Chapter 100:
She had planned to expose the government and their crimes once she fully mastered her ability, but how naive that plan had been.
Seo Jae-yi felt betrayed and, for the first time, she resisted the experiments.
Park Jung-soo said,
“Defiance. That’s good too. But you haven’t forgotten that you’re still not good at controlling your ability, have you? Everyone here will die if you make even the slightest mistake, Esper Seo Jae-yi. Even your father’s friend at the Center. Are you okay with that?”
His attitude was unbelievably arrogant.
It wasn’t something you would say to a fifteen-year-old.
Ironically, his words jolted Seo Jae-yi awake.
If she destroyed the Center and escaped now, everyone would blame her. The government would feign ignorance, and the Center would play the victim.
She didn’t want that. She couldn’t tolerate those bastards acting like victims while she was labeled as the perpetrator.
So Seo Jae-yi decided to endure. And she started thinking about gathering evidence of the horrific experiments being conducted at the Center.
She met Kim Yoo-sung, who had awakened at nineteen, around that time.
“You’re Seo Jae-yi…?”
Kim Yoo-sung, who had been brought to the Center because of that damn Minor Protection Act, was shocked to see her.
She was younger than he expected, much smaller for her age.
And she possessed an overwhelmingly powerful energy.
“Why, why are you living like this?”
The immense power that couldn’t be hidden, the pressure that weighed down on him just from her presence, the suffocating heat leaking out due to her poor ability control.
Kim Yoo-sung gulped.
He had met other S-rank Espers after awakening, but none of them had given him this feeling of oppression.
Even the Taesan Guild Leader, who reigned supreme in Korea, felt insignificant compared to Seo Jae-yi.
Kim Yoo-sung knew from their first meeting.
Ah, this child is the strongest Esper in Korea.
“Why are you living like this, when you’re this strong?”
He couldn’t believe it. That such a powerful Esper was living in the dark basement of the corrupt Guiding Center, her potential wasted.
Kim Yoo-sung, who had witnessed Seo Jae-yi being experimented on several times during his stay at the Center, couldn’t understand her.
“The only Guide somewhat compatible with me is here, and if I escape, those bastards will be waiting to put a leash on me.”
It was something Kim Yoo-sung, who had just awakened as an S-rank Esper and was unaware of the collusion between the government and the Guiding Center, couldn’t comprehend.
“Aren’t you playing into their hands by staying here?”
“It’s different. I’ll make them pay someday. And there’s a good side to staying here. My ability is developing well thanks to them.”
She was used to being experimented on. Seo Jae-yi had accepted the cruel irony of her situation.
The stronger she became, the more brutally she could get her revenge.
She didn’t realize she was slowly breaking.
“…Until when?”
“Until I can perfectly control my ability.”
Kim Yoo-sung closed his eyes.
He didn’t want to believe that was the answer of a fifteen-year-old.
It was horrifying that no one was actively helping her, despite knowing about her suffering, even though there were several other S-rank Espers in Korea, including him.
The kind nineteen-year-old, who had awakened after losing his parents, couldn’t leave his younger “sister” like this.
“I’ll be an adult in a few months. I’ll create a Guild when I leave this place. I hate the Center and the Association. I’ll create a Guild better than Taesan, so come join me when you turn twenty.”
To his Guild, where she could escape and live freely.
“You can do anything you want in my Guild. No matter what you do, even if you destroy the Guiding Center, I’ll protect you. So please come.”
It was pity for his younger “sister,” who didn’t even realize she was breaking, and admiration for the strongest Esper in Korea.
He wanted to take her out of this darkness and give her everything she deserved as the best S-rank Esper.
“…”
Seo Jae-yi looked at Kim Yoo-sung with a strange expression.
He was the first person, since her Awakening, who told her to come with him, not to restrict her actions, but to do whatever she wanted.
Could she trust him?
“You’re not lying, are you?”
“No.”
“I can’t believe you. If you’re lying, I’ll burn off all the hair on your body.”
Kim Yoo-sung burst out laughing at her threat.
“I’ll make my Guild the second-ranked Guild in Korea before you turn twenty. So I can be your protector. You can burn off all my hair if I fail.”
Seo Jae-yi finally nodded.
Kim Yoo-sung, who had gained his freedom at twenty, started working tirelessly.
He founded Haeil Guild, established a system, and recruited Espers who were dissatisfied with the tyranny of Taesan Guild, the top-ranked Guild at the time. He wanted to create a world where Awakened individuals could live comfortably, even in this unjust world.
