67.
“Ah, excuse me. I thought I had learned enough about South Korean etiquette, but I keep slipping up like this.”
Lexy smiled, explaining that since the day he first learned of Ryu Ho-yeon’s existence, he had diligently studied Korean and various aspects of South Korean culture without missing a day.
“It’s fine. I did it because I wanted to, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
Who said anything about worrying? His level of presumption was impressive. Howard, unable to understand Lexy’s fluent Korean, was left completely in the dark. He repeatedly looked back and forth between Lexy, who was speaking gently as if whispering, and Ryu Ho-yeon, who was frozen with irritation.
The S-class Guide who had suddenly appeared before him one day had only revealed his name, Lexy, and nothing else. He had merely stayed by Howard’s side with a businesslike attitude, dispensing guiding as if doing him a favor. His demeanor had been so oppressive and cold that it was beyond description.
Still, Howard had been so grateful for even that kind of begged-for guiding, so pleased with the first peace he’d ever experienced in his life, that he had willingly endured this cold treatment and tried to hold onto Lexy however he could.
Recently, Lexy, who had never before made requests or demands, had suddenly said he needed to go to the Berlin headquarters and asked Howard to help him visit as a guest. Howard had been unbelievably happy, thinking that finally the cold Guide was beginning to accept him, and that perhaps he might finally get the eternal partner he had always longed for.
But that had been a mistake. He shouldn’t have gotten excited just because Lexy had asked for something. Before the scheduled invitation period was even over, Lexy had disappeared in the blink of an eye, like someone fleeing from debt collectors in the night. Without even leaving him a single word of farewell.
Even after diligently chasing him all the way to this country, Howard had felt a little hurt and resentful, but not truly angry. If Lexy had some unknown history or feelings about this small country, if he had suddenly decided he wanted to work as an ability user in this country…
Though it was sudden, Howard had also planned to meekly put on a leash and stay by Lexy’s side, albeit with a warning not to leave without saying anything again and a plea to stay with him like this.
But what was going on now? Since arriving in this country, Lexy had consistently shown his intention to become the Guide for another Esper who already had a Pair. He wouldn’t even consider meeting Howard, who had followed him all the way here. And to make matters worse, the Esper that Lexy was volunteering to Pair with turned out to be Howard’s son, whose existence he hadn’t even known about until recently. Howard couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
“Get up, Ho-yeon. I’ll guide you first. Would you like to hold my hand?”
In a language Howard still couldn’t understand, Lexy spoke to Ryu Ho-yeon in a soft and gentle tone, as if reciting poetry. It was an incredibly kind expression and voice that Howard had never dared to experience even once in their years together.
“No thanks. Put your hand away.”
Incredibly, his son treated the Guide’s kindness—which Howard would never have dreamed of receiving—as something completely worthless. The deadpan expression on his face as he forcefully pushed away the hand offered to him was easy to read even for someone who didn’t speak the language. Ryu Ho-yeon’s rejection was that clear.
“Hmm. Can’t be helped. I wanted to at least hold your hand for your first guiding from me.”
Lexy began radiating guiding with an air of complete indifference. With precision control that didn’t let even a drop spill over to Howard nearby, it was directed solely at Ryu Ho-yeon.
“…!!”
Finally, a change appeared in Ryu Ho-yeon’s previously irritated expression. Even though it was just radiated guiding without any physical contact, the speed at which his body stabilized was extraordinary—so clearly perceptible that he didn’t even need to check his internal guiding levels.
This would be quite unfortunate for someone who was still working hard on experiments in the lower floors of this building, but at this rate, it was almost at the same level as when Ryu Ho-yeon had physical relations with Choi Jae-won. This was just radiated guiding, and it was achieving that level of speed and efficiency despite being just at close range.
“Why do you look so surprised, Ho-yeon?”
“You… what exactly are you?”
Ryu Ho-yeon unconsciously muttered in astonishment. This wasn’t simply the difference between S-class and A-class. If it was just S-class guiding… he had received plenty from Lee Han-seo. But even Lee Han-seo’s guiding, considered to have the highest purity and total volume among living S-class Guides, couldn’t calm Ryu Ho-yeon this quickly.
