Extra 10:
Seo Jae-yi, leaving the courthouse, ignored the reporters clamoring for interviews and got into her car.
Haeil would release an official statement later; there was no need for her to say anything.
The reporters, desperate for a story, would be disappointed, but she didn’t care.
She drove to Haeil Guild headquarters. The Guild members had practically begged her to return after the trial.
They hadn’t seemed to trust her, even after she promised, even going so far as to demand she leave Baek Joo-won at the headquarters as… collateral.
She hadn’t planned on bringing him to the courthouse anyway, as he hadn’t revealed his face to the public, so she had readily agreed.
“They chose the perfect hostage.”
She would have gone straight to the forest dungeon if Baek Joo-won had been there, regardless of the Guild members’ pleas, but they knew her too well now.
After parking in the basement of the headquarters building, she headed not to the Guild Leader’s office, not to her own room, but to the main conference hall.
The very place where she had held her press conference, revealing her face to the world for the first time.
She pushed open the double doors and stepped inside.
Bang! Pop! Boom!
Confetti and streamers exploded around her.
“Congratulations on your successful first trial!”
“Good job, Leader!”
“You’ve worked hard!”
Cheers and congratulations rained down on her along with the colorful confetti.
Her hair, which she had gotten styled at a salon, was instantly ruined.
“Seriously…”
Seo Jae-yi, showered in confetti, chuckled and looked around the conference hall.
Unlike during the packed press conference, the room was now empty, the chairs and tables removed.
A banner with the words, “Congrats on Firestarter’s Successful Revenge!” hung prominently at the front, and placards with insults directed at Kim Joon-pil and Jang Woo-seok were plastered on the walls like decorations.
And in the center of the room, all the Haeil Guild members, wearing ridiculous party hats, were setting off fireworks and cheering.
Some were even using their abilities to create more elaborate displays.
It was utter chaos.
She had expected something like this.
They always used this hall for their celebrations.
“You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you?”
“Of course! You ruined our impeachment celebration by running off!”
“So we were determined to celebrate properly this time!”
Their cheers quickly turned to playful accusations.
“You guys are just… oblivious. Couples are supposed to celebrate such occasions privately.”
“And?”
“Thank you for preparing the party.”
Seo Jae-yi grinned, and the Guild members burst out laughing.
It was chaotic, but this was Haeil, their usual atmosphere.
A Guild where everyone was happy, a Guild that truly felt like a family.
“Good work.”
Guild Leader Kim Yoo-sung and his Paired Guide, Kwon Ye-na, who had been clapping from the back, approached her and patted her shoulders.
Seo Won-yeong and Seo Hye-ryeong, though not officially Haeil members, were also there, practically family.
They hugged her tightly.
“You’re finally here. I’ve been waiting.”
Baek Joo-won was the last to congratulate her.
Seo Jae-yi smiled and looked up, feeling his arms wrap around her from behind. His lips found hers in a soft kiss.
“Okay, stop. We’re here for a party, not a PDA show.”
Moon Soo-hyun, seeing their kiss deepening, quickly intervened, raising her hand, and the other Guild members jeered.
“Save that for later, and let’s start with a toast!”
Moon Soo-hyun pulled Seo Jae-yi away from Baek Joo-won and pushed her towards the stage.
Seo Jae-yi, touched by their efforts, obediently climbed onto the stage.
Kim Yoo-sung followed her and handed her a glass filled with beer. Seo Jae-yi, who had been craving beer throughout the trial, readily accepted it.
Her Guild members, standing below, looked up at her expectantly.
Seo Jae-yi grinned, seeing their eager faces.
“Guys, I’ve taken care of all the insects that were blocking our path. So let’s go! Our new goal is to become the world’s number one Guild!”
She raised her glass high, her voice filled with pride.
“Woohoo!”
“Cheers!”
It was an unexpected toast, but so perfectly Seo Jae-yi, that everyone burst out laughing.
She glanced at Kim Yoo-sung, who was also smiling.
“You’ve trusted and supported me all this time, so now I’ll support you, Guild Leader. Let’s go! Let’s become number one!”
“Yes! We’ll push you forward, Guild Leader!”
“We’ll push Leader, who’s pushing Leader! Let’s go!”
“Let’s do this!”
Everyone cheered, their voices echoing through the hall. Kim Yoo-sung, laughing, raised his glass and clinked it against Seo Jae-yi’s.
“Let’s go, everyone!”
They both drained their glasses in one gulp.
They wouldn’t look back. The swamp that had been holding them back was gone; all that remained was to charge forward.
With Kim Yoo-sung and Seo Jae-yi leading the way, they could achieve anything.
No one doubted their bright future.
The party, which had begun with a rousing toast, quickly descended into chaos.
The spacious conference hall, now cleared of tables and chairs, was filled with Guild members rolling around on the floor, eating, drinking, and laughing.
