The Civil Complaints Division team members, who couldn’t join the outing, bid a reluctant farewell to the four heading to the field.
“But Team Lead Kim Mi-young, aren’t you going?”
“I usually don’t go on-site. And I’m not feeling well today.”
Seeing how pale Kim Mi-young looked, Ho-eun approached her, visibly concerned. Just as he was about to place his hand on her forehead, Do In-ho gently caught his hand.
“You should probably go to the hospital.”
Looking down at his caught hand, Ho-eun inwardly flinched. He had raised it instinctively, like he would with Do In-ho.
I almost made Team Lead Kim uncomfortable.
Grateful for Do In-ho’s perfectly timed intervention, Ho-eun nodded in silent agreement.
“Red, take Team Lead Kim back.”
Ha-jun, eyeing Kim Mi-young—her hair damp with cold sweat—gave the order to Red. Red stepped forward to assist her, but she briskly refused and left the office alone.
“Will she be okay?”
“Let’s head out for now.”
At Ho-eun’s suggestion, Ha-jun watched Kim Mi-young’s retreating figure for a moment, then shifted the topic. Black pulled car keys from her pocket and announced it was time to go.
The four of them headed to the underground parking lot. Black opened the driver’s seat of a black SUV Benz. The tough-looking car suited her perfectly, dressed as she was in black boots and a leather jacket. The car’s spacious interior and high ceiling ensured even Do In-ho could sit comfortably.
“I thought you said you’d use your ability to get us there?”
Seated in the back, Ho-eun asked cautiously.
“Yes. This car is my Ability Product.”
“Whoa, really?”
“Teleportation abilities are supposed to be easy as long as you understand coordinates well, but… I’m not good at that. So I embedded my ability into a car—or a motorcycle—to use it more easily.”
Black smiled shyly as she entered the destination into the car’s navigation system.
“Alright then, let’s go!”
The engine roared to life, and as she stepped on the gas, the scenery outside began blurring by at dizzying speed. It moved so fast that objects lost their shape entirely—like fluorescent lights streaking across a black background.
Even after several experiences, teleportation always made Ho-eun nauseous. Do In-ho cradled him in his arms, gently patting his back.
“We’ve arrived.”
By the time Ho-eun slumped against the seat, Do In-ho had already stepped out and was opening his door, helping him out.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
A pleasant grassy scent mixed with the unmistakable stench of cow manure hit his nose. The car had stopped in the middle of a dirt road surrounded by rice paddies. No tall buildings in sight—only wide open space.
Sangju City, Gongsung-myeon, Uhari.
They checked the sign and confirmed they were close. Wearing an awkward smile, Black opened the driver’s door again.
“Maybe the GPS glitched. Haha. How about we enjoy the view and make it a scenic drive?”
With her sheepish grin, the car began bouncing down a bumpy country road again.
Finding the village head’s house was easy. Among the low-built homes, only one stood out with a blue roof and two floors, built in a standalone style. As they neared it, the sound of a TV blared from a speaker set up outside.
“We’re here!”
After parking in the yard, Ha-jun handed out uniforms from a shopping bag stashed beneath the passenger seat. For a moment, Ho-eun thought he’d be given a Colorful Rangers uniform, but what greeted him was a light beige windbreaker.
Though he worried a long-sleeved jacket might be too warm under the blazing sun, the functional fabric suggested it’d stay breathable even if he sweat.
The back of the jacket had “Korea Esper Association” written in a circular shape with an emblem inside.
“Village Head! We’re from the Esper Association!”
Ha-jun knocked on the door naturally, and a stooped, elderly man—who looked to be about seventy—shuffled out.
“Oho, the city folks have arrived, have they?”
“Hello, sir. We’re here to help with the crop restoration you requested.”
Ha-jun easily struck up conversation with the village head. The damaged field was at the foot of the mountain, destroyed by a landslide during the rainy season.
Ho-eun filmed Ha-jun and the village head with a camcorder. The village head handed out work gloves and straw hats. Black, familiar with the gear, put them on without hesitation, then pulled out a pair of sporty sunglasses. Her graceful movements, topped with a slick smile, made her look stunning on camera.
“Let’s head to the site, shall we?”
Finally, after changing into gleaming rain boots, they followed the village head to the location.
“Want me to take over the filming? Doesn’t your arm hurt?”
“I’m still good! Let’s switch if it does.”
Watching Ho-eun film with the camcorder, Do In-ho hovered nervously. Even though it wasn’t a professional studio camera—just a small camcorder—he couldn’t help worrying about Ho-eun lugging it around.
On one hand, it was a relief that Ho-eun was behind the camera and wouldn’t appear in the footage, but the longer he carried that thing, the more likely he’d injure his wrist.
Had Ho-eun known what In-ho was thinking, he probably would’ve doubled over laughing.
“This is pretty bad.”
At the site, the four of them looked over the devastated field. The cornfield had been buried under mud and debris from the mountain.
“Leave this to me.”
