“Won’t you step aside?”
“I was told not to let anyone in.”
“Don’t you know who I am? I’ve been here more than once, so what are you talking about?”
“But…….”
“If you act like this, I can only assume you have some ulterior motive!”
Early in the morning, there was a commotion outside. Even as I was doing some light exercise, I could hear it.
I didn’t have any particular physical issues, but I thought that doing a little exercise might help with guiding, so I had been exercising daily lately. Today was no different.
“Contact Cha Jae-woo, the Esper, and tell him exactly what I said. This behavior is suspicious to anyone!”
However, it seemed like I had to stop. I had only been at it for about ten minutes, which was a shame. I exited the room, which Cha Jae-woo had said I could use. It was just like a gym, and I fidgeted with my hair.
Actually, whatever commotion was happening at Cha Jae-woo’s house was none of my business. Obviously, Cha Jae-woo should handle it.
But today was a bit different. Cha Jae-woo had left early in the morning to participate in a sudden gate suppression request, leaving the house empty. The loud voice outside was familiar to me.
The person shouting loud enough to echo through the windows was Jang Gijun, the Guide Association President. I hadn’t seen him since the day I entered this house.
“Why is he here?”
Especially since Cha Jae-woo isn’t here. Why would he come here when Cha Jae-woo isn’t around? Is it because of me?
But Cha Jae-woo is in the gate, so how does he expect him to answer the phone? He must know that Cha Jae-woo is in the gate and can’t make calls from there.
Anyway, it was a bit strange if he came to see me.
‘He should have come sooner if he wanted to.’
Jang Gijun should have been there when I was forced into the contract. Then, I might have been a little less nervous. The outcome would have been the same, but…
It was in the past. I decided to accept the situation and didn’t regret it too much. At least my life wasn’t in danger. Still, my impression of Jang Gijun wasn’t great.
‘Anyway, since he’s here, I should go out and see him.’
I left the exercise room on the second floor and headed towards the stairs, intending to go outside. I thought Jang Gijun wouldn’t have entered the house yet.
“Uh…….”
However, before I could even get down the stairs, I found Jang Gijun, looking quite flustered, already inside.
“Hello.”
Although I didn’t have a great impression of him, I wasn’t going to ignore his visit. So, I greeted him politely.
But Jang Gijun blatantly looked me up and down before smiling. His expression was well-disguised. Another con artist. So, you don’t have to be good-looking to be a con artist.
“Ah, Lim Haeyul, the Guide. Long time no see.”
He left me here alone and ran away. Does he think I didn’t notice what happened?
He was clearly overwhelmed by Cha Jae-woo’s presence and rewrote the contract before fleeing. Pretending nothing happened was ridiculous.
“Yes, it has been a while.”
Of course, Jang Gijun hadn’t done anything terribly wrong. Once Cha Jae-woo decided to make a separate contract with me, Jang Gijun’s opinion didn’t matter. No one could stop Cha Jae-woo, an S-rank Esper.
“Have you been well?”
I asked out of politeness and started walking again. Standing in the hallway felt awkward, so I headed towards the second-floor living room. Jang Gijun, who probably knew the house layout as well as I did, followed me without a word.
“I’ve been worried about you, Lim Haeyul.”
“Worried about me……?”
Despite his claim of worry, Jang Gijun’s face was smooth and well-maintained, belying any genuine concern. He continued to smile insincerely, his words dripping with flattery.
His exaggerated mannerisms were irritating. Initially, he had looked down on me, but now, perhaps because of Cha Jae-woo, he was trying to read my expressions. This only reinforced my dislike for him.
There was no reason to think highly of him. He had pushed me into this house without any mention of guiding education. He clearly had no intention of training me; he just wanted me to be a source of mana and energy for Cha Jae-woo to exploit. There was no other explanation for his actions.
‘Maybe I should be more hostile towards him.’
The thought came a bit late.
“Suddenly changing your phone number and not showing up at the Guide Center for training, it makes one wonder if something happened. Kim Sol is also very worried.”
I remained silent. Although Jang Gijun was likely lying, Kim Sol genuinely cared about me.
‘I wish I could contact him…’
But it felt wrong. Cha Jae-woo had changed my number and cut off contact for a reason. I had to respect that.
“Um… I got a new phone and changed my number.”
The contract with Jang Gijun was now null and void. I had to be mindful of Cha Jae-woo, who was now my sole contractor. Cha Jae-woo didn’t want me to interact with the Guide Association or other Guides. The earlier commotion confirmed that Cha Jae-woo had instructed his staff not to let Jang Gijun in. I had to follow Cha Jae-woo’s lead.
