Chapter 14: A Birthday Wish

[We sincerely congratulate Guide Lee Shinui on your birthday. We hope you have a special and wonderful day. – Esper·Guide Association]

When I woke up in the morning, a birthday message from the Association informed me that it was my birthday.

I hadn’t celebrated my birthday since my mother got sick, but I hoped to spend today with Taewoon.
However, he was nowhere to be seen, having apparently gone out early in the morning.
I wanted to receive a happy birthday from him, but I knew that was too much to ask for.

Still, to get into the birthday spirit for the first time in a while, I got permission from the manager and went outside.
I planned to buy a slice of cake from the bakery inside the nearby supermarket and go straight back home.

Inside the bakery’s showcase, various cakes were on display.
I was going to buy a slice of cake, but then I thought Taewoon might eat some too, so I bought a small whole cake decorated with strawberries.
I also bought some persimmons, which my mother had loved when she was alive.
My steps felt lighter than usual on the way back home.

When I returned home, it wasn’t Taewoon, but the housekeeper who was there.

“Guide-nim, is it your birthday today?”

She noticed it was my birthday at a glance, seeing the cake box I was holding.
When I said yes, she congratulated me and said she would make seaweed soup for lunch.

I thanked her and went into my room.
Lunch passed, and then dinner time passed, but he still didn’t come home.

Perhaps because there was no guiding training scheduled on the weekend, time seemed to crawl by so slowly.
I thought about going to the Center, but I decided I should rest on my birthday, so I read a book I had recently purchased called ‘How to Train for S-Class Guide Guiding’ and waited for him to come.

Without him, the house felt too quiet and empty.

When it was 10 PM, I finally took the cake out of the refrigerator.
I had wanted to eat the cake with him, but it seemed my birthday would pass if I kept waiting for him.
Before it got any later, I had no choice but to celebrate by myself and cut the cake.

I put a candle on the cake and lit it.
Singing the happy birthday song alone felt sad, so I just made a wish and blew out the candle.

My wish, of course, was to become an A-Class Guide.
I honestly didn’t even hope for S-Class; A-Class would be more than enough.

I cut a slice of cake, leaving his share, and ate it.
As I took a bite with my fork, the sweetness of the fresh cream filled my mouth.
The sweet cake made me feel much better.

I had just finished the cake and was cleaning up the dishes when I heard the front door lock unlock.
I knew immediately that it was him.

I subconsciously stopped what I was doing and looked at the front hallway.
Before long, he appeared.
He quickly approached where I was.

“What’s with the cake.”

He asked, gesturing with his chin at the cake box on the table.
I quietly said it was my birthday.

“It’s my birthday today.”

However, he still wore an indifferent expression.
Seeing that, my chest ached, and I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“Would you like some cake…?”

“No.”

He was about to go into his room.
But then he stopped and looked back at me.

“How long are you going to use formal speech?”

“What?”

I asked back without thinking at the unexpected question.

“You’re the same age as me.”

“Is it okay to speak informally…?”

“Do as you please.”

“Then… I’ll speak informally.”

He didn’t answer and went into his room.
His attitude was still cold, but his words felt like a gift to me.

The gloomy mood I had been in just a moment ago quickly lifted.
I realized for the first time today how much a single word from someone could change one’s mood.

And the next day, when I went to the kitchen to finish the cake, strangely, it was half gone from yesterday.
I asked the housekeeper, but she said she hadn’t eaten it.
If it wasn’t her, the only other person who could have eaten it was him.
A smile spread across my lips without me knowing.

The Awakened training wing building was behind the Center, and each floor was used by a different grade.
The basement was used by A and S-Classes, while the other grades used the ground floors.

But for some reason, many people were gathered in the lobby today.
The S-Class gate simulation room was being broadcast live on the lobby monitor.

In the simulation room were Taewoon and a few A-Class Espers.
He was attacking a virtual monster created by the Center.

