I Wish They’d Just Leave Me Alone 35

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Chapter 35

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a gate “part-time job.”

Although I was affiliated with the guild, even temporarily, my official title was “student,” so I couldn’t freely enter gates or provide guiding for guild members near gates, except for school practice sessions.

If I requested an official document from the guild and the school accepted it, I could enter gates or provide guiding near gates on weekends. Each time, I’d be evaluated as one of the gate conquerors and could earn income from the gate conquest.

The official term used by the school was “Guild-supervised Gate Field Practice,” which was a kind of loophole only available to students affiliated with guilds.

Students simply called it a part-time job since they could earn money.

“I’ll be back.”

“Hyung, we’ll be waiting.”

“Alright.”

I stayed outside the gate, while those two entered with Ji Yeohoon’s parents.

I waved my hand and told them to be careful, and they just nodded in acknowledgment.

Since that incident, we hadn’t often used the word “promise.”

It seemed to have become a trauma for both me and those kids, so we didn’t use it easily.

I sat quietly watching the spot where the gate entrance had disappeared.

Even though I didn’t know when it would open again, and even though I believed they would return without any major issues, I was worried that if I took my eyes off it, they might return with their eyes closed like last time.

“Can you do that for them?”

Uncle’s voice echoed.

He asked if I could do it for those kids, as if seeking my opinion.

I answered that it would be much better to undo the imprinting than risk their lives.

“Then I’ll ask you, Soo-young. Let’s talk when we get back.”

Uncle held my hand tightly and spoke as if in prayer before walking into the gate.

It seemed like there was a method, as if he knew that method, and I found myself nodding without realizing it.

I sat quietly under the tent set up with several guides from Calling Guild and two Espers.

Since I was just a student guide, they said they wouldn’t have me do emergency guiding even as a temporary guild member.

They told me to just take care of Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon, so it didn’t seem like I’d have much to do.

“If many Espers needing emergency guiding rush in, we might ask for your help, but things won’t get that serious. Given what happened before, we’ve prepared thoroughly.”

“I see.”

It seems they haven’t forgotten about what happened over a year ago.

Well, if things had gone just a little worse, students could have been seriously injured.

People from the Association had set up a tent on the opposite side of us and were looking at various machines.

They seemed to be uploading measured values to a database, occasionally checking the devices and working diligently on their laptops.

Seeing such an unusual scene made me newly realize how much I had changed from what I thought I would be.

Before my regression, weekend-me liked to play computer games, and at this time, I would have been making plans to go to a PC room with friends.

On days when I had to go to the Association for a check-up, I would lazily lie in bed until I heard my mom nagging, then change clothes and trudge to the Association.

It seems the 3rd-year middle school Moon Soo-young was such an ordinary child, but here was the 3rd-year middle school student Moon Soo-young.

“The gauge is stable. There’s been no increase.”

“Looking at the drop time, they seem to be conquering as usual. It doesn’t look like Seon-young is taking action.”

“…What changes in the gauge if Auntie takes action?”

“Hm? Oh, if Seon-young takes action, it means healing is needed, right? Which means someone got hurt. In that case, for a D-class gate like this, the gauge starts to drop quickly. If it’s just minor scratches that others would consider insignificant, it’s fine, but if even one person has a somewhat significant injury, it’s our guild’s absolute rule to exit quickly.”

They were leaving open the possibility that injuries inside the gate might not be properly treated outside.

This applies even if Auntie has entered and healed the injured person to perfect condition.

While such incidents hadn’t occurred before, it was because the mechanisms of Espers, Guides, and gates hadn’t been perfectly defined.

There were many undefined aspects: if the manifestation genes of Espers and Guides aren’t inherited from parents, how do they arise? Where does the inside of the gate connect to? Why do spaces appear as if torn? And so on.

Calling Guild prioritized treatment and return in case of injury to minimize the “just in case” possibilities.

