Episode 29.
“You’re the one, right? The one who paired with Esper Cha Doun?”
“How is he?”
“Is he as strong as the rumors say?”
“Did you see him fight?”
“Is he as scary as they say?”
Seoyul’s eyes widened in surprise at the barrage of questions pouring in from every direction.
He floundered about, wondering how to answer, but when he listened carefully, the questions weren’t about him—they were about Doun.
Only then did he feel relieved and let out a breath. Because talk about Doun was something he could handle far more easily than talk about himself.
“Hey! One at a time. You’re asking too much at once; that’s why he’s bewildered.”
Among them, the one with the most mischievous face playfully organized the crowd and began to quell the commotion.
He even lined everyone up in a row, declaring he would take questions one by one.
“Alright, number one. Kim Dongu.”
“What matching rate did you get?”
His eyes widened at the question that struck right at him from the very first one.
He wondered if it was all right to tell them, but since it wasn’t exactly a secret, he cautiously opened his mouth.
“Uh, eighty-seven…?”
“Oooooh!!”
Admiring voices burst from all around, filling the classroom. Seoyul grew even more embarrassed, his cheeks flushing pink.
He felt relieved, thinking he would be able to adapt quickly thanks to Doun. Everyone’s attention directed at him wasn’t entirely unwelcome.
But there was just one thing.
His eyes caught someone from afar directing a different gaze at him.
‘Huh…?’
What was there was unmistakable hostility.
Seoyul, who had always lived reading the room, was rather sensitive to negative emotions. That was why he could easily grasp the meaning behind that gaze.
‘Why…?’
He was bewildered that someone he was seeing for the first time was looking at him like that. By nature, he had endured being ignored, but he had never experienced such a gaze.
Moreover, since he had only seen friendly faces these days, that gaze stood out even more.
“Ah. So noisy.”
He muttered in a languid voice. At that, the noisy classroom was instantly engulfed in silence.
“Class is going to start soon. Isn’t this too rowdy?”
Thorns were embedded in that softly smiling voice. Perhaps it wasn’t just Seoyul who felt it, as those nearby began to read the atmosphere and disperse in twos and threes.
“Ah, sorry. We were too loud.”
“Let’s get ready quickly.”
“Hey! Scatter!”
As everyone returned to their seats like that, Seoyul was left feeling bewildered.
He was relieved that he didn’t have to answer the awkward questions, yet he couldn’t shake off a nagging discomfort as they disappeared like this.
And his hunch turned out to be exactly right.
‘No one… talks to me.’
Unlike the attention they had shown at first, no one approached him. He wondered if there had been something strange in what he’d said or done, but he couldn’t be sure.
But there was something that bothered him.
The hostile gaze directed at him.
That child’s thorn-laden remark.
The children who had been reading the room.
‘Sigh…’
Seoyul let out a long sigh. He didn’t know why, but he somehow felt he’d ended up being hated. School life didn’t seem like it would be easy.
But contrary to expectations, time passed uneventfully. He simply didn’t talk to others.
He listened to lectures alone, ate alone, listened to lectures alone again, and returned home.
Then Doun would be at home. Seoyul thought it was fine since he had always been alone anyway, and Doun would be there when he got home.
Not being able to make friends… was a bit of a shame, but he repeated to himself many times that it was okay since he hadn’t come here to make friends.
But around the time that week passed, strange things began to happen.
‘There’s no one… here.’
The classroom was empty. The fact that it was a free period hadn’t been relayed to him.
At first, he thought it was a coincidence. But when such things began to happen in succession, even Seoyul couldn’t help but think about it.
That they were deliberately… ostracizing him.
‘Sigh…’
Seoyul, leaning against the hallway next to the classroom, let out a small sigh. The subtle ostracism and bullying from his classmates in the same department. Bit by bit, it was slowly gnawing at his nerves.
When Seoyul showed no reaction whatsoever, they gradually began to act more openly and ostracize him.
He had never imagined he would experience such things even if he didn’t make friends, so he didn’t know how to handle it.
He couldn’t talk to Seonjeong or Doun about it because he didn’t want to worry them, so he had no choice but to endure it silently.
But as time passed, other thoughts emerged.
Should he have tried to talk to them more from the start instead of giving up?
Would things have been a little different if he had approached them first?
All sorts of negative thoughts began to rush in. He knew he shouldn’t think like this, yet he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t calm his gloomily sinking heart.
“Is this really okay?”