The wave of anxiety that had long since swept away Choi Jae-won was now finally beginning to rise around Ryu Ho-yeon’s ankles. Instead of proposing to form a Pair immediately, Lexy had suggested just measuring their matching rate first—did he already have certainty? At this level, it would surely exceed 80 percent by a significant margin.
“Haha. That’s funny. You still don’t know? Who I really am?”
Looking down at the beautiful face drenched in anxiety, the red-haired Guide smiled gently, the corners of his eyes crinkling. His thin lips parted slowly.
“I told you. You are my destiny. And if that’s true, then I must also be your destiny.”
After looking down at the frozen Ryu Ho-yeon for a while, Lexy said that would be enough for today and withdrew willingly, making sure not to forget the equally frozen Howard.
“What, what is this…”
Ryu Ho-yeon was still dazed, not fully recovered from his shock. He had often thought of himself as the most special person in the world, like a protagonist in some story, but the genre of story he had imagined starring in was typically either a poignant romance with his Pair Guide or an adventure saving the world—certainly not this kind of melodramatic soap opera.
First there was the biological father who suddenly popped up, then there was the Guide who this father clearly loved but who instead liked him, and then there was the life-threatening danger from a biological father blinded by jealousy… Being forcibly inserted into a love triangle he wanted no part of was not particularly pleasant.
The biggest problem of all was the certainty that his matching rate with Lexy was no ordinary matter. No matter how strong the Esper’s will might be, if—and he hated to imagine it, but truly if—the matching rate between Lexy and Ryu Ho-yeon turned out to be very high, exceeding 90 percent… Ryu Ho-yeon’s choice to maintain a Pair with someone else while rejecting a Guide who matched in both class and matching rate, and who actively wanted to be his Pair, would be seen as nothing more than stubborn insistence without any justification or logic.
Whiiiiing.
Just as he was suffering with a headache, unable to sort out his complicated thoughts, a cold, desolate wind blew in through the gaping entrance where the door had been completely torn off. Ryu Ho-yeon decided to fix the door first.
Howard must have lost control of his ability, because the thick steel door wasn’t just detached—it was completely shattered as if crushed by a hydraulic press. If Ryu Ho-yeon hadn’t been able to properly materialize an intangible structure, his body would probably be in much the same state as this door right now.
“Ha, really… Trying to solve everything with force… So crude, truly unsightly…”
Unable to hide his disappointment in his biological father, Ryu Ho-yeon sighed deeply and concentrated. It would be difficult to materialize all the various locks that Choi Jae-won had installed, so he thought he would at least create a suitable front door for now…
“Huh?”
Why is this…
“Why is this… working?”
He was confused. Without even properly visualizing it, a front door with various locks attached had instantly found its place. As if reversing time.
Ryu Ho-yeon looked down at his two hands in bewilderment. His body felt strangely light. His condition was exceptionally good, whether in terms of general wellbeing or his overflowing abilities as an Esper.
While he was standing there perplexed, with perfect timing, there was a sound of locks being released one by one from top to bottom—deet-deet-deet-deet—and Choi Jae-won appeared after two days. His face looked particularly haggard, as if he had stayed up all night.
Choi Jae-won, who was generally somewhat dazed even normally, was surprised to see Ryu Ho-yeon looking even more dazed than usual today, and asked if something had happened.
Ryu Ho-yeon carefully observed his tired appearance and considered how much to reveal. In his current state, Choi Jae-won might simply pass out if told that Ryu Ho-yeon’s matching rate with Lexy would probably easily exceed 80 percent, or that he had just received guiding from Lexy.
“Jae-won. Listen without being surprised.”
“Yes? Yes, hyung. What is it?”
“It seems that I…”
“It seems that you…?”
“I’ve become my biological father’s love rival!”
It sounded like the title of some absurd web novel, but unbelievably, it was an accurate description of the facts.
