Liar Paradox - Chapter 32

"Team Leader, you're here because of the Miudong Gate, right? Its estimated threat level is low, but there's something odd about it. I have a mission today, so I'll head out first."

"Understood. Be careful."

Baek Haeryeong's hurried departure was a familiar sight to everyone. Across the entire country, there were fewer than ten healers. In fact, Baek Haeryeong was the only A-Class healer, so requests for her deployment poured in incessantly from all over.

"Wait a moment."

Gu Jei stopped Baek Haeryeong just as she was about to step out the door.

"What is it?"

Gu Jei paused briefly, then continued calmly before anyone could notice his hesitation.

"...Could you check someone out when you get back? It's just a minor fracture."

"Team Leader, you're really something. How can a broken bone be considered a minor injury? Espers always underestimate their injuries. Anyway, I'll take care of it. But this is the first time you've asked me for a personal favor like this."

"It's because he was injured due to my mistake."

A flicker of surprise crossed Baek Haeryeong's eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then glanced at Seong Semin before nodding and leaving the living quarters.

After Baek Haeryeong left, they began discussing the Gate in earnest.

"The estimated classification for the Miudong Gate is C-Class. Unlike other Gates, it appeared suddenly without any warning signs. However, analysis indicates no other unusual characteristics."

As soon as Woo Taegyu finished his explanation, Seong Semin grumbled.

"Are you absolutely sure about this one? The last Gate we tackled was completely different from what the analysis team predicted. They said we could clear it in two days, but it was so vast that finding the Core took a whole week. If it had taken any longer, we would have starved to death in there."

"Still, we managed to clear it safely thanks to Team Leader, didn't we?"

"Oh, so the Team Leader did all the work and I did nothing?"

"Of course not, Senior! You were a huge help too!"

"Spare me the flattery. You're practically grovelling. Anyway, Team Leader, the data the Gate analysis team has been sending us lately has been a complete mess, right? Go give them a piece of your mind. Tell them to stop slacking off and do their jobs properly. They just sit around staring at monitors all day, but their mistakes could get us killed!"

Seong Semin was always grumbling and complaining, but this time, his words held a grain of truth.

The interior of a Gate was a completely separate dimensional space, entirely isolated from the outside world. Within, swarmed countless bizarre monsters never seen before, and to completely eliminate them, one had to destroy the Core—the energy source maintaining the Gate.

This Core was both a geographical feature and a monster. If left intact for too long, the Gate would begin to erode into the real world, unleashing its monstrous inhabitants upon the outside world.

Recent advancements in Gate research allowed for the prediction of a Gate's location, class, and approximate size before its emergence. However, Seong Semin believed that current Gate analysis was no more accurate than a weather forecast. He attributed this to the analysis team's laziness, but Gu Jei had a different explanation.

"It's not the analysis team's fault. The Gates themselves are undergoing transformations."

Gu Jei's words caused everyone's faces to freeze simultaneously.

"Do you truly believe that?" Woo Taegyu asked gravely. Even Seong Semin, who had been teasing everyone moments before, fell silent, his eyes fixed on Gu Jei's lips as if desperately hoping for a denial.

"Yes," Gu Jei replied.

It was not the answer they had hoped for.

"So, prepare thoroughly. Don't underestimate it just because it's only C-Class."

"Huh? What's this? Why are you looking at me when you say that?"

"Normally, at this point, you'd be grumbling about why our team has to deal with something as trivial as a C-Class Gate."

"No, that was when the Gate analysis was reasonably accurate. It's not now, so why would I complain?" Seong Semin raised his voice, sounding genuinely aggrieved.

"It's actually the opposite now. How can we enter without reliable information? We're scared!"

"That's how we used to do things back in the day," Gu Jei said matter-of-factly, leaving Seong Semin speechless. His opponent was an elite who had been raised at the Center since he was five years old. He knew and had experienced far more than Seong Semin, who had hung around back alleys before his Esper abilities awakened by chance.

Isn't he so damn great. Seong Semin muttered irritably, his eyes meeting Gu Jei's.

"Don't be scared. I won't let you die," Gu Jei said calmly.

Seong Semin's expression twisted into a scowl so fierce that Woo Taegyu nervously glanced away.

But if Baek Haeryeong, the center's most perceptive member, saw Seong Semin right now, she would have chuckled, "He always acts like this when he's trying to hide his true feelings."

Seong Semin's anger flared a beat late.

"...Seriously? Who said I was scared? Honestly, the real terror isn't the Gate—it's you, Team Leader! How terrifying is it to have to stick with an S-Class Esper who could go berserk at any moment? That issue's really resolved, right?"

"Yeah."

"But why are his readings still like that?"

