Chapter 84 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

Hyun ​Ju-ho ​tactfully ​guided ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun to the base ​tent ​where the Espers ​were gathered.

It wasn’t ​far ​from ​the ​tent ​where ​the Guides were ​resting. ​Two ​Espers in combat ​gear, who had been ​playing mobile ​games, looked ​up upon ​sensing someone’s ​presence. ​They ​were people Yoon ​Ki-hyun was ​acquainted with.

“Oh, Guide Ki-hyun. ​It’s been a while. ​Team Leader Jeong isn’t ​here.”

Yoon Ki-hyun ​quickly ​checked the name tag pinned to ​the man’s chest.

“Esper Song ​Dae-min, ​if ​you ​don’t ​mind, could I ​check your ​wavelength ​for a moment?”

At ​the ​sudden proposal, the designated Esper ​looked troubled.

It ​was ​none other than ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun. ​Considering ​Team ​Leader Jeong ​Si-jun, ​who was ​notorious for making a scene whenever things ​involved his Guide, ​it was an ​absurd request.

In the first ​place, why ​would someone else’s ​personal ​Guide provide guiding ​to a Center-affiliated ​Esper?

While he ​had ​been one ​of ​the people ​who ​felt regretful ​when ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun left the ​Center, ​the presence ​of ​Jeong ​Si-jun ​behind him was far too critical to take this proposal at face value.

As the Esper hesitated to refuse, Yoon Ki-hyun frowned. He didn’t even need to be told to know exactly who visit our sitearia-label="visit stolen contentour site">visit our sitethe man was hesitating because of.

“Don’t worry about Jeong Si-jun. If he says anything, I’ll handle it.”

Yoon Ki-hyun sometimes wondered exactly how Jeong Si-jun conducted himself at the Center. Now was one of those times.

Since he was a rough guy with a free spirit who always had a curse word on his lips, it was natural that he would act however he pleased. However, lately, Yoon Ki-hyun often felt that the Espers were avoiding him.

That might be the case for Special Team 2, where Jeong Si-jun was the team leader, but wasn’t it a bit problematic that Espers from other teams treated him like a ticking time bomb that would explode if touched?

“I just have something I need to check,” Yoon Ki-hyun murmured, as if coaxing the reluctant Esper. Song Dae-min’s eyes darted around.

‘What should I do?’

It was already widely known at the Center that Yoon Ki-hyun held Jeong Si-jun’s leash. They said the man with the dog-like personality did all sorts of bizarre things just to get on Yoon Ki-hyun’s good side.

Since he was guaranteeing it, there shouldn’t be any problem.

“Um. Well, if you put it that way, I don’t really mind…”

As soon as the Esper finished speaking, Yoon Ki-hyun reached out. The moment Song Dae-min grasped his hand as if shaking it, the wavelength was sucked out through the touching skin.

‘Whoa.’

Song Dae-min was momentarily impressed by the speed with which Yoon Ki-hyun took control of the wavelength without hesitation, but then Yoon Ki-hyun’s expression suddenly contorted.

‘The guiding is working fine. What on earth is this?’

It wasn’t the mutual imprinting Kim Sa-on had mentioned. If they had imprinted on each other, he shouldn’t have been able to take Song Dae-min’s wavelength. However, the wavelength flowing through his body was definitely Song Dae-min’s.

He could take control of another Esper’s wavelength. The fact that only Jeong Si-jun’s wavelength couldn’t be caught by other Guides meant only one thing.

‘Did this bastard actually do a one-sided imprinting on me?’

When Yoon Ki-hyun finished checking the wavelength and let go, Song Dae-min fidgeted with his fingers for no reason.

“Thank you for your help. You’re doing fine.”

“…Yes.”

Turning his back on the lingering Song Dae-min, Yoon Ki-hyun stepped out of the tent, unable to hide his disturbed state of mind. This was because a certain hypothesis had become highly likely through the guiding he had just performed.

“…”

“…”

He had only asked if he was imprinted with Jeong Si-jun, but since he had suddenly left to guide another Esper, Hyun Ju-ho and Kim Sa-on could only blink in confusion.

‘What is going on?’

‘Did I ask something weird for no reason?’

While they were reading each other’s expressions, Yoon Ki-hyun glanced at the gate that still hadn’t disappeared.

‘If the one-sided imprinting is true, everything is explained.’

It had been puzzling that Jeong Si-jun was so excessively obsessed with him. When he asked why he was acting this way, the man had brushed it off by saying he liked his face, then later said it was a gut feeling.

He had definitely said that if he let him go, he felt he would never be able to have a proper relationship in the future.

At first, he thought it was just clinginess born of impulsiveness because his apology wasn’t accepted. But if it was a one-sided imprinting?

‘He was serious about wanting to be used.’

Because he had one-sidedly imprinted on an A-class Guide who wouldn’t be strange to die at any moment.

