Episode 17.
“And Seoyul!”
“Y-yes!”
Startled by Seonjeong’s call, Seoyul straightened her back. She looked as though she had firmly resolved to graciously accept any whipping that might come down at any moment.
“You too, Seoyul. If you don’t say anything, no one will know. If Doun is making you uncomfortable, you have to tell him so he’ll know.”
“Ah….”
Seoyul didn’t quite understand, but she got swept up by Seonjeong’s forcefulness. So her eyes just darted around, and Seonjeong continued.
“Besides, you seem to worry about things you don’t need to worry about. You seem to read too much into words and actions that don’t mean anything.”
“U-uh….”
That was true.
Feeling as though her inner thoughts had been exposed, her face flushed red. She hadn’t thought they were useless worries, but it was true that she overthought things, attaching meaning to each and every one.
“You too, don’t just blurt out whatever comes to mind! Think about how the other person might feel before you speak!”
“…….”
At Seonjeong’s pointed remark, Doun frowned. Then he realized something.
Why hadn’t he thought of that? Given Seoyul’s personality, his own blunt words and actions could have made her uncomfortable.
“First off, Seoyul!”
“Y-yes!”
“Tell me what’s making you feel down right now.”
“Y-yes… Huh? R-right now?”
Startled, Seoyul faltered. She had never thought of voicing it out loud, so she was bewildered.
“It’s practice for putting your feelings into words first. That’s how you can pull out happy feelings too.”
It was a reasonable point. Seoyul agonized dozens of times over whether she could really say it. She was afraid that speaking up, like she had just now, would only confirm the truth.
“Hurry up.”
At Seonjeong’s strict demeanor, she finally opened her mouth cautiously.
“W-well… I thought the Esper-nim seemed to hate the headband… That day… I thought I was the only one having fun… And… I’m sorry for that….”
It was a small voice, but more than enough for the two of them to hear. Seonjeong nodded in satisfaction, and Doun was startled.
To think she had been so dejected because of such a thought.
“No, why are you worrying about that?”
“Huh…?”
Unable to comprehend why, Seoyul looked up in surprise. Doun declared confidently with an utterly dumbfounded expression.
“I’m the type of person who doesn’t do anything at all if I really hate it.”
That’s right. If he had really hated it, he wouldn’t have engaged with her at all. He had gone along with it because it was Seoyul.
Although… she guessed his discomfort had shown a little.
“R-really…?”
“Yeah.”
At his firm words, Seoyul stared at him blankly. Then, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed, Doun let out a small cough before continuing.
“S-still… my face is just like this, so you need to understand a little… Argh!”
Mid-sentence, Seonjeong’s fierce hand flew at him again. Perhaps it hurt quite a bit this time, as Doun collapsed onto the desk, his hand trembling slightly.
“Not understanding—effort! Effort!”
“Damn it. I got it. I’ll make an effort too, so you make an effort too!”
Doun shouted back. His face was burning red, perhaps from embarrassment, and somehow it melted deep into her heart.
Seoyul felt as though she had learned a little something about relationships between people.
‘You have to… talk, don’t you.’
He hadn’t hated it. She had simply drawn that conclusion on her own and, scared, had tried to avoid him.
Doun hadn’t been thinking that way at all.
“Y-yes. I’ll make an effort too.”
Relieved, Seoyul broke into a bright smile. In that moment, hot energy gushed out and slipped straight into Doun.
“Huh?”
“Huh?!!”
Both of them were shocked, their eyes widening.
“R-right now!”
The most surprised was indeed Seoyul. She had felt the massive energy from moments ago surging into Doun.
“Don’t tell me!”
“It felt… different.”
The sensation was strange. The energy she originally possessed was unchanged, but for an instant, it felt as though it had expanded dramatically before pouring out.
“Is this… S-rank guiding?”
Seoyul quietly looked down at her hands. So startled was she that her hands were trembling unsightly.
She tried to calm herself by clenching her fists tightly, but it didn’t work. Then, Doun grabbed her small hand and shouted.
“That’s it! Now there’s no problem at— mmph!”
But Seonjeong immediately covered his mouth.
“Counting your chickens before they hatch again.”
“Argh, damn it! What did I do!”
Doun struggled free from her hand and shouted. At that sight, Seoyul was startled again and withdrew her hand.
He realized his mistake, but for now, he shot a glare at the woman who had ruined his moment of proper joy.
“Don’t open your eyes like that.”
“Argh! Seriously!”
She swatted at his eyes with her palm and pushed him back. Doun scrunched up his face in irritation. But Seonjeong addressed Seoyul with an attitude completely opposite to how she treated him.
