DB Vol 1 Part 7
“Why is Mr. Hwang apologizing? Nani, you apologize quickly.”
Sang-cheon’s face turned pale. No sound came from the speaker. After a brief silence, Won-woo tilted his head as if something was strange.
“It cuts out like this sometimes. I’ve actually wondered if it’s a real person because it feels like it’s being cut off on purpose.”
Sang-cheon’s face grew even paler. After another short silence, a single, suppressed word came from the speaker.
[I am sorry.]
Sang-cheon glanced at the speaker. He was worried Won-woo would find out, but Nani was also a problem. Was he going to lose his temper and go into a rampage? Only Won-woo, oblivious to Sang-cheon’s anxiety, praised Nani.
“Nani did well. You should learn from your father.”
[I told you he is not my father.]
“He is absolutely not the father,” Sang-cheon denied, gritting his teeth simultaneously with Nani. Won-woo looked back and forth between Sang-cheon and the speaker for a moment before asking.
“Then what does Nani call Mr. Hwang?”
“Uh, Mister?”
“The Creator who made me,” Nani replied.
The color drained from the Creator’s face once again.
[The Creator said he wanted to be called ‘Mister’ because he wanted to be addressed familiarly.]
Nani’s voice still sounded as if he were gritting his teeth. However, Won-woo, busy rummaging through the medicine box, didn’t notice and nodded.
“That is familiar. Still, a family title would have been more intimate.”
“It’s because I’m against marriage.”
Won-woo paused at Sang-cheon’s hastily improvised excuse. He looked at him with a peculiar gaze. In the previous world, Sang-cheon loved children; while he didn’t want marriage, he wanted to create a family by adopting children. He had said he wanted to help society in that way because the number of orphans had increased due to the war. However, worried that he might not be able to raise a child properly, he had always only provided financial support to organizations. Whenever he did, he would make this excuse:
‘It’s because I’m against marriage.’
Hearing the same words in front of him now made Won-woo’s chest ache with a sudden, sharp pang.
“I see,” Won-woo murmured, and Sang-cheon finally let out a sigh of relief. It was quite a loud sigh, and Won-woo looked at Sang-cheon as if remembering something.
“Oh, I thought I heard a sigh coming from Nani.”
Sang-cheon snapped his gaze toward the speaker. Mentally, this was dozens of times harder than being beaten by gangsters.
“Ah, no, that, well…”
“I’m truly impressed by Mr. Hwang’s attention to detail, even adding sound effects.”
Sang-cheon’s heart finally settled back into place. At this point, he wondered if Won-woo knew everything and was intentionally messing with him.
“By the way, how did you get here?”
“I ran.”
“No, you already said that… Wait, from your house to here?”
Yes. Won-woo nodded and handed him a muscle pain lotion from the first-aid kit.
“Apply this. Your whole body will be creaking by tomorrow morning.”
Sang-cheon frowned as he took the lotion.
“But why did you come?”
“Just because.”
“Next time, call me before you just show up. And although it worked out today because you can fight, you shouldn’t recklessly interfere in other people’s business.”
Sang-cheon gave the blunt advice and then added awkwardly, “Still, thank you for helping.”
“It’s nothing compared to how the CEO helped me.”
“No, it’s not nothing. Oh, and why did you just let those gangsters mistake you for an Esper earlier?”
“Because that way, they’ll definitely bring an Esper next time.”
Sang-cheon looked at him, speechless. Has he still not returned to his right mind?
“Just in case I’m asking… you didn’t do that because you want me to be completely fucked, right?”
“Haha, how could I? And who would want Mr. Hwang to end up like that?”
Sang-cheon’s gaze instinctively drifted toward the speaker. Misinterpreting that look, Won-woo asked Nani.
“Nani, you think so too, right?”
[Of course.]
At the nonchalant answer, Sang-cheon’s jaw twitched. It would have been better to just be beaten by the gangsters and pass out. Though he would likely end up that way soon if the gangsters brought an Esper next time.
“Those people earlier seemed displeased that Mr. Hwang was diligently paying back his debt and were trying to force more debt upon him; is that correct? Those people bow to power rather than the law anyway, so if you crush them once, they won’t harass the CEO anymore.”
