IDESGI Chapter 4
by BrieChapter 4
The Director’s expression hardened as he continued.
“Yoo Ihan, that lun— ahem, Esper Yoo Ihan, personally requested it. That’s why your Guiding duties were reduced.”
“Yes, I was aware of that.”
“Even though there was no reason it had to be you. He insisted on you specifically, so an exception was made.”
Yeoul’s face remained indifferent, as if this conversation was pointless—a matter they both already knew.
The Director, meanwhile, gripped the armrest of his chair, recalling the nightmare that was Yoo Ihan’s tantrum back then.
“But that wasn’t the only reason we granted the exception. It’s not exactly rare for an Esper to fixate on a Guide. Normally, we wouldn’t have been able to grant special treatment just for that.”
“Uh-huh.”
Yeoul, frankly, wanted to get this tedious conversation over with.
Did the Director really have to get involved in this?
Breaking up with an S-class Esper was a nightmare.
Honestly, if they hadn’t imprinted, this wouldn’t have even been an issue.
There were plenty of other Guides who could replace him.
But because of the imprint, Yoo Ihan could no longer receive efficient Guiding from anyone else.
This was an undeniable national loss.
Which was why they were all treating it like a life-or-death matter.
Did they even realize?
That the only person actually risking their life here—
Was Han Yeoul?
Swallowing down his bitterness, Yeoul halfheartedly tuned out the scolding.
Until the Director said something unexpected.
“But the real reason we granted the exception—
was because every single Esper in Zone 1 submitted a petition on your behalf.”
For the first time, Yeoul was surprised.
Espers were notorious for competing over Guides—they guarded their assigned Guides fiercely and constantly fought over who got priority.
For them to unite like that—
That was unheard of.
“That actually happened?”
“Yes. The other Espers supported the request, and in the end, it was approved.”
‘Was it because of friendships?’
Ihan did have a lot of friends.
But for all of them to agree?
Yeoul thought, maybe Ihan was even more well-connected than he had assumed.
What Yeoul didn’t realize—
Was that no one defied the laws of survival better than Espers.
And in front of a beast like Yoo Ihan, every single one of them was a rabbit.
They hadn’t signed that petition voluntarily.
Not a single one of them had a choice.
And Yeoul also didn’t know—
That when Ihan first demanded that Yeoul be assigned to him as an exclusive Guide,
he hadn’t even been imprinted yet.
The only reason the compromise was made—
Was to reduce Yeoul’s mandatory Guiding sessions to three per week.
And even that—Ihan hated.
Every time an Esper received Guiding from Yeoul, Ihan made sure they paid for it.
In the end, so many Espers became too afraid to go to Yeoul that they had to resort to drawing lots to decide who would be forced to go.
By regulation, only imprinted pairs could be considered exclusive Guide-Esper duos.
So for two years, Zone 1 Espers had been desperately hoping for Yeoul and Ihan to imprint.
But because of the rank gap, Yeoul had kept delaying it.
Until Ihan forced his hand.
When Ihan finally got the imprint he had dreamed of, the past month had been the best time of his life.
He was so elated that he even let small mistakes slide during missions.
For the first time ever—Zone 1 had peace.
And then—
Han Yeoul broke up with him.
And that peace?
Shattered.
A nuclear bomb had dropped on Zone 1.
Ihan’s mood plummeted with each passing day—
And now, he was becoming a tyrant.
Had he never tasted happiness, maybe he could’ve endured it.
But now that he knew what it was like to have Yeoul—
How could he possibly go back?
Back to that hell.
A hell that was now—
Even worse than before.
Yoo Ihan was in an incredibly bad mood.
No, calling it bad didn’t even begin to cover it.
He was so enraged that he felt like he was about to explode.
His rampage level was rising—even though he hadn’t even used his Esper energy.
Fuck. If only it actually would.
If he teetered on the edge of a rampage, there was no way Yeoul would refuse to Guide him.
But of course, the world was a piece of shit, and only low-level monsters had been showing up lately.
Nothing strong enough to push his body to its limits.
