Chapter 96:
Well, Seo Jae-yi, who lacked shame, probably wouldn’t mind showing intimate physical contact to others.
“It seems like I’ll be getting beaten up while Guiding her in secret.”
Baek Joo-won clicked his tongue, returning to the recliner. He would have to prepare himself mentally.
“But I’m still weaker than you, so please control yourself.”
“Ah, right. You were always a bit fragile. Okay, I’ll try to be careful.”
“You reckless Firestarter.”
Baek Joo-won clicked his tongue again.
“How long have I been unconscious?”
Baek Joo-won briefly explained what had happened while she was out.
“Fifteen hours. It’s 5 p.m. now. The fire on Mount Taebaek is extinguished. I sent Airok with Kim Yoo-sung.”
That was a relief.
“And that Chu something and Gong Ju-hyun are locked up in the Center’s detention center.”
What?
“They were charged with endangering you by colluding with the government, despite being affiliated with the Center. It was Kwon Yi-soo’s order.”
Ah, Seo Jae-yi understood immediately.
Kwon Yi-soo, with his strong pride, wouldn’t let Chu Sung-won, who prioritized the government’s will over his, go unpunished. He was probably already dismissed from his position as South Chungcheong branch head.
Kwon Yi-soo wasn’t the type to tolerate those who disregarded his authority.
“But Gong Ju-hyun. Hmm.”
She had forgotten about him, momentarily distracted by Baek Joo-won’s identity.
Seo Jae-yi recalled Gong Ju-hyun, who had tried to Guide her on the burning mountain, and the energy he possessed.
“I need to meet Gong Ju-hyun. Something’s strange.”
She checked her receiver. Her overload level had dropped to 25% thanks to the recent Guiding. It was low enough for her to move around freely.
Having a highly compatible Guide – a dungeon master, but still – by her side was definitely convenient.
“Let’s go together.”
Baek Joo-won demanded. He had tried to maintain a distance when he was “Baek Joo-won,” but now that he was Hae-wi, he was more assertive.
“It’s good for me too, as people will feel more at ease seeing me with you, considering I experienced pre-overload symptoms. But why? Any reason?”
“That Gong Ju-hyun guy was incredibly jealous of me. Imagine his despair, seeing me with you, looking healthy, while he’s locked up.”
Seo Jae-yi was a bit confused, seeing Baek Joo-won’s smile.
“Where did the Baek Joo-won I knew go? Did you kill him and take his place? How can you change your attitude so easily?”
“I’ll return to being Baek Joo-won when you return to pretending in front of me.”
Seo Jae-yi remembered how she used to try to impress him.
And she came to a conclusion.
“Let’s just stay like this. I’ve seen more of Baek Joo-won than Hae-wi, but I’ll get used to this being your true self!”
She realized she would be the one at a disadvantage if they returned to their previous dynamic.
“Come on, let’s move.”
Seo Jae-yi jumped out of bed and headed towards the bathroom in the relaxation room.
It was an escape.
The Guild members, who had been waiting outside, greeted her with tears as she left the relaxation room.
They had been prepared for the worst, having heard she had experienced pre-overload symptoms again.
“Are you saying you already mentally killed me off?”
Seo Jae-yi was dumbfounded, but the Guild members just cried, not answering.
Why would she die when Baek Joo-won was here? It was absurd.
She kicked their butts one by one, telling them to stop killing her off, as her level was stable now.
The Guild members, rubbing their butts, cried again, relieved that she wouldn’t die.
Seo Jae-yi then went to the Guild Leader’s office and reported her condition to Kim Yoo-sung.
He teared up again, just like last year when she had experienced pre-overload symptoms for the first time.
But this time, the tears had a different meaning. Kim Yoo-sung hugged Seo Jae-yi and patted her back without a word. He also sent a silent, heartfelt thank you to Baek Joo-won.
Unaware that he was hiding his true identity.
Seo Jae-yi then headed to the Center to meet with Gong Ju-hyun.
“Seo Jae-yi.”
She arrived at the Center and requested permission to enter the detention center. To her surprise, it wasn’t a permit that awaited her, but Kwon Yi-soo himself, the ultimate free pass.
“My level is fine.”
She quickly showed him her receiver, fearing he might try to send her away, as she had experienced pre-overload symptoms.
Kwon Yi-soo glanced at her receiver and then at Baek Joo-won, who was standing beside her, and clicked his tongue.
“I just have something I want to hear from Gong Ju-hyun.”
Well, she couldn’t refuse him anyway. Seo Jae-yi, using her free pass, headed down to the detention center in the basement.
The Center basement held no fond memories for Seo Jae-yi.
The floor above the detention center, located on the lowest level, housed the lab and the room where she had been confined. A white, empty room, specially designed to withstand her heat.
She instinctively glanced at the floor where she had spent her teenage years as they descended and stopped in surprise.
“Huh?”
The third basement floor, where the lab was located, had always been bustling with researchers in white coats and Espers armed with guns. It had been a place of constant activity, filled with the annoying beeping of machines.
But now, it was eerily silent. Empty. Only dust remained.
“Did you close down the research floor?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Four years ago.”
Right after Seo Jae-yi left the Center.
She entered the research floor, leaving the two behind. She soon reached the room where she had lived.
S—01. The number on the sturdy metal door was her experimental subject number.
Instead of opening the door, Seo Jae-yi stood by the wall next to it. There was no need to open it.
The wall facing the hallway was transparent. It was designed to monitor her, to prevent her from doing anything reckless. There was no privacy in this room.
But the room beyond the wall was a sorry sight. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling, the walls were cracked, and the furniture – a bed, a bookshelf – was broken.
It looked like someone had intentionally destroyed it.
Her old prison, where she had been confined, was completely wrecked.
“You left this place; why are you looking back?”
Kwon Yi-soo, who had been standing behind her, spoke indifferently.
So it was Kwon Yi-soo who had done this to the room.
“Don’t look back. It’s not worth it.”
He was right. But Seo Jae-yi couldn’t help but look back one more time.
She suddenly remembered something.
‘Kwon Yi-soo was the one who replaced the furniture.’
She had been sleeping uncomfortably on a half-burned bed for a while.
Kwon Yi-soo had become the Center Head when she turned seventeen, and new furniture had been brought into her room shortly after.
A bed, a bookshelf, a desk. Just the bare minimum, but it made the room look more like a room.
Kwon Yi-soo, who visited her later, didn’t say anything about the new furniture. A few books were added to the empty bookshelf after he left.
That was when Seo Jae-yi realized he was the one who had ordered the furniture for her room.
People thought he hated her, but it was just his stoic demeanor.
He had done the bare minimum despite his cold attitude, so Seo Jae-yi didn’t hate him.
“Let’s go.”
Kwon Yi-soo turned away. Seo Jae-yi hesitated for a moment and then stood before the metal door instead of following him.
“What are you doing?”
Baek Joo-won, who had been standing beside her, asked.
“Revenge.”
She threw a punch. Her fist, heated by her ability, slammed into the metal door.
A deafening bang echoed through the hallway, and a dent appeared in the center of the door. Her fist print was clearly visible on the metal.
“That’s better.”
Seo Jae-yi, satisfied with the door, finally turned towards Kwon Yi-soo, who was looking at her incredulously.
Baek Joo-won, watching her walk away, touched the dented door with his fingertips. And then he realized.
S—01.
The number on the door was gone.
Seo Jae-yi would never return to this place, having let go of her past.