FTE 005

“Can I also have some?”

“Hmm, no.”

“Why not? It’s not Chae Won-u’s snack anyway.”

“Well, it used to be, but now there isn’t any left because I ate too much of it.”

“You can get addicted to snacks like that? How careless of you.”

“So, you’re saying you won’t get hooked on them?”

“Of course not.”

I chuckled and continued peeling the snack wrappers. As I did, my eyes widened at how few were left.

“Hey, aren’t you eating too much of someone else’s food?”

“I’m in a growth spurt.”

“Excuse me?”

“This one is off-limits as well? It’s spicy.”

“It doesn’t seem that spicy to me.”

“But it is for me.”

Without hesitation, he grabbed another pack and tore it open. Though I found this quite frustrating, I decided to let it slide—for now. After all, despite having signed a contract, our partnership could still be terminated within the first month during the probationary matching period. Should I end things right away?

“You should hurry and eat; we have to go for our matching test.”

“It’s scheduled for three o’clock.”

“I think it’ll be earlier than that.”

I’ve been here numerous times, and while appointments often ran late, I could count on one hand how many times they were ahead of schedule. Still, I quickly finished my meal. Not because I believed Chae Won-u but because he started eating at lightning speed. Despite being known for my fast eating, he outpaced me.

“Hunter Chae Won-u, there’s something I’d like to ask you. Normally, I’m not this curious about my partners.”

It was understandable since I usually had enough information beforehand. However, with him…

“To start, how did you operate without a partner until now…?”

At that moment, all members of the Hunter Association received alerts through their mandatory smartwatches.

<Please come to Diagnostic Room B with Guide Yang Baekgyeom.>

The alarm indicated it was immediate. It was only 1:50 pm, quite early for such a request. I turned towards Chae Won-u, but he was folding up the empty cookie bag neatly and carefully shaking out any remaining crumbs. I could see his long neck and the round bone in the middle moving as he swallowed.

“Let’s go.”

Chae Won-u, after a final swipe of his hand over his mouth, got up from his seat. I let out a long sigh and gathered the trash. It had accumulated into a sizable pile, which Chae Won-u snatched up and effortlessly tossed into the trash can like a perfect free throw. 

“I’m quite good, right?”

“…..”

I felt like communicating with Seunggyu’s cat Pobby would’ve been easier than talking to him.

***

Diagnostic Room B was also known as the Mandatory Diagnostic Laboratory. As its name implied, it resembled a research laboratory. However, we had our own term for it: the Matching Room. The older folks aren’t too keen on the nickname, though. They say it sounds like some kind of matchmaking room for blind dates. 

But honestly, what’s the difference?

I now understood why I was told to arrive early. The matching room was chaotic. Blood splatters were everywhere. Despite being cleaned before our arrival, there were still remnants left behind, indicating just how difficult and demanding the previous matching session must have been—ultimately ending in failure.

“It was the worst,” muttered someone while changing their gown.

“They weren’t just incompatible; they were terribly mismatched. I had high hopes, but…”

“It’s strange. They were clearly A-grade matches. Both their levels matched.”

“Since when has it been just about ranking alone? Wake up!” The sharp command came from the forewoman. She ran her fingers through her hair as if she had no more wits left. With a wave of her hand over a pad, the holographic screen faintly changed. Chae Won-u and Yang Baekgyeom—information about me and my potential partner appeared.

“Rewrite the contract and reassign them.”

“Team Leader, hello.” Despite her cold tone, I greeted her cheerfully without flinching.

“Oh, Yang Baekgyeom-ssi is here. You’re more punctual than our regular employees, aren’t you?” Her words sounded surprised, but I knew better; she was never easily impressed.

Her tone made it sound like she just realized I was there, but I knew better. She wasn’t someone to be trifled with—a perfectionist known for her impeccable work ethic and ruthless demeanor. This was likely a warning directed at me: ‘Do your job properly.’

“Yang Baekgyeom-ssi, can you handle things today?”

“We’ll see.”

But this wasn’t my first rodeo. As I casually glanced at the splatters of blood on the wall, I responded:

“So, who was here before me? Someone I might know?”

“You know I can’t disclose that information.”

“C’mon. At least tell me if they’re from the same company as me? Or maybe a different agency?”

“They were from the same agency. Now enough about that, okay? End of discussion.”

“…Okay.”

“I will tell it to the agency president myself. Understood?”

“Yes.”

It was Hyeongmin. I smiled bitterly. Still, he wouldn’t be hurt too much. The things happening here couldn’t be understood by common sense before dungeon breaks occurred.

“Ah, how cold.” I winced theatrically, forcing a smile as the chief researcher, the one I’d been seeing since my first time here, gave my arm a gentle smack.

