Chapter 84:
“Gasp.”
Seo Jae-yi crossed her arms defensively at Baek Joo-won’s threat.
“A-are you trying to take advantage of me…?”
Baek Joo-won scoffed.
“I have no intention of doing that. But you might be the one who attacks me first.”
The more intimate the physical contact, the greater the effect of Guiding.
Therefore, an Esper who was lacking in Guiding or had lost control would instinctively seek deeper contact with their Guide, regardless of the Guide’s will.
“If you don’t want that, control yourself. I won’t resist, no matter what you do to me.”
“No, please resist.”
“There’s no Guide in the world who would reject their paired Esper who craves Guiding. And I’m no exception.”
Baek Joo-won smiled and caressed her cheek. The nosebleed had stopped.
“We’re paired. Get your mind straight if you didn’t become my Pair just to treat me like a doll you can dress up and display.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. Seo Jae-yi shuddered involuntarily as she felt a deeper, stronger Guiding energy than when they were holding hands.
Baek Joo-won released her and headed towards the flowerbed.
“…Well, I agree with him.”
Airok, who had heard their entire conversation, sided with Baek Joo-won and flew towards the dungeon plants.
Seo Jae-yi, left alone, clutched the bloodstained handkerchief and sighed.
She knew it too. She wanted to live, so she wanted to receive Guiding from Baek Joo-won properly. But…
‘…I should talk to my aunt about this.’
She had to talk to her aunt, who had asked to meet them.
Seo Jae-yi immediately scheduled an appointment with her aunt, striking while the iron was hot.
So on the weekend, she went to Seo Won-yeong and her aunt’s house with Baek Joo-won. He was surprised to see the grand detached house.
“I thought you lived in an apartment or something, like Seo Jae-yi. This is unexpected.”
“Won-yeong mentioned she’s an equipment crafter, right? She runs her workshop here, in the garden.”
They entered the gate, and a well-maintained garden and a beautiful two-story house came into view. The workshop, almost as large as the house, was located on one side of the spacious garden, which was big enough for several dogs to run around.
“Oh, welcome!”
Seo Won-yeong appeared from the house, not the workshop. Even she, who practically lived in her workshop, couldn’t be covered in dust when an important guest was visiting.
“Your house is beautiful.”
“My mother decorated it diligently. She’ll be happy to hear that. Come on in.”
He had expected the house to have a modern vibe, considering Seo Won-yeong’s ash-gray hair and tattoos.
But he was completely mistaken.
The interior, contrary to his expectations, was incredibly colorful. Warm-toned furniture, mainly orange, red, and yellow, dominated the space, and the decorations were cute and whimsical.
He assumed Seo Won-yeong’s mother would have a cheerful and energetic personality, unlike her daughter.
But his assumption was quickly shattered.
“Hello, I’m Seo Hye-ryeong.”
She was tall, with long curly hair, sharp eyes that resembled Seo Won-yeong’s, and she was wearing a plain, colorless outfit with an apron. She seemed devoid of color, unlike the vibrant house she had decorated.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Baek Joo-won.”
Like mother, like daughters. They shared a unique personality.
“I heard you like Korean food, so I prepared some. I hope it suits your taste.”
They entered the kitchen, and a table laden with food came into view. There were various side dishes, grilled fish, stew, japchae, braised short ribs – a full Korean course meal.
“Gasp. Aunt, you went overboard! Why did you make so much food?”
“Would I prepare a simple meal for someone I need to impress?”
Her matter-of-fact answer clearly showed her affection for Seo Jae-yi.
After a quiet meal with little conversation, they enjoyed light refreshments in the living room while Seo Won-yeong cleaned up.
Seo Hye-ryeong, who had been silent during the meal, finally asked Baek Joo-won some questions.
“Do you have any difficulties Guiding our Jae-yi?”
Almost all her questions were about Seo Jae-yi.
“It’s difficult. She refuses Guiding.”
“Cough!”
A piece of fruit Seo Jae-yi had been eating shot out of her mouth. Seo Hye-ryeong calmly picked it up and put it back in her mouth.
…Was it normal to put it back in her mouth?
“So you haven’t been able to Guide her?”
“I’m forcing her to receive it. Her condition isn’t good enough for her to willingly accept it.”
“Oh my, is that so?”