“Then how long do you think it will take?”

“At this rate… hmm, since it’s a D-class gate, about three to four hours from now? Why? Worried about the kids?”

“Not really, that’s not it.”

I was actually worried, but I didn’t feel the need to show it.

Unlike when only those two entered the gate, I had a feeling they would come out without any problems this time.

The guild Espers sat separately, alternating between watching the gate and checking their phones, while the guides gathered to chat.

“My little sister is going to be born. In about 4-5 months.”

“What?”

“Really? It’s confirmed to be a girl? The hospital told you?”

“They said she’ll be a beauty like my mom. Anyway, I’ve been thinking about what would be a pretty name for my sister. But I hadn’t finished discussing it before they went in…”

The guild guide looked taken aback.

“What? You weren’t worried about the kids?”

“What’s there to worry about when Uncle and Auntie went in with them?”

The adults looked at me as if Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon were pitiful.

They probably felt that way because they knew those two were always following me around.

I decided to deliberately show them that I had no particular feelings on my end by putting up a complete wall.

“What kind of name would be pretty for a girl?”

“Is that even a thing these days? Soo-young, your name is used for both boys and girls, isn’t it? Any name you come up with would be pretty.”

“…But I can’t just come up with random names like Cheol-yong, Gwan-woo, or Jang-bi.”

“Soo-young, you’re absolutely not allowed to give suggestions.”

The adults were really firm.

Of course, I didn’t really intend to suggest such names, but the adults were so serious even about jokes that I just nodded.

Do I look like someone who only tells the truth?

“Did you have any names in mind for a daughter?”

“Well, since we only have two sons, we never thought about it.”

The conversation eventually shifted to the adults.

As the only middle schooler, I had no choice but to listen quietly and then take out my phone.

Between playing Cookie Run on my phone, which I hadn’t done for a while, I checked to see if the gate was opening and also searched for pretty names.

Around 1:30 PM, a little after lunchtime, the air began to split as if tearing paper.

“Hyung!”

The first person to come running was Ji Yeohoon, followed by Yoon Cheong walking behind.

This time, they spread their arms as if to say they were perfectly fine.

Good, they’re healthy today.

I was going to take serious action if there had been one more accident.

As I embraced the two, I realized, quite suddenly, that they had grown taller again.

“I probably won’t grow much taller.”

“Why suddenly bring that up? And how would you know?”

“I feel like you guys are stealing all my nutrients.”

Yoon Cheong was already nearly 180cm tall, and Ji Yeohoon was about 3-4cm taller than me, while I hadn’t yet reached 170cm. When looking up at them, of course it feels like I’m shrinking.

When I gave them a resentful look, Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon’s eyes wavered.

“Give me back my height.”

“How can I give that to you?”

“No, well… I could give it if you asked, but I don’t know how…”

“That’s for you to figure out.”

After giving them this nonsensical homework, I picked up two bottles of water and handed them to Auntie and Uncle.

When I greeted them, welcoming them back, Auntie smiled brightly and hugged me tightly.

I immediately provided guiding to them, even though it was only necessary for the two boys.

Thanks to Uncle, Auntie wasn’t too depleted, but she still expressed her gratitude generously.

“Was our eldest son waiting patiently?”

“Eldest son?”

“Of course Yeohoon is our son, but Cheong feels like our son too, and Soo-young feels like our eldest son.”

“But you always tease me by calling me an old man in a child’s body.”

“That’s why you’re the eldest. You seem about 10 years older than the kids.”

Uncle consistently teased me.

You’d surprise a regressor with that. How did you know I regressed at 26?

Since everything seemed normal, I guess this gate conquest went very smoothly.

After greeting the two of them and turning around, I saw that Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon were still pointlessly contemplating how to give me their height.

What are you doing?

When I looked at them with exasperation, they spread their arms as if it was the natural thing to do.

I clicked my tongue but still wrapped my arms around their waists and held their backs.

