DB Vol 4 Part 1

The Gye family. For a long time, they stood at the forefront in the battle against monsters, guarding the North, which is why they were once called ‘Great’.

Since Esper abilities were believed to be passed down through maternal inheritance, the head of the family had always been a woman, and her responsibilities were always immense.

Although the East and West, still stuck in outdated male superiority, refused to acknowledge it, they couldn’t deny that S-rank Espers were always born in the Gye family. However, they always belittled the Gye family with this mockery:

‘No matter how great an Esper is born, with their unique wavelength, they’re only half an Esper.’

Previous generations invested heavily in Guide research to overcome this weakness and tried to bring many Guides to the North with preferential policies for unique wavelength Guides.

But then that terrible incident happened. The Guides matching the Gye family’s wavelength were killed off to near extinction. It was the previous generation of the Gye family’s rampage.

Of course, some Guides survived. But they hid themselves for a long time under the pretext of protecting themselves from the Gye family, who were branded as Guide killers. No, that’s what they believed. For a long time, they thought that if they could just find the Guides who could guide the Gye family and bring them back somehow, everything would be fine.

After her parents’ death, Gye Min, who became the head of the Gye family, had a child because of this hope. Because if there was just a Guide, the Gye family could continue. But the bluebird they had been searching for so long turned out to be a fake that had manipulated its color just to mock them, and all the real ones had been wiped out.

As Gye Min led the Gye family until now, there were countless times when she wanted to end everything at once. The reputation of being called the Great Gye family had long been tarnished by the stigma of being Guide killers. At first, she tried to clear this stigma, but it was more urgent to find a Guide and create a proper breathing space.

Others say that Gye Min led the Gye family ruthlessly by cutting off her emotions, but the cut emotions were merely buried, not discarded. Especially for the child. How could she exclude emotions for that small child?

It wasn’t because of the so called maternal love. If maternal love had been strong, she wouldn’t have had a child in the first place. After losing the first child, knowing that any child born would face difficult circumstances, she had another child solely for the sake of the family. The emotion Gye Min felt for the child was guilt towards a human being. She tried to endure and take responsibility because she had brought the child into the world.

But when it was revealed that all of Hwan’s Guides were dead and the data was false, she couldn’t bear it anymore. She didn’t care if the Gye family ended here. The Gye family she had struggled to protect and nurture suddenly became trivial.

How could she lead the Gye family when she can’t even properly protect one person? It was better to die honorably now. Thinking it was the end, she prepared for war. Although she had fallen into the valley of despair, her mind was rather at ease. She felt light because she could let go of everything, and she felt refreshed at the thought of finally being able to cut off the enemy’s head.

“Shall we depart immediately?”

The captain, who always followed as Gye Min’s right hand, asked calmly. Gye Min knew the meaning behind her question. Was she leaving without saying goodbye to the Gye family?

“The teleportation device?”

Gye Min answered with a question. Having decided to go to war, there was no need to look back.

“Both east and west are ready. Which side should we activate first?”

“Both.”

If it were for victory, it would be better to strike one side first and then deal with the other, but what she wanted now was to give her life and drag the opponent to hell with her. And the best way to kill as many enemies as possible was a surprise attack. Gye Min clenched and unclenched her hand while putting on her gloves.

“We need to end this in one go.”

“Yes.”

The captain answered and silently followed behind Gye Min as she stepped forward. The seven team leader-level Espers following behind also had no complaints. These people, skilled in practical combat from long battles against monsters, had voluntarily followed Min.

Although they knew this operation was tantamount to suicide, no one showed fear or anxiety. Knowing this, Gye Min didn’t leave any words for her family, but she took one last look at these comrades who had chosen to die together for the Gye family. She needed to remember their faces.

“Let’s go.”

She shortly uttered and took the lead. However, as soon as she took a step, someone called out to her loudly.

“Huff, huff, Family Head!!! Please wait!!”

Gye Min didn’t stop at the sound, but the following words made her turn around.

“The Vice Head… huff huff, the Vice Head has brought a Guide!!”

The person shouted it like good news, but Gye Min showed no emotion. If it’s a Guide her brother brought, it must be the supposedly great Ji Won-woo. When she was desperate enough to grasp at straws, she was willing to believe even Yoon’s nonsensical stories.

