HLSEBT - 10

The Vice Chairman revealed his plans to Chairman Cheon during the monthly family gathering. One of Cheon Geun-young’s informants overheard it and passed the information along. 

What Cheon Geun-young learned about the Esper through the Vice Chairman wasn’t much. 

A name: Yoon Taeha. Female, and one of ARK’s core assets. 

The insider working for the Vice Chairman had trembled at the thought of handing over even a single photograph. 

Because of this, Cheon Geun-young had to take the risk of possibly encountering the Esper who killed his parents during the interview. 

But he felt no fear. 

He knew that intercepting the Esper coveted by both his eldest and youngest uncles was only the beginning of the reward he would reap. 

“Park Ji-sang on Friday evening, Ha Su-jin on Saturday morning. Think you can handle it?” 

- Just sit tight and wait. You’ll get the call you’ve been waiting for on Sunday. Should I contact them for you? 

“I’ll do it myself.” 

After hanging up, he briefly rolled down the car window. 

The hot summer air clung to his cheeks, driving away the artificial scent of the air freshener. The temperature inside the car grew awkwardly lukewarm. 

“Should I turn off the air conditioning?” 

“No need.” 

Kang Byeoksa followed Cheon Geun-young’s gaze, then subtly turned his head away. 

It was the riverside where Cheon Geun-young’s parents had died. Whenever the grown young man passed by this place, he always rolled down the window. His searching eyes were dry, emotionless. 

“It’s still warm.” 

Cheon Geun-young rolled the window back up. 

The river disappeared from view, replaced by the city of glass and steel swallowing the cars on the road. 

Seoul was like a vast river, embracing both the living and the dead within its currents. 

Cheon Geun-young took a deep breath. 

“Let’s visit my parents’ house for the first time in a while.” 

Rather than retrieving what had sunk, he had chosen something else. 

* * * 

“That person never misses!” 

“Do I do well?” 

“You’re hitting every single target! Are you trying to ruin my business today? If there’s a plushie you want, I’ll give it to you—just stop already!” 

Yoon Taeha placed the last remaining dart down with a sullen expression. All the darts from the cheap blue basket had already hit their marks perfectly. 

Even without telekinesis, Yoon Taeha excelled at this kind of thing as if possessed. 

“Just moments ago, you said I was doing well and attracting customers!” 

“That was before you hit every single one! Ugh, hurry up and pick a plushie!” 

“I want that one, Taeha.” 

“The young man you’re with has good taste! That one’s Made in Korea. Take it, quickly.” 

Seo Do-jin, standing next to Yoon Taeha, swiftly grabbed the arm-sized bear plushie handed over by the owner. It was clearly the most expensive-looking plushie there. 

Yoon Taeha pulled out a 10,000-won bill from her wallet and handed it to the owner. 

“Keep the change.” 

The amount exceeded the cost of the darts she’d thrown, and the owner’s expression brightened immediately. 

“Thank you, customer! Please come again! Be sure to visit our store next time!” 

The two exited the alleyway lined with game booths packed tightly together.

The Friday evening rush hour was bustling with people. 

Yoon Taeha, who hated the heat more than anything else in the world, looked at Seo Do-jin holding the fluffy stuffed animal with an expression of disbelief. 

“That really doesn’t suit you. You know that, right?” 

“I’m a soft guy on the inside. Only you don’t realize it.” 

“How does a supposedly soft guy like you end up following me around? Aren’t you supposed to be off work? Don’t you usually say how nice it is to hit the gym when there are fewer people on Friday evenings?” 

“I want some grilled intestines too.” 

“What about muscle loss?” 

“Today’s a day to loosen up a bit. How can I stay tight all the time?” 

“Winter will hate that.” 

“But that friend of yours sure knows how to pick good places to eat. Persuade her for me, will you?” 

Ugh, this guy. He only acts cute when it suits him. 

Yoon Taeha sighed and led Seo Do-jin into the café where they were meeting. The powerful air conditioning immediately swept away the heat. 

Seo Do-jin, seated at the window-side bar counter, abruptly shoved the stuffed bear into Yoon Taeha’s arms. 

“I’ll buy the coffee. Since our Taeha got me the plushie.” 

Was that just flirtation? Yoon Taeha covered her mouth with her palm. Unfazed by such trivialities, Seo Do-jin headed off to place their order. 

In the meantime, Han Gyewol sent a message. Yoon Taeha hugged the teddy bear like a back hug and started typing. 

[Han Gyewol][5:45 PM] Where are you??? 

[Yoon Taeha][5:46 PM] At the café we agreed on. Sitting by the window on the first floor. 

[Han Gyewol][5:48 PM] Good job! Stay there and wait; I’ll be about 15 minutes late. The advertiser wants a photo with their kid. Ugh, these siblings are driving me crazy!!! 

[Yoon Taeha][5:49 PM] Okay, but sis— 

[Han Gyewol][5:50 PM] Whenever you call me “sis,” something bad always happens. 

[Yoon Taeha][5:52 PM] There’s someone with me. Seo Do-jin. 

[Han Gyewol][5:52 PM] Oh no, he’s gonna ruin everything again... 

Yikes, scary. Yoon Taeha absentmindedly rubbed her forearm, as if expecting Han Gyewol’s sharp slap to come flying from somewhere. 

“What’s going on?” 

Seo Do-jin interrupted, holding an iced vanilla latte in one hand and an iced Americano in the other. Of course, the vanilla latte—with five extra pumps of syrup—was his. 

“She’s running 15 minutes late because of work.” 

“Wow, that’s intense, Han Gyu—” 

Shhh. Yoon Taeha gestured for Seo Do-jin to stop. Realizing he had almost casually called the superstar by name, Seo Do-jin chuckled awkwardly. 

