When he came back to his senses, he always wondered —What the hell was I thinking?
It wasn’t even the weekend, but Lee Tae-rim had overexerted himself, and now his lower back ached. He was managing with muscle painkillers for now, but he’d definitely need to stop by the pharmacy at lunch and buy a scent-free patch. He couldn’t afford to walk around reeking.
“Tae-rim, are you worrying about something? Your face looks so gaunt today. Didn’t sleep?”
Yoon Ye-rin’s intuition was useless against Seon Juho’s stamina. Tae-rim could only smile in response. He hadn’t gotten injured like last time, but Seon Juho hadn’t let him go all night, so he’d only gotten three hours of sleep. Sleep-deprived and back throbbing—just a recipe for sighs.
In novels, everyone always claims you can tell when someone’s had sex. That they just seem different. Well, screw that. Total bullshit. Maybe it was because he’d been loved way too thoroughly, but he hadn’t even gotten a chance to soak in it.
“If you’re tired, want to rest a bit? We can come back later.”
Kim Hyo-il offered gently, but Tae-rim shook his head.
“I tried lying down earlier, but I couldn’t fall asleep. If I get too tired, I’ll probably just pass out.”
“So what’d you do to end up looking that dead in the face?”
Seon Juho was radiating even more than usual these days. His glow had reached such a ridiculous level that no one found it strange anymore. Thank god. If things were any different, people might’ve picked up on something. Especially Yoon Ye-rin—she’d have sniffed it out in a heartbeat.
“I started watching this drama without thinking and just couldn’t stop….”
“Ah….”
Yoon Ye-rin nodded in perfect understanding.
“What was it?”
Kim Hyo-il asked, eyeing him suspiciously, like, What could you possibly have watched to end up looking like that? Tae-rim gave the answer he’d prepared in advance.
“Time Doll.”
“Time Doll?”
“Oh! That one’s good!”
“It was entertaining, but… so scary….”
He’d actually watched it one weekend a while back. It was a horror-thriller series, with just the right amount of absurd plot twists thrown in. It had great ratings, so he’d decided to check it out.
“Why would you watch that on a weekday night of all times… tsk tsk tsk.”
Yoon Ye-rin clicked her tongue. She had a point—it was not the kind of drama you watch on a weeknight. It was ridiculously gripping, impossible to stop once you started, and so bone-chillingly terrifying that it left you totally drained by the end.
Seon Juho, for the record, wasn’t scared at all. Typical Esper.
“So you watched it because it was secretly trashy?”
“Yeah.”
“The bit where the housewife and the mistress fell for each other—that was the most twisted part….”
“Yeah… I really didn’t see that coming….”
“What? What? Why are you two talking in code?”
“Yeah, tell us too!”
“It’s one of those things you have to see for yourself. And you guys hate spoilers, remember?”
“Well, that’s…!”
“I don’t mind. I can’t watch horror stuff anyway.”
Lee Jae-hwa hesitated at the mention of spoilers, and Kim Hyo-il readily admitted to being a scaredy-cat. Tae-rim just smiled and dove in.
“It’s not that big a deal. The husband’s wife and the woman he was cheating with fall in love with each other and run away together, leaving the husband behind.”
“Ughhh! No spoilers~!”
“Pffft hahahahaha!”
“Worst part was, the husband was in the next room screaming for help, and those two were just going at it—kissing like crazy, completely on fire.”
“Ughhh, stop it already…!”
“Was it that scary?”
“Yeah. When I close my eyes to sleep, that doll’s face pops into my head. It’s that scary.”
Kim Hyo-il started Googling it on his phone. Lee Jae-hwa, despite hearing the spoilers, also pulled out his phone and began searching. They both scrolled through the drama reviews, chuckled, and shook their heads.
“Yeah, I’m never watching this. Just the reviews freak me out.”
“I… guess I’ll try it on the weekend….”
“Definitely watch it on the weekend. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop.”
He’d almost skipped it because of the genre, but he was glad he watched it now. Who knew it’d come in so handy?
“Seon Juho, did you watch it too? You weren’t scared?”
“Nope.”
“Maybe it’s the job. Espers really are fearless. Though monsters and horror dramas are totally different genres…”
“There must be some Espers who get scared. It’s not like they don’t exist at all.”
That’s what they said, but all four of them knew the truth. Compared to regular people, Espers were emotionally dulled. The only time an Esper ever acted emotionally was when a Guide was involved. To an Esper, nothing was more terrifying than a Guide being in danger.
“Oh, by the way—have you seen the new recruits that just came in? It hit me all over again how old I am. God, it’s depressing. And kids these days shorten everything. I was listening to their conversation, and I had no clue what they were even saying.”
“After that middle school incident, I’ve come to realize—kids just need to have basic manners, that’s enough. Honestly, I’m grateful if they even say hello.”
“Bet the senior generation thought the exact same thing when they saw us.”
“True.”
It was March—recruit season. Nineteen-year-olds might still be considered students in the outside world, but at Central, they graduate high school at eighteen. At nineteen, they begin working at the Center, though they can’t go out into the field until they turn twenty. So they spend that first year training intensively in real-world scenarios.
