Episode 7
“Is it a brown bear? Not a black bear?”
“A Russian black bear?”
Just then, two male students entering the department office overheard Go-eun and the staff member’s conversation and butted in familiarly. When Go-eun turned her head sharply, delighted, the two male students who saw her face exchanged silent glances for a moment.
“It’s just a nickname we gave him. They say he’s as big as a Russian black bear.”
“Then, by any chance, are you two friends with Seo I-jae?”
Had she finally found them? Friends of Seo I-jae. Her younger siblings had said that Seo I-jae had a bad personality and no friends, but in a corner of her heart, Go-eun hadn’t believed it. Before her possession, Go-eun had been friends with everyone in the world, so inwardly, she had been thinking, *Where is there a person without friends?*
“Friends with Seo I-jae? No, we’re not.”
“Then why do you call him by a nickname if you’re not even friends?”
“Because he’s famous.”
“For having no friends?”
At Go-eun’s question, the two male students burst out laughing simultaneously. Having no idea why they were laughing, Go-eun was bewildered.
“Well, you’re not wrong. It’s because he’s the part-time king of the Engineering College.”
“The part-time king of the Engineering College?”
“Yes. He’s famous for working part-time without even eating lunch.”
She had heard he worked part-time jobs in the countryside on weekends. During vacation, he did national work-study programs, and on top of that, he worked part-time during whatever free hours he had during the semester.
Just as she was thinking he seemed to have a more complicated backstory than expected, a fairly hopeful remark reached Go-eun’s ears.
“I saw Seo I-jae there earlier.”
“Huh, where?”
“The convenience store behind the back gate over there. I think he’s working there this time?”
“The back gate convenience store? Is it far from here?”
At the new information, Go-eun’s head snapped up. After hearing the back gate’s location from the students and offering a brief word of thanks, Go-eun dashed out of the department office.
* * *
“At this rate, I feel like I’ll work myself to death before December even arrives.”
Why was the back gate so far from the Engineering building? Go-eun, having barely arrived in front of the convenience store, plopped down and caught her rough breath.
“Besides, that person isn’t even Seo I-jae.”
Although she had reached the convenience store where Seo I-jae worked, Go-eun didn’t think about going inside. Even from outside through the glass, the person at the counter looked completely different from the photo on the résumé.
Had he already gotten off work?
Go-eun now wanted to throw in the towel on everything, Guide or whatever. Finding Seo I-jae felt harder than finding a Mr. Kim in Seoul.
Go-eun was burning to go home herself, but she suppressed the urge and pushed open the convenience store door.
“Welcome.”
“Hello. There’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know someone named Seo I-jae…?”
*Please say you know him. Please, please say you know him!*
During that short time, Go-eun prayed and prayed inwardly. That this convenience store employee would please know Seo I-jae.
“I-jae? Of course I know him. We worked together.”
“…That’s in past tense.”
“Yes, he quit. He sometimes comes to help when our schedule falls through, though.”
Just what kind of person was Seo I-jae? By this point, stubborn resolve sprouted inside Go-eun: she absolutely had to meet him. Just how great of a Guide was he to run her ragged like a dog? Now, whether he was a Guide or whatever, her goal had changed to seeing that smug face just once.
“Then do you know where I should go to meet Seo I-jae?”
“As far as I know, I-jae said he’s working at a distribution center.”
“…A distribution center.”
This time, a distribution center.
At the convenience store owner’s words, Go-eun squeezed her eyes shut. Somehow, she had a very strong premonition that even if she went to the distribution center, she wouldn’t be able to meet Seo I-jae.
“That’s too bad. It’s not Seo I-jae’s scheduled day today. As I told you, I-jae only comes to help when he has time.”
She should have known. As expected, it was another bust.
Was it because he was an extra whose name had never once appeared in the novel that he was so hard to meet? She had thought that aside from the protagonist, everyone led comfortable lives. Instead, he was living a life even busier than the protagonist’s.
* * *
“Miss, shall we return home for today?”
Go-eun’s driver asked with a face full of worry. Go-eun nodded slightly, looking utterly exhausted.
She had exercised quite diligently for the past two months, but the forced march beyond her expectations brought on sudden fatigue. Because of that, Go-eun’s face had turned pale. The difference in stamina between Go-eun before possession and I Go-eun in the novel was so great that adapting to the body was not easy.
On top of that, she was taking medication, so while she didn’t show it to those around her, her whole body was extremely sensitive, and her fatigue felt several times worse.
“Yes, let’s return home for today. I’ll rest a bit and look again, or else……”
Or give up.
Was there really a need to cling to Seo I-jae like this?
Finding a Guide abroad, as Na-eun had said, wasn’t a bad option either.
At Go-eun’s reply, the driver nodded as if he understood and started the engine. Go-eun quietly listened to the engine and looked out the window. Soon, it was the moment the car wheels smoothly began to roll.
Go-eun’s frail body, which had been buried powerlessly in the seat, sprang up like a spring.
“A Russian br—brown bear. Ah, no, black bear!”
