Chapter 14: So It Won’t Be in Vain

“Team Leader, hello.”

The moment Ye-seon entered the examination room and looked over Chaewon’s face as Chaewon bowed deeply in greeting.

Sending Jin Su-ha ahead for preliminary Guiding had apparently been the right call.

Chaewon’s complexion was noticeably better than last time.

Not only that, but facing Chaewon, who now seemed more at ease around Ye-seon than before.

Ye-seon broke into a gentle smile and replied.

“You’re here. You look like you’re in great condition today.”

“Ah, yes. Thanks to Su-ha-ssi.”

“Did Guide Jin Su-ha not bully you this time?”

Ye-seon spoke while shooting a sideways glance at Su-ha, who was standing behind Chaewon, his expression resembling someone chewing on something unpleasant.

It was obviously a barbed joke meant for Jin Su-ha to hear.

However, instead of Su-ha reacting, it was Chaewon who hurriedly shook his head.

“No, not at all. Last time was my fault for being clumsy. Today, I really… really received a lot of help.”

“That’s not help, Chaewon. From now on, that’s Su-ha’s duty and responsibility. So don’t think of it as you receiving something unilaterally.”

“Ah…”

At Ye-seon’s words, Chaewon’s expression shifted as if something had clicked.

When you thought about it, it was true.

What Su-ha was doing wasn’t charity or volunteer work.

He was being properly compensated and doing this as a profession.

Chaewon realized that Ye-seon was gently but clearly reminding him to maintain a professional mindset.

Nodding once, Chaewon spoke.

“Yes. I understand what you mean. I’ll be careful.”

It wasn’t a conversation serious enough to warrant a “be careful,” but seeing how quickly Chaewon grasped the point without further explanation, Ye-seon smiled in satisfaction.

However, Chaewon wasn’t finished.

“But people still say thank you when they get off a bus, or after buying something at a store.”

“…”

“Expressing gratitude with that kind of feeling should be okay, right?”

Ye-seon looked surprised at the unexpected direction the conversation had taken.

He had always thought Chaewon was perceptive and smart, but now it seemed Chaewon was also the type of person who naturally made others find him endearing.

“Yes. Of course.”

Replying with a voice tinged with admiration, Ye-seon glanced over at Su-ha.

Perhaps he felt something similar to what Ye-seon had just felt, because Su-ha, unaware of Ye-seon’s gaze, was looking down at Chaewon with an ambiguous expression.

Maybe Jin Su-ha was the one who had encountered a truly formidable opponent.

Feeling an oddly satisfying sense of amusement, Ye-seon led Chaewon forward.

“Then let’s begin today’s examination. Today, we’ll be quantifying the amount of power you can output. How much weight you can lift, how much pressure you can exert, things like that.”

“Yes.”

“Of course… The top priority will be checking how long you can sustain your power without fainting.”

Hearing that much, Chaewon clenched his fist tightly.

Memories of losing consciousness helplessly during the previous examination surfaced.

This time, he didn’t want that to happen.

He wanted to endure.

In front of the people who were working so hard for him, and in front of the man who was being forced to do something he didn’t want because of him, Chaewon didn’t want to look pathetic.

Recalling the private practice where he had managed not to faint, even if all he’d done was lift a single cup while bleeding heavily from his nose, Chaewon nodded.

Ye-seon burst into laughter and patted Chaewon’s shoulder.

“No need to look so resolute, Chaewon. I wasn’t trying to pressure you… Side effects aren’t something you can control with willpower, so don’t rush yourself. If you faint, we record up to that point and try again next time.”

“Ah…”

“Just endure as much as you can. Jin Su-ha will be standing by today, and he’ll provide Guiding immediately if needed, so don’t worry.”

“Yes.”

Regardless of Ye-seon’s intentions, the moment Su-ha’s name came up, Chaewon’s expression grew even more resolute.

Su-ha had even done preliminary Guiding for this test.

He couldn’t afford to waste that effort.

With that thought, Chaewon reflexively turned his head to look at Su-ha.

Su-ha, who had been watching Chaewon all this time, flinched when their eyes suddenly met and sharply furrowed his brow.