But now it was different. In a state where she had let go of everything, reason worked sharply. The Ji family had been deceiving and mocking them for years. Who knows if Ji Won-woo might be another object of their mockery? What if he’s a Trojan horse to completely destroy the Gye family?

Gye Min looked coldly at the person who delivered the news and then turned around again. If Won-woo was another ploy of Ji Geun-oh, it would be better to strike them now. But the following voice caught her ankle again.

“But if Family Head ignores this and leaves, he said to send you off well. And… the head of the Gye family… um, from now on it’s him, so call a lawyer and prepare to transfer all family assets to him….”

Gye Min’s face contorted like a yaksha. This bastard, where does he…

***

Jae-hak looked incredulously back and forth between Hwan lying on the bed and the guest.

“It’s over?”

That quickly?

“My guiding method is a bit different,” Jae-hak heard Won-woo’s explanation, but he was still half in doubt. Looking at his daughter still asleep from the medicine, he couldn’t tell from the outside whether the guiding had worked or not. Moreover, in cases where the overlapping wavelengths were few, guiding caused pain, so even if asleep from medicine, the body would convulse during guiding. But now there were no such symptoms.

Won-woo had simply held the sleeping child’s hand quietly for a few minutes and then let go. Now they would know the result only when Hwan wakes up, but the guiding seemed too simple to believe.

“So really… really the guiding is all done?”

“Yes.”

“When she wakes up, she won’t be in pain at all, right?”

“She shouldn’t be in pain because of her power.”

“And it didn’t hurt during the guiding either?”

Yes, as Won-woo nodded, Gye Yoon, who was standing beside, threw in a remark.

“That’s enough.”

Stop asking. The words that were about to follow were barely swallowed the moment he saw Won-woo’s face looking up. It was a harsh word he usually said without thinking, but for some reason, he didn’t want to say it in front of Won-woo. So instead, he gave a crooked smile towards Jae-hak.

“It’s okay to doubt, brother-in-law.”

“…What?”

Jae-hak opened his eyes wide in shock, even more than when Won-woo appeared. Brother-in-law? It was the first time he had heard such a normal term of address from Gye Yoon’s mouth.

“You, did you just call me brother-in-law? Why? Why on earth?”

Gye Yoon, conscious of Won-woo’s puzzled gaze, forcibly maintained his smile.

“Why? I always have.”

When have you ever? Jae-hak froze with his mouth open in indignation. Gye Yoon pointed at Jae-hak and explained to Won-woo.

“He’s always been a rock head, but recently he’s become even more of an idiot, so please understand.”

There was no malice in his voice, but the content was as harsh as could be. Won-woo also thought he was speaking harshly, but after glancing at Jae-hak, he said nothing. With his mouth half-open, he did look a bit foolish.

“No, I… No, Yoon, you…”

“Brother-in-law, Hwan is waking up, so shut… be quiet.”

Again, it was an unfamiliar normal term of address, but at the sound of his daughter’s name, Jae-hak quickly regained his senses. Then, confirming his motionless sleeping daughter again, he held her small hand.

“So the guiding really worked, right? I’m sorry. It’s just hard to believe…”

Now that she’s no longer in pain. If it’s true, she can walk well on these little feet, play with her favorite toys using his tiny hands, and eat deliciously the food she couldn’t eat well due to being sick.

Just thinking about it brought a lump to his throat. Even though he knew he should wait until Hwan woke up to confirm for sure, it wasn’t easy to suppress these overwhelming emotions.

“If you find it hard to believe, I’ll prove it to you.”

At Won-woo’s words, Jae-hak raised his teary eyes.

“How?”

“I’ll guide another Esper right now. You can hear from them whether the guiding actually works.”

“No.”

As soon as it was proposed, Gye Yoon firmly objected. Won-woo and Jae-hak both looked at him with puzzled expressions.

“You can’t carelessly guide just anyone. It’s dangerous.”

“Are you afraid my identity will be exposed?”

“No. It’s because all Espers are bastards.”

