The Worst Day of My Life

The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, I couldn't help but freeze in shock.

"Haneul. What the hell is all this?"

The apartment was a complete mess.

"What kind of expedition are you packing for with this much stuff?"

Haneul's job was similar to mine. We didn't work for the same company, but she also followed Awoken around and took care of them. "Care" was a generous word for it—mostly it was just running random errands.

Some dungeons took nearly a month to clear, so of course the luggage piled up for those. But the mountain of bags in front of me was excessive even for that.

"Why are you so late? I told you I had something to say!"

Haneul snapped at me right out of the gate. That irritated tone of hers dragged me right down with her.

"I went into the office and got some work done. What's with the attitude this time? This morning you were wishing me luck and all that."

"You took a personal day. What office?"

"I can still go in. You know that. Starting tomorrow I'm Team Leader."

"Team Leader my ass. What kind of Team Leader has subordinates who are all his superiors?"

She wasn't wrong. Every single teammate was an Awoken, so calling them subordinates was a stretch to begin with. Anyone could see that. But today she seemed determined to pick a fight for no reason.

Or maybe yelling back would finally bleed off some of the stress I'd been carrying all day.

"Fine. What did you want to say?"

"Before that. How did the test go today?"

I couldn't answer. I just lowered my head and let out a long, heavy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sigh. She took one look at my reaction and her face said it all: I knew it.

"What did I tell you? Why waste money on something so pointless? It's not like it was cheap!"

"It's already over. This was the last time anyway. Drop it."

"No. I won't drop it. I'm leaving this place."

"What?"

"I'm moving out. We're breaking up. I want this to be over between us!"

She practically screamed it, voice cracking.

"...What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"You're asking me? You seriously don't know?"

I was stunned. Of course I was. We'd spent two weeks not speaking after a fight, but a sudden breakup announcement? I couldn't wrap my head around it, and that was when I said the one thing I absolutely shouldn't have.

"What, hanging around all those high-and-mighty Awoken every day finally made me look like trash?"

The second the words left my mouth I wanted to cut off the hand that hadn't slapped over my own lips. I was about to apologize immediately. Usually when our fights went this way, Haneul was the first to tear up.

Today was different.

"I—I'm... sorry..."

"No. You're right. There are plenty of Awoken out there promising to make me happy for life. Perfect timing, isn't it?"

"Come on, I was just angry. It came out wrong. I'm really sorry."

"Forget it. I've already packed everything. I've been planning this ever since you said you were getting re-tested a month ago."

I sank onto the worn leather sofa—its color long since faded—and raked my fingers through my hair. I tried to rewind the past few weeks, searching for how things had spiraled into this. Time crawled by before I finally managed to cool down.

She was just pissed. I should be the one to hold back. It wasn't like we only fought once or twice...

"Where are you even going? You don't have a place. I was wrong. From now on I'll just go to work and be responsible. Let's not do this."

"I found a place."

"What? Since when do you have a place?"

Neither of us had any other family. Maybe that shared loneliness was what had drawn us together in the first place.

"I do. I told you—plenty of guys offering to buy me a house."

"What are you talking about? Who's buying you a house? Why would Awoken pick you when there are women everywhere?"

"How should I know. Maybe they got a sudden whim. That's why they chose a woman like me, right? Anyway, I'm leaving today. Take care of yourself."

I realized I'd put my foot in my mouth again, but this time a different thought was flooding my head.

"Wait... you actually found another guy...?"

My voice shook. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

The answer that came back was pure despair.

"Yeah... Sorry. You can call me a bitch if you want. I don't care."

"Wh-when did this..."

"He confessed two months ago. I kept turning him down, but when I saw you going for the re-test, something in me flipped. You were doing whatever you wanted, so I figured I would too."

"What... what is that even supposed to mean? That doesn't sound like real feelings. It sounds like you're seeing someone else because of me."

"Think whatever you want. Riding in nice cars, wearing nice clothes, walking into a nice house... turns out feelings can grow even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠when they weren't there before."

What the hell was this woman saying?

"What? Don't tell me you..."

"...Take care, oppa."

Rage exploded through me. Who wouldn't lose it in a situation like this?

"Hey! Shin Haneul! You can't seriously—"

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang as if timed to my shout. Who the hell would show up at this hour? Nobody ever visited.

Shin Haneul was the one who opened the front door. Beyond it, the silhouette of a solidly built man began to take shape. Even if I didn't want to look, I couldn't help taking in the expensive suit, the ridiculously pricey shoes, and that handsome face.

In that instant a crushing sense of defeat hit me—and the bigger the defeat, the hotter the fury that rose with it.

"You..."

"What? Weren't you done talking with your boyfriend?"

"Oppa, you weren't supposed to come all the way here. I said I'd step outside and call you..."

I couldn't listen to another second of those two bastards chatting.

"You son of a bitch, do you even know where you are?!"

"Wh-what are you doing, oppa?! You'll get yourself killed!"

She'd just called the other guy "oppa" and now she was calling me that again? My vision went red. I charged without thinking, putting every ounce of strength I had into a straight punch aimed at the man beyond the doorway.

Thud.

"Gaaah—!!"

My fist never even came close to his face. He caught it in one hand, and then mind-shattering pain arrived.

"Listen up, ex-boyfriend. Your girlfriend is mine now. Recognize?"

I only managed a groan. He squeezed harder. The pain spiked and a scream tore out of me before I could stop it. An Awoken could turn every bone in my body—including the fist he was holding—into powder whenever he felt like it.

I still refused to answer. Tears started sliding down my cheeks.

"You're tougher than you look. Fine, I'll ask one more time. Or you can live the rest of your life without a hand. From now on, Shin Haneul belongs to Min Hyeokju. Recognize?"

