Chapter 34: The Contract on the Table

“…Seolleongtang. With glass noodles added.”

“If I’m treating you anyway, shouldn’t you pick something expensive? My wallet’s pretty full today.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I prefer what I usually eat. Please.”

The team members still didn’t know I was dying.

If possible, I hoped they would never find out.

Even if they learned about my illness, everyone except Choi Siram would probably pretend not to care at all.

Until now, their indifference toward me had always left a bitter ache behind, but thinking about it now, maybe it was fortunate instead.

“…By the way, does Kim Seokhwan know that I’m resigning rather than transferring?”

“No. Of course not. You know his personality too. After confirming only two things — that you came looking for me and that you were processing transfer paperwork — he barely even answers my calls anymore. Those arrogant bastards always stick together and treat people like servants. Honestly, I can’t stand them.”

Kim Sugyeom and I took our food trays and sat down at an empty table.

As I quietly stared at the steaming bowl of seolleongtang, my chest tightened strangely even though it was a meal I had eaten to the point of exhaustion throughout my life.

Because it suddenly occurred to me that being able to chew and swallow food was a privilege reserved only for the living.

“Oh right, Jaeyoon-ssi.”

“?”

“Normally, if this were processed through proper procedures, things might be different. But since we skipped over a lot of steps here and there, I’m not sure about severance pay, but you’ll probably have a hard time getting incentive bonuses. You know that, right?”

“…Yes, I know.”

“But just in case, ask the finance department yourself too. If they say you can receive anything, take every last bit of it. You suffered all this time among those awful people, so you’re allowed to be shameless for once.”

“Haha, aren’t you close with Manager Oh from finance? Are you really allowed to say things like that?”

“So what? What’s the use of gratitude expressed in words? Money’s the best.”

Kim Sugyeom was cheerful and easygoing.

Contrary to what Kim Seokhwan had once implied about their families being close, Kim Sugyeom spent nearly the entire meal venting his grievances and frustrations about Kim Seokhwan.

Apparently, Kim Seokhwan had been born into a military family with five older brothers, all of whom followed their father into powerful military positions.

As if he wasn’t stubborn enough already, growing up in that environment had apparently turned him completely rigid.

Kim Sugyeom also claimed that once, as a child, he jokingly tugged on Kim Seokhwan’s hair, and the arm he used ended up broken that same day.

Even now, he said the image of Kim Seokhwan expressionlessly snapping someone’s arm still haunted his dreams.

Shuddering dramatically, Kim Sugyeom rubbed his arms as though goosebumps had crawled over them.

“I’m giving this advice as a ten-year office veteran, so listen carefully.”

Thanks to Kim Sugyeom treating me so comfortably, as though we had known each other for years, I managed to eat a meal with someone without my stomach knotting up for the first time in a long while.

Once we finished eating and my stomach settled somewhat, Kim Sugyeom excused himself to buy coffee from a nearby café.

Maybe because the outing itself was a change of pace, the heavy gloom that had trapped me inside the hospital room crying for two days straight finally eased a little.

There was no point clinging to hopeless possibilities.

Instead of wasting money desperately chasing treatment, I thought it would be better to focus on reality.

Right now, I didn’t even want to waste emotional energy elsewhere.

Slide—

“Thank you. That was fast—”

Just then, someone handed me a cup of coffee.

Assuming it was Kim Sugyeom returning from the café, I accepted it without thinking.

My hands and feet were always cold, so the warmth spreading against my fingertips sent a tingling ache through them.

I was about to apologize for making him buy me coffee on top of lunch when I realized the person standing before me wasn’t Kim Sugyeom.

“Can we talk for a moment, Yoon-ah?”

“…Kwon I-yul.”

“Why that expression, Yoon-ah? Someone might think I’m about to eat you alive.”

The smiling face looking down at me calmly twisted slightly into a frown.

My hand holding the coffee cup stiffened like stone.

Instinctively, I stood up and lowered my gaze to the floor, but Kwon I-yul merely patted my shoulder as if asking why I was acting this way.

Normally, unless I was actively guiding or an Esper’s brainwaves became especially unstable, I wasn’t affected too badly.

But now that I was standing face-to-face with the primary cause of my condition, nausea churned inside me.

The memory of Kwon I-yul subduing the terrorists kept replaying in my head, making it even worse.

It felt as though my already exhausted body was being torn open again.

I couldn’t bring myself to properly look into those golden eyes that resembled the cold gaze of a reptile.

“I’m sorry, but I’m currently meeting someone. Could we talk another time?”

“Yoon-ah, do you think I’m free enough to come looking for you personally like this? If we’re talking about being busy, I’m probably busier than you, don’t you think?”

“…What exactly are you trying to say?”

“This isn’t the kind of conversation for out here. Let’s go to my office. It’ll be short.”

Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, Kwon I-yul slowly guided me forward.

Even though the painkillers dulled most of the physical pain, just being near him made it difficult to breathe because of the psychological pressure alone.

Kwon I-yul’s office was located on the highest floor of the Center, accessible only with a special access card.

Which meant once we entered, we would be completely alone together.

While staring at the scenery outside the glass elevator, I kept clenching and unclenching my damp, sweat-covered hands.

Beep—

“Come in.”

“…Excuse me.”

Unless something special happened, Kwon I-yul spent nearly all his time inside this office.

The spacious room surrounded by glass walls and decorated entirely to match its owner’s taste felt so lifeless that it barely seemed touched by human hands at all.

Everything — from the pillars supporting the ceiling, to the desk, the clock, even the tiny ornaments lining the bookshelves — was unified in dark colors.

Despite always preferring flashy and bright clothes himself, his office looked almost like a haunted house.

I truly couldn’t understand why he designed the place where he spent most of his life like this.

“Have things been difficult lately? You look exhausted.”

“I’m fine. More importantly, could you explain why you called me here?”

“You really are something. I thought we’d finally spend some cozy time together after so long, but you’re already trying to run away like a frightened mouse again, Yoonie.”

Sinking deep into the leather sofa opposite mine, Kwon I-yul opened a small storage compartment built into the armrest and pulled out a metal file before sliding it toward me.

The golden pendulum clock on the desk tilted steadily to the right at measured intervals.

Suppressing my obvious tension, I opened the file resting on the table.

“I heard your contract expiration date isn’t far away. Apparently you’ll soon have to discuss with upper management whether or not you’ll renew it. Is that true?”

“…Yes. It is.”

“Really? Then why haven’t you said anything until now?”

“…….”

“You almost sound like you’re planning to leave the Center once your contract ends.”

My heart dropped.

For a moment, I nearly lost strength in my hands and spilled the coffee entirely.

The corners of Kwon I-yul’s lips curved slowly upward, dimples deepening into a lazy smile.

Like prey abandoned before a powerful predator, I couldn’t move a single finger and merely lowered my head further.

“Yoon-ah, say something. Hmm?”

“…N-No, of course not. Where would I even go…?”

“Really?”

“Yes. No, that’s not it. It’s just that lately everyone’s been busy — including you, Team Leader Kwon I-yul — so I thought I’d discuss it properly later when things calmed down.”

Did Kwon I-yul know I was trying to resign?

And if he did know, then how much did he know exactly?

That I planned to submit my medical report to management soon, receive workplace injury compensation, and leave the Center?

Or was he simply testing me with vague assumptions?

Every word from him stirred my emotions like a stone thrown into still water.

The confusion grew heavier, and no matter how hard I tried to think clearly, anxiety kept drying out my throat.

Half the coffee in my cup had already disappeared down my throat before I realized it.

“Wow, it’s been a long time since I heard you call me Team Leader Kwon. When you were younger, you used to call me that all the time. Eventually you started calling me hyung instead.”

“…Did you really make time to see me just because of the transfer issue?”

“Mm. But if you say it’s not true, then I guess it isn’t. I’ve been overly sensitive lately, so maybe I’m just becoming suspicious for no reason. Maybe it was only my imagination.”

Looking at Kwon I-yul smiling brightly like a child, I forcibly raised the corners of my own mouth in return.

If I didn’t do even that much, it felt like he would immediately see through my weakness.

“Then maybe it’s a little early, but should we talk about contract renewal? Actually, that’s why I’ve been searching for you since early this morning.”

And just as expected, Kwon I-yul slowly crushed me from the inside out once again.

“The pay will be triple what it was three years ago. If you want more, I can raise it further. Whatever amount you ask for, I’ll match it.”

“…….”

“There’ll be significant improvements in benefits too. If you want, I’ll even separate your living quarters from Siram’s. I’ll have the managers prepare anything you need, so all you have to do is move in comfortably. What do you think?”

The words “Contract Agreement” written across the white paper inside the metal file caught my eye.

The dense black text packed tightly together looked similar to the contract I had seen three years ago during my meeting with the Center Director — yet somehow completely different.

“You know very well that the longer someone stays contracted with the Center, the greater the benefits become.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Especially for special contract workers like you. The state provides a lot of preferential treatment afterward, so everyone tries their hardest to remain at the Center until retirement age.”

“…….”

“And besides, Yoon-ah, you have a lot of people depending on you.”

No matter how severe the shortage of Guides was, the offer was far too generous for something as simple as extending a contract period.

Just as Kwon I-yul explained, the pay had nearly tripled, the accommodations were far better than where I currently lived, and the benefits and protections were guaranteed.

If I weren’t terminally ill with little time left to live, I would have been deeply tempted.

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