FG | Chapter 2.3

Then, Yeo Eundo took both of my hands and placed them against his cheek. Only then did I snap back to reality. I immediately pulled my hands away and said,

“The person in charge of monitoring will be changed.”

“Why?”

“I was only assigned while Esper Yeo Eundo was hospitalized. Once you’re discharged, they’ll assign you an appropriate Guide.”

I turned on my heel and left. He didn’t stop me.

But his persistent gaze followed me all the way until the hospital room door closed.

»જ⁀➴

– “Returning to duty is not an option. Proceed as planned.”

The moment my report about terminating monitoring due to Yeo Eundo’s discharge reached the Center, my phone rang.

Government workers usually move at a snail’s pace, but at times like this, they’re lightning fast.

“Esper Yeo Eundo’s discharge has been finalized. There’s no way to continue monitoring him.”

– “Then create a way.”

”…Excuse me?”

– “From what I hear, the hospital has already agreed that Seol Maehwa Guide-nim will move into Esper Yeo Eundo’s residence.”

“Wait, are you seriously telling me to move into his house and monitor him? I’m not even a specialist! Why the hell would I—!”

– “It wouldn’t look good if the person in charge keeps changing. Just do this one favor, and we’ll factor it into your promotion review this fall. Good luck.”

“Wait! Hold on—!”

The call ended abruptly.

I was about to call them right back and refuse when my phone rang again.

– “Please convey our gratitude to Esper Yeo Eundo for agreeing so readily.”

And then the call ended.

”…What the hell.”

I was so stunned I couldn’t even swear properly.

I glared at the disconnected phone, my eyes burning with fury.

‘Should I just blow it all up right now?’

If I revealed I was an L-class Guide, the entire monitoring arrangement for Yeo Eundo would be scrapped. On top of that, I’d finally get revenge on all those bureaucratic bastards who’ve been making my life miserable.

Just imagining them crying tears of blood while clutching at my pants leg made the corners of my lips curl up.

But my smirk quickly faded.

As satisfying as it would be to mess with them, dealing with a clingy Esper for a whole month would be even worse.

Not all Espers worked for the government. South Korea had five major guilds, not to mention countless private guilds and even criminal organizations.

Guides were already in short supply worldwide. If I played my hand wrong, I could open the gates of hell myself.

It’s just one month. I can survive one month.

In the end, I found myself back in Yeo Eundo’s hospital room.

He was sitting on the bed when I approached and looked down at him.

“Fine. One month.”

“I’ll be in your care, Seol Maehwa Guide-nim.”

He smiled like a kid—completely carefree, with a face so bright and innocent that it was almost frustrating.

»જ⁀➴

I was now at Yeo Eundo’s house.

Honestly, as someone who had been secretly looking forward to seeing an S-class Esper’s home, I was left speechless.

It wasn’t a bad house. Actually, it was great. So great that it looked like it had just been remodeled yesterday.

The overall color scheme was white, but the hallway leading from the entrance to the living room had warm yellow pendant lights that blended in perfectly. The walls and floors were calm and understated, but the furniture popped with playful touches of yellow and green, giving the place a cute and cozy feel.

The problem was… that cozy atmosphere felt way too much like a newlywed couple’s home. Even the decorative ornaments were arranged in matching pairs, one male and one female.

“Come in.”

Yeo Eundo stepped inside first.

I felt an inexplicable sense of pressure, making me hesitant to enter, but in the end, I had no choice but to step forward.

There were no exact figures since an S-class Esper’s assets were impossible to estimate, but people said they had enough money to buy a small country.

Even if that was an exaggeration, it wouldn’t be strange for him to live in the best house in Korea. So why the hell was he in a place barely 17 pyeong (approx. 56 square meters)?

Of course, I wasn’t saying the house was bad. For a regular salary worker, even getting a place this nice in Seoul was a big deal, but still… something about this felt off.

‘Huh?’

As I bent down to take off my shoes, I noticed that Yeo Eundo had walked inside with his shoes still on.

“Esper Yeo Eundo.”

“Yes, Seol Maehwa Guide-nim?”

The floor was spotless, with even a carpet laid out, yet the bastard had walked right in with his shoes on. And to make things worse, he was just standing there, smiling innocently like he didn’t even realize what was wrong.

“Are you seriously just going to walk in like that?”

”……?”

“Take off your shoes.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Yeo Eundo look down at his feet. After a brief pause, he lifted his head and approached me.

“I forgot.”

“No, that’s not something you just ‘forget’…….”

Although suspicious, I waited until he finally took off his shoes before doing the same and placing them in the shoe cabinet. Then I slipped into the provided indoor slippers and walked in.

Seeing me, Yeo Eundo copied my movements like he was imitating something for the first time.

‘Why does he look so awkward?’

Was it because he hadn’t been home for a long time?

“Where’s the room I’ll be staying in?”

“Oh, the room.”

At my question, he glanced around the house, his eyes shifting slightly. Then he pointed at a spot.

“Over there?”

”…‘Over there’?”

I walked over to where he was pointing, opened the door, and peeked inside. I froze. Then I called out.

“Esper Yeo Eundo.”

“Yes, Seol Maehwa Guide-nim?”

Click.

I shut the door, turned to face him, and asked with a sharp look in my eyes.

“Whose house is this?”

The room he had pointed to was the bathroom.

”…….”

Yeo Eundo just smiled.