A strange glint appeared in Seo Hye-ryeong’s usually stoic eyes. It was a subtle change, but her face seemed to brighten considerably.
“That’s a relief. Honestly, I was worried you wouldn’t be able to handle Jae-yi’s stubbornness. I can trust you now. Thank you for not giving up and continuing to Guide her.”
Her eyes shone as she looked at Baek Joo-won.
“Don’t you have any questions about Guiding? This is all I can offer.”
“I’m curious about how to subdue Seo Jae-yi, who keeps refusing, and Guide her properly.”
“Cough.”
Another piece of fruit shot out of Seo Jae-yi’s mouth. This time, instead of putting it back in her mouth, Seo Hye-ryeong stared at her niece.
“No, I’m just worried that Baek Joo-won might get hurt…”
Seo Jae-yi mumbled, trailing off as she met her aunt’s gaze.
Seo Hye-ryeong clicked her tongue.
“This is why Espers are… They don’t understand how Guides feel. They think only Espers worry about their Guides.”
“Mom, you’re not saying that to me, are you?”
Seo Won-yeong, who had finished cleaning up and entered the living room, asked, her expression uncomfortable. Seo Hye-ryeong tilted her head.
“Do you think I’m not?”
“Why me?!”
“You, who won’t even move out because you’re worried about me, who built your workshop in our garden. You think I’m some kind of invalid who can’t even function in daily life.”
“I’m just worried!”
“This is what Espers are like. They think Guides are fragile paper dolls. We’re healthier than non-Awakened individuals because of our physical training.”
“But we still think you’re fragile.”
“Right, right.”
The two sisters tried to protest weakly, but they shut up at Seo Hye-ryeong’s cold gaze.
“My Matching Rate with Jae-yi is too low, so I’ve never Guided her. I’m not sure, but crying works wonders on Won-yeong.”
“Crying?”
Baek Joo-won looked intrigued. Seo Hye-ryeong, as if to demonstrate, lowered her eyes dramatically.
“If you don’t receive Guiding, your health will deteriorate, and you might even die suddenly. Oh my god, how will I live without my daughter? I can’t do anything on my own. How will I survive in this harsh world all alone…”
Her acting was incredibly bad. But there was someone who fell for it.
“No! Mom! Don’t say that! It’s my fault!”
Seo Won-yeong, even though she knew it was a demonstration, clung to Seo Hye-ryeong’s leg, her face crumpled in distress.
“I’ll receive Guiding obediently. Who else will take care of you if I’m not here! So don’t worry, Mom!”
“See? It works perfectly.”
Seo Hye-ryeong, having given a flawless demonstration, patted Seo Won-yeong’s head, who was burying her face in her lap and sobbing.
“…”
Baek Joo-won, watching the mother and daughter, turned his gaze towards Seo Jae-yi. She flinched the moment their eyes met.
“…Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t do anything. Never!”
So that kind of bad acting worked on Seo Jae-yi too.
“Ah, well, I can’t promise that.”
Seo Jae-yi covered her face with both hands, hearing his determined response.
“Aunt, why did you tell him that?”
“Because I want you to receive Guiding obediently?”
“No, it’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that Baek Joo-won’s Guiding purity is so high that I might lose control, so I’m being cautious.”
“Yes, Won-yeong told me about that.”
Seo Hye-ryeong asked indifferently,
“Jae-yi, what’s a Guide’s ability?”
“…Huh?”
“Guides save Espers. They not only lower overload levels, but they can also calm down overloaded Espers. You’re saying you can’t calm down a single Esper who lost control from Guiding?”
Huh? She had a point.
Seo Jae-yi was a bit flustered.
“But I couldn’t do it during the Guiding experiment.”
“That was when Baek Joo-won had just awakened. And his Matching Rate with other Espers is in the 50% range. It’s different with you, with your 93% Matching Rate. It’ll be much easier for you to bring him back to normal.”
And Seo Jae-yi was an Esper who had learned how to prevent harming her Guide. So she would regain control even faster.
“So stop refusing and adjust to each other slowly. You’re paired. You have to trust each other. Your current behavior shows that you don’t trust Baek Joo-won.”
“T-that’s not true!”
“That’s how Guides perceive it. And nothing is more painful to a Guide than not being trusted by their paired Esper.”
“…”
Seo Jae-yi had to admit her mistake, facing her aunt’s cold words.