36 – 36.
When reading a novel, there are moments when it feels like time stops for a moment when a certain situation arises.
That’s exactly how I felt now.
Neatly dressed in a suit and with short brown hair that fluttered near her shoulders.
With refined features and a cute charm added to her petite figure.
The moment I spotted Hanyeo-won, I felt like the world had come to a halt.
“Ryeo-won…!”
I smiled brightly and opened my arms, about to embrace her.
But.
Swiftly. She noticed and stepped back, rejecting me with a cold attitude.
“Mr. Kang Yoo-chan, I would appreciate it if you refrain from using informal language on our first meeting.”
“W-What are you talking about? First meeting?”
I was taken aback by her cold attitude, which I experienced for the first time in my life…
She immediately handed me a business card and politely introduced herself.
“I’m Hanyeo-won from the Top Response Strategy Team 1. I’ll be in charge of you, Mr. Kang Yoo-chan, this time.”
As if we had no connection whatsoever.
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It felt like she had come solely because of work.
“If you need to ask anything or require assistance in the future, please contact the number on the business card.”
“……”
Half-distracted, I took the offered business card.
There was a contact number written on it that I had never seen before.
It was a work phone number, not her personal mobile.
I felt my heart sink.
“…Um…”
“Shall we proceed with the investigation right away, or would you like to leave now?”
Before I could even speak, Hanyeo-won cut me off and urged me to start the investigation.
Either she drew a line between us or she was refraining from personal conversation because she was currently on duty.
Whichever it was, I wanted to respect her actions, but I needed to have a conversation right now.
“Let’s talk first.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“I have something.”
Abruptly, I grabbed her wrist as she turned away.
In that moment, Hanyeo-won’s eyes flickered.
“Just for a moment. Please, let’s talk.”
“……”
“It’s a request.”
Hanryowon looked at me with eyes that I couldn’t quite understand.
Then, as if it couldn’t be helped, she sighed and let go of my hand that she had been holding, briefly checking her wristwatch before speaking.
“…Follow me.”
At that moment, she was wearing the watch I had given her.
*
Hanryowon, seemingly conscious of the gazes around us, 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 clothing in order to undergo the examination, it seemed like she had deliberately brought me here.
Clank.
Hanryowon firmly locked the door and finally looked into my eyes before speaking.
“What is it that you want to say?”
Who would have known that her informal speech would be so welcoming.
Although her tone was very cold, that is.
“I’m sorry.”
Without any long-winded words, I immediately offered an apology.
“I don’t have anything to say, even if I had a thousand mouths. I was completely in the wrong.”
Hanryowon, who had gone through so much, didn’t like making excuses.
If she made a mistake, she would just prostrate herself and apologize, and if given the chance later, she would then present her excuses.
But.
“Yeah. It’s all your fault.”
This time, she didn’t even give me a chance to make excuses.
She abruptly ended the conversation and spoke formally again.
“If you’re done talking, go change your clothes inside.”
I couldn’t just let it slide like this.
“Ryeowon, please listen to me…!”
“I don’t want to listen.”
“Ryeowon…!”
As I persistently clung to her, she met my gaze with a cold look as if asking me to say it once.
This was my chance.
“Let me explain what happened…!”
I quickly explained everything that had happened.
From suddenly being summoned to the United States and being forced into a contract, to being trapped in a helpless situation and desperately trying to find an escape route, and eventually ending up in Korea.
As I finished telling the story, Ryeowon, who had been silently listening the whole time, gave a brief conclusion.
“…In the end, it means you cheated.”
I was left speechless.
“…I’m sorry.”
“……”
Ryeowon stood still and glared at me with cold eyes.
He didn’t reproach me or express anger.
He just stood there, staring at me for a long time.
I wish he had said something, anything.
The gaze of silence was far more painful than a hundred curses.
“…Ha….”
And then, at that moment.
“…I should have died back then.”
She left those faint words behind and turned away in a flash.
“…What?”
“…Change your clothes and come out. We have to go for an examination now.”
“Wait, wait a minute! What did you just say…!”
Thump! Hanyeo-won, as if not wanting to say anything more, walked out of the dressing room.
-I should have died back then.
“…Damn it….”
Left alone, I kept replaying the words she left behind, drowning in immense guilt…
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
While Yoo-chan writhed in guilt inside.
“……”
Ryeowon leaned against the outside of the dressing room, savoring Yoo-chan’s guilt, which echoed clearly through the wall.
A deep smile was drawn on her lips.
I immediately proceeded with the examination after finishing my conversation with Hanyeo-won.
“……”
“……”
There were still words left unsaid between us, like a mountain of thoughts, but I decided to deal with what needed to be done first.
“185 centimeters, 71 kilograms…. Wow. Your body proportions are amazing.”
“…Thank you.”
The Awakening Examination started with precise body measurements.
