# Chapter 57
“As you can see, I’m fine.”
“Ah…”
Thankfully, it was a premature worry. After checking Suhyun’s wavelength stability, Jiwon let out a low sigh.
Stability level: 86.
The decrease was only 5 points.
“But why are the others in such a state?”
Finally reassured, Jiwon asked while looking at the other Espers. Some had wavelengths so chaotic that it was enough to make one frown just by looking at them.
“They fought hard, that’s why.”
Suhyun answered nonchalantly. Jiwon looked at him with curious eyes. There was no way they had fought hard.
Just from the earlier conversation, it was clear. Would only the guides think that the two of them were just playing around? Their Espers must have had the same thoughts.
“Those Espers…”
As Jiwon continued to look at the Espers with unresolved questions, Suhyun spoke softly.
“They’re weak, that’s why.”
The tone was quite calm, but Jiwon couldn’t hear it with the same calmness.
“What?”
“They’re weak, so it can’t be helped, can it?”
This didn’t sound like something that would come from Suhyun’s mouth. Jiwon’s lips quivered as he recalled the words he had spoken just a few hours ago.
‘But what can I do about them being weak?’
‘Did anyone tell them to be weak?’
Jiwon’s eyes widened. Suhyun was already leading Jiwon toward the parked car, gesturing with his head.
“I plan to enter regular dungeons for a while.”
“Ah…”
Slightly dazed, Jiwon couldn’t find words to reply and just sighed.
“You don’t need to worry. Most will be like this anyway.”
“…”
“But I think we should inform the Association in advance. The Espers… they might try to avoid dungeons.”
What is this unfamiliar atmosphere?
Jiwon, who had been following Suhyun half-heartedly, suddenly stopped in his tracks. They were just about to get in the car. Suhyun raised an eyebrow as if asking what was wrong.
“That…”
What should he say first?
Jiwon carefully organized his suddenly complicated thoughts.
So… Suhyun was fine, but the other Espers all came out in a mess.
Seeing that, Suhyun said they were that way because they were weak, and he planned to enter regular dungeons from now on, but there was nothing to worry about, and he needed to inform the Association so that Espers wouldn’t avoid dungeons.
Putting all this together…
“Today, did you not fight, Esper-nim?”
There was only one possible situation.
His wavelength was fine because he hadn’t fought. He thought that the other Espers wouldn’t want to enter dungeons with him in the future because he wouldn’t fight in regular dungeons either.
“I stood at the back.”
“…Why?”
“I was trying to be selfish.”
The corner of Jiwon’s mouth twitched slightly. Earlier, he had felt dismayed at the thought that Suhyun had heard his words, but now he was about to grin.
Was it natural? Right now, Suhyun was not only agreeing with his opinion but also trying to create a situation as Jiwon wanted.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly the situation Jiwon desired. After all, Jiwon didn’t want to be involved with them at all, regardless of what happened to them. But Suhyun was willingly continuing to participate in regular dungeons, intending to make the Espers fight.
So that even without him, Espers wouldn’t die. So they could become stronger on their own.
“…You’re really kind when I look at you. I can’t keep up.”
In the end, it was an act for their sake. Realizing this, Jiwon shook his head.
“You don’t seem to know what being selfish means, Esper-nim.”
He was so altruistic that Jiwon felt embarrassed.
“Well… it can’t be helped.”
Jiwon raised his voice cheerfully.
“If that’s what Esper-nim wants to do, well. I’ll talk to the Association. They’ll be happy about it, actually.”
There’s no reason to refuse when Suhyun himself wants to train the Espers directly. And since he’s saying he’ll continue to show up for regular dungeons as well, they’ll be even more pleased.
They probably weren’t too happy about not being able to call on Suhyun for other dungeons because he was assigned to the Riska dungeon.
“I guess I’ll just have to focus on doing a good job with guiding, as usual.”
Jiwon said as he opened the driver’s side door. Since they had participated in the dungeon suddenly today, there was no Association employee to drive them. He had thought of calling someone if Suhyun’s condition was bad, but it was good he didn’t.
