Pretending to Be the Lover of an Esper C2

Chapter 2

The clipped, emphatic voice carried a confidence that even I could recognize as unmistakably certain. As I had anticipated, Lee Taeon was utterly shocked—far more than when, just after awakening, the man before him, whose face he did not remember, had shouted, “We were seeing each other!”

“I… you confessed…?”

The voice was painfully dumb, even rising slightly at the end from sheer surprise. It was a sight I had never witnessed from Taeon before.

I struggled to suppress the urge to clap my hands and burst into laughter. To restrain it, I bit my lips and pressed my hands firmly onto my thighs. Taeon, noticing my paleness and the twitching of my cheeks, hurriedly continued speaking.

“No, Yunseong. I mean… it’s not that I dislike it or anything. It’s just that I never imagined I’d be confessing my feelings to someone.”

“Yes, I know. It’s alright. That’s what you said.”

“Me? …What did I say?”

“You said you’ve never had a proper relationship, never liked anyone else before. So everything feels uncertain and awkward, but you still wanted to give your best to me.”

It was a glaring lie, ridiculous even to my own mind. Yet, like a possessed music box, I could not stop, and continued to deliver the illusion calmly, as if premeditated.

“So… does that mean we’re dating?”

“No.”

“Then…”

“Not yet. I haven’t answered.”

I smiled, though the corners of my lips quivered slightly. Unease and tranquility alternated, making my heart surge. I could think of nothing at all. Perhaps because my mind was clear as a cloudless sky, or perhaps because it was filled with relentless torment.

“Can I hear that answer now?”

“That’s not possible.”

He spoke with a chill of absolute finality. To Taeon, it would sound like a definite refusal. His brows immediately drew together.

At that moment, I felt an irresistible urge to pry open the contents of Taeon’s mind. I wanted to uncover every thought, satisfy my curiosity, and smile with delight.

Why do you wear that regretful expression? Why do your eyes seem so sullen?

“May I ask why?”

“Well… you don’t remember, right? You can’t expect someone with no memory to answer a confession about memories they don’t have. You have to be a little careful, too, Taeon. What if I were some unscrupulous person pretending to be your lover, taking all the sweet parts for myself?”

“What possible benefit could you gain by pretending to be my partner?”

“Perhaps many. I could ask for a guarantee, for example.”

“I don’t even provide guarantees for my family.”

“Just saying. Anyway, the answer is postponed—until your memories return.”

He ended with a wry smile. He… seemed to accept it without much thought. As if he had no suspicion that I was lying. Having experienced the familiar guiding energy and shared sensation, it was a natural reaction, yet a prickling sensation lingered in my chest.

“Instead, I want to start over.”

“Start over what?”

“What else? Seeing each other. Let’s rebuild our feelings, from the beginning. Taeon and I.”

I pointed a finger at Taeon, jabbed the air toward myself, and he watched me idly.

“But since I already have feelings for you, Taeon, you just need to like me back. I’ll put in the effort.”

I smiled again, lifting the corners of my eyes deliberately. Had Taeon been fully aware of his memories, he might have exclaimed at my scheme, but in his current state, he could only accept everything I presented at face value. Slowly, as if enchanted, he nodded.

“I’ll try as well.”

Try in seeing each other? Such a typically curt response. I could not hide my delight and, saying, “Good, nice to work with you,” extended my hand. When Taeon instinctively reached out, I shook it up and down with vigor.

After the firm handshake, I rose as though my business were complete.

“I should be going now. You should rest some more, Taeon.”

It was a simple farewell, in stark contrast to the tangled confessions I had just poured out. Taeon only wore a slightly dazed expression and did not attempt to stop me.

I waved gently one last time. For a fleeting instant, I imagined him suddenly regaining his memories, yelling at me irritably—but no sound came before the door closed.

My body collapsed. Just a few steps from Taeon’s room.

“You’re crazy, Yunseong. What now?”

