DB Vol 1 Part 9

“I don’t know if he was actually stalking her or if the two of them just met, but where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right? I think Ji Won-woo liked Hong Seung-wook.”

[No.]

“How do you know?”

[He said he didn’t.]

“Well, he could have lied to you.”

[Ha.]

A short, incredulous laugh escaped.

[What’s the point of lying to a machine?]

“Well, if Ji Won-woo had a one-sided crush, he might be too embarrassed to say it. Even if the listener is a machine.”

[Because unrequited love is terrible?]

Oh, he knows about that too? Sang-cheon found it unexpected as he assembled the laptop. To Sang-cheon, [unauthorized copyvisit our sitestyle="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]unauthorized copy -->the brute seemed like someone who had absolutely no interest in love. If he had, he wouldn’t have become such an emotionally dried-up person.

Usually, Espers feel love as they pair with a Guide, but in his case, it seemed he was in a situation where even meeting a compatible Guide was difficult.

“It is terrible. But it’s also exhilarating.”

[You sound just like Ji Won-woo.]

“Ah, was that what Ji Won-woo said? Wow, his crush on Hong Seung-wook must have been pretty intense.”

[…….]

This time, the brute’s silence felt somewhat displeased, so Sang-cheon called out to him curiously.

“Hello?”

[Hong Seung-wook isn’t even that great.]

“What are you talking about? He’s a top Esper even among A-ranks. There are hardly any Espers with better abilities than Hong Seung-wook—”

—he was about to say, but he swallowed the words as he remembered the brute’s existence. Well, there is at least one.

[Some weakling A-rank.]

“In the real world, people don’t call A-ranks ‘some weaklings’; they call them ‘amazing’ or ‘incredible.’ Besides, regardless of his abilities, Hong Seung-wook stands out for his looks. It’s rare to find an Esper who is that tall, handsome, and has such a great build—”

Again, he swallowed the word ‘rare.’ Wait, come to think of it, the brute was actually quite impressive himself, even if he wasn’t exposed to the media.

[Who cares what a face looks like?]

“Sure, looks aren’t everything. But being handsome is definitely an advantage when it comes to gaining public popularity.”

[Popularity is something only empty-headed idiots care about.]

Having seen only Espers who lived like celebrities, Sang-cheon found the brute’s way of thinking refreshing, yet also somewhat pitiful. Just how much hatred must he have endured?

“Ahem, right. Some people cling to popularity, but if you happen to enjoy it, it’s hard not to care. Hong Seung-wook is probably one of those cases. Plus, he has a great personality. He’s famous for being very calm and serious.”

[That’s just another word for a coward.]

Sang-cheon frowned at the conclusion the brute reached so dismissively. Does he have a grudge against Hong Seung-wook?

“Are you jealous because Ji Won-woo went to seduce Hong Seung-wook?”

[Mister. Don’t let your tongue wag so carelessly.]

Even though there were no curses, the low voice actually made Sang-cheon shiver. If it’s not true, why get genuinely angry? Sang-cheon mumbled, shoulders trembling.

“No, I just made a joke because you seem to care about the relationship between Ji Won-woo and Hong Seung-wook.”

For a moment, there was silence. In the awkward atmosphere, Sang-cheon just kept fiddling with the repaired laptop. After a long while, the blunt voice returned.

[The Esper Ji Won-woo is trying to meet is Han Seo-na. He said he’s going to win her over to his side.]

“How? A Guide’s only asset is guiding, and Ji Won-woo is a D-rank, so he’s useless.”

[He says he’ll target her hobbies.]

“Ah, hobbies. Hobbies always work. What hobby is it?”

[Reading.]

Sang-cheon paused. That hobby is way too normal.

“Can you really win someone over with reading? Is he going to get her some books or something?”

No. The brute answered, and as if he also found it incomprehensible, added what Won-woo had said.

[He said he’ll win her over with the content. He was confident it would work 100%.]

Life is unfair and sucks. Seo-na realized that truth once again today.

‘Wrap up your current work by this week and return to your original department. Your teammates are protesting, so I have no choice. I know it’s an urgent situation, but forcing a suppression piercing onto a colleague is basically telling them to die, isn’t it? Ah, I understand. You probably did it to minimize damage.

