The Main Character Killed The Villain

#049

I wondered if the General Manager had any reason to call me, but I thought I’d listen to what she had to say.

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“First, I’ll confirm. The Center Director approved the pair termination form and requested me to modify the list. I’m calling to confirm if you agreed to the termination, as it’s part of the procedure.”

“Yes, I… agreed.”

I heard Team Leader Lee Jina say, “Then I’ll update the list.” This officially ended my relationship with Hyun Dowoon.

I suddenly thought of Hyun Dowoon. The Hyun Dowoon who had insisted that pair termination was absolutely not allowed, with sad eyes.

I don’t know what Shin Haejun did, but I was glad he seemed to have persuaded Hyun Dowoon well.

“As of today, Guide Lee Jaeha is officially unpaired and can freely contract with another pair. Of course, you can also freely guide other espers as an independent.”

“Yes, thank you. But… you said you had something to recommend?”

There was a brief sound of breathing on the other end of the phone in response to my question. It sounded like a sigh.

“Actually, there’s a newly established team. Would you be interested in joining it?”

“A newly established team?”

I asked, rolling my eyes. Do teams usually form so suddenly? Of course, I don’t know anything, so I suppose it’s not unusual…

But why are they trying to scout me, an F-class guide?

“Why are you making this offer to me? I’m just an F-class guide, so I won’t be much help to an attack team.”

“There was a strong recommendation from the new team’s leader. They said you’d be more helpful in attacks than any other esper or guide.”

“Who is the team leader?”

Team Leader Lee Jina hesitated for a moment before answering my question.

“It’s the Center Director.”

Surprised by this, I exclaimed, “What?” Wasn’t the Center Director usually not involved in dungeon entries? More importantly, why is he trying to include me as a team member right after terminating our pair?

“The Center Director recommended me?”

“He said you’re an absolutely necessary awakened one, and he wants to include you in the team before anyone else.”

“Why me…”

“I don’t fully understand the Director’s intentions either. But I know he doesn’t speak nonsense.”

“Uh… well.”

Not knowing how to respond, I rolled my eyes.

If this was the case, why did we terminate the pair? While thinking this, I felt somewhat… amazed.

‘An absolutely necessary awakened one?’

All day yesterday, I was self-deprecating, thinking that I, an F-class, was useless, but today Hyun Dowoon said I was someone more necessary than anyone else.

Half of me felt happy, feeling like I was someone useful, and half felt confused, not understanding Hyun Dowoon’s true intentions. And a spoonful of concern about Shin Haejun was added on top.

‘Accepting this offer is out of the question. Why terminate the pair if this was the plan?’

Honestly, I know that Hyun Dowoon, being an excellent superior, would make a good team leader. It would also be beneficial for my career.

But if I get involved with Hyun Dowoon in any way, it might cause more rumors and make things difficult for both of us.

Thinking this, my resolve hardened.

“Well, I’m currently part of Team 1. I can’t move teams right away.”

“I think you might have misunderstood something. Right now, Guide Lee Jaeha, you’re unaffiliated. You were only dispatched to Team 1.”

“What?”

A thought suddenly struck me. I really was currently unaffiliated. I remembered that I, who had been the Center Director’s pair guide, had been requested by Shin Haejun, the leader of Team 1.

I was neither affiliated with Team 1 nor with the Center Director, floating in a state of non-affiliation.

“If you’re in a pair, you’re automatically affiliated with that pair’s team. But for guides without a pair, like yourself, you must be affiliated with a team. Guide Lee Jaeha, you have two weeks to make a choice.”

“But, I’m F-class…”

“That’s why many E and F-class guides work affiliated with the Awakened Management Center. Your case was a bit special.”

“What do guides who usually work at the center do?”

“They work in office jobs, manage dungeon by-products, and some healing-attribute guides work in the medical center.”

According to Team Leader Lee Jina’s explanation, I must decide on an affiliation with some team.

Honestly, I didn’t want to work at the Awakened Management Center. Unless I enter dungeons, frankly speaking, my value decreases. Because I can’t freely open my inventory.

‘I can’t work an office job again.’

In the real world, I was an ordinary office worker. I was scolded for not being able to do even simple tasks properly, and there was no guarantee it wouldn’t be the same here. It was clear that I wasn’t suited for office work.

“Um, then is it not possible for me to be affiliated with Team 1?”

“That requires the team leader’s approval. Please have an interview with the Team 1 leader first.”

“Ah… I understand.”

I’ll have to talk to Shin Haejun about this when I see him today. I hung up the phone feeling uneasy.

‘Shin Haejun will be in trouble without me too.’

Since his guiding with Kim Sehyun wasn’t working properly, he would surely need me.

