Park Shinui pinched his cheek tightly with a confused expression. Because he put so much force into it, an “ow” naturally escaped. The man in the mirror also touched his face with a pained expression.
“……Park Shinui?”
It seems that person is me.
When the butler called him ‘Park Shinui,’ he had somewhat expected it, but he didn’t know the Park Shinui in the novel had this kind of face. Rubbing his stinging cheek with his palm, he let out bewildered exclamations several times.
The protagonist of this novel is Kang Taejun. The world’s only EX-rank Esper and a man blessed by God. And in the novel, a ‘Park Shinui’ with the same name as himself appeared. A character who appeared briefly in less than two pages, embarrassingly short to even call a supporting role. His presence was so faint that he had never once shown himself even in the dreams he had every day.
In the middle-to-late part of the novel, exactly one line describing that celebrity ‘Park Shinui’ had manifested as a Guide. How much his heart had raced when he discovered that line. Since even the name was the same, he had hoped, but contrary to his expectations, he never appeared again until the completion.
‘When I discovered that name in the novel, it was just fascinating and nice, but he was actually a character who never once came face to face with Kang Taejun.’
“If he had this kind of face, it would’ve been nice to have a bit more screen time. What a waste.”
Flawless white skin with perfectly proportioned features. The man in the mirror was looking at Park Shinui with unrealistic beauty. He tried twisting up the corners of his mouth and mercilessly distorting his expression. Even so, it was amazing that his picture-perfect face didn’t look ruined at all. Each feature fit perfectly in place as if someone had carefully designed them. That such a handsome person was himself—even looking at it, it was an unbelievable sight.
“How can a person’s face look like this? A celebrity isn’t a celebrity for nothing.”
Park Shinui, who had been carefully feeling his own face as if touching someone else’s, soon smiled awkwardly and withdrew his hand. The sensation of touch was vivid enough to give him goosebumps, but it didn’t feel real at all.
Of course, he had imagined it for a while. Since even the name was the same, he had held expectations that he might appear as ‘Park Shinui.’ However, until he finished reading the book, such a thing never happened, and as time passed, he had perfectly adapted to his position as an audience member. Honestly, watching the novel’s content in high definition every night was already overwhelming. Just watching while holding his breath from outside the screen was enough, and he had been satisfied with that. But now, to appear as ‘Park Shinui’ in the novel at this point.
“This is so unrealistic-looking that I can’t even be happy to my heart’s content. If I upgrade about ten times from my face, would it become roughly similar?”
His original face wasn’t one that would be overlooked anywhere, but the man in the mirror was on a different level. While subtly resembling himself, the gap was vast. How did such different results come out for people with the same name—it was so amazing that he even felt wronged. If anything was consoling, it was that their height and build were similar.
“……Mm.”
Park Shinui, who had been testing various angles while cupping his chin, took a step back and stopped moving. After staring at the mirror for a while, he lowered his shoulders.
No matter how handsome, he’s a character in a novel, and once he wakes from the dream, that’s it. This face, these sensations—everything will eventually disappear. He shook his head and withdrew his gaze. What was important right now wasn’t admiring his appearance.
‘Come to think of it, where exactly did ‘Park Shinui’ appear?’
Since he had read focusing on Kang Taejun, his memory was hazy. Why on earth had he appeared in this place? The fact that the butler had searched for him, this waiting room—he had no memory of seeing any of it in the novel. He tilted his head at ‘Park Shinui’ in the mirror as if asking a question, then soon stretched widely as if giving up.
‘Well, I’ll find out when the dream ends.’
Then he stopped his movements due to the discomfort of clothes tightly constricting his body.
“Ah, but why is he wearing such uncomfortable clothes?”