But there was a shield ability user. You could have blocked it to some extent with that person’s ability. But Han Seo-na, you’re making a fuss. People are saying you intentionally screwed them over by forcing the suppression piercing because you live with the risk of rampage. I know, I know. But everyone finds Han Seo-na uncomfortable, so what can I do? Now you understand the reason, right?’

Hardly any time had passed since she had barely managed to get a field assignment, and now she received a shitty order to move back to her original position. What? Uncomfortable as a colleague? Bullshit. Even if it wasn’t for this job, she would have been kicked out eventually. Because Seo-na was different from them.

Yes, because she was a mixed-blood from a civilian background and a walking bomb due to her unique wave. It was understandable that they didn’t want to work with her. Some even openly spat that her wave was like that because she was a mixed-blood Esper with unknown roots. She had endured quite a lot of bullshit until now. But that didn’t make this injustice go away.

But they didn’t know. The reason Seo-na had endured her anger wasn’t because she was afraid of them. It was because she feared her energy would fluctuate due to her emotions and she would rampage. But now, fuming alone didn’t cause any major problems. Seo-na unconsciously looked down at her hand. If she held Ji Won-woo’s hand one more time, would she know for sure?

However, she couldn’t easily bring herself to move. Having been disappointed by Guides more than a few times, expecting anything was a negative emotion for Seo-na. Life becomes easier when you give up expectations, but there is a price for giving up. You stop dreaming, and so your shitty life just continues. A boring and grueling existence.

Once, she too had dreamed of a miracle. But that felt like a very distant past. A miracle, now that she had abandoned all hope. Seo-na laughed at herself and walked toward the parking lot where her bike was, but she couldn’t leave for the day. Standing next to her bike was the ‘expectation’ she had thrown away. Ji Won-woo smiled as soon as he saw her.

Everyone has many sides, but among the people Won-woo had seen, Seo-na had one of the largest gaps.

“Gracefully Mad Raging… Jajinmori Swordmaster?”

“Eolssu.”

“Huh?”

“You missed the ‘Eolssu’ at the end.”

Ah, Won-woo checked the title of the webtoon again and nodded. Right, ‘Eolssu’ was attached too. However, even as he muttered the most exciting word in the world, Won-woo’s interior was in turmoil, as if a storm were raging.

He hadn’t expected that casually asking Seo-na to recommend a webtoon would cause such a huge wave. The links she sent while recommending the webtoon were more than ten. All of them were links related to that ‘Eolssu’ webtoon.

“It’s a post that summarizes the webtoon’s setting and character descriptions; it’s good to look over it in advance.”

“Do I really have to read all of this beforehand?”

For a moment, deep regret appeared in Seo-na’s eyes. It was an intense emotion he had never seen from her, as she was usually just blunt. Won-woo, slightly intimidated, mumbled as if making an excuse.

“No, I just want to read it lightly.”

“It would be a hundred times more interesting if you knew the background, but if you want to read it lightly, there’s nothing I can do.”

“I’ll just read it.”

Another wave of intense emotion surged in Seo-na’s eyes. It was like the eyes of a fanatic who wanted to spread the good word to everyone. However, she suppressed it with her usual blunt personality and didn’t force him. Still, she suggested it with a hint of regret.

“Wouldn’t it be good to look at the creation myth of the great kang empire, which serves as the background?”

I don’t even know the background of my own birth, why would I bother with some Mr. Kang’s myth. Won-woo shook his head again, and Seo-na turned her head away in frustration. Won-woo asked, reading her expression.

“You must really like this webtoon?”

“Not really.”

“……Ah.”

Won-woo was browsing the webtoon on his smartphone and his eyes widened when he checked the number of chapters.

“There are 241 chapters?”

“It goes up to 250. Those are paid preview chapters. And the story is only halfway through.”

It’s too long. He felt like giving up before even starting, and Seo-na noticed instantly. Contrary to her expressionless face, she hurriedly took Won-woo’s phone and pressed the first chapter.

“Just read up to Season 1 for now. Season 1 is the build-up, Read on Read BL Novelscopy" style="display:none;" [Read on Read BL Novels]aria-label="unauthorized copy">unauthorized copyso if you just endure that part, you’ll encounter a whole new world.”

