PARADOX 17

“Hello!”

“Hanseo, you live in this neighborhood?”

Park Jintae came to pick Hanseo up in front of his house in a loud, primary-colored sports car. His car headed toward a restaurant that was so luxurious and flashy it was overwhelming.

After picking up Hanseo, Park Jintae talked incessantly until they reached their destination.

“This place is hard to book if you don’t have connections. I heard the reservations are full for several years, but I pulled some strings to get a spot specially. People from overseas are dying to come here, so Hanseo, you’re lucky you met me.”

It was mostly that kind of self-boasting. Hanseo gave half-hearted reactions and followed Park Jintae—who continued to brag without end—into the restaurant.

“I will prepare the appetizers for you.”

As they sat down, a series of dishes followed with names that one couldn’t identify just by hearing them. Every time a dish came out, Park Jintae stepped in to explain it before the staff could even open their mouths.

“How is it? It’s delicious, right?”

“Yes! It’s my first time trying this, and it’s tasty. I’m getting to eat things like this thanks to you, hyung. I’m really grateful.”

Hanseo praised Park Jintae throughout the meal. Just by looking at him with sparkling eyes as if he were amazing, he could make Park Jintae happy.

To think that the social skills he developed to survive under a fastidious and fickle cult leader would be this helpful.

Since even the cult leader, who viewed others as mere chess pieces, liked Hanseo quite a bit, someone like Park Jintae wasn’t difficult to wrap around his finger.

“Hanseo-ya, eat some of mine, too.”

“Oh? No. You should eat too, hyung.”

“It’s fine. I’m full just watching you eat, Hanseo.”

“…Ah, thank you.”

Hanseo smiled nonchalantly while hiding his goosebump-covered arms under the table.

Park Jintae naturally dropped his honorifics, saying he was nine years older. Actually, strictly speaking, Hanseo—who had died at age 30—was one year older than Park Jintae, but he just nodded and smiled. He didn’t care whether the man used informal or formal speech, but he wished he would just take away those greasy eyes. He felt so burdened that the expensive food wouldn’t go down his throat.

“By the way, Hanseo, you’re really pretty. Do you hear that you look like an idol a lot?”

“Ah, no. I’m not at that level.”

“Actually, I didn’t like male Guides much, but if it’s someone like Hanseo, it’s possible. Hanseo, you have a slender frame, so a dress would suit you well. How about wearing a dress when we get married?”

Why was the conversation flowing like this? Park Jintae already seemed certain that Hanseo would marry him. Seeing him not even touching his food while incessantly blabbing about how happy Hanseo’s future with him would be made Hanseo feel sick to his stomach.

‘I’m going to get indigestion again at this rate.’

Hanseo sighed inwardly. Even though he had taken digestive medicine before coming out, his stomach felt quite uncomfortable. It felt like the aftereffects of the dinner with Gu Jeyi were still lingering.

‘…Do they sell Kimchi-jjigae here?’

‘I received a recommendation that it is a famous Korean restaurant.’

He had expected a common stew house found in any neighborhood, but Gu Jeyi had taken Hanseo to a large tiled-roof house that looked like it belonged in a historical drama.

From the pine trees that looked at least several decades old and the forearm-sized carp swimming in the pond, to the staff dressed in modified hanboks politely guiding them to a room.

No matter how he looked at it, it was a place that didn’t seem likely to sell something like Kimchi-jjigae, and indeed, the word ‘Kimchi’ wasn’t even visible on the menu the staff brought.

However, when Gu Jeyi mentioned Kimchi-jjigae along with a few other dishes, something not on the menu was prepared and brought out.

The moment Hanseo saw the food neatly served in white porcelain that looked like moonlight, what he felt was…

‘Does it not suit your taste?’

‘No, it’s delicious! It’s so delicious that I’m trying to save it!’

‘…You don’t have to do that. Order more if it’s not enough.’

‘Yes, thank you!’

It was disappointment. Since he didn’t want to show his true feelings and had forced down all the food served there, it was only natural that he got indigestion. It was natural, but he couldn’t remember the taste at all.

Originally, he had intended to build a bit more intimacy with Gu Jeyi while eating, but it was impossible in a state where he couldn’t even manage his facial expressions properly. Gu Jeyi, who had kept his distance the whole time, even asked if he was hurting anywhere before they left, so his face must have looked terrible. It was a worst-case meal in many ways.

“Come to think of it, how do you know Gu Jeyi, Hanseo?”

At Park Jintae’s question, Hanseo snapped out of yesterday’s memory. The timing was such that it felt like the man had noticed he was thinking about Gu Jeyi.

“Esper Gu Jeyi? It just happened somehow…”

“Why, did Gu Jeyi tell you not to say anything?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Not like what? Forget it. If it’s hard for you to say, Hanseo, I’ll just guess.”

Park Jintae’s eyes narrowed.

“You gave Gu Jeyi guiding, didn’t you?”

