Chapter 103:
“I knew he was a crazy bastard, but I didn’t know he was this insane.”
What was Park Jung-soo thinking, conducting experiments on Gong Ju-hyun in a place like this? It couldn’t have been anything good.
“He must have been dying to show me this.”
That was probably why he hadn’t bothered locking it. He had anticipated her arrival and left it open for her to see.
That trash. He deserved to be burned alive. A pervert she didn’t even want to acknowledge.
“Center Head, call someone and have them extract everything from the computer, the machines, and any data he might have left behind.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to burn this place down.”
She would burn it all, leaving nothing behind.
And someday, she would burn Park Jung-soo the same way.
“…Okay.”
Kwon Yi-soo nodded and left the lab to give the order.
Baek Joo-won approached Seo Jae-yi and whispered,
“I can feel your energy here.”
“I know. He said he constantly exposed Gong Ju-hyun to my energy. It must have seeped into everything.”
“It lingers longer because your power is exceptionally strong, but it’s still quite potent. How much did he extract from you?”
“I don’t know.”
Seo Jae-yi chuckled dryly. Kwon Yi-soo had prevented him from conducting extreme experiments after becoming the Center Head, but the amount he had extracted during the previous four years must have been significant.
“He might still have some. We need to catch him and take it all back.”
She was worried about what kind of crazy things he might do with the power he had extracted from her.
“Even you can’t easily track him down, right?”
Even though he was weaker than Seo Jae-yi, Baek Joo-won was a dungeon master. As a monster, his instincts were sharper than hers.
But Baek Joo-won stroked his chin, as if it was a difficult task.
“Unless he’s leaving a trail of your energy, it’ll be difficult.”
Seo Jae-yi sighed in disappointment. That bastard. Just wait until she caught him.
“You attract all sorts of trouble because you’re so strong.”
Baek Joo-won clicked his tongue. Seo Jae-yi looked at him, confused.
“Do you think only Espers are swayed by Guides? It’s the same for Guides. They’re instinctively drawn to you because you’re the strongest Esper in Korea.”
Of course, not everyone was like that. Many Guides instinctively avoided Seo Jae-yi because there was nothing more burdensome than an Esper they couldn’t handle.
But just as some people were drawn to dangerous charms, some became obsessed with Seo Jae-yi.
If they could possess this powerful Esper, no one would be able to harm them. Nothing was more tempting than an absolute, invincible ally.
“So you’re saying it’s because I’m too amazing? There are too many people who envy me.”
They weren’t envious; they were covetous, but Seo Jae-yi misinterpreted it.
But Baek Joo-won didn’t correct her. It wouldn’t hurt him if she remained mistaken.
The people Kwon Yi-soo had brought started searching the house thoroughly.
There were no suspicious spaces or hidden research materials outside the lab. And even the lab only had a wiped computer and broken machines.
Even Espers couldn’t find anything. His evidence disposal skills were terrifyingly perfect.
“It probably won’t work, but let’s try a forensic analysis, just in case.”
At Kwon Yi-soo’s words, they took pictures of the lab and the house and loaded the computer and machines into their cars.
Park Jung-soo would have wiped the data clean, even beyond the reach of forensic analysis, but Seo Jae-yi nodded.
“Then get out of here. It’s dangerous.”
She waved her hand after everything was cleared. Kwon Yi-soo and Baek Joo-won left the house without a word.
Seo Jae-yi, left alone, touched the cold metal stool.
When she was thirteen, she had had to endure everything alone, not wanting to show the researchers her suffering.
The tears, the screams, the trembling.
Until she became numb to the pain.
These nail marks were proof of her endurance, a product of her suffering.
And yet, he had displayed them like a trophy and used them to torment Gong Ju-hyun with his experiments.
She wanted to hear what he had been thinking, even though it would probably be meaningless.
“I should have burned it down when I left the Center.”
Her hand, gripping the armrest, started to heat up. The nail marks, still visible after all these years, slowly melted away.
Along with the pain Seo Jae-yi had endured.
She didn’t move until the metal stool completely melted and pooled on the floor. Soon, the entire lab was engulfed in flames.
With every step she took, all the pain she had experienced turned to ash and vanished.
She hadn’t been able to destroy the research floor, the main culprit of her suffering, with her own hands, but even this felt like salvation.
The chains that had been binding her for years finally fell away, four years after she left the Center.
By the time Seo Jae-yi left Park Jung-soo’s house, it was completely engulfed in flames.
But not a single spark escaped. The fire only consumed Park Jung-soo’s house, even with the wind blowing. The weeds that filled the front yard remained untouched.
The teenage Seo Jae-yi, who had struggled to control her overwhelming power, was gone.
Thanks to the researchers who had conducted horrific experiments on her, she could now control her power skillfully.
Seo Jae-yi hadn’t forgotten their kindness. So she would use everything they had taught her, with gratitude.
“…”
She didn’t leave until Park Jung-soo’s house completely burned down and collapsed. Kwon Yi-soo and Baek Joo-won didn’t speak to her either.
Until only ashes remained.
