TGIC Ch 66

Chapter 66

 

“What are you talking about? This week’s guiding session is already over.”

 

“…?”

 

Vasily blinked as though hearing it for the first time. I looked at him with an incredulous expression.

 

“Have you already forgotten the terms of our contract? We agreed to only have guiding sessions four times a week.”

 

“…”

 

“There wasn’t even a gate mission today, so there’s no guiding.”

 

Vasily went quiet, as if recalling the contract’s contents.

 

The soft smile that had been gracefully curving his lips slowly faded. The look in his eyes turned chillingly cold as they landed on me. Even the surrounding temperature began to drop rapidly.

 

For a moment, my body tensed involuntarily, but I had no intention of indulging his mood swings. I brushed off Vasily’s hand and said,

 

“Well then, I’ll be heading in.”

 

I walked right past the motionless Vasily and entered my room.

 

The moment I shut the door behind me, I was greeted by a cool breeze. Thanks to Vasily having stood just outside the room and leaking cold energy earlier, the space now felt as if the air conditioner had been left running—it was pleasantly refreshing. I was grateful to be able to relax in such comfort right after returning.

 

Looks like I’ll be able to enjoy the rest of the weekend without having to guide him. The best part was that I wouldn’t have to see Vasily’s half-naked body during a guiding session.

 

Click.

 

As I plugged in my phone, which was low on battery, I heard the front door closing outside my room.

 

‘Did Vasily just go out?’

 

He hadn’t mentioned any plans for later.

 

I tried to recall his schedule for a moment but then shook my head. Whatever. It’s more comfortable for me if he’s not at home.

 

Vasily didn’t return even late into the night. Thanks to that, I fully enjoyed the freedom of the empty house and didn’t go to bed until well past midnight.

 

 

—

 

At last, the long-awaited Saturday had arrived.

 

Bathed in the warm sunlight streaming through the window, I woke up feeling refreshed. My body felt especially light today—probably because I hadn’t had to do any guiding yesterday and was able to rest well. Even the spot where I received the injection no longer ached.

 

As soon as I opened my eyes, I got up, washed quickly, and changed into workout clothes. Just before heading out, I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and suddenly realized how unusually quiet the house was.

 

Now that I thought about it, Vasily was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Esper Vasily?”

 

Normally, he’d be on the sofa or holed up behind a closed door… But even from the slightly ajar door, I could sense no presence.

 

Could it be he went out last night and hasn’t come back yet?

 

Though something felt off, I figured he’d return soon enough and left the house for a run. After jogging a lap around the neighborhood, I came back, had lunch, then made dinner. But even by nightfall, Vasily still hadn’t returned.

 

By this point, I was starting to get concerned.

 

Fidgeting with my phone while thinking of his number, I sat on the living room sofa and turned on the TV.

 

Flipping through news channels, I froze at the sight of a familiar face. The nine o’clock news was reporting that Vasily had left for a gate.

 

Strange. As of yesterday afternoon, there weren’t any gates assigned to Vasily.

 

A sudden emergency dispatch, maybe? I fixed my eyes on the screen, recalling the sound of Vasily leaving the house the night before. Then came the anchor’s next words, which left me speechless.

 

[After clearing all the gates near Seoul, Esper Vasily has now moved to other regions. On his first day in Korea, he made headlines for clearing every open gate nationwide in just a day. Once again, Esper Vasily has—]

 

“…”

 

I shut my eyes tightly and ran a hand down my face.

 

So this was his way of venting after I refused to guide him. The people on-site must be in chaos right now, thanks to Vasily suddenly going on a gate-clearing rampage over the weekend. Just thinking about it gave me a headache.

 

As the anchor continued lavishing praise on Vasily, I sighed deeply. On the screen, a photo of Vasily—unusually well-taken—was displayed prominently.

 

His face wore a rare, gentle expression.

 

With his gaze slightly lowered, he even looked somewhat forlorn. He seemed like a completely different person from the man who’d stared at me with a murderous glare just for refusing a guiding session. I couldn’t help but marvel at the photographer’s skill.

 

It was obvious that the association was using this opportunity to polish his public image. No wonder people didn’t realize he was a lunatic. From afar, he might look beautiful, but the association staff and Espers on the ground were probably tearing their hair out dealing with him right now.

