GTLTGIDES chapter 65

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When I looked up, Elliot was gazing at me with a slightly awkward expression.

His cherry blossom-colored eyes were filled with warmth and affection, almost enough to make my heart flutter.

That look felt strangely familiar.

Where had I seen eyes like that before?

As I searched my memory, Maria Polwel raised her hands to shoulder height, as if to calm herself down.

“Wait a minute…”

Maria mumbled in a very flustered voice.

When she noticed our eyes on her, she smiled faintly.

It was a calm smile, but I could see it—the emotions hidden behind the mask.

There was no need to say anything more.

Maria Polwel was a highly skilled healing esper and a competent assistant to the head of the family.

“Ellie, I’m sorry, but we have a lot of work to do. We need to leave now.”

“What? Why are you being so serious all of a sudden?”

Elliot raised an eyebrow but didn’t try to hold us back, despite our busyness.

Instead, he looked at me, as if he regretted not spending more time with me than with his long-lost friend.

He touched my cheek, then smiled wistfully.

“Let’s meet again soon, okay?”

After parting ways with Elliot, and once he was completely out of sight, Maria Polwel’s face flushed bright red, as if the emotions she had been holding back had finally burst forth.

“Heewoon, you need to quit your job soon. I don’t know how you’re managing to stay in this condition, but you won’t last much longer.”

As expected, Maria knew about my body.

I shook my head, signaling that it wasn’t possible yet.

Maria stomped her feet impatiently, like someone in a hurry.

“Please reconsider… Don’t you want to see Eunsoo grow up into an adult?”

“It’s not something I can quit at will. There’s no one else to guide Special A Team but me. No one wants that position, and Eunsoo has lost her ability due to the trauma from the incident.”

“Ah…”

Maria must have understood the situation.

After all, there was a reason Elliot had come all the way to Korea.

Covering her mouth, Maria remained speechless for a while, her face pale and almost tearful.

“… I’ve never seen Ellie make that face before.”

“You mean that in a good way, right?”

“Yes, it really seems like Ellie likes you, Heewoon. So… Heewoon… Damn it. What do I do?”

There was no need to ask any further. Everything Maria Polwel said—her trembling voice and her sorrowfully twisted expression—gave me the answer.

I lowered my gaze to my feet.

‘I guess I’m going to die after all…’

It seemed that this body had long passed the point of being saved, even by someone as extraordinary as an S-rank Esper.

Whenever Maria Polwel used her power on me, my condition would noticeably improve, so I had harbored a small glimmer of hope.

Shamelessly, I thought maybe I could receive more help, but as expected, there was no changing my fate.

I glanced up at Maria, who was looking at me with concern, and smiled.

“I’m fine.”

Instead of clinging to false hope and begging for my life, I asked Maria to introduce me to a trustworthy lawyer.

Thanks to that, I was able to get my will, the division of my assets, and the custody of Hope all sorted out as best as I could in my current situation.

It was a relief in many ways.

In my circumstances, without Polwel’s assistance, I wouldn’t have been able to prepare for death so perfectly.

‘It feels… strangely empty.’

As I stepped out of the lawyer’s office, I looked up at the sky, tinged with a red sunset.

I had completed all the necessary tasks flawlessly, yet for some reason, my heart felt hollow, like a void had opened up inside.

Even after returning home, I spent a long time staring blankly at the TV.

I wasted what little precious time I had left in a completely meaningless way.

“Uncle, look at me.”

“Hmm?”

While I was preparing for the end, Eunsoo was getting ready for a new beginning.

School, to be precise.

Eunsoo was finally on the verge of living the ‘normal life’ he’d always dreamed of.

Dressed in a school uniform, Eunsoo stood shyly in front of me, his face full of nervousness.

“…How do I look?”

How could I answer that? He looked ridiculously cute.

Eunsoo in hisschool uniform—it’s something that fans of “The Genius Guide’s Melancholy”* must have imagined at least once.

Though Eunsoo was worried that the uniform wouldn’t suit him, there was no need for concern.

In fact, one might say that the uniform was complete only because Eunsoo was wearing it.