“You’re going to crush them?”
“I could.”
[You are a Guide, though.]
Nani’s cold voice interrupted. Since it was something Sang-cheon also wanted to ask, he nodded. Won-woo gave an ambiguous smile, as if it were difficult to explain.
“There’s no law saying a Guide can’t fight.”
“Sure, I can see you’re good at fighting from earlier, but Espers are different. How on earth could a Guide beat an Esper? It makes no sense. We fly away like flyers and slam into the ground with a single touch from an Esper. I’d be the first one crushed. Or are you going to call an Esper you know?”
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Won-woo’s eyes widened with delight.
“That’s an option.”
So he really intended to fight an Esper himself? He was definitely still crazy.
“I don’t know how close of an Esper they are, but I don’t want to be that indebted to someone else.”
“They aren’t a close Esper. I can just ask in exchange for guiding, so you don’t have to worry.”
“No, that’s what I’m more worried abou… Huh? You have an Esper to provide guiding to?”
After asking, Sang-cheon realized his mistake and shut his mouth. He had essentially asked if someone who was D-rank, and a ‘Low’ one at that, had an Esper to guide. However, Won-woo, not picking up on the underlying meaning, explained himself.
“The range of Waves I can cover is quite wide. It’s not hard to find an Esper to guide.”
But you’re D-rank ‘Low.’ Sang-cheon swallowed the words rising in his throat out of politeness, but there was someone else present who lacked politeness.
[If you’re D-rank ‘Low,’ the only Espers you can guide are also D-rank.]
It was a cold observation, but Won-woo, mistaking it for the stiffness of a machine, looked at the speaker with warm eyes.
“To be able to deduce that, our Nani is truly smart.”
[Even a kindergartner could deduce that.]
“You didn’t go to kindergarten, did you?”
The noise from the speaker vanished as if the connection had been cut. While Sang-cheon speculated that it was ‘curse time,’ Won-woo pointed at the speaker.
“It’s really cute how you set it to silence for awkward situations like that.”
Sang-cheon barely managed to hold back the advice that the ‘cute’ one would escape, fly hundreds of kilometers, and turn him into a human jigsaw puzzle. Out of frustration, Sang-cheon gulped down some water and spoke.
“Sigh, so our Nani…”
[BEEEEEP!]
A sudden, ear-splitting mechanical noise blasted through the speaker. With a pale face, Sang-cheon forced a smile and corrected his words.
“So, just as Nani said, are you saying you’ll bring a D-rank Esper?”
“They might not be D-rank.”
“Look, speak clearly.”
“I figured you wouldn’t believe me even if I spoke clearly. Because it’s a hard story to believe.”
“Hah, I’ll believe you, so just try it.”
In an instant, Won-woo’s eyes sparkled. He smiled silently, as if he had been waiting for these words and intentionally dragging out the conversation. Sang-cheon flinched at that smile. Anxiety washed over him as if he had fallen into a trap. What is this? Is he about to reveal a secret I shouldn’t know? Secrets were a no-go. For Sang-cheon, whose top priority was safety, other people’s secrets were landmines to be avoided in life.
“No, if it’s too difficult to say, you don’t have—”
[Tell him.]
Nani blocked Sang-cheon’s path.
“Thank you for believing me. I feel relieved knowing Mr. Hwang Read visit our siteon Read BL Novelsisn’t the type to carelessly leak other people’s secrets.”
There was already one ‘other person’ present. Sang-cheon glared at the speaker for a moment and replied reluctantly.
“…So, what is it you want to say?”
“I am a Purifier.”
A short silence followed. That’s it? Sang-cheon leaned in as if he had misheard.
“What is that?”
“A person who tunes the waves of energy.”
[In this world, that is called a Guide.]
Nani informed him in a voice as cold as a machine. Won-woo smiled and nodded.
“Right, but Guides here are affected by their rank. A Purifier has no such limit. The method of handling energy is different. As long as the Wave matches, it doesn’t matter what the rank is. And whether they are human or not.”
Won-woo let the last part slip as a murmur and looked up.
“Fortunately, I can cover all Waves. Which means I can guide any Esper.”
