Chapter 119:
But the reporter’s shock was short-lived, as the answer he received wasn’t a rebuke or dismissal.
He stared wide-eyed at the straightforward reply.
“An S-S-rank Guide… Gasp, Esper Seo Jae-yi! One more question! What’s your matching rate?!”
“If your paired Guide is S-rank, what is your current condition, Esper Seo Jae-yi?!”
“Esper Seo Jae-yi! Wait a moment!”
Astonishment rippled through the room. Reporters raised their hands, clamoring for answers, but Seo Jae-yi and Kim Yoo-sung ignored them and made their exit.
“Thank you for attending today’s press conference. We look forward to your articles.”
Only Kwon Ye-na offered a polite farewell, but she, too, refused to answer any questions.
“This concludes the press conference. Thank you for your time.”
Moon Soo-hyun’s announcement fell on deaf ears, as the reporters were consumed by curiosity.
After Haeil Guild’s first press conference, Korea was in an uproar.
People who had expected a simple declaration of war against the unregistered Esper mercenaries were stunned by the news that followed.
Seo Jae-yi, who hadn’t revealed her face for eleven years, had finally appeared in public.
People were speechless, seeing the woman they had only heard rumors about in photos and videos.
Her smaller-than-expected stature, her unexpectedly beautiful appearance, and the intimidating aura that emanated from the images.
Her powerful presence, even more striking than Haeil Guild Leader Kim Yoo-sung, left a lasting impression.
And the shock didn’t end there.
She, who had been diagnosed with a shortened lifespan after the Incheon dungeon incident last year, finally had a paired Guide. And it was the new S-rank Guide!
People were bewildered by the appearance of Korea’s first S-rank pair. They were furious with the government for keeping this a secret.
The shocking news quickly spread beyond Korea, reaching the entire world.
【Title: Holy sh*t, Haeil Guild’s press conference is going crazy】
【I was at the press conference, and it was insane. Here’s a summary:
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The unregistered Esper attack on a Haeil Guild member is true.
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The guild member who was attacked was Firestarter.
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Firestarter appeared at the press conference in person.
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Turns out the unregistered Espers were targeting Firestarter’s paired Guide.
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And that paired Guide is the new stateless S-rank Guide.
lol It’s legendary that I witnessed this with my own eyes. It’ll go down in history as the most epic press conference ever.】
【Comments】
—It’s ridiculous that point 1 is the least shocking.
—Are you kidding me? lol Firestarter appeared??
└Yeah, for real. Her pictures are all over the news;;
—Firestarter is gorgeous?? She burned down Taesan with that face??? She’s a deadly beauty…
└You crazy bastard lol Delete that comment before you get burned.
—I was wondering where the S-rank Guide was staying;; Paired with Firestarter? That’s crazy. And someone tried to mess with him?? Don’t they know the legend of Firestarter and Bean Mountain???
└They wouldn’t have messed with Firestarter if they knew. Would they have done that if they were sane?
└They probably didn’t know she was paired. We just found out now, so how would they know?
—OMG a paired Guide!!! That means their matching rate is at least 70!!!!! So our Firestarter won’t die ㅠㅠ??? I was so worried she would die, I’m so relieved ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Esper Firestarter, please stay healthy for a long, long time ㅠㅠㅠ
—Wait a minute, guys. Why didn’t anyone mention that Firestarter is running a flower shop next to Haeil’s headquarters??? There’s only one flower shop next to the headquarters. Blazing Trail, the one that sells dungeon plants;;; So the owner is Firestarter..?
└???? Holy crap, you’re right?????
└???????????
└OMG wait, I didn’t recognize her in the suit, but now that I look again, it’s definitely the Blazing Trail owner??
└???I already saw Firestarter???
└Holy moly.
“Feeling better now?”
After the press conference that shook the nation, Seo Jae-yi went up to the Guild Leader’s office with Kim Yoo-sung and Kwon Ye-na.
Baek Joo-won, who had arrived earlier and was waiting for them, greeted the three.
“Yeah. Refreshing.”
Seo Jae-yi, who had maintained a serious expression throughout the press conference, broke into a playful smile as soon as she saw Baek Joo-won. Her intimidating aura vanished without a trace.
“You’re pretty good at acting serious and imposing.”
“Acting? I’m naturally imposing!”
“Imposing, my foot. I was worried you’d burst out laughing right there.”
Kim Yoo-sung shook his head at Seo Jae-yi’s words.
“You did really well today. Good job.”
Kwon Ye-na smiled and patted Seo Jae-yi’s back.
“This should make whoever’s behind this sweat a little, right?”
Seo Jae-yi chuckled, taking off her suit jacket. She hadn’t had any occasion to wear a suit, so she had gotten one in a hurry, and it was uncomfortable.
Hmm. Should she really go to Jeong Hoon’s tailor shop and get one made?
“Of course. They wouldn’t have expected you to blow this up, and they definitely wouldn’t have expected you to show your face.”
Kim Yoo-sung nodded in agreement.
Even seasoned reporters were shocked, so the person behind this must be even more surprised. She only wished she could have seen their face.
