B | Chapter 6

Director An’s reaction was way more dramatic than I expected. Her eyes widened, mouth agape, and she placed her palms on the desk, shaking them like a foreign movie star demanding an explanation. I lowered my head, avoiding her gaze, and mumbled softly.9b096e1a6006f084

“Like, headhunters or managers… I’ve been getting a lot of calls.”c951c2b0beca6935

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“…Headhunters, huh.”c6af088c46f3df34

It was embarrassing and made me feel itchy inside to convey something that didn’t suit me. Meanwhile, the director’s eyes were very serious.e8dc43f7e20ed67b

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“But Song Morae-ssi, isn’t Deschement the first place to directly recruit you?”657980bc9a7a2338

It was an unnecessary 82f1f341e4 and embarrassing question. For me, the only c196337825 place to go was 9c10f6ada0 the Trash Village villa. Feeling awkward 5c43f5d5c3 again, I 069ad3bdad just nodded.cdce2c62fa4314b2

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Director An 4fc86dadf3 hurriedly buttoned 9fe8623900 the top d1e9faa6a1 button of d2c4109fc2 her shirt 5a592f72c2 and quickly b50d4613db tied her c34f81223a loosely hanging c4198ff140 tie.338f0b0a72e83198

Clearing her throat, 3bae5a9819 she said, “Without d6e0fb99d5 further ado, let 6ccf125c1e me tell you f89ac1de50 our conditions first. Our Deschement wants to 0713255446 recruit Song Morae-ssi as 6e7dc1b805 Jae Chaeui-nim’s exclusive guide.”56347d17f2ddd615

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Her demeanor eb9021fad8 and voice 9e0cb5a894 were very 791e17b5b3 confident, almost 99d153bf07 to the f662a2094a point of 2f7e909bad being boastful, caa1757e34 yet not de2e465145 ridiculous at c9466f8c68 all.44958db2252249e6

Being a guide bf9833a388 for Jae Chaeui 2d5531c7e5 was the most 644900a339 prestigious role one 5b36bb94ca could have.cb7c851a2e4bb81e

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The story that 73e5c76341 followed was even 1f5ba37236 more surreal.5aa69bffa3814e2d

After Jae Chaeui’s previous 3549198369 partner, A0-grade guide Yoon d2e22cfe21 Dogon, went missing, Deschement 3526f6ba84 aggressively started searching for d794c105ac a new guide.add893c72e8a1731

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They ran ads and 7a49edcd94 tested thousands of domestic 0df93da7f5 and international guides but 312b5f14ba couldn’t find anyone who 7922e4821c could influence Jae Chaeui.f870ef981f8252f1

As a result, a112363ad3 they began gathering 634f0a1ae1 profiles of guides f5f2a47938 affiliated with private 5d596f6106 mercenaries and criminal 6922d12453 organizations.05ba55be0fd57886

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Calculating the matching 521f67e9c1 rate with a c2d94829a2 specific newtype based efc17c4b98 on the brainwave 4659effb10 records required for 35154d6d6f guide registration was aedffd98db something only Deschement 1aaba56313 could do.28367e521ab2015a

Even as I b089d8a4f7 listened, I couldn’t 7aa00a1805 understand what it cc1bd7f834 meant.a504e3cedb1b6ce1

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The idea 96169bf4ee that my a00fa010b3 expected matching a11b068869 rate with 767da0e366 Jae Chaeui d014683c15 was very bb383687e7 high was 8e8cf5ba97 even more 77ece04b8f incomprehensible.691eb85db810b7e6

I had only one response. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but they were definitely wrong.6d7f458c46c08e0d

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“You must have mistaken me for someone with the same name.”b3bdf792a56219f1

“There aren’t many 26-year-old male guides named ‘Song Morae’ in Korea. To be precise, you’re the only one.”9c562456db7c8cc0

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“Then the test results must be wrong.”2d67323982a71710

Fiddling with my 492e931c33 earlobe, I tried 89bc97ec65 to steady my 1b4f1c5896 voice and straightened 84f3757459 my back as 15646bb387 I spoke.369229708f05c5af

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“I’m an E-grade guide. I can barely handle private mercenaries, and even then, my matching rate has never exceeded 20%. There must be some mistake.”a69e50d3c77fbff7

