The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 102

Thinking about it, there had never really been anyone around me whom I could call “Unni.”

There were plenty of women among the Espers, but none I was close enough with to really talk to.

Even Taerin Unni and I had only exchanged greetings in passing. It wasn’t until after we escaped from The Strange Paradise Reclaimed that we actually started keeping in touch.

“And even though she thinks I’m an Esper, she doesn’t seem afraid of me at all…”

Lee Seung-gwon had said so himself. Some of the people who committed crimes were Espers.

Considering how many awful people there had been, that made sense.

Yet she didn’t seem to harbor any resentment toward them.

“After dealing with a few nightmare customers myself, I ended up hating all of them like some kind of species-wide prejudice.”

She had said the children were curious about me, and that the shower room had been built by Espers.

Which meant there was a good chance she had gotten along well with the Espers who had lived here before.

“Then why is there no one left now?”

The list of questions I wanted to ask Director just kept growing.

As I washed the dust off in the warm water, I organized my thoughts.

I finished my shower quickly.

I rinsed off my baton as well while I was at it, and fortunately all the grime came off easily.

After changing clothes, I fastened the holster around my waist and hid it beneath my T-shirt.

When I stepped outside, Gong Suyeong Unni, who was watering the vegetable garden, waved at me and shouted,

“Just wait a minute!”

Hearing that, I froze for a moment before hesitantly shouting back,

“Do you want some help?!”

“No, it’s okay! Sit down and dry your hair!”

My long hair was still dripping water.

Since she insisted she was fine, it felt awkward to argue, so I sat down on a nearby chair and shook the water from my hair.

Had about ten minutes passed?

After carefully checking over the garden, Unni returned.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. There were some bugs, so I had to get rid of them.”

“Do you take care of all this by yourself?”

“No. Everyone here shares the work and takes turns. Even things we’re unfamiliar with or bad at—we keep doing them until we get used to them. If one person disappears, their absence feels too big, you know?”

Her tone was casual, but there was a faint bitterness beneath it.

Instead of asking further, I simply replied,

“I see.”

I waited while Gong Suyeong Unni quickly washed up, then helped clean up afterward.

When we entered the building, a savory smell drifted toward us from somewhere.

“They’re preparing a meal. Just like dinner, we try to eat breakfast together whenever possible. Still not hungry?”

“Hmm, I’m not exactly starving, but I can eat now.”

“That’s good. Then let’s look around for a bit before we go. Everyone was curious about you. They were a little disappointed when you didn’t come to dinner yesterday. Seung-gwon told them you were a pretty, kind, strong, and cool noona, so the kids got even more excited…”

“……”

“……Are compliments awkward for you?”

Even I realized my expression had gotten strange.

Since she was looking right at me, there was no way she could miss it.

I was used to hearing people praise my guiding ability, but hearing something so openly flattering was different.

Still, it wasn’t unpleasant.

I adjusted surprisingly quickly and answered,

“No, it’s not awkward.”

Gong Suyeong Unni chuckled softly and started walking somewhere.

“Hyeya, you’re kind of different from the impression you give off. How should I put it? You’re kind of cute. Didn’t people dote on you a lot?”

“Not at all. I heard a lot more things like ‘stuck-up’ and ‘arrogant.’”

“Arrogant? You? That doesn’t seem like you at all.”

“Exactly. I’m not like that. Headquarters just had a lot of weird people. If someone didn’t fit their preferences, they’d insult them like that.”

I said it without thinking and ended up sounding like I was tattling.

Embarrassed, I hurriedly tried to change the subject, but Gong Suyeong Unni clicked her tongue.

“I can imagine. There were some strange people at Headquarters when we first took shelter there too. Of course, there were lots of good people as well, but…”

The fact that she understood immediately suggested things hadn’t exactly been peaceful here either.

Maybe the Espers had left because of some kind of conflict?

