Chapter 16:
“Excuse me?”
Not needed? What was he talking about? She had never needed someone as desperately as she needed him now.
“You’re incredibly important to me, Mr. Baek Joo-won.”
“That doesn’t seem to be reflected in the state of this bouquet…”
Seo Jae-yi looked down at the bouquet, puzzled.
Three crimson flowers, plucked from the dungeon, were arranged in the center, accented with orange gladiolus. She had meticulously wrapped it all in passionate red paper.
It was a perfect bouquet, worth every bead of sweat that had formed on her forehead as she painstakingly crafted it.
“It looks fine to me.”
“I see that Ms. Seo Jae-yi’s taste differs from others.”
Baek Joo-won sighed when Seo Jae-yi looked at him with a bewildered expression. However, despite his words, he accepted the bouquet.
“But what is this flower?”
Baek Joo-won’s finger tapped one of the dungeon flowers.
“Unique, isn’t it?”
“It is unique. Strange. There’s no way a flower like this exists on Earth.”
“Wow, you recognized it right away? Do you know a lot about flowers?”
“Not really… But you’re saying this isn’t an Earth flower?”
“Yes! That’s right! It’s a flower that grows in a dungeon!”
“…”
Baek Joo-won’s smile vanished. He looked back and forth between the flower and Seo Jae-yi with a dumbfounded expression. Was she insane…?
“Does your flower shop sell dungeon flowers?”
“Ah, this is the only one. I recently obtained this dungeon flower by chance. I thought people might like it because it’s unique and not found on Earth, so I brought a few.”
“How does one obtain a dungeon flower ‘by chance’? And this one…”
Baek Joo-won trailed off, muttering to himself. He stared at the red flower silently.
“Is it… not pretty…?”
Both Seo Won-yeong and Kim Yoo-sung had approved, so she had felt confident. But it seemed Baek Joo-won didn’t like it.
“I’ll make you a different one later.”
“No, it’s fine. I was just surprised to hear it’s a dungeon flower. I actually really like the flower itself. It’s very pretty.”
Baek Joo-won’s fingers gently caressed the dozens of petals coiled around the stem. He smiled, seemingly sincere, and Seo Jae-yi sighed in relief.
“That’s a relief! And you don’t have to be afraid of all dungeon flowers. Just like there are good and poisonous flowers on Earth, dungeon plants are the same. This one is a good flower.”
“You seem to know a lot about it. Is it because you’re an Esper?”
“Not really. Someone told me about its properties.”
Baek Joo-won, who had been fiddling with the flower, looked at her.
“Who?”
“Someone I’m very grateful for. I could even call him my benefactor.”
A smile naturally spread across her face as she thought of the dungeon master. She gently stroked the flower, filled with memories of him.
“This flower bears a single fruit after all the petals fall off. Eating the fruit cools down the heat within the body. The fruit absorbs all the heat.”
The dungeon master had shared his power with Seo Jae-yi, who was struggling to control her ability, and had also given her the fruit of this flower to eat.
She hadn’t gone to the forest dungeon just to collect this flower. It was a flower filled with memories.
“Actually, I went to see him recently, but I couldn’t find him. I was a little disappointed.”
“To see him?”
“Yes, I had something to ask him. I’m planning to visit again. It’s quite important.”
“…Do you think he’ll be there?”
“I don’t know. But I can’t contact him, so I’ll just keep visiting until I find him.”
Baek Joo-won’s lips moved silently. He opened and closed his mouth several times before nodding.
“…I hope you find him.”
Then, he suddenly frowned.
“Ms. Seo Jae-yi.”
“Yes?”
“Why does this bouquet smell like smoke instead of flowers? Is it my imagination?”
Seo Jae-yi started hiccupping. Baek Joo-won’s eyes narrowed.
“You can smell it? That’s strange. I sprayed it with a lot of air freshener, just in case…”
“What exactly did you do?”
“N-nothing special.”
Actually, she had. She had lost control of her ability while making the bouquet, and the flowers had caught fire.
It wasn’t intentional, but thanks to Baek Joo-won’s Guiding, which she had received a couple of times, her overload level had slightly decreased. Fortunately, she was able to regain control before completely incinerating them.
And the dungeon flower was resistant to fire, so it hadn’t been damaged. The fruit’s heat-reducing properties weren’t just for show.
‘But I replaced it with another flower that was fine. How did he notice the smell?’
Did he have a dog’s nose?
“H-how’s the training? Is it interesting?”
Seo Jae-yi quickly changed the subject, fearing that Baek Joo-won might be scared off if he knew she couldn’t control her ability.
It was a terrible attempt at acting, but fortunately, Baek Joo-won played along.
“It’s not bad. It’s not that difficult. They said I’ll be starting practical training soon.”
“Already? It hasn’t been long since you started the theoretical training.”
“I’m a fast learner.”
Baek Joo-won smiled. He certainly seemed intelligent.