“I’ll drive.”
“It’s fine. You must be tired from leading those weak Espers.”
Now that he heard the reason, he understood why it had taken so long. And he could also guess that it would take quite a long time in the future too.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Jiwon nodded readily. The single phrase, rarely heard before, felt warm. At this rate, it would be difficult for him to give up his feelings.
Well…
“I’ll do the guiding at home. Since your levels have dropped a bit.”
“Yes.”
It’s not like he was planning to give up anyway.
Jiwon started the engine and moved the car smoothly. Though he desperately wanted to look at Suhyun beside him, he focused even more on driving because of it. If he had sat in the passenger seat, he wouldn’t have been able to resist glancing at Suhyun repeatedly.
‘How could I possibly give up?’
Jiwon thought while consciously staring straight ahead. It was absurd to think of giving up his feelings while experiencing Suhyun’s kindness so closely.
Unless Suhyun disliked him or tried to distance himself like before, Jiwon was now firmly attached to Suhyun’s side with no intention of leaving.
What if a guide with a better matching rate for Suhyun appeared? He could give them the title of assistant guide. But… unless there were absolutely unavoidable circumstances, Jiwon would do all the guiding.
‘I just hope they never show up.’
Now that was a selfish thought. Jiwon curled his lips inward, chastising himself. The more guides with high matching rates an Esper had, the better. Yet here he was, consumed by possessiveness, hoping no one would appear.
“Good work today.”
Afraid his thoughts might show, Jiwon deliberately filled the silence with a softer voice.
He just wanted to appear kind, at least on the outside.
***
“Wow… it’s a complete mess. Are you okay, Esper-nim?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Everything Suhyun had said on the day they returned from the A-class dungeon came true. Since that day, Suhyun had been entering dungeons as frequently as eating meals.
It wasn’t because he was trying hard to go to dungeons. After that day, A-class dungeons began to appear one after another.
Until then, A-class or higher dungeons in Korea had only accounted for 0.02% of all dungeons. But these days, whenever a dungeon appeared, it was at least B-class, or A-class.
Thanks to this, B-class Espers were hit with an unexpected disaster. Rumors spread incredibly fast among ability users. The absurd talk that Suhyun, far from protecting Espers, was actually pushing them into danger, spread in an instant.
Afterward, there was a brief commotion. Espers began to stubbornly refuse to enter dungeons.
But as A-class dungeons continued to appear, their protest became meaningless. If they didn’t enter, they would face sanctions. The Association even brought out primitive torture-like sanctions such as separating Espers from their guides.
The fact that the dungeons were A-class might have been a factor, but there was a clear goal to strengthen B-class Espers through this opportunity.
With everyone except Suhyun being B-class or lower, and all busy trying to save themselves, they must have felt a sense of crisis. Until the Riska dungeon appeared, they probably believed that Suhyun would take care of everything.
“Hmm…”
“What is it?”
“Nothing. I’m just wondering if we should have done this earlier?”
There probably isn’t another place that misuses an S-class Esper like Korea does. Thinking back on things he had let slide before with a “what can you do?”, he felt a surge of anger.
He should have stepped forward to become a dedicated guide much earlier.
“…Ah, news of the Riska dungeon just came in.”
He doesn’t mean to blame Suhyun. Even if Suhyun had distanced himself, Jiwon, being the only one with a high matching rate, should have stuck by his side somehow.
“Has it appeared?”
If he had… maybe he would have discovered Suhyun’s kindness earlier.
He almost laughed at the idle thought. It wasn’t exactly news to deliver with a smile. Jiwon lowered the corners of his mouth and composed his expression.
“Yes, it was discovered at an elementary school in Daegu about 30 minutes ago. So we need to move right away… will that be okay?”
Recently, his wavelength stability hadn’t fallen below 85. Once stabilized, the wavelength now hardly dropped.
As if the days of maintaining it at 40 were a distant memory.
“It’ll be fine.”
Jiwon smiled brightly.
Anyway, he was glad to be his guide now, even if it was late. His wavelength would never go back to the way it was before.