What kind of… absurd nonsense is this. Sang-cheon, who had been tense, frowned in disappointment. He was definitely still not in his right mind. He said he suffered because [Read on Read BL Novels]Read on Read BL Novels -->he was the only one in his family with low ability; did he develop delusions? He felt a bit of pity.
[F*ck]
Flinch. Sang-cheon and Won-woo both turned toward the speaker at the same time.
“Uh, no way, did Nani just curse…”
“That’s truly amazing! Very amazing indeed! Since it’s a phone, you can communicate with anyone! Hahaha!”
“A Purifier.”
“Right, a ‘Purifier,’ hahaha.”
After making a loud fuss on purpose, Sang-cheon finally stopped his forced laughter once Won-woo’s attention shifted to him.
“So, ahem, I’m not saying this because I don’t believe you… but, Won-woo, you’ve had a hard time recently, right? The Center provides counseling; why don’t you try applying for that?”
[He cannot.]
At the firm opposition, Sang-cheon looked at the speaker with an incredulous expression. Nani probably feared that if Won-woo’s delusions were revealed during counseling and he was hospitalized, he couldn’t be used as a spy. Even without asking, the brute’s intentions were transparent. However, no matter how much he was in a position to obey the brute, he couldn’t follow along this time.
“Ignore Nani and make sure to get counseling. …Why are you smiling like that?”
“I just thought Mr. Hwang is truly a good person.”
Not at all. I’m currently conspiring with Nani to deceive you. Having never lied this much in his entire life, Sang-cheon’s face contorted.
[Yes, a very good person. From now on, you just have to follow Mister’s words.]
“Yes, I should. Nani, you also follow Mr. Hwang’s words well.”
[…I’ll handle it myself.]
“Well, you’re still in the prime of your learning, so you should learn how to handle things yourself.”
The noise cut out again, and the sound was blocked. It was curse time. In this moment, Sang-cheon cheered for Won-woo. If he got more agitated, wouldn’t the brute reach the brink of a rampage and collapse? While he was slightly hoping for that, Won-woo spoke to Sang-cheon.
“Then, may I get to the main point now?”
“What main point?”
“I would like to go into business with you.”
The cheering heart didn’t last more than two seconds. Is this a new kind of scam? Approaching by pretending to be sick to evoke sympathy and scrape for money? Sang-cheon sighed, thinking he was truly unlucky today.
“No. I have no intention of doing that. All I have is debt…”
“I don’t need money. I have items to sell, and I just need Mr. Hwang to find buyers and sell them for me. Then Idata-wm="unauthorized copy" style="display:none;" aria-label="unauthorized copy">unauthorized copy’ll give you a 50% commission.”
“Wait, the items are yours, and you want me to just sell them and take 50%?”
“Yes. They are difficult items to sell, and the buyer must be chosen very carefully.”
“Look, if they are dangerous items…”
“They aren’t dangerous. The problem is that they are too popular.”
Won-woo smiled as if to say not to worry and rummaged through his pocket.
“Hmm, I put them here. Just a moment.”
Sang-cheon felt confident that he wouldn’t be surprised even if Won-woo produced two acorns. Thus, he looked indifferently at the objects Won-woo plopped onto the table. Two objects, longer than acorns but flatter. And the color was very black. A pitch-black color that seemed to swallow even the light.
“These are seeds? But why is the color like this?”
Won-woo pushed the seeds toward Sang-cheon and informed him lightly.
“Because they are Alpha seeds.”
[Nine years ago, Ji Geun-oh found a preventive drug for Guide disease. When he announced he would distribute it for free for the public good, he instantly became a hero to Guides. Under the pretext of distributing the treatment for free, he established his family foundation called ‘Guide Center,’ and at some point, he even took over the Guide Association. The preventive drug is distributed for free, but the effect only lasts for one year. Therefore, it must be taken every year. Guide Center became heroic by distributing the drug for free, but they don’t reveal the ingredients. Instead, they use that drug to tighten the noose around the Guides’ necks and act as leaders as they please.]
Though he had heard various explanations about this world from Nani over the past few days, the most fascinating thing among them was the Ji family. How did they find a preventive [Read on Read BL Novels]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[Read on Read BL [visit our site]Novels]drug for Guide disease? Moreover, they almost exclusively supplied Alpha seeds.
