Chapter 35: Two Days to Escape

“…This is unrelated to whether I renew the contract or not, but may I ask something? As far as I know, the Center already has Guides around my level, or even Guides with abilities comparable to Choi Siram’s. So why go as far as revising the contract terms just to offer me a renewal?”

From Kwon I-yul’s perspective, there was absolutely no reason to hold onto me badly enough to rewrite the contract itself.

Normally, all he had to do was mention something to upper management and things would be handled automatically.

Outside of his own work, he rarely involved himself personally or summoned people into his office like this.

So why?

“Right. I forgot to explain that part.”

“Explain… what?”

“I don’t usually throw away things that I’ve already broken in properly.”

While I was struggling to understand his intentions, Kwon I-yul casually dismissed my confusion as though it were nothing important at all.

“People should wear clothes tailored to fit them, right? I already have something customized specifically for me here, so why would I go through the trouble of finding a new Guide?”

“…….”

“The efficiency might be a little lacking, but the compatibility rate is pretty high. Besides, if it isn’t you, then I’d have to deal with another rookie all over again and train them from scratch. I hate things that are bothersome.”

Clothes tailored to fit him.

If I ignored the context entirely, I might’ve mistaken myself for Cinderella’s glass slipper.

I hadn’t expected anything in the first place, but the way Kwon I-yul openly treated people like possessions still made my chest ache sharply.

To him, the feelings I carried for him had apparently been nothing more than indulging a childish toy.

For the first time, I truly understood why Park Soochang once called him “beautiful trash.”

“If there were no other Guides, that would be one thing. But Choi Siram is already by your side now. Do you still need me?”

“Yoon-ah, were you always this cold? How exactly is Siram supposed to handle all four of us by himself?”

“…I did it. And honestly, I don’t think Choi Siram is that different from me.”

“I’ve had a long day already, so if you keep pushing like this, I might actually get angry. Let’s stop here, Yoon-ah. Siram and you aren’t even remotely in the same situation, so don’t compare things that can’t be compared.”

The moment Choi Siram was brought up again, something inside me that had barely been holding together finally snapped.

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Do you think this is an offer made while seriously considering your opinion?”

“…….”

“Yoon-ah, I told you this before too. Stop resisting and just relax around me. Our relationship would become much easier that way.”

Outside the window, the sky had turned gray.

It looked like rain would start pouring at any moment.

“There’s no need to take the long way around. We can each take what benefits us and move on. Is that difficult?”

“…….”

All this time, I thought I understood Kwon I-yul to some extent.

But apparently, everything I believed had been a misunderstanding.

To Kwon I-yul, I had never once been a person.

Just a convenient object.

A cost-effective battery.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“Since you awakened as a Guide anyway, wouldn’t it be better to make yourself useful until the end?”

In fact, judging from his personality, if he learned I was dying, he would probably say that since I didn’t have much life left anyway, I should sacrifice myself until they found someone suitable to support Choi Siram.

Using his endless wealth as bait, he would never let me go.

Even if I writhed in agony and died, he would simply click his tongue over a useful possession being ruined.

“Until the day you die.”

If I had lost control for even a moment, I probably would’ve struck him.

I would’ve dragged my nails across that perfect face and left ugly scars behind.

I would’ve screamed at him, asking if he was insane, ripped the contract apart, and thrown it into the trash can beside the office desk.

“Hmm? Yoon-ah.”

Suddenly, Kwon I-yul grabbed my hand.

Veins stood prominently against the back of his hand, and his grip wrapped around my fingers like solid shackles that could never break.

I always felt this way, but whenever any part of Kwon I-yul touched me, I became helpless — like a bird with broken wings trapped inside a cage.

“Th…”

I needed to run.

Every instinct inside me screamed that.

And above all else, Kwon I-yul absolutely could not discover my illness.

If he decided to keep me beside him through inhuman means despite my limited lifespan, there would be no possible way for me to escape him.

