The Troublemaker Esper’s Karma Cleanup Is Self-Service - Ch3
As the blue-eyed Esper turned his head back around, the other Espers quietly nodded in agreement.
That was when it happened.
The dragon’s body tore apart in Baek Han-Gyeol’s hands.
Thick chunks of flesh dropped onto the ground with dark crimson blood. Its once-brilliant yellow eyes faded to an ashen gray before going completely dull.
Then, without warning, white light bloomed around its corpse.
Before long, the chunks of flesh transformed into lumps wrapped in black plastic, while the dragon’s eyeballs turned into vivid red elemental gems.
Baek Han-Gyeol looked down at the ground and breathed heavily.
It felt as though his entire body were being ripped apart.
His eyes burned as if they were about to burst, until eventually, his entire vision became stained red.
In movies and games, when you kill monsters like this, they usually drop useful items or something…
Reality wasn’t like that.
Baek Han-Gyeol wiped away the blood obstructing his vision with the back of his hand.
Then he suddenly flinched and grabbed one of his hands.
“…They said the heat resistance was guaranteed.”
What a fucking scam.
Muttering through clenched teeth, Baek Han-Gyeol tried to remove one glove.
But the flesh underneath had already melted and fused to the material, sticking with every movement.
His expression twisted from the pain of raw skin tearing away.
“Esper Baek Han-Gyeol. Are you all right?”
One of the S-rank Espers who had approached placed a hand on his shoulder.
Baek Han-Gyeol’s eyes immediately sharpened.
His gaze fell to the hand resting on him.
“Take your hand off.”
“……”
The Esper carefully controlled his expression and silently stepped away.
Baek Han-Gyeol paid him no further attention.
After steadying his breathing, he followed the distant white light ahead.
The place where the source of the Gate was embedded.
Only he could see it.
And only he could sever it.
That was why the other Espers looked puzzled as they watched Baek Han-Gyeol trudge forward alone.
Where the hell is he going?
Unable to understand, the S-rank Espers cautiously followed him while covering the surrounding area.
Baek Han-Gyeol couldn’t care less.
He simply kept walking.
His legs trembled like pendulums.
Still, he walked.
If he stopped, it was over.
Only when he finally reached the white light did its oppressive presence truly hit him.
Baek Han-Gyeol let out a short breath.
“Hah…”
He glanced over his shoulder.
The other Espers had already stopped far behind him and were simply staring.
As though he had expected exactly that, Baek Han-Gyeol let out a breathy laugh.
Then he faced forward again, lifted one hand high, and waved it lazily through the air.
“You guys are even farther away today.”
Lately, the Espers assigned to follow him had been keeping more and more distance from him with every Gate.
“Well, this is better. Less annoying.”
A vague fear of death suddenly began creeping up Baek Han-Gyeol’s legs.
Recently, whenever he encountered the Gate’s white light, this feeling always surfaced.
He knew better than anyone what kind of pain awaited him once he entered.
And because he knew—
fear came with it.
It was a part of himself he could never show anyone.
He didn’t want to die.
Yet here he was, throwing himself into a place that always made him feel as though he would.
Baek Han-Gyeol gave himself a mocking smile, slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.
“As long as I don’t fucking die, it’s fine.”
And with that—
his body was slowly swallowed by the white light.
***
For some reason, Lee Yoon-Gyeom found himself back on the rooftop of the building he had thrown himself from.
He stood blankly in the middle of it, staring up at the sky.
His feet impatiently tapped against the ground.
“…He should be falling by now…”
Yoon-Gyeom’s eyes were hazy, almost as though he weren’t conscious.
And yet his lips continued to mutter as though he were fully awake.
Then suddenly—
the sky split open in a brilliant yellow light.
“He’s here. Baek Han-Gyeol.”
As though he had been waiting for him, Lee Yoon-Gyeom threw both arms high into the air.
He even moved back and forth, constantly adjusting his position to where Baek Han-Gyeol was falling.
Before long, Yoon-Gyeom’s eyes began glowing gold.
“…?”
Baek Han-Gyeol, who was plummeting through the air, looked down in confusion.
He had only opened his eyes to figure out how to land.
Instead, he found a slender man standing below with both arms spread wide.
Is he seriously… trying to catch me?
Anyone would have wondered the same thing after seeing that.
Baek Han-Gyeol tried to slow his descent and land somewhere else.
But the man was quick.
The moment Baek Han-Gyeol came within reach, Lee Yoon-Gyeom wrapped his arms tightly around his large body.