I smiled reflexively because Eunsoo was so adorable, but strangely, it didn’t make me feel as overwhelmed as usual.

My chest felt tight, so the feeling of happiness couldn’t quite reach my face.

Seeing my smile, Eunsoo relaxed and smiled back, but then he suddenly rushed over, startled.

“What’s wrong? Are you going to cry again?”

“Sorry. It’s just… you’re so beautiful.”

“Uncle, you’re such a crybaby…”

Thinking about how Eunsoo’s future would only shine brighter from here, I was filled with regret about my own short life.

Using my awe at him in the school uniform as an excuse, I hugged him tight and cried into his arms.

The emptiness I felt in my heart might not have been a void after all—maybe it had always been full.

Once I poured it all out through my tears, both my body and mind felt strangely lighter.

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A few days later, Maria Polwel, having done everything she could for me and Eunsoo, left Korea.

Afterward, Eunsoo and I moved into the enormous mansion Maria had gifted us.

Polwel had left most of the furniture, as well as various decorations and even the staff to maintain the house.

Compared to the size of the mansion, we had very little to bring with us.

We threw away most of our old furniture, and only brought the essentials, like the daily supplies Rex had given us and the fridge Cha Junseong had installed, along with some food.

Apart from a few things like the fridge, there really wasn’t much that required extra help.

But Maria, in her last act of kindness, insisted on hiring people to assist us, making the move effortless.

She was truly a kind person, worrying about us until the very end.

I wondered what had happened to that “arrogant billionaire” persona she had once shown me.

“Wow! Uncle, did you go upstairs? There’s an attic! The sunlight comes in beautifully, and I bet we can see stars at night! It’d also be great to watch the rain from up there!”

While I was exhausted just from unpacking my few belongings, Eunsoo was excitedly exploring the big new house, chirping like a baby bird every time she came back to me.

I could picture the layout of the house just from her chatter alone.

I gently pinched his flushed cheeks and smiled, forgetting how tired I was.

“Do you like it that much?”

“Of course! The school is nearby, and the house is amazing! There’s even a deep fryer and an oven in the kitchen. Since we still have plenty of food left, just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll make it for you.”

“Aren’t you spending too much time feeding me? You need to get ready for school, too.”

“It’s fine. I’ll do both. Oh, and there’s also a study filled with books. They even moved the books and notebooks I used before! Can I use it as a study room? And there’s a dressing room, too…”

Though he hadn’t shown it, Eunsoo must have felt disappointed with the small, barren place we used to live in.

Of course, I had always known that, even if he’d spent his life confined, he had been trapped in the luxury of Polwel.

I felt both guilty for keeping him in such poor conditions and happy seeing him so purely overjoyed.

Eunsoo had just finished exploring the house when he opened the glass door leading to the garden and gasped in amazement.

“Uncle, come here! The garden is huge! What should I do? I don’t think I can manage it… It’s too much work.”

“It’s fine. Someone comes regularly to take care of the garden.”

“Then we just get to enjoy it? Nice!”

As soon as Eunsoo realized the garden maintenance was handled, he ran outside barefoot.

I followed him but, instead of exploring with him, I sat on a chair in the corner of the garden.

“Wow, there’s even a pond! And fish!”

Unlike me, Eunsoo was full of energy.

His excited voice filled the lush green garden as he marveled at everything, like a curious child.

I watched him briefly, then looked up at the sky.

“It’s warm…”

The weather was beautiful today.

The high, clear sky and the warm sunlight, along with the gentle breeze, seemed to signal that autumn, the season of high skies and rich harvests, was near.

It wasn’t too hot or too cold—just pleasantly comfortable.

Above all, my heart felt at ease.

There was nothing left to worry about.

Polwel would continue to be a strong supporter for Eunsoo, both financially and socially.

Eunsoo would be well-protected.

We had a home now, and plenty of money.

And with a caretaker visiting regularly, there would be no inconveniences in daily life.

Eunsoo, who had found some fish food, was feeding the koi in the artificial pond.

Lying back on the chair, I blankly watched Eunsoo as he sparkled under the sunlight.

‘Eunsoo… He looks happy…’

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