Chapter 7: A Cruel Awakening

Taewoon was still glaring at me.
Even at his command to leave, I could only stare at him with a look of disbelief.

Just hours ago, he had called my name in a voice full of affection, so I didn’t want to be thrown out like this without a proper conversation.

“Taewoon-ssi, our matching rate is high, so they said there’s no problem with my guiding even if my grade is low.”

“……”

I tried to speak, but he still didn’t answer.
My heart grew anxious, and I hurriedly added more words.

“I can do well.”

“How can a C-Class have a matching rate of 83%?”

Taewoon muttered as if to himself.
It seemed he was in shock, having been so certain I was an S-Class, only to receive a C-Class grade.

“The Center Director said that even though I’m a C-Class, I can provide S-Class level guiding to you. And I even signed the exclusive guide contract with you.”

“Shut your mouth.”

Ignoring his words, I continued to ramble incoherently.
I felt that if I stopped talking now, I might never be able to talk to him again.

“Until now, there hasn’t been a single guide with a high matching rate for you besides me. I’ll work harder.”

“Yeah, you’re right. There wasn’t a single f*cker who matched.”

“How about we go and take our vows now, like you mentioned before? Guiding works better after we take the vows, right?”

I moved closer to him and took his hand.
He swatted my hand away as if something dirty had touched him.
His continued cold reaction made my rejected hand tremble, and a wave of sadness washed over me.

“…Taewoon-ssi, what’s wrong?”

“Get out.”

“Why…?”

I didn’t want to believe his words telling me to leave, nor his cold demeanor.

“Is there any need for us to face each other like this anymore?”

“Taewoon-ssi…. Why are you being like this?”

Even though I was a C-Class, our matching rate was 83%, and my guiding worked well.
I didn’t understand why he was being so cold.
At his frigid appearance, a lump formed in my throat, and it began to burn.

“Get lost. I don’t want to see your face.”

I looked at him with disbelieving eyes as he swore at me, but his eyes remained as cold as ever.
Come to think of it, he had thought I was an S-Class until now, so it was understandable that he would be shocked.
He would probably go back to his old self once he calmed down.

“Then I’ll stay in my room until you feel better.”

I turned to go to my room, but he grabbed me.

“I told you to get out.”

“Where am I supposed to go?”

The Association was supposed to have cleared out my factory dorm.
Now that I was broke, I had no choice but to stay at his house.

At my words, he picked up his phone with an annoyed expression and made a call.

“Lee Shinui, send her to the Guide dorms.”

‘The Guide dorms?’

“Do I have to look after her conveniences too? Get her out of here now.”

He hung up the phone and told me to get out again, but I stood my ground.

At my defiance, he finally stood up and walked towards me.
The scent wafting from him as he approached was not the pleasant one I liked, but the sharp smell of alcohol.
For the first time, I was scared of him.

I instinctively took a step back, but he grabbed my shirt roughly and dragged me towards the front door.

“Taewoon-ssi, it hurts! Let go!”

I tried to pull his hand off and talk to him, but he was unrelenting.

“Why are you doing this? Is it really because I’m a C-Class?”

I couldn’t believe this was happening.
I tried to smooth my contorted face, but his cold expression finally made me break down.

“Please, just tell me the reason.”

“You said it yourself. You’re not an S-Class.”

“I’ll- I’ll retake the grade test.”

Tears were already streaming down my face.
Even seeing me like this, his expression remained merciless.

“There’s no need.”

“No. I can do well.”

“I don’t need you anymore.”

He finally pushed me out the front door.
Unable to withstand his strength, my body fell to the floor.

My wrist throbbed as if I had landed on it wrong, but I got up again and ran back to him.

He slammed the door shut without a shred of mercy.
I immediately tried to use my fingerprint and turn the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t open.
It seemed he had activated the double lock from the inside.

“Taewoon-ssi! Open the door! I have something to say!”

I pounded on the door until my hands were red, calling his name, but he never came out.

I didn’t give up and pleaded with him until my voice was hoarse.
But as if my voice couldn’t reach him, the closed door remained firm.

