Chapter 35:
“Logi!”
Seo Jae-yi returned to the flower shop, not her home, still pondering the unanswered question.
“Huh? What brings you here so late?”
Airok, who had been playing and tending the dungeon plants in the greenhouse, fluttered over.
“Here, a present.”
Airok’s eyes widened as she presented a box tied with a luxurious green ribbon.
“A p-present? For me?”
“Yeah. You’ve been helping me grow the dungeon plants, but I haven’t given you anything.”
Airok’s nose twitched, as if he was trying to hold back tears.
“Sigh, I made the best decision switching Masters…”
He muttered, declaring it was the best choice ever, and started fumbling with the ribbon, his tiny front paws even smaller than his wings.
‘He’s so adorable!’
She had to capture this on video!
She hurriedly took out her phone and started filming Airok.
“Got it! Huh? What’s this?”
After struggling for a while, he finally opened the box. Inside was a rolled-up, deep blue scarf. It was the same scarf Seo Jae-yi had thought would look perfect on him.
“It’s a scarf. I thought it would suit you.”
Seo Jae-yi put down her phone, still recording, and took out the scarf. Even Airok could tell that the scarf, with its silver embroidery, was quite luxurious.
“Do you like it?”
Airok’s wings fluttered, and his tail swished back and forth.
‘I’ve never seen Logi this happy.’
Seo Jae-yi wrapped the scarf around Airok’s neck and tied a ribbon at the back. Thanks to Airok’s recent coaching, her ribbon-tying skills had significantly improved.
“Ta-da! All done!”
A deep blue scarf, tied with a ribbon, on his white body with a pale blue sheen.
‘He’s so cute!’
Unable to contain her excitement, Seo Jae-yi slammed her hand on the table. It instantly shattered.
Airok, who had almost been crushed under the debris, shrieked and flew up into the air.
“Master! Control your strength! You almost ruined my scarf!”
“I’m sorry. You’re cuter than I imagined.”
“Well, I am quite adorable!”
Airok landed on Seo Jae-yi’s palm and puffed out his chest, his tail held high. He seemed to be in a very good mood.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Seeing him wearing the scarf she had gifted him warmed her heart. Ah, this was why people gave gifts.
“I’ll buy you more from time to time.”
“I don’t really need these things, but I’ll accept them if you insist.”
He was flapping his wings and wagging his tail happily, but his words were quite sassy.
Seo Jae-yi retrieved her phone, which had been buried under the broken table fragments, and started taking pictures of Airok like a madwoman. Airok, who had been stroking the scarf, subtly posed for her.
“So you were with that Baek Joo-won… person until this hour?”
After briefly explaining the day’s events, Seo Jae-yi nodded at Airok’s question.
“Yeah. I actually wanted to drive him home, but he said sharing personal information like that was too much.”
Baek Joo-won’s casual remark about them not being close enough was probably sincere.
The relationship between Espers and Guides was complicated. There had been cases where Espers, rejected by their Guides, had kidnapped them.
Therefore, she understood why Baek Joo-won wanted to keep his personal information private, although she was disappointed.
“Ah, his home… I’m also curious about where he’s living.”
“You too? I’ve been wondering the same thing.”
The question that had lingered in her mind since parting with Baek Joo-won resurfaced.
“Where could a stateless person be living? He’s not staying at the Guide dormitory in the Center either.”
A hotel? But he would need identification for that… A motel? Or…
“He’s not living illegally, is he?”
Perhaps that was why he hadn’t told her where he lived? She suddenly felt worried.
She had to respect his privacy, but she felt compelled to ask.
“I’m honestly curious. Can’t we just ask him?”
“You’re right. I’ll ask him when we’re closer.”
“Okay! Come to think of it, I’m curious about your home too, Master. Where do humans live?”
Airok had never left the greenhouse, tasked with preventing the dungeon plants from going wild. And he couldn’t leave because they couldn’t risk exposing a dragon roaming outside the dungeon.
She felt a bit sorry for him.
“I’ll show you my house when I find someone to watch over the greenhouse.”
“Oh! Really? Do you know anyone trustworthy?”
“Yeah! We can just kidnap someone from the night shift at the Guild headquarters next door!”