Won-woo had never heard the word ‘bastard’ spoken so solemnly in his life. So he was a bit confused. Was it not a joke?

“But Gye Yoon-ssi, you’re also an Esper.”

“I’m different.”

“Yoon-ah, how are you different?”

Jae-hak, who had been listening, chimed in. Gye Yoon shot an irritated look at Jae-hak.

“I’m normal, aren’t I?”

…You? Even Won-woo expressed doubt, and Jae-hak beside him gaped in shock again. Seeing their reactions, Gye Yoon said nonchalantly,

“I survived a long hell without a Guide. I’d say that’s pretty normal.”

Hell. This word sank deep into Won-woo’s heart like an anchor. He lowered his gaze, unable to look at Gye Yoon, and consequently missed Jae-hak’s expression.

Aren’t you properly crazy? Jae-hak’s whole face seemed to ask, to which Gye Yoon responded with an irritated glare. Shut up. But there was no need for threats. Jae-hak didn’t have a chance to speak anyway.

Bang!

The door flew open and a woman strode in. Though she had the ability to create cold, her expression alone was enough to freeze the atmosphere without using her power. Jae-hak stood up happily upon seeing his wife, but her gaze was fixed solely on Won-woo.

Won-woo met her intimidating stare without flinching, rather looking curious. A living head of the Gye family. It suddenly hit home how different this world was from the one he knew. The Gye family was still thriving here. He didn’t expect that they would share the same fate of fighting for the North in this world too, just like in his original world.

“You’re Ji Won-woo?”

Yes. Won-woo belatedly bowed his head in greeting. Gye Min approached Won-woo with a fierce expression, but someone blocking her path prevented her from getting too close.

“Move.”

Despite Gye Min’s order, Gye Yoon stood firm and introduced Gye Min to Won-woo.

“Say hello. This is my one and only precious sister.”

Gye Min’s head slowly turned towards her brother. Her eyes, at a loss for words, seemed to shout: Has this bastard gone mad?

“Hello, I’m Ji Won-woo.”

“No. We’re not yet on such friendly terms to exchange greetings so casually.”

As Gye Min responded coldly, Gye Yoon again intervened between them.

“There’s no need to embarrass someone who’s already bowed their head.”

What? The couple’s astonished eyes turned back to Gye Yoon. Gye Yoon returned their gaze with an equally displeased look.

“You’re the head of the family, yet your hospitality is terrible.”

“No, it’s fine, really.”

As Ji Won-woo hurriedly tried to smooth things over, Gye Yoon finally took a step back.

“Mr. Ji, please understand. Her temperament is naturally like a dog’s.”

You’re one to talk! As the couple lost their ability to speak, Gye Yoon brazenly demanded,

“If you’re done with greetings, get lost.”

Instead of leaving, his sister threw a fist full of killing intent towards her brother.

Won-woo hadn’t expected a warm welcome from the Gye family, given his Ji surname. But he never anticipated that Gye Yoon, the vice head of the family, would be even less welcome than himself. To think the head of the Gye family would genuinely try to hit her brother. It was the result of accumulated bad karma, but Won-woo had no way of knowing this.

Fortunately, Gye Yoon quickly dodged, and Jae-hak intervened, saying the child would wake up, preventing further violence. Instead, the siblings glared at each other with murderous intent before being dragged out by Jae-hak. Thanks to this, Won-woo couldn’t take his eyes off the direction where the three had disappeared. Surely they wouldn’t actually fight, would they?

“We’ve prepared a room for you to stay.”

Won-woo turned his head to find the person called Chief Jung waiting for an answer.

“Will it be alright?”

When Won-woo asked worriedly, Chief Jung raised an eyebrow as if perplexed.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the head of the Gye family seemed very angry. Um, are the two siblings not on good terms?”

“No. They’re normal.”

Since when did openly showing hostility and killing intent towards each other become normal?

“Even though Gye Yoon told his sister to get lost like that?”

But Chief Jung asked back as if wondering what the problem was.

“Who else would you say such things to if not your sibling?”

“…”

“Let’s go to your room for now.”

Those siblings will really be okay, right? Won-woo set aside his worries and shook his head at Chief Jung.

“I’ll stay a little longer.”