“Then when did the Alpha seeds appear?”
[Around the same time.]
“Why did such luck start for the Ji family all of a sudden back then?”
[Try to remember. It was your own home.]
Home, my foot. It had never once been a home. He had been neglected even when he needed someone’s touch as a child, and whenever he requested something he wanted, it returned as violence. For Won-woo, home, family, was only them. Aunt and him. Won-woo’s eyes dimmed as he recalled the past.
[Snap out of it.]
Won-woo raised his head at Nani’s heartless voice. He felt it was a relief that the other party was an AI. It prevented him from falling too deep into his emotions. Won-woo returned to the original topic and asked Nani.
“You said that to find a Guide, one must connect through the Guide Center, right?”
[Yes. Since all Guides must obtain the treatment for Guide disease, they are joined and registered with the Guide Center from birth.]
“Then if one doesn’t care about Guide disease, they wouldn’t need to belong to the Guide Center?”
[Why wouldn’t you care about Guide disease?]
Because. Won-woo shrugged.
“It’s not a disease you definitely die from even if you catch it.”
[The fatality rate is over 30%. One in three dies.]
“Two survive.”
[A Guide who mocks probability and doesn’t take the preventive drug would have already died from some other stupid act.]
Won-woo looked through the thick Guide regulations and let out a short laugh while looking into the air.
“Haha.”
[Is what I said funny?]
“Ah, sorry. You sounded like a slightly smart kindergartner just now.”
[Sigh.]
He really uses sound effects in the right places. Won-woo resisted the urge to tell him that.
“The fatality rate is high, but there are treatments that can be used in the early stages. That’s why I said it, because the actual number of deaths is low.”
[There is no treatment for Guide disease.]
“…There isn’t? What about C14?”
[What is that?]
Plasma treatment. But C14 was made from the blood of only one person. Even in his own world, it had been less than 15 years since they discovered that person’s blood had value as a treatment. It was a miracle created by a doctor’s accidental discovery.
Other plasmas that could be used as treatments were discovered after that, but that was much later. If C14 hadn’t been discovered, other plasma treatments wouldn’t have been found either. But what if C14 wasn’t discovered in this world?
Or perhaps the person who served as the treatment had died early. Since they were already old in the original world, there was a high possibility they had passed away here. Perhaps in this world, the doctor never had that accidental encounter. He realized anew what an amazing stroke of luck it was that the treatment was discovered in his world. If that luck didn’t exist in this world, C14 might not exist.
Ah, so. Won-woo suddenly understood this world as if he had reached an epiphany. It was the butterfly effect. Because that one person who would create the treatment didn’t exist here, this world was still dominated by Espers. Because Guides were the weak, exposed to the Guide disease that could kill them at any time.
The problem, however, was that the Ji family held the preventive drug for Guide disease. They were parasites that clung to the strong, so there was no way they would use it for the sake of Guides. Then again, in his own world, the preventive drug wasn’t for the Guides either. It was the Espers who held the preventive drug.
They used it as a weapon to threaten Guides. They told them that if they sided with the Purifiers, they wouldn’t receive the preventive drug and would die. However, a few years after the preventive drug was released, other side effects emerged, and no Guide took it anymore.
Then, the number of Guides joining the Anti-Esper camp led by the Purifiers increased. The Espers, having lost their trump card, imprisoned the remaining Guides. Some were chained by their wrists and ankles like slaves, but many others voluntarily sided with the Espers.
Ji Geun-oh was exactly like that. Won-woo’s biological father. He was a representative Guide who built wealth by clinging to Espers. The fact that he could do so was also thanks to the help of an Esper he was inextricably linked to.
Ever since the existence of Espers and Guides, there has been a truth accepted in every era: Espers are obsessed with their Guides. Ji Geun-oh’s Esper had been obsessed with Ji Geun-oh. The way Ji Geun-oh had acted out, trusting in that obsession, had been quite disgusting. And yet, to think he seized power here using preventive medicine.
“I guess they wouldn’t care about the side effects Read [stolen content]on stolen contentRead BL Novelsof preventive medicine in a place like this.”
Won-woo muttered unconsciously, then suddenly realized his mistake. Even though he was a machine, Nani was listening.
