“Naturally, the research direction has no choice but to change. Starting with the matching rate test again—.”
“What about Esper Do Ganghyun?”
I quickly cut off the Research Director’s words. The important thing wasn’t the clinical experiment or research. The person who hated pairs so much that he seemed ready to have a fit was precisely Do Ganghyun. How would he accept this situation? The problem was that even the possibility of what the result would be was unknown.
‘Perhaps…’
However, even while facing such negative reasons, my heart beat for no reason. Even if I tried not to harbor hope, since the situation had flowed this far, hope inevitably welled up. I even thought this might be an opportunity for my relationship with Do Ganghyun to meet a new turning point.
However,
“Esper Do Ganghyun is, tsk, still a bit in the situation…”
The moment the Research Director trailed off and indicated it was troublesome, I realized nothing had changed. And the fact that an even thornier path than now could unfold.
***
Meanwhile, Do Ganghyun was equally unable to accept reality. He had no memory whatsoever of what kind of thoughts he had or how he acted during the rampage.
‘I’m imprinted? And with Myeong Eunha, me?’
It didn’t make sense. Imprinting itself didn’t make sense, but natural imprinting made even less sense.
What was natural imprinting? Not only did the matching rate have to exceed 90%, but natural imprinting had an essential condition that hearts must be connected. The matching rate had been gradually rising with the clinical experiment and whatnot, so fine, but the latter was absolutely not the case.
‘We connected physically, but our hearts have never connected.’
For a moment, various thoughts he’d had while holding Myeong Eunha frantically in the isolation room came to mind, but he ignored them. It was a situation facing rampage, nothing else. Since he would have wanted to live, it wasn’t strange to have absurd thoughts or cling to his guide.
‘Don’t tell me…’
He wondered if this kind of mindset was also acknowledged. Suspicion sprouted that he might have filled the lacking parts through physical relations.
‘Or Myeong Eunha might have taken the imprinting drug.’
Hadn’t there been a lot of things going on recently with clinical experiments and matching rates? He might have conspired with the Research Director and received the drug. There was plenty of room for variables to play a role.
“You, don’t tell me you really liked Guide Myeong Eunha?”
Just then, Do Ganghui, who had been quietly watching Do Ganghyun, asked in shock.
Though she had rushed over at the belatedly delivered news of Do Ganghyun’s rampage, the scene she encountered at best was Do Ganghyun having a fit while turning the hospital room upside down. It wasn’t the aftermath of rampage. It was closer to venting anger, unable to control his fury.
Since she had expected to see him lying on the sickbed dying, it was fortunate it wasn’t a worrying sight, but it was a grim sight worrying in a different sense. Yet the reason for all this was in natural imprinting.
“Are you crazy?!”
Do Ganghyun jumped up as if he’d heard something terrible and shouted angrily.
“But the research lab staff said earlier that natural imprinting requires hearts to be connected—.”
“Be quiet.”
“……”
Do Ganghui was completely at a loss for words. Though he was her younger brother, the appearance he showed now was exactly like a stubborn child. It was ridiculous that someone who wasn’t even an elementary schooler but had eaten up twenty-eight years was denying his own heart.
‘Even to me, a third party, it’s this transparent.’
The assumption she’d doubted over the phone came to a conclusion too easily when facing him directly. Probably even if this incident hadn’t happened, she would have found the answer someday.
Do Ganghui glanced at her younger brother, Do Ganghyun.
‘That’s a lost cause.’
Now that things had come to this, she could only hope that the size of Guide Myeong Eunha’s feelings for Do Ganghyun exceeded imagination. She didn’t forget to hope that this bastard Do Ganghyun wouldn’t do foolish things and would just quietly keep his mouth shut.
“First, forget what I proposed before. I’ll take care of it myself.”
It was when Do Ganghui was about to get up from her seat.
“What are you talking about?”
“You already imprinted, didn’t you? Now that it’s come to this, what use is overseas or whatever. Just treat your guide well. I heard the matching rate is already overwhelming.”
“I’m going to break it.”
“What?!”
Do Ganghui had to immediately retract her wish. She shouldn’t have wished for her younger brother to keep his mouth shut, but should have wished for him to lie on the sickbed forever so he couldn’t think anything.
It was a problem of that magnitude. To the extent that it could only be expressed this way, Do Ganghyun’s actions were radical and destructive. Just who would abandon a partner with whom natural imprinting occurred with a matching rate exceeding 90% and look for someone else? Moreover, while accepting the obvious side effects that would follow imprint dissolution.
