#113
In the end, both of them left, and I could rest quietly. Covering myself with a thin blanket and curling up, I breathed heavily, which made me wide awake.
I remembered the comment I saw earlier that said, “If the pair was disbanded due to malicious comments, they should apologize.”
While I decided to disband the pair because my trust in Hyun Dowoon was broken, it’s true that the trigger was indeed the flood of malicious comments.
Back then, people were criticizing me and Hyun Dowoon without clear evidence or reasons, but now their attitudes have completely changed. It seemed as if the people using the bulletin board had been entirely replaced.
I disbanded the pair, gave my heart to someone new, and Hyun Dowoon became someone who just blindly watches me…
‘Even though the situation has improved, why do I feel this way?’
It’s strange to feel odd when good things happen, and strange when bad things happen. I habitually bit my lip and buried my face in the blanket.
As I closed my eyes in that position and tried to meditate to calm my mind, after some time passed, I heard a knock on the door. When I looked up, Hyun Dowoon was looking at me.
“Jaeha, the re-verification time has been pushed back a bit. More countries want to observe the re-verification.”
“So… has the date been postponed entirely?”
“No, that’s not the case. But while thinking about how to use the delayed time, I had a good idea and came here.”
Not understanding what he meant, I tilted my head, and he reached out his hand to me.
“Soon, a few people will come to the office. Would that be uncomfortable for you?”
“The reason would be important. Why are they coming?”
“It seems that journalists will also be observing. We’ll invite mostly journalists who are friendly to the center. Since the first impression is quite important, I think it would be good to touch up your clothes and makeup.”
I see, he wants me to dress up a bit because there will be news articles. I thought it might be excessive, but figuring it would be better to listen to Hyun Dowoon, who has more social experience, I nodded.
As soon as I gave permission, three neatly dressed people entered. They quickly laid out several outfits and looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“Hello. I’m Min Seokyung, a personal shopper.”
The person who looked the oldest among the three greeted me politely.
“Make him look as bright and neat as possible. Can you do that?”
“Of course. He looks good enough as is, but if I can’t add a plus alpha, I should quit my job.”
Hyun Dowoon and Min Seokyung seemed to know each other. It was like a scene from a chaebol heir drama, and I just stood there awkwardly blinking my eyes. Soon, Min Seokyung brought me in front of a mirror and started observing my face, draping various fabrics over me.
I couldn’t understand most of what Min Seokyung was saying. It was strange that I couldn’t understand what was being said even though it was Korean, but I could only make out bits about my image and what suits me well.
Like playing with a doll, they had me change into different outfits, applied something light to my hair, blow-dried it with warm air, and dabbed cosmetics on my face. By the time they were done, quite some time had passed.
“It’s perfect!”
Min Seokyung clapped excitedly. Looking in the mirror, my pale face looked even paler. Apart from the skin tone, I did like that my features looked a bit more defined.
“Your impression looks much brighter, doesn’t it?”
“My face looks so pale…”
When I timidly responded to Min Seokyung’s words, she opened her eyes wide as if she couldn’t understand. Then she muttered, “It’s a masterpiece…”
Whatever the case, I didn’t feel like arguing, so I just nodded quietly and was able to get away from her.
“You can go now.”
I’m not sure how the payment was arranged, but at Hyun Dowoon’s words, the three people packed up all their things and left the office.
“It’s a neat and professional style, but why does he look so cute and young…”
As I approached, Hyun Dowoon muttered quietly. A fleeting look of passion crossed his eyes. Whatever it was, he seemed to like my transformation.
“It suits you well.”
“…Really?”
I blushed slightly and moved a few steps to the side to get out of Hyun Dowoon’s line of sight.
However, before I could properly move away, Hyun Dowoon grabbed my hand first. Then, smiling gently, he whispered, “We should get going now.” It seemed that time had passed while I was being hastily dressed up. I followed him to the verification room.
‘Gasp.’
The area in front of the verification room was packed. As soon as Hyun Dowoon and I appeared, the murmuring crowd fell silent and looked our way.
Of course, that atmosphere was soon broken. The journalists were busy clicking away, taking pictures of me.
As Hyun Dowoon exuded a chilly aura, people made way for us. As we entered through the gap, this time I saw the S-class awakened ones I had seen during the previous dungeon verification, chatting and looking at us. Moreover, I could see a large screen prepared on one side of the wall. Dozens of foreigners’ faces were displayed on that screen.
For a moment, my heart pounded and my body was about to stiffen. I hadn’t had much experience being exposed to such a large, unspecified crowd, so I felt a surge of nervousness.
“Jaeha hyung.”
