Aren't Guides Allowed to Bite Espers? - Chapter 4

Since Sawol was also in Team Alpha, it was time for her to finish guiding as well. Following Jisoo, the other Guides of Team Alpha came out one by one, but Sawol was nowhere in sight.

“Are you waiting for Gu Sawol?”

“Yeah.”

“But she’s gone.”

“What?”

It couldn’t be. Yugeon had been watching the main building for an hour. Flustered, he looked at Jisoo, who spoke as if it were a fact.

“She left early today because she had something to do.”

“When?”

“It’s been about an hour and a half?”

“Damn it. Ugh…”

Of all days, she decided to leave work early today. Yugeon buried his head in his hands and let out a frustrated sigh.

“What’s this? Oh? Isn’t this the chocolate they sell here? I love these.”

“Don’t touch it.”

“Just give me one. There’s plenty.”

“There’s someone I’m giving it to.”

“Is it Sawol? She’s already gone though?”

Yugeon ignored Jisoo’s words and manipulated his Center-issued smartwatch. When he activated the location tracking function, a holographic map unfolded.

[Please provide the ID to track.]

“AGS Gu Sawol.”

“You’re insane.”

Jisoo, who had been watching from the side, had an exasperated expression. Nevertheless, Yugeon securely fastened the chocolates he was holding behind his seat. He started the motorcycle’s engine and waited, trying to maintain his composure.

After a while, a red dot appeared on the holographic map, indicating Sawol’s location.

“Yeah. Let’s just give her the chocolates and be cool about it.”

Yugeon promised himself as if giving an order. But his body, driven by impulse, headed towards Sawol’s location with his eyes gleaming like fire. It was an adrenaline rush.

***

The map stopped at a jazz bar in Zone A17, far from the Center. When Yugeon arrived at the spot where Sawol was supposed to be, he found himself hesitating to enter, anxiously pacing around the entrance.

‘She said she had something to do, but is it some kind of appointment with someone she knows? She might not like it if I suddenly show up.’

Although he had come impulsively, practical considerations held him back. If he were to find out that she was being tracked using her work smartwatch and was being pursued, Sawol would surely dislike it.

In the end, he decided not to go in and thought that if Sawol came out, he would pretend to casually bump into her. Then he could naturally offer her one of the chocolates, claiming he had bought too many.

So, he was back to waiting. Yugeon sat crouched near the entrance, and right in front of him, a streetlamp began flickering.

It made a buzzing noise and suddenly went out completely. The area was already quite dark because the streetlamps were sparse, but now, with the light gone, it became even darker. It seemed like rain was about to fall, and a mist had started to envelop the area.

‘The surroundings are already eerie with the sparse streetlights.’

Occasionally, the sound of passing car tires echoed loudly. In the fog, it felt like a ghost could suddenly emerge at any moment.

Yugeon, who disliked supernatural occurrences like ghosts, felt a slight chill on his arm. He was already on edge, and suddenly something leaped out of the bushes.

Meow!

“Ah! You startled me!”

It was a kitten. The kitten startled Yugeon and then jumped to the other side.

“That little thing…”

Yugeon tried to calm his startled heart, clenched his fist, and leaned against the wall. As time passed, the fog became denser.

Yet, there was still no sign of Sawol. Despite the sign saying ‘jazz bar’, he couldn’t hear any music. He wondered if he had come to the wrong place out of sheer curiosity.

With idle curiosity, he glanced down towards the entrance. The shop’s door led deep underground.

‘Maybe I should just come back tomorrow…’

Thunk!

While Yugeon muttered to himself, lost in thought, a sudden loud noise echoed. His mind cleared in an instant, and he looked around in alarm.

Thump, clatter.

“Argh!”

In succession, sounds of breaking and piercing screams filled the air. It wasn’t far away.

Yugeon turned his head towards the direction of the noise. A person had just emerged from a nearby alley.

“Help! S-S-Save me!”

“What’s going on?”

“That, that thing…!”

Yugeon grabbed the woman who was rushing towards him, overwhelmed with fear. She seemed too terrified to speak properly.

Yugeon realized that it might be better to investigate himself rather than asking questions. He was about to rush towards the source of the noise when the woman grabbed his arm. Then, she stuttered out words, struggling to convey her message.

“T-the, th-that… a Creature…!”

“What? A Creature?”

“Yes, yes!”

Yugeon understood the gravity of the situation and immediately ran towards the noise.

‘Why is there a Creature here? The Gate alarm hasn’t even sounded!’

Yugeon entered the alley where the woman had rushed out, sending a distress signal to Team Alpha through his smartwatch. Inside the narrow alley, the walls were crumbling, and dust hung heavily in the air. Visibility was poor.

Cough, cough!

Using his telekinesis, he cleared away the dust, revealing a person lying on the ground. The person had some parts of their body torn open, and their internal organs were exposed.

The horrifying sight furrowed Yugeon’s brow involuntarily. Next to the injured person, there was a large hole in the wall. A Creature was continuously breaking through the wall and escaping.

Thud, thud, crash! Thud, BOOM!

Yugeon chased after the Creature, sprinting through the dusty and foggy surroundings. However, a sudden unease crept over him.

‘This direction is definitely…’

The path the Creature was heading led straight to the jazz bar where Yugeon had been waiting for Sawol just a while ago.

“Damn it!”

“She was trapped underground because the building collapsed. So, she didn’t seem to get attacked by the Creatures.”

Yugeon remembered the conversation he had with Hangyul earlier that day. He urgently checked his smartwatch for Sawol’s location.

It was still blinking, indicating that she hadn’t moved from the jazz bar.