[……Are there side effects?]
The lowered voice sounded somehow eerie. Since Won-woo had no intention of revealing his identity yet, he felt relieved that Nani was a machine.
“All medicines have side effects. This one probably does too.”
Won-woo brushed it off casually and looked back at the ‘Guide One Handbook’ he had been reading. He wanted to read as much as possible, but it was too thick. Even flipping through the pages quickly and skimming, it seemed like it would take time to find the necessary information.
“Why is there so much to say?”
As he grumbled slightly, the usual indifferent voice asked.
[What are you looking for?]
“A way to be kicked out of Guide One.”
Won-woo preempted Nani, expecting him to naturally ask ‘Why?’.
“I checked the Center’s regulations, and it seems affiliated Guides cannot choose the Esper they want. However, contracted freelancers are different. The problem is that only freelancers affiliated with Guide One can contract with the Center. There is only one way for a Guide not affiliated with Guide One to work at the Center.”
[If an important Esper of the Center possesses a visit [stolen content]our siteEND: visit our site -->unique wave, a Guide capable of guiding them can be contracted regardless of the conditions.]
“You know a lot, don’t you?”
[Is the Esper you want to guide a unique wave?]
Yes. As Won-woo replied and flipped through the handbook again, a sarcastic question followed.
[And is he actually an ‘important’ Esper of the Center?]
“Even if he isn’t now, I can make him important soon. A-class Espers must be rare here too.”
[Are you going to raise his rank with an Alpha seed?]
“Yes. An Alpha seed.”
Silence fell for a moment, and Won-woo heard a faint mutter, mixed with static, that he couldn’t quite make out.
[……He actually believes it. He’s completely lost his mind…….]
“Oh, by the way.”
The noise cut off immediately.
“Among the conditions for expulsion from Guide One, there’s ‘Violation of the Guide’s [stolen Read on Read BL Novels[stolen content]content]Primary Basic Ethics.’ What is that?”
[Regardless of who they are, a Guide must provide guiding to an Esper in danger.]
“Ridiculous.”
[Yes. It is ridiculous.]
Won-woo, who had been nodding, paused.
“Why are you saying it’s ridiculous?”
[Because Ji Geun-oh deliberately neglected an Esper in a state of rampage right before his eyes and let him die. And that person was a friend he claimed to respect the most.]
Since it wasn’t a surprising story, Won-woo responded half-heartedly.
“Sounds like him.”
[So, does Ji Won-woo-ssi intend to leave Guide One by violating the basic ethics of a Guide?]
“If there’s no other way. After all, I have no intention of guiding an Esper who isn’t on my side, even if they’re dying right in front of me.”
[Just like someone from the Ji family. Exactly like his father.]
The emotionless voice sounded exceptionally cold. To anyone else, it would have sounded like mockery, but Won-woo instead twisted his lips into a smirk. Once, being told he style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[visit our site]on Read BL Novels" style="display:none;" aria-label="Read on Read BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelsresembled his father or brothers was the worst insult to him. But having gone through a war, he too had become a bad person, so his emotions no longer wavered.
Even if the person in front of him was dying, there was no fluttering of conscience. His only trivial concern was how to avoid the remains of a bursting person. War erodes humanity. It was different from cruelty. Countless deaths and killings had turned Won-woo’s interior into a wasteland.
The ruins left by the war were a land where it never rained and nothing ever recovered. The only reason Won-woo could endure and live in that land was because of a single premise: I only save those on my side. To Won-woo, this was an absolute truth.
“I might be even more malicious. I’d just watch as every Esper who isn’t on my side dies.”
No response was heard. Won-woo wondered for a moment if he had taught Nani something too bad, but he soon dismissed the thought. It was better for the machine to quickly grasp what kind of person Won-woo was. He even had the funny thought that he might end up with the same nickname as in his original world. Won-woo chuckled and searched the handbook further. There was one more condition for expulsion from Guide One.
“‘Expulsion upon contracting with an Anti-Guide Force designated by the Association.’ Anti-Guide Force?”
[Groups that are on bad terms with the Ji family.]
“There must be more than one or two.”
