I first met Park Geonwoo at the Blue House.

There was a special event held there to commemorate Youth Day. At the time, both Park Geonwoo and I were in our first and second years of middle school, and we had been selected to read a statement as youth representatives.

Park Geonwoo had awakened as an Esper in his first year of middle school. With his handsome looks and kind personality, he enjoyed the popularity of a “nation’s son” figure.

He was popular with people his age too, so when word got out that I’d be reading the statement alongside him, my classmates were all envious.

After rejecting the exclusive contract with Joo Seunghyuk, I transferred to a school with a special track for Guides. Since all the students in my new class were also Guides, their envy seemed even stronger.

But I couldn’t share their excitement.

“So I’m going to meet the sub-seme from the original story...”

In the original novel, Park Geonwoo had been one of the characters who disliked Lee Yeonsu.

He had such impeccable manners that he never showed it outright, but deep down, he considered Yeonsu to be “a disrespectful idiot who thinks he can do whatever he wants just because he’s high-ranked.”

Then again, Yeonsu constantly looked down on him, comparing him unfavorably to Joo Seunghyuk—so he kind of had it coming.

When Yeonsu was finally cast aside by Seunghyuk and went to Geonwoo for help, Geonwoo had coldly turned him away.

I didn’t want to get involved with any of the original characters, and Park Geonwoo was no exception. So reading a statement with him wasn’t something I was particularly excited about. Honestly, it made me uncomfortable.

Still, it was just a reading. There was no need to get worked up. I pushed down my unease and headed to the Blue House.

“Hi, you’re Yeonsu, right? Nice to meet you.”

Park Geonwoo had arrived first and greeted me.

On TV, he’d seemed gentle and sweet—but in person, while the droop in his eyes gave him a friendly look, he didn’t come across as someone easily fooled.

“Hello, Esper Park Geonwoo. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Haha. You’re being too formal. Just call me hyung. I’ll use your name too, if that’s okay with you?”

“Yes.”

Surprisingly, there was no sign that he disliked me.

According to the novel, Park Geonwoo had despised Yeonsu from the very first meeting...

“I heard you turned down the exclusive contract with Seonghan. They offer some amazing terms—even adults would hesitate over a deal like that. That’s impressive.”

Ah. So that’s why.

Ever since I rejected the exclusive contract with Joo Seunghyuk, praise had been pouring in from all directions.

“An S-rank Guide who gave up money for his principles.”

“A child Guide whose choice shames even adult ability users.”

There were articles like that, and plenty of people who complimented me in person too.

“Wow, you’re really something for your age. You’d be wasting your talent staying as some chaebol kid’s Guide anyway.”

“Ability users these days have no backbone. Selling themselves to rich families for money. We need more kids like you.”

“They say the chairman’s son is S-rank, but who really believes that? The results were probably rigged. Chaebol brats are all scum. I bet you turned it down because that Seunghyuk kid was pathetic. Am I right?”

“Kang Okeun’s career is over. Acting all dignified, and now she sells out to the rich? Greedy hag, grasping for cash in her fifties.”

Every time, I felt uncomfortable.

None of those people were actually complimenting me. They just wanted to bash the chaebols, bash Joo Seunghyuk, bash ability users in general—and I was a convenient excuse to do it.

But Park Geonwoo was different.

He never used nasty language to tear others down. He just sincerely praised me. It was exactly what you’d expect from the well-rounded sub-seme: talent, manners, and integrity.

Still, even if his words were meant kindly, I didn’t like what they implied.

“That’s not really true. I didn’t turn down the exclusive contract—I gave up on it.”

“Gave up...?”

“Yes. Esper Joo Seunghyuk is just too talented. I’m just a novice—someone like me isn’t qualified to guide someone like him. So saying I turned it down would be inaccurate.”

I’d finally stepped off the rails of the original story, but now people were dragging me back into it. Talking about me and Seunghyuk like I was using him for fame—no wonder he’d be pissed. I would be too.

If I were Seunghyuk, and someone rejected me and then used that rejection to gain popularity, I’d be furious.

I didn’t want to end up on a yandere’s hit list. I just wanted to quietly leave the plot.

That’s why I always made a point to clarify things like this.

“You’re humble. I heard people call you a prodigy.”

“They’re just being generous because I’m young. I really did give up because I’m not good enough.”

Park Geonwoo smiled gently and patted my head.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Yes, Esper Park Geonwoo.”

“I told you, call me hyung.”

“...Okay. Hyung.”

“Shall we practice our reading? The waiting room is this way.”

“Yes.”

I turned to follow Park Geonwoo—and that’s when I saw Joo Seunghyuk.

He was looking at me. I froze and quickly averted my eyes. He turned his head away too. He’d probably just glanced because I was in front of him—didn’t seem like he had any particular reason for being there.