“How many chapters is Season 1?”

“117.”

“……That’s a bit long to just ‘endure’.”

“You have no patience.”

Won-woo asked, piqued, with emotion in his voice.

“Is this actually a popular webtoon?”

That day, Won-woo learned exactly how to make Han Seo-na angry.

Fortunately or unfortunately, ‘Eolssu’ was not Won-woo’s taste. However, since Seo-na asked about ‘Eolssu’ every time they met, he forced himself to slog through until the beginning of Season 2.

“You’re saying it’s still not interesting even though you’ve moved to Season 2?”

Seo-na asked again, as if she had just heard that the Earth was square.

“How many chapters did you read? Did you see the part where our Mallangi uses swordsmanship combined with taekgyeon to perform a military dance [stolen content]wm: stolen content -->in the imperial palace? He suddenly disappears after surprising everyone.”

“Which chapter is that?”

“Chapter 227.”

That was the last chapter of Season 2. No, he had barely finished Season 1.

“I only read up to the part where it’s revealed he uses taekgyeon swordsmanship.”

“What, that’s the first chapter of Season 2? You’re judging whether it’s interesting based on just that?”

“Yes.”

Seo-na sighed, clearly frustrated.

“Did you actually read it properly? Just read a few more chapters. The catharsis of defeating the orc troop with taekgyeon swordsmanship is insane.”

“I’m not really feeling it.”

Seo-na’s expression turned cold. It was an expression she hadn’t shown even when Won-woo made a mistake during an operation and his life was in danger.

“Do you like ‘Eolssu’ that much?”

“Even if I said I did, you wouldn’t read it.”

“Yeah. I don’t like you that much.”

It was a comment that could have been hurtful, but Seo-na just chuckled and brushed it off.

“Right. You’re very prone to loneliness, so that’s just right. It’s better not to give any room from the start than to get hurt by people for nothing.”

“……I’m prone to loneliness?”

Won-woo asked, but Seo-na’s attention was momentarily stolen by her phone. She hadn’t given up on promoting ‘Eolssu’ yet and was busy searching for famous ‘Eolssu’ memes. Thus, her answer was a bit late.

“They say ostentation is a mirror of deficiency. Since you keep emphasizing being alone, I thought you might have a deficiency of affection. Am I wrong?”

Since he didn’t answer, Seo-na looked up. Won-woo shook his head vigorously as if he had been waiting.

“No.”

“Then why do you turn pale every time, fearing that I might die?”

This time, a denial did not come. As the days she survived increased, Won-woo paid more and more attention during every operation to save her. He thought she wouldn’t notice. In truth, he didn’t [stolen Read on Read BL Novelscontent]want to admit that even he cared about her life and death.

“You can’t save everyone on your own.”

“I can.”

“You can’t.”

“…….”

“So, those who left your side are not your fault.”

Won-woo’s expression became chillingly cold, but Seo-na had no intention of apologizing. She had wanted to say it someday. No matter how she looked at it, this highly capable colleague seemed to have lost someone very precious.

“What if it is my fault?”

At the unexpected question, Seo-na shook her head.

“Nothing could possibly be your fault.”

“Ha, what do you know.”

Won-woo let out a self-deprecating laugh and stood up.

“I’m not that good of a person. Seo-na is right. I am very prone to loneliness. That’s why my greed to keep those I’m with alive is so great. Because of that, I committed a great wrong……. I came to my senses too late, but that person had already disappeared before I could even apologize.”

A precious person. He felt as if he had heard the most important word from Won-woo’s past. Since all of Won-woo’s information was top secret, he had no choice but to guess by combining the words he dropped one by one. That he had lost someone quite precious.

Won-woo stood up and left the spot, but Seo-na couldn’t take her eyes off his back. She was expressionless as she stared at Won-woo, but her eyes held great concern.

---

Seo-na did not let go of her suspicion when looking at Ji Won-woo. What on earth was his identity? Since she had been demoted because of helping Ji Won-woo, she couldn’t face him with a purely friendly face. No matter how much she had harbored a brief, very brief expectation in him, she built her guard like a solid fortress wall. However, it was a wall that would crumble like a sandcastle in less than 30 seconds.