The impact sent Yoon-Gyeom stumbling backward.
“…Urgh…”
Normally, Baek Han-Gyeol would have demanded to know who the hell this person was and why he was here.
But right now, he didn’t have the presence of mind.
The burns covering his hand throbbed viciously.
Inside, it felt as though all his organs had been twisted and overturned.
Then—
a soft, gentle voice brushed against his ear.
“You did well.”
Baek Han-Gyeol froze.
He had never heard those words directed at him before in his life.
During that brief moment, the man beneath him hugged him even tighter.
Yellow light slowly rose around them, enveloping Baek Han-Gyeol’s body almost like an embrace.
He understood immediately.
The person underneath him was a Guide.
But this Guiding—
was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
“…What the hell?”
Confusion filled his slow voice.
As he felt the pain inside him rapidly ease, Baek Han-Gyeol tilted his head slightly.
The man apparently had no intention of answering him.
Instead, he simply muttered to himself.
“Red… blue… and this yellow…”
Suddenly, the hand that had been patting Baek Han-Gyeol’s back stopped.
“…Done.”
At that moment, Baek Han-Gyeol felt the chaotic waves that had been consuming his body and mind return to their proper places.
He reached down, grabbed Lee Yoon-Gyeom by the chin, and turned his face toward him.
His gaze was filled with disbelief.
“I asked what you are.”
“…Ugh… ngh.”
One of the man’s eyes curved strangely while the area around it trembled.
His cheeks puffed up as he stubbornly kept his mouth shut, then he slapped Baek Han-Gyeol’s wrist repeatedly.
As if telling him to move his hand already.
“Ah.”
Baek Han-Gyeol loosened his grip.
The man immediately coughed up blood.
The golden light filling his eyes slowly began to fade.
Then all the strength drained from his small body.
Baek Han-Gyeol’s eyes widened in surprise.
He tapped the unconscious man lightly with the back of his hand.
No response.
He didn’t open his eyes.
It barely even looked like he was breathing.
“Did he pass out?”
Baek Han-Gyeol tilted his head.
Then he leaned closer.
He grabbed both of the man’s cheeks with one hand, forcing his lips open.
Without hesitation, Baek Han-Gyeol covered them with his own and blew air into his lungs.
A faint cough followed.
“He’s not dead.”
Baek Han-Gyeol pulled his lips away slightly and let out a brief, incredulous laugh.
At that exact moment—
BANG!
The rooftop door slammed open.
One after another, the S-rank Espers landed on the rooftop, signaling that the Gate had been eliminated.
A Guide who arrived ahead of the others immediately sensed how strangely calm the air around Baek Han-Gyeol had become.
He hurriedly checked the readings.
Stability: 42%
For the first time—
Baek Han-Gyeol’s readings had stabilized.
The Guide stared down at his device before quickly approaching Lee Yoon-Gyeom, who lay collapsed nearby.
“…Was this Guide the one who… Guided Esper Baek Han-Gyeol?”
At the question, everyone who had gathered around widened their eyes.
Whenever a Gate disappeared, Baek Han-Gyeol normally spent an entire week bedridden.
They had fully expected to find him collapsed somewhere again.
Instead—
He looked perfectly fine.
There was no way they wouldn’t be shocked.
“I don’t know either. He just did it to me.”
Baek Han-Gyeol straightened himself and shrugged.
“What’s with this guy? I’ve never seen this Guide before.”
Slowly, a rather impure smile spread across Baek Han-Gyeol’s face.
Another Guide carefully examined the unidentified man lying unconscious on the ground before speaking calmly.
“His readings are unstable. It appears he has only just awakened as a Guide. I’ll report this to the Center immediately.”
“No.”
Baek Han-Gyeol raised a hand to stop him.
One corner of his lips twisted upward as he slowly stood.
Then he tore off his cape and roughly wrapped it around Lee Yoon-Gyeom’s smaller body.
“I’ll report it myself.”
He bundled Yoon-Gyeom up so thoroughly that only a sliver of his face remained visible, almost like a baby wrapped in a blanket.
Then Baek Han-Gyeol murmured,
“Ah. Now that I look at him properly, his face is my type too.”
So this is how I end up getting one.
My Guide.
An unexpected rush of exhilaration swept through Baek Han-Gyeol’s entire body.
An unidentified Guide whose identity no one knew.
A path none of them had ever experienced before.
Whether it would become hope—
or despair—
no one knew.
It was a future that could never have been predicted from the beginning.
This was the first beginning of Baek Han-Gyeol and Lee Yoon-Gyeom.