Before Su-ha could even realize how that reaction might have looked to Chaewon, he spoke.

“I’ll do my best… so that the Guiding you gave me won’t be in vain.”

“…I didn’t do it as a favor. I simply did what I was supposed to do, so there’s no need to say that to me.”

Su-ha replied with his brow still furrowed.

Honestly, he was flustered.

He hadn’t even been aware that he was watching Chaewon, and when their eyes met, it felt like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been.

Only after speaking did Su-ha realize that he had once again acted quite rudely toward Chaewon.

But Chaewon, as if Su-ha’s behavior didn’t matter much at all, calmly replied, “Yes. I’ll focus now,” and withdrew his gaze.

If Chaewon had at least looked hurt, Su-ha might have swallowed his pride and apologized.

But since Chaewon brushed it off like this, it was hard to add anything more.

Did he not get hurt?

Or did he simply accept this kind of treatment as normal?

If he thought it was normal, was it because Chaewon saw himself as someone only worth that much?

Or was it because Su-ha had said outright that he was forced into being his guide, so Chaewon simply accepted this treatment?

Even though he couldn’t read anything from Chaewon’s turned back, Su-ha’s thoughts grew more tangled.

Ye-seon slipped closer and whispered in a very low voice.

“Take it easy, Su-ha.”

The uneasiness settled deeper.

The fact that Ye-seon reacted like that meant Su-ha really had been openly cold enough toward Chaewon for Ye-seon to notice.

“Chaewon, come over here for a moment. I’ll explain in detail what you need to do.”

With his mood sinking in an instant, Su-ha watched Chaewon being led by Ye-seon toward the testing equipment.

For some reason, irritating things kept piling up.

Without a doubt, all of this was Lee Chaewon’s fault.

Absolutely.

****

Chaewon stared at the testing machine in front of him with a solemn expression, as if it were a monster.

The test involved applying force, as instructed by Ye-seon, to the spherical tester positioned at the center of the massive machine.

Even Chaewon didn’t know how far he’d be able to endure this test.

Although he had managed to exert a small amount of power without fainting on his own, strength equivalent to lifting a single cup was nowhere near enough to properly complete this examination.

“Don’t be nervous, Chaewon. We have plenty of time.”

Like before, Ye-seon’s voice came lightly through the microphone.

It was meant to ease Chaewon’s tension.

“We have plenty of time…”

Chaewon softly echoed Ye-seon’s words under his breath.

Not long ago, time was something Chaewon simply didn’t have.

The hospital had given him an estimate of four to five months at most, and even that came with the warning that his condition was so poor he could collapse at any moment.

A sudden surge of emotion welled up.

He felt like he might cry.

Strangely, when he’d received his terminal diagnosis, he hadn’t cried at all.

He’d simply thought it was an ending that suited him.

Calmly.

And yet now, when everything was supposedly fine, remembering that day made him want to cry.

Had he actually been scared?

Had he been sorrowful and regretful at the thought of dying quietly alone, with no one by his side?

Chaewon took a deep breath, trying to push away thoughts that were useless now.

This was the chance he’d been given.

After living a life of pain without ever holding onto anything good, this was the single moment he’d finally managed to grasp.

He wanted to do as well as he could.

Even if it was insignificant compared to others, he wanted to do his absolute best.

Because it had been so hard-won, he wanted to cherish it.

After closing his eyes tightly and opening them again, Chaewon turned his head.

Beyond the glass wall stood Ye-seon, several researchers, and Jin Su-ha, all watching him.

In his guide’s eyes were distrust and anxiety.

Seeing that gaze, Chaewon’s heart instead calmed.

Yes.

That look was reality.

With his severe side effects already confirmed, there was no one in this room who truly expected anything from him.

That fact settled Chaewon’s mind.

“…I’m ready.”

After signaling in a low voice, Chaewon turned back to the tester in front of him.

The beginning of a new life was right here.

Only after abandoning a life where he’d failed to protect anything precious, even his own family, had he reached this world.

This time, he didn’t want to let go.

A blue light began to ripple from Chaewon’s body.