“I didn’t know it was Han Seo-na’s bike. I was just looking at it because the symbol of the Lightdark Family was attached as a sticker, and I found it interesting.”

The Lightdark Family. It was the ducal family that appeared in Gopnalssu.

“You know Gopnalssu?”

She asked without thinking and then realized her mistake. She should have used the full title, not the abbreviation. However, the other person understood perfectly.

“Of course. Gracefully Mad Raging Jajinmori Swordmaster, Eolssu. It’s a masterpiece of the webtoon world.”

A masterpiece! Seo-na’s eyes were instantly filled with strong trust toward the other person. Of course, she didn’t let her emotions show on her face as per habit, but her mouth made the proposal first.

“Shall we talk for a bit?”

Someone once asked if it doesn’t get boring to read the same webtoon 100 times. That is merely the foolish question of a pitiful soul who has not encountered a life-defining work. Boring after 100 times? Not at all!

After reading it about 10 times, you begin to understand the meaning of lines you didn’t realize before. After 30 times, you see errors in the content or typos, and after 60 times, you assign meaning to scenes the original author drew without thinking, rebirthing it as a new work. And by the 100th time, the work becomes you, and you become the work.

At that level, it becomes shameful if there is a scene or line you cannot memorize. How your heart races through every stage. Even though you’ve seen it every day, how happy a day is when you find a single line you hadn’t seen before?

However, this happiness was incomplete. Because the webtoon Seo-na was a fan of was a discontinued work with no more crumbs. The most sorrowful kind of fandom—the fandom of an unfinished work. It had already been two years since Gopnalssu was discontinued. Seo-na heard information about the webtoon, which no one else seemed to know, from a completely unexpected person.

“……You know the au-author of Gopnalssu?”

Seo-na’s voice trembled slightly, but Won-woo, facing her, was composed.

“It’s not that we have a personal friendship. Since it’s been on hiatus for two years, I thought they must be under severe stress from Association work. I figured they had grievances because it’s hard to quit even when it’s tough.”

“Wait. Wait a minute.”

Seo-na pressed her hand to her forehead, trying to calm herself.

“The author of Gopnalssu is an office worker? What Association? No, don’t tell me. That’s personal information…… if I find out, I feel like I’ll chase them……. No, regardless of that, don’t tell me personal information.”

“Then should I also avoid spoilers about why Mallakin disappeared?”

What? Seo-na doubted her ears again. Mallakin’s disappearance was exactly where the serialization stopped.

“You know why Mallakin disappeared? That’s a part where there’s no serialization?”

“Yes, roughly. Though it might have changed here.”

The words Won-woo added at the end were strange, but now was not the time to question that. Honestly, it was hard to believe. The reality of having been screwed over while trying to help Ji Won-woo had long been forgotten. Seo-na asked, full of doubt.

“Are you sure you know? Tell me which part you’re talking about right now.”

“It’s the part where Mallakin uses swordsmanship combined with taekgyeon to perform a military dance in the imperial palace. He suddenly disappears after surprising everyone.”

“Which chapter is that?”

“Chapter 227. The end of Season 2.”

“…….”

“Is that right?”

“……Yes.”

“Ah, really?”

What, why is he more surprised after getting it right? As Seo-na frowned, Won-woo muttered to himself as if it were curious.

“Is taste an innate tendency? Whether it’s work or people, the things they like are similar.”

“What do you mean the things we like are similar?”

At Seo-na’s question, Won-woo’s eyes sparkled slightly.

“Since you handle the power of wind well, your hearing is indeed good.”

As soon as her ability was mentioned, Seo-na suddenly turned serious, as if she had been hit by cold water. Come to think of it, there were some things she needed to say to Ji Won-woo.

“You see the suppression piercing in my ear, right? I’m telling you in advance, I’m a unique wave who cannot receive guiding properly. My power is always unstable, so I can’t handle it well. And there are famous Espers who can hear a hundred times better than me, so it’s nothing to brag about.”

Despite the suddenly cold voice, Won-woo’s gaze remained soft. That actually made Seo-na feel burdened. He had been like that since they first met. He had looked at her with those eyes.

