My mind felt restless.
Since that day, I hadn’t looked at my smartphone or the internet at all. I just lay still in bed, staring at the ceiling. Because of Vasily’s seemingly normal behavior since I’d returned to the past, I must have forgotten what kind of person he really was. Even the hatred I’d carried for so long had briefly grown faint.
Vasily was anything but normal. He was as cruel as any monster in a Gate. Just as I’d said before, he would never in his life be able to understand the actions or mindset of ordinary people. He was born that way, and he would live that way until the end.
I knew how much Espers suffered without a Guide. They endured headaches that felt like their skulls would split open, lost control of their abilities, and ended up consuming their own bodies.
But I couldn’t feel pity for Vasily. Whenever I closed my eyes, the faces of the countless victims he’d killed appeared vividly before me. He deserved to suffer without a Guide, if only to pay for the sins he’d committed.
Vasily wouldn’t approach me again. A mere C-class Guide had rejected him, and that must have thrown his mood completely off balance.
Right. This was how it should end. I swore to myself that I’d live quietly from now on, staying out of Vasily’s sight, and returned to work.
A normal commute. Normal weather. A normal day.
From now on, my life would be normal too. I’d keep living a plain life—going to work, earning a paycheck—just like everyone else.
I even considered returning to S-class to search for other Espers once Vasily found a new Guide, but removing the illegal suppression chip and simply continuing as a Temporary Guide didn’t sound so bad either. At least that way I wouldn’t have to suffer under another strange Esper.
I really thought my days of ordinary routine would continue like this…
“What the hell is this…”
—Sorry.
The moment I arrived at work, my expression froze at the sight of the extravagant bouquet and the message card placed on my desk. Vivid red roses. There had to be a hundred of them—it covered the entire desk.
I didn’t even need to check the sender to know.
While I sighed heavily, Jo Wooyeon, noticing the striking red bouquet, walked over and asked,
“Gidam, what’s with the flowers?”
“Haha… yeah, good question…”
I stared blankly at the elegant handwriting on the card.
And the next day, and the day after that—every single day—there was a bouquet waiting on my desk. No matter how early I arrived, it was always already there.
Now people started whispering whenever I passed by. The thought of weird rumors spreading gave me a headache. Even just entering the office in the morning, the cloying scent of roses made me nauseous.
I raked my fingers through my hair and muttered a curse under my breath. I’d even searched online to see what Vasily was up to lately, but nothing came up—which only made me more uneasy. I wanted to tell him to stop sending the damn bouquets, but my pride wouldn’t let me be the one to reach out first.
I couldn’t predict Vasily’s thought process at all. After being pushed away that hard, shouldn’t he have been offended enough to keep his distance? Why was he doing this to me?
Today again, I started my day by throwing away a bouquet.
When I tried to toss it in the office bin, people kept asking why I was throwing away flowers, so I headed to a quieter floor. The bouquet was so ridiculously large it didn’t even fit in the trash can. I had to tear it apart piece by piece just to get rid of it. Trust Vasily to be this considerate—his way of screwing people over was always so creative.
I was just about to start my usual trash-can tour on the second floor when I heard murmuring in the hallway.
“Did you hear? Vasily the Esper came to the Esper Association today.”
“Oh! So that’s why it was so noisy this morning? No wonder there were crowds across the street…”
Vasily came to the Association? The bouquet in my hands and his name overlapped in my mind, and rage surged up inside me.
I was the one exhausted from explaining the damn flowers every day, and he just strolled into work without a care?
Scowling, I marched out of the Guide Association building with the bouquet still in hand. A grown man carrying a massive bunch of red roses was bound to draw attention—everyone I passed turned to stare and whisper.
I didn’t care. I crossed the street straight toward the Esper Association and strode down the hall to where I expected Vasily would be. Soon I stood before his private room.
“Vasily!”
I threw open the door dramatically…
And froze under a wave of staring eyes.
“…”
The solemn Association staff, and Vasily—covering his mouth as his shoulders trembled. He was laughing, obviously.
“Sorry. Wrong room.”
“No, you came to the right one, Guide Kwon Gidam.”
“No, I’m sorry for interrupting.”
“You didn’t come to see me? You’re even carrying flowers.”
Damn this bouquet. It never helps.
I tried belatedly to hide it behind my back, but it was far too big to conceal. Forcing a smile, I awkwardly laughed and started edging backward.
“Haha… well, I’ll just be—”
“Where are you going?”
As I reached for the door, Vasily had already moved behind me, gripping my shoulder.
I hurriedly whispered,
“Aren’t you in a meeting? Please let go.”
“No.”
“You really want to make a scene with all these people watching? Let’s talk later.”
“Are you uncomfortable with the others here? Then I’ll send them out. Come in.”
“N-no, that’s not what I—!”
I tried to slip away, but his strength dragged me in easily.
Vasily turned to the staff.
“Leave.”
It was a curt, imperious order, but the Association employees rose quietly without complaint. They clearly knew his true nature.
And they all looked to be high-ranking. I bowed my head, trying to hide the ID badge hanging around my neck.
“…”
Once everyone had left, silence settled in the room. I looked at the hand still gripping my arm.
“Please let go now.”
“I will if you promise not to run.”
“…”
What the hell was he saying? Of course I’d run the moment he released me.
When I didn’t respond, Vasily chuckled as if amused and finally let go, smiling like he found the whole thing entertaining.
About time. I shook off his hand briskly and shoved the bouquet into his chest.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been proposed to by a man.”
“What nonsense are you spouting. Stop sending these.”
I glared coldly at him as he murmured nonsense without a hint of shame, then turned to leave—
Clunk.
The doorknob wouldn’t turn.
Clunk, clunk.
Even after a few tries, it didn’t budge. The handle felt oddly cold, too. Dreading what I’d find, I glanced down and saw the lock frozen solid.
“…Ha.”
I turned back, seething. Vasily was still wearing that infuriating smile, inhaling the scent of the roses.
“What are you doing?”
“You brought this for me yourself?”
“You’re the one who sent it!”
“How did you even know where my private room was… Did you look it up online? Since you’re already here, sit for a bit before you go.”
He was impossible to reason with. Feeling a headache coming on, I gave up halfway and sank heavily onto the sofa.
The world outside was calm and bright, completely at odds with the fire eating away at my insides. Through the wide window, the midday sky stretched clear and blue.
Vasily sat elegantly, sipping his coffee. The lavish roses and his refined face matched disgustingly well… No, what was I thinking.
Watching him like this, I suddenly realized why my guard had lowered. He looked different from the sharp, vicious man I’d known six years later. Of course, he was strange even now—but back then, he’d only grown worse by the day.
As I scowled openly, Vasily asked,
“Guess you’re not scared of me anymore?”
“What?”
“When we first met, you couldn’t even look me in the eye.”
“Ah…”
Now that he mentioned it, ever since I’d regressed, I’d always stayed on edge around him. I’d tried to act unaffected, but he must have noticed. And knowing that, he’d still kept seeking me out just to bother me. Truly a rotten personality.
“Sorry,” Vasily suddenly said.
“I thought about why you were angry.”
“…”
“If I’d killed that Esper right there, it would’ve caused trouble for you, wouldn’t it?”
…What?
His expression almost looked sincere. My eyes widened before I could stop myself.
“I should’ve broken his hands first instead of going for his head.”
…Of course.
Vasily feeling guilt? Not a chance. The flicker of hope that had risen in me snuffed out in an instant.