OMP | Chapter 2

Polar opposites. If you lined up all the people Lee Yuwon met in his 29 years, long if long, short if short, he’d place Yoon Chanyoung at the extreme end without hesitation.

Recently, Yuwon ended his unemployment and successfully got a job. Just when he thought there might be a sunny day in his rat-hole life…

…he met Yoon Chanyoung as a colleague.

“Your work is a mess.”

“…”

“What are you even good at, Lee Yuwon?”

Hearing this from a guy six years younger was disheartening. Every time, the urge to quit surged, but with a merciless overdraft and bank debt, he could only keep his resignation letter tucked away.

‘No matter what, I can’t throw away my livelihood.’

Yuwon quickly steeled himself and responded. What am I good at?

“Sorry. I’ll do better next time.”

Endure, bow, and persevere.

“Yes, make sure you do.”

One lesson learned from social life, big and small, from elementary to university:

‘Don’t mess with crazy people. Especially those with power.’

So, he decided to eat. If he endured, the anger would pass. By the end of the month, he’d receive a hefty paycheck. And if he kept enduring…

“Yuwon, here’s your favorite pork cutlet. Does it suit your taste?”

“Oh? Sunbae.”

Because there are people who bring warmth to his rough life.

“Is work tough?”

“It’s fine. I can handle it.”

The nutritionist at the disaster agency and Yuwon’s first love, his senior from school.

Hanbit Sunbae was the only ice water in the hellfire Yuwon willingly stepped into.

Sitting in the cafeteria, facing Hanbit Sunbae and slicing crispy pork cutlet, he finally felt ready to work.

“Yuwon, you struggle with eating alone. You should call me anytime.”

“Sunbae…”

“They say all the MZ espers are like that. Self-centered, with terrible personalities. Even the guides are fed up and avoid our building.”

Yuwon paused with his spoon.

This is why… I love her.

“I really feel energized.”

…Though he smoothed things over with an apology earlier, Yuwon had his grievances. He was forced to prepare a presentation yesterday and couldn’t sleep.

After the meeting, just as he was catching his breath, he was suddenly tasked with the previewer’s job, which involved transcribing video content from dungeons. Unfortunately, the protagonists in the video were foreigners.

[απογοητευμένος!]

‘???’

He sought help for translation, but everyone brushed him off, telling him to handle it himself. In the end, he used automatic translation to jot down and organize the content.

And, of course, it became an issue.

“Yuwon, you have sauce on your mouth.”

His heart fluttered at Hanbit Sunbae’s gentle touch. Unable to hide his blushing face, he lowered his gaze.

Unfortunately, his team members saw this and laughed as they passed by.

“Messing up work and flirting. Even in noble houses, servants fell for each other.”

Yoon Chanyoung, at the front of the group, smirked.

…Ah.

It wasn’t just Yuwon who heard those words.

“How can you be so rude?”

At that moment, Hanbit Sunbae slammed the table and stood up.

Wheeeeee-

The gate alarm blared loudly.

— Disaster Team 3, emergency assembly. Disaster Team 3, emergency assembly…

<Code Red> indicating ‘a person in distress inside the gate.’

Yuwon quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“Looks like I can’t eat the noodles.”

“Leave the tray, Yuwon. Be careful. Safety first, okay?”

“Yes, Sunbae. I’ll handle it well.”

As Yuwon headed to the assembly point, team members followed, snickering.

“He says he’ll handle it. Who does he think he is?”

“Exactly! How’s he going to handle it?”

Yuwon squinted at the glaring sunlight through the window.

…They’re right. What am I going to handle?

After teasing him enough, the team members bumped his shoulder and boarded the bus first. They claimed the back seats, and the leader’s seat was handed to—

“Yoon Chanyoung, Esper! Come over here!”

To Yoon Chanyoung, Yuwon’s colleague.

Yoon Chanyoung was ‘Esper Yoon Chanyoung,’ while Yuwon was just ‘Lee Yuwon’ or ‘Camera.’ Yeah, nothing to be upset about. This was the reality of his abilities.

“All espers here? Let’s go!”