After all, Zone 1 didn’t have many monsters.
It hadn’t always been that way.
Zone 1 had only become a clean zone because Ihan wiped everything out.
Because he couldn’t let his Yeoul get hurt.
And if that also meant he could use Guiding as an excuse for sex?
Even better.
From the moment he fell for Yeoul at first sight, he had relentlessly pursued him.
And Yeoul—
Yeoul clearly had feelings for him too.
But he kept pushing Ihan away, saying he was just a C-rank Guide and that he already had an Esper assigned to him.
So Ihan had gone even more berserk on the battlefield.
Because if he wrecked himself enough, he could use it as an excuse to spend the whole night with Yeoul.
Because his sweet Yeoul—
Could say no to a date, but he had never once refused to Guide him.
That’s right.
Not once.
Ihan froze mid-step.
His entire body went still.
“Haa…”
Lately, he hadn’t gone a single day without sighing.
If he didn’t let out deep breaths like this, it felt like his chest would cave in.
Why the hell is he breaking up with me?
Guiding refusal? Fine.
Quitting as my exclusive Guide? Whatever.
But breaking up?!
How the fuck could he even say that?
After everything they’d been through?!
For Yeoul, Ihan had erased the concept of ‘anger’ from his mind.
But this time…
He was furious.
And yet—
He still couldn’t bring himself to be mad at Yeoul.
How could he be mad?
Yeoul was too damn beautiful.
Even when he said things that ripped Ihan’s heart apart, he was still so unbearably lovely.
That round little head, those bright, rabbit-like eyes.
Expressionless one moment, and then suddenly smiling—a smile so sweet that it made Ihan’s chest drop.
From the very first moment their eyes met, Ihan had loved everything about Yeoul.
“How am I supposed to handle it when even the face that says ‘let’s break up’ is this pretty?”
“Can’t you just be cute or lovable, not both? I’m seriously about to lose my mind.”
Kim Yushin, who had been walking beside Ihan, made a face and took a step away.
Lose your mind? No, you’re already insane.
The words were right there at the back of his throat, but he swallowed them—because he valued his life.
“Hey, why don’t you use what you’re best at?”
“What.”
“Come on, you know. Your biggest strength.”
Ihan frowned, irritated.
“I have too many strengths to count.”
Annoying.
But true, so Yushin couldn’t even argue.
He mentally punched Ihan about twelve times before pointing at his face.
“Use your looks.”
Yushin scanned him from head to toe.
The dark gray dress shirt, layered under a black blazer.
The loosely knotted black tie, paired with black slacks that framed his long legs.
Absolute perfection.
They were wearing the same uniform, yet Ihan stood out.
The polished look somehow made him even more sinful.
Everyone passing by had their eyes glued to him.
Even now, with his brows scrunched in annoyance, holding a shopping bag decorated with fish, he still looked like a goddamn model.
‘He’s completely detached from reality.’
Yushin could trash his personality all he wanted, but he had to admit—
Ihan’s looks were unbeatable.
After seeing Ihan, Yushin stopped looking at mirrors.
He wasn’t ugly—he had even been called handsome or charming from time to time.
But whenever he stood in front of a mirror after seeing Ihan,
all he saw was a squid.
Ihan replied flatly.
“Doesn’t work. I tried.”
“Even crying? Han Yeoul is weak to you crying.”
“Doesn’t work either.”
Ihan wore an uncharacteristically gloomy expression.
Just as Yushin was searching for words to console him, a loud commotion erupted in the distance.
It seemed like the Guides who had finished work were now heading home.
“Han Yeoul, Guide. I heard he’s been going around hitting on Espers lately?”
“Well, no Esper wants to go to him. I heard he’s quitting as Yoo Ihan’s exclusive Guide.”
“Is he insane? Who the hell would ditch Yoo Ihan?”
“Some people just can’t be satisfied with one guy.
Look at him—Han Yeoul’s got that soft, delicate look, doesn’t he?
Bet he’s been spreading his legs all over the place. I wouldn’t be surprised if—”
The man never got to finish.
His face slammed into the ground.
