PARADOX 21

Around this time in his past life, Gu Jeyi, who had decided to retire and leave for a rural village, naturally lived there while keeping his true identity hidden. However, since he was a guy whose appearance stood out far too much, ordinary disguises wouldn’t have been enough.

That’s why he needed a special tool.

The thin silver-rimmed glasses that ‘Kim Youngsu’ was wearing now were no ordinary item, but one enchanted with the ability to change one’s appearance. Hanseo could be certain of this because Gu Jeyi himself had been the one to tell him that fact directly. He was sure that the man sitting upright on the sofa was Gu Jeyi!

“Um, Mister Kim Youngsu, where are you planning to sleep?”

“I’ll sleep here. Please sleep in the bedroom.”

‘His way of speaking is exactly the same.’

Hanseo wondered if the man even had any intention of hiding it in the first place. Of course, this sense of incongruity was likely only felt because he already knew the other’s identity.

The glasses Gu Jeyi wore were an item that changed not just the face, but the physique and voice as well. It was a perfect disguise that even someone with a keen eye wouldn’t easily recognize.

Furthermore, Gu Jeyi never imagined that Hanseo would know about this secret item he’d never told anyone else about, so he was likely off his guard.

Honestly, a part of Hanseo wanted to point it out—‘You’re Gu Jeyi, aren’t you, man?’—just to see the look of shock on his face.

‘But I can’t do that.’

Because ‘Yeo Hanseo’ wasn’t that kind of character.

Hanseo shook his head with a faint smile.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa. Please go in and sleep.”

“It’s fine.”

“…To be honest, it’s because I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep much anyway.”

Sitting on the edge of the sofa with slumped shoulders, Hanseo pulled his knees to his chest as if huddling, pretending not to feel the gaze fixed on his cheek.

After sitting like that for a long while, he let out a breath as if something overflowing had suddenly burst out.

“I really don’t think I can be a Guide.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Just, how should I put it… I have a feeling.”

“Is there something else you want to do besides being a Guide?”

“That, well, I’m not sure either. There’s nothing else I can really do besides being a Guide.”

Hanseo’s eyes met the man’s, and he gave an awkward laugh.

“That’s why I think I was a bit excited when I found out I was a Guide. Before that, I had no idea what I should do…”

As if not wanting to show his gloominess to others, he forced himself to continue speaking cheerfully.

“Guides can help Espers. I liked that. You told me to think of all Espers as crazy bastards, but I don’t think of them that way. No, I can’t think of them that way. To me, Espers are heroes who save people from the Gates.”

‘First, give him a little boost.’

“Actually, there’s an Esper I like. Part of the reason I worked harder was because I wanted to be of help to him. But it seems like he doesn’t need me.”

“…”

“Well, I suppose even I wouldn’t have liked myself much. Like Jin-tae hyung said, I’m an idiot who couldn’t even graduate from elementary school.”

“Park Jin-tae is the one who is an idiot. Ignore what that man says.”

‘I think so too.’

But Hanseo shook his head.

“Thank you. But it’s not like what he said is wrong. I really didn’t graduate from elementary school, and my memory isn’t right. I’m already twenty years old, yet I don’t know anything…”

Hanseo fell silent for a moment, as if suppressing a surge of emotion.

“…So, even if I become a Guide, I’ll be lucky if I’m not just a nuisance to others. Or I’ll end up married to a strange Esper like Jin-tae hyung and live my whole life locked up somewhere.”

“…”

“Even if that happens, who would know? I have no one by my side…”

Hanseo did not miss the flicker of agitation that passed over Kim Youngsu’s face. However, he kept his gaze fixed on empty space and muttered as if he hadn’t seen a thing.

“It might have been better if I’d never made it out of the Gate.”

It was a murmur so quiet it was almost inaudible to others.

But it would have been clearly audible to the ears of an S-class Esper. Yeo Hanseo’s true feelings that had slipped out unintentionally.

‘Of course, it’s a lie.’

But if it were the real Yeo Hanseo, wouldn’t he have felt that way? It was the kind of thought someone would have after losing seven years of time and their entire family, finding themselves all alone. That was why Gu Jeyi would have accepted his words without any suspicion.