For a very brief moment, she wondered if he had fallen for her, but seeing it a second time, this was definitely not it. That was not the gaze one gives a loved one. Maybe if it were family. But Ji Won-woo and I have no connection at all?

“Even while wearing suppression piercings, you didn’t hesitate to jump in and help Read on Read BL Novelsothers. It seemed like you had stolen contentthe confidence that you wouldn’t rampage, even if your power was unstable. Am I wrong?”

“……You’re right.”

Seo-na barely managed to hide her fluster. No matter what others said, she was confident in her ability to control her own power. Since she was wearing suppression piercings, she figured that even if she failed to control it, she could just drop dead on her own. However, no one acknowledged that. They all thought: How could you possibly suppress a rampage when you can’t even receive proper guiding?

Because she wore suppression piercings, the Center had forced her into a psychological counseling program, and twice a month, she had to go and listen to long-winded lectures on how to manage an anxious mind.

What was she supposed to do with something like anxiety? She was ready to explode at any moment. Yet, this D-class Guide, whom she was meeting for only the second time, actually saw her for who she was. It felt strange. Seo-na tightened her expression to keep from softening and glared at him.

“Speaking of which, Ji Won-woo-ssi, why didn’t you undergo a face-to-face investigation? You were the victim; you should have provided a proper testimony.”

“Because it was a hassle.”

“What? Do you think I helped you because it wasn’t a hassle for me?”

“Now that you mention it, I’m curious too. What brought you to help me that day?”

“……Well, just, by chance.”

Won-woo’s lips curved into a silent smile. Seo-na found herself unable to look away for a moment, as if mesmerized by his face. The Ji family was famous, and their looks played a part in that, but the images and videos she’d seen were always of people meticulously groomed by professionals for hours.

However, compared to those perfectly groomed individuals, Ji Won-woo—with his uneven hair that looked like Read on Read BL Novelshe’d cut it himself and his bare, Read on Read BL Novelsmakeup-free face—looked far more handsome.

But why hadn’t she noticed before? No, he hadn’t stood out at all. Even now, wearing dark cargo pants and a black T-shirt, he seemed to glow.

Seo-na glanced at the techwear he was wearing, the kind typically worn by civilian workers assisting on-site. While monster trees were well-managed at the Farm, accidents could still happen, so field workers carried all sorts of equipment and weapons in those pockets.

On the other hand, Guides dressed in a simpler style. They were rarely deployed directly into the field; usually, their entire job was to stay at the camp and provide guiding to Espers.

“I was lucky, then.”

“And thanks to that, my luck turned bad.”

She didn’t intend to brag, but she couldn’t help but think of her demotion. That didn’t mean she planned to tattle and say, I was demoted. However, the other man sensed it with uncanny precision.

“Why? Were you demoted for helping me?”

Seo-na managed to maintain a blank expression, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from wavering. What, how did he know?

“Typical of the Center.”

“Don’t use the Center as an excuse just because it’s someone else’s business.”

“There is an easy way to solve this.”

“Why are you looking for a way to solve my problem?”

Seo-na’s voice turned cold instantly, but Won-woo gazed at her as if he were used to it.

“Because we might become colleagues.”

“First of all, just because we’re both affiliated with the Eastern Center doesn’t mean I automatically consider you a colleague. Besides, there’s no way you and I would work in the same department.”

“It’s possible.”

What is he talking about? Is he saying he’ll get demoted to follow me? As Seo-na looked at him in disbelief, Won-woo asked as if reminding her of something.

“Did you forget? There’s a vacancy for one Esper in my team.”

She paused. Seo-na froze for a moment, then averted her gaze to hide her confusion.

“Well, that’s a head team, so it doesn’t matter to me if there’s a vacancy. And even if there is a spot, what would people say if I took the place of an Esper who died because of me?”

“They didn’t die because of you, Han Seo-na-ssi. Besides, you don’t care what others think anyway.”

“Right, I don’t.”

How did he know that too? Seo-na gave a short cough and shook her head firmly.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, Ji Won-woo-ssi, but if you’re planning to use your family’s influence to get me in because you feel sorry for me, I have no intention of accepting such a favor.”