Thinking this, I was about to send a message to Shin Haejun asking, “When are you coming?”

The phone rang again. This time it was a familiar number. It wasn’t saved, but… a number my head had already memorized. It was Hyun Dowoon’s number.

‘Should I not answer?’

My relationship with Hyun Dowoon was already over, so what’s the point in answering? Moreover, the timing of the call right after my conversation with Team Leader Lee Jina was a bit suspicious.

I deliberately glared at the phone without answering. The ringing stopped after about four rings.

‘Hyun Dowoon suddenly getting involved is giving me a headache. Anyway, this should resolve… Ah!’

The phone rang loudly again. When I didn’t answer the second call while glaring at it, a third call came in succession.

‘It seems he’ll keep calling until I answer….’

It seemed this wouldn’t be easy to avoid. I answered the phone with an uneasy feeling.

“Hello?”

“Jae… ha.”

Hyun Dowoon spoke with a voice that sounded somewhat moved.

“Why, why are you calling?”

“I didn’t expect you to answer on the third try.”

“Well… I wasn’t deliberately avoiding you.”

As I spoke as if making an excuse, not wanting to say outright that I was avoiding him, I heard a soft laugh from the other end of the phone.

“Why did you call?”

“You heard from Team Leader Lee Jina, right? I’ve established a new team, and I’d like you to join my team.”

“I’m going to be in Team 1.”

“My team would be better than Team 1. It will be composed entirely of people I trust, and only people who are friendly towards you.”

I tilted my head and blinked at Hyun Dowoon’s words.

“Did you know that there are quite a few people in Team 1 who don’t think favorably of me?”

“Generally, awakened ones do care quite a bit about rank.”

“But it was the Center Director who sent me to Team 1, wasn’t it? Why are you doing this now?”

Hyun Dowoon let out a low groan at my question. It seemed like he was contemplating something.

“To be honest… because of information I’ve recently learned, I don’t want to leave you in Team 1 anymore.”

“What? What kind of…”

“I’m still not sure if I should tell you this…”

“You’ve already brought it up, so now I’m just worried. Just tell me.”

Koreans hate it most when people stop mid-sentence!

I frowned and spoke bluntly. Hyun Dowoon sighed deeply and then said:

“You probably know that I’m in the process of suing the reporters who wrote negative articles about you, the media outlets, and the malicious commenters active on internet communities.”

“Yes.”

“Among those who spread very malicious rumors in the communities, there are awakened ones from Team 1.”

“…What did you say?”

For a moment, my mind went blank and I blinked. My colleagues that I worked with… wrote malicious comments about me?

‘Who? Who would do such a thing?’

I knew there were espers and guides who didn’t think favorably of me. Except for Shin Serim, who had conversed with me while leading the team during the first attack, and Kang Sodam, who seemed to have no particular thoughts due to her young age… there were quite a few people who didn’t even speak to me.

I knew they disliked me, but I didn’t know they would attack so actively.

Suddenly, I remembered Shin Serim and Kang Sodam, who had come to me with words of encouragement and apology.

‘What if… it was those two…’

No. It can’t be. If even those two were involved… I feel like I wouldn’t want to trust anyone anymore.

‘I don’t want to ask who it is. I’m scared…’

Does Shin Haejun know about this? Surely he’s not just leaving it be if he knows? Knowing how deeply hurt I was.

Suddenly, remembering the countless malicious comments I saw on the internet… my heart felt like it was being torn apart. I heard myself gasping rapidly, “Haa, haa,” as my breathing quickened.

“Jaeha, are you alright?”

As hyperventilation set in, my hands trembling and my head feeling dizzy, I heard Hyun Dowoon’s voice.

“Jaeha, let’s take your medicine first. Where do you usually keep your medicine?”

“Ki… kit, chen, table…”

The words came out fragmented. Even holding the phone felt heavy. As I gasped, Hyun Dowoon spoke in a calm voice.

“Let’s go to the kitchen first.”

With his calm voice giving instructions, I managed to move, albeit shakily and absentmindedly.

Following Hyun Dowoon’s words, when I got to the kitchen, he instructed me to take the medicine out of the container. With trembling hands, I took out the container labeled Xanax and opened the lid, but my shaking hands caused pills to spill out.

Barely managing to pick up two pills, he then told me to pour water into a cup. After receiving water in a cup from the water purifier and swallowing the pills, the medicine quickly took effect.

When I came to my senses, I saw that I had spilled water all over my clothes and the floor due to my shaking hands.

“Are you alright?”

Hyun Dowoon’s still calm voice asked about my condition.

“I’m, I’m okay.”

I didn’t want to be caught in this state… As I answered dejectedly, Hyun Dowoon let out a long sigh.

“I’m glad.”