“Hey, do you know someone named Kim Jun?”

“Kim Jun?”

“Yeah.”

“Who’s that?”

Just a second ago, his eyes had been smiling like a child’s. Now they suddenly turned cold.

“He’s a new freshman. An F-rank Guide...”

“Oh, a Guide?”

The black mana that had been slowly leaking out quietly receded again.

“Yeah. A Guide.”

“I think I did hear something about an F-rank joining.”

He answered in a disinterested tone.

“You haven’t met him yet?”

“No.”

So they haven’t even crossed paths?

I’d been worried that maybe I’d accidentally taken the main uke position that night, but that eased my mind a bit.

The two of them still hadn’t met. That was why the original plot progression had been naturally delayed.

If Joo Seunghyuk were to meet Kim Jun, he’d feel that same intense pull as in the original. He’d probably forget all about someone like me in no time.

“Do I have to meet that bastard?”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s just... he’s kind of a hot topic lately.”

“Hmm.”

“They say he’s really good-looking.”

In the original, Joo Seunghyuk said that Lee Yeonsu was like a scentless rose. Pathetic for trying to force a fragrance on himself by drenching in perfume.

Whereas he described Kim Jun as an orchid buried in weeds.

Hard to notice at first, but someone your eyes just kept being drawn to.

“Like an orchid buried in the weeds—you just keep looking at him, y’know?”

I dropped that killer line.

Joo Seunghyuk’s eyes flew wide open.

Hah, that hit the spot, didn’t it? That’s your type, right? Don’t you want to get up right this second and go see him?

As I grinned inwardly in triumph, a loud crash rang out.

I flinched and looked forward. A blunt table knife had been stabbed into the table, cracking the surface.

“Lee Yeonsu.”

Joo Seunghyuk’s voice was low and grim.

“Yes.”

I was so terrified I instinctively used honorifics.

“Why do you keep talking about some other guy? Is he that good-looking?”

“......”

“What? Are you regretting being with me now? Is someone else catching your eye? You drawn to someone else?”

“......”

His eyes gleamed with a madness soaked in possessiveness, and the thick black mana oozing from him choked the air around my body.

“Why aren’t you answering? If you like him, just say so. I’ll kill him.”

That wasn’t just a threat. If it were Joo Seunghyuk, he’d actually do it.

“It’s not that...”

“Be honest. Besides Kim Jun, who else is good-looking? Who’s got your attention?”

He looked ready to murder every name I spoke and lock me away.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth carefully.

“Who else would I have but you? And it’s the opposite, really. It’s not that I like you—I was just curious how you’d react.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I’m the scentless flower type, y’know? Ah, not saying I’m good-looking or anything. I just mean, people say I’m the kind that gets boring fast, and guys like Kim Jun are the ones who get more attractive the more you look. I was wondering if you felt that way too.”

“Who the hell says shit like that?”

The original Joo Seunghyuk said so, actually.

But of course, I couldn’t say that.

“Well, not like someone actually told me... I mean, I’m not exactly attractive. My family’s nothing special. I was just worried you might be forcing yourself to date me because of that night...”

“You were worried about that?”

He seemed slightly appeased—there was still a chill in his voice, but it had softened a little. The mana binding my whole body, though, hadn’t loosened a bit.

He either didn’t fully believe me, or he just couldn’t control his possessiveness...

“Yeah...”

“Why would you think you’re not attractive?”

“People don’t seem to like me.”

Even though I hadn’t done anything, everyone avoided me and kept their distance. It wasn’t like I committed any atrocities like in the original. If anything, I’d lived pretty decently. And still, this was how it was.

I figured it must be the original story’s suppression force at work.

That damn suppression was so strong, no amount of effort seemed enough to change anything. I’d resolved to be endlessly cautious, just to avoid getting killed by Joo Seunghyuk.

But looking at his eyes now, swirling with obsession toward me... maybe that wasn’t all there was to it.

“Don’t worry. You’ve got me now.”

“Mm...”

That’s the most worrying part.

Honestly, I’d rather be hated forever and live alone than become the target of a yandere’s obsession.

But I gave him a faint smile and nodded.

***

Maybe Joo Seunghyuk was just pretending to like me, all to get revenge for what happened seven years ago.

But the moment he carved the table with a blunt knife instead of cutting the steak, even that last bit of hope was shattered.

Calling it “hope” is absurd, but still—being the object of his obsession was infinitely worse than being the target of revenge.

If it were revenge, at least I could apologize and beg on my knees and maybe be forgiven.

But it wasn’t that. It wasn’t ridicule, or vengeance, or boredom, or some other hidden agenda.

Joo Seunghyuk was purely, obsessively fixated on me. The switch for his obsession had been fully flipped.

How did things end up like this...? Seven years of desperately trying to escape the original story had all gone to waste.

It would’ve been better to be the Lee Yeonsu of the novel, the one who got despised.