“Night shift… kidnap…”
Was that really okay…? Airok looked confused but quickly agreed, happy to pass on his responsibilities.
“You need to enjoy your vacation before we get busy selling dungeon plants.”
“You make it sound like I’m actually your employee.”
“You are! But I realized I haven’t even thought about paying you. I wouldn’t have noticed if Mr. Baek Joo-won hadn’t asked me about it.”
Airok thought he had misheard.
“What? Pay? Who would even mention that?”
“Mr. Baek Joo-won.”
“Oh… I thought his physiognomy wasn’t that great, but he’s actually a good person!”
“His physiognomy isn’t that great? Isn’t he incredibly handsome?”
Seo Jae-yi asked, her eyes wide with surprise. Airok looked at her with a disappointed expression.
“Master, looks aren’t everything.”
“Logi, it’s strange to hear you say that.”
To be told not to judge people by their appearance by Airok, a monster, even if he was a dragon…
“I’ll pay you when you complete a month. And if we make a good profit, I’ll give you a bonus, so work hard.”
“I’m so grateful that you became my new Master!”
Airok exclaimed. While money couldn’t buy happiness, a dragon needed money to live.
“We’ll be busy soon. I’m going to enter a dungeon and test the plants myself.”
“Master, I told you that’s dangerous!”
“No, it’s not that dangerous this time. I’ll be entering officially, with permission.”
Seo Jae-yi grinned, looking at the large calendar hanging on the wall of the flower shop.
She would definitely be able to enter a dungeon by next week.
***
Kwon Yi-soo, as the Guiding Center Head, oversaw all Guides in Korea, but he wasn’t interested in their personal lives or minor incidents.
He didn’t care what his subordinate Guides did, as long as they didn’t break his rules.
However, there were exceptions: he always kept a close eye on the movements of the precious S-rank Guides.
He received reports on everything, from Baek Joo-won’s training progress to Joo Seon-min’s activities, who preferred dungeons to the Center.
“Guide Joo Seon-min has left the dungeon and is currently at her residence.”
Joo Seon-min, who could live a comfortable and luxurious life if she wanted, considering she was an S-rank Guide, preferred to spend her time in dungeons and battlefields.
Therefore, she was known for her exceptional combat sense, rivaling even most Espers, rather than her Guiding abilities.
“The newly emerged Fixed dungeon is nearing completion.”
“That’s why she left.”
He didn’t need to summon Joo Seon-min for a detailed report; it was obvious.
“But unlike before, she doesn’t seem to be looking for another dungeon.”
“Joo Seon-min?”
Joo Seon-min’s behavior was simple.
She entered a dungeon when it emerged, left when the subjugation was complete, searched for another dungeon, and entered if she found something interesting.
So he had assumed she would be searching for her next target, but this was unexpected. Why was she suddenly staying put after all that time spent obsessively raiding dungeons?
“It’s been confirmed that she visited Esper Seo Jae-yi’s flower shop the day after leaving the dungeon.”
Kwon Yi-soo frowned at Han Sung-woo’s words.
That ridiculous flower shop that didn’t suit Seo Jae-yi at all. He had never even been there.
‘She must have heard about Seo Jae-yi’s Guide.’
They had a significant age gap, but they were quite close, perhaps because they awakened around the same time. Joo Seon-min must have been curious about Baek Joo-won, even postponing her beloved dungeon raids.
“Keep observing her. And what’s the progress on the investigation into Baek Joo-won?”
“Not good, sir. We tried to tail him to find out where he’s living, but it didn’t go as planned.”
They lost him? They had Espers on the tracking team. How was that possible? According to Baek Joo-won’s training instructor, he was just an ordinary person with good athletic abilities.
‘Is another Esper helping him?’
Seo Jae-yi… if she knew he was investigating Baek Joo-won, she would threaten him with fire and demand he stop, so she was likely unaware. And Kim Yoo-sung and Seo Won-yeong wouldn’t stay quiet either…
Then what was going on? The more he dug into Baek Joo-won’s background, the more mysterious he became.
‘I feel incompetent whenever it involves Baek Joo-won.’
He had never felt this way before. Kwon Yi-soo chuckled self-deprecatingly.