IDESGI Chapter 12

Chapter 12

When Yeoul first saw Seo Yeonoh, only one thought crossed his mind.

‘Wow, he’s beautiful.’

With slightly upturned eyes and firmly pressed lips, his sharp features resembled a proud cat. Rather than looking cute, his impression was undeniably pretty. Even those who never used such words for men would say the same after seeing him.

He was at least half a hand shorter than Yeoul, who stood at 174 cm, and his slender frame made it easy to mistake him for a woman at first glance.

‘He only just awakened as a Guide, so everything must still feel unfamiliar to him.’

Yeoul remembered his own awakening—the fear of a new, unfamiliar environment and the drastic changes in his life. Recalling those feelings, he approached Yeonoh and extended a hand.

“Hello, I’m Guide Han Yeoul. You’re Guide Seo Yeonoh, right?”

Yeonoh glanced at Yeoul briefly, gave a slight nod, then turned his gaze forward again.

Feeling awkward, Yeoul hesitated before slowly lowering his outstretched hand.

A bit embarrassed by the cold reception, he reassured himself.

‘Maybe he’s just shy.’

Yeoul himself was often mistaken as cold or indifferent because of his quiet nature and frequent blank expressions. People who met him for the first time sometimes whispered behind his back, calling him distant or unfriendly. But those who got to know him always ended up teasing him, saying he was actually one of the softest people they’d ever met.

Perhaps Yeonoh was the same.

When Yeoul first transferred to Zone 1 and struggled to fit in, Jimin had been there to take care of him. He had appreciated her kindness more than he could say.

Encouraging himself, Yeoul decided to take the first step.

“I heard you’re an A-Class Guide. I hope you find an Esper here who matches well with you. Ah, by the way, we don’t have separate teams here since we operate with a limited number of personnel. As a team Guide, you’ll rotate between different Zone 5 Espers for Guiding.”

He tried to start a conversation again, but Yeonoh remained unresponsive.

Yeoul let out a small, awkward laugh.

“Haha, well… Of course, we still prioritize pairing Guides with Espers who have the highest match rates.”

“…Yeah.”

Yeonoh’s response was brief and filled with disinterest. It was clear he wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation.

Feeling uncomfortable in the growing silence, Yeoul rubbed the back of his neck.

‘He really doesn’t seem to want to be here.’

Newly awakened Guides were usually sent to zones with a shortage of Guides first for match rate testing. If they were compatible with at least three Espers in that zone, they could officially be hired as team Guides there.

If they didn’t meet the requirements, they had to continue testing in other zones until they found a match. Those who failed to secure a proper placement were forced to work as unaffiliated free Guides, getting deployed wherever they were needed.

Most Guides preferred to be permanently stationed in the least dangerous zones, where their workload would be lighter.

Zone 5, however, was far from an easy posting.

The area was rough, and simultaneous gate outbreaks were common, meaning Espers frequently sustained injuries. And the more injuries there were, the heavier the burden on the Guides became.

‘Can’t blame him for not wanting to be here. It’s dangerous, and it’s not exactly an easy place to work.’

Yeoul let it slide, understanding the sentiment.

In the end, Yeonoh’s test results showed that he wasn’t particularly compatible with Zone 5 Espers. While his A-Class ranking meant he could compensate for low match rates through sheer energy output, it would be far more efficient for him to move to another zone where he could find a better-suited Esper instead of wasting energy here.

Just when it seemed like Yeonoh would be assigned to another zone, Yoon Geon returned from his mission.

Yeonoh, who had been standing indifferently, widened his eyes the moment he saw Geon and couldn’t take his gaze off him.

“…Who is that?”

He asked absentmindedly, still staring at Geon, who was brushing back his sweat-dampened hair while speaking with the researchers.

Yeoul glanced at Geon briefly before answering.

“Geon hyung? He’s the representative Esper of Zone 5. His name is Yoon Geon, and he’s an S-Class Esper.”

“S-Class….”

Yeonoh’s eyes burned with intensity.

Yeoul blinked in surprise, looking between Yeonoh and Geon.

‘Is he interested in Geon hyung?’

Could love finally be in the air for Geon, who never cared about romance?

Yeoul chuckled at the absurd thought.

‘No way. Geon hyung, of all people? Impossible.’

In the past five years, Yeoul had never once seen Geon take an interest in anyone. His life was strictly routine—going between the center and his home. He never met anyone outside of work, never went out just to have fun. The closest thing to “going out” for him was tagging along whenever Yeoul went somewhere.

How could someone find a romantic connection when they never interacted with anyone? Since Geon practically spent all his time with Yeoul, there was no way he had the opportunity to date.

Just then, a researcher called for Yeonoh.

“Guide Seo Yeonoh, let’s conduct a match rate test with Esper Yoon Geon.”

Geon frowned in clear displeasure.

“I don’t need any Guide other than Han Yeoul. I don’t see the point in this meaningless test.”

It was rare for Geon to voice his dissatisfaction so openly, but Yeoul understood why.

A match rate test was essentially the same as receiving Guiding. And for Geon, any Guiding that wasn’t from Yeoul was nothing but pain. There was no way he’d want to go through with it.

The researcher coaxed him gently.

“This is the first A-Class Guide we’ve had in five years. Just give it a try.”

With a short sigh, Geon extended his hand.

A researcher attached a monitoring device to his fingertips before turning to Yeonoh.