He wasn’t the type to be obsessed with working at the Center, but the title of an S-class Esper likely occupied [visit our site]visit our site -->a significant portion of Jeong Si-jun’s life. That might be why he clung to him so persistently.

‘No. But a guy who did a one-sided imprinting entered a gate?’

It was shocking that a man who knew he had become unable to receive guiding calmly entered a gate—and a high-risk gate with an unmeasurable grade at that.

‘If I can’t provide guiding, he could go into an outbreak.’

He couldn’t understand what the man was thinking, answering his call and casually saying he would go to the gate and come back.

‘Once that bastard comes out, I need to check first if he did a one-sided imprinting or not.’

There were more than a few things he needed to ask Jeong Si-jun. If the man knew he had one-sidedly imprinted, since when had he hidden the fact?

Since there was no clear point of reference, his head began to throb. Seeing his serious expression, the eyes of Hyun Ju-ho and Kim Sa-on, who had only been exchanging glances, gradually widened.

“Huh?”

“I think he’s coming out.”

Yoon Ki-hyun, who had closed his eyes for a moment to suppress the headache, snapped them open. There was a change in the ominously shimmering gate.

The shadow gradually becoming distinct was clearly that of a person. [stolen content[unauthorized copy]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">visit our site]It meant the assault team that had entered the gate had returned.

The people observing the gate instantly became busy. Ambulances arrived in preparation for any possible situation, and nearby control was tightened.

While everyone moved in an orderly fashion to welcome the assault team returning from the gate, Yoon Ki-hyun stared at the gate as if nailed to the spot.

Ridiculously, he was looking for Jeong Si-jun’s face. Despite the fact that until a few days ago, he had been struggling to shake him off because the man was annoying him by begging for just one month of time.

The first to emerge from the gate was the youngest member of Jeong Si-jun’s team. A man with an impressive, closely cropped chestnut-like haircut collapsed onto the ground, dragging one leg.

While the waiting staff rushed to support him and stop the bleeding, familiar Espers walked out of the gate one by one. Every single one of them looked haggard.

Most were in a daze due to the excess of adrenaline secreted to survive the grueling battle, but some rambled, unable to calm their excitement.

It was a common scene immediately after a gate conquest. Reports and emergency treatments began simultaneously, but among the Espers pouring out of the gate, the face Yoon Ki-hyun was looking for was not there.

‘When is he coming out?’

He hadn’t assumed from the start that Jeong Si-jun wouldn’t return. After all, it was Jeong Si-jun. His foul mouth and selfish behavior were problems, but as an Esper, Yoon Ki-hyun could honestly trust him.

He seemed to treat his team members harshly at times, but… the discipline or military order among Espers was none of Yoon Ki-hyun’s business.

To that extent, Yoon Ki-hyun couldn’t disparage Jeong Si-jun’s combat abilities. In reality, he was someone who could act as selfishly unauthorized visit our sitecopyEND: unauthorized copy -->as he did at the Center because of his skill.

Even though a considerable amount of time had passed, Jeong Si-jun was still nowhere to be seen. The only thing that provided some relief was the fact that Seo Yi-kyung, who had been deployed additionally the next day, was also not visible.

Surely, something catastrophic couldn’t have happened in a gate where two S-class Espers had entered.

Yoon Ki-hyun pressed his thumb and index finger together firmly, never taking his eyes off the gate. Once Jeong Si-jun returned, he would check the extent of his injuries and his wavelength, and if his condition was okay, there were many things to ask.

First, he planned to have him receive guiding from another Guide for confirmation, and if the wavelength couldn’t be caught, he would then press him on whether he had one-sidedly imprinted.

And if he confessed, he would ask since when he had hidden it and what he was thinking when he did such a thing.

It was while he was organizing the questions to ask Jeong Si-jun in his head.

“…Missing in action?”

A voice caught Yoon Ki-hyun’s ear. He reflexively turned his head to see Team Leader Yang Jae-min, who had been called to the temporary base late, asking an Esper during guiding.

“…By the time Team Leader Seo entered the gate with the additional deployment team, it was already impossible to confirm Team Leader Jeong’s location.”

At the report that felt like a blow to the back of his head, Yoon Ki-hyun blinked slowly.

“So you’re saying Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung remained inside the gate to find [Read visit our siteon Read BL Novels]Team Leader Jeong Si-jun’s whereabouts?”

“…Yes. That is the last piece of information I received from Team Leader Seo Yi-kyung.”

Silence fell over the temporary base.

Had there ever been a time when it was difficult to confirm Jeong Si-jun’s location inside a gate? Yoon Ki-hyun searched his memories.

His memories were incomplete, cut off here and there, but it was certain that this was the first time such a thing had happened to Jeong Si-jun.

At the news that Jeong Si-jun had gone missing inside the gate, the countless gazes blatantly glancing at him felt stinging.

“…”

“…”

Yang Jae-min, who had been blatantly checking Yoon Ki-hyun and sneering, looked at the pale Yoon Ki-hyun and turned his head away.

He felt that sneering even after seeing that state was not something a human should do.