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The Villainous Guide’s New Life 16

“Stop whining and clinging like some pitiful kid. If you want Tae-rim, show him your best side and seduce him.”

“Seduce…?”

“Yeah. You’ve got to be in a relationship if you want to live together. Not this temporary guardian thing you have going on.”

“But… if two people like each other, doesn’t that mean they’re dating?”

“Pfft, no way. If liking someone were enough, then Tae-rim and I would be dating too, right?”

“…….”

Tsk tsk. That look in your eyes—so disrespectful! I’m trying to teach you something here!”

Lee Tae-rim let out a sigh inwardly. He had no idea what Jung Jae-heon was trying to say to calm Seon Juho down, but something about it told him this was going to be more of a headache than it was worth.

“Don’t act like a hyung—you’re basically just some middle-aged guy.”

Tch. Anyway, the point is, you need to get Tae-rim to see you as a man and start dating him first.”

“Seriously?”

“Dead serious. Ask Tae-rim if you don’t believe me.”

“…Hyung, is that true?”

“…I don’t know.”

Seon Juho was still clinging to his back, so Tae-rim couldn’t see his expression, but judging by Jung Jae-heon’s face, it looked like he’d successfully calmed him down.

Sure, Seon Juho would probably start trying to hit on him now under the pretense of seduction or whatever, but this was the same guy who’d been bawling his eyes out a minute ago, snot and all. If he suddenly started acting “manly,” would it even come across that way? It was questionable. Still, Tae-rim didn’t say anything. No need to ruin the mood.

That said, Jae-heon wasn’t entirely wrong. People do live together once they start dating—if both sides agree to it.

Even Kwon Hae-beom and Choi Jiwoon, who were practically glued to each other, weren’t living together. Jiwoon might be stuck at Hae-beom’s place, unable to return to his own room, but technically, they weren’t cohabiting. Jiwoon hadn’t agreed to it.

Kwon Hae-beom’s obsession was intense. So intense that even other Espers shook their heads at it. But his devotion was just as overwhelming. He treated Choi Jiwoon like he was made of glass—like even the wind could blow him away.

That’s what made the novel so addictive. A guy like that would be nearly impossible to find in real life—like stumbling upon wild ginseng in the mountains. Unfortunately, Tae-rim was now the one that ginseng-like man viewed as an enemy.

Not that it mattered. Even if the guy was wild ginseng, Tae-rim had no interest in someone who was already spoken for.

After finishing guiding with Jung Jae-heon and seeing him off, Tae-rim returned to his meal. Most of the food packed into the ten-layer lunchbox belonged to Seon Juho. The guy had bulked up in no time, yet somehow none of it was fat—it was all muscle. Honestly, it was baffling. And seriously unfair.

 

***

 

Seon Juho’s training continued steadily. After a week of hunting monsters, he’d gotten so good at managing himself that he only needed to stop by once a day for guiding.

“I wanna rip this stupid watch off.”

If it weren’t for the watch constantly reporting his condition, he’d probably sneak in for extra sessions whenever he wanted. But with the damn thing tracking everything, there was no chance of skipping out. Seon Juho, who had to return to the contamination zone after each session, looked more and more disgruntled by the day.

“You should be grateful for that watch.”

“Hmph.”

“Did you forget how much it hurt when you lost control?”

“…Tch.”

His face might be sulking, but his body was honest. As soon as Lee Tae-rim opened his arms, Juho hurried over and buried himself in them.

“Focus and learn properly.”

“Okay.”

“And be careful. About everything.”

“Got it.”

Juho lingered, clinging and rubbing against him like he didn’t want to let go, before finally peeling himself away and leaving the guiding room. His slow wave and reluctant expression tugged at the heart. In the end, Tae-rim walked him all the way out. Watching him fly off, only to glance back again and again, was just too cute. Tae-rim kept waving until he was completely out of sight.

And now began the long, boring wait again. Maybe he’d just continue the game he was playing earlier. Just as he was about to head back inside, two Guides approached. Had they decided to start talking trash to his face instead of behind his back now? Tae-rim had zero interest in that kind of drama and simply turned to go in.

“Wait a second.”

Out of basic courtesy, he turned around when he heard someone call out. Surprisingly, the two Guides didn’t look hostile at all.

“Hyo-il said there’s someone interesting over here, so we came to check it out.”

The mention of Kim Hyo-il made Tae-rim pause mid-step.

“Ohh, the way you stopped—you must be that interesting one.”

That wasn’t it… but Tae-rim stood there with his mouth slightly open, caught off guard.

“Just kidding. Mind if we come in?”

“Oh—sure, go ahead.”

Tae-rim led them inside. The two looked around, wide-eyed.

“Wow…”

Tae-rim pulled a few coffees from the fridge and handed them over.

“Whoa, is this from that café? The super popular one? The line is insane—I’ve only managed to try it once.”

“Uh… is it?”

He looked flustered. He’d just grabbed whatever was in the fridge.

“Of course S-ranks get treated differently. This coffee costs a fortune.”

“Still… it really does seem like you lost your memory. That café’s a go-to spot for Awakened folks—it’s famous around here.”

“…….”

Was it? Since inhabiting Lee Tae-rim’s body, he hadn’t set foot outside the Center, so he had no idea. Tae-rim offered an awkward smile, and the two burst into laughter.

“No need to be so stiff! We didn’t come to pick a fight. You just seemed kind of lonely, always by yourself, so we figured we’d drop by. And, y’know, check out the fancy S-rank barracks while we’re at it.”

“Ah… right.”

“Still, you’ve really changed. You used to be kind of prickly and standoffish, but now you’re more like… an old man trapped in a young body?”

