The Main Character Killed The Villain

#029

Hyun Dowoon seemed annoyed just by the fact that Shin Haejun and I were close together. His face was filled with unprecedented displeasure. To anyone looking, it almost seemed like jealousy.

Of course, it’s absurd to think that the Center Director, who values fairness and efficiency, would be jealous.

In my mind, Hyun Dowoon was now on par with a robot.

‘When did he decide to send me to Shin Haejun’s team…’

As I looked at him with distrustful eyes, Hyun Dowoon’s gaze wavered slightly.

“Isn’t this Jaeha’s private space? Why is Shin Haejun here?”

Ah, so it’s okay to meet for official business but not for personal matters?

I looked at Hyun Dowoon with a displeased expression, suppressing my tumultuous feelings.

How much pain I’ve been in, and he shows up like this without even knowing…!

Even in this situation, I was very irritated by his perfectly composed, cheerful face, unaware of how difficult and painful it had been for me. I wished someone would shake him up a bit.

“Relationships with guides are separate from work. Are you dating this guy?”

But when Shin Haejun came out so brazenly, I could only sigh at the ridiculous situation.

I want to hit that mouth. Why is he saying such things in front of Hyun Dowoon? As I glared at Shin Haejun’s mouth, Hyun Dowoon asked him with an expressionless face.

“Esper Shin Haejun, why are you here?”

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business whether I’m here or not.”

Shin Haejun snorted at Hyun Dowoon’s question, muttering as if to himself. Then he gripped my arm even tighter. Surprised to see him not showing proper respect to the Center Director, I opened my eyes wide, and Shin Haejun explained to me as if making excuses.

“Why, this is a private space, just like you said.”

For someone six years younger, he’s really pushing it…

I clicked my tongue and shook off Shin Haejun’s hand. He looked at his palm with empty eyes, like a child whose toy had been taken away.

“Shin Haejun. Don’t build a friendship with my guide as you please.”

Hyun Dowoon used formal speech with an even colder attitude, as if he couldn’t stoop to Shin Haejun’s level.

“Ah, what’s the big deal about being a pair? Are you saying you have a personal relationship with him outside of being an Esper and guide?”

When Shin Haejun spoke, roughly messing up his hair to the point his forehead was visible, Hyun Dowoon turned his head away completely. It seemed he had decided to treat Shin Haejun as invisible since words weren’t working.

“Jaeha, your temporary assignment to Team 1 was for official work, not to build a friendship with Shin Haejun.”

This time, I looked up at Hyun Dowoon with an exasperated expression at his words. Does it make sense to tell someone to work together but not build any friendships?

‘This person is strange too.’

But what was strangest of all was that I was conscious of having my hands held by both of them in this situation.

Well, maybe someone at the level of Center Director just stamps documents as a superior instead of interacting with ordinary people. I don’t know why I’m making excuses for Hyun Dowoon, though.

I turned my head and coldly replied to Shin Haejun.

“Shin Haejun, we’re not close enough for you to ask such things.”

As soon as I said that, Shin Haejun visibly deflated.

“Ugh, my heart hurts…” he muttered quietly, rubbing his chest. Then he looked at me with desperate eyes and exclaimed.

“We can become that close from now on!”

Shin Haejun’s gaze was too intense. As a second-best option, I shook off his hand and hid behind Hyun Dowoon, speaking sharply.

“I’ll have to refuse.”

I wanted to avoid rejecting him directly to his face. Somehow, it felt uncomfortable to see the usually confident Shin Haejun looking so dejected.

As I hid behind Hyun Dowoon’s back to avoid seeing him while speaking, this time Hyun Dowoon’s broad back twitched. If he hadn’t been wearing a suit, I would have clearly seen his back muscles moving.

Wondering why he suddenly reacted like that, I slightly moved away and looked at Hyun Dowoon, seeing his profile flushed with anger and irritation.

“Well, contact me anytime if you think of me.”

Shin Haejun’s arm suddenly reached out to me. I reflexively grabbed what he held out, and Shin Haejun showed a slightly satisfied expression. Then he quickly moved away, as if displeased by getting close to Hyun Dowoon.

What Shin Haejun handed me was a business card with his number neatly engraved on it. The card, with a diamond embedded on one side, looked very luxurious.

“Make sure to contact me.”

Shin Haejun emphasized twice, then left the house while glaring at Hyun Dowoon.

In the middle of the scene that had been swept through like a storm, I sighed, feeling deeply tired.

“Jaeha.”

Suddenly, Hyun Dowoon called me.

“Are you going to contact him?”

It was clearly a question, but it wasn’t a question. Hyun Dowoon was glaring at me with blazing eyes, as if telling me to refuse.

I don’t understand why he’s acting like this towards me now. I looked at the business card in my hand while holding my head.

“Do you need that business card?”

Hyun Dowoon seemed to dislike that I had Shin Haejun’s number.

I already know his number because of the house contract anyway… But I can’t just say that outright. I shook my head.

“No, I don’t need it.”

At that, a bright smile bloomed on Hyun Dowoon’s handsome face. He nodded with a satisfied expression, making a “hmm” sound.

With S-class physical abilities, Hyun Dowoon quickly snatched and crumpled the business card as if it had never existed, then gently took my hand.

“This incident is my fault, so I’ll take responsibility. Is there any way you’d like to be compensated?”

I feel something crumbling from my fingertips. I could feel the pages of the diary of my heart that I had been writing with Hyun Dowoon being torn out one by one.

