Chapter 3
“We’ll finish clearing the dungeon soon and get you safely back home, so don’t worry.”
Baek Jaan, who had saved Hajin earlier, approached and spoke to him. At his voice, Hajin turned around to see the monster lying limp—he had finished it off at some point.
“Yes, I’ll trust you.”
He couldn’t help but trust someone who could handle such a monster alone. Hajin followed the Espers as they moved forward to clear the dungeon.
They weren’t particularly sociable and didn’t specifically address Hajin, but they were paying enough attention to ensure he didn’t fall behind.
However, for Hajin, who could feel their wavelengths with his entire body, having them approach was a bit uncomfortable. No, actually, it was very uncomfortable.
Even though he knew their wavelengths couldn’t harm him, it felt like watching someone who had been stabbed in the stomach, dripping blood, yet pretending nothing was wrong.
Regardless of these impressions, the dungeon clearing proceeded more smoothly than Hajin had expected.
Though he tensed up involuntarily whenever monsters appeared, watching the Espers handle them with just a flick of their fingers gradually brought him a sense of calm.
Throughout their walk, the only sound was that of monsters. The Espers weren’t sociable, and Hajin was the type who wouldn’t speak unless necessary.
The silence was broken when the most approachable-looking Esper among them opened his mouth.
“I’m curious about something. May I ask you a question?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
The white-haired man was so handsome that with just one smile, he looked like he could pass any blind date or family meeting with flying colors.
“He’s good-looking in a gentle way.” That was precisely Hajin’s impression.
“Earlier, you gave up your escape kit to a child. Why did you do that?”
“…Pardon?”
Hajin was momentarily confused by the man’s question. Why, he asked.
When Hajin responded a beat late to what seemed like a reproachful tone, the man, realizing his question might have sounded strange, hurriedly changed his wording.
“Ah, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just not an easy thing to do. Even if it’s a child, it’s still a matter of your own life.”
“I suppose one could think that way.”
Those words implied that Hajin didn’t think that way.
“But wouldn’t any ordinary person show that much kindness?”
“…Excuse me?”
This time, it was the man who was taken aback. The other three who had heard the response because their ears were open also showed strange reactions, turning to look at Hajin. But Hajin remained unfazed by such reactions and gazes.
Because Hajin believed that such behavior was precisely what made one ordinary.
There are many heartwarming stories in the world. From simple acts of kindness to noble sacrifices that save others.
What do they have in common? Excluding those who make the sacrifices, everyone asks how they could sacrifice so much. And they often respond:
“Anyone could have done it. It was just what I had to do.”
To follow his father’s dying wish to live an ordinary life, Hajin had “studied” ordinariness from a young age through various sources of information.
His answer seemed oddly out of sync, subtly different, but unfortunately, he wasn’t aware of this.
“Is that so? Still, it’s impressive. Ah, we’ll be clearing the dungeon together, but I was late with introductions. I’m Baek Jaan, an S-class Esper from headquarters.”
At Hajin’s calm words, the white-haired Esper, Baek Jaan, introduced himself with a twinkle in his eyes and extended his hand.
The three who had been walking ahead glanced back, wondering what he was doing.
Since when did he care about such things? Was he really going to tell his name to a civilian he wouldn’t care about once they finished clearing the dungeon?
Baek Jaan must have heard such small murmurs, but he didn’t mind. He simply continued to extend his hand to Hajin with a pretty smile.
“That guy’s really lost it.”
Han Seungho’s mutter was so quiet that it didn’t reach Hajin.
Hajin looked down at the extended hand for a moment. If his bare skin touched an Esper, his identity as a Guide would be revealed.
“I’m Lee Hajin. Just an ordinary office worker.”
In that case, all he needed to do was avoid skin-to-skin contact.
Hajin’s gloved hand grasped Baek Jaan’s. Since being told by his father to hide his identity as a Guide, Hajin had never removed his gloves.
“You’re unique. Wearing gloves when it’s still autumn. Ah, if that was a rude question, I apologize.”
The repeated questions began to annoy Hajin a bit. Even if the earlier question was asked out of boredom or genuine curiosity, why would Baek Jaan care whether Hajin wore gloves or not?
If Baek Jaan had been sociable from the beginning, Hajin wouldn’t have had such doubts. But he had maintained silence like his teammates, and then suddenly began bombarding Hajin with questions.
“Surely he hasn’t figured it out.”
Hajin could be certain of that.