“It’s not cold. Don’t be so dramatic.” 

“It’s cold every time, though.”

“And every time, you’ve done great. You’ll do great this time, too.”

“Well, I’ll try my best, as always.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

The chief researcher pretending to check the pads monitoring my pulse, whispered discreetly, “This is on you. Everything depends on you.”

“What for?”

—Clear the Diagnostic Room.

A beep sounded and all outsiders were instructed to leave. The researchers quickly exited after checking for tangled wires one last time. I was fixed to the chair and called out, craning my neck,

“Chief! What do you mean by that?”

“It means you’re the only one who can do this.”

But the answer came from my right. The lights flickered on in the Diagnostic Room, a separate, enclosed chamber within the Matching Room. The chairs slowly rotated, bringing us face-to-face, until we were facing each other, suspended in the middle of the room. 

This part was always the most awkward. From this moment on, we couldn’t look away from each other.  Blinking was fine, but averting our gaze, even for a second, was a big no-no. It was where most mistakes happened. That’s why this part, pairing two people up, always took two hours. 

This was it. The slow drip of medication began flowing from the IV line in the crook of my arm. The coldness spread, making my arm ache.  It was some kind of stimulant, as I recalled. 

The blindingly bright light began to flicker, contracting and expanding my pupils in a dizzying dance. How many times did this happen? Suddenly, the floor seemed to drop out from under me, and the Matching Room dissolved. It was like we were both free-falling in a bottomless abyss, just the two of us. 

An overwhelming sense of isolation, fear, and dependence on the sound of each other’s heartbeats washed over me. The medication surged through my veins, sending my heart racing.  Chae Won-u’s heartbeat turned erratic too. I’d heard they used a drug on Hunters that forced their abilities to manifest. 

The Guiding Match score was determined by how long it took for our heartbeats to synchronize and stabilize, as well as the speed and rhythm of our pulses, all within a normal range, of course. 

My head throbbed, the noise inside almost unbearable. I managed to force my stiff tongue to move.

“Don’t…  Don’t call me… you…”

The ‘jerk’ at the end of the sentence died in my throat. I gritted my teeth, forcing my chin up as if I were about to pass out. I poured all my focus into staying conscious—the ringing in my ears, a high-pitched beeeeeep, grew louder.

Through the chaos, I thought I heard him say ‘Hyung,’ but I couldn’t be sure. My consciousness slipped away before I could register anything else. 

***

“Are you okay?”

I waved my hand while coughing repeatedly. The 500cc bottle of water emptied quickly. I spat out the remaining water and crushed the plastic bottle with my fist. Fortunately, there was no vomiting but it felt like both inside and outside of my body were turned upside down, making me nauseous.

“What about Chae Won-u?”

“Already worried about your partner?”

No, I’m concerned about job stability.

“Won-u is similar to you.”

“He vomited?”

“Just said he feels dizzy.”

“How are his stats?”

“You can tell just by hearing the symptoms.”

I smiled, wiping my wet lips with the back of my hand. There was no blood, nobody ran away midway, and we didn’t experience any terrifying hallucinations. Stability was evident without needing further confirmation—it fell within the acceptable range.

“Did I do well?”

“What can I say? You’re the best.” The chief researcher gave me a thumbs-up.

I heard ‘the best’ every time, but it still sounded good to my ears. Straightening up, I tossed a crumpled plastic bottle into the trash bin at the corner—a perfect goblin shot! Although our first meeting was awkward, strange, and bizarre, it seemed like we had decent chemistry after all.

As soon as I exited the preparation room, I spotted Chae Won-u emerging from the opposite hunter’s prep area. Despite his earlier discomfort, he looked perfectly fine now.

“Hyung.”

The sudden term of address drew everyone’s attention towards us—more specifically, towards Chae Won-u.

“’Hyung’? Are you two already that close?”

Unfortunately, I still remembered what he had said right before passing out, so all I could do was awkwardly laugh. It wasn’t just my ears playing tricks on me when he called me ‘hyung’. Was he mocking me? Hunters tend to be extremely proud and self-centered individuals, making it hard for them to admit their mistakes. Hence, I continued to chuckle uneasily.

“We’re destined to be together.”

“Oh…”

The chief researcher chuckled from beside us. People often use the phrase “destined to be together” when compatibility readings are high… which technically applies here… but usually not by the subjects themselves.

“Was the result that good?”

“It’s slightly above average.” Leaning closer, almost whispering like a ventriloquist, I asked, “So why did you say such things? Are you teasing him?”

“Well, it makes sense from Won-u’s perspective. No Guide has ever matched with him until now.”

“What?!”