# Chapter 21
“What are you two doing?”
Just as the fight was about to start, an unexpected person stopped them. Or rather, the person who provided the fundamental cause of this fight.
‘Ju Saeon…’
Saeon and a group of B-grade Guides entered the chaotic break room. Jeongyun couldn’t hide his displeasure at the appearance of the person he least wanted to encounter at this moment.
“Saeon!”
The person who happily called Saeon’s name threw down the collar he had been gripping. Thanks to that, Wooyeon caught Jeongyun who nearly lost his balance and fell.Â
If I had known this would happen, I should have hit him instead of holding back, Jeongyun thought with belated regret.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
While Wooyeon was checking on Jeongyun, the person who had stuck close to Saeon was whispering something in his ear. Even without hearing, Jeongyun could tell they were talking badly about him.
“Is it him again?”
“He’s acting up because he became Choi Domin’s dedicated partner.”
“A C-grade has no right.”
The B-grade Guides boldly insulted Jeongyun without even trying to lower their voices, and other Guides who couldn’t handle the uncomfortable atmosphere quietly left their seats.
In this way, the atmosphere in the break room completely turned against Jeongyun, making him look like the aggressor.
“This asshole is fucking ridiculous.”
Wooyeon, unable to hold back anymore, tried to step in, but Jeongyun stopped him. If Wooyeon got involved, the situation would only get worse. A verbal fight could turn physical in an instant.
Moreover, if a fight broke out, there was a high probability that the two lower-grade people would bear the consequences. It couldn’t be helped. This was a place where invisible ranks existed.
“Wooyeon, let’s go.”
“Hey, Yeo Jeongyun. Aren’t you angry?”
Wooyeon grabbed Jeongyun who was trying to leave and asked. Jeongyun wanted to tell the truth but barely held back. He couldn’t let Wooyeon suffer because of him.
“I’m fine, let’s just go.”
“Yeo Jeongyun!”
Jeongyun gave an evasive answer and tried to pull Wooyeon, who was resisting, out of the break room.
Or at least, that was the plan. If only Saeon’s words hadn’t held him back.
“I heard C-grades have serious inferiority complexes, and I guess it’s true. Looking at how you pick fights only with B-grades.”
There were many errors in Saeon’s words. It was always the B-grades who started the fights first, and Jeongyun was the victim. Who could continually endure someone grating on their nerves for no reason?
Yet Saeon was shamelessly condemning Jeongyun, claiming all this happened because he was suffering from an inferiority complex. His followers behind him agreed that this was correct. It was a complete mess.
“Since becoming Choi Domin’s dedicated Guide, have you decided to live without caring about anything? Do you think grades are a joke, Mr. Yeo Jeongyun?”
“Grades are just based on ability, not a caste system.”
Unable to hold back any longer, Jeongyun finally confronted Saeon’s words head-on. Reason told him to stop now and turn away, but his patience had run out long ago.
Recently, hadn’t headquarters even made an official statement? “Discrimination based on grade is strictly prohibited for any reason.”
However, the grades divided by ability had long become an invisible hierarchy within headquarters. That’s why B-grade Guides including Saeon acted so boldly.
Until now, Jeongyun had only half-understood Wooyeon’s anger toward headquarters for allowing discrimination, but now he could fully understand. Experiencing it directly was truly awful.
“Let’s stop this now.”
“What?”
“Isn’t Guide Ju Saeon doing this because of Esper Choi Domin?”
Saeon’s eyes shook widely as Jeongyun hit the mark. Though he tried to act as if it wasn’t true, recognizing the gazes around him, Saeon’s true feelings were completely transparent.
“That’s not—”
“If you have something to say to me, come tell me directly. Stop childishly sending people to harass me.”
As if feeling guilty, Saeon’s face turned bright red. Indeed, from the backbiting to the shoulder bumping, it was childish harassment that could only be viewed as immature for adults.
‘What is Domin doing with this guy anyway?’
Jeongyun, not wanting to exchange any more useless words, gave Wooyeon a look to leave. But during that time, Wooyeon had gotten into a fight with another Guide and didn’t catch Jeongyun’s signal.
As Jeongyun was trying to stop what looked like an imminent violence, Saeon grabbed him. Just as he was about to ask if Saeon had more to say, he felt a sharp pain on his right cheek.
Slap!
Everyone held their breath at the sharp sound that echoed through the break room. Even Wooyeon and the B-grade Guide who had been arguing belatedly assessed the situation and weakly let go of each other’s collars.
‘Did I… just get hit?’
Jeongyun realized a bit late that he had been slapped by Saeon. His brain was working a bit slowly due to the sudden situation.
After straightening his head that had turned to the left, Jeongyun touched his stinging lips. Red blood spread on his finger. It seemed he had accidentally bitten his lip in shock from the impact.