Seo Jae-yi finally withdrew her power. It didn’t affect her at all, thanks to Baek Joo-won’s consistent Guiding.
She could feel her body becoming stronger.
“Good work.”
Baek Joo-won approached her, took her hand, and Guided her, but she didn’t resist.
It wasn’t the insistent Guiding from before; it was a gentle, refreshing energy that flowed through her body. His cool, clear Guiding instantly soothed her heat.
“Yes.”
It was the first time she had received Guiding so comfortably after using her ability, so she leaned against Baek Joo-won’s shoulder.
His comforting, refreshing energy kept her from feeling disgusted, even though she had witnessed such a gruesome scene.
She felt nothing. Surprisingly, no emotions at all.
Right, there was no point in wasting her emotions on trash.
He was going to die soon anyway.
Seo Jae-yi turned away from the ashes and leaned against Baek Joo-won completely. Having someone to lean on brought her a sense of security she hadn’t expected.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“That’s an honor.”
Seo Jae-yi burst out laughing at his playful reply.
It was a comfortable laugh, devoid of any trace of pain.
The investigation and pursuit of Park Jung-soo were left entirely to the Guiding Center. It was the only organization that could withstand the government’s pressure.
But that didn’t mean Seo Jae-yi was just waiting idly.
Kim Yoo-sung and Seo Won-yeong were furious when they heard about Gong Ju-hyun and Park Jung-soo’s experiment from Seo Jae-yi.
“Those crazy bastards! Especially Park Jung-soo, that bastard, running away after doing something like that? Just wait until I catch him. I’ll make him experience what it feels like to be torn in half!”
Seo Won-yeong, fuming, declared that she would use all her connections to find him.
Even though Seo Won-yeong lacked social skills as much as Seo Jae-yi, she knew a lot of people, as she sold equipment to Awakened individuals. She was a reliable younger sister.
Kim Yoo-sung’s reaction was a bit different.
“That, that happened…”
His face turned pale, hearing the full story in the Haeil Guild Leader’s office.
Seo Jae-yi had only told Seo Won-yeong that Park Jung-soo was the one who orchestrated the experiment. How could she tell her sister the details? She didn’t want to make her sad.
But unlike her, Kim Yoo-sung had witnessed Seo Jae-yi being experimented on. And he had also been subjected to experiments by Park Jung-soo for months to develop his ability.
He closed his eyes, hearing that she had burned down the lab, a replica of the place where she had been tormented.
A myriad of emotions flickered across his face.
“…So, are you okay?”
But he swallowed all his questions and asked that single, short question.
He was more concerned about Seo Jae-yi than anything else.
“I’m fine. I’m not lying; I’m really fine.”
She was surprisingly indifferent, even to herself.
She had been a bit shocked when she saw the lab and the metal stool, which held her pain, but that was all.
She wasn’t pretending to be okay, and she wasn’t numb to the pain.
She genuinely felt nothing.
“My emotions are too precious to waste on that bastard.”
“…Okay.”
Kim Yoo-sung stared at her intently, searching for any signs of a lie, any hint of sadness.
Fortunately, Seo Jae-yi seemed genuinely fine. She had a bright expression, as if Park Jung-soo was nothing more than a pebble to be kicked aside.
Kim Yoo-sung was finally relieved.
He told her, his complexion improving, that he would try to track down Park Jung-soo.
“Should I mobilize the Guild members?”
“Not yet. I’ll let them know when we have a lead.”
It was too risky to mobilize them now. They were the ones who had gleefully joined Seo Jae-yi in her revenge against Taesan.
Knowing their fiery temperaments, they would probably storm the government first, so he decided to postpone informing them.
“Ah, and my level is stable now, so I’m thinking about starting dungeon subjugations again.”
Kim Yoo-sung frowned at her words.
“You have to? Isn’t tending to the flower shop enough? Ah, you’re going to collect more dungeon plants?”
“No, I need magic stones. Preferably boss monster magic stones.”
Seo Jae-yi just smiled instead of answering. She needed the magic stones for Baek Joo-won, not Airok.
But she couldn’t tell Kim Yoo-sung, who still didn’t know his true identity.
“And I want to try using the dungeon plants myself. I’m selling them, but I’ve only used them once.”
Kim Yoo-sung looked displeased, but he didn’t object after seeing her level, which was at 20%.
He seemed relieved to see that she was receiving Guiding regularly.
“What rank?”
“Rank 3 is good. Any attribute is fine.”
Baek Joo-won was a Rank 3 dungeon master, so a boss monster magic stone from a Rank 3 dungeon would be ideal.
‘I should get him a Rank 2 magic stone later.’
She would be able to handle Rank 2 dungeons once her body recovered further.
“Okay. Are you going back to the shop?”
“No, I’m taking the day off.”
“Aren’t you taking too many days off?”
She had been taking quite a few days off lately, despite the increase in customers. But she couldn’t help it today.
“I have to deliver the bribe I promised Baek Joo-won.”
Baek Joo-won’s custom-made suit, which she had promised a few weeks ago.
She was going to pick up the finished product today.