Chapter 32: A Forced Connection

Hyun Taewoon burst through the door, separated Sung Yohan and me, and said.

“Why won’t you do a matching test with me?”

“I told you I don’t like you, Hyun Taewoon-ssi.”

“Why? You felt that our wavelengths matched well too. I’ll get a higher score than Sung Yohan.”

My matching rate with him was 83%.
It probably wouldn’t be much different now.

Before the regression, I didn’t know about other things, but I was proud of my matching rate with him.
However, now that a higher matching rate had appeared, my pride and the special feeling I had towards him had become meaningless in an instant.

“Whether it comes out lower or higher than Esper Sung Yohan’s, I don’t want to do a matching test with you. When are the other Espers coming? If they’re not coming, can I leave first?”

However, Dr. Yoon still didn’t answer.
I thought he might be helping him.

“Shinui-ssi, please just do the matching test.”

“My mind won’t change even if the matching test results are good.”

“You’re angry because I brought you here by force, right? Can’t you just let go of your anger towards me a little and do the matching test?”

At his unusually desperate appearance, Sung Yohan’s words from before came to mind.

‘Shinui-ssi, do you know this? If the matching rate is over 80%, we become a pair. If my guiding level is below the calm zone, you have to guide me.’

If he knew this law, he might be aiming for this.
Otherwise, there was no reason for him to want a matching test from me, who had declared I wouldn’t guide him.

“I don’t want to.”

“Shinui-ssi, you’re so cruel.”

Sung Yohan, who was watching us with interest, said with a smile.

“I’ve never seen Taewoon like this before. Shinui-ssi, he looks pitiful, so please do it once.”

“I don’t want to. If it’s all over, I’ll leave first.”

I was about to leave just like that, but my body wouldn’t move, as if it were bound.
He approached me as I struggled to move.
At that, I realized he had bound me with his ability.

“What are you doing? Release your ability right now!”

“I’m sorry, Shinui-ssi, but we have to do the matching test.”

At his words, I tried to push away his ability with my own wavelength, but the words ‘Matching Test in Progress’ were already on the monitor.
I hurriedly shouted at Dr. Yoon to stop the test.

“Doctor, please stop the test!”

However, Dr. Yoon still remained silent.
At that, I was convinced that he was helping him.

“I said stop!”

“Shinui-ssi, just once. I won’t force you anymore.”

After saying that, he approached me.
I wanted to shake my head, but my body still wouldn’t move.

“I’m going to hold your hand.”

“Don’t hold it. I said don’t hold it!”

If we guided like this, the matching rate would surely be over 80%, so I had to stop.

“I’m sorry.”

He finally took my hand and sat me down in the chair that measured the matching rate.
His wavelength, which I felt from my hand, began to envelop my body.
My wavelength kept trying to avoid his, but in the end, they touched and intertwined.

I kept telling him to stop, but he never did.

My body reacted negatively to his wavelength and began to tremble as if having a convulsion.
At that, he looked at my body with a surprised expression.

“Shinui-ssi, are you okay?”

“I said stop…!”

I felt my body temperature drop with the cold sweat.
And just then, I heard Dr. Yoon’s voice.

• [A matching rate of 83% has been measured.]

At his words, I confirmed that my matching rate with him had not changed.

As soon as the matching rate came out, his wavelength was immediately withdrawn, but my body still wouldn’t move.
I said to him in a low voice.

“The matching rate is out. Release me.”

I thought he would smile like he did when the matching rate first came out, but he was looking at me with a shocked face.
I didn’t know why he had that expression, but it seemed he had been arrogant, thinking it would be higher than Sung Yohan’s.

“Taewoon’s is high too. But it’s lower than my and Shinui-ssi’s matching rate.”

He was still motionless, with no change in his expression.
When Sung Yohan put his hand on my shoulder from behind, I was immediately released from the pressure.

As I got up with my tired body, I said to the monitoring room and him.

“I will report what happened today to the Association.”

At my words, Dr. Yoon looked at me with a regretful expression, but I glared at them one by one and came out.

Jinseok, who was waiting in the hallway, looked at my face and asked with a worried expression.

“Guide-nim, did something happen inside?”

“I’m tired. I want to go home.”

“I understand…”

Jinseok had a curious expression about the matching rate results, but I was exhausted from his ability just before.

Right now, I just wanted to rest somewhere where there was no one.
Oblivious to my feelings, Sung Yohan followed me.

“Shinui-ssi, we’re a pair from now on.”

“I have no intention of becoming a pair. I’m tired, let’s talk later.”

“Okay. See you next time.”

Fortunately, he didn’t follow me any further.
It was hard to even speak, so I didn’t say a single word on the way home.

“I want to tell the Association about what happened today.”

“If you tell me, I will relay it to the Association.”

I told the Association about what had happened today through Jinseok, but I found out that the matching test with him was an agreed-upon story with the Association as well.

Excluding the guides who had disappeared or gone on assignments, there were 7 S-Class guides remaining in Korea.
So the Association excused their actions by saying that they had proceeded with the hope that anyone’s matching rate would be high.

As Sung Yohan had said, if the matching rate was over 80%, they automatically became a pair, so they had done it hoping that my and his matching rate would be over 80%.
And as they had wished, my and his matching rate was 83%, just like before the regression.

I had been delaying the contract signing because of the Association’s toxic clauses, but due to this situation, I revealed that I could no longer continue the contract.
The Association proposed negotiations several times, but I responded by ignoring them.

In the midst of this, I was contacted by the German Association.
Perhaps because this also reached the Association’s ears, or perhaps they were monitoring my phone, the Association conveyed their intention to rewrite the contract as I wished.

Since I had no intention of going abroad from the beginning, in the end, I deleted all the toxic clauses, added a few items including the condition that I would never guide him again, and signed a contract with the Association.

The exclusive period for an Association guide was decided to be 5 years.
Usually, one had to sign a 10-year long-term exclusive contract or a lifetime contract, but my case was an exception.
That’s how much I knew the Association wanted to hold onto me.

After signing the contract and going down to the lobby, Jinseok was waiting for me.
I took his car and headed to the S-Class exclusive residence I had been assigned to.

The residence I arrived at was a familiar place.
It was the apartment where I had lived with him for three years, but fortunately, it was not the same building.
However, it was on the same top floor, so the fact that his house was visible from my window was annoying.

“This place is too big.”

“You’ll get used to it as you live here. A housekeeper comes every weekday, so you don’t have to worry about cleaning.”

As Jinseok said, since I had lived in the same place with a different space for three years, I would get used to it quickly.
I was relieved to hear that a housekeeper would be coming and saw him off as he left for the day.

Left alone, I slowly looked around.
The house was fully furnished with all the necessary furniture for living.
As I checked the rooms one by one, I found just one difference from his house.
The greenhouse.

The greenhouse he had made for me was gone.
And the daffodil bulb he had given me.
As the past changed, they had become things that no longer existed.

Suddenly, the house felt too big.
I had felt lonely at times when I lived with him, but I had never felt this empty.

I felt drained, and my whole body sagged.
I collapsed onto the bed in the bedroom.

The bed was smaller than the one I had bought with him, but it was large enough for me to stretch out my arms and still have room.
The thought of having to sleep alone in this wide bed filled me with a sense of rejection.

In the end, with my tired body, I came out to the living room, lay down on the soft sofa, and turned on the TV.
I wanted to blow away the lonely feeling, even just a little.
I thought that by doing this, the depression would disappear, even just a little.