episode_0036

When reading a novel, there are times when one might express feeling as if time had stopped when a certain situation arises.

I felt exactly like that at this moment.

Neatly dressed in a suit and a brown short hair fluttering near the shoulders.

Stylish features, cute eyes adding charm, and a petite figure exuding an annoying cuteness.

The moment I spotted Hanyerwon, I felt as if the world had come to a standstill.

“Yerwon…!”

I smiled brightly, opened my arms, and tried to embrace her.

But.

Swoosh. She noticed and stepped back, then coldly rejected me.

“Mr. Kang Yoochan, please refrain from using informal language on our first meeting. Thank you.”

“W-what do you mean? First meeting!”

I was taken aback by her cold attitude, something I had never experienced before…

She promptly handed me a business card and politely introduced herself.

“I’m Hanyerwon from Top Response Strategy Team 1. I’ll be in charge of Mr. Kang Yoochan this time.”

As if there were no connection between us at all.

It really felt like she had come because of work and had no choice.

“If you have any questions or need help in the future, please contact the number on the business card.”

“……”

Feeling half out of it, I briefly looked at the card she handed me.

There was a contact number I’d never seen before.

It was a business phone number, not her personal cell phone.

It made my heart feel heavy.

“Um….”

“We’re about to start the inspection, should I go now?”

Before I could speak, Hanyerwon blocked me and urged me to proceed with the inspection.

Whether she drew a line or refrained from personal conversation due to work, I wanted to respect her actions, but I needed to talk right now.

“Let’s start with a conversation.”

“…There’s nothing to talk about.”

“I have something.”

Abruptly, I grabbed her wrist as she turned away.

At that moment, Hanyerwon’s eyes twitched.

“It’ll only take a moment. Please, let’s talk.”

“……”

“Please.”

Hanyerwon looked at me with an inscrutable gaze, then sighed as if giving up, pulled her hand away, glanced at her wristwatch, and said,

“…Follow me.”

At that time, she was wearing the watch I had given her.

*

As if conscious of the surrounding gazes, Hanyerwon led me to a separate dressing room.

It was a small room with no windows, equipped with dressing booths.

Since I had to change into combat clothes to undergo inspection, it seemed deliberate that I was brought here.

Click.

Hanyerwon firmly locked the door and then looked at me, meeting my eyes to speak.

“What do you want to say?”

Who would have known her informal speech would be so welcoming.

Although her tone was very cold, it was indeed speech.

“I’m sorry.”

I offered an apology without any long words.

“I have nothing to say, even if I had ten mouths. I was completely wrong.”

Hanyerwon had never liked making excuses before.

If one made a mistake, it was best to prostrate oneself and apologize, and then, when given the chance later, lay out all the excuses.

But.

“Yeah. It’s all your fault.”

This time, she didn’t even give a chance for excuses.

She unilaterally started the conversation and then switched back to formal language.

“If you’re done talking, now go change inside.”

I couldn’t just let it go like this.

“Ryeowon, please listen to me…!”

“I don’t want to listen.”

“Ryeowon…!”

Persistently clinging on, she met my gaze with a chilly look as if to say, “Say it once, why don’t you?”

This was my chance.

“What happened is…!”

I quickly explained everything that had happened.

From suddenly being summoned to the United States and then being forced into a contract, to being trapped in the house and eventually ending up in Korea.

Hanyerwon, who had been quietly listening until the end, came to a simple conclusion.

“…In the end, it means you cheated.”

I felt breathless.

“…I’m sorry….”

“……”

Hanyerwon stood still and glared at me with cold eyes.

She didn’t reproach me or show anger.

She just stood there, staring at me for a long time.

I would rather have heard some kind of words.

The silent gaze felt much more painful than a hundred curses.

“…Ha….”

Just then.

“…I should have just died back then.”

She left a faint remark and turned away.

“…What?”

“…Change your clothes and come out. We need to go for an examination now.”

“Wait, just a moment! What did you just say…!”

Thud! Hanyeo-won seemed to not want to speak anymore and left the dressing room as it is.

—I should have died back then.

“…Damn it….”

Left alone, I found myself engulfed in deep guilt, recalling the single word she had left behind…

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

While Yoochan was writhing in guilt inside.

“…….”

Outside the dressing room, Leywon leaned against the wall, savoring Yoochan’s guilt that was clearly transmitted beyond the wall.

A deep smile was drawn on her lips.

*

After finishing the conversation with Hanyeo-won, I proceeded with the examination right away.

“…….”

“…….”

There were still mountains of things to say to her, but I decided to solve what needed to be done first.

“At 185 and 71… Oh. Your body proportions are really good.”

“…Thank you.”

The awakening test process began with precise body measurements.

