I had barely calmed Woo Jeonghyun down when he was raging after hearing that I died because of Joo Seolhyeon, but his voice rose again as if anger was surging up once more. Fortunately, I had set up a soundproof barrier before starting our conversation; otherwise, Joo Seolhyeon in the next room would have heard everything by now.
“Let me go. I need to say what needs to be said. Do you want to have this conversation after terminating the contract and making it messy?”
“I’m worried your fists might fly first.”
“For Hyung’s sake, I’d kill that bastard and go to prison.”
“Is that what’s best for me? It’s a path to ruining your life.”
“Ha, this is so frustrating I could die.”
I knew what Woo Jeonghyun wanted to say. I was happy that my brother was angry on my behalf. But that didn’t mean confronting Joo Seolhyeon, who knew nothing about it.
“I told you. He doesn’t know anything. Not even what he did to me.”
“So you’re planning to keep him in the dark forever?”
“Yes. Honestly, you and I believed in the regression because we knew about mom’s keepsake, but it’s a hard story for ordinary people to believe. Rather than seeing Joo Seolhyeon deny it because he can’t believe it, or watching him fidget with some half-baked guilt after all this time, I’d rather just end it like this.”
At my firm response, Woo Jeonghyun clenched his fist and tried to suppress his anger. He ruffled his own hair in frustration and sat back down.
“Fine.”
I patted Woo Jeonghyun’s head for being so obedient, and my tense expression softened.
“Now help me solve my dilemma.”
“About the dedicated Guide?”
“Yeah. I really don’t know.”
Joo Seolhyeon was a person from my past. Instead of wasting time thinking about him, it would be more beneficial for me to think about the people I would share my future with.
“So excessive Guiding causes imprinting.”
Woo Jeonghyun furrowed his brow as he mulled over what I had told him earlier.
“I need to make a decision soon.”
Since there were no clear regulations on how imprinting works, dedicated Guide contracts included a separate clause about imprinting. The clause stated that even if an Esper imprinted on a Guide, the Guide couldn’t raise any objections.
This was inevitable because the higher the matching rate and the deeper the bond between an Esper and a Guide, the greater the probability of imprinting. Though not an established theory, it was generally accepted that the body part in contact during Guiding also affected imprinting. Therefore, it wasn’t an issue if Espers and Guides bound by a dedicated contract imprinted on each other. Even if it was formed unilaterally without the other’s consent.
“But Hyung.”
Woo Jeonghyun should know all this, yet he countered me with a disinterested face.
“Do you have to choose just one?”
I had naturally thought I had to select one person, but Woo Jeonghyun’s words made the back of my head tingle.
“Is there a law saying you must make a dedicated Guide contract with only one person?”
There isn’t.
“If you like all three of them, why not continue living like this and take responsibility if you imprint on them? Ah, does that sound too trashy? Then you could make dedicated Guide contracts with all three, keeping in mind the possibility of imprinting.”
It was clearly sophistry, but it was a very tempting suggestion. I swallowed dryly and my lips twitched.
“What about excessive Guiding? The reason people don’t have multiple dedicated Guides is because of Guiding addiction, right?”
“Aren’t you already addicted to Guiding, Hyung? Isn’t one Guide not enough for you?”
For a moment, my face grew hot at the accurate but too blunt expression.
“That’s true, but there’s such a thing as moral decency. It feels too promiscuous…”
“If you were going to worry about that, you should have done so before living under the same roof. Weren’t you already taking turns sleeping with them every night?”
Earlier, our conversation had gotten too long, so I had simply described receiving Guiding at night as “sleeping together” and moved on, but I didn’t expect this misunderstanding. However, I couldn’t hastily refute Woo Jeonghyun’s words. There was a difference in expression, but the context was essentially the same.
‘I can’t be satisfied with just one? Me?’
I hadn’t felt any lack because I’d been receiving Guiding from all three in rotation, but the frequency of my Guiding requests was not normal. If someone asked whether one Guide could handle it all, even I couldn’t be sure.
“Actually, this isn’t something I should have a say in, but I said it because you seemed to think you absolutely had to choose one person. Since it’s an important issue in your life, I think it would be better to think more carefully and make a prudent choice.”
Seeing my confusion, Woo Jeonghyun spoke in a gentle voice. I nodded slightly at his words.
“And didn’t you say you want to be happy in this life? Then don’t worry about anything else and just do what you want. The answer is already here.”
Woo Jeonghyun placed his hand over my heart and smiled playfully.
“It’s not like you’re King Uija with three thousand court ladies. It’s just three Guides; you’ve thought about it enough already.”
When he put it that way, it really felt like it wasn’t an issue at all. Comforted by Woo Jeonghyun’s words, my expression softened and I smiled.
“Thanks.”
The value I established in this new life, obtained through my mother, was ‘my happiness.’ I didn’t need to worry about what others thought, nor did I need to conform to social conventions. Woo Jeonghyun had pinpointed this exactly.