“I see.”
Jang Gijun narrowed his eyes, suspicion written all over his face. It was as if he expected me to be struggling, which was slightly infuriating. However, he quickly composed himself.
“Well, that’s good to know. Everything is fine, then?”
He confidently took a seat on the main sofa on the second floor. I sat down nearby, feeling awkward just standing there.
“Yes, well…”
“Guiding must be tough. Have you collapsed again since that day?”
He was asking now? Too little, too late. Jang Gijun clearly didn’t care about me.
“Since then—”
“I wonder why you’re so curious.”
Cha Jae-woo’s irritated voice cut me off.
“Oh, Cha Jae-woo?”
“…Esper Cha Jae-woo.”
Both Jang Gijun and I stood up as Cha Jae-woo entered. I furrowed my brow slightly, noticing the sharp energy waves around him that I hadn’t seen in a while.
“What brings you to my house?”
“…Ha ha. Am I not welcome here?”
“If I say you’re not, then you’re not. Isn’t that right? It’s my house.”
“Well, I can’t argue with that, but suddenly being barred from a place I frequently visited—”
“You said you had nothing to say, yet you keep talking.”
“…….”
“You have a habit of lying, Mr. Jang Gijun.”
Cha Jae-woo’s words carried weight, each one feeling like a brick thrown at Jang Gijun. As my guiding abilities developed, I could see Cha Jae-woo’s energy waves more clearly. They were fiercely directed at Jang Gijun.
“You joke too much.”
“It wasn’t a joke.”
The tension was palpable, and Jang Gijun quickly shifted his gaze to me, seeking an easier target.
“Anyway, I’m worried. Since a highly compatible and high-ranking Guide for Cha Jae-woo hasn’t been found yet, Lim Haeyul has to handle guiding alone. I’m concerned about the strain on your body.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Don’t overexert yourself. Many people are worried about you since Cha Jae-woo started entering gates again.”
Cha Jae-woo scoffed openly, but Jang Gijun ignored him. I could only nod.
Jang Gijun had probably come to the house while Cha Jae-woo was in the gate to contact me. Now, in Cha Jae-woo’s presence, he had to back down. As he hastily wrapped up the conversation and left, I suspected that was his intention.
But did he have something specific to say or ask? His visit seemed purposeful, but was he genuinely concerned about my well-being?
The curiosity struck me belatedly. After Cha Jae-woo left to shower, feeling uncomfortable, and I finished my own shower to wash off the sweat from exercising, a question lingered in my mind.
‘I should have asked.’
Only now did I feel a slight regret.
I didn’t mind not contacting the association. Although I felt a bit bad for Kim Sol, not being able to contact him wasn’t that big of a deal. However, I had always been curious about one thing.
Perhaps Jang Gijun knew the reason. Cha Jae-woo had his reasons for not telling me, and I understood that, but it still bothered me.
Was it something that needed to be kept secret? If I asked him directly, would he tell me? Come to think of it, I had been too busy avoiding the situation to demand an explanation from him.
“……It’s obvious because it’s Cha Jae-woo— oh.”
I quickly slapped my lips shut, realizing I was muttering to myself again.
Ever since living alone, I had developed a habit of talking to myself, which was useless and embarrassing in this house. Even though I knew Cha Jae-woo could hear my mutterings, I still found myself doing it unconsciously.
“Slapping yourself won’t unsay the words.”
And so, inevitably, this happened.
I glanced at Cha Jae-woo’s still-damp black hair and awkwardly looked down.
“Maybe if I do it a few more times, I’ll be more careful next time…….”
Even to my own ears, my words sounded ridiculous. Cha Jae-woo laughed incredulously and then sighed.
“Let’s just do the guiding.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cha Jae-woo sat on the couch, and I quickly took my place beside him. This was our usual position for guiding.
His arm rested on the armrest, reminding me of how one would position their arm to have blood drawn. I fidgeted with my curly hair and cautiously opened my mouth.
Guiding required concentration, and I would be exhausted afterward, so if I had something to ask, now was the time.
“By the way…….”
Cha Jae-woo’s face twisted in annoyance at my delay in starting the guiding. My body flinched, and I almost reflexively grabbed his hand but managed to stop myself. I couldn’t hold back my curiosity any longer.
“I’ll ask quickly and then we’ll guide.”
“Who said anything?”
“Your face did…….”
Cha Jae-woo didn’t deny it. I pouted slightly to express my discontent but pressed on with my question. My curiosity was stronger.
“Why did you cut off contact between me and the Guide Association?”
