Guide to the Fallen World - Chapter 26

#26. The Object of Desire

He opened up possibilities, offering hope, only to present despair as a result. Through this, he made her recognize reality.

Dohyeok didn’t think Jay’s method was wrong.

But he did think it was mistaken.

Because Yeowon cried.

“Would that Esper have lived if I hadn’t been there? He awakened because he wanted to survive… and yet he died because of me. Of all places, I just had to be there… That stupid shelter, I could’ve just looked at it through a satellite.”

Dohyeok genuinely wanted to take responsibility for his mistake.

“Everyone makes mistakes…”

The mistake Dohyeok was referring to was almost entirely a self-reproach for speaking the truth as he saw it.

However, Yeowon interpreted it differently.

“Yes, people make mistakes. I know that. But it’s a completely different matter when someone dies as a result.”

“……”

“Because I acted recklessly, someone who could’ve lived ended up dying. Since he was an esper, he could have easily recovered from a mere illness. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have gone to the shelter……”

Yeowon was wrong. Even if she hadn’t been there, that Esper would have died anyway.

Shelter Sakhalin is an isolated place, surrounded by icy forests. Even as an esper, survival is uncertain in that inhuman wilderness.

Also, that esper wanted revenge on Shanghai for destroying Sakhalin.

That’s why, as soon as he awakened and came to his senses, he immediately attacked her, seeing a girl with black hair and black eyes.

But that fact won’t alleviate your sadness. What you need now is motivation.

“Guide, I need to be able to kill you if necessary.”

Yeo-won was horrified by Dohyeok’s shocking statement.

“……What are you saying?”

“Just like when you deployed the reverse guiding field on me before… you need to be able to treat me as a target for elimination when necessary.”

“That was… well, back then, I was in the wrong…”

“No, it wasn’t wrong. You did what needed to be done when it was necessary. It’s not something you need to apologize for, nor should you. At the time, I was a threat, wasn’t I?”

Dohyeok’s argument and his use of the term “threat” only deepened Yeowon’s gloom.

Yeowon knew he wasn’t wrong. She knew it, but people don’t live on reason alone, do they?

Ignoring Yeowon’s inner resistance, Dohyeok calmly explained, “The danger had to be eliminated. If I hadn’t, I would have died.”

“…”

“And I killed that esper because I sensed a threat to the guide’s safety. I was the one who acted.”

“…That’s”

“Think about it from a different perspective. If I were being attacked and dying, and you had a gun in your hand, and the bullet was a reverse-guiding drug…”

Dohyeok’s calm voice added a layer of persuasion.

“I’ve heard you’ve never killed anyone before.”

It was true, so Yeowon nodded silently.

“After you kill someone, you feel uneasy. You regret it. Once you kill someone, there’s no turning back. That’s why murder is difficult.”

A chilling reality was contained in the calm voice.

Yeowon instinctively realized that these were words born from experience.

“That’s what murder is. Now, let’s go back to the beginning and make your choice.”

“…”

“Will you shoot?”

“…Yes.”

“Why did you make that decision?”

“Well… because you’re more important to me than some unknown esper.”

“I’m important to you?”

“Yes.”

Dohyeok was momentarily speechless at Yeowon’s reply.

It was an answer that was so blissful it made his eyes water. Those few words sent a thrill of ecstasy through his entire body. The sudden surge of joy was astonishing.

He wanted nothing more than to bury his face in the guide’s tear-stained cheek right then. Unable to resist the urge, Dohyeok did just that.

“I feel the same way,”

“…”

“The guide is more precious to me than some unknown person. That’s why I killed them. But I feel so heartbroken seeing you blame yourself so much.”

“It was me who killed them. I think it’s my fault.”

Yeowon didn’t ask why things had turned out this way. She understood.

And understanding made her feel sorry for being overly sad. It was like a pointless tantrum, crying in front of an esper who had chosen to kill for her.

She felt ashamed, as if she had acted like a spoiled child. With a voice barely above a whisper, Yeowon murmured, “…Dohyeok, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Is that so?”

“Neither did I,”

“Yes, it was an accident,”

The guilt that had weighed heavily on her shoulders was significantly lighter now that he had given her this definition.

As she felt her heart calming down from Dohyeok’s comfort, Yeowon suddenly remembered what had happened at the market.

The man who had thrown the fake grenade and acted so insolently. She had threatened him, saying that if he did it again, it would be okay to kill him.

It was something said with the knowledge that it wouldn’t happen again, but she shouldn’t have acted so impulsively.

Suddenly, the Espers who invaded the Ark and lost their lives came to mind one after another.

Their deaths were carried out under Jay’s hands.

Thinking about it that far made her realize just how much she had been protected.

If Jay had truly wanted to make her grow, it wouldn’t have been strange at all to bring someone and force her to kill them.

That’s the kind of world this is.

But despite being capable of doing so, despite being the kind of person who could do so without hesitation, Jay didn’t act on it.

Because she was worried about her.

Even for that crazy guy.

I am being protected not just on the outside but also on the inside.

***

It’s easier if you give up.

