AAGULT Ch 66

Chapter 66

When Jaeha finally managed to offer an apology, the man continued speaking in a calm tone.

“Get plenty of rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow. As I mentioned earlier, make sure to take your painkillers and eat properly so your energy doesn’t get distorted.”

“Yes…”

He gave a slight nod in farewell. His figure as he exited the room, composed and dignified, truly looked admirable. And that made Jaeha feel even worse. As the sound of his footsteps faded, a dry thud of the closing door echoed through the room.

“Haa…”

Jaeha let out a deep sigh.

A familiar guiding style, and someone with more than enough reason to resent the Association.

It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.

Still seated, Jaeha leaned over and lay down on the bed. The painkillers administered during his treatment earlier that morning were beginning to wear off, and a dull ache started to settle in his head.

Before meeting Aiden and before coming to the Association, the guiding he had received was minimal. It had only ever come indirectly through the President. And yet, to find the guiding of someone who had worked for the Association for nearly thirty years familiar? He would’ve been a fool not to realize.

Jaeha’s gaze steadied. He stared at the ceiling, his thoughts slowly turning.

Kwon Ido had been guiding the President consistently, and Jaeha had experienced that guiding through him. Kwon Ido was connected to the President’s side.

What Jaeha needed to consider now was whether the Association was aware of this fact—and whether to remain silent about it.

“Hey, don’t you think the narrative’s kind of lacking?”

“What now?”

The Association President lifted his tired head. Yaeiden’s tone was already dripping with irritation.

“Why did you assign Guide Kwon Ido? Why him of all people?”

“You know we only assign volunteers. Guide Kwon Ido volunteered, so I sent him. What’s the issue?”

The Association President replied indifferently. It was already troublesome enough that there was one more victim to deal with, and now Yaeiden was here whining, making his neck tense up. What made it all the more annoying was the fact that before Yaeiden started complaining, he had flawlessly completed his assignment and even solved a case that had the investigation team stumped. And now, here he was, sulking like a child.

“What’s the issue? Are you seriously asking that?”

Yaeiden abruptly stood from the office sofa, as if it were his own bed. His normally composed face was slightly twisted in visible annoyance.

“A widowed father who’s good with kids? Song Jaeha’s a sucker for that kind of thing.”

“…”

The Association President fell silent. Calling someone’s tragic past a “narrative” meant to seduce someone was shocking enough, but Yaeiden didn’t even seem to realize how inappropriate it was. Rather than point that out, the President simply asked out of genuine curiosity.

“You do realize Guide Kwon Ido is 48, right? If his child had been born as expected, they’d be the same age as Song Jaeha.”

To the Association President, Song Jaeha was far too young to be seen as a romantic partner—practically a newborn. Kwon Ido, who was around the same age, likely felt the same way.

“He’s a good guy, regardless of age. Ugh, it’s annoying…”

“…”

He had assumed Yaeiden judged things purely based on what he saw, but maybe not. Maybe he was a bit more rational than expected. Guide Kwon Ido was indeed objectively a good person.

He was stable and firmly established in his role as a guide. The position of Chair of the Guide Rights Association—which Aiden now held as a sort of honorary title—had originally been intended for Kwon Ido. He had declined, and that prestigious title had ended up in the hands of the young man in front of him…

The only possible point of concern was that he had once guided the Galgkama Unit. But after they disbanded, investigations had found nothing questionable, so it wasn’t considered a blemish.

Still… was this jealousy? It had been so long since someone came to him with a love consultation that he was honestly confused. Was this what love advice was supposed to sound like? Then again, who would go to a forty-something Association President for romantic advice? Of course, Yaeiden was always the exception.

That aside, it was oddly refreshing. That guide who never seemed human finally looked a little like a young man in his twenties—naive and headstrong, swayed by love.

“Don’t I have anything tragic?”

“What?”

“I’ve already used all my material. I still need to win over Song Jaeha…”

“…”

As always, the President swallowed a sigh. The honeytrap operation had already concluded, and there was no longer any need to seduce Song Jaeha—but he hesitated to point that out. Surely the man in front of him already knew that.

“Not as much as Guide Kwon Ido, but… let’s see. You manifested at five and were raised in the Association?”

“That’s it?”

“Five is a young age. A child should still be under their parents’ care. Not guiding Espers risking their lives on the battlefield.”

“Hm…”

Yaeiden sat cross-legged on the sofa, deep in thought. Growing up in a harsh, authoritarian household, the President’s words didn’t seem to move him much. Because of that, the President mentioned a part of his past he rarely brought up.

“…Well, if nothing else, there’s ‘that.’”

“Oh, my brother?”

“Yes…”

“Not a bad idea. I hadn’t thought of that.”

The President quietly watched him. He had brought up that past cautiously, worried it might hurt Yaeiden—but he didn’t seem fazed at all. The man was as free-spirited and headstrong as ever, but for once, he looked genuinely contemplative.

Is he really that serious about this?

The President was briefly overwhelmed with a strange feeling. But knowing that his interference wouldn’t change anything, he quickly gathered himself.

Then he suddenly remembered Yaeiden had requested a meeting, saying there was something he needed to report. He changed the subject.

“By the way, what was that thing you said you needed to tell me?”

“Oh, that. It’s not a big deal. Turns out Baek Beomwoo messed with my memories, too.”

“Right, not a big—… Wait. What did you just say?”

The President, who had been flipping through a stack of documents, stopped dead in his tracks. A chill ran up his spine. Yaeiden had casually dropped an earth-shattering revelation like it was nothing—and worse, instead of reporting it to his superior, he had first confessed it to the very person he was trying to seduce.

“When? And how did you find out?”

“That’s not the important part. I’ve got a question—can I ask?”

“…”

The President had a million things to say, but Yaeiden’s follow-up rendered him speechless. There were far too many secrets he had to keep, and he feared what Yaeiden might be about to ask. Though he had already revealed quite a lot, what more could he want to know?

“When I thought about it, something didn’t add up. Why didn’t Baek Beomwoo erase all traces of himself from the Association when he left? He had to know the Association would come after him.”

“…”

“So I’ve got a theory.”

Yaeiden clasped his hands together and rested his chin on top. He then smiled slyly, like a cunning fox.

“Did you have Baek Beomwoo hypnotize himself using his own abilities? Back when he was with the Galgkama Unit?”

“…”

The President said nothing. As pitiful as the Galgkama Unit may have been, anything related to them was classified. It was not a question he could answer.

But as Yaeiden watched his lips tighten in silence, he laughed knowingly.

“His condition… can’t exactly be called good.”

The doctor spoke cautiously, watching the man’s reaction. But there was none. The man, with a cigarette between his lips, had tossed aside his gloves for the first time in a while and was examining the back of his hand. He then leaned back leisurely in the chair, stretching out his long legs and slowly putting his gloves back on.

Behind him stood two individuals, hands clasped behind their backs, listening intently. One was a middle-aged man, the other a young Esper. Baek Beomwoo, seated, looked utterly indifferent. In contrast, the two behind him seemed much more invested in the doctor’s words.

“Under normal circumstances, the pain should’ve been excruciating, but…”

“Guess I owe the Association a thank-you.”

“…”

The man, now holding the cigarette between his fingers, began tapping the armrest with the index finger of his other hand, watching the doctor hastily pack away the equipment used for various tests. Blood work, spinal taps, and other examinations had all failed to elicit any reaction from him.

The man couldn’t feel pain.

To be precise, ever since Baek Beomwoo had developed a guiding rejection syndrome, he had been subjected to hypnotic conditioning.