Chapter 6: The Unraveling

It’s often said that high-ranking Espers are arrogant and selfish, but Taewoon was a person who consistently shattered such stereotypes with his unwavering kindness and consideration. Seeing him always put me first, I also tried to show him only my good sides.

And living with him, I came to learn a few things.
He mixed informal and formal speech with others, but he only ever used formal speech with me.
I could feel his respect for me in that, and I liked it.

Also, he suffered from severe insomnia.
His symptoms had improved a lot after we got a new bed and started sleeping together, but before he met me, he said he hadn’t been able to sleep properly for over a week due to the pain from his side effects.
As if to prove his words, his room was piled with dozens of guiding medications and sleeping pills.

I could guess what kind of life he had lived, and I felt so sorry for him.
I wanted to do everything I could for him.

I stroked the hair of Taewoon, who was sleeping peacefully beside me.
He looked so serene now.
Hoping he would sleep deeply, I guided him all night long.

The grade results, which I thought would come out quickly, took longer than expected.
And I had to retake the test at the Center three times.
Each test took over an hour, so the stress was considerable.

For my sake, Taewoon brought me handmade chocolates from a famous brand, saying chocolate was good for relieving stress.
Having only eaten cheap chocolates from the supermarket, the taste of the handmade chocolate was nothing short of shocking.
I wanted to keep the luxurious sweetness that melted in my mouth forever.
But since they were expensive, I savored them, eating one a day.

He must have noticed I liked chocolate, because he bought various kinds every time he went out.

I was eating the chocolate Taewoon had bought me today when the Center called.
It was late afternoon, long past lunch.
They said my Guide grade was out and that I should come to the Center to receive my Guide Awakening Certificate.

“Shinui-ssi, I think your Guide grade is out!”

Taewoon said in a voice filled with anticipation.
His voice made me look forward to the results too, but at the same time, I was anxious about what would happen if I didn’t get an S-Class.

“Why the anxious face again? It will be S-Class, so don’t worry.”

At his words, I forced a smile, pushed away the negative thoughts, and headed to the Center with him.
All the way to the Center Director’s office, I felt a sense of anticipation mixed with fear.

After knocking and entering the room, I saw the Center Director right in front of me.
He was sitting in the seat of honor on the sofa placed in the middle of the room.
He stood up and greeted me with a smile.

“Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Hello.”

I greeted him awkwardly and walked towards him.
He, still smiling, offered me a handshake.

“This is our first time meeting, Guide Shinui, isn’t it? I am Center Director Park Seokcheol.”

“Hello, I am Lee Shinui.”

“I wanted to meet you, and I finally have the chance. Please, have a seat.”

We shook hands lightly, and I sat down with Taewoon on the sofa placed diagonally from the Director.

“What were the results?”

As soon as he sat down, Taewoon asked about my grade.
At his question, the Director silently placed a tablet PC in front of us.

On the tablet PC was my ID photo taken at the Center a few days ago and my name.
And next to my name, a letter was written, but there was no ‘S’ to be seen.
Looking a little closer, I could see the single letter written next to the grade field.

C.

I couldn’t believe it.
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, checking repeatedly, but it was still C-Class.

“C-Class…?”

Taewoon also spoke in a voice of disbelief.
I could feel his shock just from his trembling voice.
I couldn’t believe the result either, so I asked the Director.

“Am I a C-Class?”

“Yes, Guide Lee Shinui, you are a C-Class.”

“Let’s retest. How can it be C?”

Taewoon shook his head vehemently, denying my grade.
Seeing him like that, my own heart filled with anxiety.

“The reason the test period was so long is because we retested several times. Guide Lee Shinui is a C-Class Guide.”

I had thought it was strange every time we retested, but to think it was because they were re-measuring my grade…

“Is C-Class really bad?”

“Yes. It’s below the average grade. It’s a mystery how you have such a high matching rate with an S-Class.”

“Do it again.”

At Taewoon’s continued denial of the situation, the Director sighed deeply and shook his head.

“We’ve tested four times. The grade will be the same no matter how many times we do it.”

