Chapter 121:
Grayson sighed.
—I have to go. He’ll go ballistic if he hears your voice.
“He’s still going strong, I see. Reminds me of the time I burned off his beard.”
—He’ll be going strong for a long time. I’ll call you again later. Take care, Baek Joo-won. Bye.
He hung up as abruptly as he had called.
Used to Grayson’s unpredictable nature, Seo Jae-yi chuckled, amused.
“Who’s grandpa?”
“Ah, the head of the US Esper Association. He’s been raising Maggie since he Awakened at fifteen. That’s why Maggie’s the next Association Head.”
“So that’s why he chose that guy as his successor.”
“Well, Maggie is the most skilled Esper in the US.”
His personality might be a bit problematic, but Mac Grayson was the most reliable successor.
“So, Grayson tried to recruit you too?”
“Yeah. Didn’t I tell you? Maggie originally came to Korea to recruit me.”
Seven years ago…
There had been a large-scale joint Esper training program between Korea and the US Esper Association.
But that was just a cover. The US proposed the joint training to make contact with Seo Jae-yi, the youngest S-rank Esper.
They resorted to this tactic because there was no other way to contact her, as she was confined to the Guiding Center under the pretext of the Minor Awakened Protection Act.
And the one who orchestrated this was none other than William Taylor, the head of the US Esper Association.
“The US Association Head had Maggie, his successor, stay with me throughout the joint training. He used the excuse that we were around the same age, but in reality, it was because it would be easier to persuade me if Maggie and I became friends.”
Back then, Grayson wasn’t thrilled about his assigned mission. He had a nasty temper, unlike what one would expect from a pretty teenage boy.
But even his temper paled in comparison to Seo Jae-yi’s.
‘How dare you act so arrogant in front of me. From now on, you’re Millstone. Because I want to grind you down.’
Seo Jae-yi, stressed from the constant experiments at the Center, couldn’t tolerate Grayson’s arrogance and ended up kicking him in the rear.
Instead of getting angry, Grayson was impressed.
‘I’ve never seen anyone stronger than me. And you’re even smaller than me! You’re amazing!’
‘Don’t underestimate me just because I’m smaller.’
True to her word, Seo Jae-yi put him in his place, and they became friends.
They were so compatible, almost like soulmates.
They even went around burning Taylor’s beard together.
“After that, the furious Association Head realized he shouldn’t let us be together and dragged Maggie back to the US.”
It was said that after that incident, Taylor would roar at the mere mention of Firestarter.
“That’s your fault.”
“But it was such a tempting beard to burn. And that old man was annoying me.”
Seo Jae-yi defended herself, claiming she was innocent.
“Well, he also left because I refused to go to the US. He might act grumpy, but if I actually said I was going, he’d welcome me with open arms.”
The proof was Grayson’s regular visits to Korea.
If he truly hated her, Taylor would have done everything in his power to separate Grayson and Seo Jae-yi.
“Why didn’t you go to the US? You could have escaped the lab.”
“Why would I go to the US?”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been reminiscing happily, tilted her head at Baek Joo-won’s question.
She wasn’t an ordinary person. She was an S-rank Esper, shouldering the fate of a nation.
She had a responsibility that came with her power; she couldn’t just abandon it and run off to another country for her own safety. She wouldn’t even consider it.
“Even after the Korean government did such horrible things to you?”
“I hate the government, not Korea. I like it here. I’m going to keep living here. I’ve never thought about going to another country.”
“What if the government turns the public against you? What if people, manipulated and unaware of the truth, point fingers at you?”
The government excelled at manipulating public opinion, so it was a very real possibility.
Even knowing that, Seo Jae-yi smiled.
“Joo-won, ignorance isn’t a crime. How can it be? The truth is hidden from them. The ones who manipulate them are the bad guys, and the ignorant are just innocent victims like me.”
And Seo Jae-yi didn’t want to run away and abandon those who shared her fate.
Ignorance wasn’t a crime. She didn’t care if they blamed her. It didn’t bother her.
It only fueled her anger towards the government that had turned them into perpetrators.
“Even after humans experimented on you, you’ll still protect them?”
Seo Jae-yi smiled and took his hand at Baek Joo-won’s question.
As a monster, he might not understand.
“I only need to hate the ones who did bad things, why should I hate innocent people? There are more good people in the world than bad. And I will fight for them.”
Despite the horrific experiences, Seo Jae-yi hadn’t succumbed to despair or given up.
