The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 100

“My name is Yoon Hyeya. Like Seung-gwon mentioned earlier, I got trapped inside during the Gate Rampage Incident three years ago and only just managed to get out. The gate I entered happened to appear in Sector B, so I was able to make it here without much trouble. I looked around a few other places, but this place—the residential area—was the only one where I found signs that people had been here recently, so I came straight here.”

“……”

“I know it’s hard to believe right away. I heard from Mister and Seung-gwon about what happened over the last three years. I have no intention of causing trouble or creating conflict, so please don’t worry.”

After saying that, she opened her bag, took out two emergency kits, and handed them over.

The woman named Suyeong accepted them reflexively, then looked flustered.

“W-Why are you giving me these?”

“You seem to be very short on medical supplies. There isn’t a huge amount, but there are various things inside, so please use them wherever they’re needed. And……”

There were definitely more useful things in there. She rummaged through the bag and pulled out a tarp, duct tape, a sewing kit, and various other items, placing them neatly on the floor.

When she also took out canned food, energy bars, and chocolate that she had packed as emergency rations, Lee Seung-gwon gasped.

“Judging by the printed dates, they’re probably past their expiration dates, but I haven’t actually had them for very long, so they should still be fine. Feel free to use whatever you need.”

“Ah, we’re short on supplies here in every way, so…… I mean, I am grateful, but…… why are you giving us all this?”

“It’s not because I’m a good person. Think of it as a bribe. I’ll probably be staying here for a while, so it’s my way of asking for your kindness. I told Seung-gwon this while we were coming down, but from my perspective, you’re the outsiders. But if things stay awkward or uncomfortable, it’ll make things harder for Mister, so I’d like us to get along.”

It seemed that being honest had been the right answer.

The woman named Suyeong didn’t say anything, but the atmosphere around her had clearly softened compared to before.

She glanced at the supplies spread across the floor and then bowed politely.

“Thank you. We’ll make good use of the things you’ve shared with us where they’re needed. And sorry for introducing myself so late. My name is Gong Suyeong. I’m twenty-eight years old.”

“I’m twenty… five years old. You can speak casually if you’d like.”

“……Then I’ll do that. And can I say one thing?”

Unlike Lee Seung-gwon, Gong Suyeong immediately switched to casual speech as her gaze moved toward the bag.

Does she need something else?

The moment Hyeya nodded in confusion, Suyeong took a deep breath and words poured out like rapid fire.

“If Director asked me to, I would’ve accepted you even without all this. Of course, I really am grateful. Truly, thank you! Honestly, this helps a lot. We needed things like candles and waterproof matches, and we needed clean cloth too. Since there are children here, I wanted to give them things like chocolate and snacks. But even if you’re an Esper, you’re being way too careless. How can you open your bag and show everything inside in a place like this? I’m not saying we’d ever try to hurt you, but these days there are plenty of people who pretend to be pitiful and helpless just so they can stab you in the back. That’s why you have to be careful. It’s dangerous enough that people ask for help, then when you approach, their hidden companions knock you out by hitting you in the head or drugging you with something strange. If they only steal your belongings, that’s actually the better outcome. There are all kinds of crazy people now. Some even throw unconscious people into Gates, or use them as bait for monsters……”

It truly just poured out.

Her worries, concerns, and anxieties came with it.

Not knowing how to react, Hyeya simply stared blankly. Then Lee Seung-gwon, who had also been standing there blankly, stepped in.

“Noona, Suyeong noona. Calm down. You’re making Hyeya noona uncomfortable.”

“Oh dear, sorry. Hearing that you were trapped inside a Gate and just got out made me so worried…… But you really do need to be careful. You shouldn’t just open your bag and show people what’s inside, and you absolutely shouldn’t hand things over just because someone asks. Especially, like I said earlier, medicine, clean cloth, chocolate—those things are hard to find now even if you have money, so people become even more……”

“Noona, noona. Could you take Hyeya noona to her room first? She looks really tired.”

“Ah, right. Then Seung-gwon, could you organize these things for me?”

“Yes. I’ll sort them and record the quantities one by one after opening them. But the others are okay, right?”

“Yeah. Yoon-jae and Yong-joo are fine. Gi-ho’s condition isn’t great, though. If the edge here turns completely black, could you replace the pad with a new one, wake him up, and give him one more painkiller?”

“Okay, I will.”

“Thanks. Then Hyeya, come with me. Oh, and if you’re okay with it, just call me unni.”

“Yes, unni……”

“See you later, noonas.”

Still feeling dazed, I said goodbye, slung my bag over my shoulder, and followed Gong Suyeong… Unni.

When we came out into the lobby and headed toward the stairs again, I belatedly spoke up.

“Um, thank you too. For worrying about me.”

“Ah…… Was I being too nosy? Sorry.”

“No. It really made me realize how careful I need to be. Especially the part about throwing unconscious people into Gates and using them as monster bait.”

Earlier, Lee Seung-gwon had said this:

“When I first met Suyeong noona, she was bleeding from her head. She got hit with a rock while trying to help someone who was being robbed.”

If she’d experienced something like that herself, it was only natural for her to worry even more.

After that, we shared awkward smiles and made our way awkwardly toward Room 310.

As soon as we entered the apartment, Suyeong unni spoke.

“The windows are all locked, so they won’t open. If you force them, they’ll break, so please be careful about that. Also, there’s no electricity supply, but that light over there is connected to solar panels outside. So when it gets dark, you can use the remote control to turn it on. Oh, and… do you want to take a bath?”

“……I hadn’t even thought about it, but you can’t really wash here, can you?”

“Right. There’s no running water at all. So we made a simple shower room on the first floor. Making one on the second and third floors wasn’t really possible under the circumstances…… What would you like to do? If you’re okay with it, we can go back down now, or I can take you later.”

Going back downstairs sounded exhausting, even though it wasn’t a big deal.

The fairies had left me covered in dust, but for now I just wanted to rest alone.

“I’d like to rest for now, so I’ll ask later.”

“Okay. Then it’s two o’clock now, so…… we all eat together at six. I’ll come get you then.”

“Okay.”

“And…… sorry, but would it be alright if I locked the door from the outside? There are young children on the third floor. It’s not because we suspect you, but everyone’s had bad experiences with outsiders before……”

“Ah, that’s fine. It’s not like I’ll be locked up all day. It’s only about four hours.”

Since I had planned to lie down and rest anyway, I didn’t mind if the door was locked.

At my easy agreement, Suyeong unni smiled faintly, explained a few more things like how to use the bathroom and other precautions, and then left.

Not long afterward, I heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. I set my bag and coat by the entrance and walked over to the sofa.

The moment I flopped down onto it, a long sigh escaped me automatically.

“I’m suddenly so tired……”

I’d never liked using my brain much to begin with, and after listening to all those conversations, it seemed like I’d finally hit overload.

There were so many things I wanted to know.

But more than anything else, I wanted to know about the “three whose whereabouts were unknown.”

“……I should probably just ask.”

The Director’s emotions had been in too much turmoil earlier for me to ask, but now I needed a definite answer.

Just sitting there was enough to make my head start hurting.

Curling up, I closed my eyes.

Wishing that all of this was just a dream.

By the time I came to my senses from my half-awake haze, the apartment had already grown dark.