PARADOX 22

Everything had been prepared step-by-step for this moment. As long as Gu Jeyi had no other choice, Hanseo was certain it would end up like this.

Even so, Hanseo froze for a moment.

“Yeo Hanseo-ssi?”

However, the moment he met those dry eyes staring at him, his frozen body relaxed as if a spell had been broken, and his mind began to function normally again. Without further thought, Hanseo nodded.

“Yes! Let’s do it. I’ll do it—the marriage.”

Gu Jeyi’s gaze lingered on Hanseo for a short while. A calm explanation followed shortly.

“As I mentioned last time, if an Esper and a Guide are in a marital relationship, one can act as an exclusive Guide. If Yeo Hanseo-ssi becomes my exclusive Guide, I intend to provide sufficient compensation for that.”

Gu Jeyi pulled out a paper from beneath the marriage registration form and placed it on top.

This contract is entered into by mutual agreement between Yeo Hanseo (hereinafter referred to as ‘Party A’) and Gu Jeyi (hereinafter referred to as ‘Party B’), and both parties pledge to faithfully observe the following matters during the contract period.

A dense body of text followed below.

“I’ve listed the things I can provide from my end if Yeo Hanseo-ssi accepts this contract and becomes an exclusive Guide. And also a few things that must be observed between us.”

Hanseo made a show of skimming through it before nodding his head.

“Yes, it’s good. Let’s do it this way.”

“Read it properly.”

Gu Jeyi flipped a page and pointed to a single sentence. Hanseo lowered his gaze sheepishly. Before the words, he noticed the straight, long fingers. Being a man as tall as he was, his hands were large, and his fingers were much longer than average.

The tip of that finger was pointing at the black text on the paper. Only then did Hanseo slowly read the words.

Party A and Party B shall not have physical contact without mutual consent.

It was a condition that clearly showed that what they were doing was a transaction, not a marriage.

Hanseo raised only his eyes slightly to look at Gu Jeyi.

“But sometimes physical contact is necessary to perform Guiding…”

“Guiding will only be conducted through radiation.”

Radiant Guiding referred to a method where a Guide emits their Guiding energy outward to guide without physical contact. However, this method was generally less efficient than other Guiding techniques.

“In the event of a breach of contract, the contract will be terminated immediately.”

“But what if—just what if—a necessary moment comes? An unavoidable situation could arise. Something similar to what happened at the Center, for instance.”

“The chances of something like that day happening again are slim, but in case of an emergency, it will be temporarily permitted.”

‘As if it won’t happen again.’ Hanseo, knowing exactly what events would unfold in Gu Jeyi’s future, clicked his tongue inwardly.

Of course, as long as he was there, that event wouldn’t happen. To be precise, he intended to make sure it didn’t happen. However, seeing Gu Jeyi’s uncooperative attitude, he got the feeling it wouldn’t be an easy task.

‘Even so, I can’t exactly tell him to cooperate because I know the future.’

Even if he honestly confessed that he came from the future, that suspicious guy wouldn’t believe him. It was understandable, since even Hanseo himself, the person involved, didn’t know exactly how he had returned to the past.

No matter how much this was a world where people flew through the sky and ignited fires in mid-air, a book that sends a dead person back to the past? He had never heard of such a thing anywhere.

He had considered claiming something more believable. Like having the ability to see the future. There were often Espers with precognitive abilities, after all. But since he didn’t actually have that power, he’d be caught in a lie soon enough. Above all, it would be troublesome if his identity as both an Esper and a Guide were exposed.

‘Well, I never thought it would be easy from the start. Since when was Gu Jeyi ever easy…’

He must have been staring at Gu Jeyi too intently while lost in thought. A chill gradually settled on Gu Jeyi’s indifferent face. Only then did Hanseo notice and awkwardly avert his gaze, but Gu Jeyi’s expression, once hardened by some misunderstanding, did not soften.

“However, that is only for exceptional circumstances. Other than that, you must not perform Guiding or have physical contact without permission.”