“It feels kind of awkward, though, with Guide Lee Hae-il being there. Even in uniform, he just gives off this total office-worker vibe…”
“Yeah, but surprisingly, he seemed to get along really well with the kids…”
“Right. They seemed to like him quite a bit.”
“Everyone’s on even footing at that age, so having one solid adult figure around just naturally puts them in that role, doesn’t it?”
“True. I guess it’s just surprising ‘cause he looks like the cold type, but he’s really attentive with them.”
“If he’s trusted with big projects at work, it just means he’s good at handling people too.”
“Oh yeah, you’re right.”
“See? Never judge someone by how they look.”
“Exactly.”
“But I hope that nice personality of his works on Esper Kwon Hae-beom too….”
Rumor had it that ever since Lee Hae-il was first dragged into the Center, the vibe between him and Kwon Hae-beom had been… off. Apparently, they didn’t like each other much from the get-go. Tae-rim had never even seen them have a proper conversation. What could they possibly be so irritated about with each other?
“Now that Guide Lee Hae-il is officially starting his duties, the big question is—who will he guide? Dun dun dun! Coming soon!”
“Please, please let him go to Guide Lee Hae-il.”
Tae-rim pleaded in mock desperation, and the whole group burst out laughing. But Tae-rim meant it. He was truly desperate. He didn’t want to be awkwardly stuck on the sidelines of someone else’s story anymore.
“Oh, right. It’ll be announced soon, but apparently those nasty rumors about me… they were spread by Molt spies. Word is, a mental-type Esper did some brainwashing.”
“For real?!”
“Now that you mention it… those rumors were weirdly solid…”
“What was the motive…? Wait, was it to pair Guide Choi Jiwoon with Esper Kwon Hae-beom?”
“Yeah. That’s probably what it was.”
“That’s seriously messed up. This is why you can’t just ignore rumors. That announcement’s gonna stir up a storm.”
The three of them clucked their tongues in disapproval.
“But I doubt everyone got brainwashed… There were probably more people who just got swept up in it. Still, the fact that the rumors held up so strongly means there must’ve been a lot of people who didn’t like me.”
Since his possession, not a single Guide had approached Tae-rim. They wouldn’t even meet his eyes. If it hadn’t been for Kim Hyo-il talking to him, Tae-rim was sure he’d still be completely alone.
“Forget those assholes. They’re the ones in the wrong. Why should you be the one feeling down about it?”
“I know that logically… but it still gets to me sometimes….”
“Fair. The B-ranks were especially bad. Everyone got so worked up over Choi Jiwoon, they totally lost it… tsk tsk.”
“Don’t worry. Even if that announcement didn’t come out, those B-ranks were going to have a rude awakening eventually. A B-rank handling an S-rank? Totally unrealistic.”
“Exactly. I don’t know how things are abroad, but I’d bet that kind of pairing doesn’t exist anywhere. Esper Kwon Hae-beom was just a huge exception. Normally, if there’s a 70% Matching Rate with an S-rank, that’s where people go.”
“District 1’s known for being safe. That’s probably the only reason Esper Kwon Hae-beom could afford to pick a B-rank. Imagine if this were District 3 or 4—B-rank wouldn’t even be in the conversation.”
Now that they mentioned it, it made sense. District 1 was abnormally peaceful compared to the others. That’s what made it plausible for an S-rank to pick a B-rank in the first place. The whole setup really felt like it had been tailored for the protagonists, just like in a novel.
Anyway, the conclusion was this: there was no reason for Tae-rim to be depressed. He was genuinely grateful to the three of them. Before he’d been possessed, he’d lived an ordinary life. Then suddenly, he’d found himself inside the body of a reviled villain, and wondered if this was how he was going to live forever—isolated and alone.
Well, I am the villain, he’d told himself, trying to power through by leaning into that logic. But he’d never been this completely alone before. Honestly, it scared him. Just like the book said—he might die alone. Quietly, forgotten, with no one to mourn him. That fear had clung to him like a shadow.
So he’d thrown himself into work, tried to stay away from the main characters at all costs, just to survive. There was nothing else he could do. He hadn’t known how to endure the loneliness of being dropped into a world so unfamiliar and utterly alone. But now—he could say it out loud. And while listening to the three of them chat, Tae-rim found himself smiling.
“By the way, cherry blossoms should be blooming soon. Ugh… may every couple on Earth go down in flames.”
Ahem.
“Should I try getting set up with an Esper from another district or something?”
“What do you think about the new recruits?”
“I don’t really go for younger guys. And honestly, with my personality being the way it is, I think I’d match better with an older guy who’s got a good temperament.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
“Right?”
You had to admire her honesty—Yoon Ye-rin was incredibly self-aware. Tae-rim found himself thinking. An older guy who could handle Ye-rin’s personality… maybe someone like Jung Jae-heon?
Yes please!! She’s the one who scold Jaehoon at earlier chapter isn’t she??