IDESGI Chapter 19

Chapter 19

With anticipation written all over his face, Yeoul urged Eunha for an answer.

“What is it? Did it go up?”

Eunha stared intently at the sheet in front of him, then shook his head.

“No, the match rate itself actually dropped. From 89% to 82%.”

“What? But the guiding clearly felt more effective.”

Yeoul could feel the energy flowing far more smoothly than before. On top of that, the time it took for Geon’s overload levels to stabilize had decreased dramatically. Geon seemed just as unconvinced, furrowing his brows.

“The numbers stabilized way faster than before. The guiding efficiency definitely improved.”

“You’re right. The efficiency has improved.”

“What do you mean? You just said it hadn’t.”

“To be exact, the match rate dropped, but the speed increased. The energy output is higher than before, but the rate at which it’s absorbed is abnormally fast.”

“That’s even possible?”

“No idea. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Eunha scratched his head, reading the output over and over again.

“Maybe the machine’s broken? I’ll test it on another one just in case.”

They ran the test on a total of three machines—but not a single discrepancy showed up. Every result was identical.

‘What is going on?’

None of the three present could explain this anomaly.

“This is nuts. I’ve seriously never seen anything like this before. What would even cause this kind of result? I should probably report this to the higher-ups.”

“No!”

Yeoul shouted in alarm. Eunha stared at him, puzzled.

“Why are you freaking out?”

“Well, um…”

Yeoul glanced at Yoon Geon. Picking up on the signal, Geon asked calmly,

“Want me to step out?”

“Yes… Please, hyung.”

True to his earlier promise not to pry, Geon left the lab without another word. Left alone, Eunha awkwardly fidgeted and muttered irritably,

“What’s with you now? I’m uncomfortable, okay? We’re not exactly on laughing terms or anything.”

“Hyung. I know I’ve got no right to ask, but… I need a favor.”

“Are you not getting it? I don’t like you. I seriously can’t stand you.”

“I know. But you’re the only one I can ask.”

Yeoul’s subdued expression made Eunha hesitate, caught off guard.

“What the hell? What’s with the serious tone?”

Yeoul looked at him steadily, gaze calm. After a moment of silence, he spoke, voice low and even.

“I’m going to die soon, hyung.”

The color drained from Eunha’s face. His lips trembled as he stared at Yeoul, completely stunned.

“…What?”

“To be precise, if I don’t die, Ihan will.”

“What the hell are you even talking about?”

Before coming here, Yeoul had wondered how to persuade Eunha. But he knew half-truths or vague explanations wouldn’t work on someone like him. That’s why he’d decided—at least with Eunha, he would be completely honest.

“I’ve already died twice. Each time, time reset, and I came back.”

“Are you on something? What kind of crazy bullshit—!”

“This is my third life. And in both previous ones, Yoo Ihan died. Because of me.”

Eunha couldn’t bring himself to believe it, but he also knew Han Yeoul wasn’t the type to talk nonsense. His head pounding, Eunha rubbed his temples.

“Goddamn it. Fine, I’ll hear you out. Just once. Now start from the beginning—who, what, when, where, why. Properly.”

Yeoul nodded and began to explain everything that had happened. The more he spoke, the more Eunha’s expression hardened.

“I can’t let Ihan die again. Please help me.”

His voice, so steady when talking about his own death, now trembled as he pleaded for someone else’s life.

“Please… save Ihan.”

Eunha looked at Yeoul clinging to him with such desperate, pleading eyes that he let out a long sigh.

“Well… doesn’t seem like you’re high.”

Eunha racked his brain, then groaned and tugged at his hair in frustration. Glaring at Yeoul, he barked,

“If you’re lying, you’re dead. Got it? If I even smell a hint of bullshit, I’ll drag you in for a lie detector—or better yet, I’ll call Hyunho and make you confess!”

“That’s fine. I’m okay with that.”

“…So what exactly do you want me to do?”

Yeoul’s face lit up with relief, and afraid Eunha might change his mind, he spoke quickly.

“After imprinting with Ihan, our match rate dropped. But with Geon-hyung, it increased. If we can figure out the cause of that change, maybe we can find a way to restore the original match rate.”

“So you want me to figure out why your guiding efficiency with Yoon Geon improved?”

“Yes. If we understand that, maybe I can increase my match rate with Ihan again.”

Eunha pouted, tossing back sarcastically,

“But isn’t the easiest way just for you to die? Research doesn’t give instant answers. What if Ihan dies before we figure anything out? Just go off and die already.”

A faint smile ghosted across Yeoul’s lips.

“If there really is no other way, of course I’ll die. If it’s for Ihan, I’d do it gladly.”

“…And that’s why I hate you. You take every joke like it’s some tragic drama. What is this, a sob story special? You’re not the only one with problems, you know? But sure, go on, be the one noble soul suffering alone. No wonder you ghosted me for two years.”

Yeoul replied in a small, slightly sulky voice,

“You told me never to contact you again.”

