Chapter 105
When I rejected the call from an unknown number, they called again from the same number. Thinking they might have business with me, I finally answered.
“Hello?”
“Hello? Is this Lee Su-hyeon’s phone?”
“Yes, it is. Who is this?”
I casually asked, but only for a moment. I sat up in shock at the name that followed.
“It’s me, Seo Gi-jun.”
The always bright smile instantly filled my mind.
***
Excluding ability ratings and judging purely by ratio, “Dual Awakeners” are even rarer than S-class Awakeners. As a result, Double A-grade receives treatment comparable to S-class and enjoys tremendous public interest and support. But for me, at least, that title brought no advantages whatsoever.
After receiving the Double C-grade classification that brought both sympathy and ridicule, I quickly chose the path I should take going forward. I mainly worked as an Esper, which was more profitable, and occasionally responded willingly to those who wanted guiding without holding back.
Of course, the people who sought me out were few and far between. Not only was my Guide grade C-class, but my matching rates with Espers weren’t particularly high either.
About two years after joining the guild, an opportunity worthy of being called a major catch finally came my way. My matching rate with one of the Espers who had transferred from another guild recorded over 65 percent. That Esper was Seo Gi-jun.
They say people live up to their names, and Gi-jun was exemplary in many ways. With clean, neat features, you could tell just by looking at his face that he was a kind and good person.
After our handshake and introduction, Gi-jun and I became close at a rapid pace. Even before that, from the moment I heard through the matching system that our matching rate was over 65 percent, my heart was already full of affection toward him.
Even if that hadn’t been the case, I could confidently say I would have grown close to Gi-jun. This was because there existed an element between us that could build a human and solid bond.
That element was… what you might call “deficiency.” My deficiency was obviously my Awakener grade, while for Gi-jun, it was his physical condition.
Though his grade was excellent as a Water Attribute A-class, Gi-jun said he was born with a weak body. Indeed, he was quite small in build and short in height, around 160cm. Typically, after awakening, even fully grown adults would become taller and significantly more physically fit, but Gi-jun said he hadn’t experienced such changes even five years after awakening. One might think being a bit short or small in stature isn’t a big deal, but for Awakeners, physical requirements were also very important factors.
I had seen Gi-jun struggle several times—losing in direct confrontations of strength, falling behind in raids due to weak stamina and endurance, and even finding it difficult to handle his own energy. And Gi-jun considered these aspects of himself as weaknesses and was very ashamed of them.
That wasn’t all. With a physique thinner than the average person and a naturally quiet personality, rude Espers would sometimes needlessly bother him. In this way, Gi-jun and I felt a kinship in our shared experience of being criticized for deficiencies we couldn’t overcome through our own will and effort, and we became sources of strength for each other.
But… we couldn’t become a Pair. There were several practical reasons, particularly that Gi-jun felt a lot of psychological pressure.
After becoming close enough to share intimate family and personal matters, Gi-jun occasionally mentioned that he “wanted to quit being an Esper.” Judging by the weight of his words and his expression, it wasn’t just empty complaining—he seemed to genuinely think that way. So I couldn’t even jokingly suggest forming a Pair contract with him.
For someone like me with a low Guide grade but a good matching rate with a specific Esper, the Esper’s abilities would greatly influence salary determination if we formed a Pair. Knowing my financial situation wasn’t good, it was obvious that if we became a Pair, Gi-jun would push himself too hard in dungeons.
That put the brakes on my conscience. It was already evident that Gi-jun was at his limit with his situation, and I couldn’t add myself as a burden rather than being helpful to him.
So we precariously endured each day like water about to overflow. Then one day, Gi-jun ended up leaving the guild, partly voluntarily and partly not. This was because he received unsuitable assessments in almost all categories of the mandatory mental health examination.
Rumors spread faster than the wind, as expected. Some pitied him, while others criticized and pointed fingers. As for Gi-jun himself, his face looked the brightest and most relieved since the day we first met and introduced ourselves.
That night, we met at a nearby park. With an unusually bright full moon as our companion, we drank canned beer and had a heart-to-heart conversation. Gi-jun was the first to mention his future plans.
“I think I’ll be going to America soon.”
“America?”
“Yeah. There’s a research institute under the Association recruiting staff.”
I nodded in understanding. I had once heard from Gi-jun about his desire to deeply research Awakeners who were exceptions or had special circumstances, like himself who never achieved physical awakening.
“I’m most sorry to you, Su-hyeon. If I had been a little stronger, we could have been Pairs… I’m really sorry.”
“That’s absolutely not true, hyung. I think you’ve been amazing just for enduring this far.”
“…Ah, you kind soul.”
With an expression that seemed both smiling and crying, Gi-jun ruffled my hair vigorously. His touch was delicate without any roughness even while joking around, which freshly impressed upon me how caring and warm a person he was.
As we exchanged our final goodbyes, Gi-jun made me one promise: when he established himself well enough to justify leaving me behind, he would definitely come to see me at least once.
***
Clunk-clunk.
Every time the subway wheels passed over a level difference on the rails, I felt the shaking. There weren’t many people when I boarded, but after a few stops, all the seats quickly disappeared.
I gave up my seat to an elderly person standing in front of me and moved toward the door that wouldn’t open. Leaning my back against the handrails installed on both sides, I shifted my gaze beyond the window. Though unintended, after a short while, a breathtaking view of the Han River appeared with perfect timing.
While taking in the scenery with my eyes, I kept my ears wide open. I also checked the time occasionally, and when the doors opened at my stop, I hurriedly got off.
Moving quickly as if on high alert, I bounded up the stairs two or three steps at a time. As soon as I emerged above ground, someone called out my name.
“Su-hyeon!”
I broke into a wide smile upon seeing the person who came into my view. Soon, an equally joyful name flowed from my lips.
“Gi-jun hyung!”
We immediately hugged each other tightly. Gi-jun’s face, which I was seeing again after five years, looked much more stable and better than in my memory.
“Have you been well?”
“Of course. Have you been well too, hyung?”
“That would take all night to explain, even if we stayed up. Haha. Let’s go eat first.”
The place Gi-jun took me to was a nearby Korean barbecue restaurant. Although it was my first time there, it looked just as grand and luxurious as the barbecue place I occasionally visited with Song Ji-hyeok.
It was also similar in having private rooms beyond the main hall. Gi-jun must have made a reservation in advance because the staff guided us to one of the rooms, and I soon sat across from him at the table.
The staff service seemed even better here. They came in with us, took our outer garments and personally hung them on the coat rack, and only left after confirming our order.
As soon as we were alone, I spoke to Gi-jun.
“Aren’t you overdoing it right after returning to Korea?”
“I can easily afford this much. You can eat all the meat in this place today, so don’t worry and order as much as you want.”
I sensed a relaxed demeanor from Gi-jun as he smiled gently. It wasn’t about economic affluence, but rather a sense of ease in his mind. When we said our final goodbyes before, though his face was smiling, he looked anxious and uneasy like someone being chased, but seeing his face now so much brighter than before made me feel relieved and happy.
“Oh?”
Then I noticed something. Looking now, Gi-jun had what was clearly a couple’s ring on the ring finger of his left hand.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