“If Park Jeong-su is behind this, nothing will probably happen. If it’s really him, that is.”
Seo Jae-yi knew Park Jeong-su well.
He was obsessed with research and experiments, but he wouldn’t put himself in danger. He preferred to conduct his experiments in a safe environment, after the test subjects were completely under his control.
He would order others to procure the necessary materials for his experiments, but he wouldn’t personally hire mercenaries.
In other words, it was highly likely that someone else was involved besides Park Jeong-su.
“What would happen if Jang Woo-seok is involved?”
Jang Woo-seok.
There was no evidence, but there was a 100% chance he was behind this. He was the only one despicable enough to frame Park Jeong-su.
More than anything, Seo Jae-yi remembered. The cold laboratory. The man with the gold badge who was watching her alongside Park Jeong-su.
It was Jang Woo-seok. Even after all these years, she hadn’t forgotten that moment.
“He’s not an idiot, so he’ll know this is a warning directed at him. There are two possible reactions.”
“What are they?”
Kim Yoo-sung held up a finger.
“One. He frames Park Jeong-su and cuts his losses.”
It wasn’t a bad strategy. Of course, even if he did that, Seo Jae-yi wasn’t planning to just deal with Park Jeong-su and call it a day.
Kim Yoo-sung held up another finger.
“Two. He devises another plan.”
Another attempt to kidnap Baek Joo-won, or perhaps silencing her permanently by killing her.
“Would he really be that stupid?”
“He probably feels cornered after this failed attempt. People don’t make rational decisions when they’re cornered.”
Besides, Seo Jae-yi had evidence of the past experiments. Jang Woo-seok might think today’s press conference was a prelude to exposing him.
Well, he wasn’t entirely wrong.
“There’s a saying that a cornered rat will bite a cat.”
But that was all. Biting wouldn’t kill the cat. And Seo Jae-yi wasn’t a cat; she was a tiger.
Choosing the first option would offer him a slight chance of survival, but the second would only result in being mauled by a tiger.
“Let’s see how he reacts. Today’s press conference was a big win, just by letting everyone know that you’re no longer in critical condition.”
Seo Jae-yi nodded at Kim Yoo-sung’s words.
The press conference was her idea. It wasn’t just to warn the person behind the attack.
The real purpose was to announce that she had an S-rank paired Guide. It was a public declaration that she was no longer suffering from a lack of Guiding.
That way, the government wouldn’t be able to claim she was an unstable S-rank Esper on the verge of a breakdown.
It was all groundwork for him.
“Oh my, we’ve received an unexpected response.”
Kwon Ye-na chuckled, showing everyone her phone screen.
It was a text message.
[Top Secret—Prime Minister Jang collapsed. Hospitalized.]
Everyone’s eyes widened at the news of Prime Minister Jang Woo-seok’s collapse.
“What? Really?”
“Yes. The Prime Minister’s hospitalization won’t be officially announced due to national security concerns. But you can trust me.”
But how did you know…?
“Sometimes, it’s better not to know.”
Curiosity flickered in Seo Jae-yi’s eyes, but Kwon Ye-na simply smiled and put her phone away.
“Hospitalized, huh? Probably had a fit of rage.”
Unlike the bewildered Seo Jae-yi, Kim Yoo-sung smiled with satisfaction, not showing any suspicion.
Perhaps because she was his paired Guide, he seemed to know more about Kwon Ye-na than Seo Jae-yi did.
“I hope he gives up now, realizing he can’t do anything.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
As long as Seo Jae-yi held the evidence of the past Esper experiments, Jang Woo-seok’s fate was sealed.
They were just waiting for the right moment, so they wouldn’t lose Park Jeong-su in the process.
Unless he wanted to commit an even greater crime and be completely ruined, admitting defeat and giving up would be his best option.
Leaving the Guild Leader’s office, Seo Jae-yi intended to return to the flower shop.
Now that it was known to be her shop, it would be swarming with reporters, but she couldn’t just leave it as it was. She had to clean up before she could reopen.
“Wait.”
As soon as they got into the elevator, Baek Joo-won pressed a button for a different floor, not the first floor. It was the floor right below the Guild Leader’s office, the floor exclusively for Seo Jae-yi’s use.
“What? Why are we here?”
Instead of answering, Baek Joo-won took her wrist and led her out of the elevator.
Passing by her rarely used office, he stopped in front of a thick steel door. It was the safety room where Seo Jae-yi stayed whenever her condition worsened.
“I’m perfectly fine, though?”
“I know.”
Instead of explaining, Baek Joo-won took a piece of paper out of his pocket and stuck it on the steel door.
Bold letters were written on the paper.
So, why?
After this inexplicable action, he led her inside. Thanks to the regular cleaning, even when not in use, the room was clean and dust-free.
“The flower shop is too chaotic right now.”
“That’s true. Why, do you have something to tell me?”
“Nothing to say, but something to do.”
Baek Joo-won’s gaze swept over Seo Jae-yi from head to toe. His brown eyes instantly turned green.
Seo Jae-yi instinctively flinched and stepped back from his intense stare.
Ma boi sure is 😏😏