Chapter 82 – ​The ​Price ​of ​a ​Misjudgment

[‘Unmeasurable ​Grade’ ​Gate ​Appears, ​Citizens Express Anxiety]

[Traffic Control ​Near ​University Hospital, Subways ​Skipping Stops]

[Gate Occurrence ​Rate ​in ​City ​Center ​Increases ​Sharply Compared to ​Last ​Year, ​Civic Groups Claim ​‘Urgent Need for Response’]

The ​news headlines ​were all ​loud and ​sensational, as ​if ​they ​had been coordinated.

It ​was a ​common occurrence, but why ​did it feel particularly ​poignant today? It was ​likely due ​to ​his own ambiguous situation.

‘Everyone must be ​frantic.’

Back when he worked ​as ​a ​Guide, ​he ​didn’t even have ​time to ​look ​at news articles. ​He ​had been too busy guiding ​the flood ​of ​Espers pouring in.

However, ​where ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun ​sat ​now was ​neither ​a guiding ​room at the Awakened Management Center nor ​a temporary base ​established on-site.

It was ​a two-and-a-half-pyeong goshiwon, far ​too unsuitable ​for inviting [visit our site]style="font-size:0;color:transparent;display:inline;">visit our siteguests. ​He ​had retu[stolen content]rned there ​after completing his ​discharge procedures ​and ​was simply ​checking ​the news.

—…The ​Awakened ​Management Headquarters ​stated ​that ​they will prioritize ​citizen ​safety above ​all ​else ​and ​devote all their efforts to conquering the gate.

Behind the on-site reporter, the entrance to the gate was captured in a small shot. Seeing the mixture of various colors, it was certainly a high-grade gate that was difficult to measure.

Since Jeong Si-jun had said he was heading out a few hours ago, he would have already packed the conquest supplies and entered the gate with his team long ago.

Because the roads were blocked due to traffic control, several hours had simply vanished by the time he finished the discharge process and returned home.

• I’ve arrived home now.

Jeong Si-jun’s semi-threat—that he would come looking for him if he didn’t send a message announcing his arrival—was still absurd. It seemed he understood Ki-hyun better than expected.

—Anxiety among citizens is soaring due to the gates that have occurred several times recently in the city center, where floating populations are dense. We have Professor Do Jun-hwan of the Korea Phenomenon Measurement and Management Association with us to discuss this phenomenon.

A conversation with an expert was in full swing on the news channel. The professor, explaining based on data and professional knowledge, answered the anchor’s questions in a benevolent voice.

—The operational capabilities of domestic awakened are evaluated to be on par with developed nations. In the case of Guide skills, developed nations are actually coming to our country to learn…

Because the purpose of the talk was focused on stabilizing anxious citizens, the old professor was merely reciting theoretical platitudes.

That the skills of domestic Guides overwhelmed those of developed nations, and that [unauthorized stolen contentcopy]the combat skills of Espers had also been proven through international exchanges.

‘International exchanges…’

Thinking back, they often had combat sparring matches with Espers from other countries. Every time, Jeong Si-jun and his team were always selected as the headquarters’ representatives.

The result was obvious. Having forgotten the purpose of a friendly match, Jeong Si-jun would break the limbs of the foreign Espers, ending the encounter by either becoming friends with them or making enemies.

‘That red-haired guy told the team leader to be careful. He said if this were America, he’d just shoot him dead right here.’

‘Bullshit. The moment a bastard who calls himself an Esper thinks about using a gun, his mindset is already fucked.’

At the time, Yoon Ki-hyun, who was on standby for any unforeseen incidents, had ignored Jeong Si-jun’s bold retort and was simply calculating his salary on his phone.

Recalling the old memory, he let out a small sigh. Strangely, the room felt suffocating.

‘I should have just settled things when that bastard said some weird stuff about meeting for just one month.’

If he had tied things up firmly that day, he wouldn’t be watching the news with such an uncomfortable heart.

If the contract were terminated, the obligation to take responsibility for Jeong Si-jun’s wavelength would also vanish, and he could cheer for Jeong visit visit our siteour [unauthorized copy]siteSi-jun’s conquest with a light heart.

Somehow, he had ended up in a strange position. Perhaps that was why the thought suddenly surged that where he should be right now was not a goshiwon, but a temporary base.

He should be there waiting for Jeong Si-jun and checking his wavelength upon his return…

“…Ah.”

A terrible pain spread from around his solar plexus.

Yoon Ki-hyun bent his upper body and gasped for air. Every time this happened, he felt physically that his body could no longer endure.

In fact, every time the hospitalization period predicted by the professor grew longer, parts of his body that weren’t usually painful began to act up. It was disconcerting, even though he had mentally prepared himself.

After the talk ended, the news channel continued to repeat the same reports for a while. News that the gate had been successfully conquered had not yet been heard.

‘Jeong Si-jun will be fine…’

He was a man whose tenacity was enough to make anyone shake their head; he wasn’t the type to die anywhere.

