Chapter 55: A Farewell Kiss

I remembered being at the party last night, but I couldn’t remember how I had gotten back to my room.
It seemed I had gotten drunk from drinking champagne and wine in succession.
Still, I thought it was a relief that my homing instinct had brought me back to my hotel room, and I sat up.

I had fallen asleep without changing, so I was still in the suit I had worn yesterday.
As I was unbuttoning the tight shirt one by one, the memories of yesterday slowly came back to me.
My last memory was of me kissing a man whose face I didn’t even know.
It wasn’t clear, but I remembered the feel of his tongue and the hard muscles I had touched with my hands.

I stopped my hand and tried to remember who I had kissed, but it was a blank.
In the end, I hit my head with my fist and lay back down on the bed.
I had a headache from the hangover.
To have made such a spectacle in a foreign country; I was ashamed of my actions.

To at least try to remember who I had kissed, I retraced the events of yesterday from the beginning and drank the bottled water on the bedside table.
The people who had been with me for a long time yesterday and who knew my hotel room… there were three of them.

Sung Yohan, Rainer, and Hyun Taewoon.

As soon as I thought of the three of them, I choked and coughed for a long time.
I thought it must have been one of the three, but whoever it was, it was uncomfortable.

After the coughing subsided, I tried to remember who I had kissed, but all that came to mind was the Esper’s wavelength that had gently enveloped me.

Trying to forget what had happened yesterday, I prepared to return to Korea.

After the gate closed, I received thank-you gifts from the American Association and the Espers, and before I knew it, I had so much luggage that I had to buy a suitcase.

As I was organizing the gifts, my phone started to ring.
When I looked at the screen, it was Wonjae.

Only then did I remember that I hadn’t contacted him.
I should have contacted him as soon as the gate closed…
I hurriedly answered the phone.

“Yeah, Wonjae.”

• [Hyung…. I was waiting for your call….]

“I’m sorry. I was so out of it that I couldn’t.”

As soon as the gate closed, I spent two days resting, and the next day, I was invited to Rainer’s mansion.
The day after that was a tour of the American Center and a news interview.
And after attending the party yesterday, time had just flown by.

• [I thought you would call as soon as the gate closed…. I’m disappointed.]

Knowing that he was waiting for me at home, I felt sorry and placated him, who was sulking.

“I’m sorry. But I’m going today, so just wait a little longer.”

• [Okay…. I’m so lonely without you, hyung. The house feels even bigger.]

“I was lonely without you too, Wonjae.”

• [You were too, hyung?]

While I was in the US, I had thought it would be nice to travel around the US with him.
There were so many things to see and various foods that I wanted to enjoy with him.

“Yeah.”

• [Then that’s a relief…. What time are you leaving today?]

“At night. I think it will be morning when I arrive in Korea.”

• [Okay. Don’t stay in the US any longer and be sure to come.]

“Yeah. I’ll definitely go this time. Don’t worry.”

• [Okay. I’ll be waiting.]

After the call ended, I closed my suitcase and thought I should prepare a gift for him.
Since he was a kid who was just waiting for me to come, he might be expecting a gift.

As I was eating room service and looking for a place to buy a gift on my phone, the doorbell rang.
When I went to the front door, the unexpected Rainer was there.

“Shinui, did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Ray, what’s up?”

“I came because I have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor? What is it?”

I was puzzled that he had come to see me in the morning, even though we had met at the party yesterday.

“I would like you to do a matching test with me.”

Rainer’s words were something I had expected to some extent since the time I had subdued his rampage, so I wasn’t too surprised.
Currently, neither he nor I had an exclusive.

“Why a matching test?”

“I heard you’re not on good terms with the Korean Association.”

Since he was a member of the American Association and knew even this, it seemed he had done a background check on me.

“Even so, I have no intention of coming to the US.”

“I know. But the American Association will grant all of your wishes. And to be honest, I’m curious about the matching test. Your wavelength keeps coming to my mind.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Ray. But I don’t think I can do a matching test without the Korean Association’s consent.”

Even at my words, he tried to persuade me.
Unlike other Espers who always lied, I wanted to grant his request because of his honesty in telling me the reason why he wanted to test.

“Then you’ll just check the matching rate and let me go, right?”

“Yes. Of course!”

When I answered positively, he smiled brightly and nodded.

“But, before the test, I want to buy a travel gift first.”

“If it’s a place to buy a gift, I know it well. Shall I guide you?”