Although they said it would take some time for the child to wake up, he still wanted to confirm the results with his own eyes.

“I’ll let you know when Miss Hwan wakes up. For now, it would be better if you rested in your room.”

“Are you worried I might do something because I’m from the Ji family?”

Chief Jung’s expression remained impassive, but he didn’t answer for a moment.

“Whatever Mr. Ji does, it won’t work in the Gye family. So I’m not asking you to go to your room because of suspicion.”

“No. I think it will work.”

Won-woo muttered as he looked around the empty corridor. At first, he thought they might be deliberately hiding him by keeping people away, but if they were wary of him, there should at least be hidden Espers around. However, he couldn’t sense the presence of any Espers nearby.

“I thought you were blocking people’s access to hide my existence, but it seems this floor is usually empty.”

“Only trustworthy people are allowed on this floor.”

To think they need to select trustworthy people even among the Gye family members. As if reading Won-woo’s doubt, Chief Jung answered bitterly.

“After all, the most fatal wounds are usually inflicted by enemies from within.”

Won-woo could guess that there must have been an internal enemy involved in the incident where the previous head of the family was lost. He looked around the empty corridor again. The Gye family mansion was as large and spacious as a palace, but it was as quiet and desolate as a closed museum.

“This mansion used to be always overflowing with people.”

Chief Jung murmured, then as if coming to his senses, urged Won-woo again.

“Please rest for now. Once we confirm that Miss Hwan has woken up and is fine, the head of the Gye family will likely lower her guard towards you, Mr. Ji.”

Won-woo gave up his stubbornness and followed Chief Jung. But before they could take a few steps, a sound came from behind. It was the voice of the person watching over the child in the room.

“Gasp! Hwan!”

The child always feared waking up. Opening her eyes and moving her body made it hard to breathe due to pain, causing her to cry constantly. That’s why she disliked waking up. But this time, when she opened her eyes, everything felt normal. She could breathe easily. The child was still too young to realize that this was what it felt like to be without pain.

She just blinked blankly, waiting for the pain that might come at any moment. But no matter how long she waited, the scene of her father worrying and asking “Does it hurt?” didn’t happen. However, even though it didn’t hurt, the child didn’t feel excited. She must have been guided. Another Guide must have come.

The child feared that more. Guiding was always painful and difficult. But what was even scarier were the Guides themselves. The big adults always gripped her hand tightly, shook her arm roughly, and always scolded her. They said that they also felt pain while guiding the child. No one wanted to Guide her.

That’s why the child hated guiding. At the door, the person watching over her had half-turned away, talking quietly on the phone. The child silently raised her small body and climbed down from the bed. She disliked being in pain, but she also disliked guiding. The child did the only thing she could do. She crawled slowly into the small gap behind the furniture.

The couple facing Gye Yoon were thinking the same thing. Has this bastard completely lost his mind?

“Speak quickly. It’s annoying.”

“Oh, were you so annoyed that you dragged us out while spouting nonsense in front of Ji Won-woo?”

As Gye Min stepped forward threateningly, Jae-hak quickly grabbed his wife’s arm to stop her. It wouldn’t be the first time these siblings came to blows before even starting a proper conversation.

“Wait, Yoon must have his reasons. Right, Yoon? There must be a reason you talked such nonsense. Maybe you were putting on an act to look good in front of Ji Won-woo.”

At her husband’s guess, Gye Min looked at her brother with disgust.

“Despicable bastard.”

Gye Yoon’s jaw twitched at the couple’s attack.

“Whether it’s despicable or endearing, isn’t it fine as long as Hwan gets better?”

“This could be another trap.”

Gye Min muttered coldly. Gye Yoon understood his sister’s distrust, but he had no intention of comforting his siblings.

“Just take what you need while being suspicious. If you don’t have the guts for that, hand over the family head position to me.”

Surprised by his brother-in-law’s crossing the line, Jae-hak glanced at Gye Min. But fire had already lit up in his sister’s eyes.

“How dare a useless dick-bearing bastard talk about being the family head?”

The sister had crossed the line too. Gye Yoon, who usually took great pride in his enormous dick, stood up from his chair. His expressionless face alarmed Jae-hak, who quickly stepped between the two while trying to restrain his wife.

