Chapter 79
Chapter 79. Terminal Diagnosis (4)
To be honest, Sodam had been worried that Juyul might question her intentions—might throw names like Samuyeon or Cha Seonghwa at her in suspicion.
But that worry proved unfounded. Juyul simply pulled her into a brief hug and let go, making his decision with surprising ease.
“…Alright. If that’s how you feel.”
“Uh, th-thank you… for understanding…”
Everything had gone exactly the way she wanted—so why did she feel so uneasy? Forcing a shaky smile, Sodam carefully pulled away from Juyul’s embrace. Seeing how easily his arms fell away gave her a strange, tangled feeling.
Was he deliberately letting her go so she’d hesitate? She couldn’t tell. Even as he walked her to the door, Juyul kept his usual calm expression. The only time he reached out to her was once, lightly grasping the edge of her sleeve.
“Want me to give you a ride? It might be a bit much to walk.”
“Ah, um. No… it’s fine, I’ll just take a taxi. You must be tired too, after today’s subjugation.”
“Alright then. I’ll at least see you off as you get in.”
“Okay…”
This was weird. Why was he acting like this? Even as the taxi pulled away, Sodam kept glancing back. Juyul stood there like a statue, unmoving until the car turned the corner. He didn’t seem at all like the clingy man who used to talk nonsense about “my Guide” and “my Esper.”
…Did the main heroine already appear? No, that can’t be. If she had, it would’ve been all over the news.
The only person in the world who could fully match Juyul—a one-of-a-kind S-class Guide. Because of her mixed heritage, there was constant media speculation over whether she’d choose U.S. or Korean citizenship. If she were entering Korea, the broadcasters would’ve spent three whole days blasting coverage of her.
So then, why—when there wasn’t a new Guide—was he able to let Sodam go so casually? Did he perhaps meet someone—not a Guide, but someone he had feelings for?
Sodam herself was already straying far from the original plot, so it wouldn’t be strange for a new love interest to appear. She hadn’t been with him on recent subjugations either, and considering the Association president’s notorious momentum, who knew how many other Guides had been assigned to him during those times?
“…After saying he was my Esper.”
The thought slipped out before she realized, and she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.
What kind of ridiculous thought was that?
They say long-standing exclusive relationships mess with your head. Sodam was clearly no exception.
If he let her go, she should feel relieved—so why was her head swimming with all these intrusive thoughts? She groaned and held her forehead. At some point, she had arrived in front of her new home. She’d worried about signing for it based on pictures alone, but seeing the sturdy villa in person made her feel a little better.
Letting out a small sigh, she was about to get out and pay when the friendly taxi driver suddenly spoke up.
“That guy earlier… are you two dating?”
“What? Oh—no, we’re not…”
“Really? Well, you’ll get there soon. The way you two looked at each other as you parted—ah, it was something else.”
“Ah… haha.”
“Hey, if you end up getting married, give me some credit, will ya? Call me often! My name’s Ju Hyeongcheol. Remember it, alright?”
“Y-yes…”
Sodam got out, awkwardly mumbling her thanks. She watched the taxi drive off, thinking to herself that she’d probably never see that man again in her life.
She didn’t even know if Juyul had a new Guide now, or why she cared so much about that. She didn’t even understand the present—let alone have any business worrying about such a far-fetched future.
“Married, my ass. I’ll be lucky if I don’t drop dead first.”
That doctor she had gone to see on a whim… might have actually been far more skilled than she expected. Otherwise, how could she feel this weak just from taking a taxi? At this rate, she really might need a wheelchair by her next visit…
“Let’s rest. Come, my sweet, sweet vacation!”
“Hey, keep it down up there!”
“Ah, sorry!”
Trying to pump herself up just earned her a scolding. Pouting, Sodam trudged upstairs. The empty room greeted her with silence. There was no bedding, nothing at all to fill the space—but that didn’t matter. All she needed was a floor to lie on.
She collapsed onto the floor and closed her eyes. Sleep overtook her instantly. In that moment, thoughts of Juyul, or his potential new Guide—whether she existed or not—vanished from her mind.
When she woke up from her deep black-out of a nap, Sodam had no choice but to scream on her very first day in the new place.
“…W-w-what the hell?! What’s wrong with my hair?!”
She had slept for over 30 hours. And when she woke up, both her dark brown hair and her eyes had completely faded to a pale honey-blonde. She ran her hands over her face, swept back her hair, forced her eyes wide open to examine herself—but she couldn’t find a single abnormality beyond the color.
Even when wet, her hair didn’t bleed dye—it just soaked naturally. She stared blankly at the strands, on the verge of tears.
“Oh god… was the doctor a psychic or something? How’d he even get this right?”
At this point, the doctor’s advice felt borderline prophetic. Juyul or whatever—right now, avoiding a wheelchair was all that mattered. Sodam snatched up her phone and hastily fired off a message.
[I’m on vacation starting today. Don’t look for me until the month after next!]
* * *
At the same time, inside the Association’s Guiding Room. Juyul had been waiting there for Sodam until the next morning light broke, a full day and night having passed.
When he finally received a message, he checked it and let out a cold laugh.
“Ha. Vacation?”
He had believed he was providing everything Sodam needed. At least by his standards, it could even be called perfect. He had gone out of his way—uncharacteristically—to make sure she never felt trapped, that she would have no desire to leave. Slowly, gently, he tried to blend into her life in a way that felt natural.
But Sodam had flown off on her own. With an absurd excuse, as if she were desperate to escape him. Despite the money-minded impression she’d first given, once her debts were cleared, she hadn’t even bothered to open her account again. He had thought everything was going so well.
“What exactly was the problem…?”
Resting his head quietly against the wall, now warm from more than a day of faulty heating, Juyul slowly closed his eyes.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like the lifestyle. She had seemed to genuinely enjoy the calm, steady days, as though she’d been waiting for that kind of life all along.
Sometimes she even offered to cook. Other times, she would drag him away from his late-night research and tuck him into bed. She had slowly soaked into his life like spreading water, and everything changed after that one day. The day she returned and wrapped her arms around him, then caught her breath and smiled as she asked, “Did you have a good day?”
“I thought I had her completely, finally…”
The first thing he felt when he heard those words was satisfaction. He even thought—maybe this is the happiness I’d forgotten. He’d felt like he could even tie her legs down if that’s what it took to keep her.
He’d always found himself thirsty just looking at her, but ever since that day, he became desperate just for her presence. He needed to be near her more often, closer, just to feel at ease. On the bed, in front of the window, on the sofa—Sodam’s disheveled face, visible only in his space, only made him crave her more. He wanted to scatter her throughout his once-boring house.
Ever since Sodam began pushing him away, Juyul had felt like he was losing his mind. Just kissing wasn’t enough anymore. He wanted to hold her, to leave his imprint on her body.
“…That could be why.”
He had become unusually clingy, leaving bite marks on her neck, arms, and chest—she might well have had enough of it. Picking out that possibility like an incorrect answer, Juyul gave a languid smile. If once wasn’t enough, then he would try twice, three times—until he had her completely.
Thus continued Juyul’s plan, disguised as self-reflection. He went over everything, from her meals and living conditions down to the smallest details, when suddenly his brow furrowed.
He had noticed that Sodam had been looking pale lately. But he assumed that someone who called herself selfish wouldn’t push herself to exhaustion just to stay by his side. He had dismissed it as simple fatigue. That… was his mistake.
Ha. He let out a rough laugh, and his memory replayed a scene—clear as day—less than a month ago: the last time he and Sodam had engaged in a deep Guiding session.
