Chapter 154:
Seo Jae-yi showed them a tree house she had prepared the night before.
“I thought it would be a bit… much to just have a table near the gate, so I built a small house. You can work here.”
Espers could withstand the cold and heat to some extent, but they still needed shelter from the elements. Kim Sung-hyun and Kwon Ho, hearing her explanation, examined the reasonably sized tree house.
“I was curious about this…”
“It wasn’t here the last time I came… When did you build this?”
Just this morning.
Baek Joo-won, after a night of passionate intimacy with Seo Jae-yi, was finally satisfied and in a good mood.
He was so relaxed that he had readily agreed to her request to give one of the tree houses he had built near the gate to the sales staff.
“It didn’t take long.”
But she couldn’t exactly tell them why he had been in such a good mood, so Seo Jae-yi just smiled and gave a vague answer.
Kim Sung-hyun and Kwon Ho nodded, impressed, as expected of an S-rank.
“Here’s the catalog of the plants we’re selling. I’ll explain each one.”
They listened attentively as she explained the neatly organized catalog. Seo Jae-yi was pleased; they seemed motivated.
Baek Joo-won’s suggestion to hire staff had been brilliant.
Not only could she now focus on cultivating the plants, but she was also freed from the constant attention of the visitors.
Thanks to the staff, she didn’t have to interact with the customers directly, and they even screened out those who wanted to meet her. She couldn’t be happier.
‘And with fewer people coming and going, it’s more convenient for Baek Joo-won and Airok.’
Baek Joo-won still couldn’t stay in his Hae-wi form because of the staff, but he seemed satisfied with the reduced number of visitors.
She could tell by the way he acted during their nightly trysts. He had been insatiable before, leaving marks on her neck and arms, but he was more relaxed now.
‘He’s so easy to read.’
Airok would have vehemently denied that if he heard her.
“Wow, she’s really running a business in a dungeon.”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been tending to the plants, a faint blush on her neck from Baek Joo-won’s attentions, jumped at the sudden voice.
Joo Seon-min, the S-rank Guide, was entering the dungeon.
“Seon-min Unnie!”
Seo Jae-yi put down her fire sprinkler and rushed towards her, a smile on her face.
“Did you just come out of a dungeon?”
After requesting Seo Jae-yi’s help with the Pohang dungeon, Joo Seon-min had gone to another dungeon. It wasn’t unusual for her; she spent 350 days a year in dungeons.
“Yes. I went quite deep, so I was out of contact with Gyu-yeon for a while. I heard a lot has happened.”
Joo Seon-min smiled wryly, looking at Seo Jae-yi.
The overload, Park Hyung-woo, Jang Woo-seok…
“I came as soon as I heard.”
Now that she mentioned it, Joo Seon-min was still wearing her combat uniform, stained with monster fluids, her face etched with exhaustion. She must have come straight here after leaving the dungeon.
“You could have rested first.”
“I was too worried.”
Joo Seon-min shook her head.
How could she not be worried, after hearing about three shocking incidents, any one of which would have been enough to cause concern?
No wonder Kwon Gyu-yeon’s face had been so grim. Joo Seon-min’s heart had sunk when she heard the news.
“Are you alright?”
She placed her hand on Seo Jae-yi’s shoulder. She could instantly assess her condition with a simple touch. Joo Seon-min gasped in surprise after sensing Seo Jae-yi’s energy.
“Your condition is…”
“Much better, right?”
Not only was her energy stable, but the burning heat that had been slowly consuming her was completely gone.
Seo Jae-yi, contrary to her worries, was in perfect condition.
“You overloaded?”
“I have a paired Guide now. Baek Joo-won Guided me for a few days.”
Joo Seon-min was stunned.
Of course, an Esper could recover quickly after overloading with their paired Guide’s help. She, as an S-rank Guide, knew that better than anyone.
But…
‘Can an Esper’s condition improve this much?’
Baek Joo-won was an exceptionally skilled S-rank Guide. And his initial Matching Rate with Seo Jae-yi was a whopping 93%, so he could definitely restore her to a normal state.
But Seo Jae-yi was a monster, an Esper so powerful that even Mac Grayson, the likely future US Esper Association Head, would be no match for her in a fair fight.
How could she be perfectly fine after unleashing her full power? Shouldn’t she be confined to an isolation room, receiving constant Guiding?
Joo Seon-min examined her again. And she noticed something she hadn’t seen before.
A calm, steady energy, like a gentle stream, flowing through Seo Jae-yi’s body, her unique, beautiful red aura.
But there was another, unfamiliar energy flowing alongside it. She couldn’t identify it.
‘Did Seo Jae-yi always have this?’
No, she hadn’t. She hadn’t sensed it in Pohang, the last time they met.
Then what was it?
“Jae-yi, let me see your receiver.”
Seo Jae-yi, though puzzled, showed her her receiver.
【Overload Progress — 0%】
“…Zero percent?”
Was that even possible?
“I’ve been receiving Guiding from Baek Joo-won whenever I have time.”