“You shouldn’t say such things to Yoon. He’s never even had a chance to use that dick since he was born! How painful must it be for him, not knowing if it’s useful or not? Such personal attacks are wrong.”

Gye Yoon’s glare shifted from his sister to Jae-hak. His personal attack was the worst.

“Fuck.”

As Gye Yoon ground out the curse, his sister’s eyes widened again.

“You dare curse at me?”

“Do I look like someone who doesn’t curse?”

As the siblings seemed about to clash again, Jae-hak quickly grabbed Gye Min’s arm to stop her.

“You need to be patient. Yoon probably wanted to keep his virginity too, right? With the bad situation and his temper, he’s likely to die a bachelor. It’s pitiful. You need to understand.”

Gye Min barely suppressed her anger, considering her husband’s kind intentions. However, Gye Yoon’s eyes, having suffered a second personal attack, filled with even darker curses.

“Ha, you’re both tspouting nonsense.”

Gye Min frowned again but decided to try to understand her pitiful brother for her husband’s sake. It was already impressive that he had endured this long without being guided. Having recently emerged from being trapped in a cave, he probably wasn’t in his right mind. As compassion filled Gye Min’s eyes, Gye Yoon’s mood worsened.

“Get those eyes off me.”

“You’re the one who needs to get out of my sight. But before that, answer one thing. Do you trust Ji Won-woo?”

“Yes.”

Gye Yoon answered indifferently, but he didn’t have an exact answer if his sister asked why. Was it because he considered Ji Geun-oh an enemy? Because he blew up the Guide Center? No. What bothered him more than these circumstances were the people Ji Won-woo liked. The insignificant Hwang Sang-cheon, or the disregarded B-rank Esper Han Seona.

There was no lie in what Won-woo had done for those two. His sincerity towards them was so deep it was irritating, even infuriating. But that’s why Gye Yoon felt Won-woo was different from the selfish Ji Geun-oh. There was no greater evidence than that. But Gye Min just stared at her brother without asking for the reason.

“Fine. Get out.”

Gye Min ordered, turning her head, but her brother sat back down in the chair, crossing his legs arrogantly.

“Don’t reveal Ji Won-woo’s identity yet.”

“If he goes around showing his face, eventually someone inside will realize he’s Ji Won-woo. There must be spies even you couldn’t catch. They’ll quickly spread the news.”

“I’m not talking about his identity.”

What then? Gye Min raised an eyebrow, but soon realized what her brother meant.

“Ji Won-woo’s ability?”

“Yes.”

Gye Yoon answered easily, but in fact, it was a matter of great concern. After all, if Ji Won-woo could really guide everyone, this was something that truly needed to be hidden. But to Gye Min, this request was irritating.

“We’ll talk about that after Ji Won-woo’s ability is properly confirmed.”

“I’m fine, aren’t I?”

“As long as Won-woo is a Ji, we can’t check too many times.”

“Hwan will be fine too.”

“…”

“So just properly hide Won-woo’s ability.”

“Is this Won-woo’s request, or your idea?”

“What does it matter whose idea it is?”

It matters. Gye Min closely examined her brother sitting in a skewed posture. If it was the latter, it meant he was unusually concerned about Won-woo, which was not what Gye Min wanted. She might have sent him to seduce Won-woo, but instead, he could have been the one ensnared.

“Is it your idea?”

“Why does it matter?”

“If it’s because you’ve fallen head over heels for Won-woo and want to set up some defenses for him in advance, it’s going to be a headache. Is that right?”

Gye Yoon didn’t respond immediately and turned his head away. But under his sister’s piercing gaze, he eventually spoke as if annoyed.

“I just want to protect Won-woo because he’s useful.”

Gye Min was about to say something with a frown, but Jae-hak’s question was faster.

“Then why did you put on such an act in front of Ji Won-woo?”

“When did I put on an act?”

The couple was at a loss for words again. But Gye Yoon’s next words stopped all their thoughts.

“She’s awake.”

They didn’t need to ask who he meant. Gye Min and Jae-hak rushed out of the room without looking back.