Responsibility, compensation, solution.

These are words used as ‘my superior’, not as ‘my ally’.

I didn’t realize the emotional distance between me and my Esper would leap so far away like this.

I didn’t want responsibility or compensation. I realized that I just wanted someone to understand that I was struggling, to hug me and comfort me.

‘Who would do such a thing for someone like me.’

Pair guide, pair Esper – in the end, it’s just a relationship bound by contract.

From the beginning, it was different from a relationship bound by affection.

“Well, it was something we both agreed to. Being an F-rank guide to the Center Director was bound to cause a stir anyway.”

“Still, I’ll try to find a way to resolve this somehow.”

Why does Shin Haejun, whom I disliked, give me what I wanted most, while the person I wanted it from doesn’t understand my feelings?

I slowly lowered my eyelids and smiled faintly. I’m used to giving up. Hyun Dowoon was the best superior I’ve ever met. Just by not threatening, dumping work, or spreading false rumors, he could earn the title of best superior.

Let’s not forget that Hyun Dowoon is kind and fair to everyone. It wasn’t right for me to have unreasonable expectations.

‘This is a useless feeling.’

Why am I defending Hyun Dowoon… I was exasperated that even in this situation, I still wanted to believe in him.

‘He’ll leave now.’

I now know that Hyun Dowoon prioritizes efficiency. His business with me is done, so he’ll leave now. I just need to stay alone in this house and wait for either Hyun Dowoon or Shin Haejun to resolve this situation.

However, for some reason, Hyun Dowoon was lingering and not showing any intention of leaving.

As I looked up at him with a puzzled expression, he reached out and fiddled with the hair near my ear, asking:

“Do you… have feelings for Shin Haejun? You’ll only get hurt if you stay by his side.”

I nodded. I know that. Shin Haejun is the person who has hurt me the most in this world.

But the man in front of me was the one who had shocked me the most.

“I already know.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

Hyun Dowoon spoke in a soft voice and tried to place his palm on my cheek. I reflexively avoided his touch.

Always… making me misunderstand like this. I’m such an idiot for misunderstanding from just this much attention…

Rather than depression, I felt my heart being squeezed. Honestly, I didn’t want to die here, but I felt like I wanted to disappear from this world. Just as if I had never existed in the first place.

But this body isn’t mine. It would be terrible if I had a blackout and accidentally hurt this body or really fell to my death. I should definitely use a Medical Center coupon to visit a psychiatrist after this incident is over.

“Hmm…”

Hyun Dowoon looked down at me with a worried face. He also seemed a bit surprised that I had avoided him.

“Jaeha.”

Hyun Dowoon called me in a gentle voice. It was a warm voice that made me feel like I was melting, just as I had felt before.

It was a kind and warm voice, like how my family used to call me. But now I realized that this was just Hyun Dowoon’s nature, not because he truly cared for and loved me. Honestly, Hyun Dowoon was a very sinful man.

When I didn’t respond and kept my mouth shut, Hyun Dowoon sighed briefly and changed the subject.

“Jaeha, have you thought about getting re-evaluated?”

“Re-evaluation of my rank…?”

He’s saying the same thing as Shin Haejun. I tilted my head and mulled over Hyun Dowoon’s words. Isn’t it a bit of a strange signal that both S-class individuals are saying the same thing? Could I really be of a higher rank?

‘There’s no way I could have such luck.’

I’m a thoroughly villainous supporting character in this story. Why would the author change my F-rank?

Besides, I’ve heard that changing ranks is really rare. Kim Sehyun’s rank rose crazily from F to S because he’s the protagonist, but there’s no way that would happen to me. Even if it did rise, it would probably be to E-rank at best, right?

“No matter how I think about it, your current rank seems to have been incorrectly assigned.”

“…Why do you think so?”

I asked blankly, and Hyun Dowoon furrowed his brow as he chose his words.

“I feel it instinctively. Your guiding is… unique. It’s not that I strongly feel your guiding power, but when it’s released, it gives an incredible sense of pleasure. It feels like your rank is different, not just that we have a high matching rate.”

Could this be real? Or has the author planted this as some kind of plot device?

‘For such a rare case to happen to two close friends?’

It’s too much of a coincidence. It’s not that I don’t believe Hyun Dowoon’s words, but I wanted to believe that it really couldn’t be true.

Honestly, I want to be helpful to Hyun Dowoon. If we’re only connected through official matters anyway, I wanted to be of some help and be evaluated as a good colleague.

However, if my rank rises for that purpose, I was anxious because I didn’t know how the author would treat me. Authors usually like to roll out villainous characters. Isn’t it typical for authors to give something good and then take it all away or plunge the character into ruin?

“Anyway, let’s have you re-evaluated. It will also help calm down the spark of this incident.”

It seemed that Hyun Dowoon’s solution was to have my guide rank re-evaluated.

It’s clean and efficient. However, Hyun Dowoon hadn’t considered the impact if I really was F-rank. He seems to believe it’s impossible, but if I really am F-rank, I’ll be tormented again…

Just as I was about to answer after much deliberation, I heard light footsteps, and soon Kim Sehyun carefully entered.

‘It’s not like we agreed to take turns visiting… why are they doing this to me.’

Kim Sehyun’s face was wet with tears. He rubbed his reddened eyes with his sleeve and walked towards Hyun Dowoon, ignoring me.