[Yes. There are many. But they have all succumbed to the Ji family. There is only one place that the Ji family has officially designated as an Anti-Guide Force. The only place that actually fights the Ji family.]
Where is that? Just as Won-woo was about to ask, his phone rang, and he swallowed the question. Geon-young’s name appeared. Ah, right, he’d rested for about three days, so it was about time to talk. But he intended to do it face-to-face. Won-woo pressed decline and stood up. His destination was the company swarming with Espers.
Sang-cheon had borrowed money from many places and met numerous gangsters, but he was most wary of the ordinary-looking man in front of him. The man wasn’t an Esper, nor was he coercive or spitting out curses. Rather, he was a soulless office worker wearing glasses and suffering from chronic fatigue. However, even if he only spoke what was necessary like a machine, Sang-cheon knew. This man was the Chief of Staff for the brute’s family. He couldn’t possibly be an ordinary person.
“……You’re saying the stolen goods are an Alpha seed?”
No matter how non-ordinary he was, he seemed appalled. [Read [unauthorized copy]on Read BL Novels]Sang-cheon nodded to Chief Jung, then shook his head.
“It is an Alpha seed, but it’s not stolen.”
“Then did he say he discovered the Alpha seed himself?”
“……Is it stolen?”
When Sang-cheon showed a lack of confidence, a human emotion appeared in Chief Jung’s eyes. It was pity. Sang-cheon felt wronged.
“No, the person who left it claimed it was an Alpha seed. I don’t think it is. I mean, how could this be an Alpha seed? The person just shoved it in a pocket and brought it here! Does it make sense to handle an Alpha seed so carelessly?!”
Sang-cheon shook the black seed contained in a ziplock bag. Fatigue clouded Chief Jung’s eyes. If it weren’t for the brute’s orders, he wouldn’t have needed to come in person. He was told to receive something and process it, but an Alpha seed? Is this a joke?
Alpha seeds are enshrined deep within the Ji family’s special vault, and whenever a single seed is moved, A-class Espers act as bodyguards, transporting it in several cars. Not dangling in a ziplock bag like that. But what could he do even if he didn’t believe it? If the higher-ups told him to roll, he had to roll. Chief Jung looked at the black seed in the ziplock bag with a stifled expression and asked.
“So, if it is an Alpha seed, you’re saying you’ll sell it to us?”
“Well, the original owner wants to sell it.”
“I’ll take it first and perform a component analysis.”
At those words, Sang-cheon handed over the ziplock bag, and Chief Jung presented a receipt.
“Please sign here.”
Yes, Sang-cheon quickly signed and handed it back, then asked cautiously.
“Just in case I ask, if it is an Alpha seed, ahem, how much can I get for it?”
Chief Jung, who was about to put the ziplock bag in the inner pocket of his suit, looked at Sang-cheon with an incredulous expression.
“We will pay a reasonable price according to the market value. As long as it’s not stolen.”
“If it’s stolen…… can it not be sold?”
“Yes. In most cases, except for special circumstances.”
“Isn’t an Alpha seed a special circumstance? I saw that the seed doesn’t even have a serial number engraved on it.”
“Is it stolen?”
Sang-cheon couldn’t look Chief Jung straight in the eye and averted his gaze.
“It might be. The owner is a member of the Ji family.”
Chief Jung’s expression instantly froze.
“Who?”
“Um, Ji Won-woo, the youngest of the Ji family…….”
“Ah, Ji Won-woo.”
The tension immediately vanished from Chief Jung’s face.
“Ji Won-woo-ssi hasn’t been to the main house in over three years.”
“Really? He didn’t even go to family gatherings?”
“Yes, because he wasn’t invited.”
He’s family, but he wasn’t invited? To Sang-cheon, this was incomprehensible. The Ji family appeared in the media often, so everyone knew how large their mansion was, like a castle. When it was Ji Geun-oh’s birthday, hundreds of people gathered in that huge house for a celebration party.
Naturally, Ji Geun-oh’s children attended. The eldest daughter, who married an Esper from a tremendous family; the second son, who practically ran Guide One; and the third son, who attracted all sorts of attention. All of them were as famous as their father. Yet, the youngest son wasn’t invited to a place where hundreds of guests came?
“I didn’t know he was treated as such a stranger.”