He was quicker on the uptake than expected.

“It’s not like that.”

“As if. Is there any other reason Gu Jeyi would get to know someone like you, Hanseo, besides guiding? I’ve never seen Gu Jeyi acknowledge someone he doesn’t need. I bet he doesn’t even have friends.”

Park Jintae’s words were thorny with malice. It seemed he didn’t like Gu Jeyi. And that fact surprised Hanseo quite a bit. He thought everyone else liked Gu Jeyi, even if he didn’t, but apparently not.

“So, what was your matching rate with Gu Jeyi? It couldn’t have been higher than mine.”

“Um… I’m not sure what you’re talking about, hyung.”

The questions followed tenaciously, as if gauging Hanseo’s intentions. When Hanseo showed signs of reluctance and avoided answering, Park Jintae finally changed his attitude and took a step back.

“Fine. I won’t ask anymore. I didn’t ask because I wanted to make you uncomfortable, Hanseo. I asked because I was worried.”

Worried? Was guiding Gu Jeyi something to be worried about? As if reading Hanseo’s doubt, Park Jintae thrust his face forward in that moment. Ah, hell, you startled me. Hanseo tightly gripped the spoon he had almost thrown at Park Jintae’s face.

Park Jintae’s deep eyes turned toward Hanseo.

“Hanseo-ya, I’m giving you sincere advice: no matter what Gu Jeyi offered, don’t get close to that guy. Ignorant people praise him as a national hero or whatever, but people like me know his true nature.”

“True nature?”

This was quite interesting. A flash of light momentarily returned to Hanseo’s eyes, which had been like those of a dead fish.

Park Jintae looked around and whispered in a lowered voice.

“Gu Jeyi is completely this.”

Park Jintae put his right index finger to his temple and spun it around. Hanseo didn’t know the exact meaning of that gesture, but he instinctively realized it wasn’t a good thing.

“That’s why he was abandoned by his parents as a 5-year-old kid and left at the Center.”

“…”

“If you don’t know anything, Gu Jeyi having multiple abilities might look cool, but that’s not actually it. An Esper suffers severe overload even when only one ability manifests. But Gu Jeyi has several. What do you think that means? It means his head, his body, or both, won’t function normally.”

Park Jintae snickered as if that story were amusing.

On the contrary, Hanseo’s excitement died down. It didn’t just die down; he even felt annoyed. He thought the man knew some great secret about Gu Jeyi, but it was just backbiting. What exactly was so funny? Even if those words were true, if there was a problem with Gu Jeyi, wasn’t that serious? Then who would protect the world?

However, he knew he shouldn’t take Gu Jeyi’s side here. There was no reason to take his side anyway. Hanseo tried to laugh along, but his lips wouldn’t move, so he gave up and drank some water.

“Everyone keeps it quiet, but those in the know all know. The reason there are no Guides who match with Gu Jeyi is because he’s a mutant.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Seeing how he clings to you, Hanseo, it seems your rate was higher than other Guides, but it wasn’t as high as mine, right?”

“Mmm.”

“To be blunt, I think unstable Espers like him should be shot.”

“…”

As the story grew longer, the expression slowly disappeared from Hanseo’s face, but Park Jintae didn’t notice.

“I’m an Esper too, but he’s too dangerous. Think about it if an S-class Esper went berserk. Isn’t that a disaster more horrific than a Gate bursting? Esper human rights are fine and all, but it’s right for the majority to be safe. That’s why psychic-type Espers are also strictly controlled.”

Park Jintae spat out his words enthusiastically, as if intoxicated by his own speech.

“Everyone blabbers like they can’t do without Gu Jeyi, but that’s not actually true. Even if Gu Jeyi disappears, the world will keep running just fine.”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I think that’s a bit off.”

Hanseo put down the water cup he was holding. Perhaps because he couldn’t control his strength, the cup hit the table and water overflowed, wetting the surface, but Hanseo didn’t notice.

For some reason, his insides were boiling.

“If Gu Jeyi disappears, the world will be ruined. If that weren’t the case, would a kid who was only 15 have risked his life to enter a subsea Gate? In fact, everyone alive right now basically owes their lives to the Gu Jeyi of that time.”

“…No, what I mean is.”

Drrrk. The chair pushed back.

Hanseo, who had stood up, looked down at Park Jintae with a smile, as if he had never been serious.

“Hyung, I’ve actually been feeling sick since yesterday, so I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can eat anymore. I’ll be going now.”

“Hanseo-ya!”

Hanseo walked out without looking back. Park Jintae, who had chased after him, grabbed Hanseo’s shoulder.

To be precise, he tried to grab it.

But the other person slipped away like a cat avoiding a touch.

“Taxi!”

While Park Jintae stood frozen in bewilderment, Hanseo caught a taxi and left in an instant.

It was the skill of an experienced fugitive, whom even S-class Espers couldn’t catch in his past life.