AAGULT Ch 83

Chapter 83

 

“You told Ido-ssi… but why did you come?”

 

“I told you, didn’t I? That I’d come pick you up.”

 

“……”

 

Did that mean his opinion didn’t matter?

 

He considered resisting a little and saying he didn’t want to go, but then decided he should take advantage of the situation. There were still many hidden truths, most of which he could extract from him. Rather than stubbornly refusing and being dragged away unconscious, it seemed better to bide his time and observe the situation. Taking a deep breath, Jaeha opened his mouth.

 

“A little while ago, I… I went to the orphanage. Do you remember? The place I came from, where the director introduced me to you…”

 

“I remember.”

 

Jaeha explained his visit to the orphanage. Because he had blatantly betrayed him and hadn’t withdrawn his intentions, his voice trembled pathetically as he spoke. He then brought up the family photo he received from the Association president and the story about the family he apparently had. Slowly, Jaeha began to voice his hypothesis.

 

“When I think about the memory I recalled in the wardrobe… or when I look at my family photo…”

 

“……”

 

“I didn’t awaken as an Esper when I turned twenty, did I?”

 

There was a sliver of memory that surfaced while receiving Aiden-ssi’s guiding inside the wardrobe. It was the only clue he had, since he couldn’t uncover anything more.

 

[Stay quiet in there.]

 

[You hear Mommy, don’t you? Do as Mommy says!]

 

The voice of an adult woman pierced his head. It wasn’t spoken aloud. To Jaeha, it was a familiar kind of voice—one that flowed into his head like when reading thoughts.

 

And the family photo.

 

As far as Jaeha could recall, before his awakening, his eyes had been a hazy green. It was only after awakening that their color shifted to a dull teal. But in the family photo, the young Jaeha already had eyes like the ones he had now—teal.

 

So Jaeha pieced together the information he had. It was likely that he had awakened back when his parents were still alive, and his mother had known about it.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“When did I awaken?”

 

“When you were five.”

 

He gave up the information with such unsettling ease that it was impossible to tell if it was the truth or a lie. Jaeha tried his best to quietly swallow.

 

President-nim had kept Jaeha from realizing he was an Esper for a very long time. Was that why he had given him ability suppressant drugs too?

 

“Did you… know me since then?”

 

“No.”

 

But he only answered what was asked and nothing more. Jaeha tried not to provoke him and carefully filtered his questions, aiming to stay safe. He lowered his gaze halfway. What should he ask? What information did he need to know?

 

“I heard you visited the orphanage every few months. Was that… because of me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Did you… did you start passing your guiding to me back then?”

 

“Yes.”

 

He answered without any hesitation. If anything, the closer Jaeha’s guesses were to the truth, the more satisfied he seemed, wearing a face like a well-fed beast. Guiding. Just what exactly was guiding to him…?

 

“……”

 

Since the time he began receiving guidance from Aiden-ssi, he hadn’t felt even a trace of guiding in his body. He could clearly remember his strange disgust toward Espers who received guidance. As absurd as it seemed, in the end, he had to ask.

 

“Did you… receive guidance because of me?”

 

“Who knows.”

 

“……”

 

It wasn’t a yes or a no, but Jaeha couldn’t help but read something within the response. He tightly shut his eyes.

 

“There’s probably something else you really want to know.”

 

“……”

 

The man who shattered all of Jaeha’s cautious efforts not to step on a landmine added with a tone of boredom and irritation. He then roughly tilted Jaeha’s chin upward and ordered, “Open your eyes.” Jaeha let out a slight groan from the sudden pull of his muscles. He opened his eyes in response to that arrogant command.

 

“For example,”

 

“……”

 

“Something like, ‘Did you kill my parents?’”

 

“Would you answer if I asked that?”

 

He didn’t reply. Instead, he just stared at him with those eyes devoid of any light. That gaze felt as though it were urging him to go ahead and ask. Jaeha’s lips trembled slightly. Yes. Maybe now he would answer. Now, when he seemed unusually generous, might be the right time to ask.

 

“President-nim…”

 

But then, something unexpected even to himself happened…

 

“I… I heard you altered Aiden Guide’s memories too…”

 

He realized he had asked an entirely different question from what he had intended. It wasn’t a question about himself, but about the one he loved—and the very guide that Baek Beomwoo so openly despised.

