TGIC Ch 77

Chapter 77

 

I prayed desperately that Vasily had cleared the gate without causing trouble, when Jo Wooyeon opened his mouth.

“Gidam-ssi, thank you. You saved our lives.”

“No, I didn’t really do anything……”

“You came here with Esper Vasily as soon as you got the call. Everyone was exhausted, so if support had arrived even a little later, things would’ve gone really bad.”

I neither confirmed nor denied his words and merely offered a faint smile.

In truth, what I did wasn’t all that remarkable. I had helped the espers clean up the scene, but that was just menial work anyone could do.

That alone wasn’t enough to deserve thanks from people who risked their lives fighting monsters on the field. So this gratitude must have been for bringing Vasily here.

My gaze turned toward the corpse of the monster the espers had taken down. Among them was also one that Vasily had killed.

“Esper Vasily seems incredible. He managed to take down such a strong monster in an instant… and just a few days ago, he single-handedly cleared all the gates near Seoul, didn’t he?”

Jo Wooyeon followed my gaze toward the corpses and continued speaking.

“Thanks to him, my business trip got canceled. Even though I ended up being dragged to a place like this now.”

Jo Wooyeon shrugged his shoulders and laughed.

“But why are you wearing an esper combat suit?”

“Ah, Esper Vasily told me to wear it, so I had no choice but to put it on.”

“It suits you well. I almost mistook you for an esper and walked right past you.”

Jo Wooyeon fiddled with the esper combat suit curiously, saying he wanted to try it on too. When I told him it was ten times more uncomfortable than a standard field suit, he flinched and pulled his hands away.

His reaction was so genuine that we both burst into laughter—when suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from behind us.

“What are you two talking about that’s so funny?”

“Ah, Esper Vasily.”

It seemed Vasily had finally finished the clear and returned.

But the moment Vasily approached me, a metallic stench of blood brushed past my nose. Searching for the source of the smell, I noticed blood steadily trickling from Vasily’s waist.

His gray suit was being darkly stained. What was strange was that the suit had been perfectly clean a moment ago, and only now was it becoming soaked with blood as if he’d just been injured.

What’s going on? Did he get hurt right before coming out? But Jo Wooyeon had said earlier that there were no injuries.

“Are you hurt?”

“Yes. The wound reopened.”

Vasily answered nonchalantly, as though talking about what he had eaten for lunch today.

“No, but how did it reopen when it was nearly healed…? Why didn’t you get first aid?”

He had been perfectly fine this morning. Unless he intentionally reopened it, there was no reason for it to worsen so suddenly.

Flustered, I reached out to check the wound—only for Vasily to suddenly press his lips against mine.

“Mm…!”

A cold tongue brushed against my lips and tried to slip into my mouth. Shocked, I shoved Vasily away.

“What are you doing…?!”

“We agreed you’d guide me after the clear was over. I’m injured—aren’t you going to guide me?”

Vasily easily stepped back but pressed close again, like a cat acting spoiled. I was too stunned by his sudden behavior to say anything.

Just then, I heard a small gasp from beside us. Ah—right, Jo Wooyeon must have witnessed this scene.

I turned to explain that this was merely guiding, but before I could, Vasily noticed my distraction and refused to let my gaze wander elsewhere.

“I’m hurt. Let’s go home, now.”

Vasily rubbed his forehead against my shoulder as he urged me. Seeing this massive man crouched down and acting spoiled left me completely frozen.

‘What on earth happened inside the gate?’

He didn’t just seem slightly unhinged—he seemed completely unmoored. I was so taken aback by this side of him I’d never seen before that I couldn’t even speak. Wondering what kind of new madness this was, I shot him a glare.

But there was no strange energy detected in his wavelength. I’d better check if he hit his head inside the gate.

Should I call a doctor…? No, maybe a psychiatric hospital would be better. With a grim expression, I opened my mouth.

“Guide Jo Wooyeon. I think Esper’s condition doesn’t look good, so I’ll just—”

I was about to say, ‘I’ll take my leave,’ when suddenly my body was yanked backward.

What?

Vasily and Jo Wooyeon were still standing in front of me. So who on earth had just grabbed my wrist with such brute force—

“Esper Vasily, my apologies! This kid hasn’t been awakened long, so he doesn’t understand field protocol!”

“…?”

