—I said I’d be staying longer for tourism purposes since I received some vacation time, and then he suddenly mentioned Jeongjae-ssi.
“Me?”
—Yes, he said there’s a vacant room in the house where Jeongjae-ssi lives.
“Is that guy actually insane?”
I may have been acting like a pushover all this time, but I didn’t expect him to push matters forward while completely ignoring my opinion. I got upset and unconsciously yelled before realizing I was speaking to Peter and quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be angry with you, Peter-ssi.”
—Oh, it’s fine. Seeing your reaction, it’s clear you knew nothing about this. I understand now.
Peter chuckled briefly, then made a contemplative sound as he paused for a moment. Rather than curiosity, I instinctively felt anxiety about whatever he was hesitating to say.
“Don’t tell me you accepted?”
—Yes. That’s correct.
This confirmed that the question about having a spare room in my house wasn’t a joke.
—And if you hear about it from the Center Director, I’m calling to ask you to please give a positive answer.
Though I couldn’t see Peter’s face, his voice was serious.
—I know it’s a rude request. But considering the situation where Jeongjae-ssi is helping me, living together seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. Still, if you truly find the idea of living with me unpleasant, you can refuse.
In truth, until yesterday, there would have been no problem with Peter coming to live with us. But things had changed overnight. I had learned who my real enemy was, and I had resolved to get revenge. If it had stopped there, it might have been fine, but I had already involved everyone living in the house with me, and now we were all in the same boat. Even if we were careful, Peter living with us would naturally create a sense of dissonance.
‘In a way, isn’t Peter’s goal to catch the terrorist organization, and I need to catch the Center Director who’s suspected of being the head of that terrorist organization, so aren’t our goals the same?’
Getting Peter involved in my plan wasn’t something I had anticipated, but as the situation evolved, I found myself wavering. However, this wasn’t a decision I could make alone. Living together affected not just me but the guides as well.
“I’ll talk with the guides and let you know. Even if the Center Director contacts me in the meantime, my answer will be the same.”
Peter laughed as if relieved by my words, and replied in a much softer tone.
“Thank you. Despite appearances, I’m the most beloved S-class Esper in America. You’ll benefit from me too, Jeongjae-ssi.”
I flinched as he coincidentally touched on what I had been thinking, and cleared my throat before responding to his statement.
“I hope that’s true.”
“Of course. I’ll be waiting for your positive answer.”
As soon as I ended the call with Peter, my phone rang again. This time it wasn’t a call but a text message.
“Speak of the devil.”
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the sender was the Center Director.
The message instructed me to come to the center by 9 AM tomorrow. The reason given was to check for bodily changes after the S-class dungeon battle, but having heard the situation from Peter, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that wasn’t the whole story.
Do Wonjin, who had rushed out like a teenager in first love, soon reappeared with a normal expression. In his hands was a lunch that had become awkward to eat due to the timing.
“Sandwiches. Did you buy them?”
“Yeah, the sandwiches at that place are tasty.”
I was looking through and responding to messages from Yang Garam when I noticed the sandwiches he brought and put my hand on my stomach.
‘I wasn’t thinking about it, but now I’m getting hungry again.’
I couldn’t take my eyes off the sandwiches in the clear plastic wrapping until I noticed something odd.
“But why are there three sandwiches? Is someone else coming to eat?”
“Ah, about that.”
“Oppa, I’m here!”
Jeong Se-eun suddenly popped out from behind Do Wonjin, which explained why she had been strangely standing at the doorway without coming in.
“I was out buying sandwiches and found her wandering near the house, so I brought her back.”
I thought he was fine, but looking at him now, Do Wonjin’s face showed clear signs of fatigue.
“Shall we eat our sandwiches downstairs on the first floor?”
Do Wonjin pointed downstairs, skillfully blocking Jeong Se-eun, who seemed curious about my room as she was peering inside. Since it would be awkward to eat here now that Jeong Se-eun had arrived, I immediately got up.
“Oh, right. That person I took yesterday, he woke up.”
“He woke up?”
We went down to the first floor and sat around the kitchen table, and Jeong Se-eun nodded while unwrapping her sandwich.
“Yes, but he keeps spacing out, and doesn’t respond when spoken to. He looks fine physically, but is he mentally unwell?”
Jeong Se-eun asked without hesitation before taking a large bite of her sandwich. It occurred to me that if the healing artifact wasn’t the issue, maybe something had gone wrong while I was reading his memories. But that was just my speculation; it would be more accurate to meet with Joo Seolhyeon and check his condition.
“Wow, this is really delicious.”