“We should refer to her as ‘that person.’” 

“That person might fly over here ready to kill you. Remember how much beef you ate last time she treated us? That place was expensive.” 

“I don’t know. I don’t count how much I eat.” 

As he spoke, Seo Do-jin squeezed his large frame into the chair. 

The gazes of customers entering through the door inevitably landed on Seo Do-jin’s broad, Pacific Ocean-like shoulders. 

With his neatly styled short hair, white short-sleeved shirt revealing his muscular arms, and beige cotton pants, Seo Do-jin looked like a model who had just returned from shooting a pictorial in the Maldives. 

Just moments ago, two women pointed at Seo Do-jin’s back and whispered to each other. 

“Wow, he’s hot.” 

“There are so many foreign-trained Espers in Yeouido. Look at those arms—his shirt sleeves barely contain them.” 

“His skin tone is so sexy.”

Yoon Taeha’s eyebrows twitched at the unwanted chatter. Why could she control her physical strength but not her hearing? 

Seo Do-jin, oblivious to her irritation, only made things worse with his boasting. 

“If this is uncomfortable for you, should we move seats? I’m fine either way, but I thought you might not be used to this kind of attention.” 

“Still haven’t fixed your overinflated self-awareness, huh? I thought it was incurable.” 

“It’s not self-awareness—it’s fact. Do you know how many confessions I got while I was on my last assignment? People keep leaving gifts in my locker; it’s overflowing every time I open it. It’s so annoying.” 

“I’m really not interested…” 

Seeing her serious expression, the older sibling chuckled shamelessly. Yoon Taeha rested her chin on the plushie’s head, exasperated. 

If a close friend suddenly confessed that they liked my older brother, would I feel like this? Like, they like him? Why? How? 

These thoughts always crossed her mind whenever she witnessed Seo Do-jin’s popularity. 

While Lee Haegyeong played the role of the generous older brother, Seo Do-jin was the merciless second child to his younger sister. 

Four years apart—what a “great match,” as some might sarcastically say. The two were infamous as the strongest rivals in the northern Seoul shelter. 

There was even a saying that if you added up the cost of all the property Yoon Taeha (15) and Seo Do-jin (19) had destroyed during their fights, you could build a new shelter. That’s how bad it was. Back then, they weren’t driven by youthful passion but rather reckless arrogance. 

“Next week, we’ll finally see our youngest going around with a Guide, huh?” 

The slightly more mature Seo Do-jin drained his latte in three gulps and asked. 

“Who knows what’ll happen with people?” 

“You have to pick someone this time. Even if it’s just for show, at least pretend to try.” 

“If you’re just going to fire them later, why bother picking anyone?” 

“The problem with you is that you’re too sincere with your Guides.” 

“Wow, only you would attack me with something like that.” 

“Who else would do it? You know how our senior can’t bring himself to criticize you, no matter what.” 

Seo Do-jin was one of the few who still referred to Lee Haegyeong as “senior” in private. 

There was a time when Lee Haegyeong wasn’t the director of the Korean office but just a regular team leader. Back then, Seo Do-jin had been the youngest member of the team. 

It was an era when he adhered strictly to discipline, sporting an even shorter buzz cut and wearing suits to work every day. 

Thinking back, those days weren’t so bad. He had been somewhat endearing, like a fresh potato. Yoon Taeha slurped her drink through a straw, reminiscing about Seo Do-jin’s younger days when he was four years older than her. 

“Didn’t you already make the final decision?” 

“Yeah, I did.” 

“Just send a confirmation text to the team leader, and it’s done, right?” 

That’s how it was supposed to be—before the third-generation chaebol heir offered to sell his family’s secrets. 

That’s how it was—before he hinted that the preselected Guide had disqualifying issues and that she’d soon find out, before he left. 

Since meeting Cheon Geun-young, Yoon Taeha hadn’t let her phone leave her side, even sleeping with a smartwatch on in case of any contact. 

Contrary to her expectations, there had been no significant communication since Friday evening. Was it all just bluffing? But the risks he took seemed far too real for it to be mere posturing. 

The idea that Gaia’s chosen match could be a scammer felt like the worst luck imaginable. 

Stirring her now-melted Americano in silence, Yoon Taeha finally spoke. She had someone in front of her to ask the question that had kept her up all night. 

“Have you ever thought that having a Guide might be inconvenient?” 

“Not at all.” 

Can you think before answering? How does a reply come out in just one second? Yoon Taeha glared at him, and Seo Do-jin repeated his answer with a bright smile. 

“Not inconvenient at all.” 

“But your Guides change regularly, don’t they?”

“I have quite a few people who want to partner with me, so it works out.” 

Seo Do-jin preferred the rotation system for Guides over having a dedicated one. 

His outgoing personality and ability to extract everything from someone’s hometown to their favorite movies within 30 minutes of meeting them made this arrangement ideal. 

The center also didn’t recommend assigning dedicated Guides to Espers like him. 

Anyone is fine with me. If there was one thing Yoon Taeha envied about Seo Do-jin, it was that—he had no pickiness when it came to Guides. 

He could even become close friends with someone who rooted for a different baseball team. 

There was a famous story about how he once bought tickets himself and went to a baseball game because his Guide wanted to watch the Korean Series. 

They sat at a central table seat, each wearing different team uniforms and cheering for their respective teams—or so the story went. Even Yoon Taeha thought that was pretty impressive. 

Isn’t this guy actually amazing when you think about it? 

“How do you always get along with them, no matter how often they change? And you part ways so cleanly too.” 

“Well… that’s because…” 

Seo Do-jin trailed off momentarily, then noticed that she was asking more seriously than he expected. He chuckled softly.