I thought the ability meter was like a guillotine. Most people would have a rank barrier there, and they'd evaluate each other. Even as I climbed up, eyes tightly shut, I kept muttering to myself: I should get a rank higher than B, but lower than S. Lower ranks faced discrimination, while higher ranks were sent to intense training, so I just hoped things would go my way. My heart was pounding like crazy. Alone in a glass container a little taller than a grown man, I reached for the device. The moment I touched it, it sucked all my energy out, as if it were going to suffocate me, and with a cheerful beep, a single alphabet appeared in my vision. A straight line, then two curved lines. And then came my shitty talent.
[B-Class Teleport Sentinel]
"Fuck..."
I was inevitably given an ambiguous and low rating, neither high nor even middling. More than anything, it was complete despair.
Pride and Prejudice A
The first thing I did after receiving my powers was figure out my aptitude. I was already in a bad mood because my parents sold me to the center for money, and now they say my grade is a mere B. It's hilarious, really. Just as I was biting my lower lip, overcome with emotion, a center employee and a man came in. I looked at the employee with a questioning expression, and the employee spoke up. No, I was about to. The man simply preempted me.
"Just a kid?"
The man was completely disrespectful from the very first word. He looked down at me, sitting on the waiting room chair, hands in his pockets, legs crossed. "What's with that guy, he's so smug?" For a moment, I felt like I was turning into a fool, but then, unable to find a reason to cower, I straightened my shoulders again.
"The compatibility test results were a bit ambiguous, so it was hard to find someone of the same level. In our center, there is a guide who matches Sentinel by more than 90%.That's all···."
"yes."
“The difference in grades is too great, so we are in the process of adjusting it.”
"Why is the difference in grades a problem?"
"I know my guidance is a lot for you."
I've been feeling this way for a while now, but he's so rude that it's starting to annoy me. And it wasn't just the man; I could feel the center employee subtly turning me around. He assessed me with his eyes from head to toe, only to have his words come out as something like that. So, what rank does that guy have that he's belittling me like this? I gave him a quick glance, and the employee finally realized he'd reported the situation without even mentioning my rank, and he shouted in a panic. The next letter seemed determined to kill me twice.
"S!!"
But you know, even when I think about it again, it's still so absurd...
"This is S-class guide Park Jimin."
This is really so different.
***
The center staff had already left the waiting room a long time ago. The key was leaving the man seated next to me. It was clear we had a good chemistry, as just sitting next to him brought me a sense of peace. While his guidance was a bit burdensome, it wasn't as uncomfortable as I'd expected. Furthermore, the man's surroundings were filled with his guidance, as if he were trying to show off his high rank, as if he were trying to keep me from approaching. Like some beast courting me to mate. Of course, I had no intention of entering his embrace, so I just waited anxiously for someone to bring me the retest results.
"Is this your first day?"
"yes?"
"Is this your first time looking for a partner?"
“I just came to the center for the first time today...”
"ah."
He raised an eyebrow as if hearing this for the first time, then quickly calmed down. Not only had I never received any love from my parents, but they had sold me out the moment they heard I was a Sentinel. That's why I didn't even have any clothes to wear when I entered the center. While everyone else was walking around in suits or uniforms, I was wearing nothing but a worn-out T-shirt, school gym shorts, and a ball cap pulled down low. In other words, he, neatly dressed in his well-tailored training uniform, and I had nothing in common. Not a single thing.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-three."
"I'm nineteen."
The man, who had been observing my attire at the mention of nineteen, noticed that my pants were gym shorts. He then continued to observe me, as if he found me interesting. He noticed my slippers, which were about to rip, my socks barely hanging on, my old, slightly see-through T-shirt. He even noticed the scar on my cheek.
"What is this?"
"It's a scar."
"Why did it happen?"
"Because my mom hit me."
As I stared at the man with emotionless eyes, his lips twitched. Perhaps it was an unexpected response? The conversation stopped. We simply remained in that awkward, chilling silence until the employee came in. That's why it's so difficult to maintain a conversation with someone. The end result is always pity, a society where people only feel pity and have no intention of loving me. This convinced me. He was, after all, just like everyone else. As I continued to reflect on reality, the waiting room door suddenly opened. It was the employee I'd seen earlier. And standing next to him was another man.