“Yes. That’s how it is.”
Then how could he have gotten his hands on an Alpha seed? Realizing the meaning behind Chief Jung’s words, Sang-cheon nodded. Then, he soon frowned. Even the brute would know that, yet he was trying to use Ji Won-woo to dig for information.
“I will contact you as soon as the test results for this seed are out.”
Yes, Sang-cheon stood up to say goodbye, but before the man left, he hesitated and asked.
“By any chance, do you know well how Ji Won-woo-ssi is treated by his family?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Just…… um, I wondered if he might have been abused…….”
“Hwang Sang-cheon-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t the debt you have to pay too large to be falling into useless sympathy?”
It was a warning to stop worrying about Ji Won-woo and just listen to the brute. Sang-cheon sighed as he looked at the closed door after Chief Jung left. He knew it well. He just had to follow the brute’s words, that’s all he had to do, but Won-woo’s face, crying sorrowfully when they first met, kept weighing on his mind. To think he was such an outcast at home. No, that’s just too sad.
Seo-na had been off yesterday, but since she had come to the Center on purpose, she hadn’t had a proper rest all week. Despite that, she wasn’t tired at all. Rather, she was overflowing with energy. Since there was no one she could tell the reason to, she confessed to her only friend after three days. When Seo-na told the story of meeting Ji Won-woo, her friend’s eyes widened in shock.
“He said it’s a good day to down a glass of cider?!”
“Yes, he did. He said that……. No, that’s not what’s important right now.”
Seo-na quickly shook her head, but Umji’s attention was already fixed elsewhere.
“That’s what our Mallangi said in Gopnalssu!”
Umji let out a shout from the depths of her abs. Thanks to that, everyone in the second-floor outdoor lounge of the Center, who had gathered to enjoy a break, stared at them. Moreover, Umji’s pronunciation was so clear that everyone distinctly heard the words ‘Gopnalssu’ and ‘Mallangi’.
Fortunately, no one knew that those were abbreviations for the webtoon they both fan-girled over, ‘Gracefully Mad Raging Jajinmori Swordmaster, Eolssu,’ and the nickname of the protagonist, Mallakin. Still, Seo-na gritted her teeth and warned her friend.
“Why don’t you just read all of Gopnalssu into a megaphone?”
Only then did Umji sit down, placing her hand over her excited heart.
“What, is Ji Won-woo a fan of Gopnalssu?”
“I don’t know yet. He might just really like cider.”
“An Esper burst and died from a rampage right in front of him, and he’s looking for cider? ……Ah, if it was an Esper who was bullying him, that could happen.”
Umji seemed to have lost her excitement and relaxed her body. Seo-na nodded and took a sip of coffee.
“Besides, he probably doesn’t know I’m a fan of Gopnalssu.”
“Not just a fan, but a hardcore fan. So, did he happen to recognize you?”
Seo-na shook her head.
“We went to the offline events wearing masks, hats, and even sunglasses. No one could recognize us.”
“True. The goods expo was in midsummer, so we suffered so much wrapping our faces up tight even though it was hot. Still, it was a relief that the places we went were always sparsely populated.”
Because Umji only covered her face and wore a sleeveless shirt, her muscular body was fully exposed.
“Exactly. There were so many people at the venue that day, but only the booths we visited were always quiet. We were lucky.”
Seo-na had also covered her face, but thanks to that, the five suppression piercings in her ears stood out even more.
“There’s definitely no way he’d know we’re fans of Gopnalssu.”
Umji reached a conclusion and picked up her unfinished knitting, moving her hands quickly again. Unlike Umji, who brought her knitting to work and knitted whenever she had a spare moment, Seo-na was not yet ready to do something that would draw people’s attention. She wanted to wait until her abilities as an Esper were properly recognized before she started knitting everything from underwear to headgear to wear.
“But it’s surprisingly coincidental. Of all things, ‘a good day to down a glass of cider.’ Still, just in case, make sure to ask if he’s a fan of Gopnalssu when you meet him. Definitely.”
Umji emphasized ‘definitely’ to Seo-na, her hands moving as fast as an industrial machine.
“I will. There are other things I want to ask too.”
“Ah, about him guiding you?”