 

“What kind… of memories?”

 

“……”

 

The hand that had been holding his chin dropped with a thud. What kind of expression was he making now? Was it as expressionless as always? Or had his face contorted? Jaeha couldn’t even imagine. He forced himself to raise his head to check his expression.

 

“……”

 

“Ha.”

 

His neck felt stiff and wooden. Lifting his head, which shouldn’t have been that hard, hurt as if he were breaking it. After enduring the throbbing pain and blinking his eyes open again, he finally saw his face.

 

He was…

 

“…Ha ha…”

 

…laughing, in a truly chilling way.

 

“Ha ha ha!”

 

Even though there was a man before him smiling so deeply and brightly that dimples formed on his cheeks, the surreal nature of it all made it hard to process the situation.

 

It might not have been the right time to be thinking this, but it was the first time Jaeha had seen President-nim’s canines. They were sharp. That meant it was also the first time he had seen him laugh with his mouth so wide open. Even though they had known each other for six, nearly seven years.

 

“Ha ha, ha ha ha!”

 

“……”

 

“Ha ha… ha…”

 

His laughter gradually faded. The man lightly brushed his own face with his hand. His neatly styled hair became a little tousled. Through the gaps in his fingers, his eyes—black as ever—were visible.

 

“Phew…”

 

He let out a faint chuckle, as though genuinely amused, and took a deep breath. His eyes curved. Whether it was out of delight or something far more unpleasant, Jaeha couldn’t tell.

 

“I didn’t send you to the Association to settle in, you know…”

 

He acted like someone who couldn’t hold back his laughter, a side of him Jaeha had never seen before, so he couldn’t help but be cautious. He worried that the man might suddenly lash out—grab his hair or choke him. Jaeha tensed up in preparation, but thankfully, he didn’t resort to violence.

 

“Is that really what you’re curious about?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“I see…”

 

He reached out and lightly tapped Jaeha’s cheek twice. Whether it was a pat or a slap, the emotion behind it was unclear.

 

“I’ll tell you, if you’re curious.”

 

“……”

 

His thumb bent inward and pressed hard against Jaeha’s lips, then slipped between them and tugged, causing his lips to purse. Jaeha didn’t want to bite him. But then, the man blatantly scraped Jaeha’s front teeth with his gloved finger. A cold, heavy scent peculiar to leather gloves filled his nose. The rubbing sensation made Jaeha fear he might just yank out his teeth.

 

“The memory I erased from him…”

 

He drew out the words like recalling a distant memory. His voice, still tinged with laughter, paradoxically conveyed a deep disgust. It reminded Jaeha of the day he had once knelt before President-nim, before meeting Aiden Guide.

 

“When Aiden Guide gave me guiding.”

 

He had once said, “Espers who receive guidance become pathetic,” and “One dose of guiding, and they’re just pitiful Espers chasing after their guide’s coattails.”

 

Jaeha waited for the rest of his explanation. But the man didn’t say any more. He gave no further details beyond the exact question asked.

 

“That’s… all?”

 

“That’s all.”

 

Since he was practically biting the man’s finger, Jaeha cautiously pulled his head back. If he continued like this, he might end up soaking the glove with his own saliva. He pretended to kiss the man’s finger, desperately trying to stay on his good side, but the answer remained curt and brief.

 

He couldn’t understand. So what if he received guiding?

 

“Why… did you accept guiding?”

 

“To feed you.”

 

“Oh…”

 

Even though he had just learned a messy pile of new information, the more they talked, the more the pieces of the puzzle seemed to come together. He recalled the exchange they’d had earlier.

 

‘I heard you came to the orphanage every few months. Was that… because of me?’

 

‘Yes.’

 

‘Did you… did you start passing your guiding to me back then?’

 

‘Yes.’

 

But the more he found out, the less he understood. The confusion only deepened. Jaeha, lost in thought, fell silent, and the man took that as a cue to end the conversation.

 

“Is that everything?”

 

“For now… probably…”

 

“Then let’s go.”

 

“Where to?”

 

He replied calmly.

 

“Home.”