“I may be from the Ji family, but I’m not in a position to use the family’s influence. I’ll be kicked out soon anyway.”

Kicked out? Seo-na wondered what he meant, but soon decided, as per her habit, that she didn’t need to be interested in other people’s affairs.

“Then how do you plan to get me in?”

Well, Won-woo was about to answer nonchalantly when both of their phones rang simultaneously.

‘D41 Farm Monster Blooming Warning issued. Clean Operation will be carried out for two days, the 14th and 15th. All notified agents must participate in the operation without exception.’

The date was tomorrow. Since it was a familiar notification, Seo-na checked it quickly and put her phone away, but Won-woo deliberately shared his screen with her and asked.

“Did you receive the same notification?”

“Yes. That’s right. The support team I’m in often works with the department where your head team is. Why?”

“About what you asked earlier. How you could join my team. You just need to show your skills during this operation. A high B-rank, visit [unauthorized copy]our siteand a natural-type Esper unauthorized copyon top of that—I think that’s more than enough to be a team member. Am I wrong?”

“……You’re right.”

She felt too qualified to even attempt modesty. It was the truth. How good am I, after all? However, if skill were the only thing that mattered, she wouldn’t have been demoted in the first place. Seo-na immediately frowned.

“You must not know, but I’m in the support team, so all I do is clean up the aftermath on-site. I only see the corpses of monsters.”

“This operation will be a bit different, so you should prepare yourself to face a monster.”

“What’s different about it?”

“Because I’ll be going too.”

So what? Seo-na seriously worried about him. Has he gone crazy?

“Fine, whatever. I might be filthy lucky and get scouted for the team after my skills are recognized. But I’m a target for rampage surveillance with five suppression piercings plugged in.”

“What if the guiding issue is resolved?”

“There’s no Guide who fits me. It’s not like I haven’t looked—”

Only then did Seo-na recall the strange occurrence when Won-woo [unauthorized copy]on Read BL Novels">Read on Read BL Novelshad held her hand and she visit our sitehad stabilized. But that wasn’t guiding. The feeling had been entirely different.

Moreover, guiding usually takes about ten minutes. If someone could be calmed down just by holding hands once, a single Guide could treat a thousand people a day. Just as she was about to ask what he had done back then, Won-woo spoke first.

“There’s one thing I want to confirm with you, Han Seo-na-ssi. If you could receive stable guiding, would you want to continue working at the Center? As a field agent.”

“Of course.”

Wasn’t that the very reason she had endured so much to make it into the support team? Won-woo watched her quietly as she answered, as if checking how sincere she was. Then he asked slowly.

“Is staying and working at the Center really what you want?”

“Does it look like I’m forcing myself to work somewhere I don’t want to be?”

No. Won-woo smiled and shook his head.

“Then I have no reason to hesitate. Let’s make a deal.”

“What deal?”

Instead of answering, Won-woo held out his hand. Seo-na hesitated, but remembering the reason she wanted to confirm, she took his hand. And she experienced the exact same thing as before. A slight dizziness washed over her, as if the strength were being drained from her entire body. But it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Rather, since the pain vanished instantly, it was a pleasant, dreamy sensation, as if she visit [visit our site]data-wm="unauthorized copy" style="display:none;" aria-label="unauthorized copy">unauthorized copyour sitewere floating on a cloud. Then, energy slowly began to refill inside her. Before, it had felt like it filled up in an instant, but now it felt as though the energy was stacking up stably and steadily.

The violent power that usually pierced and tore through her body like a sea shaken by a storm was now condensed stably, like jelly. And her mind became clear.

The moment the pain disappeared, Seo-na closed her eyes and barely suppressed a gasp of admiration. The headache that had been her lifelong companion also vanished completely.

She unconsciously trembled at the pleasure. She tried to regain her senses, but her eyes wouldn’t open easily. Only after a long while did she finally lift her head and meet the eyes that had been waiting for her. Ji Won-woo had asked her something, but the dazed Seo-na couldn’t hear it properly. However, these words were crystal clear.

“From now on, I will be your Guide, Han Seo-na-ssi.”

-Continued in Volume 2-