"Kh... I... recognize..."

I had no choice. Pride, dignity—none of it mattered when I was about to lose a hand. The woman who was supposed to be my girlfriend had already moved on. Playing tough here wasn't going to bring her back.

"Haa... haa... cough, cough."

I crumpled in the entryway among the scattered shoes, bent double and gasping. My hand was screaming, so why was I coughing? Something fluttered down onto my head while I stayed like that.

Banknotes.

"That's for medical bills, so don't get any weird ideas. Don't start fantasizing that I bought your girlfriend with money or some shit. Heh."

I couldn't say a word. I just managed to turn my head toward Shin Haneul. Say something. Tell me you're not actually with a bastard like this because you want to be.

She didn't even glance my way.

"Why'd you pack so much? Oppa will buy you clothes, so just leave it. Hurry up. We've still got tonight to enjoy!"

"Yes, oppa..."

She abandoned every bag she'd packed, took only a small handbag, and followed the man out. The front door locked automatically behind them. I lay there in the entryway staring at the ceiling.

No doubt about it—today was the worst day of my life.

Somehow a full day passed.

I didn't go to the hospital. I just wrapped the hand tight with bandages from the pharmacy. From the outside it looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fine, but I was sure a few bones in my right hand were cracked. The pain kept me up all night, and somehow that was a relief—focusing on the physical hurt pushed every other kind of pain into the background.

I barely slept, but I still showed up for work like that. From now on I had to cover the rent alone. Every last bit of savings had gone into the test fees, so quitting wasn't an option.

I grimaced, tossed a painkiller from the pharmacy into my mouth, and tried to forget the throbbing.

"Huh? Hey, Kang Junghyeok. What happened to your hand?"

It was a senior who'd joined six months before me, another F-rank dungeon handler.

"Ah, it's nothing serious..."

My unfocused eyes and expression must have told him enough; he didn't press for details. Work still had to get done, though.

"You going to be okay on the field trip today with that hand?"

"Yes... I'll manage. The transport company handles the driving anyway."

The equipment-hauling firm under contract with us. Without them, dungeon entry itself became impossible.

"Still, if something goes wrong it could be bad. Your life is the most important thing. Don't get yourself killed playing tough."

"I'll keep that in mind."

This job already walked the line between life and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠death every single day. Non-Awoken walking into dungeons? A few years ago it would have been pure nonsense. But with so few Awoken and new dungeon gates appearing without end, leaving every dungeon solely to the Awoken simply wasn't sustainable. So the government restructured the system: Awoken focused purely on clearing, and ordinary people handled everything else. Companies like ours were born from that.

I gathered the paperwork in the office and headed to the meeting spot at ten. Our office was on the fifth floor; the meeting was in a first-floor café in the building next door. We didn't even have a proper space for meeting Awoken. I sighed without meaning to.

I pushed open the café door. The pleasant aroma that hit my nose eased the scowl on my face a little. Four Awoken were already waiting for me; I recognized them at a glance and walked straight to their table. I didn't order anything. Coffee was a luxury I couldn't afford right now.

"Hello. I'm Kang Junghyeok, in charge of F-Team."

This was the first time I'd met them in person. Calling Awoken in just to give orders cost money by itself, so until now everything had been handled over the phone. I had no idea how the big corporations did it... but I wasn't about to feel small. Every one of the people sitting in front of me had bottom-of-the-class Academy records. Me, my company, these guys—we were all bottom-feeders.

"First, Kim Isol."

"Yeah."

Long black hair, a somewhat cold gaze... and a girl two years younger than me talking down to me. I exhaled slowly. Patience.

"Your main weapon is a sword, correct?"

"That's right."

"I've prepared a C-rank steel sword for now."

"Hmph. Whatever. It's what I mostly used at the Academy."

Next was Baek Hwayeon. She was a full 170 cm tall, porcelain skin, model-level looks. She gave off the vibe of some chaebol family's daughter. So why were her Academy grades such garbage?

"Baek Hwayeon, you're an archer, right?"

"Yes."

A voice far too small for her appearance. Looking at the archery specialization, her mana capacity should have been mid-to-upper tier at least. The grades made no sense. Ranged specialists were popular because they were safer than close-combat types—but they also needed far more mana to load into their weapons. Mages who converted mana attributes for attacks needed even more, of course.

Last was Lee Donggeul, the shortest of the three with an almost painfully cute face. Seriously, what were her parents thinking with that name? She looked exactly as round and soft as it sounded.

"Lee Donggeul. Is that really your legal name?"

"Yes. That's my name."

Even the way she spoke felt round and soft.

"Sorry about that. Donggeul, you're a healer..."

Healers, like mages, demanded huge mana reserves. Not every Awoken could just decide to become one.

"Yes! I want to be a healer!"

An Academy graduate still "wanting" to be one? Did she think this was kindergarten? Her profile clearly stated she had already awakened as a healer. I quickly double-checked the file.

There was no hope. Healers were essential for dungeon clears. But if that healer burned out after only two casts? Completely useless.

I barely swallowed the sigh and forced a smile.

"Having a healer puts me at ease."

"Hehe. Thank you. But what happened to your hand?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Just a little injury."

"Let me see."

"Ugh..."

She suddenly yanked my right hand toward her and an irritated groan slipped out. Then I couldn't help staring in shock. A soft burst of light flared from Lee Donggeul's hands, and the constant pain that had been tormenting my right hand began to fade away.

What the hell?

I was so stunned I just sat there blankly staring at her round little face.

"Does it feel better?"

"Ah... yes... thank you... No, wait, that's not..."

I had no idea what I was even supposed to say to her right now. I couldn't find the words.