Without any special process, when stepping onto the platform, the body structure automatically becomes 3D, which is usually used as a basis for adjusting equipment.

“Do I have to show that too?”

…It’s a secret that even intimate parts of the modeled body were shamefully exposed.

“Next is the physical ability measurement.”

After measuring the body size, they also evaluated physical abilities.

“Pull.”

“Inh…!”

Starting with grip strength for muscle strength measurement.

For muscular endurance measurement, cross sit-ups.

“You need to lie down more.”

“Yes…!”

Treadmill/step test for cardiorespiratory endurance measurement.

“Good. Just keep running as you are.”

“Huff…! Huff…!”

Bending forward to measure flexibility.

“Stretch. Stretch. Please maintain this position.”

“Ugh…!”

In addition, there were reaction speed tests to measure agility and standing long jumps to measure explosive power.

“I’ve exercised enough today.”

After spending quite a long time, I could receive a comprehensive evaluation.

“Hmm… Overall, you’re at the level of an average person.”

The evaluation seemed quite subtle compared to the stats of an S-rank summoner.

“However, your muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance are at the level of most awakened individuals.”

Instead, I received a very outstanding evaluation in specific areas.

I didn’t feel too bad.

Anyway.

It was a moment of rest on the bench before the next test.

“How can I comfort Hanyerwon?”

I was deeply concerned about Hanyerwon.

Having indirectly realized how difficult it had been for her, I wanted to comfort her somehow.

But even that comfort seemed like a hasty action.

If my heart had already left me, comforting her would only cause trouble.

Of course, the opposite would be equally difficult.

Bound by Mayeonseo, getting close to Hanyerwon was nothing but torment for her.

It was difficult no matter what I did.

“I’m going crazy. I can’t just ask her directly.”

In the midst of this, Hanyerwon, who had suddenly left her seat, returned and handed me something.

“Here.”

It was none other than a cool ion drink.

She had brought the drink for me!

“!”

Surprised, I looked at her with wide eyes.

“Just take it, don’t misunderstand.”

Hanyerwon drew a line coldly and quickly averted her gaze, but I couldn’t help but misunderstand.

Among the many ion drinks, she had brought me my favorite flavor.

Whether intentional or not, her consideration touched me greatly.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

“……”

We took a short break like that and then headed straight to the next test.

This time, the test was the “Awakening Ability Test,” the flower of the Awakener test, also known as Alpha and Omega.

“Hmm… You haven’t awakened separately, have you?”

“No.”

Originally, awakening tests are not conducted on ordinary people.

Since they operate based on magic power, it is meaningless for ordinary people without internal magic power to undergo the test.

However, as I became a summoner and my constitution changed, I began to produce unexpected magic power reactions.

My saliva staining the magic reaction test paper was evidence of this.

“You can spit it out now.”

Following the examiner’s instructions, I spat out the blue paper I had been holding in my mouth, and the part wet with saliva turned bright red.

It was clear evidence that I had magic power.

“Do I have magic too…?”

It felt strange, as if I had discovered the secret of my birth.

“…It’s too intense, isn’t it…?”

The examiner, who seemed to be checking the saliva test results absentmindedly, soon ushered me inside the booth.

Inside the specially treated walls of the booth, there was a large magic stone as big as a person.

It was slightly fascinating.

“I was told that I just need to hold onto it.”

I briefly pondered and then grabbed the handle extending from the central magic stone as instructed earlier.

[We will begin now.]

Soon, along with the signal from the speaker, the central magic stone emitted light.

Woooooo──.

Soon, something began to flow into my body with a gentle vibration.

‘Wow.’

It felt unfamiliar yet strangely comforting.

Woooooo──.

The flow of magic that started from my left hand spread throughout my body in an instant through my veins.

Then, at some point, it suddenly rushed out from my right hand, signaling the end of the examination.

Crackle…. Pop….

An unfamiliar sound tickled my ears.

“Huh?”

It felt like something was splitting.

“Did I hear wrong…?”

Eventually, after the vibrations and light subsided, the examination was over.

“This is strange. The measurement is not possible…?”

“Does this kind of value normally come out?”

“I don’t know. This is the first time for me too…”

As I stepped out of the booth, the examiner and a colleague were having a serious conversation somewhere.

I approached them and cautiously asked about the results.

“What happened?”

At that moment,

Kwaaaaaaaah───!!!!!

An unidentifiable roar came from inside the booth.

“Whoa?!”

Startled by the vibrations shaking the building, I barely managed to regain my balance and turned to where the sound was coming from.

“…What, what is this…?”

And then, I faced the ruined booth with the central magic stone, now just a trace behind the thick glass window.

“Is it because of me…?”

It seemed like I might have caused an accident after all.