The conversation felt more comfortable than I had expected, and I almost asked.

But then I saw people coming down the stairs and closed my mouth.

Among them was Lee Seung-gwon.

“Oh, noonas!”

He recognized us first and came over waving.

A boy who looked like an elementary school student was sticking close to him.

There were also two men who looked to be in their thirties or forties.

Behind them were girls who looked like elementary or middle school students.

The moment they saw me, their eyes lit up.

Beside them stood a woman carrying a small child.

Every single person approached while staring at me openly.

And just like before, I could feel Esper-like energy from all of them.

Even from the child who couldn’t have been more than five or six years old.

Still smiling brightly, Lee Seung-gwon spoke to me.

“I’m glad, noona. Looks like you slept comfortably. These little brats really wanted to see you.”

“Hey! I’m not a little brat!”

The boy beside him immediately shouted in protest.

Earlier, Gong Suyeong Unni had said there was one six-year-old, one eight-year-old, and two fifteen-year-olds.

“Then is this kid fifteen?”

The child being carried was obviously the youngest.

The second-shortest one was probably the eight-year-old.

Which meant the tallest girl and this boy were the fifteen-year-olds.

But he seemed kind of short.

Even compared to young Yeon Dogyeong and Lee Shinra, he looked almost two hand spans shorter.

“It’s not a nutrition problem… right?”

Everyone was fairly slim, but they looked healthy enough.

Maybe he was just naturally short.

The unnamed boy huffed for a while before turning toward me.

The way his eyes sparkled almost felt overwhelming.

Still, since I’d heard he admired Espers, I couldn’t exactly tell him to stop staring.

The moment he opened his mouth and said,

“Um…”

A girl suddenly rushed forward.

“Unni! Are you really an Esper? Did you really beat monsters with just a stick?!”

“Hey, Im Dain! I was going to ask first! Noona, how do you become an Esper? Director Uncle said you have to be an adult to become one—”

“He did! But I heard kids used to train too!”

“Stop interrupting! If you become an Esper, do you really get taller and stronger?!”

“Shut up, Baek Juwon! I’m going to become one first!”

“……”

The girl named Im Dain and the boy named Baek Juwon practically shoved each other while shouting in front of me.

Since my hearing had improved too, my ears were starting to hurt.

Judging by everyone’s expressions, this kind of argument happened often.

Lee Seung-gwon let out a tired sigh.

At the same time, Gong Suyeong Unni calmly said,

“The children who help prepare meal service in the dining hall can have chocolate after they finish eating.”

“…!”

Even though the kids had been talking louder than she was, Im Dain and Baek Juwon understood immediately.

They shot off like springs and ran somewhere.

The eight-year-old girl who had been standing quietly also ran after them, calling,

“Unniii! Oppaaa!”

The lobby instantly became quiet.

After a brief silence, everyone finally had a chance to introduce themselves.

“It’s a little late, but let me introduce everyone, Hyea noona. This is Mister Sang-woo and Mister Gyu-min. They’re part of the scouting team that brought back the monster you killed yesterday. Juwon and Dain already introduced themselves, and the girl who ran after them is Seong Chae-i. And…”

“Hello. My name is Min Dahye. This is Jiyul. Lee Jiyul. She’s my daughter.”

I exchanged nods with the two scouting team members and greeted Min Dahye properly.

The girl named Lee Jiyul seemed very shy.

The moment her name was mentioned, she immediately clung to her mother.

This was also the first time I’d introduced myself to so many people like this.

Feeling somewhat self-conscious, I spoke.

“My name is Yoon Hyeya. I’m twenty-five years old. Please feel free to call me whatever’s comfortable.”

If the age difference had been less obvious, saying I was twenty-five might have felt awkward.

Fortunately, everyone looked considerably older than me.

After exchanging a few greetings, we entered the dining hall.

There, Director—who looked noticeably more at peace than he had yesterday—was peeling garlic.