Umji asked casually. Compared to her shock [visit our site]Read on Read BL Novelswm: visit our site -->over Gopnalssu, her level of interest was significantly lower.
“But it didn’t feel like guiding. It was definitely different. It was different, but…….”
“You said the guiding worked, though?”
Yes, Seo-na muttered, looking down outside the balcony. Because of that, she had been hanging around the Center like this yesterday and today.
Fortunately, she heard the news that Ji Won-woo had come to work today. However, since it would be awkward to suddenly visit him, she was drinking coffee while holding onto Umji. Even if she tried to think rationally that he was a D-class Guide and it couldn’t have been Ji Won-woo, she wanted confirmation from him directly. This urgency would not easily disappear.
“By the way, if you want to meet Ji Won-woo today, you’ll have to take a number.”
“Why?”
As an answer, Umji pointed outside. A flashy car stopped in front of the Center’s main entrance, and a blonde man accompanied by broadcasting staff stepped out.
“The famous Ji Won-woo Hyung is here. Ji Seong-hyeon.”
Won-woo’s phone, which Geon-young had been calling incessantly, was turned on after three days, but as expected, they couldn’t talk over the phone. Since he could just talk to Won-woo face-to-face now that he had come to work.
“Hey, fuck! Ji Won-woo, you!”
Along with a curse, Geon-young slammed his fist onto the desk. They were sitting facing each other in Geon-young’s office just like a few days ago, but unlike then, Won-woo handed a document to Geon-young.
“What is this?”
Geon-young grabbed the document roughly and scanned the contents. To be precise, only the title.
‘Guide Sexual Violence Victim Report’
Rip. Geon-young tore the document in his hand as if there was no need to see more.
“That’s a copy. I just submitted the original to the Center’s Ethics Committee.”
At Won-woo’s explanation, Geon-young looked up with an incredulous expression.
“It’s useless even if you submit it. It’s not like you were penetrated right there on the spot, right? They didn’t lay a single finger on your body, so what the hell are you talking about? I don’t know what you’re hoping for, but you’re mistaken if you think the Ethics Committee will listen to you.”
“Do you know what I’m trying to do?”
Geon-young frowned. In the dry gaze staring straight at him, there was no trace of fear toward him. It felt like only yesterday that he noticed the person had changed after the accident, but now he could hardly remember the previous version of him who lived like he was dead. How could he change like this?
“Fine, tell me. What is it you’re trying to do?”
“A record. Even if no action is taken immediately, if records of the Head 3 Team bullying Guides gradually accumulate, they won’t be able to ignore it. Moreover, this place was originally a gathering of troublemakers of that sort. Then, the first person to face sanctions will be the person in charge of the Head 3 Team. Which is you.”
At the words pointing directly at him, Geon-young’s mouth tasted bitter. Even to dismiss it as nonsense this time, it sounded plausible. He soon regained his composure, but the moment of hesitation was shameful, and his voice hardened.
“Go ahead. Try everything, you son of a bitch.”
“What will you do if I actually do everything?”
“Ha, what more could you possibly do?”
“Plenty. I could blow the whistle on everything I know about the Alpha seeds.”
Geon-young shut his mouth again. It was certain that the information included the fact that he had used an Alpha seed to raise his rank. He glared, wondering if he was being threatened, but Won-woo’s expression was calm. In fact, he seemed to have no interest in Geon-young at all, to the point where Geon-young’s pride was slightly wounded.
“What do you want from me?”
“First, stop speaking informally. I don’t want to be close enough to you to use banmal.”
Not everyone who speaks informally is close; why would there be such a reason? Geon-young was appalled, but he gritted his teeth and complied.
“What is it you want from me?”
“Let me stay on the team.”
“And?”
“That’s all.”
“Don’t make me laugh, Ji Won-woo-ssi. visit our site]aria-label="visit our site">[unauthorized copy]pacity:0;font-size:0;">visit our siteYou want to stay so you can keep threatening and harassing me?”
Won-woo let out a chuckle. As his expressionless atmosphere changed instantly with the small laugh, Geon-young’s gaze was momentarily stolen by that face. The smile soon vanished, but laughter lingered in his low voice.
“I don’t have that much interest to spare for you.”
“…….”
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