Once you stepped on the platform, your body structure automatically turned into a 3D model, which was then used to customize the equipment.
“Do I have to come out like that too?”
…It’s a secret that I was embarrassed by the explicit exposure of even the hidden parts of the modeled body.
“Next is the assessment of your physical abilities.”
After measuring the body size, they also evaluated physical capabilities.
“Pull.”
“Inh…!”
Starting with the grip strength test for muscular strength.
Crunches for muscular endurance.
“You need to lie down more.”
“Yes…!”
Treadmill/step test for cardiovascular endurance.
“Very well. You can continue as you are.”
“Huff…! Huff…!”
Bending forward to measure flexibility.
“Stretch… Stretch… Maintain the position.”
“Ugh…!”
In addition, there were reaction speed tests to measure agility and vertical jumps to measure explosiveness.
“I’ve finished my workout for today.”
After a considerable amount of time, I was finally able to receive a comprehensive evaluation.
“Hmm… Overall, you’re at an average level for a regular person.”
The evaluation was somewhat subtle, considering I had expected an S-level summoner’s evaluation.
“However, your muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance are at the level of an awakened individual.”
Instead, I received an exceptional evaluation in specific areas.
I wasn’t too upset about it.
Anyway.
As I prepared for the next examination, I took a moment to sit on the bench and rest.
“…How can I comfort Lyeowon.”
I was deeply troubled by my thoughts about Lyeowon.
Having indirectly realized how difficult it must have been for her, I wanted to find a way to comfort her.
But even the thought of offering comfort confused me, as it might only cause more harm if her heart had already moved away from me.
Of course, it’s difficult to oppose her.
Since I am bound to Mayen, I can’t even get close to Hanryeowon without torturing her with hope.
It was difficult no matter what I did.
“I’m going crazy. I can’t just ask her directly.”
And then, out of nowhere, Hanryeowon, who had left her seat, came back and handed me something.
“… Here.”
It was nothing other than a refreshing ion drink.
She had gotten me a drink!
“…!”
Surprised, I looked at her with wide eyes.
“…I just gave it to you, don’t misunderstand.”
Hanryeowon drew a cold line and quickly averted her gaze, but I couldn’t help but misinterpret it, whether she liked it or not.
She had brought me the taste that I liked the most out of all the ion drinks.
Whether she did it on purpose or not, her consideration touched me greatly.
“…Thank you. I’ll drink it well.”
“……”
We took that short break and immediately moved on to the next examination.
This time, we were going to conduct the examination for the awakened ones, the alpha and omega of the “awakening ability examination.”
“Well… You haven’t awakened separately before, right?”
“No.”
The Awakening Examination is not normally conducted on ordinary individuals.
Since it operates based on mana, it is meaningless for ordinary people without internal mana to undergo the examination.
However, after becoming a summoner and undergoing a change in my constitution, I started producing mana reactions that I couldn’t have imagined.
The evidence was my saliva, which stained the mana reaction test paper.
“Now you can spit it out.”
Following the examiner’s instructions, I spat out the blue paper I had been holding in my mouth, and the part soaked in saliva turned bright red.
It was definitely a sign that I had mana.
“I can’t believe it’s so strong…”
The examiner, who seemed to be shaking his head as he checked the saliva test results for some reason, then led me into the booth.
Inside the booth, surrounded by specially treated walls, was a mana stone as large as a human body.
It was slightly fascinating.
“I just have to hold onto it.”
I held onto the handle that extended from the central mana stone as I had been explained earlier, while harboring brief thoughts.
[ We will now begin. ]
Soon, along with the signal from the speaker, the central mana stone emitted light.
Woooooooong──.
Soon, it began to vibrate gently as something started flowing into my body.
“Wow.”
It felt unfamiliar yet strangely comforting.
Wong wong wong wong─
The flow of mana, starting from the left hand, spread rapidly throughout the body through the veins.
Then, at some point, it suddenly disappeared from the right hand, signaling the end of the examination.
Creak…. Clatter….
An unpleasant sound tickled the ears.
“Huh?”
It felt as if something had been torn apart.
“Did I mishear…?”
Gradually, the vibrations and light subsided after the examination was completed.
“This is strange. Measurement is not possible…?”
“Is it normal for such values to appear?”
“Well, I’ve never seen a case like this before…”
As I stepped out of the booth, I saw the examiner and Hanyeo-won engaged in a serious conversation somewhere.
I approached the two and discreetly asked about the results.
“What happened?”
And then.
Kwaaah────!!!!
An indiscernible noise echoed from inside the booth.
“What?!”
I barely managed to regain my balance after being startled by the shaking of the building, and turned to where the sound was coming from.
“…What, what is this…?”
And there, beyond the thick glass window, I faced the sight of the central mana stone, now only leaving traces, and the booth that had turned into a mess.
“Is it because of me…?”
It seemed like I was the cause of the accident.
Interesting…