Seo Jae-yi said proudly, explaining that she had been maintaining a 0% overload level thanks to his constant Guiding.
“How long has it been since your overload?”
“Hmm? Less than two weeks, I think.”
An S-rank Esper who had overloaded, fully recovered in just two weeks? And her overload level was at 0%?
That seemed impossible, even if they were together 24/7.
“…How does Baek Joo-won even Guide you?”
“Huh? Are you asking about the details of our… passionate relationship?”
“No, not that… I mean…”
Joo Seon-min hesitated and then shook her head.
She couldn’t identify it, but whatever that energy was, it seemed to be protecting Seo Jae-yi.
It was probably Baek Joo-won’s energy, absorbed into her body after he Guided her continuously…
‘If it’s keeping her alive, I suppose it’s fine.’
But there was one thing she had to tell her.
“Have your Matching Rate re-evaluated with Baek Joo-won soon. It’ll probably be close to 100%.”
“Huh? Really?”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been looking at her curiously, widened her eyes.
“Is that even possible?”
Many Espers and Guides who had been paired, then Imprinted, and then lived together for decades as a couple eventually reached a 100% Matching Rate.
But Seo Jae-yi and Baek Joo-won had only been paired for two months, despite their high initial Matching Rate.
It was difficult to reach 100% without being Imprinted.
“It’s normally impossible. But for some reason, it seems possible, considering what you two have been… doing. Anyway, try it if you’re curious. It doesn’t matter if you don’t.”
“I am curious, now that you mention it. I’ll have to go sometime.”
“It’s good that you’re okay.”
“Yes! I’m perfectly fine; you don’t have to worry anymore. See? I’m healthy enough to manage this huge greenhouse.”
Seo Jae-yi led her inside, offering a tour of the greenhouse. Joo Seon-min was impressed; it was far more elaborate and professional than her previous flower shop.
“Cultivating and selling plants directly from a dungeon… how did you even negotiate that with the Association?”
“Thanks to my exceptional persuasion skills.”
Seo Jae-yi smiled evasively.
“Persuasion? Did you threaten Kang Sung-yeon with violence? He’s not the type to be swayed by that.”
“Why do you always assume persuasion involves violence?”
“Because you have no persuasion skills.”
“What are you talking about?! I’m great at persuading people now. Think about it. I even seduced Baek Joo-won and made him my Pair!”
Baek Joo-won had come to this dungeon with the intention of observing Seo Jae-yi, so he hadn’t considered anyone else, but…
Joo Seon-min didn’t know that, so Seo Jae-yi boasted shamelessly.
“That’s true. Anyway, there are no problems with the dungeon plant sales, right?”
“No. The Guild Leader reviewed the contract with me.”
“I can trust Kim Yoo-sung.”
Joo Seon-min nodded firmly. Seo Jae-yi grumbled, wishing she would trust her as well.
“So it’s almost over.”
Joo Seon-min smiled wryly and stroked her hair.
“You’ve been through so much. It must have been difficult enduring all that. You don’t have to endure it anymore.”
Seo Jae-yi, so powerful that even other S-ranks were intimidated by her.
And yet, she had endured having her powers restricted, being confined to a lab and subjected to inhumane experiments, and the government’s attempts to control her. She must have been under immense stress.
She didn’t have to endure it anymore.
“You’re right, Unnie. Enduring it was the hardest part.”
Seo Jae-yi smiled faintly.
“But it’s not over yet.”
“Because of the ruling party and the President? They’ll probably be brought down soon.”
“They will. They’re not the problem. The problem is Park Jung-soo.”
Park Jung-soo, the A-rank Guide who had been in charge of the experiments on Awakened individuals, including Seo Jae-yi.
Joo Seon-min also knew him; he was quite infamous.
“I keep losing him. I’ve already lost him twice.”
“You still haven’t caught him?”
“Jang Woo-seok was protecting him. I made a deal with Jang Woo-seok, found out his location, and went to capture him, but he had already escaped.”
“That idiot Jang Woo-seok is such a pain.”
“Tell me about it.”
This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t been hiding Park Jung-soo.
‘And I’m especially annoyed that he still has my father’s Guide Factor.’
She was already disgusted by the fact that he possessed her Factor, and now he had her father’s too? And he had even used it to try and kill her.
“Just wait until I catch him. I won’t let him die easily.”
“The question is where to find him. I’ll ask Gyu-yeon to make some inquiries.”
Kwon Gyu-yeon, the Esper hired by Joo Seon-min solely for her information gathering skills.
Seo Jae-yi wasn’t sure if she could find Park Jung-soo when even Haeil Guild, the Center, and the Association couldn’t, but they needed all the help they could get, so she nodded.
“Yes, please.”
“Even if we can’t find him immediately, he’s under a travel ban, isn’t he? He’ll be caught eventually, so don’t worry. And…”
Joo Seon-min trailed off, and Seo Jae-yi tilted her head.
“What?”
Joo Seon-min looked at her, lost in thought.
‘Park Jung-soo is also obsessed with Seo Jae-yi, just like Kwon Yi-soo, so he’ll definitely appear eventually.’