GTLTGIDES chapter 62

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Eunsoo and I were on the move in a luxurious foreign car that Maria Polwel had arranged for us.

Even though Eunsoo tried to appear nonchalant, the excitement showed in her flushed cheeks.

Seeing her like that made me chuckle, but a sudden thought wiped the smile from my face.

“Damn it. I don’t speak English.”

Up until now, I’d managed to communicate with Maria Polwel in Korean, but I doubted the elderly person we were about to meet would be able to do the same.

It would be embarrassing to meet them and then not be able to hold a conversation.

Besides, I couldn’t exactly bring a translator to a meeting with none other than Elizabeth Polwel.

Thankfully, my worries were for nothing.

As soon as we arrived at the mansion, I was handed an automatic translator that fit into my ear.

“Impressive. Welcome to a near-future world.”

With a lighter heart, I walked ahead.

The mansion was enormous, a two-story house like something out of a movie.

The clean, warm-toned interior made it feel more like a museum or a well-decorated café than an actual home.

“Eunsoo, you should come this way.”

“No.”

Eunsoo, like a wary cat in an unfamiliar place, clung tightly to my back, gripping my hand as if she wouldn’t let go.

It pained me to have to pry her off, but I didn’t have a choice.

The person I was about to meet was none other than someone with “piercing insight into the truth.”

I stroked Eunsoo’s forehead.

“Eunsoo, it’s okay. You trust me, right?”

“… I just want to stay with you.”

“I have to talk with the grown-ups.”

“Grown-ups, again…”

Eunsoo pouted, but ultimately, she relented. What a good kid.

“My sweet child…”

But letting go of her hand and sending her off made me feel as if we were parting forever, even though I knew we’d meet again soon.

“Mr. Yang, this way, please.”

“Ah, yes.”

After a long, wistful look at Eunsoo’s retreating back, I finally managed to turn my attention to the voice calling me and followed.

The walk was longer than expected. I was led to a room far from where Eunsoo had gone.

Were they perhaps concerned about Eunsoo’s extraordinary abilities?

When I opened the door, the room was bathed in bright sunlight, and a subtle scent of black tea filled the air.

“Uh, hello…”

I awkwardly greeted the elderly woman sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room—Elizabeth Polwel, head of the Polwel family and a prophet.

My mind raced as I quickly considered how to address her. “Mrs. Polwel,” or perhaps “Master”?

“Nice to meet you. Call me ‘Lizzy.’”

“What?”

Bold, to say the least.

Not only could she read my thoughts, but she even offered me a nickname.

I stood there with my mouth open, utterly stunned.

Though I must have looked rude, she just smiled warmly.

As an orphan, I’d never had a grandmother, but I imagined this must be what it would feel like—someone who would forgive any of my mistakes with warmth and kindness.

Of course, the Elizabeth Polwel I knew wasn’t anything like a kind grandmother.

After all, she was practically the mastermind behind everything happening right now.

“First, I owe you an apology. Don’t be too hard on Maria. She was only following my orders.”

“… I’d like to know why. Why did you do it?”

“Of course. You deserve to know.”

When I sat down as she’d suggested, Elizabeth Polwel personally poured tea from a delicate teapot adorned with blue flowers.

The steam rose, filling the room with a gentle aroma.

After I offered a brief thanks and took a sip, she began to tell the story she’d been waiting to share.

“I’ve been watching over Young Eunsoo for a long time.”

I already knew that.

Eunsoo was the “savior” of this world in the “The Genius Guide’s Melancholy” narrative.

His existence was crucial in preventing the impending catastrophe.

That’s why Elizabeth Polwel had kept a close watch on him, ensuring that he didn’t stray from the path of the savior.

“I see you already know. Then I’ll skip the details.”

“Ah…”

Damn it. I really am terrible at acting.

‘Though, even if I were a good actor, I wouldn’t be able to fool her.’

After all, her “piercing insight” was that kind of ability—a power to see through lies and peer into the future with her golden eyes.

I decided to relax.