“I was pissed! You were seriously gonna take that literally?!”

Fuming, Eunha stomped his foot in frustration.

“God, I swear—I should just kill you myself!”

“…If you could do it painlessly, I’d appreciate it.”

“UGH! Han Yeoul, I hate you so much!”

Eunha clutched his chest like he was about to lose it, then pointed a finger at him furiously.

“Do you even know why I hate you?”

“Because you liked Ihan. And when you found out we were dating, you flipped.”

“See?! Fuck! I knew you thought that!”

“…Was I wrong? You were a fan of Ihan for ages.”

He wasn’t wrong. The reason things soured between Han Yeoul and Kim Eunha wasn’t because they never got along. On the contrary, they used to be close. Yeoul had followed Eunha like a big brother, second only to Geon, and Eunha, though he grumbled often, always looked out for Yeoul.

The beginning of their fallout was when Yeoul announced he was leaving for Zone 1—with Ihan.

Kim Eunha had been Yoo Ihan’s fan. No—fan didn’t even cut it. He was an obsessed superfan.
Eunha constantly wrote Ihan letters, sent gifts, and tried everything he could to meet him.

In fact, the very reason Han Yeoul first met Yoo Ihan… was because of Kim Eunha.

---

Back when Yeoul was still part of Zone 5, Eunha would call him into the lab just to hang out over the silliest excuses.

One afternoon, Eunha was lying on the lab’s sofa with his head resting on Yeoul’s lap, gawking at his phone and sighing in awe.

“God, I’m so in love. How can a guy have such a small, pretty face and skin that pale? And that body—ugh, he’s sexy and tall too. I know he’s packing down there. He’s got it all. All of it.”

Yeoul’s ears turned bright red as Eunha fawned shamelessly over a video of Yoo Ihan in action.

“Hyung! Don’t say stuff like that out loud!”

“Aww, did our little Han Yeoul get embarrassed? I mean, you’ve never even held a guy’s hand except during guiding, right?”

Flustered, Yeoul snapped back, pouting.

“I like girls, okay? There’s no reason for me to hold a guy’s hand outside of guiding!”

“Oh? So have you ever actually held a girl’s hand?”

“W-Well, that’s…”

When Yeoul trailed off, unable to answer, Eunha smirked teasingly.

“What a shame we don’t have any female Espers in Zone 5. All your potential dates are guys.”

“Come on! It’s not like Guides have to date Espers. I’m gonna date a civilian!”

“Pfft. Sure, sure. Keep dreaming. What kind of civilian would date a Guide? They all know what kind of stuff goes down during guiding. No way anyone would accept that. Well, I’m open-minded, of course, so I get it.”

“Guiding is just part of the job! It doesn’t mean anything!”

Eunha chuckled and reached up, squishing Yeoul’s cheek between his fingers.

“Then why don’t you do sex guiding? You said guiding is just work. Sex is just work too—shouldn’t be a problem.”

Yeoul grumbled, puffing out his cheek in Eunha’s palm.

“I will if it’s necessary! I’ve just never needed to before. But if it’s needed, then I’ll do it.”

Eunha suddenly went still. His voice dropped.

“…You’d really do sex guiding?”

“Yes! So don’t worry about me!”

Eunha shot upright, yelling as if Yeoul had said something outrageous.

“Why the hell would you do that?! Are you crazy?! You don’t need to go that far! If any Esper tries to sweet-talk you into it, you kick him in the balls, got it?! Just take the meds and guide! What’s the point of sex?!”

Yeoul winced and covered his ears.

“You were the one telling me to do it just now!”

“That was me teasing you! Don’t you dare do it. Never. I’ll bust my ass researching and make you the best damn guiding meds out there, so just don’t do it!”

Yeoul looked at him, confused.

“Hyung, do you know your logic never adds up?”

“Yes, yes, I’m a walking contradiction. A big ol’ ball of irony. But if I even hear rumors that you slept with an Esper, you’re dead. Got it?”

Just then, Yeoul’s radio crackled to life. He stood up from the sofa.

“Oh, I’ve got a call. I’ll be back later, hyung.”

“Hey! Answer me before you go!”

Leaving Eunha yelling behind him, Yeoul walked off to do his job.

“Hyung really does treat me like a kid.”

Kim Eunha, five years older than Yeoul, had always seen him as nothing more than a baby. Maybe it was because of his soft features and rosy cheeks. Yeoul poked at one of them with his fingers and mumbled.

On another peaceful afternoon, just like always, Eunha had summoned Yeoul to the lab again.

“Hyung, I’m here.”

“Yeoul! Han Yeoul!”

“Whoa, you scared me! What is it, hyung?”

“He’s coming! He said he’s coming!!”

Unable to contain his excitement, Eunha ran over and threw his arms around Yeoul, face flushed red with anticipation.

Yeoul blinked wide, round eyes, confused, caught in Eunha’s tight hug.