"He's a Grade A guide who just returned to the center. Although he's not as compatible as Jimin, we're of similar rank, and I thought he'd be more comfortable for you, Yeoju, so I brought him along."
"This is Jeon Jungkook."
Why is it that all the guides at this damn center are men with scary, unlucky faces? No, it's not the center, but my own personality that I should be hating. Jungkook's guidance was definitely lighter than Jimin's. Just as the staff member had said, unlike Jimin's demanding guidance, I felt instantly at ease. It struck me that perhaps this was my destiny. So, without a second thought, I stood up from my waiting room chair and asked the staff member for a partner consent form.
"Partner consent form... with Jimin?"
"no."
"Come with me, partner."
"That's what I'm going to do. Could you give me a consent form?"
"Do it with me."
They say life doesn't always go as planned, but it's so tiresome these days that I wonder how far ahead people in the past could have foreseen this situation I'm in. Jimin grabbed my wrist as I was signing the partnership agreement and suggested we become partners... something like that.
This was a feeling that couldn't even be described by the word "bewilderment." Why? An S-rank meant at least the luxury of living and eating in the finest lodgings with SS-rank or S-rank Sentinels. I couldn't fathom why he'd choose me over such a rosy path. And I had absolutely no intention of choosing him.
"I'm sorry, but as you said, guiding you is a bit of a hassle."
"Do you think I can't even control that guiding?"
"And I don't like Jimin."
"what?"
"Among them, the arrogance is especially noticeable."
Jimin frowned deeply, then quickly regained his composure as if he'd found a way out. He had finally regained the composure I so detested. As I stood there, as if I were about to be slapped, Jimin turned his head and looked at the employee. What he said was truly remarkable.
"That side is A, and this side is B?"
"yes."
"Then I'm the highest, right?"
"······."
"X-Center Rule 1. All Sentinels and Guides are divided into five ranks, and orders from higher ranks may never be refused or rejected..."
From the moment he opened his mouth, I felt terribly uneasy. Who on earth had instilled such absurd ideas and rules? I felt the urge to teleport someone I didn't even know to someplace in the universe. Not only the staff, but even Jeongguk and I all waited tensely for his next words. After all, I was now a member of the center, and I had to follow the rules. No matter how ridiculous his words sounded, they were nonsense.
"I want to be partners with him."
"···Me?"
"The higher you are, the better, right?"
What does that mean? I don't care about rank. Lower ranks are better, because higher ones come with their own burdens. The burden of having to be someone who suits him. I just stood there blankly, my expression blank, but he approached me, step by step. I had no intention of backing down, so I remained steadfast. And as expected, when he stopped right in front of me, he raised his head and stared intently. It meant he had no intention of following me, no matter what I did. However, it seemed he didn't mean it that way. He gently traced the scar on my cheek with his fingertips and then quietly whispered next to my ear.
"I'll give you plenty of guidance."
"······."
"So all you have to do is woo her."
"What is that..."
"You need me too, don't you?"
I thought it was absurd. I listened to him quietly, as if possessed, until I realized something was wrong and was about to shove his shoulder. If only he hadn't let go of his guidance at that very moment. My entire surroundings were filled with his guidance. His power, so full that I couldn't breathe,
"Tell me. I need you."
"··· I need you."
He made me do what he wanted. When my fingertips began to tremble violently, he grabbed my hand. I don't know what he was thinking, approaching me. He knew he'd only get misery from me. Still, if it was his choice, I decided to follow him. At least he was the first person to want me, and the thrill he gave me felt like I'd never experience it again in my life.
"I'll do it with Jimin, partner."
"······."
Like abandoned dogs, I simply yearned for love. I longed for someone to need me. Perhaps God granted my pity for praying every day for someone to want me. Unlike Jungkook's frown, Jimin's rather contented expression left me perplexed.
If I had known the tangled web of Jeon Jungkook and Park Jimin's relationship, I wouldn't have acted so foolishly. Thus, my salvation and my downfall came in an instant. All too suddenly.