“Hyung, if you want to drink in the future, drink with me. Wonjin hyung is dangerous.”
“Yang Garam, you’re talking like you’re not dangerous yourself?”
When Do Wonjin challenged him with an incredulous look, Yang Garam responded confidently with a 100% pure smile.
“I’m the safest person in the world.”
“No matter how hungry you are, selling your conscience is shameful.”
Do Wonjin clicked his tongue, his face scrunched up as if he’d bitten into an unripe persimmon.
Truthfully, I was more concerned about Serubi, who had climbed onto the bed and was watching me with narrowed eyes, than the bickering between Yang Garam and Do Wonjin.
“Both of you are too noisy, go fight outside. I’m going to wash up and sleep.”
I finally kicked both Do Wonjin and Yang Garam out and flopped onto the bed. As if it had been waiting for this, Serubi approached me.
[Did you do it with Dodo?]
I was trying to calm my mind and body by hugging the soft, fluffy Serubi and massaging its paw pads, but Serubi didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving me alone.
“What are you doing? Don’t give me that lewd look. We didn’t do anything.”
[You might have if I hadn’t come.]
“We wouldn’t have done anything even without you here.”
[It felt like you liked him too much for that to be true.]
My face burned hot at Serubi’s words. Knowing that showing embarrassment would be like admitting to Serubi’s statement, I deliberately tried to change the subject and act nonchalant.
“Like last time, how do you know about my condition? Does my mood transfer to you or something?”
[Something like that. Not everything, but the intense emotions you feel are transmitted to me.]
After receiving guiding from Do Wonjin following Joo Seolhyeon, my body felt completely drained. I barely managed to push away the thought of falling asleep right there and got up from the bed to head to the bathroom. I figured I should at least brush my teeth before sleeping.
“Isn’t that just being a pervert? Why do you feel my emotions?”
[I am yours. If you die, I die too, so I have a right to know this much.]
Serubi jumped up onto the sink where I was brushing my teeth and passionately made his case.
[So you should always be careful about your conduct.]
I never expected to hear such words from this tiny cat rather than from my parents. I spat out the toothpaste foam and pretended to gag.
“You know this is an invasion of privacy, right?”
Serubi shook his head.
[I don’t know that.]
Of course you wouldn’t. How would a familiar know about human dignity?
“Besides feeling my emotions, do you have any other abilities?”
[Of course I do.]
After finishing brushing my teeth, I wiped my mouth with a towel and asked with my eyes.
Like what?
[Beautiful appearance. This perfect figure.]
Serubi stretched his front legs and then his hind legs to show off. He didn’t forget to raise his chin haughtily.
“That’s…”
I knew I shouldn’t acknowledge it, but he looked so cute that I was at a loss for words. Even while thinking that this would only make him more spoiled, I hugged Serubi and rubbed my cheek against his face.
[Yes, I’m specially allowing you to have this body. Embrace me all you want.]
Serubi was excessively soft and squishy. His size, fitting perfectly in my arms, was problematically perfect, just as he said.
“Do you have any other abilities besides that?”
After thoroughly squeezing, hugging, and nuzzling him all the way from the bathroom, I collapsed onto the bed while still holding Serubi.
[My power is divided into three main parts: the core in my forehead, my heart, and my blood.]
I expected him to show me his paw pads and tell me they were like jelly, but surprisingly, he gave a normal answer, making my eyes widen.
“Is there some special power in those?”
[The core has the power to read and control the other’s mind, the heart has the power to transform physically, and the blood flowing through my heart has the power of infinite recovery as long as one doesn’t die.]
In simple terms, this tiny body had mental, combat, and recovery abilities all in one.
“That’s impressive.”
When I flattered him by saying I hadn’t realized what an amazing being he was, Serubi excitedly wiggled his ears. I smiled at how cute he was and stroked his head, but then I noticed something odd about what Serubi had just said.
“But with those abilities, why didn’t you use the power in your core to control my mind?”
[Right. I found that strange too. My ability to penetrate your mind didn’t work.]
“Then shouldn’t you be more cautious? Why were you so excited to pick fights with me and wag your tail wanting to play?”
[I thought I could win against someone like you without having to mess with your mind.]
If only you couldn’t speak.
I captured Serubi in my arms again and closed my eyes, noticing how he never let me have the last word.
“By the way, about that power of continuous recovery as long as you don’t die. Does that mean if other people drink your blood, they can recover too as long as they don’t die?”
Deep down, this was what I was most curious about. I had made a deal with the Center Director for a healing artifact, but I never imagined there would be an emergency medicine this close to me, one that could walk around and even talk.