Since the first gate, Ji Yeohoon had been careful not to scatter his power into empty space or inappropriate places, and Yoon Cheong had learned methods to control his power even more precisely.

Recently, the two had begun to develop iridescent eye colors like they had before my regression. Yoon Cheong’s were blue, and Ji Yeohoon’s were green.

All I could do was watch over them as they changed and provide guiding.

I put a little more strength into the hands on their backs. I moved my biger, sending a breeze from my body to them.

“Weren’t you bored?”

“I played games. I beat your Cookie scores.”

“Really? I need to surpass you again soon.”

“Stop trying to outdo each other. Don’t stay up all night for that. Your eye colors have gotten brighter.”

“Since earlier?”

“Yes.”

“I should have taken photos from before.”

“No thanks.”

These kids are affectionate.

What these kids, growing up by my side, had learned differently from before my regression was that affection.

I don’t know where they learned it from, but they often offered surprisingly kind words.

Unlike before my regression, they smiled easily, responded well, and asked about all sorts of things.

The wariness that had once filled their eyes was completely gone now, which amused me, and I patted their backs.

“Let’s eat lunch.”

“Mom said she’d treat us today. Hyung, what do you want to eat?”

“Soup and rice.”

“We don’t need Hyung.”

“What?”

“Soo-young Hyung~ What would you like?”

“…Then I’ll have soup and rice too.”

“Yoon Cheong, apologize to Hyung. He’s choosing something random because you said something weird.”

“Hey, you’re such a kid…!”

These adolescent kids fought several times a day.

I wonder what kind of relationship they had before my regression.

They probably trained to strengthen their abilities and received adequate guiding from Guides in their class.

Judging by their personalities, these two couldn’t have been friends before my regression. They weren’t even in the same grade to begin with.

But now it was different.

Like when they were younger, they checked each other’s game scores and pointed fingers at each other, argued loudly about meal choices, and fought over who ate the chocolate that had been in the refrigerator.

They acknowledged each other even when they didn’t like something, and when there were misunderstandings, they apologized sincerely.

They were becoming different from other Espers who stood far apart from each other.

Had there ever been school-educated Espers who got along so ordinarily?

“Hyung?”

“Why are you zoning out?”

Just because you’re lovely.

It seems they’re growing up beautifully.

Not the sharp-edged Yoon Cheong or the coldly pretending-to-be-kind Ji Yeohoon, but growing up as two ordinary boys who happen to be Espers.

“Come on, all three of you will sit in the back, right?”

Ji Yeohoon’s parents and Yoon Cheong’s parents might be desperate to do more for me.

“Yoon Cheong, text your parents that they don’t need to give me allowance. And I got a message from school that my clothes package arrived. I’ve sent allowance back to your account again.”

“They sent it again?”

“Yes. Tell them I’ll just wear the clothes that came in the package.”

“Okay. I’ll let them know.”

Yoon Cheong’s parents, perhaps because it was difficult to see them often, frequently sent me allowance too.

At first, I gratefully accepted it a few times, but now it felt burdensome.

So I always returned it through Yoon Cheong.

I opened the car door and sat in the middle.

Of course, it’s a slightly uncomfortable seat, but I knew that if I put those two next to each other, they would bicker again, and they would cause a scene trying to sit next to me, so this was preemptive prevention.

“Would beef brisket be good?”

“Soo-young, is that okay?”

“Yes.”

I nodded at Uncle’s question.

The boys sitting next to me yawned widely and then reached for my hands and held them.

Despite being uncomfortable, they leaned their heads toward me and closed their eyes.

As if confident that I would never pull my shoulder away, they took a sweet nap.

They probably weren’t even that tired, these exaggerators.

Even so, I didn’t stop the subtle guiding.

It was already ample, but I wanted the two to sleep a little more comfortably.

“Uncle, if I pull myself out from here, their heads will bump into each other, right?”

“Want to try?”