About twenty minutes passed like that.
I heard the manager’s voice from behind me.

“Oh, my.”

He sighed at the sight of me and took my hands, which were still hitting the door.
My hands had no strength left, and I let myself be pulled away from the door.

“Your hands will get hurt if you keep this up.”

“Manager-nim… please open this door.”

My voice was already so hoarse it was unpleasant to listen to.

“I heard you got a C-Class judgment, but this is too much.”

“…You have to tell him I’ll get re-tested.”

“It will be the same even if you get re-tested. And that’s just how Taewoon is. He has a bad personality, so all the other Guides avoid him too.”

I didn’t want to believe that was his real personality.
Just this morning, he had smiled and held me.

“No. He was kind until now.”

“That was all an act. Because he was afraid you’d run away.”

Come to think of it, Dr. Yoon had said the same thing as the manager, but I hadn’t believed him.

“You probably won’t see that side of him anymore.”

“No.”

I only believed what I had seen and heard.
But seeing his behavior just now, I was scared that the manager’s words might be the truth.

“Guide Shinui, this is Hyun Taewoon’s true self.”

At those words, tears burst out again.
I bit my lip hard to stop the crying, but a sob escaped my mouth.
The manager silently comforted me and led me to the underground parking lot.

Being a C-Class was sad enough, but the thought of being abandoned by him left me with nothing but unbearable misery and pain.

The place we arrived at in the manager’s car was an old apartment building.
The walls, cracked from age, were stained with black mildew, and the security bars on every window were reminiscent of a prison.

“This is the C-Class Guide dorm. The exterior is very old, but the inside has been renovated, so it’s usable.”

“The C-Class Guide dorm…”

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

I shook my head weakly.
The manager looked at me with a pitiful expression.

“It’s only been about a month since you started living with Taewoon. It’s better to cut ties quickly.”

Cutting ties is easier said than done.
Even now, I vividly remembered the warmth of our bodies touching.
And his gentle smile and touch as he looked at me.

After my mother died, he was the only person who had shown me warmth.
Even now, I felt like the Taewoon I knew would be waiting for me if I went back.
He had always been kind, at least to me.

“Manager-nim, could you please try calling him for me?”

At my words, the manager finally took his phone out of his pocket and called him.
The sound of the ringing tone filled the quiet car for a moment before it was abruptly cut off.

“He rejected the call. It’s late now, so sleep at the dorm today and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

“…Okay.”

By tomorrow, he would have calmed down, and we would be able to talk again.

“The vacant room is 202, so go in there. The door will open if you use your ID card. Ah, and my name is Kim Jinho, and I’ll be your manager from today. I don’t think I introduced myself properly.”

He hurriedly took a business card from his jacket and gave it to me.
It said Kim Jinho, Manager, with the Esper·Guide Association logo.

“Thank you…. And they said the Center would provide me with a phone, can I get one?”

“I’ll get it for you tomorrow morning.”

“Yes. Please.”

As soon as I get the phone, I plan to call him.
I couldn’t let it end with him like this.

After the manager left and I was alone, I slowly entered the dorm.
A damp, musty smell emanated from the staircase.

The familiar smell, one I had known since I was very young, made me wonder if my memories of living with him in the penthouse might have been a dream.

I slowly climbed the stairs and stood in front of room 202.
I tried to tap my ID card on the door as the manager had said, but I dropped it on the floor.

Like him, I too couldn’t believe this situation.

With a trembling hand, I picked up the ID card, and this time, I successfully unlocked the door and went inside.

The sensor light turned on, and the dark interior became faintly visible.
As the manager had said, the interior had been remodeled, and it was in better condition than I expected.

The dorm had two rooms and a combined living room and kitchen.
It was similar to the factory dorm.

I went into the room that looked like a bedroom, and there was a single bed.
I stumbled towards the bed and sat down.

As soon as I sat on the bed, tears burst out again.
I didn’t know why things had turned out this way.
The thought that I might never see the Taewoon I knew again terrified me.

I waited with a small hope that he might come looking for me, but in the end, he never came, and only the dark night found me.