Chapter 78:
“Here, take the card.”
Seo Jae-yi took out a card from her wallet and handed it to him. It was a black card with her name, Seo Jae-yi, elegantly engraved in gold.
“Buy anything you want. It has a high limit, so you can even sweep through all the luxury stores.”
“Luxury stores… I never thought I’d understand how the ordinary protagonist with a chaebol girlfriend feels in dramas.”
Baek Joo-won said with a bewildered expression. Seo Jae-yi burst into laughter at his apt analogy.
“That’s perfect! Let’s see. If you’re going to be a drama protagonist, I should get you a house too, right?”
She suddenly remembered that she still didn’t know where Baek Joo-won lived.
“Where are you living now? I need to know for your safety, now that we’re paired.”
“You’re right. I’m curious about that too.”
Even Airok perked up his ears.
“Hmm, my house.”
Baek Joo-won shrugged after a moment of contemplation.
“Well, I can tell you now. I don’t actually have a place to live.”
“…What?”
No place to live?
“You mean… What?”
“It’s exactly what I said. How could I, a stateless person, afford a house in Korea?”
Right, that was why she had been curious about where he lived.
But he had really been living without a home?
“T-then you’ve been homeless for over a month?”
“Not exactly homeless, but you’re not wrong. I did live comfortably in a hotel suite for a week, thanks to Grayson.”
He had extorted a hotel suite because he didn’t have a home… It was certainly tempting for someone without a place to live.
“You could have stayed at the Center. They have accommodations for Guides.”
“Then the government would have taken it for granted and tied me to the Center. Is that what you want?”
Of course not…
“It wasn’t that inconvenient. It wasn’t my first time sleeping outside.”
Seo Jae-yi was speechless.
Most stateless individuals were those who had lost their countries and homes. She hadn’t thought about it because Baek Joo-won always wore clean, expensive suits, but living on the streets was a common experience for stateless individuals.
“You’re not planning on continuing to live on the streets, are you? No, even if you are, please reconsider. No Esper would let their paired Guide wander around without a home.”
She felt her blood boil just hearing that he had been homeless for a month; how could she let it continue? No way.
“There’s only one solution. Baek Joo-won, come live with me!”
“…What?”
“Master?!”
Baek Joo-won’s eyes widened at her declaration. Even Airok, who had been shaking his head, was startled.
“Don’t worry. I might not look like it, but I’m an Esper, so my house is huge. We can have completely separate living spaces, so you won’t have to worry about anything!”
“That’s…”
“Let’s go see it now. I’ll find you another place nearby if you don’t like it.”
Baek Joo-won couldn’t refuse her insistence, as she was concerned about her paired Guide.
“Then let’s go now! Ah, I shouldn’t have sent Seung-woo away. I wanted to show Logi the house too.”
Well, there was no helping it.
“I’ll call him back.”
Lee Seung-woo, who had been relieved to escape from the terrifying dungeon plants, was summoned back and let out a horrified scream. But Seo Jae-yi ignored him, threw him back among the dungeon plants, and drove off with Baek Joo-won and Airok.
The two, who had shown little interest in their new home, were speechless when they arrived.
“…Master, are you really living here?”
“Yes.”
Airok wasn’t particularly interested in human homes. He was just curious about where Seo Jae-yi lived.
But he couldn’t help but be amazed when he saw her house.
It was the top floor of a high-rise apartment.
The living room, with its 3-meter high ceilings, was bathed in sunlight, and the Han River stretched out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows that covered an entire wall.
It was so spacious that he could probably ride a bicycle inside.
Even though Airok didn’t know much about human homes, he was certain that such a large, luxurious house was rare.
And more importantly…
“To have such a clear view… It’s much better than the cave in the forest dungeon.”
Airok muttered, comparing it to the cave he had lived in with the dungeon master.
Baek Joo-won seemed to flinch slightly.
Seo Jae-yi showed them around the entire house, not just the living room. Baek Joo-won and Airok finally understood why she had said they could have separate living spaces.
There were two kitchens, one on each side of the living room, which was connected to the entrance. They each had their own bedroom, living room, bathroom with a bathtub, and even a terrace, so they could live completely separately, sharing only the front door.
“You’ve been living here alone, Seo Jae-yi?”
“Yes. My aunt and Won-yeong lived with me for a while, but I’ve mostly been living alone since then.”
Airok looked around the house again.
It was a spacious house, but there was only one resident. Or maybe it was because there was only essential furniture, like a bed.
It felt impersonal, almost desolate.
“There’s not much furniture or decorations.”
Baek Joo-won also seemed to feel the same way and asked Seo Jae-yi, who tilted her head.
“Do I need those? A TV, a sofa, a bed, a bookshelf, a dining table. Isn’t that enough?”
Her aunt and Seo Won-yeong had suggested adding more furniture and decorations, but Seo Jae-yi didn’t understand why. She had never used them before.
She had lived in the Center from the age of thirteen to twenty, and her room had only had a bed and a bookshelf.
Even those had been occasionally burned because of her uncontrollable ability, and the Center staff, perhaps finding it troublesome, had stopped replacing them, forcing her to use the damaged furniture.
Having lived like that, how could she possibly feel the need for other furniture?
“Ah, but you can buy anything you need, Baek Joo-won! Use the card I gave you and flex!”
“…Hah.”
She was sincere, but Baek Joo-won’s expression was strange.
“You don’t like it?”
“…No, it’s nice. I’ll stay here. You said I could arrange the furniture however I like, right?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t complain about me spending too much money.”
“You can spend as much as you want within the limit. I don’t even know what the limit is.”
“…I’ll try my best.”
Seo Jae-yi’s lips twitched. Baek Joo-won, seeing her struggling to contain her joy, asked curiously,
“Are you that happy about me spending money?”
“Ah, well, I heard that Espers love showering their Guides with gifts. But I never had a compatible Guide, so I never experienced this kind of joy.”
But now she could finally relate to their joy.
“To have someone who makes me happy just by giving them things… I’m so happy.”
Seo Jae-yi approached Baek Joo-won and gently took his hand. His slender fingers twitched.
“Baek Joo-won, thank you so much for becoming my Pair. I’ll protect you from close by, so you’ll never regret this choice. I won’t let anyone harm you. I won’t treat you poorly. I’ll always put you first.”
“….”
“Thank you for saving me.”
She bowed deeply, expressing her gratitude to the one who would become her savior.
“You don’t have to go that far. I chose you because I wanted to.”
“Oh my god. That makes me so happy! Baek Joo-won, I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life!”
“I’m not proposing.”
Seo Jae-yi burst out laughing as Baek Joo-won cringed.
But she was sincere. She would protect him for the rest of her life, and she would also protect his safety.
From those who were unhappy with his decision.
‘The government must know about this by now, since Gong Ju-hyun and the South Chungcheong branch people heard it.’
They would be furious that Baek Joo-won wasn’t listening to them, even though he had no obligation to.
And they would make their move. To force him to their will.
‘I won’t forgive anyone who touches him.’
He was another benefactor who saved her life. He was her Guide, the one she had finally met after eleven years. He was her lifeline.
She wouldn’t forgive anyone who harmed him. She would protect him no matter what.
“The sun is setting.”
Seo Jae-yi and Baek Joo-won simultaneously turned towards the living room window at Airok’s words. The reddish glow of the setting sun filled the sky.
It was the red color Seo Jae-yi loved so much.