SOG Ch 84

“Can you go to 71 Eastern District?”

Woo-jin willingly turned the steering wheel at Jae-chan’s words.

However, Jae-chan soon wore a suspicious expression. Despite providing verbal directions with the navigation turned off, Woo-jin was driving smoothly as if he knew exactly where to go.

The destination was a well-known secure residential area nearby. It was the residence of Jae-chan’s aunt, Gu Ji-eun.

Half an hour later, while making coffee, Gu Ji-eun raised her voice without realizing it when her nephew suddenly attacked her with a bag of money.

“Why on earth are you entrusting such a large sum of money to me?”

Seeing the black bags piled up in front of the front door gave her a headache. It wasn’t just because of the amount.

“What if I take all this cash?”

It was largely her reckless nephew’s fault. Although she had learned the background of the money by inquiring about it, handing over such a large sum to her still didn’t make sense.

“It’s better to have it with you than in the bank, Aunt.”

“What? …Did Ji-young unni say that?”

Seon Jae-chan shook his head at hearing his mother’s name for the first time in a long time.

The first thing that came to mind when he saw the large sum of money was his aunt. His aunt had a knack for managing money. The research center where she worked as a senior researcher and where she was applying her highly advanced computational processing capabilities as an Esper was also a facility under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Economy.

Perhaps because she wandered from place to place without hesitation, she also had deep ties to money launderers. If it was his aunt, even if the remnants of the terrorists trace the money, she would be able to clear their tail.

“And you can take all of that. It’s okay with Aunt.”

Jae-chan spoke sincerely. He was recalling a moment from the past.

‘Hey, what are you doing? You didn’t do anything wrong. Get up.’

The culmination of the conflict with his father reached its peak when he was twenty-five. It was the first time he was publicly beaten by his father, and when all his relatives were looking at Seon Jae-chan as if he were mentally ill, only his aunt approached and personally lifted him up.

‘I knew the family was pretentious, but I didn’t know it was to that extent.’

‘…’

‘Don’t forgive the adults in the house, including me.’

That was what the aunt said as she brought Jae-chan out and fed him a bowl of soup.

Seon Jae-chan felt like he had met a trustworthy adult for the first time. She seemed much more mature than his parents, who showered him with infinite love before he manifested as a Guide.

Only then did he finally think that family wasn’t everything. His aunt, who had lived outside the family and often shared her values and beliefs with Jae-chan, made him more certain of that thought.

It was a valuable lesson that even a thousand pieces of gold couldn’t buy. Thanks to his aunt, he could break free from the tough ties of family, which someone might struggle with throughout their life.

That’s why Jae-chan didn’t feel wasteful at all even if his aunt took all the money.

“I’m not asking for something for free. You can take half, Aunt. I’m not trying to burden you. It’s a gift because I know Aunt will handle it even better than that.”

“…”

Gu Ji-eun thought that her nephew’s remarks were abnormal. Even though he entrusted her with a huge amount of money worth hundreds of millions of dollars, his tone was without the slightest hesitation or regret.

Several implications were evident. She also knew about the family tradition of the Seon and Gu families, who were proud of being a prestigious family that produced Espers. The pretentious culture that had been solidified over several generations was the reason why she shunned her relatives and separated from her family at an early age.

Still, since it seemed like Seon Min-yeol was taking care of Jae-chan externally, she wondered how they were doing. However, seeing that he didn’t go to his parents even with this much money… She understood. Gu Ji-eun tilted her coffee cup to erase the bitter taste in her mouth.

“If you don’t know where to invest, just buy some gold coins.”

Seon Jae-chan persuaded his aunt given his lack of economic knowledge. He considered going all-in on gold coins at first, but he was concerned that he might negatively influence the expected price surge of gold coins. Therefore, he decided to entrust it to a professional.

Gu Ji-eun swallowed a sigh and stood up, holding her coffee cup. Leaning against the window with a shawl covering her shoulders, she sat there. The sharp, sleek silhouette of the car had been parked low in front of the main entrance since earlier. A Damper R-Type Classic Convertible.

The smoothly contoured bonnet, made in a single process with a press machine weighing over a thousand tons, resembled the handsome owner. It was classical yet dynamic.

“Jae-chan.”

Gu Ji-eun lightly wrinkled her nose. She couldn’t figure out what Esper Go Woo-jin was thinking. He helped her nephew move the money bag, then returned to the car and did not come out. As if he had never been to this house.

“I decided to get an Esper waveform checkup.”

“…Yes?”

“Esper Go Woo-jin kept coming and persuading me. He said it was at your request.”

Thinking back to the car that had stopped there several times yesterday, Gu Ji-eun thought about why Esper  Go Woo-jin worked so hard to persuade her.

