The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 17

It was when the Director and the A-rank squad captains went upstairs to the conference room.

That was when Jeong Haram spouted more nonsense, saying, “Today was fun in its own way, right? Guess we’ll be in the same squad next time. I’m looking forward to it.”

There was no way Yeon Dogyeong and Lee Sinra were going to let that slide.

With no one around to stop them, the place turned into a full-on brawl, profanity flying everywhere.

Watching it all unfold, I thought,

‘If we really end up in the same squad, this dogfight will be an everyday thing…….’

Honestly, the squad responsibility mattered less than the fact that the fallout would land on me.

Let me say this again—my patience has limits too.

I was genuinely worried I might snap and throw a punch at their faces.

Espers and guides were national assets. Lay a hand on them recklessly, and it was straight to military prison.

Imagining a future where I smashed an esper’s face in and got dragged off to confinement made my eyes sting with tears…….

So yeah, it was unavoidable that I immediately bombarded the Director with texts.

And then he tells me to calm down and explain without crying—how am I not supposed to cry in a situation like this?!

Even after sending desperate replies, I couldn’t relax, so I planned to go see him in person later.

That was, if I hadn’t heard Kang Jaeyi’s voice calling out, “Honey!” right after.

I didn’t even look back. I yelled that I urgently needed the bathroom and bolted. No matter how crazy Kang Jaeyi was, even he wouldn’t chase me into the women’s restroom.

I stayed holed up there for two hours before Cha Eunhwi contacted me.

He said no one was outside anymore, so I could come out and go home. So I went home.

The next day, I dragged myself up to get ready to go out, and Cha Eunhwi contacted me again.
He told me to rest. So I rested.

Then the next day.
And the day after that.
Same message—rest.

So I sprawled out comfortably, thinking I might as well rest forever.

If nothing else, I’m the kind of person who never questions instructions like go home or take a break.

Still, I was a bit worried about Yeon Dogyeong and Lee Sinra.

They suffered so badly that even a single day without guiding was hard for them to endure.

We’d known each other for a long time, after all.

I worried they might take out their frustration on me for not guiding them, but then I remembered how they’d once begged me to kill them instead if I wouldn’t guide them, and my feelings grew complicated.

Of course, that kind of charitable thinking only comes when you’re mentally relaxed.

Normally? Not a chance.

Anyway, I was thinking of visiting them at least once for the sake of the future, when a group text from Cha Eunhwi arrived.

It talked about the composite gate, the postponed squad reorganization, and the espers’ training schedule.

He said the details would be explained in the operations room.

And today, after ending my short break and coming to work for the first time in a while—

“……An expedition? You mean, um, the one the Graphite Squad does?”

“Yes. We’re scheduled to depart tomorrow morning, and the duration is two months. It may be extended depending on the situation.”

The words hit like a bolt from the blue, and my eyes immediately grew wet again.

So the reason they sent me home and let me rest for two whole days was this?

‘Was that my last meal? No—my last vacation……?’

I’d heard plenty of horror stories about how exhausting expedition clears were, and my mood plunged straight into the abyss.

Gates appeared all over the world, regardless of location.

In the past, espers with strong detection abilities wandered around to find them, or locations were identified through civilian reports—but that wasn’t the case anymore.

Each rift emitted a unique wavelength, and it was discovered that gates formed in locations that happened to match certain conditions.

During training, they told us that in theory, if you could eliminate all wavelengths produced by the Earth, gates would stop appearing altogether.

But wavelengths were emitted by human bodies, changed with the weather, varied depending on wind strength, and even differed based on whether life was present or not—so eliminating them was impossible.

In short, even the presence or absence of a single ant could change the probability of a gate forming.

That’s why a gate that appeared once might form in a completely different place next time.

So researchers asked the next question:
“If that’s the case, can’t we artificially create these wavelengths and limit where gates appear?”

Many said it was impossible—but after countless trials and errors, they succeeded.

By combining the wavelengths of previously observed gates with various patterns, they managed to make rifts appear only in designated locations.

Like zones E—13 and 14, where Barometz’s Nest had appeared a week ago.

That’s why ESP Association facilities looked similar no matter the country—an isolated massive building, long antennas along the exterior, and a wide, barren space where artificial gates would appear.

Domestically, since we didn’t have vast stretches of empty land, zones A through F were near headquarters, while zones G and onward required driving.

Even so, just knowing the location in advance was a blessing.

That said, gates with irregular wavelengths—or no wavelength at all—still appeared on rare occasions.

Those could only be detected the old-fashioned way: by espers with strong detection abilities or civilian reports.

That was the role of expedition squads.

Traveling all over the country to find and clear gates.

Basically a business trip from hell—annoying, exhausting, and not fun in the slightest.

In the past, A-rank squads rotated expedition duty, but now the Graphite Squad handled it exclusively.

That technically went against the headquarters’ favorite word, “fairness,” but there was no helping it.

Most people would agree—constantly changing lodgings every two or three days instead of staying in your own home was brutal.

If it were leisure travel, maybe. But this was work, and sometimes you even had to sleep outdoors.

Sensitive, high-strung espers found expedition clears especially hard.

I’m being polite by calling it “hard.” Some had gone berserk badly enough to make the news.

That was why the Graphite Squad was formed two years ago.

They selected only A- and B-rank espers who followed orders well, were easygoing, and had relatively decent personalities.

They could prioritize character over ability thanks to the invention of a portable radar.

Back then, one person from our squad was transferred out.
Cha Eunhwi took that person’s place.

Honestly, I only heard that the person joined the Graphite Squad. I’d never seen their face, never cleared a gate with them, never even spoken to them.

But since they were part of the Graphite Squad, at least their personality was guaranteed to be better than most……

Sometimes—very rarely—I wondered what it would’ve been like if that person had stayed instead of Cha Eunhwi.

Anyway, putting the past aside—

What mattered was that we were being sent on the expedition.

Not another squad. Us.

Headquarters had completely lost its mind.

“Cha Eunhwi aside, what exactly are they trusting to let Yeon Dogyeong and Lee Sinra loose outside?!”

I asked seriously.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Have I ever joked in front of you, Guide Yoon Hyea?”

“…No, you haven’t, damn it. Seriously—has the Director completely lost it……?”

The swearing poured out even with Cha Eunhwi right in front of me. That was how absurd the situation felt.

Two whole months with these guys. I could clearly picture my future—dying suddenly of stress-induced rage in some far-off place.

‘No, no, no……!’

Erase it. I don’t even want to imagine it.

As my future turned pitch-dark, my mind started racing instead.

I knew it was impossible to overturn a decision once it was made. I knew nothing I said would reach their ears.

But still—

If I desperately made up some excuse, maybe I could at least shorten the expedition period?