As an Esper with exceptional vision, he must have checked Gu Jei's watch in the blink of an eye.

"Is he refusing to provide Guiding because he hates his husband for entering the Gate right after the wedding? What a petty man."

The team members weren't aware of the details of the contract between Gu Jei and Yeo Hanseo. But those who witnessed it firsthand couldn't help but know the rumor that Gu Jei had fallen for Yeo Hanseo at first sight and chased after him was a lie.

Some even realized the true purpose of the marriage: to wrest Gu Jei's sole compatible Guide from the Center's control. Among them were the perceptive Baek Haeryeong and, surprisingly, Seong Semin.

In Seong Semin's case, he had guessed correctly purely out of homophobic prejudice, believing that Gu Jei, whom he respected, could never be attracted to another man.

On the other hand, there were those who remained completely oblivious to this truth, genuinely believing the facade.

"Senior, why are you talking about sister-in-law like that?"

Sister-in-law...
형수님 the wife of your big brother

The atmosphere grew even darker and colder than when Seong Semin was spewing sarcastic remarks. It was so intense that even Seong Semin found himself cautiously watching Gu Jei's reaction.

Yet Woo Taegyu remained blissfully unaware of the tension, just blinking his bright eyes.

"So, our team is going to handle the Miudong Gate?"

"Yes."

"Okay! I'll go submit the mission request right away!"

Woo Taegyu, true to his junior status, moved with youthful efficiency.

However, the news he brought back shortly after was far from what anyone expected.

❖ ❖ ❖

I'm screwed...

Hanseo stared out the window at the already brightening sky, his eyes bloodshot.

He had spent the entire night agonizing over how to persuade Gu Jei to allow contact Guiding.

Overpower him with force?

Impossible unless he was reborn as an SS-Class Esper.

Convince him with words?

What could he possibly say when Emission Guiding was already sufficient?

Should he confess that he was from the future and knew why Gu Jei would die?

If that was possible, he would have done it long ago.

I'm stuck.

He had been too complacent, thinking everything would go according to plan. But to be blocked here? As he sighed, his stomach rumbled loudly, oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

Alright, let's eat first and think about it later. Hanseo got up. He needed a full stomach to have the energy to think properly.

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang shortly after he'd placed the delivery order. That was fast, Hanseo thought, hurrying to open the door. A delivery worker stood outside, holding a plastic bag.

But instead of leaving the food, the worker remained standing there.

What's this?

Han Seo tilted his head in annoyance to check the delivery worker's face, and his eyes widened. In that moment, the worker brushed past him and stepped inside.

Huh?

Dazed, Han Seo followed the worker inside. Though the worker was now dressed in casual clothes, having changed overnight, his towering 190cm frame was unmistakable. He must have known this himself, Hanseo reasoned, and used an item to conceal his physique.

Gu Jei tossed a plastic bag, still reeking of oil, onto the table and sank onto the sofa. His face looked so cold it seemed like ice shards would fall if you scratched it. He was in such a foul mood that Hanseo wouldn't have gone near him in his past life.

"You're here early," Hanseo forced himself to ask, suppressing the urge to flee. After Gu Jei's abrupt departure yesterday, he hadn't expected to see him again today. Did he entered a Gate overnight and need Guiding? Hanseo tried to glance at Gu Jei's watch, but it was obscured from his angle.

Gu Jei stared at Hanseo, who stood there looking bewildered. Dark circles under his eyes suggested he hadn't slept all night, just like Hanseo. He probably couldn't resist entering the Gate again...

"I need Guiding," Gu Jei said.

"Ah, yes."

Since Gu Jei came to him first, it was a good thing. Hanseo quickly sat down next to him, before he could change his mind. Let's see... Han Seo glanced at his watch out of habit, and his eyes widened.

Huh? Why is it still the same as yesterday?

"Didn't you clear the Gate?"

Gu Jei's eyebrows twitched, as if something about the question was wrong. Hanseo instinctively recoiled, then quickly straightened back up, trying to act nonchalant.

"I didn't go in."

Seeing the same numbers as yesterday, it seemed that was indeed the case. But why did he came for Guiding? With this question lingering in his mind, Hanseo opened his mouth.

"As I mentioned yesterday, this is the maximum reduction achievable through Emission Guiding. Doing more would be pointless."

He said this just yesterday, so anyone with even a decent memory should remember it. Then why was Gu Jei...?

"50%."

"......"

"What would it take to reduce it to 50%?"

When did I fall asleep? The absurd thought suddenly crossed Hanseo's mind. But if this wasn't a dream, how could such words possibly come from Gu Jei's mouth? If he weren't standing right in front of Gu Jei, he would have pinched his cheek to check if he was dreaming.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Hanseo asked.

"Why did you change your mind?"