The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 19

It seemed Cha Eunhwi had already explained the expedition to the other two, because he went straight to the point.

“We depart tomorrow at ten a.m. Make sure all three of you are on time. The Graphite Unit is currently sweeping the West Sea area, so we’ll be heading in the opposite direction.”

“Okay.”

“Got it. But hyung—how are we handling the driving? I don’t have a license, and Dogyeong hyung and Hyea noona are—”

“The Director specifically instructed that Dogyeong and Guide Yoon Hyea are never to touch the steering wheel. I’ll be driving the entire time.”

“…If I’d known, I would’ve gotten my license too.”

The two of them sighed one after the other.

I, who’d been listening without much of a soul, made an awkward face.

I knew perfectly well that I wasn’t someone who should be driving.
Still, Yeon Dogyeong muttered irritably.

“I get why Yoon Hyea can’t drive, but why am I banned?”

“???”

I stared at Dogyeong, who was spouting nonsense, with a face full of question marks.

Sinra answered with a grimace.

“You and Hyea noona are basically the same, okay? The moment either of you grabs a steering wheel, you think you’re in a race.”

Yeah, you shameless bastard.
We’re the same, so why are you acting like you’re fine on your own?

That was the pot calling the kettle black.

I shot Dogyeong an equally annoyed look.

Sinra had said “race,” and honestly, that wasn’t an exaggeration.
When we drove, we really did lose our minds.

Still… I’m better than him.

Dogyeong drove with the mentality of There must be no one in front of me!, while I at least started off calmly.

I only—
Only chased people down if they cut me off or drove like jerks.

I knew that was wrong, which was why I’d stopped driving altogether.

Also, the speeding tickets kept piling up, to the point where the Director personally summoned me. That was embarrassing.

By traffic law standards, speeding and reckless lane changes came with massive fines.

There hadn’t been any domestic cases yet, but overseas, there were frequent incidents where drivers—and their cars—were swallowed whole by gates.

It happened often in countries like Canada, Russia, and the U.S., where the landmass was vast.

Those places had trouble limiting gate-generation zones, so rifts sometimes opened right on the roads.

Thankfully—truly thankfully—rifts never appeared in the sky or underwater.

If they did, the world would be far more restricted than it already was.

Though awakened individuals weren’t allowed on planes or ships without authorization anyway.

In any case, just because there hadn’t been an accident yet didn’t mean one wouldn’t happen. Safe driving was critically important.

And yet, we couldn’t even manage the basics.

Sinra had been a minor until last year, and since his birthday was in December, he couldn’t get a license either. Naturally, the vehicle assigned to our unit was reclaimed.

So until Cha Eunhwi joined us, we’d all been walking everywhere.

Not that it mattered much now—thanks to Cha Eunhwi’s teleportation ability, we barely used vehicles anymore.

When Dogyeong kept grumbling, Cha Eunhwi soothed him in a gentle tone.

“Dogyeong. You’re great in most respects, but when you get excited, you stop watching your surroundings and speed up. That could put others in danger. Just be mindful of that. I’ll help you practice again when we have time, all right?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Sinra, you should still get your license when you can. I’ll help you study.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“And as for Guide Yoon Hyea—”

Me?
Was I being told to practice too?

I blinked with wide eyes, but Cha Eunhwi added bluntly,

“It would be better for everyone if you sit in the passenger seat rather than the back. We may need guiding during travel, so keep that in mind.”

“…Ah. Yes. Understood.”

In other words, don’t fall asleep while I’m driving.

I nodded despite my lack of confidence, biting my lip as the gloom refused to lift.

To them, this probably just feels like a trip with friends. Must be nice.

Maybe I should spend tonight reviewing all the penalties for assaulting an esper.

That might help me build some patience.

As I sighed deeply, my phone—set to vibrate—buzzed.

“Is that the Director?”

“Could be spam. I mean, who even texts you? Me, you, the kid, and that old man.”

The smug certainty in his tone annoyed me.

…Though he wasn’t wrong.
I didn’t have friends.

I pulled my phone from my pocket. It was a reply to the message I’d sent earlier.

[ Jung Sigeom → Yoon Hyea ]

(ง •̀ω•́)ง✧

No—seriously.
Who taught this man such evil behavior?

Imagining that stoic face making such a cute pose sent chills down my spine.

When I shuddered after reading it, the smile vanished from Dogyeong’s face.

“What did the old man say?”

“Oh, it’s nothing… really.”

“That doesn’t look like a ‘nothing’ face. What is it? The Director doesn’t text people for no reason.”

It really was nothing, yet everyone was making it serious.

The Director’s image might suffer, but that wasn’t my problem.

I was about to show them the screen instead of pocketing the phone, when Cha Eunhwi cut in.

His voice was sharp—coldly settled.

“I told you it was a special directive. No matter how much Guide Yoon Hyea dislikes it, it won’t be reversed.”

“Ohhh, so you already whined to the old man? ‘I don’t wanna go,’ ‘I don’t wanna go with these guys,’ ‘I don’t wanna go at all.’”

“…If Hyea noona hadn’t kept submitting resignation letters, this expedition wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

The character assassination started again—without even a hint of exhaustion.

I let their chatter go in one ear and out the other as I slipped my phone back into my pocket.

I didn’t bother denying it.
I hadn’t lied, and I really didn’t want to go.

Clenching and unclenching my fists, I erased my expression and turned to Cha Eunhwi.

“Yes, Captain. I’ll be careful. Since we’re leaving tomorrow, prep time seems tight. What about today’s gate operation?”

“……All schedules have been canceled due to the expedition starting tomorrow. There will be an afternoon training session for the espers only. Guide Yoon Hyea, you may return home.”

I could leave?
Then I should leave.

As I said before, I was the type to obey “go home” and “rest” without a shred of doubt.

I sprang to my feet and bowed deeply.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

I’d already burned through today’s patience quota.

Moving faster than usual, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed for the door.

Then suddenly—
An unpleasant, damp pressure clung to my back.

It was obvious.
The espers were offended.

I ignored it.

Starting tomorrow, we’d be stuck together until we were sick of each other. One day of selfishness was allowed.

“See you tomorrow.”

No one answered, so I opened the door without hesitation.

I headed straight home.

Calling it “home” was generous—it was still inside headquarters, just a different building, close enough to walk.

Since most people were gathered in the operations room or out on raids, the halls were empty.

First, I’d do a quick cleanup.
Then I’d wipe out all the snacks I’d stockpiled in the fridge.
Then I’d pack.

And tonight, I’d repeatedly remind myself of the punishment for injuring or killing an esper.

Life is really exhausting.

Muttering prayers to whatever god might be listening, I let out one gloomy sigh after another.

The depression carried over into the next day.

“Ugh… the weather is just—”

So clear it made my mood worse.

My steps toward the operations room were heavy, and so was my body.

I hadn’t slept enough.