Guide to the Fallen World - Chapter 18

#18. The role of the villain

Do-hyeok stopped grilling the meat and suddenly began to carefully lift Yeowon, who had started to nod off. As soon as Yeowon was in his arms, she exhaled in soft, rhythmic breaths and fell asleep.

“Looks like she’s tired. Take her back to the barracks. I’ll clean up and come after.”

At Jay’s words, Do-hyeok silently nodded. He already knew what the ‘cleaning up’ meant. He had received the message in advance.

As Do-hyeok stood up while holding Yeowon, Jay also began to move. First, the leftover meat needed to be divided.

“There’s too much meat left. If we leave it like this, the quality will just deteriorate…”

As Jay spoke, as if she wanted to be heard, her words were followed by the sound of people clearing their throats from all around. Their gazes also became more blatant.

“Does anyone willing to help finish this? How about tasting a piece of meat?”

“Ahem. It’s tempting, but aren’t you an android? Is that really okay?”

“It’s fine. I’m doing this with permission. My ancestors were wealthy, you know. Can’t you see that they own a high-end Android like me?”

At those words, it seemed like there was no more hesitation, as one by one, they began to take plates and gather the meat. The sudden shift in attitude was so quick that it was hard to believe they were the same people who had previously rejected them without reason.

Maybe they gave up their pride more easily because his opponent was Android, not the same human being.

Most likely, Yeowon never intended to share even a single piece of meat with anyone.

So, despite feeling uncomfortable under the gazes directed at her, she continued eating uprightly regardless of who saw it.

But to her, this piece of meat was nothing, less than pocket change. Jay laughed and handed out a piece or two of the well-baked meat to the people.

It was then that someone spoke to Jay.

“By the way, I think you might have used the wrong word. Isn’t it ‘master’ instead of ‘ancestor’?”

“Ah! Is that so?”

Jay smiled brightly as he looked at the people who had succumbed to their appetite. It felt like he was looking at his past self.

There was plenty of meat.

***

The fear of a nuclear submarine lies in the fact that no one knows where it is in the ocean.

If a missile launch site is in a predictable location, defense becomes easier. However, a nuclear bomb suddenly rising from the middle of the sea is not easy to defend against because no one knows where it’s being launched from.

In the same way, the guide must also not know where they are.

Do-hyeok opened his mouth as he looked at the defenseless guide who had fallen asleep.

“Is this really okay? If the guide finds out…”

“We have to keep it a secret. The vendors are all asleep. Even the espers are no exception. We just need to take care of this.”

As Jay spoke, the man who had thrown a toy grenade at Yeowon was lying unconscious at Jay’s feet.

“Let’s see… where did I put the monster lure ampoule?”

After finding the ampoule, Jay didn’t hesitate and sprayed the substance onto the man’s head.

No one stopped Jay as he sprayed the monster-luring chemical on the man’s head, despite him being the son of a powerful figure. Because everyone was asleep.

“Let’s get going. The place we need to head to isn’t the volcanic region, but the Sakhalin Ice Forest.”

“…”

“You look troubled. Are you worried that all the merchants will be wiped out?”

“I know. My methods are a bit dark, but it’s easier to erase traces if the merchants fall apart.”

“The merchants don’t matter.”

“Then?”

“The guide relies most on the director. If she finds out the truth, she might feel betrayed.”

“Do Hyuk, I understand what you’re worried about. But I don’t want Yeowon to know that my true nature is like this, and the fact is, someone has to take on the role of the villain. So, will you cooperate? You’ve helped me already. It’s a one-sided imprint.”

“What are you going to explain after arriving in Sakhalin?”

“I’ll tell part of the truth. Saying we were going to the volcanic area was a lie. The truth is, we’re in Sakhalin. I can’t give an exact location, but for her protection, she should understand. I’ll probably say something like that. Losing her trust completely would be fatal.”

Jay’s smiling face didn’t move at all like Android.

“As for the merchants, I just need to keep that part hidden. I’m not planning to keep it a secret forever, though. If I bury it for about five years, even if Yeowon finds out the truth, it’ll seem like an event from a long time ago. By then, the memory will be faded.”

“Human memory is quite poor and unreliable, you know.”

“…”

“Once enough time passes, Yeowon will realize there was no other choice and forgive me. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than to get permission for something like this.”

“Isn’t that deception?”

“It’s necessary deception. Do you think protecting the guide and distributing guiding drugs is a joke?”

