Chapter 3: Fists And Tears

“Ugh!”

The teleport Esper rolled across the ground after taking a direct hit to the face. Judging by the pain twisting his expression, the punch had landed pretty well.

Even if an Esper’s body was like steel, when two steels clashed, injury was inevitable.

Taehwan, who had mercilessly used his strength against a mere B-rank, clenched his fist again and approached.
It didn’t look like he intended to stop at just one hit.

Opening his eyes to the familiar energy, Bodam grabbed onto Taehwan, who was walking toward the fallen Esper.

“Hey, that’s enough. Stop it.”

There were too many eyes watching. The teams stationed around the gate and the free agents paired up in twos were all staring at Taehwan, who had just punched an Esper instead of a monster.

The scent of a fight had drawn curious and excited stares like moths to a flame.

“I said stop. I’m fine.”

Suppressing the smile that tried to creep up, Bodam spoke.

He wanted to boast: ‘Our Espers may have terrible personalities, but they’re crazy protective over me,’ or something like that.

He wanted to lift his miserable image even a little. It was the basic desire to be envied, not pitied.

“I’m not even hurt—”

“Shut up.”

Taehwan shook off Bodam’s hand and growled in a low voice.

When Taehwan’s normally loud voice dropped like that, it meant he was completely pissed off.

Seriously.

So even you care about me in your own f*cked up way, huh.

Realizing this for the first time in six months, Bodam’s face heated up awkwardly. He clutched onto Taehwan’s arm again.

Looking closely, the teleport Esper was bleeding from both nostrils. From the amount of blood, it looked like his nose was broken.

He didn’t seem like a bad Esper, just one who got carried away because of Bodam’s kiss. Feeling guilty, Bodam tried to calm Taehwan down once more.

“I’m really fine. It’s just a little touching. It’s not like I’m gonna wear out—”

Wham.

This time, Bodam got slammed into the ground. Taehwan didn’t just shake him off — he practically threw him. Bodam’s slender body was flung far across the ground.

“You want me to make sure you’re not fine?”

Taehwan, now switching targets from the teleport Esper to Bodam, growled. His voice was so low and rough it chilled Bodam to the bone.

“Huh? Keep acting tough. I wanna see how long that lasts.”

It was as if Bodam could hear Taehwan’s brain snapping. That bastard always did this. Even if things were fine, he always found a reason to get mad.

“What the fck do you even have that you’re acting cocky about? Fck, are you desperate to get eaten alive or something?”

Piece of sh*t.

If you’re gonna worry, just worry.

If you’re gonna curse, just curse.

Pick one!

“Answer me!”

“You told me to shut up!”

As Taehwan stormed closer and shouted, Bodam matched his volume. When there were this many people watching, it somehow pumped up a man’s pride.

“It’s not like I stripped naked and danced! Did I wag my tail asking to get groped?! I just came because I got summoned, why are you flipping out?!”

“And you think yelling about it makes it better?! How many times do I have to tell you to behave yourself!”

“I was stabilizing the teleport Esper’s powers with guiding, that’s why!”

“And you’re his guide? Are you so full of yourself you think you can just go around helping random Espers? Maybe you need to get f*cked and broken before you learn!”

Bodam slammed his fist into the ground with all his might. He wished he could slam it into Taehwan’s solar plexus instead.

Did he really have to scream at him in front of everyone to feel better? Seriously, f*ck this guy.

“Yeah! I’m just overflowing with—”

Bodam couldn’t finish the sentence.

The nausea surged up again, stress layered on top of an upset stomach.

Clutching his mouth, Bodam fought back the vomit. Taehwan let out a mocking laugh as he looked down at him.

“Every time someone says a word to you, you cry or puke. What a f*cking show.”

“I didn’t cry,”

Bodam tried to argue, but his voice cracked from swallowing down the bitter bile. His eyes, already glistening, threatened to spill over.

Seeing that, Taehwan clicked his tongue and turned away. Looking down at the ground made him seem even more disgusted than he already was.

He let out a scornful sigh and walked over to the teleport Esper.

“Hey. I get it, you’re hurt. Now get the f*ck up.”

