Aren't Guides Allowed to Bite Espers? - Chapter 3
Yugeon hadn’t been with Team Alpha for long, but he could tell—Sawol treated Hangyul differently from other team members. While she always maintained a calm, cool façade around them, in front of Hangyul, she occasionally smiled.
She would casually run her fingers through his hair or rest her hand on his shoulder, engaging in light physical contact without any hesitation. At first, Yugeon was genuinely surprised.
Yugeon waited for Hangyul’s response, but Hangyul remained tight-lipped.
“What’s going on? Is it a secret? Could it be that you two are already a pair, and I’m the only one who doesn’t know?”
Yugeon asked again, looking at Hangyul, who finally cracked a vague smile and spoke.
“Sawol isn’t paired with anyone.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, really.”
Hangyul replied casually.
‘Is he genuinely clueless, or does he not want to share the information?’
Yugeon thought to himself. Even though he was his brother, it was difficult to read Hangyul’s thoughts.
“Tell me more about Gu Sawol.”
“What about her?”
“You’re close to her, right?”
“Well…”
Hangyul grabbed Yugeon’s arm and pulled him up. The gesture reminded him that they were in a training facility, so they should focus on training and not fool around.
“But why are you avoiding the question? I asked if you want to pair up with Gu Sawol, and you said she hasn’t paired with anyone. Has she rejected you too?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on!”
Yugeon lunged at Hangyul. Hangyul deftly dodged him, laughing as if he were teasing Yugeon.
“We used to be close, I think, but nowadays, I really don’t know. Something changed in Sawol after that accident.”
“Accident?”
“The accident at Branch B’s Emission Gate. Sawol was at the scene.”
The Emission Gate of Branch B was a unique type of gate that first appeared in Branch B five years ago. Unlike regular gates that would disappear if you killed the boss Creature within a certain time frame, the Gate of Branch B started generating Creature waves from the moment it opened.
Creature waves referred to Creatures pouring out of the gate. If there had been a Guide with combat abilities similar to an ordinary person at the scene, the outcome would have been painfully obvious.
“How did she survive?”
The Branch B’s Emission Gate caused numerous casualties. People bitten by Creatures became infected and gradually lost their human form, undergoing transformation into Creatures.
Once they fully transformed into Creatures, they lost their sanity and attacked people. Even though they were once human, Espers had no choice but to eliminate them.
Otherwise, with their exceptional vitality and sharp teeth, they would become a threat and give birth to more Creatures.
“She was trapped underground because the building collapsed. So, she didn’t seem to get attacked by the Creatures.”
“That’s fortunate.”
“It is. It’s undisclosed information to the outside world, so you’re the only one who knows.”
“Well…”
However, not everyone bitten by Creatures turned into Creatures themselves. Most couldn’t resist the poison and underwent the transformation, but there were those who survived, overcoming the poison.
They had a form that was part Creature and part human, and they were called ‘Cremen’.
The accident at Branch B’s Emission Gate led to a large number of ordinary people becoming Cremen. Cremen looked just like humans most of the time. However, they had to periodically consume the blood of living Creatures that belonged to the same species as the Creatures to avoid further transformation.
Because of this, the Center classified Cremen as dangerous beings similar to Creatures and thus allowed all citizens to carry firearms.
The government also publicly issued an order to kill them on sight.
As a result, they lived hidden from the eyes of the public.
“But it seems like she developed trauma from that time. She was in the same space with corpses for a long time. It’s like she’s distancing herself from people due to the shock from back then.”
Yugeon fell silent for a moment. If that was the case, maybe he didn’t insist on following her around every day, urging her for guiding, or pushing for a pair just because he disliked himself, but because he didn’t understand her discomfort.
But…
“You stink.”
Does that mean he reeks of corpses to her?
Yugeon sniffed himself, trying to detect any unusual odor. He couldn’t understand her words at all, and it only made his thoughts more complicated.
What is she thinking…
“Ha… I don’t know. Maybe I should just wait until I go on a rampage? Maybe she’ll guide me then.”
“I think Sawol might just let you die.”
“I guess, huh? …Yeah, I have a feeling that might be the case.”
Although Hangyul replied jokingly, Yugeon didn’t perceive Hangyul’s words as mere jest.
***
Yugeon planned to apologize to Sawol. After hearing about the incident, he understood that there might be some underlying reasons, and it must have been uncomfortable for Sawol when he insisted on forming a pair as Hangyul had mentioned.
So, he decided to approach her slowly to build rapport. First, he asked Hangyul about Sawol’s favorite food.
“I think I’ve seen her order chocolates from the handmade chocolate shop across the Center.”
Yugeon immediately sprinted to the shop and bought three sets of chocolates. He stood in front of the main building, waiting for Sawol to finish work.
He planned to hand her the chocolates, apologize for making her uncomfortable, and then coolly leave on his motorcycle, avoiding any further awkwardness.
“I’m seriously going this far, huh. I’ve never bought something like this in my life.”
While waiting for Sawol, he felt a slight sense of embarrassment, but he quickly brushed it aside. What’s the big deal about this? If he wanted to impress the Queen of Branch A, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.
“But why isn’t she coming out?”
Just then, it wasn’t Sawol but Jisoo, an A-Class Guide from Team Alpha, who came out from the main building. He approached Yugeon and shook his hand.
“Why aren’t you going home?”
“Why are you the only one coming out? Where’s Gu Sawol?”
