DMG Episode 6

Heo Do-kyung kept his sneer.

“They’re dirty. Of course, I’m throwing them away.”

His tone made it sound like the most obvious thing in the world.

Kang I-won clenched his fists as he remembered what he had heard about Heo Do-kyung—that he had severe germophobia and an intense hatred for Espers.

Knowing that didn’t make the sting of his words any less painful. Being treated as if he were some sort of filth, lower than even the gloves that touched his hand, left Kang I-won feeling a mix of humiliation and anger.

No matter how used he was to being looked down on for receiving a rank that didn’t seem to fit, this was new. He had never been treated with such blatant contempt.

“Are you leaving or not?”

Heo Do-kyung asked, his annoyance growing more apparent.

Without another word, Kang I-won finally rose from his seat and left the guiding room, ruffling his still-damp hair with more force than necessary.

He had endured a lot of ridicule and disdain for being an Esper with a mismatched rank, so he was used to brushing off such feelings.

But this…this left him more rattled than he cared to admit.

“…Damn it.”

He muttered under his breath.

Kang I-won let out a deep sigh, shaking off the unpleasantness from earlier. His expression returned to its usual calm, as though the discomfort had never existed. After leaving the guiding room, he headed straight to the café on the first floor to meet Choi Soo-bin.

At the café, Choi Soo-bin was already seated in a corner, waiting for him. On the table were an iced Americano and a java chip frappuccino with whipped cream piled high on top.

“Right on time. Come on, sit down.”

She said, motioning to the seat across from her.

Kang I-won sat down and pulled the drink toward him. Already feeling hungry, he quickly sipped from the straw, allowing the cold and sweet frappuccino to flood his senses.

By the time he set the cup down, a third of the drink was already gone. Choi Soo-bin asked, “So, how was it?”

“What do you want to know?”

“Both.”

By “both,” she meant his thoughts on the guide and the guiding session. Kang I-won responded indifferently.

“How about you go first?”

“Annoying as hell, but good,” she answered with a grin.

“Same here.”

Kang I-won replied, his tone equally nonchalant.

As much as Heo Do-kyung’s attitude of calling people filthy had been unpleasant, the guiding itself had been undeniably effective. But even so, Kang I-won didn’t like the experience. He almost preferred using the guiding drugs instead.

Choi Soo-bin pouted slightly at his bland response.

“That’s it? Nothing else happened?”

That comment brought to mind the image of Heo Do-kyung tossing his gloves into the trash bin.

“The gloves…”

“Oh, right! He did the guiding with gloves on. The guiding was nice, but something about it felt lacking. He’s ridiculously fastidious.”

Choi Soo-bin clicked her tongue in annoyance, but she didn’t dwell much on the glove thing. Knowing her, if she’d experienced the same thing Kang I-won had, she would have been ranting before he even asked. It seemed that Heo Do-kyung only discarded the gloves and made those disparaging comments when dealing with him.

“Why only me?” The thought briefly passed through his mind, but he chose to shift the conversation. “Is that why you called me here?”

“That’s part of it. I’ve got something else I need your advice on, too.”

“Advice? From me?” Kang I-won asked, surprised.

Choi Soo-bin nodded slowly, hesitating before she spoke. “I got an offer. They want to know if I’d be interested in transferring to the Seoul branch.”

Despite everything, Seoul remained the capital of South Korea and the safest city in the country. Housing prices had been astronomical even before the disaster, but now they were beyond comprehension. The divide between Seoul and the rest of the country had grown irreparably wide.

And there was only one reason for it: the Barrier.

The Barrier could prevent both the formation of Gates and the intrusion of monsters. But Barriers were concentrated mostly in Seoul. Not because they had naturally formed there, but because of Espers—specifically, Barrier Espers.

Barrier Espers were rare, and each one could only create a limited number of Barriers each month. Most of those Barriers were used to protect Seoul.

There had been protests in the early days. Nationwide protests, with people actively demanding more protection for other regions. But the authorities ignored them, and the media barely covered the issue. Eventually, the protests fizzled out, partly because monster attacks would disrupt them.

