The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 2

So, in other words, it means being dropped into the world completely unprepared—without even basic compulsory education—knowing nothing except how to live as an awakener.

Guiding abilities only work on espers.
They’re completely useless in the everyday lives of ordinary people.

That’s why guides, raised like flowers in a greenhouse, had no choice but to stay at headquarters, no matter how bad things got—crying while eating bitter mustard, so to speak.

‘What an utterly unreasonable world.’

Maybe he was wondering where my crumpled gaze had gone, because Yeon Do-gyeong turned his head—and his face twisted into a frown as well.

He even muttered a curse under his breath, but when he looked back at me, his expression vanished as if it had all been a lie.

Instead, his lips curved slightly, and he spoke like that.

“What, why? You wanna walk around like that too, Yoon Hyeya? Then I’ll buy you a pretty one.”

Is he insane?

I looked at Yeon Do-gyeong with genuine contempt.

The scowling and swearing from earlier must’ve been some kind of standing-up dream.

At my expression, Yeon Do-gyeong shrugged and added,

“So let’s just do better, yeah? If you end up handcuffed to Lee Shin-ra, I’ll wear a leash too. Ah—if it’s the same color and shape, won’t we look like a couple?”

The word couple sent chills down my spine.
I hated the idea of doing something like that, but looking like that was even worse.

And this rabid bastard was absolutely the type to actually do it.

Seeing my face twist beyond saving, Yeon Do-gyeong snorted.

“Why? Don’t like it?”

And at the nonsense that followed, I unconsciously tightened my grip on the hand I was holding.

I was just about to lose it and kick him—

“Do-gyeong. Stop.”

Cha Eun-hwi suddenly cut in.

I hurriedly grabbed onto my reason and lowered the foot I’d raised. That was close…… really close.

Still, unlike Yeon Do-gyeong, who looked like he’d been shot in the head, I was a civilized person.
I calmly took a deep breath and quickly shook off the unpleasant feelings.

“What?”

The uncivilized Yeon Do-gyeong looked at Cha Eun-hwi with an annoyed expression. Cha Eun-hwi lifted the watch on his wrist and spoke.

“Let’s report first. We’ll talk after that. Too many eyes around headquarters—it’s not a good place for a conversation.”

“Then you go do it alone. I’ll take Yoon Hyeya and head over first.”

Hey, wait. Take me where?
Don’t tell me—the operations room?!

I was already exhausted from being stuck together all morning. This was straight-up human rights abuse!

I struggled to pull my hand free and spoke timidly.

“I’m sorry, but I have plans today……”

Of course, I had no plans whatsoever.
Still, I could confidently say that wasting time rolling around at home was a hundred times more beneficial than guiding these guys.

But my hesitant words were cut off by Yeon Do-gyeong.

“Plans? Everyone in the world knows Yoon Hyeya doesn’t have friends. Who’d you be meeting?”

I have a date with my bed, you bastard.

His strangely irritating tone made my brows knit together. Yeon Do-gyeong continued bluntly,

“Even if you do have plans, you should finish your guiding properly before you go.”

I’d been trying to let it slide, but my irritation was starting to boil over.

I forced my scrunched-up face to relax and barely managed to speak.

“We’ve been doing it the whole way here, so stopping now should be—”

“I was inside a gate for six hours today, and all our Yoon Hyeya did was hold my hand for, what, ten minutes on the way here. And you call that ‘the whole time’? Seriously, you’re unbelievable.”

It was truly ridiculous.
Especially since we both knew that much was more than enough.

‘……Annoying jerk.’

A society that values espers more than guides.

Honestly, considering that atmosphere, it would’ve been better for their mental and physical stability to assign them a more obedient, quiet guide instead of me.

And yet, the reason we stayed a team—
the reason I could act with relatively more freedom, even while constantly clashing with them—

Because I’m an S-class guide.

‘The problem is that these lunatics are espers ranked between A and S, so they have more say than I do…….’

If they were only B-rank, I might’ve had the guts to push back a bit—but the Association would never treat an S-class guide lightly in the first place.

Anyway, my ability is exceptionally strong and outstanding.

When I was younger, I once desperately wished, ‘I never want to do anything beyond hugging with those personality-trash guys!’

And at that moment, my ability grew brilliantly—skipping several stages in an instant.

Because of that, unlike other guides, I didn’t need to hold hands for tens of minutes while guiding, or hug until it hurt, or kiss, or do anything beyond that.

Just lightly holding hands was more than enough to stabilize their abilities, with no problems at all.
Not even once, up to now.

‘So why are they suddenly saying things like that?’

Honestly, I knew these lunatics had been holding back.

I’m not an esper, so I don’t know what guiding actually feels like, but I’ve heard that aside from ability stabilization, receiving guiding for a long time gives an overwhelming sense of fulfillment.

But I’d always provided guiding at exactly the appropriate level, and there was no way they didn’t know that.

Apparently, there are crazy guys who forcibly hug guides or try to initiate skinship…….

It was honestly a relief that these guys didn’t go that far with me, but in the first place, once I properly stabilized their abilities, my job as a guide was done.

‘Anything beyond that is up to the guide’s goodwill—it’s not a right.’

The irritation that had already been building surged sharply, making my face burn.

I felt like I might explode and collapse from sheer frustration, but I still had to endure it.

‘Making things worse will only make my own life harder.’

Every time this happened, it felt like nothing but a miserable compromise.

But these guys provoked me even more because they wanted some kind of reaction from me.

‘If I’m going to give them what they want, I’d rather just burst a blood vessel.’

Remember this: you don’t avoid shit because you’re scared—you avoid it because it’s filthy.

Swallowing a sigh, I extended my other arm to increase the contact area.

Almost at the same time I wrapped my hands around Yeon Do-gyeong’s to start guiding, Cha Eun-hwi spoke again.

“No, we all have to go together. They said to bring the guide too. The Director ordered it.”

At his characteristically calm voice, my heart skipped a beat.

Because just last week, I’d submitted my seventieth resignation letter.

‘No way!’

The chill that had settled in my chest was suddenly replaced with swelling hope.

Lee Shin-ra and Yeon Do-gyeong asked Cha Eun-hwi with puzzled expressions.

“Hyeya noona too?”
“Why?”
“I don’t know the reason. Just let’s go.”

If even Cha Eun-hwi, the unit captain, wasn’t told the reason, then this was definitely something.

To be honest, even when I submitted my resignation, I hadn’t held much hope.

No—more accurately, I couldn’t.

If I were a C- or D-rank guide, maybe. But I was one of only three S-class guides at headquarters. There was no way they’d let me go.

Still, the reason I kept submitting resignations was to negotiate: ‘If you won’t let me quit, then at least let me stay unaffiliated with any specific unit!’

Last week, I’d begged while crying my eyes out—maybe my desperate voice finally moved the Director’s heart!

Our Director is cold, blunt, and inflexible, but we’ve known each other since I was young.

‘And technically, he’s also my legal guardian.’

Cha Eun-hwi looked at me and spoke.

“Whatever your plans were, cancel them, Guide Yoon Hyeya. I think it’d be best for both of us to set our priorities straight.”

“……Yes.”

I replied weakly, doing my best not to let my excitement show.

Being an unaffiliated guide was still hard, but at least I wouldn’t have to stick to espers all day.

If unaffiliated status wasn’t possible, joining a different unit would be an acceptable second option.

As for espers’ personalities— they were all pretty much the same everywhere.