And he would have realized. Just how lonely and precarious a state Yeo Hanseo was currently in. And that for Yeo Hanseo’s weak mental state, his B-class Guide rank would actually act as a poison.

It wouldn’t be hard to imagine the Espers who would flock to Yeo Hanseo like moths to a flame. Most high-rank Guides are aware of their own value and are rarely swayed by Espers, but while Yeo Hanseo’s rank was high, he was mentally unstable.

In particular, Yeo Hanseo’s loneliness was a gap an Esper could exploit. Even if it wasn’t a method as violent as Park Jin-tae’s, there were plenty of Espers who would find a way to take hold of Yeo Hanseo and manipulate him.

Therefore, Gu Jeyi would realize as he watched and listened to Yeo Hanseo himself:

Yeo Hanseo cannot protect himself.

Yeo Hanseo needs a trustworthy guardian who won’t use him.

…If so, the conclusion Gu Jeyi would reach was already set.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I talked about useless things for too long.”

At that point, Hanseo blinked as if suddenly snapping back to his senses.

“I—I’ll head to bed now. Good night.”

Then, pretending he didn’t want his tears to be seen, he brushed at his eyes for no reason and stood up abruptly. The man did not stop Hanseo. But Hanseo could feel the man’s gaze on his back as he left.

Hanseo walked with a stagger, as if all his strength had left him.

All while wearing a smile on his face.

‘The trap is all set.’

Now, all that was left was to wait for the prey to step into it.

Hanseo was certain.

Gu Jeyi would definitely fall for this trap.

When he opened his eyes, bright sunlight was streaming in.

Hanseo sat up with a lukewarm expression. He had intended to show a bit of a restless appearance from trembling in fear, but he’d failed because he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. It was because the habit from the research institute—sleeping and waking at set times—still remained in this body.

‘Gu Jeyi has probably left, right?’

Since he was such a busy guy who hated wasting his time, he probably left as soon as he confirmed Hanseo was asleep…

“Are you awake?”

“…?”

What was going on?

Unbelievably, Gu Jeyi was sitting at the kitchen dining table.

Hanseo rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming. But even after lowering his arms, the same face was still there.

Black hair with a slight wave, and eyes so dark that the iris and pupil were indistinguishable. A high, straight bridge of the nose and lips with clear outlines. A face that wouldn’t look out of place as the lead in a drama was staring at him.

It was the real Gu Jeyi. Not Kim Youngsu.

“Esper Gu Jeyi?”

“Please, sit.”

Hanseo sat down in front of him as if possessed before finally coming to his senses.

“Um, why are you here?”

“…I heard Esper Kim Youngsu had something urgent to attend to, so I came to fill in for a bit. Since Yeo Hanseo and I are also acquaintances.”

“Ah, I see!”

He covered his mouth and pretended to be surprised. In truth, it was to hide his laughter.

From the perspective of someone who knew everything, Gu Jeyi’s clumsy acting was nothing short of hilarious.

Gu Jeyi was the type of guy who spoke so honestly it could be thought that he didn’t care about others at all. He did tell lies when absolutely necessary, but as far as Hanseo could see, he wasn’t very good at it. Of course, since he was a human who was good at everything, he could probably do it well if he put his mind to it… but thinking about it, he likely never felt the need to try and be good at lying. No one would have doubted anything Gu Jeyi said.

For that reason, Gu Jeyi might actually think he was a pretty good actor. Was that why he hadn’t fixed the habit of being slightly agitated whenever he lied?

‘Like how a person who always speaks firmly and without hesitation pauses slightly every time they tell a lie.’

“Uh, have you been doing well?”

“No, not particularly.”

“…”

‘Right, he’s usually like this.’

As if he didn’t want to engage in any more small talk, Gu Jeyi got straight to the point.

“I also came here because of this.”

Gu Jeyi handed Hanseo a document envelope he had placed on the table.

Hanseo took out the documents to check them.

“…!”

Hanseo’s eyes wavered at the sight of words he hadn’t expected. This time, it wasn’t acting.

Gu Jeyi opened his mouth toward the stunned Hanseo.

“Yeo Hanseo, would you like to marry me?”