The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 68

Teaching Yeon Dogyeong how to be a decent human being wasn’t my responsibility.

Out of the three, Cha Eunhwi was the only one who had even a basic sense of social decency, so I pushed the problem onto him. Ignoring Yeon Dogyeong as he clung to me, I walked ahead.

When we entered the operations room—

“Ah, h-hello…!”

Lee Shinra greeted us. He was sitting there alone.

He still stuttered, but his expression was much brighter than yesterday. His face even looked healthy. It was an unbelievable change for just one day.

I nodded lightly and sat on the sofa across from him. Yeon Dogyeong sat down right next to me and looked around.

“Where’s Cha Eunhwi? Did you get here first?”

“E-Eunhwi hyung was called by the director, so he stepped out for a bit. He said we could eat first…”

On the table between the sofas, breakfast from the cafeteria was neatly laid out.

Sandwiches, toast, cereal in glass jars with milk, and salad.

It wasn’t too much, but it was filling—simple and perfect for breakfast. They had even packed spoons, forks, and disposable gloves.

I went into the restroom in the operations room to wash my hands and came back out.

Seeing me put on gloves, Yeon Dogyeong and Lee Shinra hurried to wash their hands too.

Yesterday’s dinner was great, but this kind of meal feels nice too. It’s been a while.

Maybe because it had been a month. Everything tasted better.

I had just finished one sandwich and was picking out fruit from the salad when the door opened.

Cha Eunhwi walked in.

“Good morning, everyone.”

He looked better than yesterday too.

I only nodded in response, but he smiled brightly, which felt a little overwhelming.

Yeon Dogyeong, who seemed to have no appetite and was only drinking water, asked in a sulky voice,

“Why did that old man call you so early in the morning?”

“He asked if Hyeya was okay, and how our condition was. And he told me to decide on a new unit name and report it before noon.”

That kind of discussion did make sense face-to-face.

Still, Yeon Dogyeong had said he’d behave better, yet he didn’t seem to realize how rude his tone was.

I didn’t point it out. I had my own issues with the director anyway.

We decided to talk about the unit name after finishing breakfast.

Once we finished eating, I went straight to brush my teeth.

When I came back, Lee Shinra took out iced tea and coffee from the fridge—probably picked up together with the food.

With the drinks in front of us, we finally started talking seriously about the unit name.

Cha Eunhwi spoke first.

“There are five unit names currently available. Amber, Pearl, Platinum, Obsidian, and Crystal.”

“Amber, Pearl, Platinum, Obsidian, Crystal.”

“Yeah. First, let’s cross out the first two.”

At Yeon Dogyeong’s firm statement, Cha Eunhwi gave an awkward smile.

I understood. Amber and Pearl were pretty as gemstones, but as unit names? Pretty bad.

But since I wanted to embarrass them a little, I cut in right away.

“Why? Amber Unit and Pearl Unit. They sound cute and pretty.”

“Yeah. Cute and pretty, so that’s exactly why we should pick one of them.”

And just like that, Yeon Dogyeong switched sides without even hesitating.

This jerk…?

Lee Shinra and Cha Eunhwi stared at him in disbelief, but Yeon Dogyeong pretended not to notice and grinned shamelessly.

“I seriously think Amber Unit sounds good. Like when Cha Eunhwi enters a gate and calls out, ‘Amber Unit, moving in.’”

“……”

“And the unit emblem could be an amber gem.”

Yeon Dogyeong looked genuinely pleased. Cha Eunhwi sighed deeply.

I tilted my head at the word emblem. What was that?

Lee Shinra, who had been watching me carefully, spoke up timidly.

“Hyeya noona… is there something… bothering you?”

“It might be nothing, but I’m curious.”

“I-It’s not nothing! You can ask anything, really!”

“Okay. Then what’s an emblem?”

“It’s, um… like a symbol or mark that represents a unit.”

What? Was that something added while I was missing?

Images of the outside world I’d seen inside the gate came to mind, along with the uniforms of the espers and guides I met yesterday.

They were all wearing similar tech-wear outfits.

Come to think of it, Yeon Dogyeong, Lee Shinra, and Cha Eunhwi were wearing the same style too.

Lee Shinra took a deep breath and continued calmly.

“Originally, clothing was optional. But after you went m-missing, noona, and guides were attacked, people said we needed to care more about safety. Other countries were already doing this, so they made bullet-resistant uniforms and distributed them to everyone. And the emblem was added… to strengthen unity within each unit.”

After finishing, Lee Shinra let out a long breath.

It was slow, but I understood perfectly.

“So basically, the bulletproof uniforms are a ‘better late than never’ response, and the emblem is proof that guides are finally being treated as real members of a unit.”

As I said that, I realized something.

I apparently had a hidden talent.

I could sound sarcastic even while stating plain facts.

Not exactly a socially useful skill, though.

Cha Eunhwi answered with a gentle but bitter smile.

“Yeah. That’s right. So… everyone’s trying their best now, so we don’t make the same mistakes again. That’s all we’ve been told so far too.”

“……”

“So, the unit name… um. Right. If Hyeya and Dogyeong want Amber, then… that’s fine… right, Shinra?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. I don’t really mind.”

“There you have it, Captain. We’re the Amber Unit now. Amber Unit Captain Cha Eunhwi. Amber Unit Espers Yeon Dogyeong and Lee Shinra. Amber Unit Guide Yoon Hyeya. Unique and nice.”

Yeon Dogyeong looked genuinely happy.

Cha Eunhwi clearly did not.

Lee Shinra, who said he didn’t mind, now wore a face that said Is this really okay?

And honestly, hearing “Amber Unit Guide Yoon Hyeya” made me rethink things too.

It wasn’t funny. It was just ridiculous.

A unit name was actually important. Other units would call us Amber Unit, and that felt strange.

The director probably wouldn’t care, but as far as I knew, that name had never been used before.

I spoke to the overly cheerful Yeon Dogyeong.

“Let’s just go with Platinum or Obsidian.”

This time, their expressions flipped completely.

Cha Eunhwi looked relieved, Lee Shinra looked mildly brighter, and Yeon Dogyeong looked gloomy.

…So you weren’t just saying Amber to please me?

It seemed Yeon Dogyeong genuinely liked it. He started trying to persuade me.

“Think about it, Yoon Hyeya. Platinum overlaps with the ‘Gold’ in Geumgang, and Obsidian overlaps with the ‘Black’ in Graphite.”

“Doesn’t matter. You guys pick between Platinum and Obsidian.”

Before Yeon Dogyeong could argue more, Cha Eunhwi stepped in.

It seemed he truly hated Amber Unit.

“Alright. Then I’ll report that to the director from the meeting.”

Right. He’d mentioned an emergency meeting.

Before listening, I handed back the phone Cha Eunhwi had given me yesterday.

He took it with a smile and began speaking.

“Yesterday, at the meeting, the director said this.”

“Guide Yoon Hyeya was rescued alive from the gate, but her memory is unstable. Aside from basic common knowledge, she has forgotten everything related to the ESP Association and its affairs. She appears capable of instinctive guiding, but using her abilities freely as before seems difficult. Her emotions also seem to affect her condition. Therefore, all units are to be warned to prevent espers from approaching her without permission, and her return to duty will be postponed until her condition improves.”