He had felt it since earlier, but the clothes Park Shinui was wearing were extraordinary. A cream-colored shirt with a subtly lustrous blue silk tie, a suit perfectly tailored to follow the lines of his body. Even a single cufflink on his wrist didn’t seem carelessly chosen. No matter how he looked at it, it was the outfit of a groom who should enter a wedding hall right away. Park Shinui looked at his reflection in the mirror and subtly narrowed his eyes. He understood that he was well-dressed, but the problem was what occasion he was going to.
— We have an announcement.
At that moment, a thick and resolute voice echoed through the quiet space from somewhere.
— In a moment, we will begin the pair bonding ceremony between Esper Kang Taejun and Guide Park Shinui, so we ask that all guests please take their seats.
“……Huh?”
— I’ll say it once more. Shortly, we will begin the pair bonding ceremony between Esper Kang Taejun and Guide Park Shinui…….
“What did they say?”
Park Shinui raised his voice while opening his mouth wide. What did they just say outside?
“Bonding ceremony?”
A bonding ceremony?
— On behalf of the Esper and Guide Association, we would like to express our deep gratitude to all the guests who attended to bless these two people despite your busy schedules. From now on, we will conduct the pair bonding ceremony between Esper Kang Taejun and Guide Park Shinui!
“What is that person saying right now?”
It was nonsense. No matter where he searched in the novel, there was no such scene. In the first place, the two had never even come face to face.
Park Shinui stood there, unable to accept the situation before him. The announcement was still continuing the event proceedings, and the noise outside the door was growing louder.
— For today’s sacred ceremony, first, the Esper Association Chairman and Guide Association Chairman will light the ceremonial candles. We hope they will light them with all their heart for the future of these two protagonists who are miraculously united.
“……”
Soft and sweet melodies flowed from outside the door, and applause mixed with cheers poured out like waves. Park Shinui let out an empty laugh like someone who had heard a bad joke. However, the laughter quickly subsided. The fact that those sounds, that applause and music, were all for him simply wouldn’t process in his head. His heart began to beat at a strange rhythm. Somehow, the content of the novel seemed to be flowing in a completely different direction from what he knew.
— The Association Chairmen have lit the ceremonial candles. Thank you. Now, let’s welcome today’s protagonists! Everyone in South Korea knows him, but now he will be reborn as one person’s dedicated Guide—Guide Park Shinui will enter first. Dear guests, please welcome him with warm applause. Guide Park Shinui, enter!
“……Haha, this is a joke, right?”
No, since it’s a dream, anything is possible. That’s what he tried to think. But that thought scattered before it could even settle.
Park Shinui’s face, which had been blankly relaxed, crumpled all at once.
The dream had never once deviated from the original work. The text he had read was honestly reproduced as video, and there were no instances of settings being reversed.
Naturally, in no scene up to the completion did a scene of Kang Taejun forming a pair appear, and moreover, there was no scene of him bonding with ‘Park Shinui,’ who was the same sex. What the hell. This is clearly a setting error.
“This scene didn’t exist anywhere!”
As if swallowing Park Shinui’s anguished muttering, the door behind him opened roughly.
“Park Shinui-ssi!”
“Park Shinui-ssi, what are you doing!”
Strangers rushed in while calling his name. They charged at him with a fierce momentum as if asking why he was still standing there.
“This doesn’t make sense……”
Really? They’re really having a bonding ceremony? Kang Taejun and Park Shinui, of all people?
“What are you doing, you need to go out now!”
“This way, hurry up!”
The people clinging to both sides roughly pushed the back of the confused Park Shinui. His upper body leaned forward and his body swayed greatly.
“Uh, uhhh……!”
At that moment, the wall blocking his view split to both sides like magic. Through that gap, bright light that seemed to blind him burst in like a shooting beam.
Park Shinui barely straightened his swaying body and raised his head. At the same time, cheers and applause that seemed to tear his eardrums poured out like a storm. His soul nearly left his body.
“Dear guests! Please give another round of warm applause for Guide Park Shinui!”
What the hell is this? Where in the book is there this kind of development?
