Chapter 85
Chapter 85. Terminal Diagnosis (10)
“Ah, y-yes! A lot of people say it’s no different from just driving a regular car, but no way! There’s seriously a ton of things you have to pay attention to!”
As the excited staff member walked off down the opposite hallway with Juyul, Sodam stood frozen in place, staring blankly at his back while taking a sip of honey water. The overpowering sweetness made her tongue tingle. Probably, the reason her heart was tingling too was all because of the honey water.
She poured more of it down her oddly unsettled stomach. The thick taste of honey coated her tongue and slid down her throat, making her frown without realizing it. For some reason, the honey water felt unbearably sweet today—almost unpleasantly so.
* * *
When she woke up from a short nap, it was already dark outside. Startled, Sodam sat up quickly and swung open the door—only to find Juyul standing there with a tray. Stunned by the unbelievable sight, she froze in place for a moment before promptly shutting the door again.
‘I must have imagined that…’
She rubbed her dry eyes, calmed her heart that had gone wild like a spooked colt, and took a few deep breaths. Then, she opened the door again.
Unfortunately, she had never been wrong.
“…What are you doing?”
“I figured you’d be waking up soon. There’s all kinds of stuff in the fridge, you know.”
“I can see that. Why the lobster? This thing was not cooked to be zapped in a microwave.”
Raising an eyebrow and scoffing, Sodam poked at the lobster on the plate. Juyul stepped inside casually and set the tray down on the small table.
As she plopped onto the couch, she stared at the bizarre combo of lobster and kimchi. Then, sensing his gaze, she looked up. He was seated across from her, eyes locked on hers, speaking quietly.
“Daytime was a bust. Same for the other peaks.”
“Gasp. Why didn’t you take me with you?”
“You were sleeping like someone absolutely exhausted.”
“Still…”
Juyul cut off her lingering disappointment with a small nod. He plucked a well-prepared piece of lobster meat and offered it to her. Sodam eyed it suspiciously but opened her mouth and accepted it anyway. It was so delicious, it felt like a crime to have microwaved it, and all her guilt and embarrassment melted away.
When she glanced at him, still sheepish, he simply shrugged and pushed the plate toward her.
“Thanks…”
“No need. You’re going out after this anyway.”
The dryness of his statement made her eyes widen. Still holding the fork between her lips, she pointed at him in disbelief. Juyul shook his head, then twisted his wrist stiffly to point at himself instead. Only then did she realize what he meant and gape even more.
Removing the fork, she leaned forward in astonishment, meeting his eyes from a much closer distance and tilting her head.
“Me? Right now?”
“Yeah. You. Now. You didn’t go during the day, so you should at least go tonight.”
“I mean, you’re not wrong, but… what about you?”
If this was really about tracking the creature, then of course she should go. But hadn’t Juyul already spent the day running around? They had only taken different flights by a few hours—surely he needed time to adjust to the time zone too.
Her brow furrowed in concern. Biting her lower lip and glancing up at him, she watched as Juyul gave a crooked smirk and said in an exaggerated tone,
“Of course I’m going. No way I’m leaving you and the staff guy alone together.”
“Geez, why don’t you just admit you’re jealous of the lobster I’m eating, huh?”
“Absolutely. If you hadn’t eaten it, I would’ve thrown it out just so it couldn’t touch your lips.”
“Ugh, gross. Alright, alright! I’m sorry!”
His greasy response to her playful jab made Sodam recoil with a full-body shiver, but laughter still bloomed brightly across her face.
Anyone overhearing them might have thought the two of them were completely ridiculous, but regardless, they were having fun, and the laughter came naturally.
Still giggling, Sodam peeled apart more pieces of lobster, and only after she was thoroughly full did she set her utensils down. She leaned back against the sofa with a satisfied sigh, a mix of disappointment that it was over and happiness at such a good meal. As she closed her eyes, Juyul’s gaze swept past her to the more-than-half-full plate, and his smile turned cold.
But Sodam never noticed. By the time she opened her eyes, the chill that had filled the room vanished like a mirage, leaving no trace behind.
“Oh, uh—so is the staff member coming with us too? He didn’t look all that fit either.”
“He’s still better off than you. That guy’s a B-class Esper.”
“…Huh? Why?”
From the timid first impression to the way he instantly switched into a groveling mode with that client call, to how he ran around so frantically he even made her nervous—it all added up to, generously, maybe an E-class at best. She had even started to feel a strange sense of camaraderie. But B-class? B-class?
Juyul, suddenly feeling mischievous at the sight of Sodam looking even more shocked than when she’d seen him at her door, reached out and flicked her chin closed. Rubbing the spot he touched and letting out a small cough, she asked cautiously,
“So seriously, why?”
“To show how much attention they’re giving me. Or, more precisely, you.”
“M-me? What did I do…?”
“It’s simple. You’re my Guide.”
Just having “Guide” in your title was one thing—but being “Baek Juyul’s Guide,” even as an F-class, meant you were treated like you were A-class or even S-class. The strange mix of admiration and awe people held for Juyul, and the baffling privilege that seemed to extend to her just for being next to him, made her dizzy.
As she sank into the couch with a deep sigh, Juyul spoke again, this time to explain, as if calming her.
“If the device picks up the monster while we’re searching in the jeep, I’ll have to jump out right away to engage.”
“…Wait. So I’d be left in the jeep with just the staff guy?”
“Yeah. And if the creature tries to flee from me, it might head straight for the jeep where you are.”
It was a worst-case scenario—one the UK Association had put the most effort into preparing for. They’d reinforced the mountain jeep to withstand attacks from C-class monsters and even assigned a B-class Esper in case something stronger appeared.
Of course, the one Juyul was hunting now was S-class—more than enough to steamroll a B-class. But even so, a B-class could probably buy him a minute. Just long enough. And to be even more blunt… higher-ranked Espers were too valuable to risk, so they’d sent someone who wasn’t such a loss if something happened.
After hearing the abridged version of this explanation, Sodam’s expression crumpled.
“Treating people like game pieces or something…”
“To them, it probably feels the same. Unless they go out on a subjugation mission themselves, they’ll never see it any other way.”
“That’s depressing. Before I get more bummed out, I want to head out, finish the search, come back, and crash.”
Sodam pouted slightly as she muttered, and Juyul gave a small nod before rising to his feet. He approached her gently, and Sodam, still seated, casually held her hand out to him.
He reflexively took her hand but froze, unsure what she was expecting. With an exaggerated sigh, Sodam shook their joined hands and spoke.
“Pull me up.”
“…Are you trying to act spoiled now?”
“And what if I am? You’re not going to indulge me?”
Saying something as minor as “the world’s kind of depressing today” didn’t really justify this level of whining—but Sodam wanted something more. After nearly three months of being apart, she wanted reassurance from Juyul.
Reassurance that if she acted childish, he’d still respond kindly. That if she made unreasonable requests, he’d still grant them. That Baek Juyul… cared about Maeng Sodam.
Hiding her nervous heart with a smile that curled her eyes, she spoke gently, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Juyul. Help me up, okay?”