“You really are my brother. You know I love you a lot, right?”
Following what my heart told me, I hugged my beloved brother and blew a puff of air into his ear. Woo Jeonghyun tried to push me away in alarm and slam me to the floor, but I wasn’t going to give in so easily. Seeing me slip away and escape like a loach, Woo Jeonghyun clutched his forehead as if he had a headache.
“Hyung, you seem drunk. Let’s go to sleep now.”
I hadn’t noticed while we were talking, but several beer cans I had emptied were rolling around on the table.
“Now that you mention it, I do feel a bit tipsy.”
I mumbled with a small, embarrassed cough. Looking back, the impulsive action I had just done to Woo Jeonghyun was quite childish. Woo Jeonghyun, seemingly noticing this, pushed me toward the bathroom, telling me to go brush my teeth.
I took out a new toothbrush from the bathroom and handed it to Woo Jeonghyun, pulling him in with me, saying he should join. The two of us brushed our teeth side by side in the cramped bathroom and collapsed onto the bed. Well, to be precise, only I collapsed. Woo Jeonghyun was cleaning up the messy table, and I mumbled with half-closed eyes that we should go to sleep and clean up tomorrow.
‘I’m thirsty.’
I groaned and opened my eyes, feeling like my throat was cracking. Just a moment ago, I had been telling Woo Jeonghyun to clean up tomorrow, but when I opened my eyes, it was morning. I got up groggily and looked around to find that there was no trace of yesterday’s mess; everything was clean.
“You’re up?”
Woo Jeonghyun, who had just finished washing up in the bathroom, asked as he sat on the edge of the bed. I massaged my puffy face and just lifted my head to look at him. My eyes felt heavy and wouldn’t open well, as if they had been pickled in salt.
“You cried a lot last night, don’t you remember?”
‘I cried?’
The sore throat and difficulty opening my eyes seemed to be from crying, but as Woo Jeonghyun said, I couldn’t remember anything.
“Did I have another nightmare?”
If I had, I didn’t think Woo Jeonghyun would be sitting next to me with such a calm face, but I had no recollection, so I asked cautiously.
“No.”
“Then why did I cry?”
Looking at Woo Jeonghyun patting my head with a faint smile, I felt strange.
“Because you were happy.”
This made me even more puzzled.
“You cried saying you were happy. I was surprised because it’s the first time since you were little that I’ve seen you cry like a child, but since you said you were happy, I just left you alone.”
“Didn’t I say what I dreamed about?”
“That’s a secret.”
“What?”
“Think about it yourself.”
“Hey, Woo Jeonghyun!”
Seeing Woo Jeonghyun finding his life’s purpose in teasing me, I couldn’t just sit still and jumped up from the bed. But Woo Jeonghyun was one step faster. As if anticipating my reaction, he dodged my fist and ran toward the door.
“Do Wonjin Hyung says to come down for breakfast. Wash up quickly and come down!”
Turning the doorknob as he spoke, Woo Jeonghyun disappeared from my sight in a flash, and I headed to the bathroom with a chuckle. I was curious about what dream I might have had, but if it was a dream so happy that I had shed tears, perhaps it was better to treasure it.
Joo Seolhyeon was absent from the meal. Do Wonjin, who had gone to Joo Seolhyeon’s room, only relayed that he wasn’t feeling well.
Since Woo Jeonghyun had come, the number of people eating was the same as usual, so it didn’t feel off. Woo Jeonghyun seemed fascinated by the meal with all the Guides, his eyes sparkling non-stop throughout the meal. Jeong Seyeon, with his usual poker face, didn’t seem to pay much attention to Woo Jeonghyun, but Do Wonjin was not one to let things slide.
“Did you sleep well last night? Jeongjae’s bed must have been uncomfortable since it’s small.”
Perhaps they had become acquainted while I was asleep, as Do Wonjin was casually speaking informally to Woo Jeonghyun.
“It was fine, considering it was the first time we slept together in a while.”
“Really? So you’ve slept together often before?”
The flow of the conversation took a slightly strange turn, so I hurriedly stepped on Woo Jeonghyun’s foot across from me. Although our mother had disappeared and we only had each other to rely on in the world, it was quite embarrassing to admit that I had slept with my grown-up brother.
“Ah, when we were young. I really looked up to my Hyung.”
Fortunately, Woo Jeonghyun didn’t act obliviously, but I felt my heart racing as I noticed Do Wonjin glancing at me.
“Is the meal to your liking?”
Jeong Seyeon, who had been quietly eating all along, asked Woo Jeonghyun. While relieved that the topic had naturally shifted, I looked at Jeong Seyeon with surprise, not expecting him to ask such a question first.
“I was actually surprised by how delicious it is. I envy Hyung for getting to eat such tasty meals every day.”
At Woo Jeonghyun’s glib response, I saw Jeong Seyeon’s mouth relax. He seemed pleased with the answer.
“I’m glad you find it delicious.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
