Chapter 157:
He really didn’t want to know this much, even if he liked Seo Jae-yi.
“Well, now that we have your measurements, let’s decide on the style. Do you have anything in mind?”
“Ah, I’ll handle that as well.”
Baek Joo-won declared confidently, saying he had been studying for this day.
“What? You’re choosing my clothes?”
“You chose mine, didn’t you?”
“…Touche.”
Seo Jae-yi readily relinquished her right to choose.
She would be the one wearing them, but Baek Joo-won would be the one taking them off, so it was only fair for him to choose what he liked.
“We’ll have two suits made. One in black, and one in beige.”
“I thought we were only getting one!”
Baek Joo-won ignored her outburst and continued,
“The black one should be classic and formal, and the beige one more casual. Ah, the beige one could have stripes.”
“That sounds good.”
Jeong Hoon diligently wrote down his requests. He seemed to have done his research; he knew what would suit Seo Jae-yi.
“Will you be getting shirts and shoes as well?”
“Of course.”
“Are you copying me again?”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been standing there like a wallflower, chuckled, hearing him order not just two suits, but the full set.
Baek Joo-won leaned in and whispered, his voice low enough for only Seo Jae-yi to hear,
“I’ll be the one taking off everything, from your shoes to your shirt, so get the full set. Just imagining it is thrilling, so don’t take away my fun.”
It was a whisper thick with desire. And Seo Jae-yi was tempted.
‘He’ll take off my shoes?’
The image of Baek Joo-won kneeling before her, removing her shoes…
And his long, pale fingers trailing up her ankles… Just as he said, it was a thrilling thought.
And she would enjoy it too, so she abandoned any thought of stopping him.
“Yes, yes. Do whatever you want.”
Seo Jae-yi smiled brightly and stepped back, and Baek Joo-won grinned.
Jeong Hoon, who hadn’t heard their whispered exchange, just smiled, thinking how close they had become.
They left the shop after finishing their business.
“You really did your research. You were rattling off those measurements like a pro.”
“It was fun, imagining putting those clothes on you.”
“You weren’t just thinking about putting them on me.”
“That’s what made it even more enjoyable.”
Baek Joo-won chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. His soft whisper tickled her ear.
“Since we’re already out, how about we spend the night at a hotel?”
“Logi’s waiting for us at the dungeon.”
“I don’t care. He’s always elsewhere when we spend the night together anyway.”
Baek Joo-won tempted her, saying there was no point in going back to the dungeon if they were going to sleep separately.
Seo Jae-yi, weak against such temptations, couldn’t resist his desire.
“Let’s have dinner first. Anything you want to eat?”
“Eel.”
Seo Jae-yi, who had been opening the car door, froze at his suggestive smile.
“I can’t stop thinking about that eel tail you gave me before.”
“…Choose something else.”
Seo Jae-yi quickly averted her gaze, which had been drifting towards his thighs. She had more stamina than him, but the problem was his… size.
It was already difficult to handle; she didn’t want him to eat anything that would boost his… performance.
“No aphrodisiacs.”
“But you’re the one who benefits from me being… energized.”
Baek Joo-won grumbled and got into the car. She had no idea where he had heard that eel tails were good for stamina.
“Ah.”
Seo Jae-yi, getting into the driver’s seat, looked up, feeling a chill against her cheek.
The late afternoon wind, carrying the last vestiges of autumn, was getting cold.
Winter, the season when she had first met Baek Joo-won, was approaching.
As the public and the opposition party demanded the President’s impeachment, another bombshell dropped, pushing the ruling party and the President to the brink.
The massive wildfire on Mount Taebaek a month and a half ago.
It was revealed that former Prime Minister Jang Woo-seok had sent Seo Jae-yi there alone.
And the news spread like wildfire, as it was also revealed that he had called Baek Joo-won, her paired Guide, away separately.
The public outrage was unprecedented. He had not only orchestrated the human experiments on Seo Jae-yi but had also plotted to kill her.
Seo Jae-yi, a veteran S-rank Esper who had been fighting on the front lines for Korea’s safety for eleven years.
She had saved hundreds, thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of lives, and he had tried to kill her because he didn’t like her? It was unacceptable.
Orchestrating human experiments and attempted murder.
It was a heinous crime.
And Guide Gong Ju-hyun’s interview, as a witness, contained even more shocking revelations.
“My initial Matching Rate with Esper Seo Jae-yi was 35%. Chu Sung-won, the South Chungcheong branch head at the time, suggested an experiment to increase our Matching Rate because it was unusually high.”
“Why did he suggest such an experiment?”
“To prevent Esper Seo Jae-yi from pairing with the new S-rank Guide, Baek Joo-won. He even promised to make me her paired Guide if our Matching Rate increased.”
“But Chu Sung-won was just a branch head. Could he really do that?”
“He said former Prime Minister Jang Woo-seok would take care of it. He said Esper Seo Jae-yi would have no choice but to accept if the entire ruling party pushed for it.”
Gong Ju-hyun continued, saying he had reluctantly agreed to the experiment due to the pressure from Chu Sung-won and the government, but it had failed.
“Our Matching Rate did increase, but it was only a half-success. I tried to Guide Esper Seo Jae-yi on Mount Taebaek, when her overload level was dangerously high, but I failed. I almost died.”
“There were reports that no Espers or fire trucks were allowed near Mount Taebaek at the time. How did you get there?”
“I went there in Chu Sung-won’s car. He seemed to have anticipated that Esper Seo Jae-yi would go to Mount Taebaek. And he knew Guide Baek Joo-won wouldn’t be there.”
Gong Ju-hyun presented the dashcam footage from Chu Sung-won’s car as evidence.
The footage clearly showed Chu Sung-won and Gong Ju-hyun standing together against the backdrop of the burning Mount Taebaek.
The situation escalated further as it was revealed that Chu Sung-won had been appointed as the branch head thanks to recommendations from Jang Woo-seok and other members of the ruling party.
S-rank Espers were crucial assets, their numbers vital to a nation’s security.
And yet, they had tried to kill Seo Jae-yi, a veteran S-rank Esper, because she was disobedient, because they wanted to continue experimenting on her, because they deemed her useless?!
The public outrage intensified at the heinous truth.
The calls for the President’s impeachment grew louder.
The downfall of the ruling party was imminent.
Guiding Center Headquarters.
Gong Ju-hyun, thinner than before, walked down the hallway, his face pale with exhaustion.
The empty hallway was eerily silent, amplifying the sound of his footsteps.
He had been confined to the Center’s basement since the Mount Taebaek incident, but he had finally emerged to testify.
In exchange for his testimony, he would be spared punishment for willingly participating in the inhumane experiments.
The public believed he had been pressured by the government, so no one would blame him.
But that wasn’t the only reason he had agreed to testify. He would have testified even without any incentives.
It was his responsibility.
“Hello.”
Someone stopped before him. Gong Ju-hyun’s head shot up, recognizing the voice he had never forgotten, even in the darkest depths of the basement.
Seo Jae-yi, looking healthier and more vibrant than the last time he saw her, stood before him like a mirage.
“…E-Esper Seo Jae-yi?”
Was she a figment of his imagination, a phantom created by his longing?
Seo Jae-yi tilted her head as he called her name hesitantly.
“You were calling me Noona before. Did you change your mind?”
Ah, this wasn’t a hallucination. It was real.
Gong Ju-hyun’s face crumpled, as if he was about to cry.