Chapter 30:
Joo Seon-min asked the most important question first.
“How are things going with him? Do you think he’ll choose you?”
“We’re getting along. I’ve been diligently visiting the Center and offering bribes while he’s in training.”
“You’re visiting the Center?”
Joo Seon-min was surprised, knowing Seo Jae-yi’s past experiences there.
“It’s not that bad. It’s actually okay because Mr. Baek Joo-won is there. I don’t feel uncomfortable.”
Seo Jae-yi’s face was genuinely bright as she spoke.
“You’re just like any other Esper, swayed by a single Guide.”
It might have sounded like mockery, but it wasn’t. Joo Seon-min was genuinely relieved.
“That’s good. If you feel that way, Baek Joo-won must be paying attention to you as well.”
Seo Jae-yi was surprised by the unexpected statement.
“What? Really?”
“Of course.”
“But aren’t only Espers affected by that instinct?”
Joo Seon-min snorted at her naive question.
“This is why research on Guides is necessary. People are so blinded by Espers’ abilities that they neglect Guides and remain ignorant of even the basics.”
“Like what?”
“Do you really think that incredible 93% Matching Rate only affects you? That the other party is unaffected? Do you honestly believe that?”
When Seo Jae-yi didn’t answer, Joo Seon-min sighed.
“Right. Espers die without Guides, while Guides can survive without Espers, so everyone has that misconception. Of course, Espers are more strongly influenced by the instinct because their lives literally depend on it. And some Espers even become obsessed with Guides in general, not just a specific one.”
Joo Seon-min patiently explained to the young Esper, who had finally found a Guide with a high Matching Rate.
While Seo Jae-yi had been Awakened longer, she was practically a novice in this area.
“But Guides also experience the urge. How can they remain indifferent when someone needs them so desperately, when someone cries out for them as their savior, when they possess the power to save a life?”
While Espers expressed their instincts more dramatically, Guides also had the instinct to protect their Espers.
Their Esper, the one they had to protect.
Guides cherished that existence with an overwhelming love.
“There are even cases where Guides become attracted to Espers first, regardless of Matching Rate. I’ve seen it myself.”
“The Guide first? And without the influence of Matching Rate?”
“It means the other party is special. Or the Esper is incredibly powerful, even captivating to a Guide. We’re also drawn to strength. After all, Guides and Espers are inseparable.”
“I see…”
“So stop worrying and burying your head in the sand. Show him your strength, your best qualities. It’ll improve your relationship, and he might even appreciate your instincts instead of being horrified.”
Seo Jae-yi shook her head, disagreeing with Joo Seon-min’s advice.
“I understand what you’re saying, Unnie. I’m not sure if I can continuously endure Mr. Baek Joo-won’s Guiding… But that’s my problem. I have to focus on getting chosen first.”
Seo Jae-yi clenched her fists.
“Even though the Center has become a better place thanks to Mr. Baek Joo-won, I still don’t want him to stay there. Who knows what they might do to him.”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been experimented on at the Center after awakening at thirteen.
While such horrific incidents were rare now, they could happen again.
She didn’t want Baek Joo-won to be subjected to that.
“That’s important too. I chose to stay there, knowing the risks, but he doesn’t know, right?”
“Right.”
“Are you planning to tell him?”
“Not yet. I’ll tell him if he decides to stay at the Center.”
The Esper human experimentation research had been conducted in secrecy. She planned to keep it a secret for now, fearing what those involved might do to Baek Joo-won if he found out.
Joo Seon-min nodded, seeming to agree.
“Anything else? You must have met Kwon Yi-soo if you’ve been going to the Center.”
“Our Guild Master almost got into a fight with him because he wants to keep Baek Joo-won at the Center. Nothing happened between me and Kwon Yi-soo.”
“Really? That’s unexpected. To find what he wanted and then…”
“Find what?”
Did Kwon Yi-soo want something?
Seo Jae-yi was curious, as she had never discussed such things with him.
“Never mind. That idiot will remain an idiot forever.”
“You’re probably the only one who calls the Center Head an idiot, Unnie.”
“Wouldn’t Won-yeong say the same?”
“That’s true. Our Won-yeong is quite straightforward.”
“You’re still biased towards your sister.”
Seo Jae-yi blinked her large eyes, acting as if it were obvious. Joo Seon-min smiled at her unchanging nature.
“How’s the shop doing?”
“Great!”
“That’s an unexpected response. I thought you’d be crying about the lack of customers.”
“It’s true. I’m getting more customers these days.”
Seo Jae-yi proudly puffed out her chest.
The blue bellflowers, which Seo Won-yeong was selling for her, were in high demand, and word had spread about the flower shop that sold unique flowers, steadily increasing her revenue.
She even had two customers in a single day sometimes!
Bringing Airok back had been a stroke of genius. She wouldn’t return him to the dungeon master, even if he asked.
