Chapter 48:
‘Well, he might be saying that, but he’s also coveting Jae-yi.’
The Association Head, who was obsessed with recruiting talent, wouldn’t let Seo Jae-yi go easily.
But Grayson decided to keep quiet, fearing he might actually give the Association Head a heart attack if he mentioned it.
“Stop worrying and relax.”
—How can I not worry? You better not fail this time. If you do, I’ll never let you live it down! I’ll never give you the Association Head position!
“There’s no one else to give it to anyway. Just keep your seat warm, old man.”
Grayson ended the call abruptly before the Association Head could erupt again.
“I wonder if Korea has good blood pressure medication. I’m a bit worried about him.”
Grayson chuckled and stared at the rose on the table. It was a wilted, imperfect flower, but its bright yellow color, resembling his hair, was beautiful.
She must have known his feelings to give him this.
“Jae-yi, whom I’ve only met a few times, seems to know me better than the old man who raised me for ten years.”
That was why they were best friends.
Grayson rested his head on the table and gazed at the rose for a long time.
He hoped it wouldn’t wilt further and would remain like this until he returned to the US.
***
Seo Jae-yi had a restless night.
She had been on edge since receiving the message that the blond jerk had gone to meet Baek Joo-won.
Should she go after them? Shouldn’t she protect Baek Joo-won from that jerk’s sweet-talking lies?
But Baek Joo-won had only told her that he was meeting Grayson; he hadn’t revealed the location. It was as good as telling her not to come, so she had to force herself to stay put, despite her restless legs.
The next morning, Seo Jae-yi rushed to the Center with a bouquet for Baek Joo-won.
She was going to interrogate him about Grayson’s nonsense, but…
“…Why are they together?”
Grayson was clinging to Baek Joo-won, who was as handsome as ever.
Grayson smiled shyly at her questioning gaze.
“Well, we slept under the same roof.”
“What?”
“He was so insistent on sleeping with me from our first meeting… I was completely smitten by his boldness. It was a perfect night.”
What was he talking about? What, what did they do? Baek Joo-won asked to sleep with him?!
“Mr. Baek Joo-won, don’t tell me your taste is…”
Seo Jae-yi looked at Baek Joo-won with trembling eyes. He quickly took three steps back from Grayson.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“How could your type be that Millstone, of all people…?”
“I said it’s not true.”
“Think carefully. Reliability is the most important quality in a person, and he has none of that. Someone like me, who owns a shop, runs it well, and gives good gifts, is the best!”
“I gave him a gift too. The luxurious hotel suite we stayed at last night was booked with my money.”
A suite! Seo Jae-yi’s jaw dropped.
“A hotel suite… the place where many historical events take place…!”
With its great view, luxurious room, and comfortable bed, it was a place where history was bound to be made!
“Honey, what can you do? Oh, I guess I can’t call you honey anymore. I have a real honey now. Jae-yi, accept reality.”
Grayson patted Seo Jae-yi’s shoulder, who was in shock.
Baek Joo-won sighed in annoyance at their ridiculous conversation.
“I’m not going to the US.”
That single sentence was enough to end the absurd charade.
“He slept alone in the suite. I slept in a different room. In the same hotel, but different rooms.”
“Right. There’s no way your type would be a jerk like him! You have good taste!”
Seo Jae-yi smiled brightly again after Grayson revealed the truth. She quickly handed Baek Joo-won the light purple rose bouquet she had brought.
“Here’s today’s bribe. Don’t play with him.”
“As long as he doesn’t talk nonsense.”
“Yes, I’ll be quiet.”
Baek Joo-won, finally satisfied, took the bouquet and entered the Center.
Grayson, following behind him, complained to Seo Jae-yi.
“Honey, you only gave me a wilted rose yesterday, but you give him such a beautiful bouquet?”
“Because he’s pretty, and you’re not.”
“You used to call me a pretty blond, how could you change your mind?”
“I wonder why I did that. My mouth must have been malfunctioning.”
Honestly, Grayson had been a truly beautiful blond boy when they first met. His slender physique, his youthful face, his sky-blue eyes peeking through his long, golden eyelashes…
Seo Jae-yi had befriended him because of his beauty, but what had happened to him in the past ten years?
It must have been their first meeting.
She didn’t regret calling Kwon Yi-soo “handsome oppa,” but she truly regretted calling Grayson that.
“Are you two friends?”
Baek Joo-won, who had been walking ahead, asked, and they answered simultaneously.