A powerful force pinned his head down, sending a wave of agony through his skull.
Shaking, he forced his eyes upward.
Ihan was standing over him, expressionless, his gaze cold and detached.
“W-What the hell are you doing?!”
“Yoo Ihan, Esper! You know Espers aren’t allowed to attack Guides!”
“Guides are basically civilians! If you use your energy, they could die!
Despite their protests, none of the Guides dared step forward to stop him.
Ihan swept his gaze over them.
That single cold glance sent a chill down their spines.
Then, Ihan clenched his left fist.
“Don’t worry.”
A fist shot forward, slamming into the man’s gut.
“I’ll control my strength.”
A sickening crack.
Screams.
Choking gasps.
The sound of a body struggling for air.
Yushin, unable to watch anymore, grabbed Ihan’s shoulder.
“Hey, you bastard! Stop it! You’re gonna kill him!”
Ihan paused for a moment, then tilted his head.
“Ah, right. Can’t let him die.”
With that, he dusted off his hands—
Then drove his shoe into the man’s stomach.
“Dying like this would be too easy.”
Yushin stared down at the unconscious man, sighing as he rubbed his temples.
Great. Now I’m gonna get disciplined for not stopping him.
But if he had tried to intervene earlier,
he would’ve ended up just like that guy.
Ihan glanced down at his shirt, noticing the splatter of blood staining it.
“Tsk. I need to leave before Yeoul gets off work. Now my clothes are ruined.”
Checking his watch, Ihan gracefully picked up the shopping bag he had set on the ground earlier.
Then—he teleported.
Meanwhile, Han Yeoul was still at work.
“The Center Director really is a man of his word.”
Yeoul sighed as he muttered under his breath.
So much for the transfer he had begged for.
Instead—
Six months of docked pay and an unbearable amount of work.
Since there were no Espers to Guide,
All the administrative work was dumped onto him.
“Government workers, I swear. So much wasted paper.”
After spending the entire day locked inside a conference room, sorting through stacks of documents, he felt numb.
The only sound that filled the air was the repetitive click of a stapler.
Then—
In a brief moment of distraction,
His hand slipped.
The stapler clamped down—
Right on his thumb.
Yeoul silently screamed, stomping his foot.
“Ugh, shit…”
Blood trickled from his thumb.
Where the hell were the tissues?
Just as he was grumbling about how things always disappeared when he needed them—
Ihan appeared.
“Holy—!”
“Ah, sorry. Did I scare you?”
“How many times have I told you not to just appear out of nowhere?!”
Yeoul automatically started scolding him—but then stopped.
He clamped his mouth shut.
Ihan, however, grinned brightly, as if delighted.
“Sorry, Yeoul. I won’t do it again. I didn’t know you were here.”
The way he beamed at Yeoul’s nagging—
It was something only lovers would do.
No—they were lovers.
They imprinted.
That made them practically married.
Ihan chuckled to himself, knowing that thought alone would make Yeoul lose his mind.
“What were you doing? Wait—what happened to your hand?”
Ihan gently pulled Yeoul’s left hand forward, inspecting it closely.
His brows furrowed at the sight of the bleeding thumb.
“That must’ve hurt. How did you do this?”
“It’s fine. You, on the other hand—”
Yeoul stopped himself again.
Why is your shirt stained?
Did you get hurt?
That was what he wanted to ask.
But how could he, after telling him they should break up?
He had to stay strong.
So instead, Yeoul coldly pulled his hand away.
“It’ll heal on its own. Don’t worry about it.”
But Ihan gently took his hand again—
This time, with a grip just firm enough that Yeoul couldn’t escape.
“Yeoul, I don’t believe you when you say you’re fine.”
And then, slowly, he brought Yeoul’s hand to his lips.
“You always say you’re fine.
Even when you’re not.”
Yeoul’s eyes widened.
Ihan’s mouth closed over his thumb.
A wet sound echoed in the silence.
A hot tongue brushed against the wound.
Yeoul’s ears turned red.
“F-Fucking gross!—”
Ihan’s tongue licked over the cut, swirling around it.