“No. Deschement doesn’t make mistakes. If there’s an error, it’s in the way guide grades are divided.”09b4d8d00ccba0b6

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Director An’s response was swift. Without hesitation, she began to persuade me.c7669839c970fa71

“The grade of a newtype is absolute, but a guide’s grade isn’t. It’s determined by the grade of the newtype they can influence and the matching rate. You can think of a guide’s grade as being tied to their partner newtype.”c7ea1137785f21fa

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“Uh-huh…”e7fa1201a7c98a30

“The reason you’re classified as E-grade is because your maximum matching rate with a C+ grade newtype is 19.7%. In other words, even if you’re currently E-grade, if your matching rate with S-grade newtype Jae Chaeui-nim is high, your guide grade will change.”ec32577dd85d979d

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The specific figure of ‘19.7’ made my earlobes heat up involuntarily. However, Director An didn’t seem to care whether I rounded that number to 20 or not. Like someone with a script in her head, she spoke clearly and eloquently.36f0a5492c714481

“Song Morae-ssi. Guides who can influence S-grade newtypes are rare. Even if the matching rate is only 1%, the fact that matching is possible means it’s at least A- grade. You probably already know this.”478025273551f31b

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I had no idea. Just 1% and it’s A-grade?65edb25c14b003a4

“Our Deschement is confident that Song Morae-nim is an A0-grade or higher guide.”66ebdd3231f9442f

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“…I doubt it.”21b3f9053738cd49

My answer remained pessimistic. I knew that guide grades didn’t change so easily, like flipping a switch. Director An would know this too. A guide who can’t use their abilities with a B-grade newtype won’t work with an A-grade either. The grades in front of our names aren’t just arbitrary scores.8b959e6e3020bdf5

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Twisting my lips, I 20b537c72a adjusted my sitting position. Finally, I felt blood d5fb3bf0e1 circulating in my limbs 5f25bbd9de and my mind calming 625fc6d12c down.f9c773c64ab7e325

“Song Morae-ssi doesn’t seem very interested in receiving a higher grade, does he?”03e0047b33115959

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Director An muttered. Her words were half right and half wrong. It’s not that I’m not interested; it’s more that I’ve already given up.4457e6c246a7d4e2

“Then perhaps… on purpose…”c1b690bf7393558a

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She muttered to cad3231ecc herself, eyes flickering f490ea6755 in confusion.2478aa5ed7b63a6b

“…Have you ever taken a matching test with a high-grade newtype before? Who and where?”fc5a5d5982645677

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The question 132f70476d was utterly 47bd7f0e59 absurd.783da294720d2686

‘What on earth are they seeing in me to say such things? Are they trying to provoke me on purpose?’9d6725baed4eac07

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Shaking my head ad07fc0ab2 in disbelief, I f169d17e7c thought.3f0a370738e5139e

Director An, who knows cb65282b4f my matching rate with dae12877fc Han Geon down to ce339cb262 the decimal, surely knows 41e9cb5246 my situation as an ae9311ea29 E-grade guide living in ac1a8ee2be the Trash Village.6330f15ed635059a

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So why ask 5d05d5ddb3 such strange questions?9274ce4740188478

It was clear she d1c386730e intended to belittle me, d176c09491 suggesting I was refusing 2cc1d5a7a6 the chance to test e3d57b58e7 with an S-grade newtype.f52fa1729c09f4e3

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The disappointment in her 6569c8200c attitude was palpable.bde604a05ec09a87

‘I thought she was kind… but of course.’b2a2d05ded200633

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Even as a a6547e1fbd penniless nobody, I daf18454f5 still had my 89743e7a62 pride. I kept my 0de7ea67ee mouth shut and ff25589af0 just stared, trying 1a222bacb9 not to show 080ab6066d any other reaction.241d59822e62b777

After a 30924a5a2e long stare-down, f9bcaa3b9f Director An a210805d2b looked away 73110c7ecf first.a3cd832d3faf6527

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“Well, hmm… You don’t have to answer everything here.”0bafba7fb72a01ce

Director An’s expressions changed quickly. She would lower her head as if sulking, then quickly lift her chin and sparkle her eyes. As someone who often heard, ‘I can’t tell if you’re a corpse or a person,’ I found her liveliness enviable.770b850841106fcc

