Guide Me If You Dare novel Chapter 228

Chapter 228: BREAKING THE SILENCE

"DO YOU know why I hate you, Lee Sarang?"

Haaah.

Lee Sarang couldn’t help but feel bitter that even right at that moment, Mo Hanjin couldn’t hide his animosity towards her.

Actually, she didn’t care anymore now that she was "sober."

However, she was curious.

"Tell me," Lee Sarang said. She wasn’t afraid anymore since she knew whatever Mo Hanjin’s reason for hating her wouldn’t hurt her. All she wanted was to satisfy her curiosity. "Why do you hate me? Is it because you think I’m the reason your old Esper died?"

"I don’t "think" you’re the reason for her death— Bambi-ssi really killed my previous Esper just because he wanted me to be your Exclusive Guide," Mo Hanjin said bitterly. "At the time, I was the Guide with the highest compatibility rate with you. But I turned down the National Guide Bureau’s offer because I was imprinted to my Esper."

Oh.

Lee Sarang’s memories were a little blurry, but she could tell that Mo Hanjin was telling the truth.

"Of course, I could still guide you even if I was imprinted. But I told Bambi-ssi I wouldn’t be able to devote my life to you. And he didn’t like that. So, he killed my Esper and forced me to be your Exclusive Guide."

Ah.

Of course, at the back of her head, she had always known that it was the case.

However, this was the first time Lee Sarang had to face the brutal truth.

I’m really the reason Hanjin Oppa’s previous Esper died...

No, that person was killed.

"But that’s not the only reason why I hated you— why I hate you even now," Mo Hanjin said in an indifferent tone. "Lee Sarang, you’ve been living in blissful ignorance all this time because of Ryu Sungbin’s protection."

"Sungbin Oppa’s protection?" Lee Sarang asked, knitting his eyebrows from confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ryu Sungbin asked me to guide you in a way that will erase your memories of the terrors that you’ve witnessed while working for them," Mo Hanjin said, smirking bitterly. "That’s why you were never really "sober" when you were with me. Bambi-ssi didn’t complain as long as you were under my influence, even though he wasn’t happy that he couldn’t fully use you. After all, even Jin Sooin protected you all the time."

"Sooin Unnie protected me? How?"

"She took all the jobs that were supposed to be under your responsibilities— jobs that involved turning powerful and useful Espers into monsters."

To say that Lee Sarang was shaken would be an understatement.

She thought Ryu Sungbin and Jin Sooin didn’t care about her anymore.

But, come to think of it, she had really been living in blissful ignorance all this time.

The only thing I suffered from was my toxic dependence on Hajin Oppa’s guiding.

Lee Sarang didn’t even know that Matthew wasn’t the real Matthew until recently!

Her thoughts were only interrupted when Mo Hanjin started to cough up blood.

"Oppa...!"

Mo Hanjin raised his hand as if to stop Lee Sarang from making a fuss, and then he continued talking. "I don’t know what Bambi-ssi’s goal is, but he’s collecting either powerful Espers or low-ranking Espers with interesting skills from all over the world. He would ask Ryu Sungbin and Jin Sooin to kill Espers that caught his fancy. Then Matthew would turn those Espers into vessels for dungeon monsters. I don’t know how, but Matthew could turn those "vessels" into humanoid monsters."

"Humanoid monsters? You mean monsters wearing human skin?"

"Exactly. Since those monsters wear human skin, average Espers can’t detect them. Only natural S-Class Espers could since natural S-Class Espers were literally made by the System to kill all sorts of monsters."

Ah.

"I’m a natural S-Class Esper, but I haven’t encountered humanoid monsters yet."

"You have."

"What?"

"The enemies know that natural S-Class Espers could detect humanoid monsters, so they made him use a human skin that even natural S-Class Espers like you couldn’t notice."

"Who are you talking about exactly?"

"Who do you think is the most suspicious person here?"

It only took Lee Sarang to come up with an answer. "Bambi-ssi..."

After all, Bambi only appeared a few years ago.

And, when he did, everything had changed.

Bambi-ssi even managed to steal Sungbin Oppa from Noa Oppa.

"He’s the enemies’ perfect masterpiece," Mo Hanjin said in a voice full of difficulties. He then touched his neck and chest while breathing harder than usual. "Bambi-ssi isn’t human, but he’s living in the shell of someone who has the power... argh!"

Mo Hanjin then coughed up another huge chunk of blood.

That was when Lee Sarang remembered that, apparently, Mo Hanjin was under Oath that forced him to keep his mouth shut all this time.

But Oppa keeps talking about things he shouldn’t have been talking about...!

"Oppa, stop talking! It’s alright! You’ve already said enough!"

"The figures behind Bambi-ssi are old enemies of the First Generation of Espers and Guides..." Mo Hanjin said, taking a deep breath. And then he smiled— a smile of relief. It was as if he was satisfied that he had said the things he had always wanted to say. "Eomma. Appa."

What?

Lee Sarang thought Mo Hanjin was having a delusion and was calling his parents while on the brink of death.

But as soon as Mo Hanjin said those words, he shut his eyes tight and fell from his seat. It happened so suddenly. First, he banged his head on the table, and then his heavy body quickly fell from the chair.

He’s gone— Hanjin Oppa is dead.

But that wasn’t the piece of information I was expecting from him.

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