The person watching Hwan in the room was a female Esper in her 50s. Although she raised her voice in surprise, Won-woo set aside his startled feelings after entering the room and seeing her expression. She was watching the space between the bed and the wall with her hand covering her mouth. However, there was no worry visible on her face. Instead, her eyes were filled with an overwhelming emotion.

“Supervisor Lee.”

When Chief Jung called her, she pointed to the space between the bed and the wall instead of making a sound. Then she whispered.

“She’s hiding.”

“Really?”

Chief Jung was surprised and glanced at Won-woo. His gaze seemed to express amazement that Won-woo’s vision had really guided them, which was puzzling. Supervisor Lee explained the reason after Chief Jung left to bring the child’s parents.

“When Hwan isn’t in a bad state, she hides like that. It means she’s not sick.”

Won-woo also lowered his voice to match the whispering tone of the other person.

“Why does she hide if she’s not sick?”

“She tries to hide in advance because she has to receive guiding when she gets sick.”

Was it because the guiding is painful? But a different explanation followed, filled with sympathy.

“The Guide sent by that family was, um, a very bad person. They said many terrible things to the child.”

Won-woo didn’t understand immediately. How could they just stand by and watch the abuse of the child who was supposed to be the next head of the family?

“That trash was the only Guide, so we couldn’t upset him even a little.”

Supervisor Lee explained with a bitter tone, looking at Won-woo intently. As if wondering, “Are you similar to that person?” Won-woo answered seriously.

“I will not do anything that could harm the child in any way.”

Looking at her eyes and expression, it seemed like she was about to thank him, but instead, she quietly grasped Won-woo’s hand tightly with both of hers. Without saying a word, her emotions seemed to flow through her hands, and he felt the warmth.

“I don’t even hope for kindness. Just don’t hate the child.”

She sighed and let go of his hand. Won-woo looked down at his hand for a moment, then turned to look at the gap where the child was hiding. Although he couldn’t see the child, strangely enough, it overlapped with the image of himself sitting in a dirty alley in the middle of the night after running away from home.

“If you teach me kindness, I’ll try my best to learn it.”

When Won-woo said this, Supervisor Lee’s eyes widened.

“Ah, those words…”

Why? Why is she so surprised by my words? As he was wondering, urgent footsteps were heard from beyond the door.

Soon after, Gye Min and Jae-hak entered almost running, but stopped at Supervisor Lee’s gesture. She put her finger to her lips as if to say be quiet, and then pointed again to where the child was hiding.

Although the awakened child had hidden in that narrow corner, the two parents didn’t seem worried. Rather, they looked overwhelmed with emotion, as if about to burst into tears. Just because she did something she normally does when she’s well. While the head of the Gye family tried to compose his expression, Jae-hak shed a few tears. Then, with a wide smile on his face, he approached where the child was, crouched down, and said,

“Our pretty one, are you awake?”

His infinitely affectionate voice trembled slightly. Won-woo quietly observed this scene. No matter how much he learned to be kind, could he ever match even the tip of the kindness shown by the child’s real father? He felt a momentary envy for that paternal love. As he was about to turn and leave, Gye Min grabbed his arm.

“Let’s talk for a bit.”

The condition for walking around the Gye family mansion was to wear a hood pulled low and a mask. Won-woo didn’t mind. Compared to the suffocating gas mask he had worn during the long war, this was nothing.

What was strange was that as long as he kept this condition, he was allowed to go anywhere within the Gye family compound. Moreover, there were no hidden watchers secretly following him. Even though Gye Min had openly said this,

‘I don’t trust you. But you’re useful, so I’ll keep an eye on you. So you must do that usefulness properly.’

Was it because of her cold voice? A chill ran down his spine when he heard it. Later, he learned that she actually lowers the temperature to threaten others when she makes threats. But contrary to the threat, both she and the people in the Gye family who knew Won-woo’s identity let him loose too easily. Especially Jae-hak, Gye Min’s husband, who opened his heart right away.

“Oh, you want to stay in this room to help Hwan get used to it? That’s great, thank you!”

Jae-hak welcomed Won-woo with open arms when he came to Hwan’s room. He was in the middle of placing food, toys, all sorts of books, and even a large teddy bear near the space between the bed and wall where the child was hiding, trying to lure her out.