“Seoyul. That’s all you need to do. Don’t rush and let’s try one thing at a time. First off… yes! How about we start with how to live happily?”
“Happy… ly?”
Seoyul stared at her blankly. Then, Seonjeong gently brushed Seoyul’s hair back and said.
“Yes. Just think about what feels good when you do it, what makes you happy, and what you want to do right now.”
“Ah….”
Perhaps it was an extremely obvious thing to say. After all, humans were beings who lived thinking about how to be happy.
But to Seoyul, it still sounded so difficult, so she looked quietly at her own hands and thought.
‘Right. He didn’t hate it.’
That was the happiness hidden within relief. A small happiness called forth by the sparkling memory of that day. That was what had amplified her energy.
If she had just kept her mouth shut, she might have gone her whole life without knowing. But her small action had allowed her to feel the emotion called happiness, and had allowed her to guide as well.
What was important was how one thought and acted.
“Somehow… I think I understand. What the Chief is saying… and what I should do going forward.”
She needed to change. No, hadn’t she already made a choice different from the past and grasped the present?
That alone was reason enough to cast aside the past and move forward anew.
She felt that if she built a new life, she would naturally find that sense.
‘And C-rank guiding is enough.’
The reason Seoyul had been so impatient was the fear that Doun might die after a year. But if she consistently guided him, the probability of that happening was low.
Didn’t he have plenty of reliable supporters by his side?
‘There’s no need for me to be anxious.’
Having gained that realization, her mind felt clear. Her body felt light, and it seemed like only good things would happen from now on.
“As expected, Seoyul is much more mature than Doun.”
“Huh? Ah. It’s not that much….”
Embarrassed, Seoyul rolled her eyes. Doun was so dumbfounded he couldn’t close his mouth. But he couldn’t immediately retort either.
Even to him, Seoyul was improving bit by bit. She acknowledged her lacking state, made a new resolution, and was moving forward.
‘Compared to her, what have I done?’
Every time, he had been swept away by emotion, repeating mistakes. He had been hasty, rough, and lacked patience.
‘Damn.’
Looking at Seoyul smiling brightly, Doun thought for the first time that he was ashamed of himself.
* * *
After that day.
Seoyul decided to seriously think about what made her happiest. It was a difficult topic, so she had been writing down things one by one and thinking about them.
First, when the S-rank guiding had leaked out.
It was when she had gone to famous restaurants with Doun and had fun at the amusement park. Seoyul had thought she was happy because it was a special experience, but Seonjeong shook her head.
‘That’s ordinary.’
Ordinary happiness.
Being greatly happy was happiness too, but people found small happinesses within ordinary daily life, she had said. The things Seoyul had experienced with Doun were exactly that.
Eating delicious food, spending time in enjoyable places, and finding happiness in relationships between people.
‘I lack too much experience.’
That was Seoyul’s conclusion. She was too ignorant about those ordinary things. Having lived cut off from the world for so long, she didn’t know where to begin.
What she needed was experience. She felt she had to find out what she liked and disliked through various experiences.
“Great!”
Confidence suddenly welled up in Seoyul. So she immediately went to the lab and spoke to Seonjeong.
“You want to help with work?”
“Yes! I’m not sure if there’s anything I can help with, but I want to help even with small things.”
“Hmm….”
To think that the answer she’d settled on after all that agonizing was to help me. Seonjeong couldn’t figure out how to respond at all.
But Seoyul’s eyes were filled with strong conviction. It seemed to be a conclusion reached after her own deliberation. Seonjeong wanted to respect that.
“Sure. Helping people is one form of happiness too.”
There were people who found happiness in that way. Given Seoyul’s personality, it seemed like it would suit her well.
‘She’s such a good kid.’
The burden she had felt all this time must have been because she wanted to help but couldn’t do it well. So it should be fine for her to slowly try what she could.
Besides, the lab was always busy. Seoyul was quite capable, so if they taught her a little, she would be a great help.
And that hunch was right on the mark.
“Seoyul.”
“Seoyul.”
They were looking for Seoyul here and there. Because Seoyul did her work so well, more and more people were seeking her out.
Moreover, she enjoyed it so much. No one knew what was so great about it, but whenever she was entrusted with work, she would get excited and work hard.
The Seoyul immersed in work was adorable, and a single word of thanks or praise made her spread a beautiful smile everywhere.
So everyone couldn’t help but love this cute creature. Though they didn’t much care for the bonus that came attached to her.
“…It’s annoying, so can you take him away?”
Seonjeong looked at Doun with cold eyes. He was draped over Seonjeong’s precious nap-time sofa like a strand of taffy.