As a result, Haeil Guild achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the second-ranked Guild in Korea within a few years of its founding.
His actions were satisfactory and trustworthy.
So Seo Jae-yi discreetly passed on the evidence of inhumane experiments she had been collecting to Kim Yoo-sung.
It had been possible thanks to Kwon Yi-soo, who had become the new Center Head after removing the previous Center Head when she turned seventeen. He had turned a blind eye to it.
Time passed, and Seo Jae-yi, at twenty, moved to Haeil Guild. Leaving behind the government, who realized that their brainwashing had failed.
The government exerted pressure on Haeil Guild, but Haeil never wavered. Kim Yoo-sung, who had promised to protect Seo Jae-yi, kept his word.
Seo Jae-yi finally enjoyed the freedom she had regained after years of suffering.
Until she was twenty-three, when she almost overloaded in Incheon due to the government’s irresponsible actions during a dungeon subjugation.
Seo Jae-yi had thought she would die, just like her father, at the hands of those who had taken away her colors.
But then someone gave her new colors. Colors far more vibrant than what she had lost.
Her shattered life was renewed, and she was able to live a more beautiful life.
She had to protect this life. She couldn’t let these colors be taken away again.
So Seo Jae-yi made a resolution.
To destroy those greedy bastards who were still circling her, even after taking so much from her. To prevent them from taking anything else.
She wouldn’t endure it anymore.
Baek Joo-won and Airok listened to her long, but not very interesting story without interrupting.
Unlike Airok, who was fuming, Baek Joo-won remained calm throughout.
Seo Jae-yi liked his calmness. It was a story from the past, and she hadn’t told them to gain their sympathy.
“You endured it well. It couldn’t have been easy.”
But she hadn’t expected such praise.
“If I hadn’t endured it back then, it wouldn’t have ended with just one Guiding Center being destroyed. The entire country, not just Seoul, would have burned down.”
That was true. Seo Jae-yi didn’t deny it.
Even though there were several S-rank Espers in Korea, she had been a teenager with a bright future back then. Unlike now, she had been healthy, so the damage would have been immense if she had overloaded.
It would have been even worse than the S-rank Esper who had wiped out half of Argentina.
“And you’re strong.”
Baek Joo-won looked at her with a strange smile.
“I know you’re the strongest Esper in Korea. You must know that too.”
Seo Jae-yi had overpowered Park Hyung-woo, even in her weakened state.
If her physical abilities alone were that strong, how much stronger would she be with her ability?
Seo Jae-yi was strong.
Baek Joo-won, who wasn’t human and could influence Espers, knew that clearly.
Just like Mac Grayson, the next US Esper Association Head. No, she would be even stronger than him if they were in the same condition, considering her current state.
“Ah, honestly. I wanted to hide my power as a flower shop owner. But it’s hard to hide when you’re this strong.”
Seo Jae-yi answered playfully.
She hadn’t endured all those years for nothing. She knew how dangerous she was.
“But it’s okay now that I’m here. The government should be thanking me. The risk of Korea’s strongest S-rank Esper overloading has significantly decreased because I’m by your side.”
Seo Jae-yi chuckled and nodded at his words.
“You’re right. That’s probably why the Center Head allowed you to become my Pair. Unlike the foolish government, he knows the danger of my overloading better than anyone.”
“…”
But Baek Joo-won’s smile vanished.
“What’s with that expression?”
Why was he looking at her with such a dumbfounded expression?
“…I’ve never felt pity for a human before, but I might be starting to feel sorry for one.”
Did they hide it so thoroughly, or was he just oblivious…?
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s nothing. It’s a good thing for me anyway.”
Baek Joo-won muttered to himself and then suddenly threw Airok, who had been sitting beside him, towards the shop.
Airok disappeared in a flash, letting out a startled cry.
“What are you doing to the baby!”
“A dragon who’s lived for hundreds of years is a baby? Don’t worry; he won’t get hurt. But there’s something I want to ask you.”
Baek Joo-won stopped Seo Jae-yi, who was about to go after Airok, lifted her up, and sat her on the table.
He trapped her between his arms, preventing her from escaping, and stared at her intently.
“I understand you want to expose the government’s crimes. But you need to be healthy to do that properly, right?”
“You’re going to Guide me now? Here?”
“Does the location matter? We’ll have to do it constantly, considering your condition.”