The Espers Who Regretted Losing Me Chapter 9

I glanced sideways at the ominously gleaming rift, then turned back to him.

Even without him showing it openly, I could tell he was irritated because of Jung Ha-ram. The fact that he wasn’t stopping Yeon Do-gyeong and Lee Shin-ra from snapping was proof enough.

Wouldn’t it be better to do a bit of guiding before we go in?

Even though less than an hour had passed since Cha Eun-hwi had hurt my feelings with his flaming mouth, like it or not, a guide’s duty was to read an esper’s emotions and stabilize them.

Besides, I’d always tried not to dwell too long on whatever espers said to me anyway.

It wasn’t that I was particularly thick-skinned—it was just that I’d dealt with disaster-level mouths worse than cavemen for far more than a day or two.

When you see their faces almost every day, holding onto negative feelings just ends up hurting me.

Of course, I was human too, so my patience had limits. Still, they usually stopped just short of crossing the line.

But today? I wasn’t so sure. Once we got out of the Gate, it was obvious they’d grill me about the resignation letter.

Honestly, I’d already had several moments where my temper flared, so I couldn’t help worrying.

…Ugh, thinking about it is giving me a headache. I’ll deal with it later.

Imagining myself grabbing the Director by the collar, I called out to Cha Eun-hwi.

“Captain. I think it’d be good to do some guiding before entering the Gate. This is the second run today, and also—”

I was just about to say that his condition didn’t seem great, when my hand was suddenly yanked.

It didn’t hurt—he must’ve controlled his strength—but I startled and turned around. Lee Shin-ra was glaring at me sulkily.

“Why are you discriminating?”

“Huh?”

“You guided Do-gyeong hyung earlier, and you said you’d guide Eun-hwi hyung too. Then what about me?”

“…Ah, of course I was planning to do you next. Or should I do us together?”

“You don’t even have to ask. You can just do it, you know?”

So you’re the same way—complaining even when I do it.

Seeing that familiar attitude, I swallowed my curse and gave a faint smile.

With one hand holding Shin-ra’s and the other taking Cha Eun-hwi’s, I drew the image in my cluttered mind.

Meanwhile, Yeon Do-gyeong was now growling at Jung Ha-ram with smiling faces, so I only gave Ha-ram radiation-type guiding.

For now, that alone was enough.

As time passed, I could feel the tension around us steadily rising.

The rift itself was growing larger too, glowing far more ominously than before.

The Cheonggeum Unit, who would enter first, stepped into the rift’s boundary.

The espers’ expressions looked no different from usual, but the guide standing at the back had a dark face.

He looked tense—almost frightened—and in truth, the guides from the other units all looked similar.

Well, no matter how experienced you are or how much information you have, danger is still danger…

Of course, it was just as dangerous for me, who had to move all the way to the front lines—but after hearing Cha Eun-hwi’s explanation, my fear had faded.

Whatever else might be true, I trusted my espers’ abilities.

Sometimes I even thought their abilities were outstanding in direct proportion to how awful their personalities were.

“…It’s opening.”

Someone murmured into the silence.

About one minute remained until the Gate fully opened.

As I stared at the pitch-black hole and took a deep breath, Shin-ra tightly grabbed my left hand.

“If you don’t want a plant to parasitize you and eat your brain, don’t let go of my hand while I’m maintaining the barrier, Hyeya noona.”

“……”

“…If it only eats a little, I’ll fix it for you.”

Is… that even something you can fix?

The warning was so vicious I couldn’t bring myself to reply.

With a stiff face, I nodded and tightened my grip on Shin-ra’s hand.

After shoving Jung Ha-ram aside, Yeon Do-gyeong kept glancing our way.

I immediately understood what that look meant. Normally I’d have pretended not to notice, but this wasn’t the time for that.

Clenching and unclenching my right hand, I stretched my arm out toward Do-gyeong.

He narrowed his eyes and twisted his lips.

“You’re suddenly being obedient. Our Yoon Hyeya only does this when she needs something.”

The problem was that just as I knew Do-gyeong and Shin-ra inside and out, they knew me just as well.

When I just fidgeted with my fingers instead of answering, Do-gyeong clicked his tongue and grabbed my arm like he couldn’t help it. Then he looked at Jung Ha-ram. Ha-ram pouted.

“That’s so mean.”

In truth, the one whose hand I should have been holding right now was Jung Ha-ram.

Detection and manipulation were abilities that put a heavy strain on espers, especially ones whose five senses were already highly developed.

But unlike me, Do-gyeong didn’t understand the concept of public versus private—and there was no way he’d yield quietly.

At this rate, I might have to cling to him and guide him while hugging.

Just imagining it gives me chills…

The back of my neck prickled, like spiders were crawling over it.

Once the operation was over, I’d immediately collapse and pretend to be sick.

Already feeling exhausted, I swallowed a sigh just as the Cheonggeum Unit forced their way into the rift.

Their bodies were swallowed up by the darkness.

Naturally, last year’s lightning-filled A-rank Gate came to mind.

That place was a real hell gate.

The memory alone made my body tense.

Perhaps he felt that tremor directly—Do-gyeong spoke indifferently.

“Whether it’s an A-rank Gate or a C-rank Gate, it’s all the same anyway. Just focus on guiding, Yoon Hyeya. I won’t let you get hurt.”

If another esper had said that, I might’ve thought it was just bluster—but coming from Do-gyeong, it sounded convincing.

As awful as their personalities were, I trusted our unit’s espers’ abilities.

After the Cheonggeum Unit completely disappeared into the rift, Cha Eun-hwi turned his head.

“Geumgang Second Unit, enter immediately.”

“Okay.”

“Yes.”

Cha Eun-hwi, Jung Ha-ram, Yeon Do-gyeong, me, and Lee Shin-ra—lined up in that order and moved forward slowly.

Crossing the rift, twisted and cracked into a bizarre shape, the surrounding air changed after just one step.

Damp, heavy, and unpleasantly sticky. The higher the Gate’s rank, the worse that discomfort became.

Even though I was already tense, the sensation clinging to my skin was deeply unsettling.

If it was this bad for me, it went without saying that it was worse for espers with sensitive senses.

Sure enough, a short curse slipped through Do-gyeong’s teeth as he walked ahead.

Once we were fully inside the Gate, the first things we saw were a dark bluish sky, a strangely blazing sun, and a creepy forest where branches grew wildly out of control.

From behind me, Shin-ra spoke softly.

“I’ll share vision.”

At the same time, a system message—something only espers could normally see—appeared before my eyes.

[ You have entered ‘Barometz’s Nest’. ]

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡
Maximum Capacity — 10 (+58)

Number of Connections — 2

Fastest Clear Time — 98:38:17

Total Deaths — 58
‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

Barometz’s Nest. Two total connections, including this one.

So it really hasn’t reopened since that incident 27 years ago, just like Cha Eun-hwi said.

When a Gate first appears, the base maximum capacity is ten people.

And for every person who dies inside, the number of people allowed to enter increases by one.

That’s why some Gates from the early days, when reopened, could accommodate hundreds of people.

Back then, not only awakened ones but also ordinary civilians had wandered in by mistake and gone missing.

But 27 years ago was after the Association was established—not that long ago.

And yet the death count is 58. That means this place is pretty dangerous…

Still, once inside, something felt off.

Probably because the Gate’s interior was a forest.

Do-gyeong spoke with a puzzled tone.

“What is this place? Pour some oil and set it on fire and it’d be cleanly taken care of. Is this really A-rank?”

“That’s strange. According to the records, like other Gates with plant-type monsters, more than half the territory should be a lake-filled terrain. But this…”