Chapter 43

 

Even so, there will be no one who knows me because I’m a subordinate Guide, but I bent down and sat down pretending to tie my shoelaces. Han Seo-jin, who was walking side by side, looked back curiously.

 

“Hyung?”

 

“Yes. Go ahead.”

 

Han Seo-jin stopped next to me. The other Espers and Guides who were following us, overtook us and blocked our view before we rose up and hid among the crowd.

 

As we approached the gate, the hunters who found us slowly opened up the streets. The eyes and hum of interest filled with the unusual appearance of Espers turned this way. In general, it was just a strange look, but in the meantime, hostility and disregard were also accompanied.

 

“Hey, hey! Aren’t they Noheon bastards?”

 

As expected, Terran was openly sarcastic, perhaps because I was a Nox Takkari ^[1] 따까리 is a slang term for a person who runs menial errands. In other words, it means a person who does troublesome work for you. . While I didn’t think much about seeing the hunters who encountered Espers from Nox, openly swearing or mocking them, it did feel strange to hear that swearing now that I belonged here.

 

“What kind of trouble have you come to disturb again?”

 

“Hey! Is the blood bag good? Can I try washing it, too?”

 

“Pha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, you crazy!”

 

I glanced around at the Espers. Most ignored me unperturbed, except for a few who appeared to be newbies.

 

‘Hold it in.’

 

Since it was a state agency, I had to endure the provocation of the small and medium-sized guild.

 

The disturbance did not end there. At the gate entrance, the officials were having a scuffle with a group of hunters.

 

“Excuse me. Let us in.”

 

“You can’t do this. This is a state-owned dungeon…….”

 

“So prove that it belongs to the state. Don’t you know that the country occupies the unregistered gate first and nationalizes it?”

 

“That’s right! How can we believe that! Get me a copy of the register! The register!”

 

“No, where do we take a copy from right now? If you suddenly ask me to prove a dungeon that already belongs to the state……. I have to enter first, so please step aside!”

 

“Can you do this to the people now? Uh, don’t touch me. I’m reporting you!”

 

It was Terran again. My face flushed with the second hand embarrassment that I had a little connection with there.

 

It was already time to enter the gate, but the scuffle did not subside. One or two reporters with cameras began to appear, whether they knew in advance that there would be a disturbance or they had already heard the news.

 

“Espers. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait a little while for the dungeon opening. At this rate, if we go in together, the problem will get bigger…….”

 

In the end, when an official approached and said it, the team leader’s blunt face was also irritated. The team leader sighed deeply and looked back at us.

 

“Split out of sight of the reporters and wait for a while. Regroup in front of the heliport in 30 minutes. Kim Ji-yeon of Alta and Han Seo-jin of Raven follow me.”

 

Han Seo-jin immediately looked at me at the team leader’s words. I think I know why, so I said with a chin on the team leader.

 

“I guess they need you.”

 

“……Don’t disappear anywhere else, but be in front of the heliport in advance.”

 

“Am I a baby? No need to worry.”

 

Han Seo-jin left first, grumbling as he walked to the building where the heliport was located. However, before taking a few steps, hunters with terran patterns poured out of the building.

 

“…….”

 

I immediately turned my feet to the opposite. Han Seo-jin should understand this, too. If you run into a Nox guild member, you’ll be a fool then.

 

Going to the right meant running into a lot of hunters, and going to the left was burdensome with the Espers looking at me. After wandering aimlessly, I ended up a little far from the gate. I trudged to rest on a bench in a small park behind the container warehouses, and heard a familiar voice somewhere.

 

“……You know!”

 

‘Is this Ye Seong-woo?’

 

Can’t I just get past my biggest interest these days? I killed my presence and headed toward the sound.

 

Ye Seong-woo was in a deep corner where several containers crossed. I could only see the back of the woman standing opposite him, but she came with me today in a helicopter, so I could immediately recognize her. It was a face that I had seen once or twice on my way to and from another team, an Esper. You didn’t look like you knew Ye Seong-woo at all?

 

“That is no excuse. Aren’t you the one who said it was the Guide who moved Hamal’s fragment?”

 

At the woman’s cold voice, Ye Seong-woo stammered and made excuses in a frightened voice.

 

“But the situation is different from before. The guide is drawing so much attention, and the attitude of the team members has changed, so it’s dangerous for me to move with only a small possibility…….”

 

“I can’t believe you’re just being lazy for that reason. That’s how much your faith is? I wonder if it’s really right to trust and have hope on you.”

 

“What are you talking about! Of course! My heart for that person is more than anyone else……!”

 

“Lower your voice.”

 

Ye Seong-woo closed his mouth tightly at the woman’s reproach. I had to hold my breath because of the silence between the two.

