# Chapter 17
“Okay. I won’t go either. I’m doing this because I value my life and don’t want to die. If Seo Eunwoo Esper says he’ll stay here, then this will be the safer place between the two. But in return, you have to protect me well.”
His voice sounded cheerful.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a forlorn look.
He seemed to be fighting back laughter.
He definitely seemed angry though.
“Ha, damn it. What should I say?”
Did things get complicated because of me?
Why not just go? Why stay because of me?
No, he shouldn’t go. He should stay here so he can at least help protect the Center’s safety.
“Seo Eunwoo. You’re a strange creature.”
He’s just playing around.
Who is he calling a strange creature?
With those decadent eyes, raising his eyelashes like that.
***
High-ranking Espers escaping finally happened.
However, the Center didn’t take any special measures.
They seemed to have decided it was better to pretend not to know since the number of people who escaped wasn’t that high yet.
It was similar to the development in the original novel.
The Center’s researchers and administrative team were busy investigating the dungeon where the Gate appeared before it disappeared on its own, and the S-class Espers also spent most of their time there.
This meant I could move around the Center extremely freely.
The edge of the forest had now become our hideout, and I had even placed a sunbed there as I harshly trained Ha-min while watching him.
At first, I brought a sunbed that cost just a few hundred dollars, but when Tae-young saw it, he asked what I was doing, got rid of it, and brought an ultra-luxury sunbed worth tens of thousands of dollars.
It absolutely didn’t fit in such a place – I mean, what kind of sunbed costs nearly a hundred thousand dollars?
I thought he must have lost his mind because he earns a lot of money but has nowhere to spend it.
I cursed a lot in my mind, wondering why he would spend money on something that wouldn’t be used often, but once I started using it, it was comfortable, and since he had already paid for it, I figured I should make good use of it, so I was really using it diligently.
As I sat there sipping iced Americano while watching Ha-min, he sighed and said, “Eunwoo. Can’t you read a book or look somewhere else?”
“Why? Do you want a break?”
“No. I’ll do well, but it’s a bit burdensome when you look at me with such intense, burning eyes.”
Ha-min’s arms were trembling as he spoke.
The horse stance had become very simple for him now, so I made him raise his arms, and starting in two days, he would wear rings on his arms while doing it.
“Huuugh…!!”
Watching Ha-min as he trembled, tears in his eyes, making such pitiful sounds, often made my heart waver.
“Ha-min. Do you want to stop?”
“Nooo…!”
“Then should I go somewhere else?”
“No. I like you being there if you’re not bored. Don’t mind what I said earlier.”
“Ha-min. You know I’m not doing this to torment you, right?”
“Of course. Obviously. It’s because of the ‘Gate,’ right? I know how much you worry about me. And I think what you said about Guides needing to be strong makes sense too. I even tried to ask other Guides to train together, but they wouldn’t even give me the time of day.”
The S-class Espers’ treatment had changed strangely, but Ha-min’s treatment at the Center hadn’t changed much.
Neither the Espers nor the Guides liked Ha-min, and they still seemed to conspire to bully him.
If they attempt such things even when I’m around, I can’t even imagine how much worse it is when he’s alone.
Still, he himself seemed quite content with his current life.
“Next time, should we ask the Espers if you can come along to the dungeon too, Ha-min?”
“Me too?”
“Yeah. I don’t know who will agree, but at least one person might?”
“Why me? Because it would be good if I were nearby to provide Guiding right away?”
Ha-min seemed pleased that I suggested this.
Until then, he had looked like he was about to die from exhaustion, but his expression suddenly brightened.
Looking at Ha-min like that, I remembered something I had forgotten.
While reading the novel, I had cheered for Ha-min more than anyone.
I was upset about his unfortunate situation and angry about the harsh treatment he received. I wanted to tell him that he didn’t deserve such treatment, but when I actually entered the novel, I completely forgot those feelings because I was in a hostile relationship with Ha-min and my life was in danger.
“Hey, Ha-min.”
“Yeah?”
“You are a one-of-a-kind existence in this world.”