Before that silence could become an answer, he finally spoke.

“It’s my house.”

“And yet you can’t even tell a room from a bathroom?”

“I got it in a hurry, so I didn’t check everything properly. Oh, do you want to change the interior?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because it’s our house.”

“Esper Yeo Eundo, do you realize how strange this conversation sounds right now?”

“You don’t like the house?”

“That’s not the issue—”

“Then what is?”

“It’s just…!”

I was about to argue, but then I stopped.

Thinking about it rationally, there was nothing wrong with Yeo Eundo buying a house. And if he bought it in a hurry, he could mix up the room locations. That was understandable… in theory.

But my instincts kept whispering ‘No, something’s not right.’

I felt strangely uneasy, like I was being tricked, but I couldn’t quite figure out why.

“Seol Maehwa Guide-nim?”

Yeo Eundo called out to me when I didn’t respond for a while.

I had my suspicions, but no solid evidence, so I decided to let it go for now.

“Never mind. So, this must be the room then.”

I opened the door next to the bathroom. Inside was a large room with a bed.

It was the only bedroom in the house.

“Haah.”

A deep sigh escaped me.

I had assumed there would be at least two rooms, but there was only one. That meant I was stuck sleeping on the floor.

I closed the bedroom door and looked toward the living room sofa.

‘At least it’s a good sofa.’

For a moment, I thought I’d have to say goodbye to my lower back health for a month, but thankfully, the sofa looked comfortable.

“Do you not like it?”

Yeo Eundo suddenly asked.

I turned to look at him, wondering what he meant, only to find him glancing at me with a sullen expression, as if checking my reaction.

“What are you talking about?”

“They said it was perfect for two people to use together.”

“……Huh?”

“Do you want to go see it together?”

“What are you even saying right now? Go see what?”

“The bed. It was recommended for newlyweds, but I didn’t actually ask for your opinion, Seol Maehwa Guide-nim. Sorry about that.”

A headache was starting to come on. My brows furrowed, and I couldn’t seem to smooth them out. Then, a sudden thought struck me, and I asked Yeo Eundo.

“Esper Yeo Eundo.”

“Yes, Seol Maehwa Guide-nim.”

“This house. Why did you get it in such a hurry?”

“Because I wanted to live with you, Seol Maehwa Guide-nim.”

So that’s what this was.

No wonder I had been feeling uneasy this whole time.

“It would’ve been better if you’d told me in advance.”

“Huh?”

“You bought the house because you were uncomfortable with me staying at the manor, didn’t you?”

At my words, Yeo Eundo jumped in place, shaking his head and hands wildly.

“No! Absolutely not!”

“It’s fine if you just tell the truth. Anyone would feel uncomfortable having someone else in their personal space.”

I was about to use this as an excuse to ask if I could commute instead, but then Yeo Eundo suddenly grabbed both of my hands.

Then, in a desperate tone, he declared,

“I just wanted our first time living together to be cute and cozy, Seol Maehwa Guide-nim!”

“?”

…Cute? Cozy?

Why the hell were those words coming up in this situation? My brain momentarily froze from sheer confusion.

Meanwhile, Yeo Eundo continued his nonsense.

“I was so happy to be able to live with Seol Maehwa Guide-nim! Let’s do our best and live well together. Happi—”

‘What the hell is he trying to say?!’

I hurriedly slapped both hands over his mouth before he could finish. I had a bad feeling that whatever came next was going to be even worse.

We were only going to be living together for a month! Where was this “let’s live well together” nonsense coming from?!

If he had said something like this outside, where people were around, it would’ve been the perfect recipe for a huge misunderstanding.

“Can you please not say things like that?”

Yeo Eundo blinked as if he truly didn’t understand what I meant.

How the hell do I explain this to this dumb mutt?

I lowered my hands from his mouth and carefully explained in a way he could understand.

“Esper Yeo Eundo.”

“Yes, Seol Maehwa Guide-nim.”

“Your choice of words is the problem.”

“Mine?”

“I know very well that you’re friendly. I get that you’re sociable, too.”

Yeo Eundo tilted his head.

“That’s why I’m saying—stop wagging your tail at just anyone like some country mutt.”

“…Me?”

He asked again, and for a split second, I almost snapped back with, “Who else would I be talking about?!” But instead, I decided to be the bigger person.

If I didn’t correct him now, I’d be stuck listening to this nonsense for a whole month.

“Anyway, words like ‘cozy’ or ‘let’s live well together’—those are things you should only say to your future spouse. Otherwise, you’ll end up tangled with people you don’t want to be involved with or become the subject of weird rumors. You understand what I’m saying, right?”

Yeo Eundo, who had been listening quietly, gave a small nod. So, he wasn’t completely hopeless, at least.

I was about to smoothly bring up the idea of commuting, but then—

Yeo Eundo suddenly grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers.

“??”

I stared at our joined hands, dumbfounded, when Yeo Eundo smiled so warmly it was practically melting and asked,

“Let’s get married?”

…This crazy bastard.

A wave of dizziness hit me, and I clutched my head as my vision tilted. The bastard tried to catch me, but I pushed against his chest.

“Seol Maehwa…”

“No. Just—just don’t say anything.”

I covered Yeo Eundo’s mouth again. At least he was obedient despite spewing nonsense.

With a sigh, I walked past him and flopped down onto the living room sofa.

And, of course, Yeo Eundo trailed after me and sat right beside me.