If that were the case, I could’ve just bowed out and wished Kim Jun well.

But becoming the main uke means walking a path of obsession, confinement, and hardcore extremes. I might end up trapped in his house forever, drowning in endless obsession.

“Lee Yeonsu.”

Someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was Kang Inho, an A-rank Guide.

“What are you doing? Let’s go in.”

“Oh, yeah.”

We entered the shooting range.

When a gate is generated, it goes to auction within 12 hours. The moment it’s sold, the strategy begins.

High-rank Espers defeat the monsters, while lower-ranked Espers mine minerals inside the gate. And Guides typically wait nearby or in a guiding room to assist.

However, when a gate is so massive that it takes a full day just to reach the boss room, or if a fast clearance is essential, sometimes a Guide enters the gate with the team.

In those cases, the Guide either waits in a safe area or is escorted by an Esper. But sometimes, they had to defend themselves.

That’s why the Academy trained Guides for real combat scenarios.

As we stepped inside the range, second-year students in white Guide uniforms were already lined up according to rank.

Unlike theory classes, physical training required full uniform at all times.

As an S-rank, I stood in the front row.

Just as I settled into place, Jung Sangcheol, an A-rank Guide behind me, spoke up.

“Lee Yeonsu, you’re kinda late.”

“I wasn’t late...”

“But you’re usually the first one to show up when there’s training like this.”

“Not the first, really...”

I trailed off, trying to cut the conversation short. I didn’t want to get tangled up with him. But he kept on rambling.

“Still, among the upper ranks, you were the fastest. Seeing you show up late today, I guess you’re finally getting sick of all this nonsense too, huh?”

“Huh?” 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Why should high-ranked Guides like us have to do this kind of training? What dumbass company would take precious upper-rank Guides into a gate? This kind of class should be for B-rank and below losers.”

I was appalled.

There were 35 students in Shooting Class A. Aside from me, Kang Inho, and Jung Sangcheol, the other 32 were B-rank or lower.

He had just insulted 32 people in one go.

A chill settled over the range. But oblivious to the icy air from behind, Jung Sangcheol kept talking.

“Seriously, it’s stupid just because it’s government-run. Why should we follow a curriculum made for useless weaklings? Don’t you agree?”

This is why I hated getting involved with that bastard. If you’re going to say something inflammatory, take the heat yourself—don’t drag me into it.

“It’s training to prepare for emergencies. I don’t think rank matters in that case.”

I tried to steer things back to neutral ground.

Jung Sangcheol snorted.

“There you go again, trying to play nice with the lower ranks. Come on, own it. You’re an S-rank. It’s not like we said anything wrong.”

“We”? Don’t lump me in with you!

Of course, the curriculum did have its flaws.

Most lectures were tailored for mid-level ability users, making it inefficient for both upper and lower ranks.

Experts had pointed that out, too.

But even if he had a point, did he really have to say it in such an insufferable tone here and now?

Besides, just because you’re a high-rank Guide doesn’t mean you always stay in the guiding room. Plenty of them enter gates willingly for their Espers after an imprint.

His whole premise was off to begin with.

“I—!”

“How noisy.”

I was about to rebut him when Professor Oh Seokgwang walked in.

“Some idiot’s spouting nonsense. A Guide protecting themselves is the same as protecting their life. You hand over your body, your mana, even your life to an Esper—what does that make you? A fucking servant?”

Professor Oh was an A-rank Guide himself, yet he openly criticized upper-rank ability users and became a celebrity because of it. His support for low- and mid-level Guides, his blunt honesty, and his snappy one-liners made him popular with students.

But I didn’t like him. I hated him even more than Jung Sangcheol.

You might ask, “Why do you hate so many people? Maybe the problem’s you?” But I have my reasons.

“If you pull that crap, your life’s as good as gone. Even an S-rank like Lee Yeonsu isn’t an exception.”

...Why are you yelling at me when he’s the one who said it?

Like Jung Sangcheol, Professor Oh also loved to single me out for no reason.

At least Jung Sangcheol was just drunk on his upper-rank pride and mouthing off. Professor Oh used me to boost his own popularity.

His whole persona screamed: “Everyone praises Lee Yeonsu for being S-rank, but not me. I’m fair. I’m not afraid to call out even top-ranked students.”

If you’re going to criticize upper-rank students, go after all of them. But he wouldn’t touch the ones backed by major corporations or rich families—just easy targets like me.

Even now, look. He says nothing to Jung Sangcheol, the nephew of the Guide Association’s Vice President, and only comes after me.

“Don’t get arrogant just because you’re an S-rank. In the gate, whether you’re S or F, you’re still monster food. Don’t act like rank means shit. Got it, everyone?”

“Yes, sir!”

Moved by his words, the students shouted in unison.

But I kept my mouth shut.

Unbelievable. I hadn’t even said anything, and this is how he treats me.

And it’s not like I can argue back at a professor.