# Chapter 34
“What would you like to confirm?”
“I mentioned before that I saw something strange. And I saw the same thing in the dungeon where Esper Kim Juyoung died. This time, Guide-nim Moon Jiwon saw it too.”
Blood vessel.
Jiwon immediately remembered ‘that thing’ crawling beneath the ground at Suhyun’s words. Jiwon nodded toward the Association President who was looking at him.
“‘That thing’ moved beneath the ground, and disappeared at the same time Esper Kim Juyoung went wild and died. To be precise…”
As Suhyun drew out his words, Jiwon’s eyelids suddenly widened.
It was because he suddenly remembered where ‘that thing’ had disappeared to.
“It disappeared as if it escaped through the dungeon exit.”
Even before Suhyun finished speaking, Jiwon’s heart began beating rapidly. He swallowed dryly. He finally realized that he had been missing a clue that had been clearly visible, due to his dulled senses.
“What… does that mean?”
“You said there were no commonalities found between dungeons where ‘that thing’ appeared. But isn’t the dungeon entrance and exit something that appears in all dungeons?”
While the terrain features of dungeons are all different, the entrance and exit are the same. Both their shape and the energy they emit were identical. The entrance was always present in dungeons where ‘that thing’ appeared.
“Before deciding to ban entry to all dungeons, I would like you to investigate the dungeon entrance.”
“Ah…”
Jiwon sighed and looked at Suhyun. He was different from himself, who had seen nothing, immersed in the emotions of the moment.
If Suhyun’s guess that ‘that thing’ might move through the dungeon entrance and exit was correct, they might find something by investigating the entrance.
If that worked out, they could identify whether a dungeon was problematic or not without entering it.
“…That’s a reasonable suggestion.”
They just needed to avoid problematic dungeons. ‘That thing’ appearing was a rare occurrence. They might be able to handle it with minimal damage.
“We will conduct research based on the Esper’s opinion. However…”
“I won’t enter any dungeons until the research results are in. Let’s minimize the damage from outside the dungeon.”
Jiwon cut off the Association President’s words and preemptively spoke. He was concerned that Suhyun might say he couldn’t wait for the results.
Then, as if to indicate this was the right approach, he raised his eyebrows slightly, and Suhyun nodded.
“I will do that.”
As if relieved by his answer, the Association President let out a small sigh. It was the same for Jiwon.
They say there’s always a way out, even if the sky falls. That saying fit perfectly.
Jiwon looked at Suhyun and smiled slightly. Though he hadn’t raised him, he felt proud. Anyway… Suhyun was remarkable in many ways. He felt sorry for having treated him as just a young person.
***
Somehow, he had received a vacation. The Association had given him time off while the research was being conducted, with the pretext that he had worked hard, but really to prevent Suhyun from acting. Suhyun was confined to his home for a while.
Thanks to this, Jiwon had spent a full three days just sleeping and waking up repeatedly. It seemed the fatigue had accumulated from entering dungeons multiple times a day.
Right now, all researchers around the world were rushing to dungeon entrances. Given the significance of the matter, they were sharing research results and struggling to find clues about the problematic dungeons.
Until the results came in, no Esper could enter any dungeon. Thanks to this, Jiwon had less to worry about. He had been concerned that Suhyun might insist on entering dungeons.
“They tell you to rest and you can’t even do that…”
Fortunately, Suhyun hadn’t pushed. At least until yesterday.
“I’ve rested enough.”
There was no sign of fatigue on his face. Jiwon laughed dryly.
“You’ve been receiving guiding every single day without fail, so of course you’re overflowing with energy.”
Meanwhile, Jiwon was still exhausted. Not to the point of death, of course.
“I didn’t do the guiding while half-asleep for this kind of backlash.”
He had diligently done his job even while drifting in and out of sleep, and now he was getting blowback.
“…I’m going thanks to you.”
Suhyun answered lightly to Jiwon’s words, which didn’t hide his annoyance. Jiwon pressed his lips together, then sighed, “Haah,” before speaking.
“Yes. I guess I was too enthusiastic about guiding.”
Was it that his body bristled if he stayed comfortable even for a moment?
Jiwon shrugged and casually took Suhyun’s hand. By now it should feel familiar, but Suhyun still hesitated whenever they made contact.
Was it too sudden? It seemed more strange that he was surprised every time. At least he no longer reflexively pulled his hand away, so that was good enough.
“But aren’t you afraid, Esper-nim Suhyun?”
As soon as Suhyun settled in the seat beside him, Jiwon asked.
“What do you mean?”