As the Director spoke firmly, Taewoon’s face turned ashen.
Seeing him, I clasped my own cold, bloodless hands and looked at him with a worried expression.

“Taewoon-ssi, are you okay?”

He didn’t answer me.
He just glared at the tablet screen where ‘C-Class’ was written.

“I have something to discuss with Guide Shinui regarding the guide contract, so Esper Taewoon, please step out for a moment.”

At the Director’s words, he stood up with a dazed expression and went outside.
I was worried about him and followed his back with my eyes, but he left without a single glance back.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the door he had left through.
The Director called me.

“Guide Shinui, congratulations on your awakening.”

I knew I had awakened as a Guide since the matching test, but hearing it from the Director’s lips made it feel real.

“Here is the contract.”

The Director showed me an electronic contract on the tablet PC.
But even as I read the contents, they didn’t register in my head.
All I could think about was his pale face.

“And this is the exclusive guide contract for Esper Hyun Taewoon.”

I signed the approval section without even reading the contents properly.
I wanted to finish the contract quickly and talk to him face to face.

“The Center will handle all of your personal information from when you were a civilian. From now on, Guide Shinui, you are a member of the Esper·Guide Association. You must be careful with your words and actions from now on.”

“…Yes.”

Finally, I received a Guide ID card and a Guiding Watch from the Director.

The ID card served as an access pass to the Center and the Association, and the Guiding Watch was linked to the microchip implanted in Taewoon’s body, allowing me to know his guiding level in real time.

My mind was noisier and more chaotic than the day I first became a Guide.
I just wanted to talk to him quickly.

The Director must have noticed my thoughts were elsewhere, as he said I could leave.
As soon as I heard that, I hurried outside, but Taewoon was nowhere to be seen.

I wandered the hallways with anxious steps.
I asked everyone I met if they had seen him, but they all shook their heads and said they didn’t know.

I tried to contact him, but only then did I realize I didn’t know his phone number and didn’t have a phone.
In the end, I was able to get to his house with the Director’s help.

As the elevator ascended to the top floor, my stomach churned, and I covered my mouth with my hand.
It seemed my body was tense.

Since I had been living with him, my fingerprint was also registered on the door lock, so I could easily get inside.

“Taewoon-ssi.”

I called out to him softly as I walked down the hallway, but there was no answer.
I worried that he might not have come home, but then I found him in the living room.

“Taewoon-ssi, I signed the guide contract safely.”

I forced a smile and spoke to him, but he just tilted an on-the-rocks glass to his lips without a word.

“Taewoon-ssi, I signed the guide contract.”

Thinking he might not have heard me because my voice was too soft, I spoke a little louder, but still, no answer came.

Feeling a sense of unease at his unusual behavior, I moved closer, and only then did he look at me.
His face, turned towards me, was utterly cold.
My heart sank at the sight of his cold expression, which I had never seen before.

“Why are you here? Didn’t Kim Jinho tell you?”

The formal speech he usually used was gone.
He spoke informally, glaring at me with cold eyes.

“What?”

He took a cigarette from a pack on the side table and put it in his mouth.
He had definitely said he didn’t smoke, but the ashtray on the table was already piled with cigarette butts.

“F*ck. It was hard holding back.”

I froze on the spot at the sight of him lighting a cigarette.

The smoke dissipated in the air and drifted towards me.
A convulsive cough escaped me before the smoke even reached my lungs.
He looked at me with an expression of annoyance.

“Taewoon-ssi, what’s wrong all of a sudden…. You’re so cold.”

Seeing this completely different side of him, I suddenly felt scared and afraid.

“Ha, so you were a C-Class?”

His words reminded me of how his expression had hardened when he heard my grade.
It seemed he was disappointed with my grade.

“Get out.”

He told me to get out, but my legs were frozen with tension and wouldn’t move.

“I may be C-Class… but our matching rate is….”

“F*ck, I said get out!”

He threw the glass at me as I stood there stupidly.
Fortunately, the glass missed and shattered on the floor beside me.
The sharp shards of glass, as sharp as the sound of the crash, resembled the Taewoon before me now.

I moved my stiff neck to look at him.
The affectionate man who had looked at me just hours ago was nowhere to be found.