As I was trying to calm my pounding heart, Shin Haejun strode over from the other side and called out to me. Seeing him approach me as usual, ignoring everything else even with so many people around, my nervousness slightly subsided.
While Hyun Dowoon was saying something to the people, I focused my senses on Shin Haejun standing beside me. Being too inexperienced to deal with people skillfully, I thought I should at least try to reduce my nervousness.
“Jaeha-ssi, let’s sit at the machine.”
Hyun Dowoon, who had finished explaining about the re-verification to the people on the screen in a foreign language, gently pushed my back.
Feeling like an animal trapped in a zoo enclosure, I slowly approached the machine and sat down.
“We will begin the examination.”
The examiner, who seemed overwhelmed by the crowd just like me, spoke in a stiff voice and then explained something in a foreign language as well.
Everyone’s eyes were on me. Curious gazes rained down like arrows.
‘If it doesn’t come out as unclassified after all this…’
Then colorful criticisms would fly again. They would think it was all my fault even though I hadn’t claimed anything.
Due to my experience with cyberbullying, I couldn’t fully accept people’s goodwill. Was I too negative a person?
Thinking this way made me feel anxious inside. When I slightly frowned due to a stomachache, flashes popped again from a distance. I thought it would be better to remain expressionless and waited sitting until all the result sheets were printed.
“The result is unclassifiable.”
When the examiner who received the result sheet announced in a loud voice, people started to stir. I had indeed received an unclassified rating.
People applauded me. Gazes filled with not just goodwill but adoration touched my skin. In this place, I was the most welcomed existence.
“Congratulations.”
Hyun Dowoon spoke to me gently and shook my hand. I saw our image being photographed again.
“I have something I’d like to propose here in front of everyone. I want to check the matching rate with Guide Lee Jaeha. If it’s unmeasurable and the matching rate with an S-class esper is high, it would definitely prove that he’s unclassified, right?”
As I was about to get up from the machine, Shin Haejun suddenly threw a bombshell statement towards the surroundings. I opened my eyes wide at the sudden remark. The crowd became noisy, and amid that, Kim Sehyun’s name struck clearly.
Shin Haejun’s former pair guide was Kim Sehyun. That Kim Sehyun who met his death in the dungeon and was also exposed for stealing my power.
So Shin Haejun’s statement couldn’t help but draw everyone’s attention.
“Esper Shin Haejun, are you planning to put more pressure on Jaeha-ssi?”
Hyun Dowoon reprimanded Shin Haejun in a low voice. He kept smiling, but his slightly trembling lips revealed his displeasure.
“Jaeha hyung will inevitably be the focus of attention for every action from now on, so isn’t it better to end it all at once? If you really want, Director, you can take the matching rate test too.”
Shin Haejun was confident. Having recorded a 99.9% matching rate before, he seemed to expect that he could exclude Hyun Dowoon.
And Hyun Dowoon couldn’t say anything to Shin Haejun. It was because he had recorded a 1.9% matching rate in the previous test. Of course, since it was recorded when my power was stolen, it might be higher now, but it didn’t seem like it could reach 99.9%.
In any case, it was an unwritten rule to form a pair with the person who recorded a higher matching rate, so he seemed worried that he might lose me to Shin Haejun and be excluded altogether.
“I have no intention of forming a pair.”
Even if the matching rate came out high, I had no intention of forming a pair. Although various urgent matters had come up and it had become unclear, my thoughts about running dungeons alone hadn’t changed.
“But it could justify me following you around.”
Shin Haejun replied nonchalantly, as if he already knew what I was thinking.
His proposal was quite clever. People wanted to confirm the matching rate between me, who was unclassified, and another S-class. Under silent pressure, I re-confirmed the matching rate with Shin Haejun.
“99.9%!”
Once again, people gasped. The examination room was almost in a festive mood. People were excited and cheering wildly at the emergence of an unclassified person in Korea, plus the first-ever recording of a 99.9% figure.
The heated atmosphere was almost scary.
“There’s a rumor that the matching rate with the Director is also 99.9%, why don’t we verify it for sure!”
Someone shouted loudly from one side. Hyun Dowoon’s face hardened. But people were even more excited by those words. Because of the strange rumors that had been circulating in the community, they seemed to think that I would record a double 99.9% with Hyun Dowoon as well.
“…I guess there’s no choice.”
Hyun Dowoon approached me with a bitter smile. Shin Haejun’s eyes sparkled. His face showed certainty of Hyun Dowoon’s defeat.
‘This time… will it really be 1.9% again?’
The 1.9% matching rate that had made me severely blame myself when we were a pair.
I was honestly curious too, wondering if it would be the same now that my power had returned.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