90% matching rate plus imprinting. With just those two things, the rank of C-grade became a meaningless number.
‘He was already throwing a fit even with an 80% matching rate, and I was turning a blind eye!’
Perhaps her mistake had started from there. She shouldn’t have turned her eyes away thinking it’s 80% but C-rank, but should have bowed and served him. She should have grabbed Myeong Eunha’s pant leg on behalf of her foolish younger brother and begged for his favor.
So blessed that he suffered for 10 years and still didn’t recognize it, and even now after natural imprinting he still didn’t recognize it and was like that—she should have built enough rapport to say she’d beat him up and fix his head, so please wait.
“I’m only saying this once, so listen carefully.”
Do Ganghui spoke resolutely toward Do Ganghyun, who was still refusing the fact she herself had realized.
“Treat Guide Myeong Eunha well.”
“…What?”
“Treat your guide well. You’ll definitely regret it.”
“If it’s regret, I’m already doing that.”
However, it didn’t seem the meaning was conveyed very well.
Do Ganghyun finally shuddered, saying even his family had gone crazy, then approached Do Ganghui threateningly and stood close.
“Proceed with the contract as is. Find a guide with matching waves overseas. I don’t even need as high a matching rate as Myeong Eunha. 70%, no, even just 60% is fine. If the rank is high, that much can be covered and more.”
“You, right now, in this state and condition—!”
“That’s why I need to find one even more. Because I can’t get any more broken.”
‘The pair contract I was going to break just became an imprint.’ Do Ganghyun repeated as if making a vow to himself.
In the end, at the words that he’d go all the way, Do Ganghui held her head. To have to pour out mental energy on something whose conclusion was obviously visible.
The biggest problem was that now that things had reached this point, she could no longer stop it. She shouldn’t have made the proposal from the start.
‘Do you have to taste it to know if it’s shit or soybean paste?!’
And such an idiot was her younger brother.
Do Ganghui let everything go and tossed out a remark. Containing her intention to remove herself from all this.
“I don’t know. You persuade Father yourself.”
However, while spitting out the words, she thought. In the end, she would be involved in all this, and Do Ganghyun would be accompanied by deep regret.
***
Do Ganghui’s prediction was not off by even an inch. Do Ganghyun, who had been throwing a fit on the spot, went as far as to call his father and obtain consent for imprint dissolution in one shot.
‘Are they all sane?!’
In fact, rather than consent, it was something accomplished with Do Ganghyun’s semi-threatening persuasion using his own life, done reluctantly, but still, the fact that Father affirmed his intention remained unchanged.
And as expected, the task of obtaining the imprint dissolution drug was given to Do Ganghui as her responsibility.
“Let’s say I obtain the drug for you. Can you actually make your guide take it?”
Do Ganghui asked sharply. She couldn’t pull out her feet, and since she couldn’t resign herself to the situation flowing this far, irritation welled up.
However, regardless of her attitude, Do Ganghyun retorted.
“Who’s my guide?”
Of course, he was quite off the mark.
In fact, in Do Ganghui’s view, Do Ganghyun’s judgment was currently very clouded. He had just experienced a rampage crisis and even achieved natural imprinting in an unsound state, so there must have been major changes in his waves.
Though she was an ordinary person without direct experience so couldn’t know exactly how it would be, it wasn’t that she had no expectations. Perhaps he was strongly revealing resistance to uncontrolled feelings, the exact opposite result of rejecting and denying his guide until now.
‘But this isn’t right!’
Especially in a situation where he was trying to jump into hellfire with that clouded judgment.
“Everyone in the world says so. That Guide Myeong Eunha is your guide.”
“……”
“Anyway, do you know how toxic imprint dissolution drugs are? You’ll definitely get messed up, this. Guide Myeong Eunha was also hospitalized from this incident.”
It was a body that had already been hospitalized once a few months ago. From what she heard, he was also nursing his grandmother, so his stamina might have fallen below that of an ordinary person. A drug strong enough to break an imprint connected to an SS-rank Esper for such a guide?
‘It’s an insane idea.’
Imprinting drugs were toxic enough to be a great burden on a guide’s body, so they could only be used with the guide’s consent. How could he consent knowing his life was at risk, perhaps even leaving permanent disabilities?