“Y-Yes?”

The Esper, with a stuffed-up nose voice, looked desperately at Bodam. Begging him to stop the crazy dog, Taehwan. But Bodam, face down on the ground, didn’t notice.

“If you’re here to work, then work. Stop lusting after someone else’s property.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

The teleport Esper bowed his head repeatedly, face flushed red. His nose was still bleeding, but now his cheeks were starting to swell too.

“Back to the center. You have one minute.”

Grabbing the Esper by the scruff of his neck, Taehwan barked. The Esper, still clutching his nose, stammered,

“What about the guide?”

“Leave that little sh*t. He’s gotta work too.”

Taehwan spat on the ground, glared at the crumpled Bodam, and dragged the teleport Esper away. The Esper, jolted awake by fear, quickly steadied his breath to teleport out.

“Tch. Came all the way here for this sh*t…”

Grinding his teeth, Taehwan muttered as he disappeared.

“F*cking bastard…”

Bodam muttered back from where he lay. Finally, the spectators who had been murmuring gathered around him.

“Are you okay?”

“Hey, Bodam-nim, try getting up.”

“Are you embarrassed? Is that why you’re not moving?”

As voices called out from all sides, Bodam waved them off.

“I’m fine. Go back to your work.”

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to answer without lifting his head. He wasn’t grateful at all. They were the same people who had only watched when he was being beaten and humiliated.

Only now, after he had been left alone and broken, did they pretend to care. He hated himself for even thinking like this.

While the nosy crowd lingered, the gate opened.

The gate, a tear in the empty air leading to the domain of monstrous creatures, formed. Whenever a gate opened, it expanded into a whirling passage of all shapes and sizes.

“Bodam-nim! Get up!”

Standard procedure was to keep a safe distance until the gate fully opened. No one knew what kind of threat might emerge.

Until the creature appeared, all you could do was wait and pray.

“Yoon Bodam-nim! Quickly!”

During this brief window, all Espers frantically protected their guides. Because once the creature came through, anything could happen.

In the midst of that urgency, Bodam was left alone to fend for himself. His team’s Espers either forgot he existed or didn’t care if he survived.

The rats like Bodam somehow kept surviving.

Even when once, a gate almost sucked him in while he was hiding. It had happened just two weeks ago, with the youngest member, Kang Ijun, standing by laughing.

Bodam had grabbed onto weeds and crawled out like a worm, and Kang had just watched.

He had been plagued by nightmares about losing his leg for a week after that.

That time, he had seriously considered quitting. If not for the late-night phone call from his mother, he would’ve.

“Hey! Guide Yoon!”

“Come here, Guide-nim!”

Everyone only flapped their mouths. None of them moved to help Bodam as he sat dangerously close to the now massive gate.

“Just leave me.”

Bodam weakly waved them off again. He had no strength left to argue.

The gate grew, swallowing the sky, and dazzling light flashed. The creature was about to come out.

Bodam dusted off his pants and stood. He had no energy to run, but it wasn’t necessary. The being coming through that gate was someone he couldn’t escape from.

He recognized the energy seeping out.

“Right on time.”

The one who stepped through the now 2-meter-high gate was Kang Ijun, the fresh-faced youngest of Team 3.

Waving his fingers like calling a dog, Ijun grinned. His beauty was so blinding it could pierce the heavens.

With bright reddish-brown hair and a delicate face, he was breathtaking even among Espers.

“Hyung, did you cry again?”

Bodam almost reflexively shook his head but stopped. Ijun hated being lied to more than anything.

“A little.”

“You really love crying, huh.”

In front of dozens of people, Ijun shamelessly stroked Bodam’s cheek. The smell of monster blood clung thick to him.

Dripping with filth, he still flung his arms open and hugged his guide tight.

“Ah, this feels so good.”

Nuzzling into Bodam’s collar, Ijun whispered,

“Hyung’s guiding is the best.”

His sharp nose grazed Bodam’s collarbone as he greedily sucked up the guiding energy like a hungry summer mosquito.

But Kang Ijun…

“By the way, hyung.”

He was Team 3’s official manic-depressive.

“Why do you smell like someone else?”