“Could you do that?”

“Of course. I can grant any of your wishes.”

I was at a loss as to how to buy a gift, so I thought it was a relief.
And so, I went out with him.
Since I had to leave tonight, I had to hurry.

“I’d like it to be something that can only be bought in the US.”

“Then I think it would be better to go to an outdoor market.”

“An outdoor market?”

“Yes. But we’ll need a disguise when we go out.”

He and I, who had parked the car near the market, came out with sunglasses and scarves wrapped around our faces to cover them.

“We’re celebrities here now.”

He pointed to something with his finger.
I saw an electronic billboard with his advertisement and the main electronic billboard reporting the gate situation.
On the gate situation billboard, the scene of me doing remote guiding and the Espers’ activities were being broadcast repeatedly.

In the US, unlike in Korea, high-ranking Awakened were active like celebrities.

He put his arm around my shoulder, and we looked around the market together.
I chose gifts not only for Wonjae but also for Jinseok, Jihwon, and other people.
I also bought a souvenir that he had recommended.

As I was choosing various things, my hands were already full of luggage.

“Ray, thank you. I was able to choose everything safely thanks to you.”

“Not at all. And this is my gift.”

He gave me a bouquet of flowers as a gift, which he must have bought at some point.
One thing I had felt since coming here was that Americans had no qualms about expressing their emotions.
Suddenly, the kiss from last night came to mind.
It might have been him, but his attitude towards me was so consistent.
I thought I should probably test the waters a little.

After buying a ton of souvenirs, I headed to the American Association.
I was a little nervous on the way to the Association.
The matching test with him had become a trauma, and every time I took a test, my stomach churned, and my body stiffened.

As soon as I arrived at the Association, I had a brief greeting with the American Association President.

“I am Edwin, the President of the American Association.”

The American Association President praised my actions at the gate.
And he hinted at a scout offer, saying I could come to the American Association anytime.

I said thank you and that I would come anytime if I changed my mind.
It wasn’t a bad idea to have this as insurance.

After finishing my conversation with the President and high-ranking executives, I went straight to the matching test room with him.

The matching test room was newer than in Korea, and there were more researchers.

I had heard that many S-Class guides had died from reverse guiding at the gate this time.
So the American Association would also need me, an S-Class guide.
However, I couldn’t do as they wished.
I still liked Korea better than the US.

I planned to just do the matching test and return to the hotel, and then leave for Korea.

“You’re just going to check the matching rate and send me to the hotel, right?”

I had him confirm the promise again.

“Shinui, of course.”

Since I believed his words, I received an explanation about the matching test from a researcher and began the test.

• [Guide Lee Shinui, please guide Esper Rainer.]

“I understand.”

I took his hand and guided him as usual.
I thought about guiding clumsily, but I knew I couldn’t fool the machine, so I did as I always did.

“As expected, Shinui is different from other guides.”

“That’s what everyone says.”

“I hope it comes out high.”

I hoped the matching test wouldn’t come out high.
If it came out high, he would become obsessed with me like Hyun Taewoon and Sung Yohan.
I didn’t want to see him like that.

• [The matching rate is 48%.]

At the researcher’s words of 48%, he had a really happy face, but it was a much lower score compared to Sung Yohan and Hyun Taewoon.

• [You’ve worked hard. Please come to the situation room.]

He and I went to the situation room and received an explanation about which parts of the scores were high and which were low.
This was also different from the Korean Association.
The Korean Association didn’t explain in such detail.

“If you’re okay with it, you can come to the American Association.”

“I’ll come when I want to run away from Korea.”

“Okay. If you feel that way even a little, you can contact me anytime.”

“Okay. Then can I go back to the hotel now?”

At my words, he immediately nodded and took me to the hotel.
Now I had to get ready to go back to Korea, so I said my final goodbyes to him.

“Thank you for everything while I was in the US.”

“Me too. I’ll come to visit you in Korea next time.”

At his words, the moment I said he could come anytime, I thought of the kiss from last night and cautiously asked him.

“By any chance, did you take me to my hotel room last night?”

“No. Is something wrong?”

As expected, it wasn’t him.
Then it was either Sung Yohan or Hyun Taewoon.

“I was just asking. Then see you again, Ray.”

At my words, he gave me a kiss on the cheek and went back.
As his back disappeared from view, my heart grew even heavier.
The kiss partner was either Sung Yohan or Hyun Taewoon.
It was the worst.