“With a Matching Rate of over 50% with all Espers and a fast learning pace, you must be getting a lot of offers.”
“I’ve been receiving calls from all over as soon as the Center provided me with a phone. Honestly, it’s a bit annoying.”
Seo Jae-yi was surprised by his words.
“A phone?”
“Didn’t I mention I didn’t have a phone before?”
She remembered their disastrous first meeting, when she had asked for his contact information after drenching him with water, and he had refused, saying he didn’t have a phone.
“Gasp, I thought you were refusing because you didn’t want to give me your number.”
She was relieved to hear that he hadn’t refused because he disliked her.
“But to already be bombarded with calls… Koreans are so quick.”
“Aren’t you the same, Ms. Seo Jae-yi?”
Baek Joo-won gestured at the bouquet she had presented as a bribe. Seo Jae-yi grinned.
“I guarantee that Haeil is the best, at least in Korea. We’re the number one guild in the country. That means we make the most money.”
“I heard the Center is great for Guides.”
“It’s good in the sense that Espers can’t mistreat them. But considering your ability, you’ll be drained by all the Espers who visit the Center.”
Imagine being swarmed by dozens of mosquitoes.
Baek Joo-won frowned at the apt analogy. As a human, he was well aware of the horrors of mosquitoes.
“And actually, I’d prefer if you went somewhere other than the Center.”
“For example, Haeil Guild?”
“Haeil would be the best, but even if you don’t come to Haeil, I hope you don’t even consider the Center as an option. It might be known as a paradise for Guides, but it’s not a true paradise. I know from experience, having spent almost seven years there.”
Under the Awakened Minors Protection Act, both Espers and Guides who awakened before reaching adulthood were confined to the Association or the Center.
Therefore, Seo Jae-yi, who awakened at thirteen, had lived at the Center until she turned twenty. The Protection Act was just a pretense.
From thirteen to nineteen.
While things had improved after Kwon Yi-soo became the Center Head, she had still been treated as a lab rat for a long time.
Seo Jae-yi, without proper guardians, had been the perfect test subject for them.
If they had done such things to an underage S-rank Esper, would Baek Joo-won, a stateless individual with exceptional abilities, be safe?
“Compared to that, Haeil is a true paradise. Unlike the stuffy Center, they’re good at cleaning up messes, even if you go a little wild.”
“It must be a paradise for Ms. Seo Jae-yi.”
Seo Jae-yi nodded, confirming his statement.
“But to be fair, Sunghwa Guild isn’t bad either. Their Guild Leader also doesn’t have a paired Guide right now, so you’ll be treated well. However, Taesan Guild is a no-go.”
Seo Jae-yi’s smile vanished for the first time.
He hadn’t noticed while she was smiling, but her expression was surprisingly cold and sharp without it. Intrigued by the stark contrast, Baek Joo-won found himself staring at her.
“Those Bean Mountain bastards are greedy. They’ll pay you a pittance while working you to the bone. If we’re ordinary mosquitoes, they’re malaria. Remember that.”
She wasn’t lying. She could guarantee it, having fought with Taesan since joining Haeil.
“I don’t care where you go, Mr. Baek Joo-won. Of course, I’d be happy if you came to Haeil, but I don’t want to force someone who doesn’t want to be there. Go wherever you’ll be treated the best.”
Seo Jae-yi spoke sincerely.
Baek Joo-won deserved to be treated well and live comfortably. If there was a better place for him, it was okay if he didn’t choose Haeil or her.
“I can’t tell if Ms. Seo Jae-yi is greedy or not.”
Baek Joo-won spoke after a moment of silence. Seo Jae-yi widened her eyes, confused.
“Of course I am. I could cling to your leg and beg right now. Should I?”
“Don’t you dare. I’ll never go to Haeil if you do that.”
“Then I’ll just keep giving you bouquets.”
“No, that’s also a bit…”
Baek Joo-won vehemently declined, but Seo Jae-yi ignored him.
“Anyway, I appreciate your advice. As a token of my gratitude, I’ll seriously consider joining Haeil. Please take care of me.”
Baek Joo-won extended his hand towards Seo Jae-yi, as if to shake hands. She stared at his large hand, calloused from training, before grasping it with a strange smile.
The moment their hands met, a spark of static electricity jumped between them. Baek Joo-won’s eyes widened in surprise.
Seo Jae-yi tightened her grip on his much larger hand and pulled him closer. Their faces were almost touching. She could feel his body heat through their clasped hands.
“You can test me, as much as you want, to see if I’m worthy of being your partner. I’m the one who’s desperate.”
Unlike the previous two unintentional instances of Guiding, this time Baek Joo-won consciously tried to Guide Seo Jae-yi.
“But you can’t Guide me yet. I can’t accept it.”
But he was blocked.
Seo Jae-yi, who should have been craving Guiding more than anyone, had erected a wall, rejecting his attempt.
A suffocating feeling, like facing the thickest and most impenetrable wall, weighed down on Baek Joo-won’s chest.