Chapter 102
As soon as Song Ji-hyeok sat down next to me, he showed interest in my laptop screen. I immediately thought I’d made the right decision to close one of the windows.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m compiling dungeon data and editing it to make it easier to read.”
“Guides do that kind of work too?”
“It’s not mandatory… but I thought it might help someone if I put it together. Anyway, feel free to go rest if you’re tired. Or would you like to lie down on the bed?”
“No.”
After his sharp refusal, Song Ji-hyeok even went as far as to pout slightly.
“Why do you keep trying to send me away? Do you dislike having me here?”
His dejected gaze added to the unexpected facial attack. I didn’t dislike it, but even if I did, no one could tell the truth when faced with that expression.
“Of course not. I’m just worried you might be tired.”
“I’m not tired. If I got exhausted after just one dungeon run, I’d have to turn in my S-rank badge.”
Song Ji-hyeok’s attack wasn’t limited to just his facial expression. Though we’d made eye contact many times before, I suddenly became conscious of his direct gaze.
“Besides, the more tired I am, the more I should stick close to my Guide. Isn’t that right?”
I might have looked away unconsciously if I’d stayed a moment longer, but fortunately, something else happened. This time, Song Ji-hyeok’s device rang.
“Yes, Director.”
Director? The Skill Training Center Director? Anyway, nice timing, Director.
I was finally able to break free from the spell and look away. As I moistened my dry lips with my tongue, my heart was pounding fiercely. Whether he knew how I felt or not, Song Ji-hyeok continued his call.
“Yes. I’m in the guiding room. Yes. …Do I really have to go right now?”
I noticed his tone change slightly. Looking at him again, I could see his brow furrowing slightly.
“Yes. I understand.”
Soon after hanging up, he shared the details with an undisguised annoyed expression.
“He says he installed some new program and wants me to come try it right away. Even though he’s just going to watch.”
That’s only natural. Judging by the fact that he’s looking for you, I can imagine the difficulty level. How could the Director, who retired over 10 years ago, handle it…
But if I said this truthfully, Song Ji-hyeok would likely get upset, so I patted his shoulder and offered some encouragement.
“If it’s a simulation, it shouldn’t take too long. I’ll wait for you, and we can go home together later.”
“Alright.”
Despite his dissatisfied face, Song Ji-hyeok stood up obediently. I stood up as well, and he suddenly lifted my chin and kissed me.
“I’ll be right back.”
Then he strode out of the guiding room before I could say anything. After this sudden ambush, I froze momentarily, feeling the heat rise to my face a beat late.
‘It suddenly got hot in here.’
I sat back down on the sofa, fanning myself. As I reached for my laptop, which I hadn’t typed a single character on since moving seats, I suddenly froze.
I noticed a blood stain I hadn’t completely wiped away earlier.
“…”
The moment I saw it, the dream broke, and I came to my senses as if I’d been doused with cold water. Self-reproach followed.
This wasn’t the time to get excited over childish flirtation. The fundamental problem remained unsolved, and I felt pathetic for being momentarily distracted by Song Ji-hyeok’s affectionate behavior.
“Haah…”
My mood plummeted instantly. To top it off, the now-familiar headache struck again.
***
After that, my daily life didn’t change much. When I arrived at work in the morning, I would first read through dungeon conquest reports, and when I had time, I would devour papers on all sorts of guiding side effects and recovery processes. When lunchtime came, I ate with team members who remained in the office, never forgetting a cup of coffee afterward. Gitae hyung would ruffle my hair proudly when he saw that I had regained my smile like before.
But inside, it was different. No matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I sweated building muscle in the fitness room, the empty feeling inside showed little improvement.
To be more precise… fear had developed. The guiding sessions that I had once eagerly counted down to months ago now approached with dread.
The day after that clumsy guiding session, Song Ji-hyeok departed for the field again. Having performed well even in that awful regular dungeon, the guild seemed to think he had completely shed his trainee status and kept sending him out to maximize his utility. It would only get more intense from now on, never less.
“Haah…”
I sighed and flopped back against my chair. The letters no longer registered in my eyes, suggesting I needed a short break.
‘What should I eat for dinner tonight? Maybe I should have a beer with Kim Young-joo after so long?’
Ding-ding-
As if telling me to stop wasting company time, my phone notification rang not long after. Still in my relaxed posture, I turned on the screen only to slightly stiffen my expression. It was because of the message content.
[[Web notification] Guide Lee Su-hyeon of Sunrise Guild, please visit the Central Management Association (Awakened Center) by the end of this month for your grade reassessment.]
‘Is it that time already?’
This applied to all awakened individuals, not just me. Awakened individuals ranked B or below only needed to do this once every three years, and since you could take the whole day off work on that day, it was a nice bonus.
Normally, I would have checked the dates cheerfully right away, but this time I felt reluctant. It was because of the mental burden from the continuing guiding side effects.
I have a bad feeling about this…
Though I wanted to ignore it, I believe in handling tasks promptly, and as the deadline approaches, they send messages at increasingly shorter intervals, so claiming to have forgotten wouldn’t work. Finally, I sighed and opened my phone calendar.
Ironically, the date I chose was tomorrow. Since Song Ji-hyeok would be away anyway, I made the decision with the mindset that it’s better to face the inevitable sooner.
Despite my uneasy feelings, time flowed steadily. I had already submitted my leave request yesterday, so after relaxing at home, I left around 10 AM.
Unlike the quiet outside, the inside of the center was bustling with people. Probably over 90 percent of them were here for grade reassessment just like me.
After checking in, I plopped down on an empty chair. But before long, people started glancing at me and whispering. The man sitting diagonally across from me didn’t even try to hide his stare.
‘This kind of attention is unfamiliar.’
It wasn’t hard to figure out why. Although my presence might be insignificant, I was still a dual awakened with the impressive title of being the pair Guide to the ninth S-rank Esper in history—enough to make anyone stare.
Pretending not to notice, I mindlessly looked at my phone until I finally heard my name being called.
The examination room felt both familiar and unfamiliar. Though it existed in my memory, this was only my third visit in seven years, so it wasn’t exactly comfortable. The sight of other Espers sitting at each machine provided a strange comfort.
Unlike other awakened individuals who only needed one test, I had to take two tests on different floors. After visiting both the Esper-specific examination room and the Guide-specific examination room, it was already past noon.
The results came out quite quickly. Though text or email notifications took two or three days, you could get results within two hours if you stayed at the center.
I naturally chose to stay. Despite the continued stares, I ate lunch alone in the cafeteria with dignity, then sat on a sofa in the lobby waiting for time to pass.
The best way to clear my cluttered worries was to contemplate menu options. I recalled the categories of the delivery app I occasionally used, wondering what to eat for dinner.
Suddenly, I had to laugh at myself. Even in this situation, my appetite remained—I wasn’t sure whether to consider that fortunate.
“Guide Lee Su-hyeon of Sunrise Guild.”
Hearing my name, I jerked my head up. Since I was the only person named Lee Su-hyeon in our guild, I quickly stood up and headed to the desk.
“Your test results are ready.”
“Thank you.”
I immediately took the envelope the employee handed me. Once outside, I couldn’t even think of going far before hastily taking out the contents. As I unfolded the neatly creased paper, clear text caught my eye.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