[Blood that flows from wounds on my body has no effect. You must eat my blood that I’ve condensed and infused with power to see results. Of course, minor wounds can be healed just by applying my saliva.]
Serubi indirectly explained that taking his blood without his knowledge would be meaningless, and I swallowed my disappointment, having secretly thought of using Serubi as insurance if something happened to my brother.
[But if you want it, I can give it to you anytime.]
Serubi kindly added, perhaps seeing the disappointment that crossed my face. I felt oddly touched by this, my nose tingling with emotion, but there was something that worried me, so I asked.
“But what happens to you after that? Is it okay for you to share your power?”
[I’ll fall into a long sleep.]
“For how long?”
[I don’t know.]
Serubi spoke indifferently, as if it was someone else’s problem. There was actually a lot more I wanted to ask, but seeing Serubi close his eyes while leaning against me as if bothered, I thought, ‘Well, whatever. It’s not like something big enough to require Serubi’s abilities is going to happen right now,’ and closed my eyes too.
The next day, when I went to training after a long time, I felt my body had stiffened. I asked Song Songi to double my usual training amount and moved my entire body. The risk of overload rose quickly, but when I received guiding from Yang Garam, who came to the center after school, it instantly dropped to zero. The effect of the same guiding was twice as effective now that the matching rate had increased. This was especially noticeable with Yang Garam, as his matching rate had doubled compared to before.
“Why is the number already zero when I only held your hand?”
As Yang Garam made a sad face, thinking that the band’s overload risk indicator must be malfunctioning, I explained the reason.
“It’s because our matching rate went up.”
“Matching rate?”
“When I requested the test results yesterday, I asked them to include the guides’ matching rates too. It says our matching rate is 68%. How on earth did it increase that much?”
Yang Garam looked at me with a stunned expression, repeating like a parrot, “68%? It was 38%?” Seeing his face gradually fill with joy like a gradient, I smiled contentedly too. I knew Yang Garam liked me, but it was quite remarkable that his matching rate had increased the most in a month.
“Hyung, does that mean my matching rate with you is the highest?”
Looking at Yang Garam, who was full of expectation, I hesitated to tell the truth, but I thought it would be stranger to hide it, so I told him as it was.
“The matching rate with other guides has also increased, so no.”
“Is there a big difference?”
“Not really, about 6%?”
When I compared it with Jeong Seyeon, who had the highest matching rate, Yang Garam’s face instantly brightened.
“I’m confident I can catch up to that.”
Even though matching rates don’t increase with effort, Yang Garam showed determined resolve, even blowing air through his nostrils. His sincerity in wanting to get closer to me was conveyed through that expression.
Since it had increased once, maybe it could increase again. With a positive mindset, I patted his shoulder as encouragement to work hard.
When I arrived home with Yang Garam as the sun was setting, I found a delivery box addressed to me. Looking at the sender, I saw the name “Kang Siwon” written. For a moment, I furrowed my brow, thinking it was a familiar name, then remembered that was the Center Director’s name.
“What did he send?”
The box only had the addresses of the sender and recipient, with no explanation of the contents anywhere. I moved the box from the living room to my room and opened it to find several boxes that looked expensive at a glance. With an uneasy feeling, I unwrapped each package to find excessive gifts prepared for tomorrow: a three-piece suit, shoes, a tie pin, a watch, and even perfume.
‘Was the Center Director always someone who cared this much about his partner?’
It would certainly reflect poorly on him if I appeared with him looking below standard, but this seemed excessive by any measure. Suddenly, I recalled something Woo Jeonghyun had once said about the Center Director’s great interest in me.
‘From my perspective, the Center Director has different personal feelings for you’
Considering that he had assigned a guide with an incompatible disposition to me, even manipulating the matching rate, it seemed like those feelings could be resentment, but then seeing him act so favorably like now, I was confused.
‘He might just be someone who doesn’t want to be caught on such things.’
Thinking too deeply about it only made my head complicated, so I decided to believe that he would have done this for anyone, not just me. Anyway, I would only be the Center Director’s partner twice. That was the condition of our deal, and I wouldn’t be involved with him beyond that.
The next day, when the scheduled time came, the Center Director came to pick me up from home. Since I had finished all preparations an hour before, I was able to go out as soon as he called.
“You’ve dressed up nicely and waited.”
Unlike usual, the guides praised my changed appearance as if watching a grandchild perform at a talent show—”pretty,” “beautiful,” “handsome”—but as soon as I mentioned that I would be attending the event as the Center Director’s partner, they all turned fierce as if they had never been smiling. Now, I understood their feelings a hundred times better.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