“They said the test results would be sent by mail. Would you like to come over for dinner then? Together with Esper Go Woo-jin.”

It might become clear if she took a look at her nephew and Esper Go Woo-jin. Gu Ji-eun took a sip of her coffee to hide the slightly raised corners of her mouth. It has cooled down a bit, but the aroma was still good. Her niece remained silent until then.

“…”

“Actually, Auntie has health concerns. It’s a little scary to see the results alone.”

Seon Jae-chan couldn’t hide his agitation in front of his aunt who was tipping her mug. Go Woo-jin secured the safety of area Z in one day, arranged for a helicopter, and got security personnel. In the meantime, he even persuaded his aunt. He was particularly stabbed in the heart by the last one.

“Yes. I’ll contact you.”

An early summer evening with the sun slowly setting. Seon Jae-chan was in a daze as he left his aunt’s reassuring words that the outcome would be good. Even after opening the front door, he couldn’t calm down.

Somehow.

He recalled Go Woo-jin driving smoothly without navigation. It seemed that it was not the first time he had been on this road but rather a round trip.

He had forgotten that when Woo-jin puts his mind to it, he quietly does it better than anyone else.

Woo-jin meticulously took care of his aunt’s health check while working with him, aiming for perfection. He accurately evaluated the situation using little clues, discovered what the other party needed the most, and, if there was a desire, he prepared thoroughly to obtain it. Until the other party could not resist.

Jae-chan’s steps quickened. And when he returned to the convertible with a gentlemanly appearance that was unusual for a sports car, he stated abruptly to Woo-jin, who was waiting for him:

“It’s not enough.”

He still said he wasn’t enough. Even after delivering another black mark, raising a helicopter to Zone Z, giving him the 20 million dollars, and finally persuading his aunt, he still felt not enough.

In fact, nothing was lacking. Woo-jin would also know that far from being not enough, it was more than enough. That’s why he said it even more. If possible, Jae-chan hoped that Woo-jin would loathe him because of this greedy side that was making ravenous demands.

“I need something else too. I’m not just asking for support from Han Tae-hoon.”

And he also knew what Woo-jin, who was temperamentally opposite to him, hated the most.

“I need someone who can also be my sleeping partner.”

Jae-chan nonchalantly hurled his remarks at Woo-jin, who was lightly holding the steering wheel. At the same time, he recalled a certain point in the past.

Based on the past, it was about a year from now. He happened to meet Guide Nam Hae-sol by chance. It was when She and Woo-jin continued their meeting and even established a public relationship. It was also the time when Jae-chan himself was on the verge of giving up, having taken things to the extreme by using Hae-sol’s father, Nam Myung-seong as bait.

Seon Jae-chan, leaning against the back in the deep corner of the Guide lounge, sensed someone coming in. The reason he didn’t immediately go out was that the voice he heard was familiar.

‘Stop asking.’

It was Guide Nam Hae-sol. Behind the slightly troubled whispers, laughter was heard. Another guide, who seemed to be close to her, asked with a teasing expression.

‘Why? How far have you gone?’

Despite the teasing tone, Nam Hae-sol, feeling a bit awkward, started looking around the corners of the Guide lounge as if wondering if someone was there. It was because of the heater that Jae-chan had turned on. Jae-chan manipulated his abilities instinctively. Soon, Nam Hae-sol concluded that there was no one inside and let out a deep sigh.

‘…We’re taking it slow. Don’t laugh. We’ve only held hands, really.’

‘Oh, come on.’

‘Really. I also held his hand for guiding.’

‘Lies. It’s been quite a while since you started dating, right? Haven’t you kissed?’

The only sound was the heater coming above his head. Then there was silence. Unconsciously, Jae-chan peered over the corner to see Nam Hae-sol. He could see Nam Hae-sol’s peach-colored cheeks, which had flushed like peaches.

‘Oh, you really haven’t?’

A guide from another team teased.

After hesitating for a moment, the guide responded, ‘Esper Go Woo-jin, he is a very serious person.’ The guide continued to express how seriously Esper Go Woo-jin viewed his relationship with Hae-sol, how much he valued her. This fervent speech hinted at Esper Go Woo-jin’s deep feelings for her.

Jae-chan, who had been unable to move like he was caught in a trap, silently agreed with the words of the guide from another team.

He had been obsessively observing Go Woo-jin for several years. Woo-jin’s gaze on Nam Hae-sol was different from the gaze he had given his previous dating partners. He stared at her so warmly that when his gaze accidentally returned to him, it turned cold. Jae-chan felt pain as if he had swallowed a piece of ice.

This time, it seemed like he was genuinely engaged in a serious relationship.