The government had succeeded in turning her into a powerful weapon, but they couldn’t break her spirit.
Seo Jae-yi was unwaveringly, stubbornly good.
No matter what anyone did, they would never break her.
“You’re pointlessly strong.”
Baek Joo-won clicked his tongue, looking at her bright, unwavering eyes.
He had wanted to whisk her away to a quiet place, away from the government that kept meddling with his Seo Jae-yi, but seeing her eyes, he knew it was futile.
Even if he left, Seo Jae-yi would only beg him to stay; she would never follow him.
Even if she knew it meant death.
‘Annoying.’
He had abandoned his home for her, devoted himself to her completely, yet she prioritized other things over him.
But he couldn’t just abandon her now.
A possessive monster would never let go of what he desired just because it was difficult to understand.
He would only leave for one reason: if what he desired was dead.
“Huh? What?”
Baek Joo-won, who had been glaring at Seo Jae-yi, suddenly pushed her onto the bed, his large frame covering hers.
“I’m feeling irritated, so I need to Guide you.”
“Again? We just did!”
“I need more.”
“I’m full!”
“Not you, me.”
Refusing to listen to any further protests, Baek Joo-won kissed her. She couldn’t even resist the overwhelming surge of Guiding.
Baek Joo-won gazed into her softening eyes.
Yes. He couldn’t leave her. So, there was only one option left.
He would tempt her.
Make her fall deeper for him, make her desire him more. Even if she wouldn’t abandon her country for him, he would at least make her cling to him and cry when he tried to leave.
Seo Jae-yi had to crave him and obsess over him as much as he did her.
“Tsk! I can’t stand seeing that disgusting face on TV.”
Park Hyung-woo, the Guild Leader of Taesan, clicked his tongue as he watched Haeil’s press conference, the one that had set Korea ablaze.
He was pleased that a group of unregistered Espers had attacked Seo Jae-yi, but they had failed, and now he had to see her face on TV.
He wanted to find those mercenaries and tear them apart himself.
“Baek Joo-won, if you were going to kidnap him, you should have done it properly! Or at least when that damned Seo Jae-yi wasn’t around!”
They were truly incompetent fools.
“Damn it, that damned Baek Joo-won. Of all people, he chose Seo Jae-yi? With a Guide whose matching rate is 93%, her lifespan will increase!”
Park Hyung-woo swung his fist at the TV. A powerful gust of wind erupted, and the screen exploded.
Seo Jae-yi’s face, looking down on everyone with disdain, vanished into black.
“That bastard needs to die for my guild to reclaim the top spot. I thought she was going to die soon anyway since she didn’t have much time left!”
He had planned to spit on her corpse and curse her. Just the thought was exhilarating!
That was, until he heard that Baek Joo-won had chosen Seo Jae-yi as his pair.
‘And what? The flower shop owner selling dungeon plants was Seo Jae-yi?’
Park Hyung-woo chuckled dryly.
He had been keeping an eye on that flower shop ever since rumors started spreading. Not because he was interested in dungeon plants.
When his guild was pushed to second place by that damned Haeil Guild, he had considered cultivating dungeon plants as a solution.
But he had failed miserably, despite investing a considerable amount of money. It had dealt a significant blow to his guild.
And now, someone had succeeded where he had failed, and what? It was Seo Jae-yi?
“Why does that bastard keep getting in my way?!”
That damned Seo Jae-yi, that hateful Seo Jae-yi!
The phantom pain in his right arm, the one she had injured, flared up. Park Hyung-woo’s face contorted further.
“……What are you looking at?”
He glared at the doorway, his face buried in his hands.
His paired Guide, Min Seong-jin, was standing hesitantly at the door.
“Get out of my sight!”
Min Seong-jin bit his lip and retreated at Park Hyung-woo’s harsh words.
He was a highly skilled A-rank Guide, and their matching rate had steadily increased to 85%, but Park Hyung-woo wasn’t satisfied.
Seo Jae-yi’s matching rate with an S-rank Guide was over 93%, so why couldn’t he even reach 90% with this mediocre A-rank?
An S-rank Guide with a 57% matching rate, like Baek Joo-won, would be far better than this A-rank.
An S-rank Guide was more suited to him than a dying Esper like Seo Jae-yi.
“I have to do something before Seo Jae-yi’s condition improves any further.”
Park Hyung-woo anxiously bit his fingernails.