“I also started a new business. Want to see it? It might interest you, considering you’re always stuck in dungeons.”
“Me?”
Seo Jae-yi led Joo Seon-min, who looked intrigued, to the greenhouse. As she scanned the area, she widened her eyes at the sight of what occupied a significant portion of the greenhouse.
“My new business venture. Dungeon plants.”
“These?”
“They’re quite useful. Our Guild Master is testing them in dungeons.”
Seo Jae-yi showed Joo Seon-min the report Kim Yoo-sung had given her after his dungeon raid.
“I thought it was some crazy idea when I first heard about it, but the report actually sounds promising.”
“Right? Unnie, take some and help me promote them.”
“So that was your purpose. You’re the only one who would use me as a promotional tool.”
“I can’t just let such a valuable resource go to waste. It’s against my principles as a businesswoman.”
She had become a true capitalist entrepreneur. Well, as long as she was happy.
But…
“Something’s been bothering me… I thought they were dungeon plants, but now that I look closer, they’re not.”
Joo Seon-min drew her gun, which she had holstered on her back. Seo Jae-yi was startled by the appearance of the anti-monster firearm.
“What are you doing, Unnie?! Why are you trying to kill my babies! They’re harmless and staying quietly here!”
“No, Jae-yi. This isn’t a dungeon plant. It’s definitely a monster’s energy signature. It’s hiding among your precious plants.”
Joo Seon-min aimed her gun at a spot among the dungeon plants.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt your precious plants. You trust my aim, right?”
And before Seo Jae-yi could stop her, she pulled the trigger.
“Jae-yi?”
However, the bullet stopped mid-air before it could reach its target.
A stream of fire enveloped the bullet. It was Seo Jae-yi’s ability.
“You’re a scary unnie. I can’t fool you.”
Seo Jae-yi sighed and looked at the spot Joo Seon-min had targeted.
“Logi, come out.”
The leaves rustled slightly, and a small, white dragon with a blue sheen emerged.
The dragon glared at Joo Seon-min and quickly flew behind Seo Jae-yi, hiding.
“Master, who is this human? How could she accurately target me while I was hiding?”
It was only natural. Joo Seon-min was a Guide with combat instincts that surpassed even most Espers.
She wasn’t just wandering around dungeons for fun. If Seo Jae-yi hadn’t intervened, she would have shot and killed Airok.
“Unnie, you can’t kill him. He’s my employee. He helped me grow all these dungeon plants, and thanks to him, my shop is getting more customers.”
“You hired a monster? And a lizard, at that?”
“I’m not a lizard! Why do all the humans here keep calling me a lizard?!”
“But you look exactly…”
“Master, you’re so mean!”
Airok started crying, upset that Seo Jae-yi had called him a lizard after all his efforts.
Joo Seon-min looked confused, seeing him wiping tears and snot on Seo Jae-yi’s clothes.
“…Jae-yi, is he really helpful?”
“He’s helping me with his cuteness.”
She had never considered a monster cute before, but seeing him cry was somewhat endearing.
Joo Seon-min lowered her gun, satisfied, but that only made Airok more miserable.
How had he, a dragon who once ruled a dungeon, fallen so low? It was all the fault of the dungeon master, who had left him sealed in an egg and abandoned the dungeon.
Although Airok had almost been shot – he insisted he couldn’t be killed by a mere gun, but Seo Jae-yi ignored him – the situation was resolved peacefully.
While Joo Seon-min believed that all monsters that harmed humans should be eliminated, she wasn’t heartless enough to kill someone’s pet.
“Pet?! Pet?!”
After Joo Seon-min left, Airok continued to fume.
Seo Jae-yi, ignoring him, was busy watering the plants with the fire sprinkler.
“I need to start selling the dungeon plants, but how should I market them? Should I ask Won-yeong for help? It would be good to bundle them with the equipment she’s crafting for customers.”
After watering the fire-eating plants, she picked up Airok, who was still sobbing, and shook him over the water-drinking plants. Dragon tears sprinkled everywhere.
To use a crying dragon as a watering can! Airok was so shocked that he stopped crying.
“Huh? Is it broken? Why isn’t any water coming out?”
“Master! How can you treat me like this?!”
Airok roared in outrage. Seo Jae-yi finally laughed and gently held him in her hands.
“I was just kidding. Thanks to you, Logi, my shop is getting more customers. Of course you’re precious. Well, you must be tired after today’s incident with Unnie, so let’s go have some delicious food. How about lamb?”
“Do you think I’d just say ‘Yes! Lamb sounds great!’?”
“Yes.”
“You know me too well. I want lamb today.”
Airok, instantly appeased, wagged his tail.
“Okay. I need to nourish myself too, since I don’t know when I’ll have to endure Mr. Baek Joo-won’s Guiding again. I need to build up my strength.”
Hiccup. Airok, who had been happily wagging his tail and wiggling his bottom at the thought of lamb, suddenly started hiccupping.