“Then, could you watch Hwan for a bit? I have something to take care of quickly. I’ll be right back.”

Jae-hak shook Won-woo’s hand as he made the request, and left the room before Won-woo could say anything. Won-woo belatedly expressed his bewilderment at the departed figure.

“No, what are they trusting…”

Aren’t these people too naive? Is this why they were so easily fooled by Ji Geun-oh? He had strong doubts, but soon found the hidden CCTV in the ceiling. Only then did he feel relieved. Right, this much is necessary. Leaving a child with a stranger, and a suspicious member of another family at that, without any surveillance would be child abuse. As he was thinking this, suddenly a low, dry voice was heard.

“I trust you.”

When he turned his head, Gye Yoon was standing at the doorway. He seemed to have just finished washing, as his still slightly wet hair was roughly pushed back. Thanks to this, his handsome face was fully visible, but what caught Won-woo’s attention more than that were his ears.

Always hidden under a hood or covered by his hair, Won-woo hadn’t seen them properly before, but Gye Yoon’s ears were full of suppression piercings. How many are there? Even Won-woo had never seen someone with so many, and he couldn’t take his eyes off them. As if reading his thoughts, the answer came.

“Seventeen.”

“…Ah.”

“I took one out.”

“Why?”

“Because it was too adult-like.”

“…Ah.”

At Won-woo’s continued foolish responses, Gye Yoon twisted the corner of his mouth.

“It’s a joke.”

“But it’s true that wearing that many piercings was adult-like, right?”

Gye Yoon’s smile, which had been enjoying Won-woo’s reactions, slowly hardened. Then he quietly asked in a lowered voice.

“Are you concerned about how I might feel?”

As always, his voice was incredibly good to hear. If there were male sirens, they might sound like this. Won-woo felt like he might unconsciously be enchanted and spill the truth.

Fortunately, Won-woo didn’t fall for it. The various temptations he had received during the long war were really helpful at times like this. So Won-woo was able to shrug nonchalantly.

“All Espers who wear suppression piercings react unpleasantly, so that’s why I said it. Don’t read too much into it.”

“Are you sure it’s meaningless?”

“Yes.”

“You lie well.”

Gye Yoon approached, running his hand through his hair. As he came close enough that Won-woo wondered if he should step back, Won-woo blocked him with his hand.

“Who’s lying?”

“It seems that, strangely enough, Mr. Ji Won-woo is very interested in my misfortune.”

“…No, I’m not.”

Gye Yoon grinned. Won-woo instantly regretted it. He had heard that Gye Yoon was uncannily good at catching lies, and he had let his guard down for a moment. Whatever reaction his heart had shown, it was clear that Gye Yoon had found the answer he wanted to hear. Damn it. Won-woo inwardly cursed as he took a step back. Gye Yoon didn’t back down and followed, blurting out,

“Just to be clear, I didn’t use my ability. I just sensed it was a lie.”

“Think what you want.”

“I will, even if you don’t tell me to. So.”

Gye Yoon asked, staring at Won-woo from a distance.

“Do you want me to be happy?”

Won-woo’s eyes wavered briefly. This time, Gye Yoon frowned without smiling. He was genuinely reacting sensitively to Gye Yoon’s happiness.

“Do you feel guilty towards me instead of my father?”

Won-woo answered gruffly, avoiding eye contact.

“Something like that.”

It was guilt, after all. But for Gye Yoon, it wasn’t a sufficient explanation.

“When you first found out my identity, you didn’t have any emotions, right?”

“I didn’t know the Ji family had tormented the Gye family so cruelly. Hey, do we have to continue my atonement time? It’s uncomfortable to talk here.”

Won-woo gestured with his eyes towards where the child was hiding, as if trying to change the subject. Gye Yoon glanced in that direction, then grabbed Won-woo’s arm and arbitrarily dragged him near the child, sitting on the floor. Then he said to Won-woo, who remained standing,

“Sit down. If you want to get close to the kid, you have to let her approach first.”

This time, the words felt like they were whispered in his ear. As if he had used his ability to prevent the child from hearing.