The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 76

Unnie added brightly, her smile even more cheerful than before.

“Only now do guides—who didn’t even have rights worth an ant’s droppings—finally have a voice. If you ever have questions or problems, feel free to contact me anytime.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a notebook, tore out a piece of paper with her number written on it, and handed it to me.

Yeon Dogyeong and Lee Shinra both looked a bit unhappy, but I didn’t care.

The moment I slipped the paper into my pocket, Yeon Dogyeong spoke bluntly.

“No one’s going to make Yoon Hyeya suffer anymore… sir.”

“Dogyeong is right, Guide Han Taerin. We will never make Hyeya suffer again.”

Cha Eunhwi added his own slightly embarrassing declaration after that.

Taerin unnie’s expression softened a little as she spoke.

“I really hope that’s true. Please don’t forget what a miracle it is that the cow came back after the barn was fixed too late. This might be meddling, but I mean it sincerely. And Guide Yoon Hyeya—let’s meet again when you have time and talk comfortably. It doesn’t have to be about work. Contact me anytime.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

After shaking hands once more to finish the greeting, we stepped a little farther apart.

Just as Captain Baek Iden said, when we moved to the empty area, a boundary line appeared and walls formed.

Behind us, we heard Jeong Haram shout, “Taerin noona, over here too!” before the space completely sealed off.

He was even using proper honorifics now.

Things looked pretty lively on their side.

Ours, not so much.

Maybe Taerin unnie’s words hit close to home—everyone looked drained and gloomy.

“It’s not like she was wrong, though. So why?”

When I tossed out that one line, they oddly perked up a bit.

These guys were seriously strange.

In the subdued atmosphere, Cha Eunhwi called us over and began operating the panel.

The entire training ground was like a virtual space created using espers’ abilities and machines.

I’d been here a few times as a kid, but compared to then, the facilities were on a whole different level now.

Cha Eunhwi created various tools in the empty space.

Basic medical equipment, devices to check strength and flexibility, tools to test raw power—things like that.

Following Cha Eunhwi’s instructions, I used each one in turn.

After forty-five minutes, Yeon Dogyeong said,

“……Shouldn’t you be listed as a physical fighter next to ‘guide’ now?”

I agreed.

Not only had my stamina improved, but my eyesight, grip strength, and flexibility were all outstanding.

“Hyeya. Was there anything unusual inside the gate?”

“Anything unusual…? I just ate fruit that grew on the trees there and lived while soaking in hot springs.”

“I see… The ecosystem inside gates is still a mystery, so maybe those fruits affected your body.”

“And we can’t exactly go back in to check…”

The worries kept piling up, but in the end, it was pointless.

“Then this change only happened to Hyeya noona, right?”

“That’s most likely. The problem is, if this becomes known, Hyeya might…”

Cha Eunhwi trailed off mid-sentence while answering Lee Shinra.

Even without hearing the rest, I could guess he meant something like she might be assigned to other squads too.

Fairness had already been an issue before, and now that there were even fewer guides, it would be worse.

Yeon Dogyeong grumbled openly,

“Hyeya being with us is the most efficient option.”

“Is it, really?”

The words slipped out without thinking, and all three of them made strange expressions.

Yeon Dogyeong, especially, puffed out his lips, but facts were facts.

I’d never been with other squads, so talking about efficiency didn’t really mean much.

Still, since the topic came up, I started thinking.

Yeon Dogyeong, Cha Eunhwi, and Lee Shinra still had recovery training ahead of them.

As Dogyeong had bragged, today’s C-rank gate was ridiculously easy for them.

But A-rank espers couldn’t keep clearing only C-rank gates forever.

While they’re recovering, maybe I should check out other squads.

I hadn’t completely ruled out moving elsewhere depending on the situation.

If not now, I might never even get a chance to see how other squads worked.

Alright. Decision made.

“Okay. I’ll try it and decide.”

“Try what?”

“I’ll see what’s more efficient. Going to another squad and closing one or two gates a day versus sticking with you guys. It’s better than just refusing outright. If I have clear results, it’ll be easier to say no later. Of course, I have no intention of guiding other espers seriously.”

This was just research to expand my options.

From an esper’s perspective, they might say I was cold or heartless for not guiding properly.

I truly didn’t care.

They said more guides had left the headquarters than died.

If espers had treated guides as something precious, would they have left so easily?

I didn’t think so.

Once guides left the system, they were basically lost in the world.

Yet they still left—because they didn’t believe espers would protect them.

“From headquarters’ perspective, this is a time when efficiency matters most too. Other espers have drugs anyway, so whatever. Let them handle it themselves.”

In the past, a guide’s voice had little power. My opinion would’ve been ignored.

But not anymore.

If I heard the same trash talk about treating guides like objects again, I was fully prepared to go feral.

At my firm, maybe cold words, Yeon Dogyeong grinned.

“Yeah. The world’s cruel. You have to survive on your own. I can already hear you getting pissed. No way those guys will care for or protect you better than us. And they’ll be way weaker too—it’ll be frustrating as hell.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a curse or not.

Still, I knew there was a difference between a squad with three A-rank espers and everyone else.

But what really matters is… personality.

Even if all espers were the same at heart, there might be someone out there with an actual conscience.

Unlike Yeon Dogyeong, Cha Eunhwi and Lee Shinra sighed repeatedly.

But since they’d been saying “Hyeya’s opinion matters most” ever since we reunited in the gate, they didn’t argue further.

After exchanging glances with the training Geumgang Squad, we returned to the Director’s office.

When I explained my situation and thoughts, even the Director looked conflicted.

Still, he didn’t oppose it.

Just as things were about to be decided, Yeon Dogyeong cut in.

“But still. Sending Yoon Hyeya alone is worrying. One of us—me, Lee Shinra, or Cha Eunhwi—should go with her.”

“Go with me?”

“Yeah. We won’t interfere or anything. Just watch from the shadows. Honestly, there’s no guarantee those guys won’t mess with our Hyeya.”

Seriously—worry no matter what.

But this time, Yeon Dogyeong actually had a point.

Nodding in agreement, I added immediately,

“You’re not going.”

“……Tch.”

“All you have is combat ability. If someone’s watching from behind, it should be Cha Eunhwi or Lee Shinra.”

For safety, Lee Shinra was better.

For convenience, Cha Eunhwi was.

And I leaned a bit more toward convenience—but Cha Eunhwi spoke first.

“Then Shinra should go with her. If Hyeya gets hurt or ends up in danger, Shinra can respond immediately.”

That was true.

But Lee Shinra looked extremely flustered.

Only for a moment.

He glanced at me, swallowed once, then answered,

“Yes. I’ll go.”

It was the firmest, most decisive answer I’d heard from him in the past two days.