Suhyun shifted in his seat a couple of times as if uncomfortable before responding.
“You could die, you know.”
Despite witnessing another Esper’s death right before his eyes, he remained unchanged.
“I’m not afraid.”
It wasn’t just an outward appearance. Jiwon muttered in disbelief at Suhyun’s characteristically resolute answer.
“That’s fascinating. How can you not be afraid?”
Is it because he knows he’s strong and is overflowing with confidence? It doesn’t seem like that’s the case…
Jiwon stared at Suhyun’s hand. Fascinated by the hand without a single callus, his fingertips moved on their own. Suhyun’s hand flinched as Jiwon’s fingertips slowly traced over it.
“Ah.”
Since it was an unconscious action, as if entranced by something, Jiwon was quite flustered.
“I’m sorry. No… um.”
If he said it was because his hand was soft, wouldn’t that make him sound even more perverted? Then what should he say?
Jiwon started to make an excuse but stopped, smiling awkwardly.
“You don’t care if you die?”
Then, as if nothing had happened, he changed the subject. But once he said it, the words sounded particularly grating to his own ears.
“What? Do you want to die?”
Suhyun frowned as if perplexed by Jiwon’s sudden accusatory question.
“Isn’t fear of death something that comes from not wanting to die? But it seems like you don’t have that?”
His tone suggested he already knew everything and was asking Suhyun to confess.
“That’s a stretch. I don’t want to die.”
Suhyun reacted as if he had heard something absurd.
“Then why are you so nonchalant?”
He couldn’t sense even a hint of fear about the dungeons from him. That newly made him uncomfortable.
Perhaps it was because anxiety was rising that someday Suhyun might just walk into a dungeon with an indifferent face, leaving him behind.
“Rather than being nonchalant…”
After thinking for a moment about the persistent question, Suhyun continued with a fairly sincere answer.
“I believe I won’t die.”
Is he really doing this because he’s full of confidence? That he doesn’t even have a reason to think about death.
But such an attitude…
“If it’s a place where I would die, I think other people would find it difficult to survive as well. So it’s more comforting to believe that there’s no place where I would die in the first place.”
Dangerous,
Jiwon, who was preparing to object, changed his mind and nodded. It was indeed an S-class way of thinking, but it wasn’t wrong.
If something were to happen to Suhyun, there would be no Esper left in Korea who could handle it. They couldn’t hope for support from other countries either. In fact, this was what the Association had been concerned about.
“Well, I suppose. Without Esper-nim, the world might end.”
Jiwon said with a shrug. Suhyun’s face crumpled as if annoyed, but Jiwon didn’t mind.
“But, therefore, think that you could die and live accordingly. Cherish your life. What you’re saying isn’t wrong, but the way of thinking is dangerous.”
Jiwon grinned.
“Be cautious around water and fire, and take care of yourself. Is being strong everything? You can die in a careless moment.”
It was a subtly pointed remark.
A small slip can lead to arrogance, and arrogance dulls vigilance. No one knows when, where, or how suddenly they might die. Anyone can die futilely. Even an S-class Esper.
“Guide-nim is the one who…”
“What?”
Jiwon blinked. It seemed like he had said something, but Jiwon couldn’t hear it clearly.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing much.”
“You said something that wasn’t ‘nothing much,’ didn’t you?”
Suhyun is generally a person of few words. Maybe that’s why. Missing one of his rare comments felt somewhat unfair.
Jiwon firmly grasped Suhyun’s hand, which was about to close his mouth, and shook it. The hand that had been caught under the pretext of guiding was being toyed with.
Suhyun frowned, but Jiwon didn’t apologize.
“Huh? Are you making fun of me?”
“……”
“Do you want me to die of frustration?”
He couldn’t be more persistent. In the past, he would have immediately discarded and left the seat, making this unimaginable, but now Jiwon knew that Suhyun would tolerate this kind of behavior to some extent.
If it were before they had formed an exclusive contract, they wouldn’t even have had such a conversation.
“Haah…”
Suhyun let out a long sigh. It was a sign of surrender to the continuous questioning.
“Guide-nim is the one who should cherish his own body, is what I was going to say.”
Jiwon blinked as if he had heard something strange.
“Me? How much more should I?”
He is protected by Suhyun. It seemed like he was already cherishing himself enough…
“Would someone who cherishes himself follow dungeons around?”
“Haha…”
Jiwon laughed as if he had heard an amusing story. Coming from Suhyun, who was making efforts to protect him more than anyone, it seemed that he appeared quite fearless.
“Are you worried about me?”