He stood in a position even above the Center Director — practically an absolute ruler — while I was little more than a dying person trying to survive a raging sea.

‘Those bastards are all my prey. Narrow-minded idiots who aren’t worth shit.’

Even if, as a last resort, I begged the Guide Human Rights Committee for help, would they truly turn against someone as powerful as Kwon I-yul just to protect me?

Would they really defend me against team members who doted on Choi Siram and wielded their influence solely to lessen the burden placed on him?

‘Even if I forced myself on you right here, those so-called human rights activists probably wouldn’t dare say a word.’

“Ah….”

The answer was no.

If I judged the situation rationally, the probability was almost zero.

Practically nonexistent.

‘Compared to some random Guide they barely know, their own lives matter far more. Right?’

If I made one wrong move, I might spend the rest of my life sacrificed for Choi Siram like some laboratory experiment.

After all, that’s exactly what backup batteries were for.

Bought as temporary replacements.

Useful while needed, then discarded without hesitation once obsolete.

Helpful, yes.

But never equal to the original.

“Well then, I’ll give you two days to think about it. I’ve already spoken with upper management, so once you’ve made your decision, come directly to me and sign the contract.”

At that moment, I accepted the truth.

Kwon I-yul had no intention of letting me go.

“I’ll be waiting. Right here.”

And because of that, I decided to run away.

Slide—

“What… what am I supposed to do….”

I stared blankly after Kwon I-yul’s back as he left the office saying he had business to attend to, only managing to regain my senses once the door shut firmly behind him.

My back slid slowly down against the door, shrinking helplessly in fear.

My reflection on the white marble floor looked deathly pale.

The image of Kwon I-yul standing from the sofa and calmly adjusting his black necktie remained vivid in my mind.

With barely two weeks left until I could finally return to the homeland I longed for so desperately, I had once again fallen into a pit of despair.

‘No. I don’t have time for this.’

Kwon I-yul had given me two days.

After that, once I made up my mind, I was supposed to come sign the contract immediately.

Which meant I only had two days to escape the Center before he noticed.

Judging from what he said earlier, he had probably already manipulated the upper executives in advance.

Not only management — in the worst case, he might’ve even discovered Kim Sugyeom’s involvement in helping process my transfer.

‘What do I do first? What first? No, before that… can I even get out of here safely? What happens to my resignation? And the chip… what about the implanted chip?’

No matter the circumstances, leaving through normal procedures was no longer possible.

The compensation.

The severance pay.

Everything was gone now.

And even if I somehow managed to escape the Center, the implanted chip inside my body remained a problem.

The nanochip could track GPS signals even through rough mountain terrain and precisely monitor vital signs like heart rate.

Without authorization from Center executives, it couldn’t simply be removed.

And even then, removing it required surgery performed by a professional medical specialist.

‘Leave. I’m sorry to say this, but Park Soochang wasn’t entirely wrong about you.’

“…Ah….”

As I clawed at my hair in despair while my vision blurred white, another face suddenly surfaced in my mind.

Kim Seokhwan.

Unlike Kwon I-yul, his opinions were completely different.

Maybe he would actually help me escape the Center.

After all, he was the one who constantly insisted the team would function properly only if I disappeared.

Grabbing at even the smallest thread of hope, I pulled out my phone from inside my jacket and searched through my contacts.

Since entering the contract, I had never once called any of the team members first, so even after finding his number, I sat there anxiously biting my dry lips for a long moment.

Ring—

“Please… please….”

Kim Seokhwan was infamous for ignoring even Kim Sugyeom’s calls despite calling him a close older brother, so I doubted he would answer mine.

But it was still better than sitting around helplessly waiting for time to run out.

Even if he answered only to shout at me in that sharp, irritated voice of his, this once I had already decided to shamelessly force my way through it.

Like someone running from a murderer close behind them, I fled desperately from the grasp Kwon I-yul had stretched toward me.

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