Although he had been held in the man’s arms earlier, Hajin, who insisted on wearing long-sleeved shirts even in the height of summer, rarely exposed his bare skin except for his face. So there was no way the man could have realized he was a Guide.
But if not that, Hajin couldn’t understand why Baek Jaan was suddenly acting this way. Judging by the reactions of the other three Espers, he didn’t seem to be naturally sociable either.
“Is it intuition…?”
Hajin’s father was like that too. His father, a rare S-class Esper, also had an exceptionally good intuition. But that was something ordinary Hajin couldn’t understand.
Hajin shrugged and replied.
“No need to apologize. I’m just a bit of a neat freak, so I usually wear gloves.”
Germaphobia was the perfect excuse for not exposing skin and avoiding contact with others.
In reality, Hajin also liked cleanliness, so people easily fell for it when he diligently cleaned and sprayed disinfectant more than others.
“I see.”
The conversation ended there.
It wasn’t because a monster had appeared or anything. It was because no one naturally spoke up when Baek Jaan closed his mouth.
Hajin, not being one to initiate conversation either, actually found this silence comfortable. However, he still couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was strange.
It didn’t feel like interest had disappeared entirely, but rather like a temporary retreat.
“It would be best not to touch this man, even by accident.”
Even though Hajin had blocked his Guiding ability and only brushed against the man’s clothes, Baek Jaan’s attitude suggested he had sensed something.
Of course, it seemed the man had only instinctively felt something, not actually identified anything unusual about Hajin.
For Hajin, who wanted to hide his identity and maintain his current lifestyle, this was someone to be absolutely careful around.
As they continued to move forward, the dungeon remained peaceful. For Hajin, at least.
The monsters were being killed off without even touching a thread of the Espers’ clothes, who were toying with them using just a finger.
“It seems easier than I thought. Why did four S-class Espers come?”
Seeing how they weren’t tense at all, it meant this dungeon’s grade was far below their level. So why did S-class Espers specifically come?
The question was soon answered. As if confirming Hajin’s impression that it looked easy, the blonde Esper stretched and grumbled.
“If this dungeon hadn’t appeared in an urban area, we could have just assigned this to B-class Espers. Ah, I’m bored.”
“Han Seungho. There’s a civilian present.”
“Ugh.”
Han Seungho closed his mouth tightly at the rebuke from the brown-haired man with a reddish aura, Cha Jinwoo. Outwardly, he appeared to be around Hajin’s age, but judging by how Han Seungho couldn’t argue back, he seemed to be the leader of the group.
After reprimanding Han Seungho, he apologized to Hajin, who had heard the complaint.
“Please excuse us. He’s still young and immature, but he’s definitely not someone who neglects rescue missions.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Hajin truly didn’t mind. As long as they weren’t trying to kill him, what did it matter whether an Esper had a rotten personality or was like Mother Teresa?
“…I’m Cha Jinwoo, the leader of this team. The one who just made the rude remark is Han Seungho, and the black-haired one on the opposite side is Lee Doyoon. Including Esper Baek Jaan, we are all S-class Espers from headquarters.”
The sudden self-introduction caught Hajin off guard, but being seasoned in social interactions, he quickly understood the intention.
“So he misunderstood that I was upset.”
Hajin’s stiff manner of speaking often led to misunderstandings in situations like this.
Hajin had truly meant it when he said he didn’t mind, but his rigid tone and brief responses made it seem as if he was displeased. Additionally, his pretty yet cold expressionless face didn’t help.
“I’m Lee Hajin.”
They probably already knew from his exchange with Baek Jaan, but having nothing better to say, Hajin repeated his name.
“These guys might talk rough, but their skills are undeniable, so you can rest easy.”
No matter how exceptional these Espers were, as individuals affiliated with the state, they had to be mindful of citizens’ perceptions.
Now that one of them had complained about being bored in front of a citizen they were supposed to protect, Cha Jinwoo probably worried about their image being damaged, or that Hajin might file a complaint that could result in disciplinary action for Han Seungho.
His intention was to ease the awkward atmosphere by introducing themselves first. Getting to know each other’s names and exchanging greetings would make things less tense than dealing with complete strangers.
As precious S-class Espers, revealing their names might give Hajin a sense of connection to them. Of course, Hajin had no need for such connections.
In any case, having unintentionally put them on edge, Hajin wondered how to respond to the atmosphere that hadn’t relaxed despite him revealing his name first.
He didn’t want to maintain this atmosphere and remain in their memories.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Hajin really took ‘being ordinary’ to heart. So that was his reasoning why he gave up his chance to escape.