 

And yet, something else was nagging at me. Recalling an added clause in our contract, I muttered under my breath.

 

“If his condition worsens, I’m to provide guiding without any frequency restrictions…”

 

Tch. I clicked my tongue. Looks like he’s intentionally pushing himself to the brink so he’ll have to come back.

 

Damn it. For him to abuse the contract like this… I should’ve stopped him when he insisted on adding his own conditions.

 

Come to think of it, isn’t there a meeting with China tomorrow? He’ll have to return before then.

 

In my mind, I could already picture myself spending the entire night restoring Vasily to a normal state, only to watch him leave in the morning completely exhausted.

 

If he kept this up—destroying gates left and right out of spite—then a simple guiding session through physical contact wouldn’t cut it when he got back. It would definitely require something more intimate.

 

…This won’t do. I’d better just call him and tell him I’ll guide him. He needs to come back.

 

I picked up my phone and dialed Vasily’s number.

 

The call rang through, so thankfully, he wasn’t inside a gate at the moment. After a brief wait, he answered.

 

“Esper Vasily, where are you right now?”

 

— ……

 

Still sulking, huh. I sighed inwardly and continued.

 

“I’ll guide you. Just come home.”

 

— I’ll finish the gate I just arrived at and then head back.

 

“Come back before I change my mind.”

 

Grinding my teeth, I spat out the words. On the other end, a quiet chuckle was followed by a response.

 

— I’m out in the provinces, so it’ll take a while.

 

“Sigh… Don’t drive yourself. Call an association staff member to pick you up.”

 

— Worried I’ll get into an accident?

 

“Of course not.”

 

Vasily was the kind of person who’d walk away unscathed even if his car got totaled. I wasn’t worried about him—I was worried he’d freeze and obliterate every car in his path if he got annoyed, bringing traffic to a standstill.

 

As soon as I ended the call, frustration bubbled up inside me, so I went to the nearest convenience store and bought some alcohol. Then I sat in the living room, drinking beer while listening to reports about Vasily on the news, waiting for him to return.

 

Wow. Just how many gates did he clear in a single day? Apparently, he tackled every single one by himself.

 

By the time I was gulping down my third can of beer, I heard the front door open. Even then, I didn’t get up from the sofa.

 

Soon, the man who had been hailed as a hero on the news appeared in person. The moment he saw the beer cans on the table, he frowned slightly.

 

“You’re not drunk, are you? I really don’t want to be guided by a drunkard…”

 

“I’m not drunk.”

 

As if three beers would be enough to get me drunk. Vasily gave me a disapproving look, but I was used to ignoring it by now.

 

Now that he was back, it was time to begin the guiding session. I gulped down the remaining beer, set the empty can on the table with a loud clunk, and stood from the sofa to approach him—only to wrinkle my nose at the faint scent of blood in the air.

 

“Are you hurt?”

 

Blood was seeping through Vasily’s suit. I wanted to believe it was from a monster, but the way his shirt was torn along the trail of blood didn’t look good.

 

“Yes. It just sort of happened.”

 

“What on earth happened out there…”

 

All the gates Vasily had gone to were C-rank or lower. For him to get injured? It was impossible unless he had let himself be hit on purpose.

 

“Well… maybe I’ve gotten dull from the lack of guiding.”

 

Vasily shamelessly lied and tried to pin the blame on me. Considering how he used to scold me before the regression for failing to dodge even minor attacks, the idea that he got himself injured on purpose seemed all the more plausible. Just because I refused to guide him, he returned home with wounds?

 

I let out a long sigh and stepped toward him.

 

“Take off your clothes. First.”

 

“Planning to guide me right away? I’ve got monster blood on me—maybe I should shower first—”

 

“I need to check how bad the wounds are first.”

 

Vasily slowly started unbuttoning his shirt. His sluggish movements were frustrating, so I grabbed the hem and yanked it up in one motion.

 

“Careful there. I’ve got monster blood on that part.”

 

Even offered a friendly warning. His overly relaxed attitude, considering he was supposedly injured, was seriously starting to irritate me.