her, and she stumbled to her feet. Her body, revealed beneath the slowly slipping blanket, was covered in red and purple marks. Bite wounds and kiss marks were scattered all over her, leaving her skin tingling with soreness.

“Crazy bastard… Can I file for injury compensation for this?”

She would probably need two full tubes of that ointment they only give to Espers if she hoped to restore her skin to its original state. She had once tried to purchase it herself but gave up after seeing the eye-popping price tag. At this point, Juyul really ought to buy her a whole box of it.

Her creaking waist, numb legs, and ragged, metallic breaths—what was she supposed to do about those? Letting out a deep sigh, Sodam groaned as she got dressed. Maybe he had felt some guilt, judging by the heat packs on both her arms, which only gave her more of a headache.

“If he’d just done it right from the start, there’d be no need for crap like this…”

Still, it seemed the heat packs were doing their job, considering her body wasn’t in total ruin even after two deep Guidings. Shuffling slowly, leaning halfway on the railing, she headed to the kitchen—only to find the very last face she wanted to see right now.

A cheerful voice snatched her right back from the doorway.

“Ah! Guide Maeng Sodam! Good morning!”

“…Ah. Guide Han Daram, did you sleep well too?”

“Of course! But in the middle of the night, there was a lot of banging and crashing outside, so I woke up. Did you hear it, Guide Maeng Sodam?”

Not at all. Not even a little. She physically couldn’t have, in the state she was in. But if she admitted that, Daram would ask why, and then put two and two together, and then things would get awkward very quickly. Forcing a smile, Sodam pretended the memory had just come to her.

“Oh, that. I did hear it. It was really loud.”

“I thought maybe it was another creature attack, so I went out to check, but guess what… the Espers were fighting each other!”

“…What? Those two?”

“Yes! Those two!”

Daram seemed thrilled to finally have someone who understood what she was talking about, but unfortunately for her, Sodam had no interest in continuing that topic. She wasn’t the least bit curious about how or why those two had fought. In fact, it made her uncomfortable—because it occurred to her she might have been the reason the fight even started.

“But to try and… do that to me without even properly fighting first is cowardly. That’s not like you, Seonghwa.”

Why did I say that?
Maeng Sodam, you’ve completely lost your mind…

She wasn’t worried about Juyul at all. He was the kind of overpowered character who wouldn’t die even if you prayed for it. But she wasn’t sure if Seonghwa had come out of it unscathed. Daram, watching Sodam fall into a dark expression, quickly added,

“Oh! Esper Baek Juyul is totally fine! He even went out again to do a final check before the helicopter arrives!”

“…What about Esper Cha Seonghwa?”

“He’s a bit injured, but it’s mostly just scratches. He said he’d treat them himself. I don’t think Esper Baek Juyul will be getting any formal disciplinary action.”

Sodam didn’t know why Daram insisted on linking every part of her explanation back to Juyul, but since it was helpful information, she didn’t bother correcting her and simply nodded.

Having given up on escaping Daram’s line of questioning, she poured herself some water and began drinking it quietly. Soon enough, Daram cautiously approached again.

“Um, Guide Maeng Sodam. I wanted to ask you something…”

“Ah… sure. Go ahead…”

Sodam’s face twisted as she thought, Here it comes. But the time they’d spent together had been short, and Daram didn’t notice her change in expression. Instead, she hesitated, then closed her eyes like a high school student about to confess, and blurted it out.

“I really, really respect you!”

“…Ah. Wait, what?”

“How did you manage to face an Esper in that condition so boldly…? He’s not just anyone, he’s the Baek Juyul. I get all shaky just watching him from a distance.”

“What do you mean, ‘that condition’?”

“After subjugations, Espers are really, really sensitive, right? I’ve heard some rookie Guides got hurt just by approaching them at the wrong time.”

“…Really?”

It was news to her. Seonghwa had mentioned it might be dangerous, and the original story had hinted that Espers were sensitive after battles. She had vaguely assumed it might be risky. But she also knew what kind of thoughts Juyul had at the time, and honestly, she hadn’t believed he would actually hurt her. That naïve confidence was the only reason she’d approached him.

It hadn’t been about noble resolve or courage like Daram imagined. She just hadn’t known how dangerous an Esper’s sensitivity could really be. Realizing she had narrowly survived a potentially lethal encounter, a chill ran down her spine.

Daram, completely unaware of what was going on in Sodam’s mind, continued in an excited voice.

“Yes! That’s why right now, Guide Maeng Sodam is basically a hero among lower-ranked Guides! And now that you’ve even become someone’s exclusive partner—it’s honestly so impressive it’s unfair!”

“R-right… Haha…”

“I mean, even though I know there’s no way Esper Baek Juyul would go on a rampage, I still got scared to approach him. I actually felt grateful that he turned down my Guiding offer.”

At this point, Sodam wanted to scream. Even if it was late, maybe—just maybe—if Juyul experienced a proper session with a higher-ranked Guide and felt the difference deep in his bones, he might finally let her go. She really shouldn’t have rushed to sign that damned exclusive contract.

Gripped by frustration, she chugged cold water out of spite. Meanwhile, Daram, cheeks slightly flushed, lowered her voice and asked timidly,

“If you sign an exclusive contract, um, does that mean… everything… happens?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Like… um… there’s a deep bond? Emotionally?”

What deep emotional bond had ever passed between her and Juyul? That was such a ridiculous thought to apply to someone who was more or less a sacrificial lamb to a tyrant. Sodam stared at her blankly, mouth hanging open, completely speechless. Daram’s face turned even redder.

“I-I mean, the two of you… seemed really close…”

“Huh…”

“Oh! I wasn’t sure at first either! But once I realized what it was, I covered my ears right away! So, um, I didn’t eavesdrop or anything!”

“Well… thanks for that, I guess…”

Daram, utterly oblivious to the mental uppercut she’d just delivered, pressed her hot cheeks with her palms. If she had simply asked Sodam to be more discreet next time, it would’ve been embarrassing but understandable. But this bizarre misunderstanding? Sodam didn’t even know where to begin fixing it.

As she silently gulped water, trying her best to ignore the sparkling admiration in Daram’s eyes, a sound of salvation finally reached her ears: the front door opening. The lock clicked, the knob turned, and two men stepped in. There was no confusion about which one Sodam turned toward instinctively.

“Esper Cha Seonghwa! You’re not secretly seriously injured or anything, are you?”

Naturally, it was Seonghwa—the one carrying the burden of guilt.