“Y-yes? Miss, what is it……”
“D-driver. Please stop the car!”
Outside the window, Seo I-jae, like a Russian black bear, was passing by Go-eun’s car with hurried steps.
“S-Seo I-jae……. Seo I-jae!”
Her heart getting ahead of her, Go-eun ran off frantically without even closing the car door. She could tell even from a face that had only fleetingly passed by. Thanks to having seen the ID photo on the résumé countless times over the past several days, she recognized him at once.
Afraid she might lose Seo I-jae, Go-eun squeezed out every last bit of strength she had. A strong metallic taste spread in her mouth, but she ran anyway.
“Mr. Seo I-jae!”
To stop Seo I-jae, who didn’t halt even when called, Go-eun desperately grabbed his sleeve.
“…It is you, Seo I-jae, right?”
She had finally met him. At that moment, Go-eun felt tears welling up and wanted to burst out crying. Go-eun’s small body, which had been panting continuously as she caught her rough breath, gradually regained stability. It was a sense of stability she had never felt before. Even though he was clearly someone she had met for the first time today, Go-eun found I-jae’s energy incredibly comfortable. It felt like Na-eun’s power had been amplified tenfold, no, a hundredfold.
Was it because she had stared at the résumé photo for too long? Go-eun kept feeling as if I-jae were someone she had longed for over a long time.
“Who are you?”
“No, why is this person… like this?”
“Huh?”
“What on earth is your identity?”
At Seo I-jae’s question of who she was, all the sorrow Go-eun had built up exploded at once. Tears glistened in her eyes as if she might cry at any moment.
Meanwhile, I-jae, grabbed by Go-eun, furrowed his brows silently, unable to understand this situation. A woman had appeared out of nowhere and suddenly grabbed him with an expression as if she were about to cry; he looked quite bewildered.
Seeing I-jae’s face like that, Go-eun rubbed her eyes roughly with the back of her hand. Now was not the time to indulge in such sentiment.
“…Let’s talk for a moment. I’m from the Seongun Group.”
* * *
“You’re sure you’ll give me a million won just for taking the matching test, right?”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
Go-eun had actually gone to the chicken restaurant where I-jae worked, paid double the daily sales in a lump sum, and taken I-jae away. It was the first moment that Seo I-jae, who had worn nothing but a frown throughout his conversation with Go-eun, showed a surprised expression.
“Um, Mr. Seo I-jae.”
Since being possessed into the novel, today was the happiest day for Go-eun. Now, if only Seo I-jae would take the matching test like this. Of course, she didn’t even hope for a perfect match since his grade was F.
Go-eun turned her head toward I-jae, her face blooming with a bright smile. Now there was just one more thing to resolve.
“Before taking the matching test, may I ask you for one favor?”
“No.”
How could he refuse so coldly?
Go-eun looked at I-jae with surprised eyes.
“Is it really not okay?”
Go-eun whimpered like a cat from an animated movie. I-jae looked at her silently, then squeezed his eyes shut and let out a small sigh.
“What is it.”
“Can’t you just hold my hand once? I feel so unwell.”
Since the café, Go-eun had wanted to touch I-jae to the point of going crazy. This was the extent of her restraint after scraping together what little reason she had left. If only he would hold her hand, even just until the matching test.
Recalling Seo I-jae’s hand that she had inadvertently grabbed at the café, Go-eun swallowed hard.
“…I hate physical contact.”
But I-jae’s answer was a refusal. She had somewhat expected it, but Go-eun couldn’t hide her disappointment. And strangely, after hearing no, rather than subsiding, her desire to touch I-jae grew even stronger.
“Isn’t physical contact the very foundation of Guiding? What if your matching rate with me is high and we end up having to form a pair imprint?”
“…Imprint?”
Startled by Go-eun’s words, I-jae leaned his body back. Perhaps flustered by the unexpected remark, his ears turned red.
“Aren’t you taking the word ‘imprint’ too lightly with someone you just met today?”
“Imprint… why?”
Go-eun put on a bewildered expression, truly not understanding. Was the imprint she knew a different imprint from the one Seo I-jae knew? Not knowing the reason, Go-eun could only blink her eyes repeatedly.
“Ms. I Go-eun, you said you’re an Esper.”
“Yes.”
Even though that would be in three months.
She wasn’t a formal Esper yet since she hadn’t awakened, but she had answered yes for the time being.
“Then shouldn’t you know far better than an F-grade Guide who can’t even become government-affiliated?”
“So what exactly?”
“…The imprint.”
So what about the imprint?
Go-eun truly couldn’t understand. Why was the huge Seo I-jae pressing his back firmly against the car door and trying to get as far away from her as possible?
It was true that she had possessed [the body] before finishing the novel, so she hadn’t been able to memorize the exact settings. After that, she had been too busy getting her body into shape to look into Espers and Guides in detail.
Before her possession, *Seugayeon* was the first novel with a Guideverse setting she had ever read, so her understanding of this world was a bit lower compared to other worlds.
“Ms. I Go-eun, are you sure… you’re from the Seongun Group?”