That’s just how life is.

After putting the shocking experience at Shelter Sakhalin behind her, Yeowon fully embraced a life of lounging around. It was her way of washing away the mental fatigue through the familiarity of her daily routine.

Dohyeok was the one who benefited from this. After their trip to Sakhalin, Yeowon had grown significantly more reliant on him and spent most of her days by his side.

Jay watched the two with a sense of satisfaction. However, she didn’t carelessly show her contentment.

I’m itching to tease those guys, but I’m holding back. If I provoke her too much, Yeowon will yell, ‘We’re not dating!’

If that happens, it’ll be Dohyeok, not a frog, who gets hit by a falling rock.

[TL/N : This is a Korean idiom that means “If things go wrong, the innocent party will suffer.”]

Still, I want to tease her a little.

“I’m kind of bored. Can I turn on the shelter radio? Is that okay?”

She asked casually, but Yeowon, who was completely absorbed in some kind of sudoku, didn’t even respond. Dohyeok just nodded absently, his eyes on Yeowon.

Jay snapped his fingers, and the radio started playing in the base. It was a popular song in the shelter.

[I wish you were here when I wake up. I want to be with you until just before I fall asleep.]

When this song played, the look on Dohyeok’s face as he gazed at Yeowon was so amusing. Oblivious Yeowon was the only one who didn’t notice. The atmosphere was almost unbearably sweet. What made it even funnier was Yeowon, completely unaware, cheerfully humming along to the radio.

“I love you. I love you so much. I want to stay by your side forever. I want to travel to every shelter with you.”

“…”

“You’re my barrier. Will you kiss me…, Hmm?”

As Dohyeok’s face gradually moved closer, Yeowon froze. Noticing her reaction, Dohyeok quickly straightened his tilted body and pretended to focus on his Sudoku, glaring at it as if it were the most important thing in the world.

Yeowon tilted her head in confusion, not understanding what had just happened.

“Dohyeok, do you think I made a mistake? Did I fill in the numbers wrong?”

Seeing Yeowon double-checking her sudoku puzzle, Jay wanted to smack her forehead. Oh, she’s so oblivious.

It wasn’t just in this moment, Yeowon was truly oblivious all the time.

She had tried so hard to make her wary of espers, but all her efforts were in vain. Even though she’d taught her how much power an esper could have over a guide. Maybe it was because she hadn’t experienced it herself.

It was understandable, though. To Yeowon, Dohyeok probably appeared to be nothing more than a genuine Esper.

Dohyeok wasn’t part of any compilation of incidents caused by Espers, so it was no surprise she lacked any sense of caution around him.

He’s not a criminal who destroyed the shelter, nor is he a crazy esper who goes around massacring people. He’s not even a common tyrant who rules over the shelter and exploits people. So, it made sense for Yeowon to let her guard down a little.

But still, an Esper is an Esper.

An esper who’s never killed anyone? Unless he’s just awakened, that’s impossible.

To sing a love song so carelessly in front of such an esper… Dohyeok must be dying inside.

Well, if he’s going to die, it might as well be in a pool of honey.

…That’s what I thought not too long ago.

The problem is, Dohyeok is actually drowning in honey.

Jay knew that Dohyeok hadn’t slept for over a month and ten days.

He spent his nights working out in the training room and showed up at the dining hall in the morning, waiting for Yeowon. Even though he’d been waiting for ages, he’d pretend otherwise and casually ask, “Just waking up now?”

From there, he spent the entire day playing various pointless games with his Guide, watching movies or dramas, working out together, and sharing lunch and dinner.

At night, they’d say goodnight and head to their respective rooms, only for Dohyeok to sneak off to the training room as soon as Yeowon was out of sight.

In that training room, he would push his body to the limit until he collapsed from exhaustion.

It was an utterly foolish thing to do, but Jay completely understood Dohyeok’s erratic behavior. In fact, she was so familiar with it that it didn’t even surprise her anymore. After all, she knew better than anyone how uncontrollable the sexual desires of an esper his age could be.

Yeah, having his guide right in front of him must be torture. But thanks to growing up seeing his mother’s example, he’s remarkably patient.

But I can’t let this go on any longer.

Jay stroked her chin as she looked at Dohyek, and then he made a decision.

Let’s send Dohyuk out of the base.

If he’s left unchecked, he might actually end up kissing or even sleeping with Yeowon. Jay knew Dohyeok was just waiting for the right opportunity. And Yeowon? She’d probably just stammer, “Oh, um,” and let herself get swept along.

There’s no one who wouldn’t fall for an attractive Esper who’s deliberately putting on their best charms.

Espers aren’t good-looking for nothing. Their beautiful, delicate features, their neatly groomed eyebrows, and their perfectly symmetrical faces go far beyond being merely neat and tidy.

This striking appearance is the result of relentless evolutionary adaptations aimed at winning over their Guides. Centuries of scientific research and history have long since proven this fact.

Just look at those burning eyes. Even as he hesitates endlessly, you can see his desperate yearning.

And the object of his desire is our clueless guide, Jung Yeowon.