NOVEL NEXT WORLD #028
#028
For a moment, I doubted my ears. What did Shin Haejun just say to me?
Am I hearing things?
‘I’ve never experienced auditory hallucinations in my life, but I’m a depression patient, so I could be hearing things.’
Yeah, it must be an auditory hallucination. There’s no way that person just made something like a c-c-c-confession to me…
“Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s date.”
As I touched my ears, suspecting my condition had worsened severely, Shin Haejun spoke to me with a confident face.
‘Hallucination… hallucination…!’
No, there’s no way I could be having visual hallucinations along with auditory ones.
And of all things, it couldn’t be a scene where Shin Haejun is confessing to me with eyes full of passion.
As I blinked my eyes and tried to think for a moment, Shin Haejun tilted his head to match my eye level and urged:
“Let’s date. Huh?”
Startled by the ruby-like eyes suddenly filling my vision, I reflexively asked:
“B-but you have a pair guide. What about Sehyun? Why are you saying this to me?”
At my question, Shin Haejun tilted his head and spoke. He seemed to show no interest in my mention of Kim Sehyun.
“But I like you.”
“No, I mean, what about your pair? Why are you doing this to me?”
“The pair isn’t the issue. I’m saying I like you. Don’t you like me?”
At Shin Haejun’s response, I was certain.
This bastard has clearly never been in a relationship before. The fact that he thinks this kind of confession would work shows he’s hopeless.
For a moment, a flash of yellow yuja tea crossed my mind. I even remembered the sweet and sour scent of the yuja tea.
‘With the grudge of my 5-star yuja tea, how can he ask if I like him or not?’
I glared at Shin Haejun with a cold gaze. Do you know how much I struggled to make that yuja tea? Even if you bought me a yuja orchard instead of making yuja tea, I wouldn’t like you, you bastard.
“Would you like someone like you?”
I spoke bluntly, as if throwing the words at him. I had been polite because he was a stranger, but after receiving such an unexpected confession, I couldn’t hold back anymore as the older person.
This guy’s mental age is at an elementary school level. If he was thinking with a sane mind, such a confession would never come out.
“What? Why?”
Shin Haejun looked shocked at my words implying I didn’t like him. His sparkling eyes widened and his gaze wavered aimlessly. He suddenly looked like a lost child, making me sigh involuntarily.
“The fact that you don’t understand that is the problem. You see?”
I looked at Shin Haejun with pitiful eyes, then turned around, thinking it would be terrible if Kim Sehyun found out about this.
***
Haejun returned home with a heavy heart and locked himself in his room.
Although there had been difficult times in his 21 years of life, being rejected by someone he liked was a different matter.
‘I’m quite a catch.’
Born into a wealthy family, he has a lot of money. He could give dozens more houses like the one he gave to Lee Jaeha.
Objectively, he’s handsome. He’s never once been called ugly in his life.
His personality… he’s been told many times that it’s terrible, but honestly, he could put on an act in front of Lee Jaeha if needed.
As an S-class, he can protect Lee Jaeha as much as needed.
And he’s younger than Lee Jaeha. So he’s confident he can ensure Lee Jaeha won’t die alone when he’s about 90 years old. Shin Haejun blankly stared at the long lifeline on his palm.
‘Why did he keep bringing up Kim Sehyun?’
Even though he has his own pair Esper… Shin Haejun rolled to the side and pounded the bed mattress. Looking at the deep dent, he wished Hyun Dowoon would sink like that.
As he was thinking this, Shin Haejun suddenly sat up in bed.
“It must be because he has a pair guide that he’s disqualified.”
Now he understood why Lee Jaeha had rejected him. Shin Haejun opened his eyes wide and quickly left the room, flinging open Kim Sehyun’s door.
“…Haejun?”
Kim Sehyun looked at Shin Haejun with sorrowful eyes. His large eyes filled with tears.
“Ah, I’m sorry about earlier… I was out of line… I was wrong.”
Kim Sehyun apologized first. He looked worried that Shin Haejun might get angry and cause a scene as usual. However, Shin Haejun, who had become more generous after realizing love, gently accepted Kim Sehyun’s apology. It was Kim Sehyun’s fault for begging to break the existing contract terms.
“…So you didn’t… go to Jaeha?”
Kim Sehyun asked very carefully. His lips were all chapped, as if he had been biting them worriedly all this time.
“You don’t need to know about that. There’s something you need to find out.”
“W-what is it?”
“Find a way to guide without holding hands.”
“…What?”
Kim Sehyun gaped in shock. There’s no way to guide without holding hands. He thought Shin Haejun had changed his method of tormenting him.
Of course, Shin Haejun had no interest in Kim Sehyun and was completely serious.
‘Physical contact is important in a romantic relationship.’
