To My Flower-Like S-Class Guide 63

Chapter 63:

“Something you want. Can you only obtain it here?”

“Yes.”

Grayson stared at Baek Joo-won, his clear blue eyes unreadable.

“…Well, that’s a good enough reason. Do you have any plans to come to the US after you obtain it?”

“No.”

“I understand. I’ll convey your message to the US.”

Grayson nodded readily, despite the firm rejection. Baek Joo-won scrutinized him.

‘He doesn’t seem like someone who would give up so easily.’

He was objectively handsome, but his terrible personality negated that. And he was a hard man to read.

He must have some other plan.

‘Well, it’s not my concern.’

He would never go to the US, and this might be the last time he saw Grayson.

He wasn’t interested enough in Grayson to bother digging deeper.

“This is my last night in this suite. Thank you for the comfortable stay.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Even slightly increasing your favorability towards the US is enough for the contract to have served its purpose.”

They stood up and shook hands.

“It was a short time, but I enjoyed it. I hope we meet again someday.”

“Are you leaving right away?”

“I’ve achieved my goal, so there’s no reason to stay. I’m a busy man, you know.”

“Goodbye.”

Grayson chuckled at Baek Joo-won’s indifferent farewell. He seemed genuinely amused.

Baek Joo-won didn’t understand why he was smiling, considering he was returning empty-handed.

***

Grayson returned to his room after the conversation.

His hands were empty, but he didn’t feel any sense of loss or regret.

“Oh, it’s wilted.”

He noticed the flower in the vase on the hotel table and frowned.

The single yellow rose, which his precious friend had tossed at him on the first day, had wilted and drooped its head.

He wished it had lasted a bit longer. A new wave of regret washed over him as he stared at the shriveled, browning rose.

He decided to shake off this unfamiliar feeling and dialed a familiar number.

“Hello, honey.”

A curt, yet endearing voice, which he loved to hear, answered from the other side.

—What?

“I’m going back to the US.”

Seo Jae-yi inhaled sharply. It was a faint sound, but his S-rank hearing didn’t miss it.

“Are you sad?”

—No, it’s just like you. You always do this.

From their first meeting to their subsequent encounters, even their last meeting, Grayson had always informed Seo Jae-yi of his departure through a phone call.

It was only natural for her to be accustomed to his eccentricities.

—The negotiations with Baek Joo-won failed?

“Yes. I got dumped. I’m not used to being dumped; it’s really sad.”

Grayson pretended to cry, caressing the yellow rose. The touch of the dry petals felt melancholic.

“I got dumped by you too. My charms don’t work on Koreans, I guess.”

In fact, Grayson had occasionally visited Korea to try and bring Seo Jae-yi to the US.

Especially four years ago, when Seo Jae-yi finally gained her freedom at twenty, he had made a serious offer, unlike his usual playful demeanor.

He had been rejected, of course.

—The people who fall for your “charms” must be blind.

“Honey, why are you so cold? We might not see each other again after this. Do you have to be like this until the very end?”

—Well, I could die at any moment, so this might be our last goodbye.

Her tone was light, but Grayson’s face hardened.

He had witnessed the Korean government’s ridiculous attempt to force a Guide with a mere 48% Matching Rate on her.

“…Jae-yi, do you regret joining Haeil Guild?”

He had asked the same question four years ago.

If she had expressed even a hint of regret, he would have gone to great lengths to bring her to the US, where he could protect her.

But what had she said back then?

‘Do I look like I regret it?’

—Do I look like I regret it?

And she gave him the exact same answer. Her voice held a hint of amusement; she also seemed to remember that day.

“No, not at all. …That’s good. That’s the most important thing.”

Since her heart hadn’t changed, this would be the last time he asked that question.

He would continue his path in the US, and she would continue hers in Korea.

But…

“So Jae-yi, I hope you live a good life. I hope we can see each other occasionally, even if it’s only once every few years, and enjoy good food together. Even if we don’t see each other for a long time, I’ll be happy knowing you’re breathing under the same sky.”

Don’t die, Jae-yi.

Seo Jae-yi didn’t answer his heartfelt words.

But Grayson wasn’t suffocated by her silence. His friend also wanted to live.

He had sensed her will to live during his ten days in Korea. That alone made his trip worthwhile.

—Anyone would think I’m dying tomorrow.

“You’ll die soon without Guiding. So try to seduce Baek Joo-won properly. You’re good at seducing people, aren’t you?”

—Me? Of course I’m beautiful, but good at seducing people?

Grayson looked at her incredulously.

‘She doesn’t even know who she’s seducing.’

Not only him, but also the Haeil Guild Leader, the aloof Joo Seon-min, the resolute Baek Joo-won, and countless others.

He couldn’t believe she was unaware of the people circling her.

‘And there’s one more.’

A man of steel who never revealed his emotions. Seducing him had been the most surprising.

Seo Jae-yi would probably never know.

“You seduced me, honey.”

—I didn’t seduce you; you came crawling to me.

“I can’t deny that.”

Grayson chuckled. She was right. He had been drawn to her strength as a fellow Esper, lingered by her side, and eventually become her friend.

It was one of the best decisions he had ever made.

He had become her friend, so he could help her.

—Visit me again if I’m still alive and well. You got dumped by Baek Joo-won, so I’ll welcome you next time.

“That’s a sweet offer. I’ll definitely visit.”

So live, Jae-yi.

He didn’t say it out loud, but she would know his wish.

—See you later, Maggie.

That was why she said that.

Grayson smiled brightly and replied,

“See you later, Jae-yi.”

It was a perfectly satisfying farewell.

“Now, with all the regrets out of the way, shall we go?”

He hung up the phone and was about to pack his bags when…

“Express delivery.”

An unexpected visitor arrived with the doorbell.

“Sent by Ms. Seo Jae-yi.”

Grayson opened the door with a puzzled expression and then stared blankly at what the delivery man handed him.

It was a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses in full bloom.

“…Hah.”

He returned to his room and stared at the bouquet, biting his lip.

The roses, sprinkled with fine gold dust, seemed to illuminate the entire room. It was the most stunning bouquet he had ever received. It was filled with sincerity, incomparable to the single rose she had casually given him before.

“…”

He unfolded the white card tucked between the roses and saw his friend’s familiar handwriting.

[Thank you, Maggie. I’ll live well.

—From your best friend.]

It was a short message, but it was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Grayson buried his face in the bouquet, hiding his tears. The strong scent of roses filled his senses.

“…This is enough.”

The message contained everything he had wished for; how could he complain about its brevity?

“Please live well, Jae-yi.”

He tucked the single wilted rose into the bouquet. Its beauty wasn’t diminished. It was a bouquet filled with friendship; its brilliance wouldn’t fade from something so trivial.

He would probably be bombarded with nagging once he returned to the US, but did it even matter?

He had perfectly achieved the purpose of his trip.

He could now return without a single regret.

Grayson smiled brightly, like the blooming roses.