“But one day, I realized I could no longer see the child’s future as clearly as before. Something had changed—something that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Could it be…”

“Yes. After investigating, I found that a few seemingly insignificant events had occurred in the child’s life. He received a drink from a certain guest that day. And that guest returned later that evening and saved him from an assault.”

“…”

Was that when Eunsoo started to see me as more than just an extra in the background, as a person in his world?

‘It wasn’t even that special…’

A single drink—something so trivial. And stopping an assault on a child?

That was just what any adult should do.

But was that really enough?

How desolate must Eunsoo’s world have been for him to care about such small acts?

The thought made my heart ache, and I lowered my head, pressing my lips together to hold back my tears.

“From that moment, the child’s future grew increasingly obscure until it disappeared entirely. But since there were only a limited number of people in the child’s life, it wasn’t hard to identify you.”

The idea that Eunsoo’s future had become invisible because of me was something I had never considered.

It seemed my existence had a much larger impact on this world than I’d realized.

For a moment, tension gripped me.

What if she deemed me an unnecessary disruption and decided to remove me?

Or demanded I stay away from Eunsoo?

But the tension quickly faded when Elizabeth Polwel looked at me and smiled, her expression one of genuine amusement.

“It was quite fascinating. I never imagined my abilities could be so powerless. Haha.”

“Ah…”

I didn’t sense any hostility, but for a different reason, I still couldn’t bring myself to smile.

‘She’s really over-praising me…’

I was already flustered from receiving such a heartfelt confession from Rex, and now, with the strongest person in this world praising me, I felt like I was about to break.

If there were a blanket nearby, I would have kicked it. If there were a punching bag, I’d have swung at it.

If there were a hole, I’d have stuck my head in it.

I rubbed my face with both hands, trying to suppress the embarrassment.

“I’ve been watching you closely since then. Your actions seemed selfless and appeared to be for the child. But I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. I needed to be certain that there wasn’t another motive behind them.”

“So, you tested me yourself?”

“Yes. I deeply regret doing it without your consent, but I believed it was necessary. Even now, I still think it had to be done. You are free to resent me for it. I won’t offer any more excuses.”

Being tested like that feels utterly unpleasant.

But Elizabeth Polwel was also an adult who had been protecting Eunsoo.

Ensuring that the guardian close to the child was qualified to secure their safety and future wasn’t something unforgivable.

Of course, Elizabeth Polwel’s interest in ‘Ye Eunsoo’ wasn’t born out of the child’s intrinsic worth, but because ‘Ye Eunsoo’ was the one destined to save the world.

“I see. I understand. Thank you for explaining.”

That was enough. Knowing that Polwel wasn’t hostile toward Eunsoo was all I needed.

I didn’t feel the need to probe further.

Elizabeth Polwel quietly watched me as I nodded calmly.

“You must be a very special person.”

“…How do you see me?”

“Your aura is entirely different. I’ve met many children over the years, but there’s never been one quite like you.”

“…”

Her golden eyes, which didn’t seem human, bore into mine with a gaze so intense it felt as though she could peer directly into my mind.

At this point, there was no use in hiding anything.

There was no need to, either.

“I come from another world. I don’t know why, but when I opened my eyes, I was in this body.”

I didn’t go into the full details, but just revealing that I was a transmigrator made me feel like the weight on my chest was finally lifting.

Keeping such a secret can eat away at you.

And transmigration… well, it’s living someone else’s life.

No matter how little time Yang Heewoon had left, and even if his only remaining connection was to hope, it was, in the end, a deception.

Once I confessed the secret that had been rotting away inside me, the sense of relief was overwhelming.

“Is there something else special about you?”

“…Yes.”

But I would stop revealing things here. I needed to keep some cards close to my chest.

‘Who would believe me if I said that the world you live in is actually inside a book?’

Besides, it wasn’t the kind of story anyone would find enjoyable. It was a secret I should keep to myself.

“I have a question for you. Would you allow me to ask?”

Instead of divulging this world’s secret, I carefully began to speak.

There was something I had been curious about, the more I read and re-read.

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