And jealousy was the flower of affection. No matter if they’re a pair, no one would like their partner holding hands with someone else. That’s why pairs often ended up dating each other.
‘It’s clear that Lee Jaeha kept mentioning Kim Sehyun because he doesn’t like this situation.’
He must have rejected me because he doesn’t want to date while constantly being jealous. Otherwise, there’s no way he would have rejected me because he dislikes me.
After all, Lee Jaeha also has a pair. So Lee Jaeha’s concern must be about the situation of holding hands for guiding.
‘Then we just need to guide without holding hands.’
Shin Haejun nodded with satisfaction, thinking he had come up with a groundbreaking solution. Of course, he had no idea how guiding could be done without even holding hands, but that was Kim Sehyun’s problem to figure out.
“You’re joking, right…?”
“I’m serious. If you don’t want to break the pair, figure it out yourself. I won’t do guiding while holding hands anymore.”
Having achieved his goal, Shin Haejun left Kim Sehyun’s room with light steps.
And. Kim Sehyun, left alone, blinked a couple of times. Then he picked up his phone and looked at the screen with cold eyes.
“I didn’t want to go this far.”
But there was no choice to bring back his insane pair.
Kim Sehyun steeled his heart and drew his sword.
***
[Is there a Cinderella at the Awakened Management Center?!]
[How did that F-rank guide become the Center Director’s pair?]
[Exclusive | Center insider: “Special treatment because of being friends with an S-rank guide” …Moral hazard in a public institution]
I stared blankly at the article headlines on my phone. Yesterday I found strange comment sections like “Author sweet potato went crazy,” “Is Haejun in his right mind?”… Is this also the author’s intervention?
‘Why am I suddenly appearing in the news like this?’
I turned on the TV news without thinking, and a familiar scent wafted out. Flustered, I checked the articles and they were full of stories about me.
What on earth is going on? I need to check if this is really the author’s intervention…
‘Let’s spy on social media.’
I didn’t want to make my villainous debut like this nationwide… Isn’t this too much, author?
(Personal) Enraged Green Bastard @Green_baby02
Hmm, when things don’t work out, there’s no choice but to roll out the villain..
I guess this is the fun of writing villains
I don’t know exactly what happened yesterday, but it seems clear that the author intervened. I have no idea who this center insider is or why they’re doing this to me, but…
‘For now… should I talk to Hyun Dowoon?’
As the Center Director, wouldn’t he somehow clean this up? It’s not like I became his pair through some backdoor deal…
‘He said I belong to him, so he should do at least this much, right?’
He should. As I was thinking this, I suddenly realized.
My trust in Hyun Dowoon had been broken. I couldn’t immediately run to him thinking “Of course he’ll resolve this because he’s on my side, because he’s my pair.”
[The Center Director’s pair guide is a 23-year-old F-rank guide who grew up in an orphanage. S-rank guide A, in order to help a friend…]
Lee Jaeha’s life story, which even I didn’t know, was spreading all over the internet for the public’s right to know.
I sat curled up under the living room sofa, twisting my lips glumly.
‘I don’t know what to do.’
It seems like my face photos have already spread everywhere. How should I clean this up?
As I scrolled through my phone with an empty head, suddenly there was a loud bang from the entrance. At the same time, I saw the front door fall to the floor, crumpled.
“Are you okay?”
As I stared wide-eyed at the entrance hallway, I heard Shin Haejun’s urgent voice.
“You’re in trouble now, right? What’s this, why are you like this!”
Shin Haejun, who had approached without me noticing, came closer and knelt on the floor. He grabbed my wrist. Only then did I realize that my hands were trembling.
“Why are you looking at this crap? Fuck, I’m going to sue all those bastards.”
“Shin Haejun… why are you here?”
Why is Shin Haejun here instead of Hyun Dowoon? Why is he making such a fuss… looking at me with worried eyes?
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. Those media bastards are no match for me.”
Shin Haejun boasted, pounding his chest. He seemed genuinely worried about me, fidgeting restlessly.
Feeling tears welling up, I suddenly asked:
“Were you serious? Do you really like me?”
“Of course!”
Saying that, Shin Haejun held my hand and gently massaged it as he spoke.
“I treat my people well. I’ll protect you.”
I don’t believe him at all… but why do I want to?
Of all people, it’s Shin Haejun who’s by my side the moment I’m in trouble. How on earth did my situation come to this? Feeling suddenly tired, I looked down at Shin Haejun’s hand gently caressing mine.
Suddenly, Shin Haejun looked towards the entrance with an unpleasant expression.
The sound of dress shoes hitting the floor echoed. Soon, a neatly dressed Hyun Dowoon entered and looked at us.
“Why is Shin Haejun comforting my guide as he pleases?”
Hyun Dowoon asked, slightly loosening his tight necktie. He looked very displeased.