Chapter 87:
They were taking away Korea’s strongest Heat Manipulation Esper. If she overloaded and lost control, the consequences wouldn’t be limited to a single burning mountain.
‘We’ll see who regrets this.’
Seo Jae-yi glanced at her receiver as the car started moving. There was probably a signal jammer installed in this car too, but it didn’t matter. She had already sent a message to a trustworthy person before getting in.
‘I’m glad I had Won-yeong modify it.’
She smirked.
Jang Woo-seok would deeply regret his actions today.
Even before arriving at Mount Taebaek, Seo Jae-yi sensed that the situation was serious.
It had taken them four hours to get here, stuck in rush hour traffic.
She had wondered why she could smell smoke even with the windows closed. Seo Jae-yi clicked her tongue as she got out of the car.
The night sky, which should have been dark, was stained with an ominous glow. The peaks of Mount Taebaek were ablaze. She hadn’t felt this angry in a long time.
“Those high and mighty officials don’t care even if an entire mountain burns down? They just left it like this?”
No one answered her cold remark.
Of course, their reactions varied. Some avoided her gaze, while others looked at her defiantly, as if it didn’t matter to them.
‘I should have brought Jang Woo-seok here and thrown him into the fire.’
Then he would experience firsthand how terrifying, how horrifying, how painful fire was.
She couldn’t believe he would go this far just to get rid of her.
“Did the wildfire start naturally, or was it arson?”
“It wasn’t intentional! We would never do such a thing!”
One of them, the one who had been avoiding her gaze, answered hurriedly, perhaps feeling guilty, when she asked if they had started the fire intentionally to kill her.
‘If it was arson, I was going to drag Jang Woo-seok here and throw him in.’
It was a shame she couldn’t be sure, but she would have to postpone that plan.
“You can’t leave this place until you confirm whether I’m dead or alive, right?”
No one answered. Silence meant affirmation.
“Bring Baek Joo-won here if you don’t want to burn to death. Or the Center Head.”
She was about to turn and leave when two cars entered the parking lot.
It wasn’t a Haeil Guild car or Kwon Yi-soo’s car. And outsiders couldn’t enter a restricted area during a wildfire.
But the people who got out of the cars were unexpected.
It was Gong Ju-hyun and Chu Sung-won, the South Chungcheong branch head.
“I rushed here after hearing you were assigned to this wildfire. I heard Guide Baek Joo-won is unavailable? So I personally brought Guide Gong Ju-hyun. Focus on extinguishing the fire without worry!”
Chu Sung-won patted Gong Ju-hyun’s shoulder with a beaming smile.
Gong Ju-hyun smiled brightly as Seo Jae-yi looked at them with a dumbfounded expression.
“Don’t worry, Noona. I can handle it. Leave the rest to me!”
“How can you handle it?”
What was this? He should have realized during their brief contact in the dungeon a few days ago that his ability couldn’t heal her. Why was he suddenly so confident?
“Please trust me. I’m confident I won’t disappoint you.”
“But how… Huh?”
She was about to question his absurd claim when…
A familiar energy, carried by a hot wind, washed over her.
It was an intense red. An energy hotter than the fire engulfing Mount Taebaek was emanating from Gong Ju-hyun.
Unlike Seo Jae-yi, who froze, Gong Ju-hyun smiled brightly.
“I can really heal you, Noona.”
“…”
Something was definitely strange. Something she didn’t know was happening.
Boom!
But her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an explosion.
“…We’ll talk later.”
Seo Jae-yi glanced at Gong Ju-hyun and Chu Sung-won, who were smiling triumphantly, and then quickly started climbing the mountain. The intensifying heat drove all other thoughts from her mind.
The steep mountain was like flat ground to her, so moving wasn’t a problem. But there was another problem.
Rip. The sound of her cardigan snagging on a branch reminded her that she had forgotten to change into her combat uniform. This was a disaster.
“What if my clothes burn off?”
What if Baek Joo-won came looking for her later? What if he saw her bare butt?
Even with her nice, hot body, that would be embarrassing.
She had to finish this quickly, even if it meant pushing herself, as the mountain burning down was also a problem.
“…Those bastards. They left it like this.”
Seo Jae-yi gritted her teeth, standing before the raging flames.
The greenery that had once painted the world in vibrant hues was turning to ash, consumed by the fire. There was no trace of beautiful green left amidst the red inferno.
She knew the power of fire, and she couldn’t help but love it, but why did it feel so cruel today?
She was reminded that fire, while beneficial, could also be a destructive force, capable of taking lives.
“I should throw those bastards who neglected this just to get rid of me into the fire.”
Seo Jae-yi gritted her teeth and extended her hand. The flames, which had been reaching towards the sky, subsided instantly.
She suppressed the surrounding heat first and then raised her head, spreading her senses. The extent of the fire’s spread appeared in her vision.
“…I might actually die if Baek Joo-won doesn’t come.”
The fire, having already consumed one of the high peaks, was slowly spreading to the next. Could she hold out until he arrived? Well, she had contacted Kim Yoo-sung, so he would handle it.
She took a deep breath and threw herself into the inferno.
A separate annex of a grand hanok house.
Baek Joo-won faced Jang Woo-seok again, at the same place they had met before.
The difference was that Baek Joo-won wasn’t even bothering with basic courtesy anymore.
Jang Woo-seok coughed awkwardly, seeing him sit down without a greeting and start eating, ignoring him.
“Why don’t you put down your bag and eat comfortably?”
“This meeting is already uncomfortable; do you think putting down my bag will make it any better?”
His tone was disrespectful, clearly intended to provoke him. Jang Woo-seok’s eyebrows twitched at his blatant disregard for his authority.
“And this bag contains something important.”
“Important?”
“It’s not important to me, but Seo Jae-yi cherishes it, so I have to take care of it.”
Something Seo Jae-yi cherished.
Jang Woo-seok stared at the bag, his gaze filled with greed, not even bothering to hide it. Baek Joo-won scoffed inwardly.
He had no idea that a dragon, capable of killing a human with a single breath, was inside.
“This is uncomfortable, so let’s get this over with. I won’t break up with Seo Jae-yi, no matter what you say. So I hope this is the last time you summon me like this.”
“You misunderstand. I didn’t arrange this meeting to suggest breaking up your pairing. Well, to be honest, I would prefer that, but…”
“Have you ever considered that I’m staying in Korea because of Seo Jae-yi?”
Jang Woo-seok was taken aback by his unexpected words.
“I rejected the US offer and stayed here only because of Seo Jae-yi. Shouldn’t the government be thanking her? Instead of resorting to these pathetic tactics behind our backs.”
“Why, why Seo Jae-yi?”
“Because she’s strong. It’s only natural for a Guide to be drawn to a strong Esper.”
That was why he had become interested in Seo Jae-yi in the first place.
He had never seen anyone so overwhelmingly powerful, and he had been fascinated.
And she was sick. Terminally ill. Her astonishing power was actually in a weakened state.
He became curious. How much stronger would she become when she was healthy? If she recovered, or even surpassed her previous condition, how far could she go?
And he liked the fact that he was the only one who could make her healthy.
He was the only one for Seo Jae-yi, the one no one else could have.
It was a rather appealing title, and he didn’t want to lose it.
He hadn’t thought this way at first, but when had his intentions changed?
But his interest hadn’t waned.
Jang Woo-seok, who had been silent for a while, asked,
“You’re saying you were drawn to her because she’s a strong Esper. Then what happens if the Esper rejects the Guide?”
Baek Joo-won frowned.
“What?”