Jeong Se-eun, forgetting the question she had just asked, became captivated by the taste of the sandwich, and I continued my train of thought. Since I had already planned to show Joo Seolhyeon to Serubi, I was thinking it might be good to consult Serubi about his condition when someone patted my head. It was Do Wonjin.
“I know it’s serious, but think while you eat.”
Do Wonjin seemed bothered by the sandwich I was just holding without taking a bite. Looking to the side, I saw Jeong Se-eun had already eaten nearly half of hers.
“Yeah. I should eat.”
I had thanked him for buying it before eating, but it was polite to eat it with appreciation right in front of him. As he watched me chewing with my mouth full of sandwich, Do Wonjin put his portion into his mouth too. Jeong Se-eun, who had finished her sandwich first, was now observing Do Wonjin and me while sucking on the fruit juice she’d bought.
“Did Jeongjae oppa save a country in his past life?”
She sighed with resignation after narrowing her eyes and looking at us with apparent distaste. Do Wonjin’s eyebrows twitched slightly at the sight. I didn’t understand her muttering and asked “What?” and Jeong Se-eun propped her chin with her hand and sighed again deeply enough to make the ground cave in.
“That reaction is the problem.”
I still didn’t understand, but I kept quiet, feeling that asking more questions would only deepen her sighs. Instead, Do Wonjin spoke up this time.
“They say your fortune runs away if you sigh at the table.”
Jeong Se-eun looked at Do Wonjin with a face full of shock.
“How can someone with a face like yours say something like that?”
“What’s wrong with what I said?”
“Can I be honest?”
“No. Don’t say it.”
“It’s lame. You sound like an old man.”
“Why did you even ask, seriously.”
It was such a direct hit that I choked on the last bite I was chewing. I understood Do Wonjin’s way of speaking since I knew he was raised by his grandfather, but from Jeong Se-eun’s perspective, it was perfectly reasonable to feel that way. But normally people don’t just blurt out their thoughts to someone’s face.
Do Wonjin patted my back as I coughed and offered me his drink. I took it so naturally that I started drinking, but then spotted a new, still-wrapped beverage and frowned.
“Why are you giving me yours when mine is right there?”
“Indirect ki—”
“Stop!”
I hurriedly covered his mouth before he could finish speaking.
“You’ve even got a child here, seriously.”
“Kiss.”
Do Wonjin’s mouth was covered by my hand, so where was this voice coming from?
I looked at Jeong Se-eun with a completely stiff face, and she grinned and said:
“Where’s the child here?”
It was my mistake for overlooking that there were two mouths to block.
“By the way, when is the other person coming?”
Jeong Se-eun asked as I was removing my hand from Do Wonjin’s mouth with a face full of dismay.
“Why Garam?”
“Because oppa told everyone to come to the house.”
“Why is Seyeon hyung there?”
I asked, puzzled about why someone who had gone to work in the morning would be at the main house, and in turn, Jeong Se-eun blinked and tilted her head.
“You didn’t know? Oppa took a month’s vacation.”
“When?”
“This morning. They were in such an uproar about it that they even called me at school. Asking if something had happened.”
Just from hearing the situation, it was clear this had happened because of me.
“So what did you tell them?”
Do Wonjin asked with a serious face. Since this happened the day after we sent Joo Seolhyeon to Jeong Se-eun’s house, he seemed to think she might have told others about the incident.
“I do have that much sense. I made up an excuse saying it was because of me. Everyone knows oppa doesn’t discriminate when it comes to my matters.”
Jeong Se-eun said that much and then glared at me.
“Though this time, it’s actually someone else’s fault.”
Jeong Se-eun’s burning gaze was burdensome, but in the end, she had helped us.
“Thank you. For saying that.”
“If you’re thankful, let me live in this house too.”
“That’s already… um, no, you can’t.”
I almost mentioned Peter, whom we hadn’t even made a decision about yet, while trying to block Jeong Se-eun, who was looking for any opening to secure a place for herself. I glanced at Do Wonjin before returning to the original topic.
“But is it okay for Seyeon hyung to take a month off work? He’s not pushing himself unnecessarily, is he?”
“Their organization isn’t so weak that it would collapse just because oppa is away for a month. That’s what Director-oppa is there for at times like this—he’d better earn his keep.”
Though her words were light, she appeared to have considerable trust in this Director person.
“That’s a relief.”
Seeing me relieved, Jeong Se-eun snorted and turned her head, but her expression was much softer than before.
Perhaps because Jeong Se-eun had been pestering so much, Yang Garam came home less than 10 minutes after her. Not only had he come home earlier than usual, but he also appeared laden with luggage as if he had emptied his school locker, which at first glance made it look like he was up to something.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