Over time, as interest in the issue waned, people became used to the idea that Barriers existed only in Seoul. The decades of unmet demands had taught people that their voices didn’t matter.

The Barriers in Seoul never disappeared. When one was about to vanish, a new one would replace it. As a result, Seoul didn’t lack Espers as one might expect.

In fact, Seoul had three separate branches, and if you ranked all the Esper branches in the country, all three Seoul branches would be in the top ten in terms of number of Espers.

There were many reasons why Seoul had so many Espers, the primary one being that the city required a large force to maintain order and to send Espers to other regions when needed.

Naturally, this meant other regions were often short on Espers—and even more so on guides. Yet Gates kept forming without warning, and local Espers and guides struggled to manage the number of monsters.

As a result, Espers from Seoul were frequently dispatched to other areas to help cover the gaps. In fact, more than half of the Espers affiliated with Seoul branches spent most of the year outside the city.

People often thought being assigned to a Seoul branch meant an easy, cushy life, but the reality was quite different. It was just as difficult, if not more so, than working in other areas.

Of course, there were those few Espers with connections who managed to secure comfortable positions, but they were rare and usually came from privileged backgrounds.

Even so, transferring to a Seoul branch was considered a fantastic opportunity, and not one that came often. Kang I-won said.

“That’s a great opportunity.”

“Yeah, it is. But it comes with a lot of hard work.”

Choi Soo-bin sighed, taking a long sip of her iced Americano.

In Seoul, the chances of promotion were significantly higher, and the pay—including dispatch bonuses—was much better.

More importantly, moving to Seoul meant her family would be safe.

Espers assigned to Seoul were provided with housing—a place inside the Barrier, reserved exclusively for Espers and their families. While they had to pay rent, it was far cheaper than anything outside.

It wasn’t a permanent arrangement, though. The contract had to be renewed every year, and if the Esper was reassigned outside of Seoul, the contract ended.

But as long as an Esper remained in Seoul, they could continue living there indefinitely. Most, however, didn’t stay there forever. They would save up to buy their own homes, then move out.

For long-serving Espers, the government even offered financial assistance when purchasing a home. Many Espers would live in the provided apartments while working relentlessly, then use the savings and government assistance to eventually buy a home in Seoul.

Some would retire after that, while others would transfer to less demanding branches outside of Seoul once their family was settled.

For anyone with career ambitions, transferring to Seoul was an incredible opportunity. Even for those without such ambitions, it was still a valuable chance. Kang I-won himself wouldn’t hesitate if the opportunity came his way.

“You should go. You’ve got your little brother to think about.”

Choi Soo-bin had a younger brother, a late-in-life child born after her mother remarried. He was much younger than her, and she adored him.

She had no plans to marry or have children of her own. After her father passed and she became an Esper constantly walking the line between life and death, those plans had solidified.

Then her baby brother came along, and he changed everything. The moment she saw his tiny, wiggling limbs, she scrapped her life plan. She would raise him as if he were her own child, making sure he grew up happy and carefree, despite the state of the world.

For that to happen, moving to Seoul was the right choice. The quality of education he would receive there would be better, and most importantly, he would be safe.

But something was holding her back. She chewed on her straw, unable to voice her thoughts.

“Is someone trying to stop you?”

Kang I-won asked.

“Did Young-ho tell you not to go?”

“Young-ho? Him?”

Choi Soo-bin laughed, clutching her stomach.

“I didn’t even tell him. Why would I talk to him about something like this? And even if he did tell me not to go, what difference would that make? You think I’d listen to him?”

“Then… is it the team leader?”

“Why would he try to stop me? He was really supportive about it, actually. He said it’s a good opportunity, though it might be tough, and that I should think carefully. But he also said it’s better to move to Seoul if I can.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know… I honestly don’t know what’s holding me back,” she muttered, a small frown creasing her brow despite the smile on her face.

Just then, their devices beeped. A blue light flashed, signaling a team call. Choi Soo-bin quickly finished off her drink, and Kang I-won did the same, draining the last of his beverage in one gulp.

“Man, no rest for the weary, huh?” she grumbled.

“That’s the job.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Both of them jumped to their feet, ready to gear up and head out.