“But thanks to him, we discovered a monster that was playing dead and were able to deal with it quietly. Without Esper Kwon Gidam, the scene would’ve turned into chaos by now…! What are you doing, bow your head!”

It was the voice of the esper squad leader. A hand pressed down on the back of my head, forcing it into a deep bow. My waist bent so far I nearly toppled over entirely.

Staring at the dirt filling my vision, my eyes trembled. The dry, black soil looked like the bleak future awaiting me.

……I’m doomed.

Apparently, the squad leader had completely misunderstood something. Well, from his perspective, I must’ve looked like a frail little C‑rank esper whose life was being threatened by Vasily. In reality, Vasily had forced his huge body into my arms and nearly knocked me over, so I guess it really did look like that.

A large, rough hand desperately pressed my head down.

It was nothing more than brute force, so I could easily break free if I wanted—but I didn’t want to. Vasily’s icy gaze glaring down at me was unbearable. The chill seemed to seep from somewhere, but I desperately wanted to believe it was just the cool night air.

“I don’t know what mistake Esper Kwon Gidam made, but I apologize on his behalf. Please overlook it just this once…”

The squad leader, still oblivious to the truth, seemed to think I’d done something to offend Vasily and was trying to placate him.

And now—Esper Kwon Gidam? I thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse, but apparently, the universe disagreed.

Poor Jo Wooyeon, caught in the crossfire. He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he couldn’t even leave and was probably darting his eyes around nervously. I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Ahh… Esper Kwon Gidam, is it?”

Vasily muttered in a low voice. Hearing the faint trace of anger in it, I clenched my teeth.

“Never heard that name before…”

“Yes, he only recently started working in the field, and his rank is low, so of course you wouldn’t know him, Esper.”

If I let this continue, more pointless words would spill out, so I wanted to shut the squad leader up. But instinctively, my body refused to straighten from its bow. My reason and impulses whispered in unison: Let’s just faint here and end this.

At that moment, Jo Wooyeon, who had quietly been observing this absurd scene, hesitantly spoke up.

“Um… excuse me, but… he’s a guide, though…?”

“…Excuse me?”

Silence fell.

The hand pressing my head trembled slightly.

Now, let’s recall why I was allowed to step in as a temporary guide. The association staff who came to find me had said this:

‘You’ve achieved a compatibility rate above a certain threshold with most espers…’

That’s right. The squad leader pressing my head right now was being guided too.

The strange sensation in his hand and Jo Wooyeon’s comment finally clued him in—he had just realized I was a guide. The squad leader’s hand lifted off my head. But I couldn’t raise my face yet.

Plop. A droplet fell onto the ground. I couldn’t tell if it was cold sweat from my forehead or tears I had shed.

Alright… mental preparation.

I counted to three in my head and lifted my gaze. Vasily, faintly smiling but with terrifyingly cold eyes; Jo Wooyeon, bewildered and unable to grasp the situation; and the squad leader, eyes trembling in horror as if struck by an earthquake.

Flawlessly ruined.

Facing reality head‑on made me want to run away. But given the situation, if I didn’t clean this up now, it would never be resolved. Somehow, I forced my trembling legs to stay put.

First, I should sort out the squad leader, whose jaw was practically dislocated in shock.

“Captain, I am indeed a guide. I wasn’t trying to deceive you—I just didn’t mention it sooner. I apologize.”

“Th‑then why are you wearing a combat suit…?”

“Because it’s near a Red Gate² and I thought it might be dangerous, so I borrowed it temporarily.”

Admitting it myself only threw the squad leader into deeper confusion. Leaving him flustered and speechless, I turned my head toward Jo Wooyeon next.

“Um… Guide Jo Wooyeon. I believe there’s been a small misunderstanding. I’ll handle things here, so you can go ahead. Isn’t your shuttle to the Association leaving soon?”

“Yes… then, I’ll get going.”

And so, Jo Wooyeon, swept up in this ridiculous mess, safely withdrew.

Even as he walked away, he kept glancing back anxiously, before finally disappearing from sight.

That left only Vasily.

“……”

Vasily, who had stayed silent until it was his turn, met my gaze. His arms crossed, he stared down at me with eyes chilled to the core.

² Red Gate – A term for high‑danger dungeons/gates that pose extreme threats; clearing them typically requires top‑tier hunters or espers.