They had started with beer and soju, but soon, as expected of Korea’s top Guild, expensive liquors appeared. A chaotic chase ensued as people scrambled for the Royal Salute.
Not just snacks and alcohol, but Espers themselves were flying through the air.
The Guides, less tolerant to alcohol than Espers, quickly succumbed and were piled in a corner, fast asleep.
And as even the Espers started collapsing, one by one, only one Guide remained standing.
“…That… monster.”
Seo Won-yeong, her face flushed, trembled slightly.
Baek Joo-won was sitting calmly before her, sipping his whiskey as if it were tea.
“Immune to alcohol too…”
Seo Won-yeong, who had challenged him to a drinking contest and lost spectacularly, muttered those words and then promptly passed out.
Kim Yoo-sung and Moon Soo-hyun, who had been watching, were dumbfounded.
“That’s insane. He made Seo Won-yeong pass out. And his face isn’t even red. It’s like pouring alcohol into a bottomless pit. Can a Guide even outdrink an Esper?”
Moon Soo-hyun’s question was valid.
Guides had ordinary human bodies, while Espers had some resistance to toxins, including alcohol.
Especially S-ranks, who were practically immune to most poisons, rarely got drunk, even if they drank it straight.
And yet, Seo Won-yeong, Korea’s strongest Enhancement Esper, had lost to Baek Joo-won in a drinking contest? It was absurd.
“And why is Seo Won-yeong so competitive with Baek Joo-won? She used to dote on him.”
“She probably thinks he stole her precious sister.”
Kim Yoo-sung replied casually, though he knew the real reason.
‘Seo Won-yeong must have learned about Baek Joo-won’s true nature.’
She must be conflicted. She was grateful to him for saving Seo Jae-yi, but she was also wary of him, a dangerous monster, being her sister’s eternal companion.
She would eventually accept him, but it was understandable for her to be conflicted, being Seo Jae-yi’s family.
“Aaaaaargh!”
Alcohol, which had been floating in the air, suddenly rained down on Moon Soo-hyun. Jeong Yoon-ah, who often bickered with her, was laughing, clearly the culprit.
“Jeong Yoon-ah, you’re dead!”
Moon Soo-hyun, drenched in expensive liquor, charged towards her. The sounds of a playful brawl ensued.
“I was going easy on her, but I didn’t expect her to collapse so quickly.”
Baek Joo-won chuckled, no longer pretending to be demure, after Moon Soo-hyun left.
Kim Yoo-sung sighed.
“Are you even trying to hide your true nature?”
“I am. But I didn’t expect an S-rank Esper to get drunk so easily. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Baek Joo-won shrugged.
“I believe we’ve celebrated enough. We’ll be going upstairs now.”
He finished his whiskey, put down the glass, and looked at Seo Jae-yi.
She had fallen asleep on his lap, her head resting on his thigh, perhaps bored from watching him and Seo Won-yeong’s drinking contest.
“Go ahead. We seem to be the only ones who are still… coherent.”
Baek Joo-won carefully lifted Seo Jae-yi into his arms, his every movement gentle and considerate.
That was why Kim Yoo-sung had finally accepted him.
Seo Won-yeong would too, eventually.
“Kim Yoo-sung.”
Kim Yoo-sung, who had thought he was leaving, looked at Baek Joo-won, surprised that he had been addressed.
“You don’t have to be suspicious or worried about me.”
Kim Yoo-sung frowned.
“I’m not, not anymore.”
“I’m just… clarifying. Just as I don’t trust any human other than Seo Jae-yi, you might also… doubt me eventually.”
Baek Joo-won, a monster who couldn’t trust any creature, any human, other than his mate.
Kim Yoo-sung’s expression turned serious.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Something I couldn’t say before. If Seo Jae-yi dies, I die too. Regardless of your actions, I’ll die the moment her heart stops.”
Kim Yoo-sung’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Wh-what does that…?”
“It’s… beyond my control. I won’t ever put Seo Jae-yi in danger, so you don’t have to worry. I can’t explain the details, though.”
“But I need a proper explanation…”
“Just know that I, at least, would never harm Seo Jae-yi.”
Baek Joo-won left those cryptic words and then, ignoring Kim Yoo-sung’s calls, left the conference hall.
Kim Yoo-sung didn’t need to know the details, about him giving Seo Jae-yi his Yeouiju, about her becoming the Yeouiju.
This much was enough.
It was a significant concession.
If Kim Yoo-sung knew the truth, he would never try to separate them.
That was all that mattered.
Baek Joo-won left the conference hall and headed to Seo Jae-yi’s room at the Guild headquarters. He was more comfortable here than at her Han River penthouse now.
He locked the door, entered, and gently laid Seo Jae-yi down on the bed.
He looked down at her sleeping face.
“You’re awake, so open your eyes.”
Seo Jae-yi’s eyes fluttered open at his teasing whisper.