Disaster Team 3 was a special team composed of A-grade or higher talents.

Among the ‘new nobles,’ Yuwon, the only C-grade, was a replaceable resource. The reason he could join Team 3 was clear.

His ability to ‘record videos inside dungeons’ and being a target of the state-supported ‘Low-grade Esper Job Support Project, Cooperative Growth Program.’

Unlike hunters who use flashy abilities to slay monsters, like predicting weather changes or manipulating metal and fire, Yuwon’s ability was ‘human battery.’ The mana flowing through his body acted like a battery.

Generally, the gate’s power drained electronic devices, making their usable time extremely short. This made it difficult to record incidents, but with Yuwon’s ability, his camera could always be powered on. The problem was… it was too weak.

He could turn on a smartphone, but main functions like calls were impossible.

[Weak signal. Automatically adjusting to 144p quality.]

Even with a good camera, Yuwon’s ability only allowed for an average of 144p video quality, with a maximum of 360p for about a minute on a good day.

After some of the footage he recorded was released to the public, Yuwon’s nickname quickly became ‘Blurry Quality.’

└? Can’t see anything, what’s with this blurry quality;
└So it’s a video of elites dancing in the dark bathroom?
└Wow, the quality… even my indigestion is coming back… Can this be a record?
└Don’t badmouth Temu anymore
└What’s with the mumbling? Is he a BJ? Why’s the cameraman mumbling like that hahaha
└Am I the only one finding this funny?? Hahaha, post more

Eventually, Disaster Team 3 became known as the ‘Blurry Quality Team.’

In fact, Yuwon’s problems didn’t end there.

About two weeks ago, during a B-grade gate raid.

Faced with a swarm of giant bugs, Yuwon couldn’t hold it in and ran away screaming, leaving only his piercing screams and shouts at the bugs in the team’s recording.

Because of that, Yuwon had to write a report, and as a new employee, Yoon Chanyoung, who was responsible for reviewing the footage, gave him a disgusted look.

‘What are you crying about?’

Yeah, I did mess up. I should’ve endured a giant fly landing on my arm and rubbing its legs.

Running away from bugs while getting a high salary for only two or three gates a month was indeed unprofessional, so he admitted it.

…He had to admit it and endure.

With a high-paying job that included hazard pay, he just needed to endure for three years. Earn enough for a decent dowry and live with Hanbit Sunbae.

While lost in thought, the bus entered the restricted area. They were soon at the gate.

⌗ ⌗ ⌗

The gate’s danger level was C.

It was suitable for Team 3, who were still new and uncoordinated.

“The first discoverer can’t get out.”

“Oh dear, hunters… This Gyeongju Sarong Cave is a famous tourist spot in this area… Please be careful not to damage nature.”

After a brief explanation, about twenty-five members, led by the team leader, got off the bus.

“It’s eerie by the sea.”

“Yeah.”

“We’re going in now!! Everyone, close the gap and come in!”

Espers had to walk as closely as possible when entering. It was a manual to minimize entry pressure. So Yuwon stood close to the person in front. Yoon Chanyoung, who was in front, flinched and stepped away.

Does he think I want to be close?

While grumbling internally, the surroundings changed.

The path they walked turned into a cave. Stalactites stretched toward Yuwon’s head.

‘Huh, what’s this?’

Why does it feel familiar? It was a moment of déjà vu in an unfamiliar landscape.

[Musecko Cave]

Escape the mysterious cave. You might find a beautiful world?

“Musecko Cave…”

The moment he confirmed the name, Yuwon knew exactly where they were. There was no way he couldn’t.

This was the event map from the farm game <Happy Flower> that Yuwon quit after reaching rank 1.

What? This doesn’t make sense.

Anything can happen in a gate, but is this real?

For now… Team 3 had entered ‘that game,’ and if it was the map Yuwon knew, there was a time limit to clear it.

Just as he was about to pretend he found a hint about the exit in his urgency…

“I know a bit about this game.”

Yuwon looked at Yoon Chanyoung beside him.

Surprisingly, Yuwon wasn’t the only one who had played this nerdy game.