Moreover, even without him, there were numerous Guides at the Center who could replace him. With an S-class Guide firmly stationed at the hea[unauthorized unauthorized copycopy]dquarters, there was no need to worry.

Thinking about it, the idea that the Center had struggled after his resignation didn’t make sense in the first place.

As is always the case in the world, someone else is bound to fill the void left by another. Especially in a structured organization.

‘How long will the conquest take?’

Instead of worrying about Jeong Si-jun’s well-being, which was useless, Yoon Ki-hyun decided to think about how many more days he would have to meet him.

This was more productive than worrying about a guy who would survive perfectly fine even if dropped in the middle of a desert.

However, the conquest period for gates with unmeasurable grades was erratic.

Sometimes it ended in a few hours, and other times there was no word for days, leading to the evacuation of all residents near the gate.

Once Jeong Si-jun returned from the gate, he would inevitably talk about the conquest and spout nonsense about quitting the Center or going on a vacation with him. Just imagining it drained his energy, and Yoon Ki-hyun slumped over, burying his face in the bed.

‘That bastard… he told me to use him.’

He was still appalled when he thought about Jeong Si-jun’s clumsy confession. Even after [unauthorized stolen contentcopy]Ki-hyun confessed that he had an inferiority complex despite the other man being wealthy, Si-jun had instead told him to use that as a pretext to take advantage of him.

‘I really want to be used. By you, Yoon Ki-hyun.’

He still couldn’t forget Jeong Si-jun’s face as he spoke while looking him straight in the eye.

If he set his mind to it, he could bleed him dry.

Not only could he make him responsible for the entirety of his monthly hospital bills, but he could also squat in that apartment with its terrifying market price and eat only fine dining for three meals a day.

But even if he survived on someone else’s money, wouldn’t the relationship end the moment Jeong Si-jun grew tired of him?

He was sick and tired of being abandoned. Whether it was a friend or a lover, he would be the one left behind eventually, so it was easier not to start in the first place.

Nevertheless, he had made friends who stayed by his side, and a few colleagues who occasionally contacted him and worried about him…

The result stemming from his affection deficiency was this.

‘…’

Looking back now, it seemed he had acted foolishly because he wanted to hear those two syllables—’my visit our siteour site" style="display:none;" aria-label="visit our site">visit our siteson’—called out by his father just a bit more. Because if even his only blood relative disappeared, he would truly be alone.

But now he knew. Since humans are destined to die once they are born, he shouldn’t have obsessed over such relationships from the start.

And yet, Jeong Si-jun…

‘Ah, he’s really making me restless. This bastard.’

As a sign that his tinnitus was worsening, he turned off the news channel that was broadcasting breaking news.

His body, which felt limp and heavy, demanded sleep as if it never grew tired of it. As he buried his face in the pillow and slowly closed his eyes, drowsiness washed over him.

It would be perfect if he woke up to the news that Jeong Si-jun had finished the conquest. With that sudden thought, he fell fast asleep.

It was the fifth day since the unmeasurable grade gate appeared in the city center.

On the second day of the appearance, news arrived that Seo Yi-kyung’s team, having finished another gate conquest, had additionally entered the gate. This was not a normal procedure.

When a gate occurrence is reported to the Awakened Management Center, it is common to assemble the personnel for the conquest and enter all at once. The fact that additional personnel were attached the day after the conquest team entered meant only one thing.

‘They sent a request for reinforcements?’

The initial conquest team had sent a request for reinforcements from inside the gate.

Judging by the current status of Espers belonging to the Awakened Management Center, the only person capable of serving as the team leader for a gate conquest group was Jeong Si-jun.

The authority to order additional reinforcements from outside the gate would also lie with him.

‘The fact that Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung entered as a backup team means Jeong Si-jun ordered it.’

The relationship between Jeong Si-jun and Seo Yi-kyung was well-known. Because their combat styles and even their minor personalities differed, they were generally not deployed together in battle.

They weren’t kept together under the pretext of being the only two S-class Espers at the headquarters or for standby during emergencies; in reality, it was largely because they didn’t get along.

Despite that, the fact that Jeong Si-jun had called Seo Yi-kyung into the gate meant that the interior of the gate was unusual.

The battle was bound to be fierce, and the resulting aftermath on the wavelength was obvious without even thinking deeply.

‘…Should I go?’

Yoon Ki-hyun paced the small room, lost in thought.

He had requested the termination of the contract, but the contract had not been formally terminated. Therefore, he still had the obligation to take responsibility for Jeong Si-jun’s wavelength.

His gaze eventually shifted to the coat hanger where his outerwear was draped. As he grabbed the access badge he had left neglected for quite a while just in case, Yoon Ki-hyun suddenly thought:

‘If I knew it would be like this, I should have just refused firmly.’

He moved his body, though he couldn’t guarantee he could perform proper guiding. All while chewing over a regret that had already lost its flavor because he had ruminated on it so many times.