Just then, a familiar voice came from somewhere. It was one of those who had first talked to Seoyul.
“Hey, what power do we have? An A-Class Guide said he doesn’t like him.”
“But isn’t this a bit childish?”
“Then you befriend him.”
“Damn. Do you want to ruin your life? He’s definitely going to a high place, whether it’s the Association or a Guild. Nothing good comes from getting on his bad side for no reason.”
“Anyway. Those who have more are worse, you know? No matter what, he’s C-Class, right?”
“With that personality, I guess his pride was hurt.”
“Well. You gotta give him credit for his personality, at least.”
They snickered and left. Seoyul stood there, unable to move a muscle.
Because he somehow felt he knew who they were talking about.
‘Yeonjiu.’
It was exactly the man who had sent him that hostile gaze.
He knew a lot about him because information about him could easily be heard even if he just stayed still.
A competent A-Class Guide that everyone wanted.
Because A-Class Guides were wanted everywhere, everyone was busy reading his mood.
So it seemed he and his followers were inciting other classmates to contribute to the bullying.
‘Why…’
Does he hate me?
He knew worrying about it was meaningless. But it was heartbreaking that there was someone who hated him enough to go this far.
‘Still, I just have to endure a few months.’
Half a year.
After taking the exam, he wouldn’t have much reason to come to school anyway. He just had to study hard until then.
But the effect of that resolve lasted only a very short while. His heart felt heavy.
He must have been hoping deep down after all. That he could regain a normal life and live normally.
‘As if that could happen.’
Seoyul smiled bitterly and moved his feet. In his right hand, he held the cheapest bread and milk from a convenience store.
He planned to quickly get a meal over with where no one was and go to his afternoon class.
As he was scouting where to eat today like that, he faintly heard the sound of people laughing and chatting joyfully nearby.
He turned his head and quietly watched the scene.
Had he wanted to blend in with them? He barely dragged his feet that refused to leave and entered the building where his next class would take place.
And he climbed the stairs, climbed, and climbed. When he reached the very top, a locked iron door appeared before his eyes. It seemed to be the door leading to the rooftop.
‘Should I… eat here?’
The blocked entrance was dark, but warm light was pouring down from a window one step below.
Perhaps because it was a place where no one came, it was quiet and he liked it.
Seoyul sat right there and rested. Through the blue sky visible beyond the window, the breeze gently blew and ruffled his hair.
‘This might not be bad.’
Yes. Being alone was okay. He couldn’t make everyone like him. Even if that number was a bit large, he repeated to himself over and over that it was okay.
But the more he did so, the more he couldn’t erase a feeling of wretchedness. It somehow felt like he was inside a dark, gloomy little room.
As if he had returned to those days when his Guiding had been exploited, when there had been no hope at all.
‘If I’m like this… it won’t do…’
If his mood sank, he would be a burden to Doun. He might even face interrogation for being unable to guide.
He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to show such a side of himself.
‘What should I do…’
In Seoyul’s hand, the unopened bread bag crumpled, and the rustling sound echoed throughout the stairwell.
Just then, a stranger’s voice was heard from below the stairs.
“Huh? What. My hideout’s been stolen?”
Seoyul raised his head to identify the owner of the voice. It was a tall man with refreshingly handsome features.
He stood crookedly with his hands in his pants pockets, smiling playfully. Judging by his expression, he didn’t seem to be picking a fight; he just seemed to be talking to him.
“I’ve never seen your face before. Are you a transfer student?”
He approached with tremendous friendliness and sat beside him. Then, seeing the bread in Seoyul’s hand, he muttered in shock.
“Ugh. That’s terribly tasteless. Hey, eat this. You’ll puke if you eat that.”
He arbitrarily took the bread, put it in the bag, and replaced it with a new one. Though Seoyul hadn’t said a word, he had to listen to him sing the praises of the exchanged bread.
“Now, this corn cream bread is one of the breads you absolutely have to try if you come to this school. They only sell it here, so you gotta eat a lot before you graduate.”
Whether those words were true or not, the bag was full of the same bread. He pulled one out, skillfully tore it open, and stuffed his mouth full as he spoke.
“What’s your name?”
“…It’s… Seoyul.”
“Ah, so you’re Seoyul?”
He seemed to know Seoyul as well. It was fascinating, yet thinking about how famous Yeonjiu must be made him feel somewhat bitter.
Was this person, too, one of those who watched Yeonjiu’s mood…?
The moment he thought that, the man threw out a random question.