 

What? The guide they’re talking about…… Is it me?

 

I rolled my eyes nervously, but the woman’s voice broke the silence.

 

“Don’t forget why we came here. It’s for his perfect descent. If the guide is really related to Hamal, we must kill it and destroy him even if we die.”

 

“……Yes, I understand.”

 

After the Esper left first, Ye Seong-woo also disappeared to the other side with a little time difference.

 

Leaning my back against the container box, I slowly retorted what I had just heard. But I couldn’t understand what they were talking about.

 

“Who’s Hamal?”

 

I know he’s aiming for Joo Ho-hyun, but what are they going to do……. I couldn’t understand the conversation itself, so I couldn’t take a guess.

 

Ye Seong-woo is so suspicious.

 

***

 

It was time to sleep while rolling around in Han Seo-jin’s room, so I slowly dropped my leg under the bed. When I stood up with a clear expression of dislike, Han Seo-jin told me to come back to his room now.

 

“Just come back in. What kind of trouble is this?”

 

‘I’d love to…….’

 

I tried to hide my feelings but the corners of my mouth raised up unconsciously.

 

“What’s the trouble……. It’s all right.”

 

Han Seo-jin, who was sitting opposite me, reached out to me. I closed my eyes reflexively to his approaching hand.

 

When I slowly opened my eyes again at the warm warmth that fell near my eyes, Han Seo-jin’s worried expression filled my sight.

 

“What the…….”

 

“Judging by how you sleep every day on the way, I don’t think you can sleep well these days……. Apart from that, your face is rotten.”

 

“…….”

 

He looked at me with a grim look and tapped out his hand.

 

“I’ll think about it. For now, I’m going to go and sleep today.”

 

“Just come and sleep from today on.”

 

“I don’t want to. What’s the point of sleeping with a rotten face?”

 

To be honest, I was full of thoughts of lying on Han Seo-jin’s bed right away. 

 

However, since I saw Ye Seong-woo having a secret conversation with another Esper today…….

 

‘Let’s hang in there a little longer for now.’

 

I moved my feet so they wouldn’t fall and went back to the attic. I immediately regretted the sound of mattress springs ringing like discord the moment I laid down.

 

“Should I have just said that I would sleep in Han Seo-jin’s room today and start again tomorrow? No, just change the mattress……. Ha, no.”

 

It’s too late to regret now. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to fall asleep.

After a long time, when I fell into a deep night’s sleep, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. The spirit of light sleep was slowly lifted up.

 

‘…..Someone’s coming.’

 

When someone reached the door where the sound of footsteps was wide open, I was almost awake, but I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep hard. I was confident in pretending to sleep since I was little.

 

Instead of closed eyes, senses throughout the body chased the intruder’s movements. The sound of footsteps coming in slowly came up past the toes and stopped right next to the head.

 

The sound of lifting the medicine bottle rang in the room.

 

“……That’s a lot less.”

 

It was Ye Seong-woo’s voice.

 

‘I knew it!’

 

I was afraid that he could hear my beating heart outside. I secretly chewed the tip of my tongue.

 

I could feel Ye Seong-woo, who put down the medicine bottle quietly again, kneeling carefully at the side of my head. No sound has been heard since.

 

“What is it? What is it?”

 

While listening carefully, Ye Seong-woo’s hands touched my hair with a small sigh. For a moment I was so surprised that my perfect posture almost broke.

 

“……Let’s call it a day.”

 

Dream Invader.

 

Ye Seong-woo whispered. At the same time, my strength drained out of my body. The hand on the blanket fell sideways.

 

I forgot that I was pretending to sleep because I was embarrassed by my uncontrollable limp body and jumped up.

 

“What the……. This is.”

 

I was standing in a completely different space, not Joo Ho-hyun’s attic.

 

‘Ho-hyun ah!’

 

I turned to the voice I heard behind me. Someone was running towards me. With a friendly smile and a wave of hands.

 

‘Ryu Su-yoon..….’

 

It was the first time I saw him move alive, so I felt strange.

 

Ye Seong-woo, who entered the attic, opened his eyes for the last time to remember whispering something. Judging by how Ryu Su-yoon’s face is so vivid even though I’ve never seen him before, is this perhaps Joo Ho-hyun’s dream?

 

“Uh, uh.”

 

Ryu Su-yoon, who seemed to be getting closer, immediately hugged me.

 

‘Why did you come now? I was worried.’

 

I was a little surprised by the affectionate voice. It was not my feeling that my heart beat fast because of Ryu Su-yoon’s hug.

• 1. 따까리 is a slang term for a person who runs menial errands. In other words, it means a person who does troublesome work for you.