As a fire-attribute user, he relentlessly spewed flames.
Wherever his hand reached, the monster’s body burst into flames and eventually turned to ash.

But no matter how many monsters he eliminated, they kept coming out of the gate.
Faced with the endless stream of monsters, the firepower erupting from his hands grew even stronger.
And his guiding level also dropped.

There were times when his guiding level dropped sharply even when a gate wasn’t open, and I realized it was all because of training.

The Guides and Espers in the lobby watched him with admiration.
I also secretly took a picture of him with my phone camera.

Inspired by the sight of him training, I came to my senses and moved to the training room.
If an S-Class like him was working this hard, I had to work several times harder.

Today, I forgot about resting and devoted myself to guiding training.
All the training finally ended close to 10 PM.
I was waiting for the manager.

“What are you doing here?”

At his voice, I hurriedly turned around, and he was walking towards me in his black uniform.

“I’m waiting for the manager.”

It was awkward at first to speak informally to him, but as I kept doing it, I gradually got used to it.

“Don’t bother Jinho-hyung and just follow me.”

He said briefly and walked past me.
I had no choice but to follow him.
As I followed him, I saw a car parked haphazardly in front of the Center.
No one stopped him for parking like this.
I hesitated for a moment before getting into the passenger seat.

He started the car after confirming I had fastened my seatbelt.
I secretly checked his guiding level.
It was 51%.

I quietly did remote guiding on him.
He probably noticed it, but we headed home together without a word.

Going home with him was one of the things I had wished for, so a smile didn’t leave my face until I went to bed.

I prepared diligently for the promotion test to stay by his side.
Except for Sundays, I spent every day in the guiding training room, and while I was training, he went on overseas gate assignments.

I wanted to go on assignments with him too, but I was told it was difficult because I was still a C-Class.
But if he said he would take me, I would be able to go….
I felt disappointed that he still hadn’t opened his heart to me.

But thinking from his perspective, just being seen with a C-Class Guide could damage his reputation, so I also understood his actions.

While he was abroad, I spent my time in the guiding training room day and night.
And I consistently took the grade re-evaluation tests.

I had failed to get promoted by a small margin so far, but this time was different.

After finishing the grade test, a research staff member showed me the screen with a happy face.
B was written in all the fields.
I knew that my efforts so far had not been in vain.

My heart swelled with emotion seeing the long-awaited promotion results.
I wanted to tell him this news quickly too.

Today was the day he was returning to the country, so I skipped training and waited for him, holding the printed grade sheet in my hand.

When I received a text from the manager that he would be arriving home soon, I paced the living room restlessly.

Not long after, I heard the door lock unlock.
I had been waiting for this sound that signaled his return, so I was very happy.

I checked the grade sheet again.
It was B-Class, but I held onto a small hope that he would treat me more kindly than when I was a C-Class.

“What are you doing?”

He, who had entered the living room at some point, asked, seeing me standing awkwardly.
Only then did I straighten my posture, smile at him, and say.

“You’re back?”

“Yeah.”

He answered briefly and was about to go into his room.
I hurriedly stopped him.

“I got my grade re-evaluated this time.”

Fortunately, he stopped at my words.
I hurriedly held up the grade sheet and showed it to him.

“They said I’m a B-Class!”

“Are you bragging about a mere B-Class?”

He looked at the word ‘B-Class’ with a look of disgust and then sneered at me.
At his words, my smiling lips slowly straightened into a line.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t expected this reaction, but facing his cold response, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“I’m going to sleep, so don’t bother me.”

I just nodded my head slightly to hide my pathetic, trembling voice.
Then, with a displeased face, he clicked his tongue briefly and went into his room.

I sat on the sofa with listless steps and looked at the grade sheet.
As expected, I couldn’t find the old Taewoon with a B-Class.
I had to become an A-Class.
But if it’s still the same then… what should I do?
A depression as deep as the ocean gradually sank my heart.