"You're seriously really fucking annoying. Do you know that?"
"..."
That would be the case because he had been bothering Wi Hajoon every day to change the plot, but hearing it directly in such a harsh tone wasn't exactly pleasant. Rim Young still pushed the bouquet towards him, maintaining eye contact.
"I am really sorry."
He will probably be even more unbearable in the future for Wi Hajoon.
"Are you pretending, or are you just plain old dense?"
Ah... it doesn't seem like these roses will be accepted today...
"I'm talking to you. Why don't you answer me instead of repeating apologies like a broken record?"
"Fine. What do you want me to say to that?"
Rim Young hardened his gaze at him as he asked genuinely, slightly lowering the bouquet. It's not like he could tell Wi Hajoon that he was doing it on purpose to change his ending, so what could he say, really?
"I clearly told you to stay out of my sight. Why did you enter the restricted zone? What for? It's as if you knew exactly where I was and came to that exact spot too. Are you pretending to play dumb with me with a different motive?"
"You readily agreed to guide me last night too... what, you wanted to brag about our match rate as well?"
Rim Young heard it all, but he still didn't know what Wi Hajoon wanted to hear. If it wasn't an apology, then...
"You want me to go mute and just exist like I don't exist. I got it. So if you accept these, I will do just that."
No, he will just approach Su Iseul to push Wi Hajoon to become his guide. Every time Wi Hajoon asked him to stay away from him, it was useless. Whether he liked it or not, Rim Young was going to do his best to change the ending.
"You know, on another note, just apologize properly to me. I have no doubts I will have to deal with you again even after this."
That's why he was going for an apology instead of empty words. With renewed energy, Rim Young presented the bouquet of pink roses to Wi Hajoon again and bowed his head.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you through so much."
Anyone seeing them from a distance might think Rim Young was confessing to Wi Hajoon. Now if he did a confession, that would be more troublesome. Wi Hajoon stared at his bowed head for a moment and then grabbed the bouquet with a hand. Rim Young raised his head. He became hopeful for a split second, thinking his apology was accepted, but in the next second, the bouquet hit his face.
"You don't look the least bit apologetic to me, you bastard."
"If I see you out here waiting for me again, I'm going to do everything in my power to get you fired from this job that you gained through me."
Rim Young rubbed the bridge of his nose as he watched the bouquet come apart on the ground and Wi Hajoon accidentally step on it as he finished speaking to him, heading inside the building.
I guess it would have been more surprising if Wi Hajoon had forgiven me this easily.
Rim Young cleaned up the mess and went to his class late, obviously. He was told off by the instructor for it, but since he was the one who got the basics down the fastest, he wasn't given a warning.
***
After a week of classes, Rim Young officially became a Guide.
The moment he received his guide badge, the first thought that came to his mind was Wi Hajoon. He wanted to find him immediately and show it to him in person, almost impulsively, as if the achievement would feel more real if Wi Hajoon saw it too. But ever since that day, ever since his apology had been coldly rejected, he hadn't been able to properly meet him even once.
At most, he would only catch brief glimpses of Wi Hajoon from a distance while passing through the building. And every single time, Su Iseul would be there beside him. Since their offices were located on the same floor, the two of them were almost always together, casually walking side by side or disappearing into the same hallway before Rim Young could even think of approaching.
Unfortunately, Rim Young wasn't an S-Class.
Which meant his assigned department was on an entirely different floor, shared by the A-Class and B-Class Guides instead of the upper-level offices where the S-Class personnel stayed. On the first day of getting his own workstation, Rim Young mostly spent his time awkwardly settling his belongings onto the desk, arranging and rearranging things without really knowing what he was actually supposed to be doing there yet.
So throughout the day, he ended up doing little meaningless things to keep himself occupied: checking documents he didn't fully understand, organizing stationery, walking around the department aimlessly under the excuse of looking for something, and occasionally staring at his guide badge again just to remind himself that he really had become an official Guide now.
By the time lunch break finally arrived, he already felt mentally exhausted despite barely accomplishing anything. That was when Park Taehee casually suggested they eat together. Honestly, Rim Young was really thankful that Park Taehee happened to be in the same department as him as an A-Class Guide.
Out of everyone there, Park Taehee was the easiest person to approach. Friendly, relaxed, and strangely easy to get along with, he never made Rim Young feel awkward or out of place even when he was obviously inexperienced compared to the others around him.
"Esper Wi Hajoon has a nasty personality. Guide Su Iseul is a bit pushy and always with Wi Hajoon. Esper Hyeong Ki... he can only talk about work. That's why I avoid all three of them."
Park Taehee concluded his words with an easy smile lingering on his face. He had apparently seen Rim Young and Wi Hajoon together that day, and perhaps this was his own way of trying to comfort him without making it too obvious.
"Isn't that right? Esper Hong Juryeon?"
Turning slightly to the side, Park Taehee leaned closer and stared directly at Hong Juryeon from an almost unreasonable distance, completely unbothered by the lack of personal space. Rim Young hadn't even known Esper Hong Juryeon was paired with a Guide. But now that he thought about it, it was true that in the novel, Hong Juryeon had been the only S-Class Esper in the Center who had never once gone to Su Iseul for guiding.
The three of them were seated together at one of the cafeteria tables, Rim Young sitting across from the two while quietly listening to the conversation. Hong Juryeon finally responded after a short pause. Even then, his expression barely changed. Not a single unnecessary movement crossed his face as he gave a small nod and answered in a low, indifferent voice.
"Yeah."
From the side, the smile on Park Taehee's face carried a slightly roguish edge, playful and shameless in a way that made it difficult to tell when he was being serious and when he was simply enjoying himself. He was an unusually cheerful person, especially compared to the Esper sitting beside him. Hong Juryeon, on the other hand, looked like someone whose entire range of expression could be summed up with two emoticons at best.
As the two sat shoulder to shoulder, the small squirrel familiar perched comfortably on Park Taehee's shoulder suddenly crossed over onto Hong Juryeon's instead, seemingly deciding on its own that it preferred that spot better. Park Taehee only chuckled softly while Hong Juryeon allowed the familiar to settle there without even glancing at it. But strangely enough, with them sitting side by side like this, they looked somewhat alike despite their completely different personalities...
"Rim Young."
At the sudden call, Rim Young glanced back to see Hyeong Ki standing behind him.
"Yes, Sunbae. What's the matter?"
He put down his chopsticks to answer him. Hyeong Ki saw the tray of food still half full and spoke out.
"Finish eating first, and then come up for a guiding session."
"Guiding session? Who am I guiding?"
"Me."