“Please begin Guiding now.”

Yeonoh placed his hand over Geon’s and channeled his Guiding energy into him.

Geon frowned, visibly uncomfortable. But then, his head suddenly snapped toward Yeonoh, his expression shifting. Almost instantly, his gaze darted to Yeoul instead.

Their eyes met, and for the first time, Geon’s usually steady black eyes trembled.

‘What’s wrong? Is he in pain?’

But his expression looked more shocked than pained.

Yeoul watched the two of them, puzzled.

After about ten minutes, the test concluded with a soft chime from the machine.

A researcher looked at the printed results and gasped in amazement.

“92%! Esper Yoon Geon and Guide Seo Yeonoh have a 92% match rate!”

Everyone in the room was stunned by the result. Yeoul was no exception. His eyes widened like a startled rabbit as he rushed over to Geon.

“Hyung! How was it? Did it hurt?”

Geon stared at Yeoul for a moment before giving a short reply.

“No.”

A bright smile spread across Yeoul’s face. He grabbed Geon’s hand and shook it excitedly.

“Hyung! This is amazing! You finally found a compatible Guide!”

Unlike Yeoul, who was celebrating as if this were his own victory, Geon didn’t seem particularly happy. But since he was never one to show much emotion, Yeoul assumed he must be pleased deep down.

Seo Yeonoh ended up staying in Zone 5. Even if he didn’t match well with the other Espers, the fact that he had such a high match rate with an S-Class Esper like Geon made it possible. Considering that, until now, the only Guide compatible with Geon had been Yeoul—a mere C-Class Guide—it was the most logical decision.

On the day Yeonoh was officially assigned as Zone 5’s team Guide, Yeoul called Ihan.

“I might be able to transfer to Zone 1.”

—Are you finally accepting me, Yeoul?

“I don’t know yet. I’ll have to submit the request and see… And I told you to stop using casual speech with me.”

Ihan let out a bright, carefree laugh, as if he found Yeoul’s grumbling adorable. The sound of it was surprisingly pleasant, making Yeoul smile involuntarily as well.

“Now that Geon hyung doesn’t need me anymore, I can apply for a transfer. That means I can be with you, Ihan—”

Yeoul cut himself off mid-sentence, realizing what he had just said. In a panic, he immediately hung up the call.

‘What the hell am I doing?! I kept rejecting him all this time, and now that Geon hyung has a new Guide, I’m suddenly eager to go running to Ihan? Am I crazy?’

Embarrassment washed over him. But before he could dwell on it, his phone started ringing incessantly.

It was Ihan, relentlessly calling him back.

Pretending to be reluctant, Yeoul answered the call.

Despite his flustered state, excitement bubbled inside him at the thought of finally being able to go to Zone 1, where Ihan was. However, he hesitated to bring it up with Geon, worried that his hyung might feel left behind.

‘It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. If I explain it properly, he’ll understand.’

But when Yeoul finally gathered the courage to ask Geon if he could leave, Geon simply stared at him in silence.

After a long pause, Geon finally spoke.

“Are you happy that I found a new Guide?”

Yeoul nodded enthusiastically.

“Of course! Hyung finally has a Guide that matches your rank. How could I not be happy for you?”

“I see… As long as you are happy, that’s what matters.”

A faint smile formed on Geon’s lips.

For a moment, it looked strangely melancholic.

At the time, Yeoul thought nothing of it—just that Geon was feeling a little sad to see someone he considered family leave.

A few days later, Geon all but shoved Yeoul’s transfer notice into his hands.

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be in Zone 1.”

“Hyung? Isn’t this way too sudden?”

Yeoul stared at him, flustered, but Geon avoided his gaze as he spoke.

“…Yeonoh is uncomfortable with you being here.”

“What?”

“Let’s go our separate ways. Don’t contact me unless absolutely necessary. I’m going to imprint with Seo Yeonoh. I don’t want to see my exclusive Guide stressed out because of his predecessor.”

Go your own way.

Geon’s words stung.

Yeoul felt hurt, but he accepted it. It made sense. Seo Yeonoh was an A-Class Guide with a high match rate for Geon. What Esper wouldn’t want to hold onto a Guide like that?

It stung, but Yeoul understood.

And so, nearly two years passed.

Yeoul had assumed Geon was doing well—after all, no news was good news. From afar, he wished him happiness with Yeonoh.

But now, hearing that Geon hadn’t imprinted with Yeonoh left Yeoul completely bewildered.

Unable to hold back, he asked,

“Hyung, why didn’t you imprint with Yeonoh?”

Geon’s dark eyes reflected Yeoul with striking clarity. He answered plainly,

“I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“I didn’t want to be an Esper.”

The response made no sense.

He was already an Esper—what did he mean by not wanting to be one?

Yeoul’s confusion was evident as his gaze flickered uncertainly.

“What does that even mean?”

“There’s no need for you to understand. No need to analyze it.”

“Hyung, just explain—”

“The important thing is that you called me,”

Geon cut him off.

A quiet smile surfaced on his lips, carrying too many unspoken emotions.

“And that… made me happy.”

His tone remained steady and composed, but there was a faint tremor underneath.

His gaze, layered with long-buried longing, was too unwavering, too clear.

And Yeoul understood immediately.

That happiness had nothing to do with family or friendship.

It was something far, far deeper. Something he had never dared to comprehend.