I said the words I had wanted to tell him while reading the novel.
“…”
A blush appeared on Ha-min’s face.
Wow…
So this isn’t something just anyone should say.
It seems like someone like me shouldn’t be saying such things.
It felt so awkward that I immediately regretted it.
I wanted to just close my mouth, but when I saw Ha-min’s eyes, I couldn’t.
And rather than giving him vague hope with such ambiguous words, I also wanted to instill confidence in him.
“Ha-min. You know I’m a special person, right?”
“Of course. Obviously. There’s no one like you. You’re the best in the Center. I actually think you’re an Esper above S-class.”
Hey! This guy’s intuition?!
“Then you believe what I say too, right?”
“Of course, Eunwoo.”
“Ha-min. I think that even though you’re a Guide, you might have attack abilities stronger than your Guiding abilities.”
“…Huh?”
He seemed like he wanted to believe everything I said, but that was probably a bit difficult.
Still, it didn’t matter.
I just wanted to say it once anyway.
And since I had already gone through the trouble of saying it, I said it once more clearly.
“I think you’ve awakened both Esper and Guide abilities. It’s just that your Esper abilities haven’t manifested yet, but I don’t think it will take long.”
Ha-min smiled.
He didn’t say anything either way, he just smiled.
I couldn’t tell what Ha-min thought about my words, but that was enough.
***
After having a leisurely meal with Ha-min and returning to my room, I formed a plan.
I needed to approach the S-class Espers, but I wasn’t sure how to do it.
Would they listen if I asked them to take Ha-min to the dungeon?
Who would be the easiest to convince…
Should I target Kyun In first?
Should I threaten to expose their plan to escape the Center if they don’t listen?
That was a very typical idea from me, but I decided to give others a chance first.
Maybe someone might willingly agree.
If there was such a person, how happy would Ha-min be?
His self-esteem, which had been at rock bottom all this time, might be completely restored.
‘Yes. Good. Let’s try talking to other people first, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll threaten Kyun In as a last resort. Should I talk to Tae-young then?’
Woo-jin’s thoughts and actions were too hard to understand, so Tae-young seemed better.
With that in mind, I lay down to sleep.
Nothing had happened for a long time, and the S-class Espers hadn’t bothered us, making it almost unnerving how peaceful it was.
After being harassed so much, could I not sleep because it was too peaceful now?
Soon, other thoughts came to mind.
‘What should I say to make Tae-young take Ha-min to the dungeon? Even though they act like they dislike Ha-min, they’re all obsessive stalkers, so if Ha-min asks, they’ll probably agree?’
From the beginning, I couldn’t understand the relationship between Espers and Guides.
How could the treatment of Guides be so poor when their existence is so important in this world?
I had told my sister several times that it seemed strange, but each time she just said I didn’t know anything.
But after coming here, I definitely understood.
Guides were like toys for those in power.
No, if they were toys, they wouldn’t be treated so carelessly…
It would be more accurate to say they were like prostitutes for those in power.
Ha-min’s Guiding method seems special, but unless his Espers mentioned it, there was no way for others to know.
So it was clear without even looking how people would think about Ha-min, who was exclusively in charge of three Espers.
Even if they didn’t say it out loud, they were misunderstanding Ha-min as they pleased and secretly mocking him.
‘There might even be people who say it out loud.’
If the S-class Espers explained it accurately, Ha-min wouldn’t be treated that way.
‘Even I didn’t know Ha-min’s Guiding was special until I saw it directly.’
Anyway, from now on, I would teach Ha-min well, help him recover his lost self-esteem, and make him reborn as a strategist.
‘I think I can do it well. I really think I can do this perfectly!!’
I was so fired up that I couldn’t sleep at all.
In the end, I completely failed to sleep and overslept.
***
As I was hurrying, worried that Ha-min might be waiting alone in the cafeteria, watching everyone else, I heard the voice of the person I was looking for from behind.
When I turned around, Ha-min came dragging his legs, unable to run properly.
I was about to ask what happened when I realized it was because of what I had done.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