Once he looked away completely, I let myself look at him properly. It was the first time I’d seen him since rejecting the contract.

Now that it was known he was the chairman’s biological son, his position within the family must’ve improved. He wouldn’t be scorned anymore. But his black eyes still held a trace of sorrow.

Why...? Did they not redo the DNA test? If so, maybe I should go see Chairman Joo and make sure...

As that thought crossed my mind, I heard the chairman’s voice.

“Seunghyuk-ah!”

He came rushing over and hugged Joo Seunghyuk tightly.

“Where did you go? You disappeared so suddenly—I was worried.”

His voice overflowed with affection.

So they had redone the test. That made sense—sending Taehan overseas, forming an exclusive contract with the legendary S-rank Guide, Kang Okeun...

As I watched them, Park Geonwoo called to me.

“Yeonsu, let’s go.”

“Ah, yes.”

I followed behind him, relieved to see the chairman acting so warm.

Seunghyuk’s sad expression still lingered in my mind, but... that was something I couldn’t fix.

***

That day’s ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) speech reading went flawlessly. All I did was read the script, but when Park Geonwoo read it—it was something else entirely.

He had a presence that drew in the audience. I was sure he’d be a great lecturer too.

“Hey! Shh!”

“Quiet! Yeonsu just walked in!”

The students who’d been chattering about Park Geonwoo shut up the moment they saw me.

The other groups went quiet too. Everyone was watching me. It was like someone had dumped cold water over the entire lecture hall.

I could tell exactly what they were thinking.

Lee Yeonsu and Park Geonwoo used to date. But while Park Geonwoo was in Africa, Yeonsu fell for Joo Seunghyuk. Now, not even a semester after cheating, the original boyfriend is back.

That was the kind of trashy soap opera plot they were probably writing in their heads.

Isn’t there someone with a big mouth or no filter? If anyone asked me directly, I’d tell them it wasn’t true.

But if I went out of my way to say it first, they’d think I was overcompensating and start gossiping anyway...

In the end, no one spoke to me at all—not until the lecture ended.

Damn. Being an outcast sucks.

***

After class, I was heading to the library when I spotted Kim Jun across the hall.

“Yeonsu-sunbae!”

The moment he saw me, he beamed and ran over. If he had a tail, it’d be wagging like crazy.

Being greeted like that lifted my mood too.

“Jun-ah.”

“Hehehe.”

“You look happy. Something good happen?”

“I’m just happy to see you, sunbae.”

God, he really is cute.

No wonder Park Geonwoo fell for him at first sight in the original.

“Me too. By the way, Jun-ah, you know Esper Park Geonwoo’s back in Korea, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“He’s giving a special lecture. Are you planning to attend?”

Kim Jun had always admired Park Geonwoo. He was the reason Jun had pushed himself so hard to get into the ability-user academy despite being F-rank.

In the original story, Geonwoo was his childhood idol—and his first love.

So I figured Jun’s heart must be fluttering with anticipation.

But with so many students trying to attend, an F-rank like him probably wouldn’t have a shot.

If Jun wanted to go, I wanted to help him get in somehow.

“I’m not going. Why would I attend a lecture for Espers? I’m too busy studying guiding.”

But the answer I got was completely unexpected.

“Huh?”

“If you ever give a lecture, sunbae, I’ll move heaven and earth to attend.”

...What?

Was he just putting on a brave face because he couldn’t get a seat?

“Jun-ah, do you... not like Esper Park Geonwoo?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, he’s super popular. Espers, Guides—everyone admires him.”

“I don’t care about Espers. They’re all trash.”

“......”

Oh boy. Jun had been spending a lot of time around the Changwi Guild. Looks like Jihee-noona’s way of talking rubbed off on him.

Still... no matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem to be pretending.

He really didn’t look excited about Geonwoo’s return.

“By the way, sunbae... are you close with Esper Park Geonwoo?”

“Huh?”

“I know the rumors about you two dating are nonsense, but... I just wanted to make sure.”

Finally. Someone asked.

“It’s just a rumor! Geonwoo-hyung and I are nothing more than senior and junior ability users.”

“I figured! I knew it. Um, sunbae—would you mind teaching me more about guiding?”

“Sure, ask me anything.”

“Thank you!”

Kim Jun smiled brightly. There wasn’t a trace of anticipation or nervousness on his face regarding Park Geonwoo’s return.

So... does he really not care anymore? Did his first love change?

Then why did he come to the academy in the first place?

Wasn’t it because he admired Park Geonwoo and wanted to help him?

...Did this part of the story change too?

I used to think the plot started shifting after my first time with Joo Seunghyuk.

But now I realized—things had started changing much earlier than I’d thought.

I’d just been too blind to notice.