“Yes, we are. We’ve been best friends for ten years.”
“The kind of friends who don’t visit even when one is dying.”
“Honey, were you that upset?”
Grayson asked slyly, and Seo Jae-yi gave him a “Are you serious?” look.
“Since when?”
Grayson chuckled at her indifferent expression, clearly implying she hadn’t expected him to visit, and removed his hand from her shoulder.
Baek Joo-won looked at them with a puzzled expression. He couldn’t tell if they were close friends or if they were so indifferent that they wouldn’t care if the other died.
If they were close, Grayson would know that trying to take him, Seo Jae-yi’s only compatible Guide, to the US was as good as killing her.
“…”
But Baek Joo-won didn’t ask, silently heading towards the training room.
More eyes were on him today, perhaps because of Grayson following behind him.
Grayson, the frontrunner for the next US Esper Association Head, was a well-known figure, unlike Seo Jae-yi. Therefore, everyone in the Center recognized him.
“It’s Grayson.”
“He must be here to recruit the S-rank Guide.”
“Even Grayson himself came. The offer must be extraordinary.”
“Is Grayson unpaired? If so, it makes sense for him to come personally. Even a 50% Matching Rate between S-ranks is almost as effective as 70%.”
“To be paired with Grayson? Even an S-rank Guide would be tempted.”
Grayson puffed out his chest, hearing the whispers around him. His presence was commanding, even in a foreign country.
“Did you hear that? That’s who I am. You’ll receive special treatment just by being with me.”
Grayson boasted to Baek Joo-won, who was tying his shoelaces, wearing his training uniform.
But Baek Joo-won’s reaction was indifferent.
“Hear what?”
“…”
Grayson deflated, seeing his lack of interest. Seo Jae-yi chuckled at him.
“His posture is good. Balanced and strong.”
Grayson muttered, observing Baek Joo-won warming up with the gym equipment in the training room.
“You said he just awakened as a Guide?”
“It’ll be a month soon.”
“And he’s already this fit.”
An ordinary person would simply assume he had been working out diligently.
But to an Esper’s eyes, who had been fighting monsters and undergoing intense training for years, it was different.
“His movements aren’t like someone who just works out. His muscles are all practical, combat-ready.”
Clothes couldn’t hide one’s physique. Grayson wouldn’t miss it.
“Are you sure he was an ordinary person before awakening as a Guide?”
Just like Korea, the US had started investigating Baek Joo-won as soon as they learned about him.
But they couldn’t find any information beyond what Baek Joo-won had revealed. Even the US, which was superior to Korea in information gathering, couldn’t uncover his past.
He was a valuable asset, but his sudden appearance, as if he had fallen from the sky, was suspicious.
“What are you going to do if he’s a strange person? Aren’t you worried?”
But Seo Jae-yi’s reaction was indifferent.
“Tell me if you’re going to give up on him. I’ll let him know immediately.”
“What if he’s a dangerous person? Aren’t you concerned?”
“Why should I be concerned?”
Seo Jae-yi burst out laughing, as if he had said something ridiculous.
“Suspicious or not, I’ll die without him anyway.”
No matter what he did, no matter what consequences his actions might bring, nothing would be worse than death.
“The worst that could happen is him using his amazing Guiding to enslave me and make me do his bidding. Like using me to destroy the world.”
“That’s too much! That’s terrifying!”
Grayson shuddered, his face pale.
But his fear was short-lived. As the firearms training began, he started to regret doubting Baek Joo-won.
“Wow, all my suspicions are gone.”
His shooting was so clumsy. It wasn’t an act; it was the posture of someone who genuinely didn’t know how to use a gun.
He had suspected Baek Joo-won might be a secret agent from a special forces unit, but his suspicions vanished.
“Jae-yi.”
“Unnie Seon-min!”
Joo Seon-min arrived at the training room. She patted Seo Jae-yi’s head, who was waving excitedly, and then looked at Grayson.
“I heard everyone making a fuss about someone from the US coming. You certainly live up to the hype.”
“I am quite extraordinary. It’s been a while, Ms. Joo Seon-min.”
Grayson greeted her politely, but her gaze was cold.
“Don’t act so self-important when you’re here to steal talent from another country. Unless you’re some kind of legendary thief.”
Grayson remained silent, unable to refute her words.
Even the admired, future US Esper Association Head was just a talent thief in the eyes of fellow S-ranks.