BCGWR Chapter 20 Part 1

As Han Ji-su struggled with his head bowed, Toto, who had been watching him cautiously, rushed over and flopped onto Han Ji-su’s thigh. Han Ji-su, seeing the plump belly suddenly in his line of sight, said,

“Toto… belly… fur…”

“Yes, Toto’s belly fur is very white. It’s alright. You’re doing well. Let’s find two more.”

“Haa… Hoo… Watch… My watch…”

“You’re finding them well. This is the last one. Let’s find just one more.”

At the word ‘last’, Han Ji-su, who had barely been able to roll his eyes, carefully moved his head. Then, a cushion on the sofa immediately caught his eye. It was the cushion that had been by his side all along.

“…The cushion…”

“Perfect.”

Jung Ha-jin, taking his hand off the back he had been stroking, picked up the cushion and placed it in Han Ji-su’s arms. Then, he took Han Ji-su’s wrist, placed it on the embroidered part of the cushion, and asked him to gently stroke it up and down.

“How does it feel?”

“Ha… It’s scratchy…”

“Then this side?”

This time, he made him touch the side without embroidery. Han Ji-su swallowed hard and then answered a beat later.

“It’s soft…”

“It’s soft.”

Jung Ha-jin took Han Ji-su’s wrist off the cushion and placed it on his other palm.

“Then how about this?”

“…”

Han Ji-su, with his wrist held, touched Jung Ha-jin’s palm and felt the sensation. It was a considerably rough hand. It was so rough that he wondered if he was rubbing sandpaper, but what was strange was that he still felt a softness despite it.

It was clearly rough to the point of being scratchy, so how could it feel soft? With that question, Han Ji-su unconsciously tilted his head and said,

“It’s very rough… but a little soft…”

Han Ji-su, who had answered whatever came to mind, momentarily wondered if he had been too honest and looked at the owner of the hand.

Jung Ha-jin, whose eyes met Han Ji-su’s, remained expressionless, but nodded with noticeably softer eyes.

“Yes. That’s precise. You did well.”

“…”

What exactly did I do well?

Just as he was wondering why he was being praised, Han Ji-su realized he was breathing properly and his eyes widened in surprise.

Then, Jung Ha-jin, who had been maintaining eye contact with Han Ji-su, nodded and emphasized once more.

“You did very calmly and well.”

Han Ji-su, hearing the continuous praise, hesitated, unsure how to respond, then nodded and replied in a small voice.

“…Th-thank you…”

“Squeak!”

“…Yeah, thank you too, Toto.”

“Squeak!”

Han Ji-su gently stroked Toto’s white belly, still lying on his thigh, and smiled faintly.

It seemed he really had done well, just as Jung Ha-jin said.

His breathing was miraculously comfortable.

Kim Hyun-ah, scanning her Esper registration card and entering the conference room, looked at the woman who had arrived first and was already seated. The young woman with short hair, nervously fiddling with a mug, widened her eyes and sprang to her feet the moment she saw Kim Hyun-ah.

Kim Hyun-ah, seeing “” written on the card key around her neck, composed her aura and offered a gentle smile.

“Hello. I am Esper Kim Hyun-ah.”

“…!! Oh, hello! I-I’m Esper Lim Se-ju…”

Although the ‘Esper’ part after her name was barely audible, her voice having significantly dropped, Kim Hyun-ah didn’t mind and approached, offering her hand first. Lim Se-ju hastily wiped her hands on her clothes, then carefully took Kim Hyun-ah’s hand and bowed 90 degrees to greet her.

Feeling Lim Se-ju’s hand tremble uncontrollably, Kim Hyun-ah let out a small laugh, realizing how nervous she was.

“You don’t need to be so nervous. Come, please sit comfortably.”

“Yes, yes… cough.”

As Lim Se-ju sat back in her original seat, Kim Hyun-ah took the seat diagonally opposite her, at the head of the table. Then, she gestured towards the tablet placed in front of Lim Se-ju and immediately got to the point.

“Is it in there? The video I absolutely must see?”

Lim Se-ju, despite her extreme nervousness, bit her lip and vigorously nodded towards Kim Hyun-ah. Then, in a slightly trembling but confident voice, she said,

“Yes. It’s a video related to Esper Kang Jae-yoon and… Esper Kim Hyun-ah’s family member.”

Kim Hyun-ah’s eyebrows shot up.

“…”

“Well… um… Esper Kim Hyun-ah, you’ve probably already completed your investigation into me, but… I possess the ability to analyze waves…”

As Kim Hyun-ah gave a small nod instead of a reply, the highly nervous Lim Se-ju continued her introduction, her voice trembling.

“But this is… um… actually, when I registered as an Esper, I just vaguely described it that way, but it’s a bit different. While it’s true I can see waves… I can also help others see them. However, with normal methods, others can’t see those waves… So, if I’m to show you this, uh, that is, I need to, uh… to Esper Kim Hyun-ah… uh… that…”

Kim Hyun-ah gazed silently at Lim Se-ju, who was constantly hesitating and trying to gauge her reaction, and asked in a low voice.

“So you need to use a Mental-element Skill?”

“…!! Yes, yes. That’s right…! So… I need to briefly… share my mind with Esper Kim Hyun-ah. If you reject me, I won’t be able to show you…”

“You know I have an L-rank brainwashing curse defense skill, right?”

“…!! Yes! Absolutely! It’s definitely not brainwashing or a curse, so you don’t need to worry! I can even sign a contract! On my life!”

Kim Hyun-ah, saying she was going to write a contract anyway, took an L-rank mutual non-disclosure agreement from her Inventory. As prepared, the contract detailed penalties for disclosing this information without mutual consent, or for harming each other with Mental-element Skills. It stated that violating it would not result in death, but permanent loss of sight.

“I’ve signed it, so you can read it and sign if you agree.”

“Yes, yes. Just a moment!”