The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 114

The director quietly took a breath before continuing with a complicated expression.

“It was only after the world became like this that I realized such an obvious truth. I know it’s not something that can be undone just because I regret it now or ask for forgiveness… but I’m truly sorry.”

The director knew.

He knew how Lee Shin-ra, Cha Eun-hwi, and Yeon Do-gyeong had acted every time they clung to me after I escaped the “Recovered Strange Paradise.”

Just as he said, it wasn’t something that could be undone.

It was the kind of apology that only made things awkward.

Especially after we had spent more than a month talking so comfortably with each other.

Still, the director had apologized to me several times before, and none of those apologies had been lies.

This one simply carried far more regret and guilt.

‘And yet he brought it up again.’

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him.

“Mister… is there something you want to ask me?”

“…Hye-a. I’m not shameless enough to apologize just because I want something from you.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I just felt like there was something difficult you were trying to say.”

It wasn’t just his expression.

I could feel all sorts of complicated emotions coming from him.

The director hesitated for a moment before answering with a sigh.

“…Yes. I suppose ‘a difficult request’ is the right way to put it.”

“Go ahead. I’ll listen first, and if I don’t like it, I won’t do it.”

Back then, I would have read the room because it was troublesome not to.

Now, it was different.

…Besides, I already had a rough idea what he wanted to ask.

Sure enough, after a brief hesitation, the words that came out of his mouth were almost exactly what I had expected.

“If you happen to meet any Guides during your journey… could you help them? In whatever way you can. I’d like you to lend them a hand if they’re in trouble…”

The only unexpected part was that he specifically mentioned only Guides.

“I would’ve done that even if you hadn’t asked. But… only Guides? What about Espers?”

Honestly, it seemed like I’d be much more likely to meet three Espers than even one Guide.

There had even been incidents of Guide hunting.

The director paused before speaking.

“Hye-a. One of the things I regret most is standing by when you were guiding the other Espers three years ago. No… ‘standing by’ isn’t even accurate. I was practically forcing you.”

“That isn’t how I remember it. It wasn’t even proper guiding, and you didn’t exactly force me…”

“At the time, I knew the Espers were in poor condition. And because you didn’t seem strongly opposed to it, I never actively stopped them from approaching you. If headquarters had officially forbidden that behavior, they never would have come to see you like that.”

Now that I thought about it, every word he said was true.

Whether it was radial guiding or not…

Guiding was still guiding.

They had all knelt down and begged, and I had carelessly agreed out of pity.

But what those Espers had done deserved punishment.

Seeing that I couldn’t respond, the director quietly continued.

“Hye-a, you never expected anything from Espers. So whenever they behaved even slightly differently from what you expected, it felt dramatic. It’s like how someone who’s always kind and polite is judged much more harshly after acting cold just once. But someone who’s always rude and unpleasant says one nice thing, and suddenly people think, ‘Maybe they have a good side after all.'”

“…Thanks for the very specific example. That really hit home. Just like you said… seeing those complete delinquents kneel in front of me with tears streaming down their faces…”

“…I guess I simply compromised.”

That also applied to Cha Eun-hwi, Lee Shin-ra, and Yeon Do-gyeong.

I hadn’t realized it.

But it seemed the director had already noticed back then.

His apology just now…

And the reason he hadn’t asked me to help Espers…

Both were criticisms of his own actions at the time.

If protecting me and feeling guilty toward me had truly been his highest priority, he never would have allowed any of it.

I let out a long sigh and absentmindedly rubbed the back of my neck where my shortened hair brushed against it.

Honestly, I was a little surprised.

But strangely enough, it didn’t leave me feeling bitter.

Of course, if he had told me all this right after I escaped the gate, I never would have been able to speak so openly with him.

‘Even though he himself was so guilty that he hesitated all this time before finally saying it.’

Still…

That hesitation had ended up helping.

The director looked at me as though he would completely understand even if I cursed at him or grabbed him by the collar.

I swung my arms through the air as if trying to brush away the guilt I couldn’t see but could clearly feel coming from him.

“It’s okay, mister. If you hadn’t told me, I never would’ve known. But you told me now, and that’s enough. I do hold grudges for a long time, but I’ll let this one end here. I’ll help both Guides and Espers if I’m able to.”

“But I have one condition.”

“A condition?”

“Yeah. The reason I’m going after those idiots who ran off is because I want to restore the world to the way it was. But to do that, we first have to close all the gates and deal with the monsters. The problem is, gates don’t just appear in designated areas anymore, and people can’t report irregular gates like they used to. The three of them and I can’t realistically handle all of that by ourselves. If we’re going to work in an organized way, we need an organization centered around awakened people. For example…”

“You mean the ESP Association.”

“Exactly. We can change the name if we want. Personally, I’d be fine with something like the ‘Alliance for Protecting Awakened People’s Rights and Work-Life Balance.’ Or we could pick something normal. And you’ll be the leader of that organization too. I don’t care if you’re called Director, President, or Chairman like before.”

“But this time… make sure the new organization never lets minorities or weaker people suffer. Make it a place where everyone stands as equals.”

The way Espers ignored Guides and treated them like property had always infuriated me.

But the opposite wouldn’t be any better.

Maybe someday Guides would end up acting exactly like the Espers had.

Just as everyone inside headquarters had awakened, there was a good chance people outside had awakened too.

That was why an organization like the Association would absolutely be necessary.

And after everything he’d gone through…

After bowing his head and apologizing to me…

I believed the director would keep that organization on the right path this time.

“You’ll do it, won’t you?”

I urged him for an answer as he sat there motionless, as if frozen.

The director slowly blinked.

Then, something he rarely did—

He laughed out loud.

Finally, he nodded.

“I will, Hye-a. I’ll do everything I can to bring a peaceful world back.”

“Okay, mister.”

“Then we should start studying immediately. Come, have a seat.”

“…Wait. I’m the one who’s studying? Right now?”

Standing up with his crutch, looking more motivated than ever, the director answered as though it were obvious.

“Life here is too unpredictable to follow a strict study schedule. It’s much more effective to keep learning whenever you have the chance. Monsters are important, of course, but traveling through ruined cities is just as dangerous. I think it would be good for you to watch the last recorded videos and think carefully about everything you should be cautious of.”

“…”

“And you also need to prepare for the possibility of being pulled into a gate. It’s best to avoid them altogether, of course, but you never know what might happen. Even though the information is three years old, we have records on most ecosystems, so we’ll go over those too.”

“…”

“And whatever happens, you must protect your backpack. Never drink water you find outside, and don’t eat food just because it looks safe. Be extremely careful about starting fires, and try not to let people notice you if you can avoid it. Find a safe place before sunset, and sleep indoors rather than outside. Whenever you enter an enclosed space, you should wear a mask. Fortunately, there’s one in your emergency kit, so make sure you always use it. Also…”

“…There’s more?”

“Oh, there’s plenty more. You only avoided studying before, Hye-a. Whenever you actually apply yourself, you do very well. So let’s work hard.”

It was nice seeing him so full of energy.

But this was definitely too much.

Still, every bit of it was advice meant to keep me safe.

And since I had been the one to ask for help in the first place…

All I could do was stare blankly into space and answer,

“…Yes, sir…”