“Don’t act so impudent when you’re just a C-grade.”
Saeon broke the long silence.
Jeongyun wiped the blood from his finger and exhaled the breath he had been holding. Then he slapped Saeon’s cheek with all his might. A crystal-clear impact sound rang through the break room again.
“…You, did you just hit me?”
Saeon sharply asked, holding the cheek that Jeongyun had slapped.
Just as Jeongyun was about to say that now they had fairly exchanged one hit each so they should end this childish fight, Saeon, unable to control his anger, lunged first.
This time, Jeongyun didn’t hold back either.
“Yeo Jeongyun! Stop it!”
“Saeon, calm down and stop!”
The break room became a complete mess as Guides trying to stop the two became entangled.
Though he couldn’t see anything clearly in front of him, Jeongyun didn’t stop swinging. It was the first time in his life he had hit someone, but he didn’t hesitate at all.
The small harassments had been going on for almost a week, and everything that had built up exploded all at once. Even the most patient person couldn’t endure more than this.
“Wow, what’s going on here?”
The surroundings grew quiet at a voice that suddenly emerged amid the commotion.
Jeongyun, who regained his senses first, released Saeon’s collar. Following him, Saeon also looked around at the quietened surroundings and lowered his raised hand.
The people surrounding the two split in half. And in the entrance of the break room stood Domin, whose eyes took in the messy entanglement of the two.
Even though a fight had broken out in the headquarters break room, Domin didn’t try to stop them but instead smiled brightly as if finding the situation very interesting.
‘Why, why now of all times…’
At Domin’s unexpected appearance, Jeongyun quickly stood up and straightened his clothes. But the already disheveled appearance couldn’t be fixed.
Domin approached with big strides and stood in front of Jeongyun. He was wearing a dark navy suit with an elaborate pattern. It matched perfectly with his neatly styled hair.
‘The pager didn’t ring…’
So he hadn’t come because he needed Guiding. Then perhaps he came to see him? Just as expectation was filling him, their gazes shifted past each other.
Domin, bypassing Jeongyun, arrived at none other than in front of Saeon. Jeongyun slowly turned around, denying the unbelievable reality, but he could see all too clearly that Domin was standing in front of Saeon.
“Ju Saeon, get up.”
Domin held out his hand to Saeon. Saeon, who struggled to get up, naturally took Domin’s hand. It was only natural that there was a stir around them as Domin took care of Saeon, who was no longer his dedicated partner.
“Hey, why is Choi Domin going to him and not you?”
Wooyeon came over and asked.
Yeah, I don’t know either. Clearly, Domin is now my dedicated partner, not Saeon’s.
Why was his situation still the same as before? It felt just like before, when he could only watch the two of them standing together from a distance.
“Ugh…”
Saeon staggered, losing his balance, and leaned against Domin. Domin slightly raised an eyebrow but didn’t push Saeon away, and instead even put his hand around his slender shoulders.
At a glance, the two looked like affectionate lovers. Seeing that, Jeongyun recalled someone asking Saeon if he was dating Domin.
“Mr. Choi, Domin.”
Though he knew he wasn’t in a position to be jealous, his lips moved before his thoughts. Jeongyun called out to Domin, who was trying to leave the break room while supporting Saeon.
Domin stopped and turned around. His cold eyes were urging Jeongyun to speak quickly if he had something to say.
“I was wondering if you came because you needed Guiding…”
After hesitating, Jeongyun finally summoned his courage and spoke.
He had never been this nervous in front of other people, but in front of Domin, he always felt like a fool. Stupid, without pride, and thus unable to speak properly.
“Not really, I don’t need it right now.”
Domin answered without any delay.
Because of this, Jeongyun couldn’t hide his expression, having harbored a sliver of hope. If he hadn’t come because he needed Guiding, then he really had come to see Saeon.
“If you’re done talking, can I go?”
Domin asked.
Jeongyun didn’t want to let the two go like this. Even though he knew he shouldn’t cling on pathetically anymore, Jeongyun tried to hold onto Domin again.
“Then, may I ask why you came today…?”
“Do I really need to say it?”
But a firm line was drawn.
While Jeongyun lost his words in confusion, Domin left the break room with Saeon. The retreating figures cruelly imprinted on his retina and wouldn’t disappear.
The Guides who had been watching the unexpected situation also began to disperse one by one. In the end, only the dazed Jeongyun and Wooyeon remained in the messy break room.
“Jeongyun…”
“I’m, I’m okay. Don’t worry.”
Jeongyun forced a smile. But before long, his face was about to contort miserably.
In the end, after apologizing to Wooyeon, Jeongyun fled to the Guiding room. Only after closing the door and being completely alone did his legs, which had been holding up, give way.
Jeongyun slumped against the door and exhaled the breath he had been holding.
His heart felt like it was being torn apart.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