The moment I spoke, the overwhelming reality pressed down upon my shoulders.

Yunseong. Why did you do something like this? What will you do if his memories return?

Short-term amnesia is not permanent. Tomorrow, or even in a few hours, Taeon could reclaim the past three years of his life.

〈He’s just a barrier to keep me from running wild. One year tops. After that, he can pair with someone else. No. By then, he’ll stay with that person long enough. The new partner won’t be someone like him.〉

His sharp words, heard long ago, gnawed at my mind. Suddenly, a fierce impulse rose—I wanted to return to the hospital and confess the truth. Yet another instant, and the desire to deceive him again surged.

I could not resist and tapped my forehead repeatedly.

〈Did I fall for you first?〉
〈I’ll try as well.〉

The brief, tender warmth could not be ignored.

In the end, my honest feelings for Taeon—love, resentment, whichever name one might give it—prevailed. The scale tipped decisively.

I was greedy, selfish, as he had said in the past.

It proved that he had never once been wrong.

“Just a little… just a little more…”

I buried my face in my hands, murmuring. Perhaps… maybe… Taeon could come to love Yunseong. If that happened, until his memories returned, he would love Yunseong. Could one not indulge in such a sweet dream at least once in a lifetime?

I longed to capture even a drop of Taeon’s affection. Even a single droplet amid the overflowing sea of his surrounding disdain would suffice. If I could be certain it existed, I could endure any terrible destruction with joy. I believed I could.

The tender affection Taeon showed me, without knowing my past transgressions, was intoxicating in its fragments alone. The coldness of his former demeanor felt a distant memory.

The low, sinking voice, the gaze laced with overt contempt…

My dazed, confused mind gradually traced the first page of the past.

The moment everything began, the time of our worst possible first encounter with each other.

We met in early May, when spring was at its peak. It had been just over a month since I ended my pairing with my fifth partner esper.

The National Land Safety Management Disaster Support Office was casually referred to as the ‘Center.’ Its predecessor had been a government organization called the Ability Management Center. As the number of espers grew and monsters appeared in various regions, the Center expanded like a balloon to respond swiftly. The structure and branch offices were established rapidly.

Taeon had manifested as an esper at age twenty and had remained at the Gyeonggi branch. I, too, had manifested as a guide at twenty, but my assignment was in Seoul.

We had lived entirely separate lives until being paired, only meeting face-to-face at that moment.

I signed the pairing contract and, once assigned to the Gyeonggi branch where he was stationed, opened the door to the dormitory.

“Hello. As of today, I am your partner guide…”

The smoothly delivered greeting faltered instantly when I saw the man standing there in the backlight, his face tilted slightly, as if all power had been cut. I thought I heard a faint exclamation, though it was barely audible.

“You must be Ji Yunseong?”

Tall and sturdy, casually dressed, yet exuding an imposing aura, the man—my new partner, Lee Taeon—greeted me with a presence far more striking than I had imagined.

The bridge of his nose beneath a straight forehead was sharp and defined. Shadows beneath the eye sockets lent a mature air.

His firmly pressed lips and thick eyebrows gave a subtly rebellious impression, yet the slightly upturned, clear eyes softened the effect, making him seem like a man with a story.

In the dimly lit living room, illuminated only by indirect lights, Taeon’s broad shoulders and elongated neck caught the warm red glow of the sunset spilling in through the window.

“Why aren’t you answering? Are your ears blocked?”

Even his voice, a pleasantly low tone brushing my ears… wait, what?

A chill ran down me as though doused in icy water. There was no need to look around. His sharp voice was unmistakably directed at me.

The rational part of me, captivated by his appearance, responded instinctively before I could compose my thoughts—or rather, restrain my temper.

“Then, you must be Lee Taeon?”

Taeon’s eyes narrowed. To be confronted so boldly by a newcomer on first meeting was irritatingly amusing. What could he do? Yet I barely gathered the patience to swallow the harsh words that wanted to escape.