By Zephyria 
My mind is in a turmoil.
Since that day, I haven’t looked at my smartphone or the internet at all; I’ve just been lying in my room, staring at the ceiling. Because of Vasily’s normal behavior after I returned to the past, I think I had forgotten what kind of person he truly was. To the point where the hatred I felt had faded for a moment.
Vasily was far from normal. He was a human as cruel as the monsters inside a Gate. As I said, he likely wouldn’t be able to understand the behavior or way of thinking of ordinary people for the rest of his life. He was born that way, and he would continue to live that way.
I know how much an Esper without a Guide suffers. They suffer from headaches that feel like their skull is splitting, and because they cannot control their abilities, they end up eating away at their own bodies.
However, I didn’t even feel pity for Vasily. When I closed my eyes, the images of the countless victims he killed appeared vividly. He deserved to suffer without a Guide, if only to pay for the sins he committed.
Vasily won’t approach me anymore. A mere C-Class Guide rejected him, and his mood must have been completely soured by it.
Yes, it’s fine to end it like this. I returned to work, vowing to live quietly so that I wouldn’t enter Vasily’s line of sight again.
An ordinary commute, ordinary weather, an ordinary day.
From now on, my life will be ordinary too. A mundane life will follow, where I go to work and receive a salary like everyone else.
I thought about returning to being an S-Class Guide and looking for an Esper once Vasily got a Guide, but I feel like it wouldn’t be bad to just remove the illegal suppression chip and continue living as a temporary Guide. At least I wouldn’t have to suffer by meeting a strange Esper.
I thought only this kind of ordinary daily life would continue from now on, but…
“W-what is this…”
Sorry.
As soon as I arrived at work, my expression froze in bewilderment at the sight of a lavish bouquet of flowers and a message card placed on my desk. Brilliant red roses. Seeing as they took up the entire desk, there looked to be about a hundred of them…
I don’t even need to check the sender to know who it is.
While I let out a deep sigh, Jo Woo-yeon, who spotted the intense red bouquet, approached and asked.
“Gi-dam-ssi, what’s with the bouquet?”
“Haha… I wonder…”
I fell into confusion looking at the elegant handwriting on the card.
Even the next day, and the day after that. A bouquet of flowers was placed on my desk every single day. I have no idea when they were being left; no matter how early I came to work, there was always a bouquet on my desk.
Now, people whisper whenever I pass by. My head throbbed with worry that some strange rumor might spread. Just entering the office during my commute made me feel nauseous because of the overpowering scent of flowers.
I ruffled my hair roughly and muttered a quiet curse. I searched the internet to see what Vasily was doing now, but nothing in particular came up, which made me even more anxious. Even if I wanted to ask Vasily to stop sending bouquets, my pride wouldn’t allow me to seek him out first.
I simply cannot predict Vasily’s way of thinking. If I pushed him away that much, wouldn’t he be offended and keep his distance? Why on earth is he doing this to me?
Today, I am starting my daily routine by throwing away a bouquet of flowers.
When I threw them away in the office, people would comment on why I was tossing flowers, so I headed to another floor where there were fewer people. The bouquet was so damn big that it wouldn’t fit in the trash can all at once. To think he’s so thoughtful as to provide the inconvenience of having to dispose of them in parts. True to form for Vasily, his method of screwing with people was quite novel.
Just as I was about to start my tour from the second-floor trash can, I heard the sound of people gathered in the hallway, buzzing with conversation.
“Did you hear? They say Esper Vasily came to the Esper Association today.”
“Ah! Is that why it was so noisy this morning? That’s why there were so many people on the road across the street…”
Vasily went to work at the Esper Association? When I thought of the bouquet in my hand and Vasily in succession, anger surged within me.
I’m exhausted from having to explain myself every time because of the bouquets that guy sends, and he’s just leisurely going to work?
With a menacing expression, I left the Guide Association building holding the bouquet. Since the sight of an adult man carrying a giant bouquet of roses isn’t common, everyone I encountered whispered as they looked at me.
I didn’t care and kept walking. Bursting into the Esper Association right across the street, I strode toward the place where I expected Vasily to be. Soon, I arrived in front of Vasily’s private room.
“Vasily!”
I made a bold entrance, flinging the door open, but…
Countless gazes were fixed on me.