It stung, but more than that—this was dangerous.
It had only been two weeks since they last slept together.
Before that, they were in bed almost every night.
His body reacted instantly.
Blood rushed downward.
Fuck.
Yeoul shoved Ihan away harder than before.
This time, Ihan let him go.
But he still lingered, playing with Yeoul’s fingers.
Noticing the blood had stopped, he smiled faintly.
“It’s stopped. That’s a relief.”
“That was disgusting. My hands have been touching papers all day.”
“Yeoul, you could never be dirty.”
The calm certainty in his voice made Yeoul bite his lip.
He always did this.
Always said things that left him with nothing to say.
“Yeoul, you’re the purest thing in the world. Like freshly fallen snow.”
Ihan took Yeoul’s hand and pressed it to his cheek.
He rubbed against it, gazing at Yeoul like he was the center of his universe.
His gold-flecked eyes were deep and transparent—fixed solely on him.
“Sometimes,” Ihan murmured,
“I want to taint that purity.”
“I want to leave my footprints all over you.”
“To fill you up completely.”
“Blacken you.”
His low voice sent shivers down Yeoul’s spine.
Without realizing, Ihan had guided Yeoul’s fingers to his lips—
Then kissed them.
Long. Slow. Possessive.
“But I shouldn’t, should I?”
Yeoul’s gaze darted everywhere, avoiding him.
If he looked at Ihan now,
he would be exposed.
His fear would be exposed.
Ihan suddenly knelt down on one knee—
And kissed Yeoul’s ring finger.
The imprint mark was still there—a faint band around his skin.
“So, I’ll become clean.”
“If I can’t, I’ll at least pretend to be.”
“So, Yeoul…”
This time, Yeoul couldn’t look away.
Ihan’s gaze was too desperate—so raw, so aching that it made his chest tighten.
His eyes burned, a threat of tears rising up.
“Don’t abandon me.”
Ihan rested his face against Yeoul’s hand, pleading.
“I’ll do better, okay?”
That soft, rising lilt at the end of his sentence—so fragile, so helpless.
Yeoul forced down the lump in his throat.
The overwhelming emotions bubbling up from his stomach—he swallowed them. Again. And again.
When he finally met Ihan’s gaze, his own eyes were like black voids.
Empty.
But beneath that emptiness, a deep, unfathomable sorrow.
Still, he forced himself to remain impassive. Cold.
“What else could you possibly give me?”
He had already given everything.
His strength. His love.
And in the end, even his life.
“I don’t want anything from you anymore.”
Ihan.
Ihan, I don’t need your life.
So take it back.
“I’m going to throw you away.”
Throw me away, Ihan.
Ihan’s fingers trembled slightly as they held Yeoul’s hand.
Then—slowly—he let go.
“…Yeoul, those words.”
A sad smile appeared on Ihan’s face.
“They actually hurt a little.”
He straightened, unfolding his long legs as he stood.
Then, he handed Yeoul a shopping bag decorated with fish.
“I’ll go now. I bought this from your favorite Japanese place—eat it before it gets cold.”
“…It’s sushi. It’s meant to be eaten cold.”
Ihan chuckled, gazing at Yeoul with adoration.
“You’re right. My Yeoul is so smart.”
“Just go. I have work to do.”
“Yeah. I’m going.”
But despite saying that, Ihan didn’t move.
He stood there, completely still.
Yeoul glanced at him, shooting him a pointed look.
“…Aren’t you leaving?”
“I can’t bring myself to walk away.”
“Because you’re still here.”
Ihan hesitated, lingering, as if he couldn’t bear to part from him.
Yeoul sighed quietly and pushed him forward.
“…I’ll stop by this weekend.”
“To pick up the stuff I left.”
Ihan’s face lit up.
His eyes sparkled, a wide smile breaking across his face.
“Really?”
“Yeah. So go now. I have to finish everything today if I want to avoid working this weekend.”
“Okay! Got it!”
“I’m looking forward to the weekend.”
Ihan nodded enthusiastically, his smile beaming.