The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 5

Sinking into a bottomless swamp would probably still offer more hope than this.

Just as I was about to let my half-fading sanity slip away, a warning alarm blared throughout the building.

[Emergency, emergency! An A-rank Gate has appeared in sectors E–13 and E–14! All units currently inside headquarters are to assemble immediately!]

At the same time, everyone’s phones began vibrating violently.

An A-rank Gate—the first one in nearly a year.

The Director was the first to react to the alarm.

“We’ll continue this discussion later. I’m heading out first. You should come as soon as you’re ready.”

He rushed out in a hurry, and my body flinched without me realizing it.

You can’t just leave like that… I wanted to chase after him, but there was no way I could grab him.

God has definitely abandoned me.

Of all times, an A-rank Gate—this is just cruel…

An A-rank Gate was dangerous enough to warrant a full-unit mobilization order.

After a certain amount of time, the fissure would widen and the monsters inside would spill out.

Of course, clearing the Gate itself was difficult—but honestly, I’d rather go inside the Gate right now.

Compared to being surrounded by three furious espers who’d just found out about my seventieth resignation letter, an A-rank Gate almost sounded preferable.

“So our Yoon Hyeya acts all obedient up front, but behind the scenes she’s pulling cute little stunts like this?”

“Seventy times… since when did you even start writing them?”

“Even if she only submitted one a week, that’s over a year. Statistically speaking, it must’ve started way earlier. …Guides exist for espers, Guide Yoon Hyeya. You do understand what that means, don’t you?”

Each casual jab from them made my eardrums ache.

I seriously feel like I’m being bullied…

They were already annoyed with me for not guiding properly—what was I supposed to say now to smooth things over even a little?

While I was desperately thinking, Lee Shin-ra added with a sigh,

“…Noona, you’re really an idiot. Did you seriously think headquarters would just let an S-rank guide quit?”

“She probably never intended to quit outright. Like the Director said, there are plenty of units that need Guide Yoon Hyeya.”

“What? Then were you planning to ditch us and go to another unit, Hyeya?”

Yes! I want to leave so badly I could scream!
Whether it’s going freelance or joining a B-rank unit—anywhere is better than here!!

But it was painfully obvious what would happen if I answered honestly.

Hold it in. Hold it in. I have to hold it in…

Inflating a balloon is easy.

But once it pops, there’s no fixing it—and my current state felt exactly like that.

After barely calming myself down, I shook my head belatedly.

But that split-second delay was enough. Yeon Do-gyeong and Lee Shin-ra were already radiating their displeasure with their entire bodies.

The energy filling the spacious room scattered violently, sharp and oppressive enough to sting.

Instead of making excuses, I tightened my grip on the hand they’d been holding onto far too long.

I didn’t really understand how espers gathered their power—but guiding? That, I knew inside and out.

The method of guiding was fairly simple.

First, second, and third—it was all about imagery.

Straightening a crooked line. Calming water that was about to overflow. Filling an empty space with something stable.

That was it—imagining a sense of balance and order.

During training they told us to feel love, compassion, and all that cringey stuff for espers risking their lives…

From personal experience, though, that was completely useless.

I don’t have even a speck of affection for espers, and I’m still S-rank.

Still, given the situation, I focused more calmly than usual.

Soon, a gentle current of air spread outward, suppressing the chaotic energy spilling everywhere.

When I glanced to the side, Yeon Do-gyeong’s face was slightly flushed, his lips bitten down hard.

Lee Shin-ra looked like a kid who’d just received a gift—bright and excited—before hastily arranging his face into a blank expression the moment our eyes met.

After quickly finishing guiding the two of them, I turned my head toward Cha Eun-hwi out of habit.

Standing straight, eyes lowered, he spoke indifferently,

“Don’t think about pretending you don’t know and slipping away, Guide Yoon Hyeya. The Gate—”

[Emergency, emergency! An A-rank Gate has appeared in sectors E–13 and E–14! All units currently inside headquarters are to assemble immediately!]

I swear, that announcement was aimed directly at our unit.

I hate A-rank Gates, but staying here like this is worse.

I wanted to escape this pressure as fast as possible.

I waited for Cha Eun-hwi to step in and take control—but no matter how many warnings blared, none of the three moved.

In the end, I had to speak up.

“Um—”

At the same time, Yeon Do-gyeong snapped back,

“Wriggling around like a mouse because you want to run away. You really think things would be easier in another unit?”

“……”

“Or did you want to go freelance? You don’t even know what kind of treatment freelancers get.”

Even so, it’d probably still be easier than being with you guys.

The warnings kept repeating, faithfully, until our unit was finally called by name.

That seemed to be the last straw. Cha Eun-hwi pressed a hand to my shoulder and said,

“Like the Director said earlier, we’ll put this discussion on hold until after the Gate is cleared. I’ll use teleportation, so everyone grab on.”

Through our contact, I felt Cha Eun-hwi’s emotions—jagged and prickly.
Proof that he was irritated with me.

I sighed inwardly.

They say it’s better to get beaten sooner rather than later… but I’d rather not get beaten at all.

The moment we stood up from the sofa, Cha Eun-hwi activated teleportation.

The room blurred, wavering like a photograph soaked in water.

I closed my eyes briefly to stave off the nausea—and when I opened them, we were already behind the E-sector where other units had gathered.

Since they’d gone as far as calling us by name, I’d expected it—but we were clearly the last to arrive.

Feeling the subtle stares raining down on us, I took a step back and swallowed dryly as I looked at the fissure ahead.

I really can’t get used to A-rank Gates, no matter how many times I see them.

Huge. Pitch-black. Ominous beyond comparison.

It looked like something could tear its way out at any second—but thankfully, A- and B-rank Gates couldn’t be entered or exited freely for a certain period after appearing.

That time varied by Gate—sometimes as short as an hour, sometimes as long as a full day.

“I’ll be back.”

Adjusting his collar, Cha Eun-hwi headed toward where the unit leaders were gathered.

The Director, who had arrived earlier, sighed when he saw us—but I remained unapologetic.

I wanted to come earlier, you know.

As Cha Eun-hwi exchanged brief greetings and got down to business, I shifted my gaze.

For A-rank Gates and some B-rank Gates, the standard approach was for all units to participate together, leaving only minimal personnel behind.

However, since there were limits on how many people could enter a Gate at once and emergence times were irregular, strategies were adjusted on the fly.

Even our unit has already done this twice.

I was mentally exhausted, but I couldn’t let my guard down. I needed to stay focused on guiding.

I sighed out of habit between Lee Shin-ra and Yeon Do-gyeong—

When suddenly,

“Hyeya, hi. Hi to you too, Do-gyeong and Shin-ra.”

A long shadow stretched over us, followed by a friendly greeting. A familiar voice.

Slowly lifting my head, I tugged awkwardly at my lips.

“Ah… yes. Hello.”

Jung Ha-ram—an esper from Geumgang First Unit, with eye-catching cherry-blossom-pink hair—smiled gently with crescent-shaped eyes.

At the same time, Yeon Do-gyeong replied from beside me,

“Yeah, hi. Get lost.”

With a smile just as bright as Ha-ram’s plastered across his face.