“…”
The people of the association, who were in a solemn atmosphere, and Vasily, who had turned his head while covering his mouth. Seeing his shoulders shaking, he was clearly laughing.
“I’m sorry. I’ve come to the wrong room.”
“No, you’ve come to the right place, Guide Kwon Gi-dam.”
“No. I’m sorry for interrupting.”
“Didn’t you come to see me? It looks like you brought a bouquet too.”
Damn it, this bouquet. I knew it wouldn’t be helpful.
I belatedly tried to hide the bouquet behind my back, but it was too bulky to be concealed. Forcing the corners of my mouth up into an awkward smile, I slowly stepped backward.
“Haha… I’ll be going now…”
“Where are you going?”
I tried to close the door and leave, but before I knew it, Vasily had approached from behind and grabbed my shoulder.
I hurriedly whispered to him in a low voice.
“Aren’t you in the middle of a meeting? Please let go.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Do you intend to bicker with me in front of other people? Let’s talk again later.”
“Are the people making you uncomfortable? Then I’ll kick them out, so come inside.”
“A-ah, no, it’s not that…”
I tried to get out somehow, but I was forcibly dragged inside by his strong grip.
Vasily spoke to the association employees.
“Get out.”
It was a short and rude command, but the association employees quietly rose from their seats. Seeing them leave without any complaint, they must be people who know Vasily’s true nature.
They were clearly high-ranking officials. I hid my employee ID hanging around my neck as much as possible and bowed my head, pretending to greet them.
“…”
Once everyone had gone outside, it became quiet. Looking at Vasily’s hand, which was still holding me, I spoke.
“Please let go now.”
“I’ll let go if you promise not to run away.”
“…”
What is he talking about? I’m going to run away the moment he lets go.
After a long silence, Vasily laughed as if it were absurd and finally let me go with an amused expression.
He should have just done that from the start. After shaking off the hand that had grabbed me, I shoved the bouquet firmly into Vasily’s arms.
“This is the first time I’ve been proposed to by a man.”
“What are you talking about? Stop sending things like this now.”
After glaring at Vasily with cold eyes as he muttered nonsense nonchalantly, I turned around to leave. But…
Clack.
The doorknob wouldn’t turn.
Clack, clack.
Even after trying a couple more times, the door still wouldn’t open. Come to think of it, the doorknob felt cold. Wondering if it was what I thought, I looked down and saw that the lock was frozen solid.
“Haa…”
Feeling a deep sense of rage, I turned around. Vasily was still smelling the flowers with that obnoxious smile on his face.
“…What are you doing?”
“Did you personally bring a bouquet just to give it to me?”
“Didn’t you send it, Esper-nim!”
“How did you know where my private room was… Did you look that up on the internet too? Since you’re already here, sit for a bit before you go.”
He’s impossible to reason with. Feeling a headache coming on, I gave up halfway and flopped down onto the sofa.
Unlike my insides, which were burning black, the atmosphere here was peaceful. It was a quiet time of day. The deep blue sky visible beyond the large window was clear.
Vasily was sipping coffee in an elegant posture. The lavish rose bouquet and his handsome appearance suited each other quite well… No, that’s not it.
Looking at him now, I realized why my guard had lowered. He was quite different from the sharp version of him six years later. Well, he was just as strange back then, but the problem was that his condition worsened as the days went by.
As I frowned and glared at him blatantly, Vasily asked.
“I guess you’re not afraid of me anymore?”
“Excuse me?”
“When we first met, you couldn’t even look me in the eye.”
“Ah…”
Now that I think about it, since returning to the past, I had always been on edge and guarded when I was with Vasily. I said I was pretending to be fine, but he felt it after all. To think he knew that and still came to harass me every time; his personality is indeed seriously flawed.
“I’m sorry.”
Vasily suddenly apologized.
“I thought about why Guide Kwon Gi-dam was angry.”
“…”
“If I had killed the Esper on the spot, Guide Kwon Gi-dam would have been in a difficult position.”
What’s gotten into him? I widened my eyes, seeing Vasily look as if he were sincerely reflecting.
“I shouldn’t have frozen his head; I should have crushed his hands first.”
…Of course.
There’s no way Vasily would feel guilt. The hope that had briefly risen vanished in an instant.