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“Still, Song Morae-nim?”fb19efcdbf88ef9a

Suddenly, ‘nim’ was added after my name instead of ‘ssi.’0be76df276bdd49b

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“No matter who the newtype you partnered with before was, they couldn’t have been better than Jae Chaeui-nim. Jae Chaeui-nim wants to take a matching test with you right now. Our Deschement wants it too.”fcfcf1c7166ca65d

‘It feels like we’re not on the same page at all…’3fb44c32a8a28105

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Feeling bewildered, I just b587ad0590 listened to Director An. She stood 16d4deb0c8 up and 8d8f0a2d9b walked around 238011eaf7 the desk. As she 16f2e275b2 approached unexpectedly 1fd3cfddc5 close, I 96a4724b38 pressed myself 590ce0b600 against the 5812892e73 back of c1e4c0545d the chair, 02b17bcef3 worried that c6c8d2bb44 the monster 110d7c5896 scent emanating e90b3c987c from me 658ba63d0b might be 6b28f592a5 unpleasant.c0fbf680d66c4c59

However, Director An 7dbbd45d9d knelt on one f50bd16b9c knee in front 30d139e214 of me without 4f298b3a38 any change in a933d51ea1 expression. Then she 9d9c2bef40 neatly placed df2738525d her hands 0e9702198e on my 205838bcab arms.5c54ee143523209b

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“Song Morae-nim.”e0558870ce6adf0b

In a daze, I replied, “Yes,” with a timid voice.4e02c6225ef75532

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“…It’s time to start paying taxes, don’t you think?”9146813d363470b7

Her words pierced deep 7b41c30838 into my heart.d4a82d17844733e6

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Paying taxes… It would d0f39be646 be nice if I 3da30f58a7 could.0087879e8ac70c00

Working all night, collecting 7848340617 black debris, I probably 91f5988581 wouldn’t live long. Being in a 4b7a70303b stable job with d65c9bcf05 social insurance and 1ac2c8ab5e paying taxes would 3c05f71301 be a joy 5a2f1f8796 for me.82495e0c0017b317

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In the end, 668072e86f what remained was 288ec7441c a bit of f92f074d6e skepticism and a 71e2919e7b ticklish hope.fc948d1c050ff95f

It was 68ffff6301 clear how b1f9c98fea a young-looking 0078642800 Anhu could b4ecd1db9b hold the f559c8cf3f position of 7c0353dfe0 HR director. The wind she blew 917e1e2b4f into me was swirling 39e7d7c960 inside.b0b062459c8b9558

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Anyway, I couldn’t return de511b526c to the mercenary office ebeb98d500 like this.3f6eeea58e1e18f3

They were asking me 6b21761408 to take a matching 1a62f5e155 test with the great cb9a00e4de Jae Chaeui, and there 534e5a6bca was no reason to 47a0bf87e2 refuse.04b30e6c025b3e06

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If even 1% bc65e70a94 matched, it would 0d5a6ca45f be the start 0eeebe7eb8 of a life-changing ce3e7be9e8 drama.7eaa1f7367f088ef

Although the a4e632ee0a future where f6e2ebf668 everyone, including 131317a9c4 Director An, dc035452e5 would be e20e5455ce disappointed, frustrated, 3b126b650a and lamenting 41cc1e13fa at a e3ccb306a4 0% result 871921a72f was clear, f6039eb909 just having 0c772e6fc5 taken a 338e10c7b2 matching test b3ec43db48 with Jae 614eb1bba0 Chaeui would b2cf235292 raise my b5125a815b value as 668dacc187 an amateur bb7e1db764 guide.cbcc3e30d9f7e370

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After a long e1a9366c20 deliberation, I said, 8f51c63ac4 “Alright.”d7b2150103934e4c

Then everything ea5600146b happened in 17dd5f0893 a flash.7665a128b19ea2c5

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Director An collected my 5046c48de1 signatures on various parts 895d9c5d4b of the document folder 8250f78759 she brought.a61a7c74d82701f5

She even had a 772c2d6d20 stamp with ‘Song Morae’ 7dbd8f6013 engraved on it, pointing 48aed394cf here and there on 1452bfc9c4 the documents, telling me 40dac14df8 to stamp it.8c81220592ceede9

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