It was a cold voice, as if Hanseo had already violated the contract terms. Black eyes—which could only be described by the word pitch-black—looked down at Hanseo.

“This marriage is strictly a transaction based on mutual need. I have no feelings for Yeo Hanseo-ssi, and I never will in the future.”

His tone was resolute, as if to cut off even a shred of possibility.

“If you intend to contract, I hope Yeo Hanseo-ssi will also give up your feelings for me as quickly as possible. It will only make things uncomfortable for both of us.”

Strictly speaking, as written in the contract, Hanseo was currently Party A and Gu Jeyi was Party B. A Guide could live without an Esper, but an Esper could not. Even so, the fact that he didn’t make the slightest effort to get on his only Guide’s good side was truly typical of Gu Jeyi.

Gu Jeyi acting this way was partly due to his original personality, but it was likely also because he worried that if he spoke indirectly, Hanseo might harbor vain hopes. Even without such a declaration, Hanseo could sufficiently feel that Gu Jeyi had no feelings for him.

Faced with that dry gaze, even a young child would have no choice but to know.

It was an indifference that might have wounded the heart of the real, fragile Yeo Hanseo who harbored a one-sided love for Gu Jeyi.

But Hanseo was not the real Yeo Hanseo. Since he wasn’t the real one, he had no reason to be hurt.

“What will you do?”

Hanseo looked down at the contract and gripped the pen lying beside it.

“I’ll do it.”

“…”

“I’ll also… try to give up my feelings.”

Not that he had any feelings to give up in the first place.

It wasn’t that he hated this attitude, especially since he knew the reason why Gu Jeyi was acting so coldly. It was also because he knew Gu Jeyi’s words about wanting to marry someone he loved were sincere.

Gu Jeyi had said something similar in his past life. Although it never came to fruition in the end.

‘Well, do that after you divorce me later. As long as you’re alive, what couldn’t you do?’

The moment he tried to sign his name in the signature block, the contract lying beneath was moved toward the opposite side of the table. Hanseo looked at Gu Jeyi in absurdity.

“What are…”

“One signs a contract after reading it in full.”

For some reason, it felt like Gu Jeyi had let out a sigh… but his face remained as dry as ever, so it might have been an illusion.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes? Yesss.”

“Then I will read from page one. I’ll read it, so ask if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

A low voice began to read the contract. It was a bass that was always pleasant to hear.

Hanseo somehow felt dazed.

‘There was a time like this before.’

At the time he met Gu Jeyi in his past life, Hanseo could not read. The research institute provided the test subjects with balanced meals and exercise, but they did not teach them how to read. They likely thought it was useless for their purposes.

Thus, Hanseo remained illiterate until his mid-twenties. But there were always moments when one had to read. In the remote village, Gu Jeyi would read on Hanseo’s behalf whenever necessary. Just like right now…

Hanseo raised a hand.

“I’m not sure about that part.”

Hanseo continued to ask whenever a difficult word appeared, and Gu Jeyi explained slowly without showing a single hint of annoyance until Hanseo understood properly.

He felt strange because the situation somehow overlapped with his past life. Even though the man in front of him remembered nothing.

In truth, the reason Hanseo hadn’t read the contract properly wasn’t because he was ignorant of the world, as Gu Jeyi mistakenly thought.

If he were his past self who had just escaped the research institute, perhaps, but the current Hanseo was only a bit clumsy in interpersonal matters; he was in a state of possessing basic common sense. While he might not have known difficult vocabulary, he knew basic things like the fact that one must examine a contract meticulously.

Even so, the reason he hadn’t scrutinized this contract was because he knew, without looking, that it would have been written in a way where he wouldn’t suffer any loss.

“…That is what it means. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Exploiting a Yeo Hanseo who knows nothing of the world would be an easy task. And the man in front of Hanseo was one who would absolutely never do such an easy thing.

Whether in his past life or now, Gu Jeyi was always that kind of person.