Faced with the heavy question, Do-hyeok silently closed his mouth.

“I can’t let the guide’s hands get stained with bl00d. What’s needed is someone to bear that burden instead, and that someone is me. Strictly speaking, I’m neither alive nor more than a consciousness, so I’m perfect for this kind of task. I understand your objections. You’re afraid the guide might lose trust in you, right?”

Jay casually kicked the man at her feet and continued.

“I saw the footage. You hesitated when you were about to kill this guy. You stopped because the guide was watching, didn’t you?”

It’s true.

He is afraid the guide might be frightened.

He feared being seen as a monster who tears people apart. Even though he knew that would be an accurate assessment, he only wanted to show his good side.

He wanted to seem safe to be around, like someone she could trust, like a person.

Jay read Do-hyeok’s emotions as clearly as if they were written on his palm. As the head of an Esper research facility, he had grown familiar with understanding what Espers were thinking.

Especially when it came to an Esper in front of a guide.

With conditions like these, it’s enough to bake and boil potatoes without even needing a fire.

“Yeowon forgives me even if I mess up nine times, as long as I do something right once or twice. She acts cold and calculating, but she’s so full of warmth. She’s such a softie.”

Jay, who had returned to her expressionless face, pushed the sleeping Yeo-won’s hair behind her ear. Do-hyuk couldn’t avoid the new figure who had come close to him even though he saw it with his own two eyes. It wasn’t because Jay’s strength was superior to Do-hyuk’s.

“There was something Noah’s Espers used to hear often. Do you remember?”

He remembers.

“If you remember, then you know what I’m about to say. Should I really say it out loud?”

“…No.”

“Good. I’m glad you understand.”

The hand that patted his shoulder had no warmth. With that pat, Do-hyeok realized that even if a rampage was not imminent, his mind could still crumble.

Only the guide in his arms was something he could hold onto. It was the only thing he desired.

But even while holding onto it so tightly, it felt like he was holding onto something as fleeting as bubbles that could disappear at any moment.

He remembers.

“There are many other Espers besides you.”

Everyone said that.

***

I was five years old.

When I was a child and didn’t even know the concept of incest, I asked my mother.

I wonder if I can get sexual guidance from my mom when I grow up.

I was momentarily upset by the firm denial that such a thing would happen, but then my mother, who had been laughing at me with an unreadable face, said.

‘Do-hyuk, when you grow up, your guide will appear.’

‘Really?’

‘Of course. But to be loved by the guide, you have to grow up first, right?’

From then on, I learned how to become an Esper loved by a guide through my mother, through the countless fathers who approached her, and through the innumerable Espers who had passed through her life.

Watching them, I realized one thing. Winning a guide’s favor is incredibly difficult.

Any Esper who displeased my mother was mercilessly thrown out of the shelter. It didn’t matter if they held the title of husband, lover, or companion. No one was an exception.

My mother was the undisputed tyrant of Shelter Noah.

I realized this around the age of seven.

But knowing that didn’t change anything. She was still my mother, and I could sit on her lap whenever I wanted, basking in her overwhelming love and guidance.

My mother was a cold-hearted ruler and a harsh critic, distributing guidance sparingly to the Espers who loved her. But she wasn’t like that with me.

I felt relieved by this, yet at the same time, I was vaguely afraid. What if the guide I meet in the future finds me annoying? What if they don’t like me? What if they’re afraid of me?

What would happen to me if a guide hated or despised me, just as my mother was harsh to her lovers and husbands?

Would I be cast out of the shelter, just like the Espers who had angered my mother?

When I occasionally showed such fear, my mother would chuckle softly and stroke my head.

It was a rare, gentle touch, something I didn’t often receive. Yet, as she tousled my hair, her voice was endlessly cold as she gave me the answer.

“There’s nothing you can do if the guide doesn’t want you.”

My mother only said that much for me, but I felt like I had already heard the rest of it. I had seen my mother screaming at an esper from a distance.

‘Get out! Get out and die!’

I could not forget the expression on his face, completely shocked by the verbal abuse from his beloved guide, for a long time. I also clearly remember his final moments, when he left the shelter and chose to run wild, just as she had said.

My expression now is probably not much different from that Esper’s on that day.

“…I never thought you and Jay would deceive me like this.”

Even though she had only heard half the truth, the guide’s face was icily cold.

“I’m disappointed.”

That single sentence reduced Do-hyeok to a helpless child.