Ha-jun said confidently. Unfolding a large blue tarp at the entrance to the field, he walked into the center of the cornfield and placed his hand on the soil. A blue glow spread across the earth.
“Fly high, fly high!”
“Pfft.”
Ho-eun barely suppressed a laugh. It was his first time seeing an Esper shout out what sounded like a game skill name. The guy had character—and Ho-eun made a mental note to be sure this part made it into the video.
—Whoosh!
Dirt and rocks began levitating in unison. So that’s telekinesis, Ho-eun thought, watching in awe as the debris slowly rose into the air. The moment it started drifting toward the blue tarp, it crashed down with a heavy thud.
“Huff… Huff…”
Wiping sweat from his brow, Ha-jun extended a hand. “Time out. Just give me a sec.” He sounded flustered.
“Are you feeling okay?!”
Ho-eun passed the camcorder to Do In-ho and rushed over. Before entering the site, they had checked Ha-jun and Black’s guiding data via their guide watches, and there hadn’t been any signs of deficiency.
“Truth is… I can’t hold it for more than five seconds. I’ll rest a bit and try again.”
Ha-jun pulled his cap low, avoiding eye contact in embarrassment.
“Oh. Then I’ll go grab some water while we rest.”
He can’t use his ability for more than five seconds. As a non-Esper, Ho-eun didn’t fully grasp what that meant—but imagining Ha-jun at the anti-government Esper scene last time made his mouth go dry.
To fetch water for Ha-jun, Ho-eun and Do In-ho headed back toward the village.
“In-ho, how’d you find out about the Civil Complaints Division?”
“I was looking for a low-risk field assignment.”
“So then… is what Team Lead Kim said true? That they’re called the Grunt Work Division?”
Do In-ho matched his pace to Ho-eun’s. The countryside, with cicadas chirping, was nothing short of peaceful. It hardly seemed like a ‘field site’ at all.
“Did you notice how every Civil Complaints member has an Ability Product?”
“An Ability Product? Now that you mention it, everyone except Team Lead Ha-jun had one.”
“Ability Products can store Esper powers, sure—but they’re also used to assist Espers who struggle with control.”
Do In-ho had realized it as soon as he joined the Civil Complaints Division. It was a collective of Espers with incomplete abilities. They couldn’t control their powers—or more accurately, their bodies couldn’t withstand them.
“I didn’t know they were called the Grunt Work Division, but… I did know they were made up of Espers too weak for high-risk fieldwork.”
“I see.”
Ho-eun looked up at the cloudless blue sky. He’d always thought Espers were like heroes in movies—showy, larger-than-life powers bursting from their hands.
“At first, I just thought they were quirky. Colorful Rangers, code names and all. When he shouted that ‘skill name’ earlier, I almost laughed, honestly.”
When choosing the site, Do In-ho had worried. Would Ho-eun be disappointed by such a low-level assignment? He knew how earnest Ho-eun was about this video.
He’d considered taking him to a higher-ranked site, one with an A-Class Esper leading the team, thinking it would yield better footage.
But in the end, he’d chosen Ho-eun’s safety.
The two stopped in front of a tiny general store.
“Let’s grab water… and maybe some ice cream?”
“?”
“You saw him use his ability, right? All that dirt, lifted in one go. He says it only lasted a few seconds, but if the villagers had tried to do that themselves, it would’ve taken hours.”
“……”
“Maybe people mock them as the Grunt Work Division. But to civilians, Espers like them matter. Call it what you want—they’re still Espers.”
Ho-eun thought of Ha-jun’s flustered face as he’d hidden under his cap. These people were ashamed of themselves. Even though they were helping others, they couldn’t stand tall. Compared themselves to others and shrank.
“I’m down for ice cream.”
With a small smile, Ho-eun walked into the store.
Do In-ho lingered, his expression darkening. Ho-eun really was too kind.
And now that he’d seen someone else bask in that warmth—heard Ho-eun’s gentle words directed at someone else—that ugly, bitter emotion crept up from beneath his feet.
“…You two should head back before he notices.”
He spoke to the two Civil Complaints members who had been secretly tailing them.
“Neither of us—nor Ho-eun—plans to say anything about your abilities. So go.”
Despite having masked their presence perfectly, they’d been caught almost instantly. Without even looking at them, Do In-ho delivered his warning and followed Ho-eun into the store.
“…Team Lead…”
Black placed both hands over her chest. Her heart was racing—and so was Ha-jun’s. The two turned to each other and gave a high-five.
“Amazing! I mean, Guide Kwon Ho-eun is a total angel! I’ve never met a Guide like him before!”
“Seriously. After all the cold shoulders, hearing something like that is… really nice.”
“Do In-ho’s charisma was a little scary though. But still—I’m glad we followed them.”
“Same here. Let’s get back to our spots. When they return, I really want to show them what we can do.”
“Let’s do it!”
With Ho-eun’s words ringing in their ears, the two of them quickly made their way back.
Above their heads, the once-cloudless sky began to darken with approaching storm clouds.