Well, the body was twenty-two, but the mind inside was twenty-eight. They weren’t wrong.

“Your way of speaking, your vibe—it’s like you’re a whole different person.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told.”

The two sipped their coffees happily. Tae-rim took a sip as well. The aroma really was nice.

“Did you know Hyo-il has a massive social network?”

“No, I didn’t…”

“He’s super outgoing, loves to chat, and he’s got this relentless curiosity. Now there’s a rumor going around—people are wondering why you seem totally different in person, but the old rumors about you still haven’t gone away.”

“Hyo-il can’t stand not knowing something. So now he’s on a mission to trace those rumors back to the source.”

“O-oh…”

“Hyo-il never spreads lies, so a lot of us A-ranks are starting to wonder too.”

Tae-rim hadn’t expected Kim Hyo-il to be going that far for him. It caught him off guard—but also warmed his heart. He made a mental note to treat him to some really good coffee the next time they met.

“Oh, right! We never introduced ourselves. I’m Lee Jae-hwa, A-rank Guide. Same age as Hyo-il.”

“And I’m Yoon Ye-rin. Also A-rank, also the same age.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Tae-rim. S-rank… and my age is—”

“Haha, no need! You’re one of only three S-rank Guides. Everyone knows who you are.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Wow, seriously though. You really are like a different person.”

“Y-yeah. I’ve heard that too.”

Tae-rim scratched his head, a little embarrassed. True to being friends with Kim Hyo-il, both Lee Jae-hwa and Yoon Ye-rin were pretty chatty. Tae-rim figured this was the perfect chance and brought up what he’d been wondering.

“Um… can I ask something?”

“Sure! Go ahead.”

“Before I lost my memory… what exactly did I do to make everyone hate me so much?”

“Hmm… we’ve wondered about that too. Like, how did things get so bad? I saw you snap at Guide Choi Jiwoon a few times, but honestly, it didn’t seem like anything major.”

“Yeah, I saw it too. You did run your mouth a bit, but it wasn’t anything like the rumors—no outbursts, no slapping anyone or whatever. Honestly, Choi Jiwoon talked back a lot too. I don’t know why that never made the rounds. There were other people around who saw it.”

“Did I have a bad relationship with Guide Choi Jiwoon?”

“Well… um… do you really want to know the truth?”

“Yes.”

Tae-rim nodded firmly, clearly ready for it. The two Guides exchanged glances and let out quiet sighs before one of them spoke.

“You liked Esper Kwon Hae-beom. And your Matching Rate with him was pretty decent. I mean, if we’re comparing—89% with a B-rank versus 70% with an S-rank. Who knows about quality? That’s up to the Espers themselves. But numbers-wise, yours was better. Still, Kwon Hae-beom chose Choi Jiwoon. That’s just how it went. But… you didn’t take it well. You got a little stubborn about it. Looked down on B-ranks a bit too. So yeah… the B-ranks kind of hated you.”

“And to be honest, Choi Jiwoon’s that type—he cries whenever someone raises their voice. And it’s not like he explains anything either. You ask him what’s wrong, and he just says he’s fine and keeps crying. I hate that kind of thing. When someone does that, your mind runs wild with all kinds of worst-case scenarios. And since Kwon Hae-beom was clearly into him, things only escalated. So yeah… people heard the rumors and ended up taking his side without knowing the whole story. You weren’t exactly innocent back then either, sure. But honestly? I disliked Choi Jiwoon more. Not trying to take sides now, though.”

It had been the same in the novel.

Choi Jiwoon was usually resilient—like a weed growing through concrete—but for some reason, whenever it came to Tae-rim, he’d end up in tears, looking all hurt and heartbroken. A lot of readers had found it frustrating, but his popularity never dipped.

Probably because of all the intense sex scenes.

Levia
Author: Levia

The Villainous Guide’s New Life

The Villainous Guide’s New Life

Status: Ongoing Author:
Ditching that damned Omega body and ending up in a Beta’s? Now that was a miracle. I possessed the villain Lee Tae-rim, who used his status as an S-rank Guide in the novel The Good Guide—a world without secondary genders—to torment the original Soo. Though a loner without a single close contact at the Center, Tae-rim was content to quietly do his job in a body free from heats and pheromones. That is, until he rescued a berserk Esper during an internal mission. "It looks like that Esper imprinted on Guide Lee Tae-rim." Wait—what? The Esper he saved imprinted on him, unilaterally? Now saddled with the unstable Esper Seon Juho, Tae-rim hoped it wouldn't be too big of a deal since everyone in this world was a Beta anyway. But as if to mock him, Juho becomes increasingly, suspiciously obsessed with Tae-rim’s scent… *** [Preview] “So for now, you'll be living with Seon Juho until he makes a full recovery.” “Living together?” “Yes.” “But... can’t you call me Juho-ya instead? I don’t like Seon Juho-ssi.” “…All right.” “And drop the formal speech, too.” “…Okay.” Seon Juho fiddled with Tae-rim’s hand before pressing his cheek against his palm and rubbing into it. It almost looked like a tail was about to pop out of him. “Um… so anyway, there’s a lot you’ll need to learn first.” “Okay.” “It’s all going to be unfamiliar, but I’ll be with you, so there’s no need to be scared.” “Okay.” “Make sure to listen to what the instructors tell you.” “Okay.” “Are you even paying attention to me?” “Okay!” Juho nodded while rubbing both of Tae-rim’s hands against his cheeks. Watching that soft, hazy smile spread across his face—even from such a light guiding—left Tae-rim at a loss for words. “…Let’s go outside for now.”

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